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The Pool of Bethesda is the ruins of an ancient pair of pools in Jerusalem where, according to John's Gospel, Jesus healed a man who had been unable to walk for thirty eight years.
The Pool of Bethesda lies just inside the Lions' Gate, near the beautiful Crusader Church of Saint Anne. Excavations have uncovered a large complex of twin pools surrounded by porticoes, exactly as the Gospel of John describes, which for many years scholars had doubted existed.
Beside the ruins stands the Church of Saint Anne, built by the Crusaders in the twelfth century and famous for its extraordinary acoustics. Pilgrim groups often pause to sing here, and the stone carries the sound in a way that stops people in their tracks.
Jesus found a man who had waited by the water for thirty eight years, asked if he wished to be well, and healed him at once.
This is where the Gospel places one of the most tender healings. "At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked." (John 5:9)
For pilgrims, the ruins are a reminder that Jesus sought out the ones who had waited longest and hoped least. Standing at the edge of the old pools, the patience and the mercy of that moment feel very close.
Just inside the Lions' Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, beside the Church of Saint Anne.
Yes. Excavations uncovered the twin pools exactly as John's Gospel describes, confirming a site scholars had once doubted existed.
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