John 5:3-4,7
The appraisal of a written statement’s authenticity Is it supported by all the available evidence?
It is a Christian’s responsibility to be beyond reproach in this area of scholarship or to defer to those who have more experience but not try to ‘fudge ” the answer. Most quality bibles note this, in fact, the cults sometimes bury their notes or omit them entirely to prove their point. Identifying textual variants may be one of the best ways to demonstrate the veracity of scripture, why?
Verse 3,4 are not present in some early manuscripts may have been an early comment by a scribe who knew the Jewish tradition of expecting healings at that location
However, John 5:7 apparently seems to be familiar with, “…when the water is stirred up.”
John 5:3–7 (NASB95)
3 In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters;
4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.]
5 A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He *said to him, “Do you wish to get well?”
7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool whenever the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
Nearly all modern textual critics and translators will not accept the longer portion as part of the original text. NASB and HCSB, however, continue to retain verses in deference to the KJV tradition
another comment from a textual critic in my commentary on our faithlife forums
https://faithlife.com/petergroup/topics/6059
Still, no one wants to go the other way Rev 22:18-19
more in-depth discussion of omitting or adding words
A well respected Pentecostal preacher and theologian argues for authenticity that argument has to be evaluated independently to his theological bias for overt supernatural healing as his integrity would be checked by his academic peers, I haven’t looked that far.