4th week in Lent, Tuesday – 29th March 2022 — Gospel: Jn 5,1-3a.5-16
Sign of Desert Wandering
The third of John’s “signs” is that of Jesus healing a man who had been crippled for thirty-eight years. On the one hand, considering the average life expectancy at that time, this was literally a lifetime of suffering. On the other hand, thirty-eight years is significant because that is how long unfaithful Israelites wandered in the wilderness of Paran (Num 13-14). It is because of their lack of faith in God, God punished them not to enter the promised land. Moses wrote: “And the time from our leaving Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until the entire generation, that is, the men of war, had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them” (Deut 2,14). Here the paralytic could symbolize “Israel”, who wandered in the desert. As he was sitting near a pool of healing water and was unable to access it, for thirty-eight years, which means he was faithless or “wandering in the desert.” The pool named Bethesda means “house of mercy” or “house of grace”. Thus, the crippled man who was in need of mercy and grace, was away from the pool. He needed Jesus to extend mercy and grace to him in order to restore him to life.
