The answer is: 38 years

John 5:5

John 5 recounts an incredible event at the Pool of Bethesda, where the sick and disabled gathered, looking for healing. The man's condition is shocking—he had been unable to move for 38 years! That’s long enough to feel time stretch endlessly, highlighting his distress and hope. Imagine being in that situation, waiting and waiting, yet each hopeless day would slide by like the water in the pool.

The number 38 carries a powerful echo. In the Bible, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before reaching the Promised Land; this story contrasts a journey of waiting and trials to the promise of salvation. The infirm man Daniel might share a similar association—38 years, an entire generation, defined by the search for restoration.

It’s noteworthy that this man was surrounded by others with their own ailments. As a community, they shared hope, disappointment, and longing. The realm of the miraculous in this story shows community overlapping like ripples; each affected individual thrives under the transformative power of healing.

The healing the man received from Jesus wasn’t physical alone; it initiated a moment that justified his sense of self-worth and destiny. It wasn’t merely about the miracle—after 38 barren years, a call away from despair into new life, gold-tinged with hopes renewed. This theme resonates today, reminding us of personal transformations within communal bonds and the potential for wonder even under the most initial of circumstances.