Single lesson
Jesus Heals a Man at the Pool
John 5:1–3; John 5:5–15
Jesus met a man who had been sick for a very long time near the pool called Bethesda. In this lesson, children trace the account in order, notice what people said and did, and consider what the passage shows about Jesus.
Before you teach
John 5:1–3 and 5:5–15 takes place in Jerusalem at a feast of the Jews. Jesus went to a pool near the sheep gate called Bethesda, where many sick people lay. There he spoke to one man, healed him, and later found him again in the temple.
Children will be able to retell the main steps in John 5:1–3 and 5:5–15 and identify what Jesus did, how the man responded, and how others reacted.
Welcome: Notice the setting
5 minAsk children what details help them picture a Bible account. Read the opening verses and list the setting details they hear: Jerusalem, the sheep gate, a pool called Bethesda, five porches, and many sick people there. Explain that today they will follow one man’s meeting with Jesus step by step.
John 5:1, John 5:2, John 5:3
Read and explain: Jesus speaks and heals
8 minRead John 5:5–9 slowly. Point out that the man had been sick for thirty-eight years, and Jesus knew he had been sick a long time. Notice the man’s answer about the pool, then Jesus’ clear command: ‘Arise, take up your mat, and walk.’ The result was immediate. The man was made well, took up his mat, and walked.
John 5:5, John 5:6, John 5:7, John 5:8, John 5:9
Discuss: Different choices and reactions
6 minRead John 5:10–13. Help children compare the responses in the passage. The healed man carried his mat as Jesus had said. The Jews focused on the Sabbath and said it was not lawful to carry the mat. The healed man explained that the one who made him well had told him to do it, yet he did not know Jesus’ name at first.
John 5:10, John 5:11, John 5:12, John 5:13
Make and respond: Story sequence cards
7 minChildren make simple sequence cards showing key moments: the pool, the sick man, Jesus speaking, the man walking with his mat, Jesus finding him in the temple, and the man telling the Jews it was Jesus. As they place the cards in order, discuss what changed after Jesus spoke and what the man did next.
John 5:2, John 5:5, John 5:8, John 5:9, John 5:14, John 5:15
Closing: Jesus finds the man again
4 minRead John 5:14–15. Explain that Jesus later found the man in the temple and spoke to him again. Then the man went and told the Jews that Jesus had made him well. Finish by inviting children to retell the account in one minute using the words first, next, then, afterward, and finally.
John 5:14, John 5:15
Questions to explore
What details in the first verses tell you where this account happens?
Listen for the named places and features: Jerusalem, the sheep gate, the pool called Bethesda, five porches, and many sick people there.
John 5:1, John 5:2, John 5:3
What did Jesus say to the man, and what happened straight away?
Use the exact command in the passage and the immediate result that followed.
John 5:8, John 5:9
How did the man respond after Jesus found him in the temple?
Look at the last verse to see what he told the Jews about the one who made him well.
John 5:14, John 5:15
Make, think or respond
Bethesda Story Sequence Cards
What you’ll need
- plain paper or card
- pencils or crayons
- scissors
- Bible
Try it together
- Read the passage together from the verses listed here: John 5:1, John 5:2, John 5:3, John 5:5, John 5:6, John 5:7, John 5:8, John 5:9, John 5:10, John 5:11, John 5:12, John 5:13, John 5:14, and John 5:15.
- Help children choose 5 or 6 key moments from the account and draw one moment on each card.
- Cut out the cards and mix them up.
- Work together to place the cards in the correct order and retell the account aloud.
- If time allows, children label each card with a short phrase from the passage, such as 'take up your mat' or 'made him well'.
This activity helps children sequence the account carefully and notice the words, choices, and outcomes recorded in John 5:1–3 and 5:5–15.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, prepare fewer cards and retell the account together with repeated phrases from John 5:8–9.
- For older or more confident children, ask them to sort the cards independently and explain each reaction in John 5:10–15.
An optional closing prayer
You could pray: ‘Lord Jesus, thank you for what we read about your power and care. Help us listen closely to your words and respond truthfully to you. Amen.’
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
John 5
1 After these things, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now in Jerusalem by the sheep gate, there is a pool, which is called in Hebrew, “Bethesda”, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, or paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water;
5 A certain man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been sick for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to be made well?”
7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, another steps down before me.”
8 Jesus said to him, “Arise, take up your mat, and walk.”
9 Immediately, the man was made well, and took up his mat and walked. Now that day was a Sabbath.
10 So the Jews said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath. It is not lawful for you to carry the mat.”
11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’ ”
12 Then they asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your mat and walk’ ?”
13 But he who was healed didn’t know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a crowd being in the place.
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.