Jesus is tangible undeniable truth

"After these things, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem by the sheep gate, there is a pool, which is called in Hebrew, “Bethesda,†having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, or paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain times into the pool, and stirred up the water. Whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was made whole of whatever disease he had. A certain man was there, who had been sick for thirty-eight years. 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?"
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."
Jesus said to him, "Arise, take up your mat, and walk."
Immediately, the man was made well, and took up his mat and walked.
Now it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath. It is not lawful for you to carry the mat."
He answered them, "He who made me well, the same said to me, "Take up your mat, and walk."
Then they asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Take up your mat, and walk'?"
But he who was healed didn't know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a crowd being in the place.
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."
The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill him, because he did these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, "My Father is still working, so I am working, too."
(John 5:1-17 WEB)

The third sign or miracle

The setting is an unnamed feast.

In Jerusalem in the north quarter of the old city, is the Pool of the Five Colonnades, confidently identified by archaeologists and confirming we are dealing with history, not legend.

The Pool of the Five Colonnades:
Also, the Pool of Bethesda or Bethsaida (House of Mercy).
It's located near the Sheep Gate north of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
John describes such a pool surrounded by five covered colonnades. Until the 19th century there was no archaeological evidence for the Pool of Bethesda. Skeptics used this as proof that John's account was written by some later believer who didn't have eyewitness knowledge of Jerusalem nor the pool.

Today there's no question that archaeologists have uncovered the actual Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the crippled man.
The colonnades were visible to John at the time of Jesus but the pool didn't appear sunken and surrounded by walls as it does today.

Manuscript evidence for verses 3b and are poor and should be omitted. Although later copyists thought they would be helpful to the reader to explain why the sick gathered there and how the water moved.

That the spring was fed by a natural spring which had spa-like healing properties is credible.

Back to the text of John 5:

We don't know why Jesus came to the pool nor what drew him to the crippled man. The need of this man was a long time need. He was unable to walk for no less than 38 years! Such an illness can become in itself a crutch. How do you let it go? We all have them. long term needs that we have gotten used to using to manage our lives.

And his condition would be hopeless. To be crippled and confined to bed for 38 years would lead to horrible wasting of muscles. Probably old in age too.

Thus Jesus asked: "Do you want to be made well?"

Jesus challenged the man's will to be cured.

The answer of the crippled man was instead a complaint that no one would help him into the pool. His excuse. He's still thinking of the cure by the 'magic' means of the pool. And he sounds hopeless, helpless.

Even so, Jesus heals him.

"Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."
Jesus seems to have not only healed the man, but supplied even the man's will to be healed for the man got up and walked!

Jesus can cure long standing problems!

The command by Jesus to pick up his bed and carry it home is in conflict with the religious authorities. The day this occurred was the Sabbath. There was to be no rule breaking of the written commandment.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. You shall labor six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your man-servant, nor your maid-servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates; for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.â€
(Exodus 20:8-11 WEB)

You could not perform your daily job on the Sabbath. Since the cripple was not a furniture mover, he could not be accused of working.

But there were 'oral traditions' which amplified and enlarged on the written law and made it into an elaborate group of laws which added to the Torah laws and extended their range. In respect to the Sabbath, 39 categories of work were stated as breaching the Sabbath. Included were carrying anything, except in cases of compassion. So, the mat could be carried if a person was on it. The oral tradition caused behavioral conformity which replaced the heart commitment.

It's interesting that when the religious leaders confront the man, they show no interest in the wonder of his healing. But they told the healed man, "It's not lawful for you to carry that mat." They blamed the healed man at first.
Then the man blamed his carrying of his mat on Jesus!

At a later time, Jesus meets the man again. He warns him that he needs to repent of his sin in response to God's grace or he will face something worse.

The healed man didn't seem to waste time informing the authorities of the identity of his healer. He doesn't appear in a good light at any time in this story. He doesn't seem to have gratitude for what Jesus did for him. It seems that when Jesus warned him not to sin or things would go worse for him, he went to the religious leaders and identified Jesus as the one who did this.

Does it tell us that physical healing doesn't assure spiritual healing? Being healed of our illness may not lead to a godlier life. God's gift is grace. It is shared with the unworthy. This man does nothing to earn his healing. And God's gift of eternal life also doesn't require anything for his gift. It is for sinners, not saints. For us all.

Jesus is then identified as a Sabbath breaker. The religious leaders move to persecute and kill him.

Jesus identifies himself in a unique relationship with the Father.
He reminds them the Father works on the Sabbath to constantly sustain the world and the rabbis conceded this in general.
And Jesus is claiming a unique identity with the Father which provokes the leaders to kill him.
He stated the Father does his work even on the Sabbath, and so does Jesus.

Again, as in the sign of the water into wine, Jesus replaces the water and this time with himself. Jesus, not the supposedly healing waters heals the man. Not the mikveh.

Our Lord Jesus is actual embodiment of the shadows of the Old Testament. He is tangible, undeniable truth.