The John Study---PYG
The Gospel According to John
This study will be co-taught by Daniel Baldesi and Bobby Upchurch. For a list of the sources we used in compiling this study, please see the Works Cited page at the end of the document.
Chapter 1
Daniel: Introductory Material & Verses 1-13
John: Pneumatikon Euangelion [The Spiritual Gospel]
Written by John the son of Zebedee the brother of James. Both called by Jesus Christ and given the nick-name, “Boanerges” which means Sons of Thunder. John outlived all of the other disciples and apostles and was able to look back over the other gospels and fill in the blanks. The other gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke focused on Christ’s human genealogy, birth as a man, Baptism, temptations, and journeys. John was able to go back and focus on the divinity, deity, spiritual, and miraculousness of Jesus.
In that time the teachings of Plato though dead, one of the great philosophers, was still widely known, followed, and taught. Plato taught that there was a substance that held everything together and was made by this substance. Plato did a lot of study through the Targums and history tells us he even went to Egypt to learn from Jewish leaders and Rabbis to learn about prophecies. From his study Plato concluded that this substance that he thought held everything together and was made by was called the Logos. There were two followers of this teaching by the names of Ebion and Cerinthus. These men denied the divinity of Christ and denied He existed before the incarnation.
Doctrines found in the book of John: Incarnation, Regeneration, Trinity, Predestination, Election, and foreknowledge.
What we learn about Jesus in verses 1:1-13: He is the Logos, The Creator, The Light of men, and the Light of the World.
V. 1-3 Jesus was in the beginning and was with God and was God in the beginning.
Things pertaining to Christ before the world began and our salvation:
[All Scripture References are From the English Standard Version]
Jesus is God. This brings us to the doctrine of the Trinity.
God is a Triune God. One eternal God who is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He is the only God that exists. However, within the nature of this one God are three persons, or three centers of consciousness - the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three Persons are co-equal and co-eternal. They are also distinguishable or distinct from one another. These three distinct Persons is the one God. Everything that is true about God is true about the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit infinitely and simultaneously.
John moves from the doctrine of the Trinity to the doctrine of Regeneration and Incarnation.
How does a son of man become a son of God? 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” and John tells us that we do not become sons of God by being born of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man but by God. The only reason a man or woman turns to God is because God has turned to them. No one ever accepts Christ because their family members are saved or out of their own free will or someone else’s but only because they have been born of God.
John then brings us all the way back around to the Incarnation...
Bobby: Verses 14-18
Quick Summary from last week:
Jesus is God and through Him ALL things were created. He is the true Logos, through which all things find purpose and life. He is the source of all life and light. He came into the world, but the world rejected Him.
(It’s almost as if you are out in the middle of the night, and there’s just absolute and total pitch-black darkness. You can’t see a thing. And then all of a sudden, from overhead an enormous light just shines on top of you. You are exposed; you’re found. The question is— is that a blessing or is that a curse? It depends. Are you lost, or are you a criminal? If you’re lost, you’re joyous! You’ve been found. If you’re a criminal, you’re terrified because you’ve been found. —Mark Driscoll, sermon)
BUT, those who received Him were given the power or right to become children of God. This, like the incarnation itself, is an act of the Holy Spirit. Jesus became flesh, and we become His children.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This is Jesus!- As we mentioned last week, we see here the doctrine of the incarnation. If verses 12 and 13 did not solidify the exact nature of this Word, verse 14 makes it abundantly clear. The Word became flesh! Jesus, who is fully God, became fully man. This is such a heavy doctrine because our minds just can’t wrap around this thought. Jesus was still fully God, but became fully man. Herschel Hobbs calls this verse John’s account of the virgin birth. As John would have likely had access to the other three Gospel accounts, he seems to often supplement them where he sees fit. This is one of those times. While he does not give the actual birth account, he explains what really took place in Bethlehem.
Tabernacled Among Us?-AND He dwelt among us. Not only did Jesus become man and live among mankind, but John is speaking as an eyewitness to these accounts. He was dwelt among. Now, the word translated dwelt here actually refers to pitching a tent or tabernacle. For the reader at this time, especially the Jews who would be reading this, the allusion to the OT tabernacle would have been clear.
Spurgeon describes how awesome this picture is like this:
Now, you remember that in the Jewish Church its greatest glory was that God tabernacled in its midst: not the tent of Moses, not the various pavilions of the princes of the twelve tribes, but the humble tabernacle in which God dwelt, was the boast of Israel. They had the king himself in the midst of them, a present God in their midst. The tabernacle was a tent to which men went when they would commune with God, and it was the spot to which God came manifestly when he would commune with man. To use Matthew Henry's words, it was the "trysting place" between the Creator and the worshipper. Here they met each other through the slaughter of the bullock and the lamb, and there was reconciliation between them twain. Now, Christ's human flesh was God's tabernacle, and it is in Christ that God meets with man, and in Christ that man hath dealings with God. The Jew of old went to God's tent, in the center of the camp, if he would worship: we come to Christ if we would pay our homage. If the Jew would be released from ceremonial uncleanness, after he had performed the rites, he went up to the sanctuary of his God, that he might feel again that there was peace between God and his soul; and we, having been washed in the precious blood of Christ, have access with boldness unto God, even the Father through Christ, who is our tabernacle and the tabernacle of God among men. (Spurgeon, The Glory of Christ--Beheld!)
We Have Seen His Glory- When he says “as of the only Son from the Father...”, he is again emphasizing the unique trinitarian relationship. They are connected in an intimate way only they can experience--while at the same time being themselves one. Again, this is beyond the full comprehension of man--at least this man:).
Through the incarnation of Christ, the full glory of God has been revealed. He did not come and just become a man. He was God-incarnate. In Jesus and His entire earthly life the Glory of God was seen. (We’ll touch this again in verse 16 & 18.)
Full of Grace and Truth- Without the parenthetical statement about seeing God’s Glory through the incarnate Word, the verse would read ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...full of grace and truth.’ Interestingly, the word grace is only used in the Gospel in this section (here and verses 16 and 17). Truth is used 25 times. Nonetheless, the message is clear. Jesus is full of grace and truth. His entire earthly life was the ultimate act of grace. He truly is the grace by which we are saved (see Ephesians 2:8). Likewise, as seen in John 14:6, He is the truth. Therefore, the glory, grace, and truth of God were made clear in the incarnation of Christ.
15 ( John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”)
Before me-Chronologically, John is 6 months older than Jesus. Nonetheless, Jesus, being the eternal God, was before John the Baptist. John seems to be pointing this out.
16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Jesus is Fullness-Cross Reference for this verse: Colossians 2:8-10 8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority
Both of these verses are referring to the Gnostic teaching prevalent at this time (a false doctrine that John seems to repeatedly refute). The word fullness was a term used to express the “essence of deity”. The Gnostic thought of the time would have attributed only partial and/or lower deity to Christ. Both John and Paul refute this by saying that Christ is the fullness of God.
Grace upon Grace?- There are a few ways that theologians break down this phrase. It could be referring, in conjunction with 17, to the grace which overrides the law. Or, it could just be emphasizing the massive Grace that Christ provides. Either way, the teaching is clear... massive, saving grace comes from Jesus.
Source of Grace and Truth- Here we have Jesus’ name mentioned for the first time. He is the source of all grace and truth!
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
Wait a Second! Nobody has seen God?- This is a statement sometimes noted as a Biblical contradiction. People will cite Moses and Jacob as examples of people who have seen God. But God is spirit (John 4:24 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth”). He cannot be seen by man. He has given people glimpses of Himself, but no one--but Jesus--has seen His face. Yet, the incarnation of Christ Jesus has made known the Father. We can see God, the only God, by looking at Jesus--who is truly and fully God.
