"After this," John says, "there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem" (5:1). He may have gone alone, for there is no mention of anyone with him.
In Jerusalem, Jesus' healing of the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath day (see verses 2-9) aroused immediate opposition among the Jews. Their indignation over the man's disregard of the rules regarding carrying anything on the Sabbath blinded them to the remarkable healing that had just taken place (see verse 10).
Perhaps seeking to shift the blame from himself, the man whom Jesus had healed soon identified his benefactor, and their anger turned upon him. They were determined to kill Jesus, not alone for his activities on the Sabbath, but for his claim to divine sonship, which they equated with blasphemy (see verses 11-18). But Jesus fearlessly continued his explanation of his relationship to his heavenly Father, the source of life and judgment (see verses 19-30).
