‘And he answered, “The man who made me whole, it was he who told me, ‘take up your mattress and walk'.” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘take up your mattress and walk?' ” But he who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, a large crowd being in the place.'
The incident brings out how intransigent the Scribes and Pharisees were in their teaching. They were told two things. ‘The man made me whole' and ‘he told me to pick up my mattress'. But instead of considering the first and praising God for the miracle of the man's healing, and recognising that carrying his ‘stretcher' went with the miracle, (hardly a normal case of carrying furniture - God is at work and the man is returning home from the place of healing) they pedantically go on the attack. It is as though miracles like this were commonplace, whereas it should have quickened their interest in Jesus in the right way. Note John's stress on ‘the man who healed me', ‘he who was healed', it is this that alters the case. It should have given pause for consideration of the Healer, but their narrow-mindedness prevented them from thinking more widely. They were only interested in furniture removal on the Sabbath.
‘Jesus had slipped away'. He did not want the crowds to react wrongly. They were not as pedantic as the Scribes and Pharisees.
The lame man is a character study in himself, someone who was totally lacking in initiative (contrast the blind man in chapter 9). He resignedly does nothing about his predicament at the pool and blames those who get in before him. Nor when Jesus made an offer of healing does it seem to have stirred him at all (although he does at least get up when told to). He does not bother to ask the man who healed him who He was. Then when he later finds out he goes and tells the Scribes and Pharisees, not thinking of the consequences, probably because he feels that he is seen as blameworthy and wants to clear himself, although they may have left him with the impression that if he could point out the real Sabbath-breaker he himself could be spared the punishment that a synagogue court could inflict. There can be no doubt that this man is a genuine characterisation.