Walking out of Egypt was the forward movement of Passover’s justification, sanctifying a cleansed Israel as belonging to YHWH (John’s first sign). His healing (by His stripes) made none feeble (John’s second sign). In John’s third sign, Yeshua healed a man who was lame for thirty-eight years, freeing him to walk and to worship in the temple. The man went from impotence to “bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10), fulfilling the Genesis 1 mandate to be fruitful and multiply. How this comes about involves walking by faith while YHWH wages war against the enemy.

Just as the third holyday, the seventh day of Unleavened Bread, involved a water ordeal (Yam Suph), so does John’s third sign. Jesus found an Israelite man at “Bethesda, having five porches” by the Sheep Pool (likely connected to the Gihon, Jerusalem’s water source). Bethesda, in Hebrew, means “house of mercy,” referring to the house of His covenant love. “Behold,” “mercy,” and “grace” typically are represented by the fifth Hebrew letter. The number five links Matthew’s Gospel, which has five sections, to the Pentateuch and its author, Moses. Yeshua is the new Moses, leading a new exodus, except in this scene, the great multitude was feeble, blind, lame, and paralyzed. Most were unable to make it into the water for healing. Instead of helping the man into the water, Jesus implemented the baptism imagery of Yam Suph and forgave his sins, enabling him to walk by faith in worship, increasing in the knowledge of God. The sign portrays the New Moses, the temple Rock, out of which He mercifully brings healing rivers of water in the wilderness.

How did a great multitude of Israelites become afflicted with infirmity? And what do thirty-eight years signify? In Israel’s history of behaving as uncircumcised, Moses mentions in Deuteronomy that YHWH sentenced them to die in the wilderness for thirty-eight years.

14 And the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as YHWH had sworn to them. 15 For indeed the hand of YHWH was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed. (Deu. 2:14–15, NKJV, [i] mine)

Ezekiel describes the nature of Israel’s sin.

13 Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, “which, if a man does, he shall live by them”; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them. 14 But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. 15 So I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, “flowing with milk and honey,” the glory of all lands, 16 because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. 17 Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness. 18 But I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am YHWH your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; 20 hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am YHWH your God.” (Eze. 20:13–20, NKJV)

Idolatry (unbelief) and defiling YHWH’s weekly and annual Sabbaths were Israel’s sins, consistently rebelling against their covenant calling, even sacrificing their children (Eze. 20:21-26). John’s sign links the lame man to ancient Israel’s issues of not knowing YHWH through disobeying the Torah and not keeping His weekly and high (holyday) Sabbaths. Lame for two nineteen-year time cycles, he had become unfruitful and uncircumcised. Before the Jews, the man did not know who Yeshua was, for He had withdrawn. After the man found out it was Yeshua who saved him, he told the Jews, and they persecuted and sought to kill their Savior because He had done this on the Sabbath.

“And that day was the Sabbath” (Jhn. 5:9) connects to the Yam Suph crossing on the Sabbath of the seventh Day of Unleavened Bread when YHWH led Israel through the waters to a new beginning of walking in worship with Him to His holy mountain. In the sea crossing, Israel saw the salvation of YHWH. They experienced His judgment of mercy and forgiveness through His baptism in the crucifixion and resurrection (Luk. 12:50). Yeshua gave the lame man of thirty-eight years His judgment of mercy and forgiveness, creating within him the desire and power to execute His gracious will (Phl. 2:13), covering him with His chesed love. Even while the man was dead in trespasses, Yeshua raised him up in Him by grace, rescuing him to walk in faith to do good works. Yeshua, the Fountain of Living Waters, the hope (mikveh) of Israel (Gen. 1:10; Jer. 14:8, 17:13), turned his wilderness into the Sabbath garden of rest.

Searching for the man, Jesus found him in the temple, a place of nearness and peace with God, contrasted to his thirty-eight years of being cut off from God. He greeted him with “Behold” (used at the beginning of a sentence to call for attention, to see the light, and a warning not to neglect the words spoken). Jesus charged him, “See, you have become well. Sin no more so that not something worse happens to you.” Expounded upon in the third sign’s discourse, life for those who walk in belief and judgment for those who do not are through the Son, just as it was for Israel in the Yam Suph crossing.

Takeaway:
Instead of being a light to the nations, Israel, by worshiping the nation’s gods and failing to keep YHWH’s weekly and annual Sabbaths holy, lost the knowledge of God and became unfruitful in good works. Yet, by Yeshua’s death and resurrection, He brings His people through the water ordeal, baptized unto Him, cleansed and forgiven. The lame man’s restored legs depicts our healing to walk with Him, “bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10). Through the Warrior King, our sins are conquered, and we, hearing His words, can walk in belief with Him in His Sabbath garden as did Adam and Eve. Israel, the light of the world, no longer is solely YHWH’s portion, but He inherits all nations, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of YHWH as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14).

Fun Factors:
Like Genesis 2:2-3a’s seventh day of 21 words, in 21 words, Jesus said three things to the lame man, “Do you want to be made well?” “Rise, take up your bed and walk,” and “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (totaling 7832, 88 × 89, 24^th P, 10^th PP, or 88[8² + 5²]). He brought the man into the goal of creation, the Sabbath.

John 5:8: “Rise, take up your bed and walk,” a 7-word sum of 2905 is 5 × 7 × 83.

John 5:14: “See, you have become well. Sin no more so that not something worse happens to you,” an 11-word sum of 3764 is 2² × 941, 160^th P, 77^th PP; 4(29² + 10²) or (7² + 3²)² + 20². The letter sum 3764 realizes the man’s new beginning (64, 8², 4³) of knowing YHWH’s names (37).

Together, verses 8 and 14 sum to 6669, which is 3³ × 13 × 19 or 12³ + 13³ + 14³; 27 × 247, alluding to the holiness of walking with YHWH in the 247-time cycle (see Blog 16’s Biblical Lunar Time attachment).