Daniel: Verses 19-28
Bobby: Verses 29-34
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Behold the Lamb!- Note that this took place not at Jesus’s baptism. This was likely the next day (or so it would seem given the other Gospel accounts). John does not relay the baptism account, likely because he felt his readers were familiar with it, but instead (and once again) alludes to what the baptism told us about Jesus. Therefore, he first points to the fact that John called Jesus the Lamb of God (John’s writings are the only ones to give Him this title in the NT). The imagery behind this is so awesome and points so clearly to Jesus’ eternal plan of salvation.
The message of the Lamb of God grows wider and becomes more encompassing as you travel through Scripture. In Genesis, as Abel brought a lamb for sacrifice we see a lamb offered for an individual. In Exodus, as each household sacrificed a lamb during Passover, we see a lamb offered for a family. In Leviticus, when the people of Israel were instructed to sacrifice a lamb, we see a lamb offered for a nation. In John, as the Baptist identifies Jesus as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, we see a Lamb who would be offered for the world. —Jon Courson’s Application Commentary: New Testament, 440 (quoted in Christie, Les; Nystrom, David P.)
I listened to a sermon last summer by Tim Keller that completely changed the way I looked at Jesus being called the “Lamb of God.” It is possible to become so familiar with the use of a wording or concept, that we can miss its meaning entirely. I don’t want to do that with this picture of Jesus.
Genesis 22:7-8 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
→ No lamb is provided here (it’s a ram). Where’s the lamb Abraham was so sure God would provide?
Exodus 12:1-13 1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be for you the
beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. 7 “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
→ Here we see a lamb for sure. In fact, a lot of lambs. ‘In every house in Egypt that night, there was either a dead lamb or a dead son (Keller).’ We cannot get into all of this here, but there was a debt that needed to be paid. We have sinned against God. God, in both the story of Abraham and Egypt, was calling in that debt (the oldest son in a family meant everything; he represented the future of the entire family). The Passover Lamb is first sacrificed in order to save God’s people from death & destruction. Note too, only the blood kept them from having the exact same fate as the Egyptians! They are then told to remember this day forever. This day would become a huge deal for the Israelites. Though many would forget it’s true significance (much like many Americans do with Christmas), they would religiously celebrate it.
Isaiah 53:5-7:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
→ Here we see that a lamb will come and take our sins upon Himself.
Now in John 1, John the Baptist tells us to behold, to look upon or see with understanding, that JESUS is the Lamb of God. He is the necessary, but innocent sacrifice for our sins. (Interestingly, during the Last Supper, which was a Passover meal, Jesus introduces a new passover celebration--the one to which the old pointed--but there was no lamb on the table because HE was at the table!)
In Revelation, John the apostle tells us that this same Lamb will be on the throne!
Revelation 5:6-12
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
C.H. Spurgeon, in his notes on John 1:28-29, simply said this:”John preached a sacrificial Saviour, a sin-bearing Saviour, a sin-atoning Saviour. You and I have nothing else to preach. Let each of us say-
"Tis all my business here below
To cry, Behold the Lamb!"” (Spurgeon)
Here he is quoting the following Charles Wesley song:
Jesus! The Name High Over All
Jesus! the Name high over all,
In hell or earth or sky;
Angels and men before it fall,
And devils fear and fly.
Jesus! the Name to sinners dear,
The Name to sinners giv’n;
It scatters all their guilty fear,
It turns their hell to Heav’n.
Jesus! the prisoner’s fetters breaks,
And bruises Satan’s head;
Power into strengthless souls it speaks,
And life into the dead.
O that mankind might taste and see
The riches of His grace!
The arms of love that compass me
Would all the world embrace.
O that my Jesu’s heavenly charms
Might every bosom move!
Fly, sinners, fly into those arms
Of everlasting love.
Thee I shall constantly proclaim,
Though earth and hell oppose;
Bold to confess Thy glorious Name
Before a world of foes.
His only righteousness I show,
His saving grace proclaim;
’Tis all my business here below
To cry “Behold the Lamb!”
Happy, if with my latest breath
I may but gasp His Name,
Preach Him to all and cry in death,
“Behold, behold the Lamb!”
He takes away sin--all of it!- Notice that the term is sin not sins. Jesus did not just come to take away our sins. He came to destroy all sin. The root that corrupts will be annihilated! “As the son of a priest, John the Baptist would know that a lamb was sacrificed at the temple each morning and each evening for the sins of the people. Even in times of war and famine, the daily sacrifices would be made. The Jews sacrificed lambs to make atonement for their sins. John declares that Jesus is the Lamb of God, the one whose sacrifice could deliver humankind from sin” (Christie, Les; Nystrom, David P.).
30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
He didn’t know him?- John the Baptist says he did not know Jesus as the Messiah. It is possible that he did not even know Jesus very well. Though they were cousins, Jesus was raised in Nazareth and John lived in the Hills of Judea (about 80 miles apart). Whether they were acquainted or even close, it seems clear that John did not know that Jesus was the Christ until he saw the sign God had given him. Some commentators have put it this way: ‘It is likely that John did know Jesus well and, growing up hearing of His miraculous birth, even suspected Him to be the Christ. Nonetheless, he was not trusting in his own judgement, but following the one who sent him.’
Sign of the Messiah/Sign of Hope- The sign that John the Baptist had been given was that of the Spirit of God descending and remaining on one who was baptized. This happened with Jesus alone. The Spirit was the Holy Spirit (the third person of the trinity). Why did He descend like a dove? This is something that has been discussed amongst scholars for a long time. It is difficult to say with any certainty what the exact reason was for the Holy Spirit appearing in this way. But there are some likely implications that the people of this time would have recognized.
1. In Genesis 1:2 most translation say that the Holy Spirit hovered or moved over the waters. The Hebrew word there, however, implies that “tremulous motion made by the hen while either hatching her eggs or fostering her young” (Adam Clarke's Commentary). Because of this, some targums translated the word “fluttered”, as does Young’s Literal Translation in English.
2. Also in Genesis, Noah sent a dove to see if there was dry land. The dove’s return symbolized hope.
Furthermore, this descent was prophesied of in Isaiah 42:1: 1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
and 61:1 1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; (which happens to be the verse Jesus read in the tabernacle at the beginning of His earthly ministry...Luke 4:16-21)
The Trinity-So here we have an awesome picture. We see the Trinity. Though this doctrine is complex, it is beautiful. One God in three persons. Jesus is being baptized, the Spirit descends upon Him and, as we know from the other gospels, the Father spoke from heaven.
Daniel: Verses 35-51
1.) Jesus is the goal of John’s ministry v. 35-37
2.) Jesus is the sin removing lamb v.(29) 36-37
3.) Jesus is the giver of spiritual sight v. v.38-39 [‘come and see’ is repeated]
4.) Jesus is the Messiah v. 40-41
5.) Jesus can change your identity v. 42 [no explanation of meaning because Jesus doesn’t need one. He is sovereign]
6.) Jesus can command allegiance v. 43 [Jesus calls us. John 15:16, 6:44]
7.) Jesus know us inside and out v. 43
10 Names of Jesus in John chapter 1
1.) The Word v.1
2.) God v.2
3.) Light v.9
4.) Jesus Christ v.17
5.) Lamb of God v.29
6.) Rabbi v.38
7.) Messiah v.41
8.) Son of God v.49
9.) King of Israel v.49
10.) Son of Man v.51
Chapter 2
Bobby: Verses 1-12
"1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has 6 yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast." So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now." 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. 12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days."
