The Third Sign of Isa
Recap: You already know that the Quran shows us that:
- Isa was born of a virgin
- Isa performed miracles
- Isa was not killed
- Isa was taken alive to Allah
- Isa will return on Judgement Day
No other prophet in Islam is described this way.
Now you also know:
- Isa can create
- Isa’s word alone has authority over sickness and life
In the Injil, John’s Gospel records a series of carefully chosen signs. These are not simply miracles meant to impress people. Each sign reveals something deeper about who Isa is and invites the reader to respond.
The third sign takes place in Jerusalem, near a pool called Bethesda. Many sick and disabled people lie there hoping for healing.
Among them is a man who has been disabled for many years. When Isa sees him, he does something unexpected — he tells the man to stand up and walk.
Immediately the man is healed.
But instead of celebration, this miracle leads to controversy.
Why would a healing cause anger among the religious leaders?
Read the Scripture below:
John 5:1-9
Some time later, Isa went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.
Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.
Here a great number of disabled people used to lie — the blind, the lame, the paralysed.
One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
When Isa saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
Then Isa said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”
At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath.
Observation first — What does the Scripture say?
Before drawing conclusions, we first carefully observe what the text actually says.
What is happening in the story?
- Isa travels to Jerusalem for a festival.
- Near the Sheep Gate is a pool called Bethesda.
- Many sick and disabled people lie there hoping for healing.
- A man who has been disabled for thirty-eight years is there.
- Isa notices him and asks a surprising question: “Do you want to get well?”
- The man explains that he has no one to help him into the pool.
- Isa commands him: “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”
- The man is immediately healed.
- The healing takes place on the Sabbath.
Important details to notice
- The man has been disabled for a very long time — thirty-eight years.
- Isa approaches him; the man did not seek Isa first.
- Isa heals simply by speaking.
- The man is told to carry his mat.
- The event takes place on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest.
Interpretation second: — Is there something we can learn about Isa?
Now we ask: what might this sign reveal about Isa?
Authority over helplessness
The man had been disabled for thirty-eight years. For many people, that would seem like a situation beyond hope.
Yet Isa speaks a simple command — and the man immediately walks.
This sign shows that Isa has authority even over conditions that appear permanent and impossible to change.
Why does this healing cause controversy?
The text tells us the miracle happened on the Sabbath.
According to the religious leaders, carrying a mat counted as work. Instead of celebrating the healing, they focus on the rule being broken.
This raises a deeper question: does Isa have the authority to act even on the Sabbath?
A deeper claim about Isa
Later in the chapter, Isa explains that his work reflects the work of the Father.
This is why the leaders react so strongly. They begin to realise that Isa is claiming an authority that belongs to God alone.
Implication last: What might this mean for you?
You have now read the Scripture and considered what this sign might reveal about Isa.
Take a moment to reflect personally.
- What stands out to you most in this story?
- Why do you think Isa approached this man instead of someone else?
- Why might Isa ask, “Do you want to get well?”
- Why do you think the religious leaders reacted negatively to this healing?
- If Isa truly has authority like this, what might that mean for you?
Continuing the Journey
This was the third sign recorded by John.
Each sign reveals something deeper about Isa and invites us to consider who he really is.
⬅︎ Previous Sign: The Second Sign — Healing the Official’s Son
➡ Next Sign: The Fourth Sign — Feeding the Five Thousand
↩︎ Return to: John’s Road — Seven Signs of Isa
Comments