Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 6 At this point John throws another curve at readers who are familiar with Mark’s, Matthew’s, and Luke’s storylines. John tells his readers that Jesus returns to Jerusalem for a festival. This is the second time John has told his readers that Jesus leaves Galilee and goes to Jerusalem. Actually, not much has happened in Galilee and none of the stories John tells can be found in Mark. Only the story of the healing of the official’s son has a possible connection to those storylines and that connection is vague at best. John is clearly aware of a Galilean ministry but he neglects to say much about it. John does not tell his readers which festival it is that Jesus goes to Jerusalem to celebrate. And soon the focus is on an encounter between Jesus and a man who is lame. The event takes place at the pools just to the north of the Temple. The story of the healing of this lame man follows a pattern that John will use. The man has the opportunity to grow in faith much as the woman at the well did but he does not. Instead he goes to the religious authorities and identifies Jesus as his healer and thus a controversy between Jesus and the religious authorities begins. The crux of the disagreement has to do with Jesus violation of the Sabbath. Disagreement about Sabbath is one of the themes of Mark’s storyline as well. John and Mark agree that Jesus’ interpretation of and healing on the Sabbath is one of the main contentions in their respective stories. We will need to remember this connection. Only John tells this story of the man at the Pool of Bethzatha. We have heard from Mark, Matthew, and Luke of the Temple Controversy that occurred between Jesus and the religious leaders in Jerusalem at the end of Jesus’ life. The semblance of that controversy begins here in John’s gospel. This is much earlier than it was for Mark, although Mark does tell of controversy between Jesus and the religious leaders throughout the Galilean ministry of Jesus too. At this point in his storyline John provides for his readers a great deal of theological language and argument. Within the controversy story John portrays Jesus as one who knows where he comes from and where he is going – the center of the God-man’s mission since he comes from God and returns to God. The Jewish leaders, in fact, the Jews in general do not understand and reject Jesus.