Once again, my understanding of these verses is very indebted to Dr. Tim Keller's exposition of this text. As Daniel stated last week, we did not plan out who would be teaching which verses. So, the fact that the alternating passages have carried such significance to both of us is not planned by us, nor chance, but yet another sign of God's sovereignty! There were two Tim Keller sermons that I listened to last summer that God used to really hit me. One was "The Story of the Lamb", which I was able to address three weeks ago, and the other was "The Lord of the Wine", which I have the great privilege to address tonight.
This is His first miraculous sign which points to His glory. That tells us a few things. As I will likely repeat, this points to the intentional nature of what is being done. Jesus, God incarnate, knew exactly what He was doing before there was time. It is easy overlook this passage, but we must not. He did this on purpose to tell us something about Himself. And, since it was the first of such signs, there has to be some significance to it. Likewise, the nature of the sign itself just points to it being a true event. Of all the things that Jesus did, this is not the most action packed or jaw dropping. But He chose this as His first sign. He rescued a wedding, a major social event, in a tiny, fringe village by turning water into wine. No one who was making up a hero or fabricating a story that described the founder of their religion would do this. But Jesus did. Why?
Some background on the importance of this social event in ancient civilization.
“Weddings became major social events. Perhaps the dominant feature of life in the ancient world was… boredom. This was a world without newspapers, television, movies, magazines, radio, computers, the Internet, and telephones. No one traveled faster than a horse could run. Millions of people never ventured more than a day’s walk from the place of their birth. The pace of life was slower than we can imagine. In this context, weddings were big— even bigger than they are today. Everybody would stop working for up to a week and spend time feasting, drinking, and rejoicing. The groom’s parents paid for the wedding. Relatives and friends who didn’t live nearby would stay at the bride and groom’s homes.
One of the wedding activities was a procession to the bride’s home where speeches would be given. Then the wedding party and guests would parade with songs and dancing to the groom’s home for a huge meal. The two who were being married were crowned with garlands and then would sign a marriage contract.
Hospitality was important in the East. To run out of wine at a wedding would be tremendously humiliating and embarrassing. It would be considered a monumental social catastrophe and a major breach of etiquette. Author J. D. M. Derrett mentions that wedding guests were even entitled to take legal action if the hosts ran out of wine or food at a wedding.” (Christie, Les; Nystrom, David P.)
1. Who He Came To Be: The True Master of the Feast
The Master of the Feast was person responsible for the party-side of the affairs. He would also oversee the distribution of food and wine. He is about to really fail at his job. Not having wine at an event of this magnitude was a huge offence. Some scholars even note that it was sometimes result in the bride and groom being fined.
Jesus provides what the Master of the Feast could not. He has come to save a dead party. Keep in mind that this was a huge social event for this time. These parties would last for days. Running out of wine, really signified the party coming to a close. There would be nothing to keep it going. There are clear parallels to this life. Here we live in the midst of a dead party. It’s not dying... it’s dead. There is no hope to be found within this life: nothing to live for on this earth. As Solomon puts it in Ecclesiastes, everything here is just “striving after the wind”. Everything, that is, apart from Christ. He has come to be the ‘life of the party’. And I say that in the most respectful way possible. We are dying, and He brings life--the only life (John 14:6).
Isaiah 25:6- On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
2. What He Came To Do: Pay the price to be our true Bridegroom
Verse 4 is key here.
Mean to His Mom?
Some translations try to soften this statement (Woman) by adding the word "Dear" before it. Unfortunately, that's not what was being said. Calling her woman was not rude, but it was not indearing either. It points to other things going on in this story. First, there is a distinction here about Mary's role. Blessed servant of God that she was, she was a servant nonetheless. The notion that she is telling Jesus what to do here and continues to do so as our intercessor to Christ, our intercessor is unwarranted. Secondly, his mind is elsewhere. Jesus does nothing on accident. This was planned to be His first miraculous sign for a reason.
What is he thinking about? (His Wedding and His Hour)
-His Wedding. Isn't this what all single people think about when their at weddings. Jesus, who instituted marriage for this purpose, was surely no different. Only His wedding carried a lot more weight. And His party is going to be some much more fabulous! He's not day-dreaming about some obscure bride-to-be; He knows His bride. He was thinking of the Church. He was thinking about you. He was thinking about me.
-His Hour. Here it important to point out that He is not convinced by Mary to do something H,e wasn't planning on doing. Even as I studied for this lesson, I came across commentators who took it this direction. But why would God change His mind? He does not. Therefore, when he said it was not His time, He couldn't have been talking about His time for performing His first mircalous sign that He moments later performs. So what is He talking about? Look at the following verses in John about His hour.
John 7:25-30 -25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, "Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from." 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, "You know me, and you know where I come from? But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me." 30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
John 8:20-These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
John 12:23-24- 23 And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
John 13:1-Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
John 16:32-33- 32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
John 17:1- When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
In all these verses, the word hour is used to refer to His death. He is not only thinking about His glorious wedding day, but the what it would cost to provide wine for His feast. His blood is the wine. Consider the Lord's Supper! And if there is any doubt, look what containers the water was in:
John 2:6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
Jars used for ceremonial cleaning. Christ blood, which is the wine, gives us access to His wedding feast by making us truly clean!
3. What He Has To Offer: Sensation and Reception
Sensation (Experience)
Psalm 34:8- Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Why wine? Why a party? We will not get into the whole wine discussion here. I will simply say that Jesus was not encouraging intoxication and the wine was not created for the purpose. Many scholars will agree that though this wine was not likely of the kind that we think of that would readily produce drunkenness, it did elicit a sensation of some kind. It was enjoyable to drink. Not unlike, I would think, an ice cold sweet tea on a balmy Missouri summer day (or just water anytime if you're me).
Jesus wants us to experience Him. Not just know about Him. Johnathan Edwards, in his sermon Divine and Supernatural Light, says the following:
"Thus there is a difference between having an opinion, that God is holy and gracious, and having a sense of the loveliness and beauty of that holiness and grace. There is a difference between having a rational judgment that honey is sweet, and having a sense of its sweetness. A man may have the former, that knows not how honey tastes; but a man cannot have the latter unless he has an idea of the taste of honey in his mind. So there is a difference between believing that a person is beautiful, and having a sense of his beauty. The former may be obtained by hearsay, but the latter only by seeing the countenance. There is a wide difference between mere speculative rational judging any thing to be excellent, and having a sense of its sweetness and beauty. The former rests only in the head, speculation only is concerned in it; but the heart is concerned in the latter. When the heart is sensible of the beauty and amiableness of a thing, it necessarily feels pleasure in the apprehension. It is implied in a person's being heartily sensible of the loveliness of a thing, that the idea of it is sweet and pleasant to his soul; which is a far different thing from having a rational opinion that it is excellent."
Reception
How is a Bride as perceived by a groom. She is truly the most magnificent sight of his life. He is filled with complete joy and utter rapture when she is walking down that ilse. This is how Jesus views the church.
4. How We Can Receive It
Admit that we have nothing- They were out of wine.
Receive full credit- Jesus' wine was credited to the bridegroom. We too are given what we've done nothing to earn or deserve!
Daniel: Verses 13-22
We are not to assume this is the same event that is happening in Matthew 21:13. The language and scenario just simply is not the same. Nor are we to assume that this is the same event that appears in the other gospels because they are happening at the end of Jesus’ ministry and this event is taking place at the start of His ministry.
These Pharisees are making it look like they are being “good” people by providing services to those who have to travel afar to come and worship. Even though it may appear to the public that the Pharisees are providing money exchange services, Jesus knows that something is not right. Jesus displays a righteous anger for what they are doing in the house of God. We may think it is harsh that Jesus makes a whip but really the whip is nothing compared to the Oxen or wild animals that He is driving out into the midst of people.
