What's in a Name?

Biblical Chapel Names: Bethesda

Bethesda is mentioned only once, in John 5:2. It has been thought that the name meant originally “House of Mercy". This was a place of mercy in a special sense. It was a pool where sick people could be healed. One particular person was healed there by Jesus. As most modern versions of the Bible indicate, there are variations on the name in the manuscripts and versions of The Gospel of John. But it is not difficult to see why Bethesda - a name with such beautiful associations - came to be chosen by some of our forebears for places of worship.