Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 5:1

"After these things there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem." — John 5:1 (ASV)

The words “some time later” mark a break in chronological sequence. Comparison with the Synoptic accounts shows that a measurable amount of time may have elapsed between the healing of the son of the royal official at Capernaum and the episode of the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda. The reference to the feast does not define the time since the feast is unnamed.