Early in the fourth gospel John repeatedly moves Jesus back and forth between Galilee and Jerusalem. As important as the miracles and messages played out in the Galilean countryside, there is also a recurring pull towards Jerusalem — the holy city, the Temple, the seat of Jewish authority and power…and the site of the final completion of Jesus’ mission.

John often explains that Jesus’ journeying to Jerusalem was to celebrate one of the many Jewish festivals or feast days, including Passover (2:13; 6:4; 11:55), Tabernacles (10:22), and Dedication (11:55). It is an unnamed “festival” that brings Jesus once again to Jerusalem in today’s text (5:1). Pilgrimages to Jerusalem, specifically to the Temple, were a requirement for any pious, observant Jew. Jesus’ presence in Jerusalem for a festiv…