Jesus says that the temple will be destroyed, but the question is did He mean that spiritually or physically? And the answer is yes. The physical temple was being destroyed by the sinfulness of man and the pharisees behavior and the temple was going to be destroyed in 70 A.D. but Jesus was also talking spiritually meaning He was going to be destroyed but in three days resurrected from the dead.
Jesus had a zeal for the house of God, but why? Because Jesus IS the Temple of God (Revelations 21:22)
Bobby: Verses 23-25
"23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man."
What Was He Doing?- Here we need to remember that it is not the goal of John’s (or any other gospel writer in entirety) to give us a chronological account of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Histories simply were not written in that way at that time. The writer had a purpose or a point he was trying to make about what happened or someone, and that motivated the ordering of events. So it is here. John is pointing to who Jesus is and using real events to back that up. He is less concerned with when these events occurred in relation to one another. So, Jesus is in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast and people are believing because He has done signs. We are not told here what exactly those signs were. I would conjecture, based on the other Gospel accounts, that He was, at the very least, teaching boldly and healing.
Why Did They “Believe”?- However, their belief, as we see in a moment, was rooted in the visual. They saw and believed that He was the Messiah. It doesn't say anything about them hearing.
Romans 10:14-17- "14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."
What Does Jesus Know?-The word here used for believe and commit is the same Greek term. Essentially, they came to Jesus claiming to believe... but He did not believe them. Why? He knew their hearts-->
Jeremiah 17:9-10- "9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 "I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.""
But the Greek doesn’t limit it to only Him knowing what was in man. Verse 24 literally says he was knowing all.
What Did Jesus Not Need?- He didn't need anyone to tell Him what was in heart of man. He's the perfect judge of character...knowing all because He created all. This should be a humbling and exciting thought. Knowing your wicked heart, the heart that doesn't even live up to your own standards, He close to die for you!
Chapter 3
Daniel: Verses 1-8
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
Nicodemus is a ruler of the Jews. He is a very high ranking official in the Sanhedrin, a teacher of teachers. Nicodemus was not alone when he came to Jesus at night, the text seems to imply that either other teachers came with Nicodemus or Nicodumus’ disciples came along with him. Something else that seems interesting it is that fact that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Some scholars think this is because Nicodemus was scared to be seen with Jesus in the daytime. I don’t think this is the case, I believe there is something a little bigger going on here. First we notice that Nicodemus acknowledges that Jesus is a teacher Himself, Nicodemus calls Him Rabbi. I am under the impression that Nicodemus is being a gentleman and respectful to Jesus by coming to Him at night. Nicodemus being a rabbi himself knows that during the day you are busy teaching and doing your duties but at night is when it is time to relax and help tutor some of your disciples if they are having a hard time understanding something and Nicodemus is making himself vulnerable and submitting himself to Jesus as a student at this point.
Nicodemus, we have already established, is a great teacher of the Old Testament. This is a man who should know everything there is to know about the Old Testament and Jesus at this point takes him up on that fact when Nicodemus tries to start out the conversation by making it spiritual and Jesus instantly responds to him with, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Then Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ Jesus is not making up something new here. Jesus is actually pulling from Old Testament texts and is throwing Nicodemus under the bus, revealing that Nicodemus, a teacher of teachers of the Old Testament, misses the whole point of the Old Testament. Jesus is pulling from a chapter in Ezekiel which says, I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezekiel 36:25-27) And just as these verses are clear that we cannot be regenerated of ourselves it has to be strictly an act of God, Jesus affirms this with his next statement, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Bobby: Verses 9-15
John 3:8-15 - "8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Recap: Those Born of the Spirit Are Like Wind?:
We can see and feel the wind’s effects, but cannot see the wind. We do not know when or where it will blow. So it is with the Spirit. He does what He chooses, or as He pleases. Those that are born of the Spirit are born likewise. Meaning, as John Gill put it, "he is regenerated by grace, that is, as free and sovereign, as powerful and irresistible, and as secret and imperceptible, as the wind is: and seeing so ordinary a thing as the blowing of the wind is of such a nature, and so little to be accounted for; regeneration by the Spirit of God, who is comparable to the wind, and whose name so signifies, need not be thought so marvellous and astonishing, though the natural man discerns it not, and cannot account for it."
9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.
Nic’s Confusion/Rejection: Despite the clarity with which Jesus had told these things to Nic, he still could not understand them. Now, it is quite possible that he did understand them as far as head knowledge could take him. Nonetheless, he did not see how these things were possible. Yet, as Jesus pointed out, a teacher of the law should know these things. Especially Nicodemus, who was the head teacher of the Sanhedrin. He was famous and well-respected among his people. Tradition even tells us that he could have been one of the three richest people in Israel at the time of Christ. (A position he might have forfeited for later aligning himself with Christians... John 7:50, John 19:39) Surely, he would have known scriptures like:
Deuteronomy 30:6- "6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live."
Psalms 51:10, 16-17- "10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. ... 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
Ezekiel 18:30-31 - "30 "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?"
Ezekiel 36:25-26- "25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."
But what was he rejecting? Jesus says he rejected the true testimony that they had seen and witnessed. Here was likely the issue. Remember, chapter 3 follows immediately from the thoughts that ended chapter 2. There were people who saw what Jesus was doing and believed, but really missed what He was saying--who He was. The Pharisees may have used some of Jesus’ miracles as grounds for complaint against Him (i.e. healing on the Sabbath). But what was their real issue? He claimed to be God. Now, Nic may not have been mindlessly following after Christ like the crowds described in the preceeding verses (he was obviously giving much thought to what Jesus was saying and who He was). Nonetheless, Nic was tripping over that very stone. Here was God in flesh proclaiming the truth in accessible terms, but Nic just could not accept it. His problem: 'He came to be taught...but also as a teacher (though admittedly one in need of instruction). He came for help, but did not recognize that he was helpless.' (Martin Loud Jones)
We, too, have been presented with this truth. How many of us stumble over its simplicity?
12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
Earthly Vs Heavenly Things: Now clearly Jesus was not talking about earthly as in “worldly” or sinful things here. So what does He mean by earthly things? The Greek word there literally means “existing on the earth.” Some commentators take this to imply simplicity--that the previously stated truths of new birth and the work of the Spirit are comparatively basic teachings that should be familiar to Nic. This could very well be the case. However, the word is never used anywhere else in the NT to have this meaning. He is most likely referring to His earthly illustration (comparing the work of the Spirit to the wind). If we cannot understand these earthly explanations, what chance have we of understanding the heavenly ones?
After saying this, He makes a heavenly statement. Not only is this difficult for man to understand, but it is revealing of who Jesus is. He came as the only one worthy of explaining the things of heaven, because he is the only one who came down and ascended into heaven (of His own strength). Interestingly, some manuscripts throw additional light onto this statement by adding: the Son of Man, who is in heaven. This, along with the past-tense ascended, point to a heavenly truth indeed. Jesus, fully God and fully man, was on earth and in heaven.
Matthew Henry: "He gives them an instance of those heavenly things which he could tell them of, when he tells them of one that came down from heaven, and yet is the Son of man; is the Son of man, and yet is in heaven. If the regeneration of the soul of man is such a mystery, what then is the incarnation of the Son of God? These are divine and heavenly things indeed. We have here an intimation of Christ's two distinct natures in one person: his divine nature, in which he came down from heaven; his human nature, in which he is the Son of man; and that union of those two, in that while he is the Son of man yet he is in heaven."
