The Healing at the Pool

From The Lunar Sabbath Encyclopedia

Our Messiah's healing of a lame man at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5 is often cited as a Pinpointed Lunar Sabbath.

This page presents the rationale for considering it as a Pinpointed Lunar Sabbath, and discusses several objections.

Rationale

Our Messiah went up to Jerusalem for a Feast Day (John 5:1) and healed a lame man on the Sabbath:

And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. (Joh 5:5-9)

Since the Feast Day was also the Sabbath, this proves that the Sabbaths that month had to be on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th days of the month.

Objections

It must first be established which Feast Day He was attending. In the book of John, it says in Chapter 2 that He traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover[1], and later in Chapter 7 he goes up to the Feast of Tabernacles[2]. The only Pilgrimage Feast between Passover and Tabernacles, which required Him to go up to Jerusalem, was Pentecost. This is the Feast spoken of in John 5:1.

Because both mainstream Christians and Lunar Sabbatarians agree that Pentecost falls on the First Day of the Week, the Sabbath referred to in John 5:9 was not a Feast day in question but was the day before. It therefore cannot be "pinpointed" as falling on the fifteenth of the month.

References

  1. John 2:23
  2. John 7:1 establishes that it was the Feast of Tabernacles, v14 describes when He went up to the Feast


Pinpointed Lunar Sabbaths
Abib 15 in Egypt The First Week of Manna The Last Day in Rephidim
The Law of the Leper The Consecration of Aaron and his Sons Esther 9
The Feast of Tabernacles The Wave Sheaf Offering Passover in Gilgal
Marching Around Jericho The Dedication of Solomon's Temple Hezekiah's Cleansing of the Temple
The Healing at the Pool Healing of the Blind Man Paul's Journey to Troas
The Crucifixion Week Siege of Jerusalem Christ the Firstfruits