Question of Timing

Sometime passages or stories in the Bible can be a bit perplexing.
No., ?I am not talking hard grey area stuff, but just the story itself!
Take for example, 1 John 5 .....

A simple story of a healing ... or is it?

First up comes a problem with the modern Bible.
Its history is not necessarily valid.
When the Latin Vulgate was put together, only Greek manuscripts were thought to be valid.

There are two schools of thought here:
The Greek manuscripts are correct and the onkly ones valid,
Or, the more ancient Aramaic copies are the valid ones.

Aramaic was an archaic language, no spoke it really, except some Eastern slaves.
Greek was a culture and language the Roman culture had tried to aspire to.
Which would you choose had you been there?
Yeah, Greek was chosen as the preferred source language.
It was a simple choice for the Vulgate translators!

Of course, my refusal to even enter into allegiance to the Greek texts, has always made me a pain in Bible School.
Why would I prefer a circa 160 AD translation over the internally dated 78 AD text?
So modern scholars scoff atthe tale in Bible, because the best, "original", texts omitted this!
And yet the oldest Book of John we have flat out states it was wtitten in what would be 78 AD, to us!
Yes, there are Aramaic texts which did not have this either ... just to be fair with the argument.

This the story of Jesus going to a pool, which was rumored to have healing powers.
Somehow, a tradition rose up that once a year, angel would touch the waters of the pool.
First one in got healed.
Yeah, because that is how God works, right?

So, large numbers of people gather for this observance.
No different today, if you think of Lourdes, France and their annual gathering!
The one I was at, in 1966, I saw a dead girl restored to life.
Very weird, very frightening, and the police were very shaken!
But then, that is how superstition is validated - by observances just like that being misunderstood.
Then again, it did make my farher stop for a moment and think about God!

So Jesus goes to watch.
Will the water be troubled?
Will someone be healed?
What will Jesus do?!?!?!?

Why woulf Jesus not go with the Disciples there?
Why incognito?
We are not told!
Well, Jesus did healed a  single man there that day.
Why not the crowd gathered there?
We are  not told!

The observers, are of a split opinion as to what they had seen.
And of course, just like today, they discounted what they could not understand!
And many were silent, for this was politically incorrect!
Church leadership was not going to like this!

Did this event happen?/
More than likely.
I it is exactly how God works.
Quietly, in the background, not seeking to create a show for the crowd gathered.
Equally, it was observed by those within ear shot!

So, Jesus did not wait for the water to be troubled.
He healed, by command, when the time was right for this man and his faith in - albeit - superstition.
He showed the REAL power of God, not the ripple of superstition!

If the water is symbolic of the Holy Spirit,
And the resultant healing a work of the Holy Spirit,
Then we are observing Jesus, not as a man but by His power as God.
And the Church leadership knew this,
And hated him all the more for it .....