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”
Snakes and the Promise of Eternal Life:Here we have an allusion to the following OT account.
Numbers 21:4-9 -"4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food." 6 Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live."
There are so many awesome parallels between this account and what Jesus came to do. The people had sinned and were punished for this by killer snakes. In order to provide salvation from this punishment, Moses was instructed to make a bronze snake--the very image of what was killing them only without poison--and have people look upon it. We have sinned, and our punishment is also death. Jesus came and...2 Corinthians 5:21- "21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Our situation is equally desperate. God, in His mercy, has provided us with an escape.
Look, also, that this way--Christ being lifted up (that is symbolic of His death and resurrection)--was an imperative. This wasn’t an optional thing. For us to be saved, there had to be a worthy Savior. Jesus was the only one who could have done this. Now, that is not to say that He had to die for us. We did nothing to impose this upon Him as a necessity. He could have left us in our sin. The imperative reflects our desperate need. There is only one way that we can be saved from our own death-leading, sinful condition. For that to happen, it was a must that Jesus be lifted up. Interestingly, there are 3 imperative statements in this chapter. I think we would do well to meditate on them.
John 3:7, 14, 30- "7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' ... 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ... 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.""
Because He has been lifted up, anyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.
Consider what the Israelites did with the bronze snake, however.
2 Kings 18:1-4- "1 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan)."
Let us not be tempted to worship any sign of Christ in the place of Christ Himself!
John 3:16
For God... (THE GREATEST LOVE)
So Loved... (THE GREATEST DEGREE)
The World... (THE GREATEST COMPANY)
That He Gave... (THE GREATEST ACT)
His Only Begotten Son... (THE GREATEST GIFT)
That Whosoever... (THE GREATEST INVITATION)
Believeth... (THE GREATEST SIMPLICITY)
In Him... (THE GREATEST ATTRACTION)
Should Not Perish... (THE GREATEST PROMISE)
But... (THE GREATEST DIFFERENCE)
Have... (THE GREATEST CERTAINTY)
Everlasting Life... (THE GREATEST POSSESSION)
John 3:17-21: (TYPE NOTES)
John 3:22-30 (Bobby)
Two Ministries:
John the Baptist and Jesus were ministering during the same time, until John was beheaded. If Jesus had come, and John’s ministry was to prepare the way, why was John still preaching? Most likely because people still needed to be ready for Jesus’ coming. There needed to be repentance.
The Dispute (Jealousy in Ministry):
Purification?--We do not know exactly how the conversation started, but we can infer where it ended--Who’s baptism is best? The Jews baptized as a portion of their purification ritual in order to enter the temple. Likely, the conversation started by comparing this to John’s baptism. Naturely, it would have led to a comparison between John and Jesus’ baptisms.
The Response (How Christians Should Respond In All Situation--Even Unfavorable Ones):
EVERYTHING FROM GOD- He is acknowledging that everything comes from God. This includes the end of the his current ministry, and, soon, the end of his life.
Friend of the Bride Groom Illustration- John the Baptist says that he is the friend of the Groom, and Jesus is the Groom. The Bride is for the Groom. The friend simply rejoices when the Groom comes! We know that the church is called the Bride of Christ. Consider the implications of what he’s saying given the following information about ancient Jewish weddings:
The word that’s translated “friend who attends the bridegroom” can also be translated “best man.” He is the one ready to do the bridegroom’s bidding. This person had several duties, including making the preparations for the wedding, escorting the bride and groom to their bridal chamber, and making sure everything is in order....there was a tradition of pulling some kind of practical joke in the room where the newly married couple would spend their first night. ... One job of the “friend of the bridegroom” was to guard the bridal chamber and prevent this. Another job of the “friend” of the bridegroom during a first-century wedding was to take the hand of the bride, place it into the hand of the bridegroom, and then fade out of the scene. That’s how John saw himself. He was joyful at the thought of doing this.
(Christie, Les; Nystrom, David P.)
John 4:1-26(Daniel)
John 4:46-54(Daniel)
John 5:1-9 (Bobby)
"1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids--blind, lame, and paralyzed. 4 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?" 7 The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me." 8 Jesus said to him, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk." 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath."
Mercy Saught (vs 1-5)
-Now Jesus in back in Jerusalem. This is where the Pharisees really start their Anti-Jesus campaign, because He heals on the Sabbath.
-Specifically, however, they are at a pool near the Sheep Gate called Bethesda...which means House of Mercy! What's going on here? There are people with sicknesses and disabilities waiting around to be healed. Tradition held that there were healing properties in the water,but only when they were stirred, and only for the first one in. Rather this was an actual work of God, or simply a superstion, is not really worth debating. Either way, these people came to this place for healing. They were sitting a the House of Mercy seeking mercy. However, few, if any, were experiencing it.
Mercy Needed (vs 6-7)
-Here Jesus, the giver of True Mercy, enters into the House of Mercy. He asks this particular gentleman, who has been seeking healing for 38 years, what appears to be an obvious questio , "Do you want to be healed?" However, the man misses the point. He doesn't give the obvious answer. Instead, he jumps right back to his immediate, hopeless circumstance. He can't get to the water fast enough. For him, mercy and healing are earned by personal merit. (Oh, the implications!)
Mercy Displayed (vs 8-9)
John 5:10-17(Daniel)
Ø Legalism, Jesus never sinned or broke The Law.
o Do not heal. Do not pick up bed. These are laws not found in the Old Testament
Legalism
§ Legalism typically comes from good intentions, but not always.
baptism to join a church. Speak in tongues for salvation. Not picking up a bed.
Ø The man has no idea who Jesus is.
o man singled out, asked if what’s healed
o man whines and gives excuse no one wants to help
o Jesus cuts him off and gives 3 commands(Get up, pick up your bed, and walk)
o Man shows no faith/acknowledgement yet Jesus is awesome healer
o Consequence for sins and John 9(Some illnesses can come from sin others are not)
o Jesus could have healed everyone there(Large Crowd) but just as John 9 and John 5:21
o Jesus pursues us to follow Him even after He has worked in us and we rebelled.
John 5:18 (Bobby)
18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
1. Why is calling God His Father equating Him with God?
-1. pertaining to one's self a. What is one's own as opposed to belonging to another Thayer
I've often asked this question. First, we see that He actually said that God was His own Father which really does imply exclusive relationship. Second, He is equating His actions with God's (see vs 17). Third, in Jewish culture a son was the full heir and representative of the father. And lastly, Barnes put it well when he said, " This shows that, in the view of the Jews, the name Son of God, or that calling God his Father, implied equality with God. The Jews were the best interpreters of their own language, and as Jesus did not deny the correctness of their interpretations, it follows that he meant to be so understood. See Joh 10:29-38. The interpretation of the Jews was a very natural and just one. He not only said that God was his Father, but he said that he had the same right to work on the Sabbath that God had; that by the same authority, and in the same manner, he could dispense with the obligation of the day."
2. Why is this a big deal to them?
They considered this blasphemy...which it indeed would have been if He were not God. Breaking the Sabbath (part of the law) and blashemping God were both punishable by death.
Numbers 15:32-36 ESV
While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. And the Lord said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Leviticus 24:13-16 ESV
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
3. Why should this be a big deal to us?
It is impossible to be indifferent to Jesus. We may have heard this said before, but we really need to let it hit home. So many people want to just be 'OK' with Jesus as a person, but not accept the Gospel. But this missing on two points.
