Interpretation Of John

EOM Ida Mingle

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John 5: 1 - 9

1. After these things there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

The Jews type the centralizing forces of the Spirit, in the first coming of Christ; at that time they were scattered, therefore are the circumferential forces, doing the work of the Law on the bodily plane, in the second coming of Christ. A feast is always a symbol of gathering together of people of a like spirit, by which they appropriate food, though in its symbol the food may be the introduction of the substance-essences of the Spirit into the plane of effects. For after the healing of the nobleman's son, which is the projection of the Qualities of the Spirit toward the physical plane a feast is enjoyed. Jesus' going up to Jerusalem is a figure of consciousness ascending to the Center of Being, "place of peace," or Jerusalem, after it has been active on the outer planes.

2. Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porches. 3. In these lay a multitude of them that were sick, blind, halt, withered. 4. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and stirred up the water; whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5. And a certain man was there, who had been thirty and eight years in his infirmity. 6. When Jesus saw him lying, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, He saith unto him, Wouldest thou be made whole? 7. The sick 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. 8. Jesus saith unto him, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9. And strightway the man was made whole, and took up his bed and walked.

Bethesda means house of mercy. Mercy is a factor of love, therefore relates to the negative pole of consciousness. Bethesda is the name of the pool by the sheep gate in Jerusalem. Jerusalem, meaning place of peace, is within the consciousness. Sheep typify the innocent Spiritual Qualities, those that have not been expressed on the physical plane. The sheep gate is an entrance through which the qualities pass to the pool. The pool types the soul consciousness, represented by water or negation. However, this water is potent with healing power, as the soul would be after the healing powers of the Spirit have been projected in its direction (as in the case of the healing of the nobleman's son; for all these figures are symbols of actions within the individual consciousness).

The "five porches" signify five entrances and pertain to the five senses by which consciousness is unfolded. Therefore, the figure is that on the plane of the soul, completed in the five senses, there is a multitude of forces that are inharmonious. These are represented by the "sick, blind, halt, withered." The sick forces are in lack of balance in the male and female qualities that make for wholeness; the blind are in lack of intelligence, the halt are deficiencies of will, and the withered are the dwarfed or stunted forces. "A certain man" types the personality centered to those forces. "Thirty eight," reduced to a digit is eleven, or two ones, this typing consciousness in both poles of its being having come to a point of unfoldment where it can receive an action of a Higher Power.

"When Jesus saw him lying," that is, when the Divine Spirit perceives the nature of the forces, which is one with the self consciousness perceiving the Divine Spirit, "and knew that he had been now a long time in that case," that is, a stage of unfoldment that had taken a long time to bring consciousness to the capacity to be perceived by the Laws of the Spirit, "He saith unto him, Wouldest thou be made whole?" There must be a receptivity to healing before healing can take place in an Action of Divine Law, "The sick man answered, 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." This is to say that the self-consciousness cannot of itself be cleansed and healed in the pool of healing waters, which the pool of Bethesda symbolizes. Man types the active forces of character that make for perfect action or will. The sick man is a type of the will in lack of harmonious expression because of accumulated forces of materiality and sin.

The water types negation and in relation to the healing waters of this pool, represents the secret and silent side of consciousness into which the ego must place himself to make contact with the Powers of the Spirit. It is through the spirit of man, the human character, that this connection can be made. While one is in the process of unfolding, so as to become worthy of being healed, obstructions arise through the lack of the man spirit that enables contact with the Divine. The "troubled water" types the water in action, which represents the movement of the inner forces from the Center of consciousness (Jerusalem) to the outer plane where healing is needed.

"Jesus saith unto him, Arise, take up thy bed and walk." To walk is to become active in the will, hence, when consciousness makes contact with the Inner Spirit it ascends (arises), and leaves the negation of itself (bed) and becomes active in unfoldment. "And strightway the man was made whole, and took up his bed and walked." This is to say immediately the Divine Spirit acts in man and consciousness becomes active in the will (walking), carrying forward the negation (bed) but using it as a basis from which it can ascend (arise). The negation forms a base from which a new beginning or action asserts itself.