Section 3
first and the ability to walk. This case is a sign, showing us that here is a typical religion with many good and holy items which can heal you, but it requires your strength to walk and act. Even though you are second, you will not obtain the benefits of this good religion because you are not first.
THE PRACTICE OF THE LAW-KEEPING
Let us now consider some aspects of the practice of law-keeping. The sheepgate (5:2) sig nifies the entrance to the law-keeping religion's sheepfold (10:1). The name of the pool, Bethesda, means house of mercy, signifying that the peo ple who practiced law-keeping realized that they needed the mercy of God because they were impotent, weak, and wretched, as portrayed in Romans 7:7-24. The porches, like a sheepfold, signify the law-keeping religion's shelter, and the number five denotes responsibility. The angel who stirred up the water signifies the agent through which the law, which could not give life, was given (Gal. 3:19, 21). The stirring up of the water to make people well signifies the practice of the law-keeping trying to make people per fect. By considering these aspects, we can see