1. It shows not intellectual integrity. I've heard Tim Keller say this on a number of occasions and it always hits home. We cannot say that we like Jesus or are indifferent toward Him, but don't love or hate Him. You cannot be indifferent toward someone who claims to be God and have the power of eternal salvation. Claiming to be so is to ignore Jesus' claims which demonstrates no intellectual integrity. It's like the kid who says they hate some sort of food, but has never tried it or even started to understand what it is. You can't just ignore His claims. However, once you've heard them, you can't be indifferent toward them. If you believe Him, you will love Him. If you do not, you can't really like Him because He's telling you you're going to Hell. These are bold claims that result in bold reactions.
2. It's not what really happens. In my experience, people are not really indifferent to Jesus. When His name is brought up people who do not people usually get bothered looking. The only people I've ever seen that appear indifferent toward Christ, at least in action, are people who claim to be Christians. We cannot live this way.
John 5:19-29 (Daniel)
Jesus is: Lord, Saviour, & Judge
Vs. 19 Jesus is the perfect revelation of the Father - Hebrews 1
No man has ever seen God ⇢ John 1⇢ John 14:8⇢ Jesus sees God⇢ We see Jesus
Vs. 20-24 If He does EVERYTHING the Father does then that means He must have Aseity, Holy,
Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent, Immutable, He must be God. - Richard Phillips
Jesus is speaking before the Sanhedrin, No where else in scripture does Jesus give such a dissertation of Himself. - Richard Phillips
The Father has given all Judgement duties to Jesus.
What if you heard there was a jailbreak and the convict was in your neighborhood. How
would you feel and would that be a good or bad thing?
What if you found out two hours later the officials found the convict, contained him, and
Justice was made full on the convict. Then how would you feel and would that be a good or bad
thing?
IT IS GOOD NEWS!!
It is good news that Jesus is the Judge. We shouldn’t look at this as a gloom and doom aspect of Jesus, not for us Christians.
Vs. 25 This verse is so thick and loaded with deep levels of understandings of Jesus.
The Redemption of our bodies: Jesus is the resurrection and life. At the second coming Jesus will raise ALL (v.28-29) people from the grave(sinners & saints) Daniel 12:2, Acts 24:15, Hebrews 1:3
Resurrections and Miracles: Jesus gives glimpses of what the Second Coming of Christ will look like. Exorcisms(No more Demons), no pain, sickness, or death, and he will raise people from the dead out of the grave. Luke 7:11, 8:43, John 11:38
Salvation in and of itself: Jesus raises people from the dead, resurrects them out of the deadness of their sin and into NEW LIFE IN CHRIST!- John Piper
Vs. 26 John 1:4 ⇢ This does not mean in any way that God created Jesus or that Jesus had a
beginning. ⇢ John 11:25-26, 14:6, Colossians 1:15-19 [creator of all things & has power over
them, Jesus is & created the resurrection & has power over the grave & death]
Vs. 27 Because He is the Son of Man - Daniel 7:13, Acts 17:31, Revelation 5:5-9[God cannot be slain]
Vs. 28-29 All will be resurrected and all will see Jesus. We should stop preaching, “Won’t you meet Jesus…” YOU ARE GOING TO MEET JESUS RATHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!” - Dick Lucas
John 5:30-47(Bobby)
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
1. 5 Proofs
Deuteronomy 17:6 On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.
Deuteronomy 19:15-19 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord , before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Jesus' word is enough. However, He is merciful to us sinners and gives to us above and beyond. Here He list 5 witnesses beyond Himself to His claims. 1. John the Baptist, 2. His own works, 3. The Father 4.-5. The Scriptures and Moses.
1. John the Baptist
-the sure testimony in verse 31 is sometimes connected to John the Baptist, and other times to The Father. Either way, it is clear that the following verse is about JTB.
1. What does He say about John?
Bright light that was accepted for a while then rejected and ultimately killed (similar to the treatment of Christ..see parable of the sower...thorny soil). Excited about religion or preaching, but not Christ. These are not true Christians. Look at Mark 4:1-9.
Mark 4:1-9 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
--Why would they be so quick to accept?
Intrigue (interest in the supernatural...it's been placed within hour hearts Ecc 3:11)
Fascination with a group (i.e. Cult communities draw people in like this),
Fascination with a compelling preacher (ever seen a church split where half the church goes wherever the pastor leaves to?)
Need to feel better about themselves (For some people, church is just a way of aton'ing for their sins. They miss the point entirely, but go through all the actions because they feel like this makes up for their wickedness. This is really common... In fact, it is the basis of all false religions.)
--Why would they reject?
They were not saved.
Matthew 10:16-22 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved."
James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
BUT REMEMBER... Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2. What did JTB teach about Jesus? What was His testimony?
1. John 1:29--Lamb of God (the sacrifice) that takes away the sin (all of it) of the world
2. John 1:33-34--He saw the Spirit of God descend upon Him, showing that He is the Son of God.
3. Matthew 3:11/Mark 1:7-8/Luke 3:16--He will baptize with the Holy Spirit (who can pour out God except God?)
4. Matthew 3:12/Luke 3:17--He will divide the wheat from the chaff and burn the chaff (the useless, non-wheat husks that were separated from the actual wheat)... He is the judge.
2. His Own Works
This is not the first or only time He’s mentioned this. His ministry was to do the works of the Father...and He was!
John 3:2--2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
John 4:34--34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
John 9:3-5--3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 10: 25-26--25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.
John 10:37-38--37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
John 14:11--11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
John 17:3-4--3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
3. The Father
God is His primary witness, of course.
1. In the Synoptic Gospels
Mark 1:9-11--9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Mark 9:2-8--2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
2. In John
John 1:32-34--32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
3. How Else?
37 ... His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.
If they were listening to God, spiritually, they would see that He was speaking to them through Christ. Much like this world ignores God’s voice. Much like we ignore God’s voice. It is not that He is not speaking, we are simply not listening.
4.-5. The Scriptures and Moses
1. Scripture as an end in itself?
-- We can study scripture for many reasons, but if it is not to know Christ more fully, it is as vain as any other pursuit. John 5:39-40 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. “It’s possible to memorize the entire Bible without ever experiencing its truth. It’s possible to know everything about the Messiah and not know the Messiah. These religious leaders thought they knew all there was to know about God, but God’s Word did not abide in them.” (Christie & Nystrom)
---Christ in Scripture
“We don’t know exactly what Scriptures Jesus referred to in these instances. But Rick Lawrence of Group Publishing has suggested that they might include the following: In Genesis, Jesus is the seed of the woman. In Exodus, Jesus is the Passover lamb. In Leviticus, Jesus is the atoning sacrifice. In Numbers, Jesus is the bronze serpent lifted up. In Deuteronomy, Jesus is the prophet of whom Moses writes.In Joshua, Jesus is the unseen captain Joshua visits. In Judges, Jesus is the deliverer. In Ruth, Jesus is the kinsman redeemer. In Samuel, Jesus is the root of the offspring of Jesse. In Kings, Jesus is greater than the temple. In Chronicles, Jesus is the king’s son. In Ezra and Nehemiah, Jesus is the restorer of the nation. In Esther, Jesus is the advocate. In Job, Jesus is the redeemer. In Psalms, Jesus is the song. In Proverbs, Jesus is the wisdom of God. In Ecclesiastes, Jesus is the one among a thousand. In Song of Songs, Jesus is the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star. In Isaiah, Jesus is Jacob’s branch. In Jeremiah, Jesus is our righteousness. In Lamentations, Jesus is the unbeliever’s judgment.In Ezekiel, Jesus is the true shepherd. In Daniel, Jesus is the rejected stone that became the cornerstone. In Hosea, Jesus is the latter rain. In Joel, Jesus is God’s dwelling in Zion. In Amos, Jesus is the raiser of David’s tabernacle. In Obadiah, Jesus is the deliverer on Mount Zion. In Jonah, Jesus is our salvation. In Micah, Jesus is the lord of kings. In Nahum, Jesus is the stronghold in the time of trouble. In Habakkuk, Jesus is our joy and confidence. In Zephaniah, Jesus is our mighty Lord. In Haggai, Jesus is the desire of the nations. In Zechariah, Jesus is the servant, the branch. In Malachi, Jesus is the Son of righteousness.” (Christie & Nystrom)
3. Moses the Accuser→
John 1:45--45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
The Jews were placing their focus on men. They sought to please them (43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?), and relied on the testimony of others rather than God.
