{"id":47682,"date":"2021-04-14T09:41:45","date_gmt":"2021-04-14T06:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=47682"},"modified":"2025-05-27T17:56:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T14:56:06","slug":"what-is-a-pool-and-what-are-the-five-porches-at-the-pool-of-bethesda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2021\/04\/14\/what-is-a-pool-and-what-are-the-five-porches-at-the-pool-of-bethesda\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Pool, and what are the Five Porches at the Pool of Bethesda?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: revert; color: initial;\">A \u201cPool\u201d is commonly understood as a vessel for holding liquids like water or tea. Biblically, however, \u201cPool\u201d refers to a pool or a small pond created for specific purposes, sometimes crafted with skill, other times simply dug out, depending on the intended use.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Types of Pools in the Bible<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Animal watering pools:<\/strong> Jacob had pools or troughs made for watering livestock. This reflects common pastoral life in the Old Testament (Genesis 30:38, \u201cAnd he set up the pillars that he had taken from the watering troughs\u2026\u201d). These pools illustrate God\u2019s provision for daily life and animal care.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Water storage pits:<\/strong> Joseph was thrown into an empty cistern or pit, representing danger and abandonment (Genesis 37:23\u201324). This type of \u201cpool\u201d shows how water reservoirs were part of daily life but could also symbolize trial and suffering.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ceremonial washing pools:<\/strong> In the Tabernacle and later the Temple, bronze basins were provided for priests to wash themselves before entering the holy place (Exodus 30:17\u201321). These pools symbolize ritual purity, essential for approaching a holy God (cf. Leviticus 16:4). Washing in these pools was an external act pointing to internal holiness (Hebrews 10:22).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pools for cleansing prostitutes:<\/strong> The Pool of Samaria was associated with ritual cleansing, showing how some pools were used for moral or religious purification (1 Kings 22:37\u201338).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The Pool of Bethesda<\/h3>\n<p>The Pool of Bethesda (John 5:2\u20133) was a well-known pool in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate, surrounded by five porches (columns). It was a place where many disabled people gathered, waiting for the waters to stir, believing the first person to enter afterward would be healed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>This pool represents the human tendency to seek healing and salvation through rituals or superstition rather than God Himself.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The story of the man sick for 38 years, healed by Jesus without entering the pool, powerfully illustrates that <strong>true healing and salvation come through Christ alone<\/strong> (John 5:6\u20139).<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cJesus said to him, \u2018Rise, take up your bed and walk.\u2019 And at once the man was healed\u2026\u201d (John 5:8\u20139)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This contrasts human effort and waiting for external \u201cwaters\u201d with the immediate, sovereign grace of Jesus. It highlights the biblical truth that <strong>faith in Christ brings life and restoration, not ritualistic works<\/strong> (Ephesians 2:8\u20139).<\/p>\n<h3>Warning Against False Hopes<\/h3>\n<p>Many people today may similarly trust in \u201csilent miracles\u201d or external rituals (like holy water, oils, or pilgrimages) without true repentance or faith. The Bible warns against such superficial reliance:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThey honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me\u201d (Isaiah 29:13).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>True healing begins with repentance, faith in Jesus, and receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). The Pool of Bethesda\u2019s proximity to the Temple reminds us that external religion without heart transformation is insufficient (Matthew 15:8).<\/p>\n<h3>Invitation<\/h3>\n<p>If you have not yet accepted Christ, now is the time to believe (John 3:16). Receive baptism as a public confession of faith (Romans 6:3\u20134), and open your heart to the Holy Spirit who guides into all truth (John 16:13).<\/p>\n<p>Jesus is near, seeking those willing to receive Him (Revelation 3:20). Will you respond today?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Come, Lord Jesus!<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class='share-to-whatsapp-wrapper'><div class='share-on-whsp'>Share on: <\/div><a data-text='What is a Pool, and what are the Five Porches at the Pool of Bethesda?' data-link='https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2021\/04\/14\/what-is-a-pool-and-what-are-the-five-porches-at-the-pool-of-bethesda\/' class='whatsapp-button whatsapp-share'>WhatsApp<\/a><div class='clear '><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A \u201cPool\u201d is commonly understood as a vessel for holding liquids like water or tea. Biblically, however, \u201cPool\u201d refers to a pool or a small pond cre<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1225,"featured_media":39834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16929],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-47682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-en"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/777-600x408-600x408-1.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/777-600x408-600x408-1.jpg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/feed\/podcast\/wingu-la-mashahidi","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"DjcTgOLPZ8\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2021\/04\/14\/what-is-a-pool-and-what-are-the-five-porches-at-the-pool-of-bethesda\/\">What is a Pool, and what are the Five Porches at the Pool of Bethesda?<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2021\/04\/14\/what-is-a-pool-and-what-are-the-five-porches-at-the-pool-of-bethesda\/embed\/#?secret=DjcTgOLPZ8\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;What is a Pool, and what are the Five Porches at the Pool of Bethesda?&#8221; &#8212; Wingu la Mashahidi\" data-secret=\"DjcTgOLPZ8\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! 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