PURPOSE?
Let’s not forget that this is all demonstrated… John 5:34-->34 Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. Are the motives behind our evidences the same?
John 6:52-71
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.
1. What does it mean to eat and drink His flesh?
John 6:51-59 ESV
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
- not canabalism... John 6:63-64 ESV It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)
- we eat what is dead so that we can live
- deep experience of relationship with God that gives life and fulfills all hunger. He is all we need. Not only is he sufficient, but we truly need Him and Him alone.
2. How do the sovereignty of God and human responsibility of man co-exist in salvation?
- There are things about God's ways that we don't understand. It is very clear in this passage though, that God is completely in control of salvation. Nonetheless, humans are morally responsible for their actions of acceptance or rejection. Our consolation is this... He understands and is in control, and we can trust Him not only for our salavations, but also to work in all those who call upon His name!
3. Why does the account keep mentioning Judas?
- Betrayer close to Christ... God's soveriegnty is enough
4. Why does everyone leave?
At the beginning of the chapter there are approx 20,000 people following Christ (when He feeds them), but by the end there are only the 12, and Jesus is quick to point out that one of them is not really following Him. Why?
- Theatrics won't save people. Sometimes we get so concerned with luring people into Christianty by making it appealing. We can't think like this. No one make Christianity more appealing that Christ did with the miraclous feeding,but it wasn't enough to make it stick. Why? Because there was no real heart change.
- There are two things at work here 1.God's will. Remember those who are given to Christ will come. We can trust that. He sent us to be His messengers, but Praise The Lord that He does all the work. 2. Their hearts wanted what He was not offering...free provisions without sacrifice. They didn't we t Jesus. And with all the eating of flesh talk, Jesus made sure they realized that for sure.
5. Why do His true disciples stay?
John 6:66-71 ESV
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.
- not because it was most appealing
- not because it was easy
- not because it was the best option
- Because He and He Alone is TRUTH! There is no other option. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is God. Being a Christian isn't always easy, but it's real...and the only reality.
John 7:14-24
About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
1. The Principle: Teaching & Learning from God
Jesus' teaching
-Public, not for the first time, but in full knowledge that they are planning to kill Him.
-We are not told what He says during this teaching, but we know it astonishes them in some way. Jesus' teaching always blew people away, (see vs 46...no one ever spoke like this) and He explains why in vs 16-18.
-The leaders were focused on his Ed though. He hadn't studied under a rabbi like them. In fact, he probably only study the Bible in a formal since until maybe the age of 12 in the equivalent of a village education. So where did His learning come from?
Learning from God
-Remember He is fully God and fully man. This is one of the times where the full complexity of that statement shakes up our heads a bit. There were things that Jesus, by choice in the incarnation, did not know (remember the time and hour of His return). In fact, EVERYTHING He knew and taught came from the Father. It blows me away to think of Jesus not knowing something. But, then again, I can graple with the infant Christ not knowing that the world was round...etc. Rather than dismiss Christ's authority, however, it intensifies it. He modeled complete dependence on God the Father and spoke only what He revealed to Him, which was abundant!
Discerning God's Will
-Beautiful promise: If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
-How is this revealed, a desire for the will of God? It starts with an honest willingness to obey God. At conversion, bby the Holy Spirit, our love for God should result in a desire to obey Him. How then can we know how to obey? By listening. How do we listen most attentively to the Word of God? Seek earnestly the scriptures.
-It rings this promise that is so sweet, and so convicting: Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Sweet is the promise; Convicting is my lack of seeking.
2. An Application: If they knew the Word of God, they wouldn't seek to kill Him. But they don't really understand.
-Now the next portion seems disjointed until I understood the context of verses 16-18. At first it seems like a contrast between seeking God's and your own (which it is), then a statement about them not keeping the Law (which there is), and then an outburst that they are trying too kill Him (which also happens). But, these are all connectected when we look at what He's just said. If you want to know the will of God, you will read and rightly understand His Word. But you haven't, though you do have the Word, so you're trying to kill me!
-Then the people cry out against Him that He must be demon possessed be a use they missed the transition too. But Jesus knows that they all know people are trying to kill Him, it's been implied or stated in the previous verses (see vs 1 and 13), and is clearly stated again later (see verse 25). SO, Jesus ignores their outcry and continues with His example. The law told Jews to circumcize a baby boy 8 days after he was born (Lev 12:3). If this day fell on the Sabbath, you would still do the circumcision because of it's improratance. It symbolized the separation of the Jews (that they had been set apart from the world). Then He ties it in. Many were at least using the fact that Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath as an excuse for wanting to kill Him. But He drives this home. If you can circumsize, why can you not cleanse?
3. A Conclusion: Judge Rightly
-Ending with His concluding remark: judge rightly. How? Know the will of God. How? Know God. How? Seek Him!
John 7:25-36
Joh 7:25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, "Is not this the man whom they seek to kill?Joh 7:26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?Joh 7:27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from."Joh 7:28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, "You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know.Joh 7:29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me."Joh 7:30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.Joh 7:31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, "When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?"Joh 7:32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.Joh 7:33 Jesus then said, "I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me.Joh 7:34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come."Joh 7:35 The Jews said to one another, "Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?Joh 7:36 What does he mean by saying, 'You will seek me and you will not find me,' and, 'Where I am you cannot come'?"
The Sovereignty of God in Christ
-Much talk about Him, like today, but all this talk had no impact on His sovereignty. At the end of the day, Jesus is God period.
1. What were they saying about Him?
The same things are said today.
1. Distain-Seeking to kill Him (7:1)- The "God is dead" movement?
2. Jealousy- see above verese--
3. Disbelief- brothers don't believe He's God (7:4-5)--So many accept that he was a prophet, but not God.
4. Good Man- (7:15)--How often have we heard that He was a good teacher.
5. Misleading- see above--we are still called misguided
6. Demon Possessed/Crazy- (7:20)--Liar, Lunatic, or Lord--these remain the predominant opinions of Christ.
7. False Christ based on misunderstandings or illeteracy of Scripture (7:27,42)--The same thing happens today. Accusations are made toward Christ and His church based upon misunderstandings or no understandings of Scripture.
8. The Christ- (7:26,31)
2. How did display His soveriegnty?
1. Thing happen in His time. (7:6,30,33-34)
2. He is clearly in control. See His power over the conversations. (7:14-22,26-29,32-34)
3. How does that apply today?
Again, much talk about Him, like today, but all this talk had no impact on His sovereignty. At the end of the day, Jesus is God period. Things still happen in His time. And He is still in control. Stop trying to live otherwise.
John 7:37-39 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
1. Background (Without rehashing too much)
-The Feast of Booths (some things to know about this celebration that we haven't hit too hard yet)
1. From what I've read, this was probably the favorite holiday for most Jewish people at this time. Even though Passover was the central celebration of their faith, The Feast of Booths was the one that brought the ost excitement. The way I've heard it explained, it seems very similiar to Christmas and Easter in America. The last day was the center of the excitement. We've already talked about the ceremony a little, but I want to emphasize something about the last day. I have read several discriptions of what exactly happened on the last day. They don't all agree because what had become the focus on this great day was not so much the ceremony as the traditions that had developed around it. But what I can say for sure is that there was an excitement that was at its climax as they celebrated the waters of salvation that would come. In the midst of this singing and rejoicing, Jesus stands up (not the sitting position of a rabbi) and declares the truth that they thought they were singing about, but had completely missed!
2. The Who (Who is this offer extended to? If anyone thirst)
-Anyone- open and yelling
-That thirst- the Work of God
3. The What (What is being offered? Come to me and drink)
-a chance to come to Him and be satisfied by the only One who ever could
-the Holy Spirit(living waters)
4. The Then What (After being satisfied and filled, what happens to that person? Out of them flows waters)
-I love this because it doesn't stop with a filling...the expected result is that the filled will fill
John 7:40-53 When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This really is the Prophet." 41 Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring him?" 46 The officers answered, "No one ever spoke like this man!" 47 The Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed." 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 "Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?" 52 They replied, "Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee." 53 [[They went each to his own house,
1. A Divided People
We saw this two weeks ago, as well. Jesus was the source of much division, and for the same reasons as today. In this text specifically, we see some calling Him: the Prophet, the Christ. Others wanting to arrest Him. Some in awe of Him. And some dispising Him. Like a few weeks ago, I'll copy this back here again. There were many opinions, but one truth: He is God. And that truth will inevitably cause division.
1. Distain-Seeking to kill Him (7:1)- The "God is dead" movement?
2. Jealousy- see above verese--
3. Disbelief- brothers don't believe He's God (7:4-5)--So many accept that he was a prophet, but not God.
4. Good Man- (7:15)--How often have we heard that He was a good teacher.
5. Misleading- see above--we are still called misguided
6. Demon Possessed/Crazy- (7:20)--Liar, Lunatic, or Lord--these remain the predominant opinions of Christ.
7. False Christ based on misunderstandings or illeteracy of Scripture (7:27,42)--The same thing happens today. Accusations are made toward Christ and His church based upon misunderstandings or no understandings of Scripture.
8. The Christ- (7:26,31)
2. A Prejudice People
We alsosee a lot of prejudice here.
1. So what's wrong with Galiee?
-This isn't the first time statements like this have been made. Nathanel felt the same way when Philip pointed him first to Christ. But gives the same response that the guards do here, in essence. Come and see. You have this heart-felt prejudice, and only an experience that will prove otherwise will change you. We also know that the way Peter spoke when following Jesus during His crucifixtion singled him out as Galilean. There was obviously a common opinion toward people from this area. It was a non-urban area. It wasn't know for anything prestigious. Lol... it was like Bonne Terre.
2. The Non-Religious-Elite Are Sub-Par
3 Methods of Prejudice People
1. No one of respectability thinks this way. Vs 47-48
2. If, however, you do, you are a fool. Vs 49
3. I will yell statements loudly and boldly so that people take their truth for granted. Vs. 52
-'If you were wise like us, you'd get it.' The problems here, beyond prejudice, are obvious. 1. There was one of their number who did, or was beginning to, believe, Nicodemus. 2. Some of the 'common folk' did get it, despite being called cursed. 3. They were so upset they were missing details. Details like the fact that Elijah (possibly), Jonah, and Nahum all came from Galilee. They could have been meaning THE Prophet, instead of a Prophet. But nonetheless, it was the same superior complex that cause them to doubt Christ's identity.
3. The One Like NO Other
No one ever spoke like this man! This is how the guards responded when the Pharisees were so confused as to why they had not brought Jesus. The emphasis here is in the Greek is actually on the word man. The implications, 'No human has ever spoken like this man.
Of no other religious leader can this be said. He spoke differently because He was different. I know we've spoken about this before, and I know we'll speak about it again, but it is so pressing and so vital. Jesus made claims that cannot be ignored. We cannot with any shred of integrity call Him a good teacher and place Him among the ranks with Mahummad, Budah, and Confusces (sp). He claimed to be God. He spoke with an authority that people recognized. In His time and ours, He was the cause of much division. For to take Jesus seriously is to love Him entirely, or hate Him completely. There truely is no middle ground.
The Pharisees missed this. So many continue to miss this. But we cannot afford to miss this. Jesus said earlier in the chapter to the people who were looking for a Messiah that was not THE Messiah, that they would seek and not find. He is THE WAY. He is THE TRUTH. He is THE LIFE. If we know this, we need to cling to Him. If we know this, we need to share it. Because peole continue to look for what they think will satisfy, but only He can bring that living water.
John 8:1-11 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."]]
1. The Passage Problem
2. The Trecherous Trap
3. The Mysterious Markings
4. The Gracious Gift/Giver
5. The Clear Calling/No Lessening of the Law
John 8:31-36 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." 33 They answered him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?" 34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Believers in Bondage?
Keep in mind Jesus said these things to people who have just believed in Him. These are not people out and out rejecting Him (though there appears to still be a group of those around, as we'll see a little in this passage, but even more in the verses to follow.)
1. Abide
Remain in the Word of God, in Christ, in His will. The only way to do this is to know His will. As we've seen in previous verses, this is accomplished by knowing and living according to the Scripture.
Note that belief alone does not guarantee this. James tells us in Jas 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
2. And Be Freed
What are we being set free from? The Jews take offense to this point. Those responding here were likely not the ones that believed, but those that were still around of the religious elite. Though they had been clearly enslaved at several points in their history...Egypt, Babylon, Rome... they seemed to be ignoring this in their pride and indignation.
However, Jesus was not speaking of earthly slavery, but spiritual bondage. Anyone who sins....which is everyone...is slave to sin. Our will is forever on bondage to our sinful nature.
If, however, we know Jesus, we know truth, and this truth will free us.
3. By the Son...Forever!
How? Jesus has paid the price for our freedom, and conquered death. Trying to get rid of sin by any other means is analogous to a slave approaching the master and trying to free himself or another slave. There is no authority in his words. However, the son of the house (especially in ancient times) has all authority, if He frees you... You are forever free!
4. So Don't Go Back
If you are free you are free indeed. Walk in His Word and do not return to your sins.
Works Cited
Barnes, Albert. Notes on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book '',, 1983. Print.
Christie, Les John., and David P. Nystrom. A Youth Worker's Commentary on John. Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 2011. Print. ,
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on the Whole Bible by Adam Clarke." Commentary on the Whole Bible
by Adam Clarke. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2013.
Gill, John. "John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible." John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2013.
Hobbs, Herschel H. The Gospel of John. Nashville: Broadman, 1977. Print.
"Holman New Testament Commentary (12 Vols.)." Logos. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2013.
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown. "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible."
BibleStudyTools.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2013.
Keller, Dr. Tim. "Redeemer Sermons: The Story of the Lamb." Redeemer. Redeemer Presbyterian
Church, 29 Sept. 2002. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.
Keller, Dr. Tim. "Redeemer Sermons: The Lord of the Wine." Redeemer. Redeemer Presbyterian
Church, 17 Nov. 1996. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.
Spurgeon, C. H. "The Glory of Christ--Beheld!: A Sermon (No. 414)." Blue Letter Bible. N.p., 2013.
Web. 09 Mar. 2013.
Spurgeon, Charles H. "Spurgeon: John 1:1-34." Blue Letter Bible. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013.
The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985. Print.
Wesley, Charles. "Jesus! the Name High over All." Jesus! the Name High over All. N.p., n.d. Web. 28
Mar. 2013.