The Gospel of John Lesson 16 (12-23-12) John 6:14-21

The Gospel of John (12-23-12)

Lesson 16 – John 6:14-21

After the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 those present now begin to believe that Jesus is worth making at least some sacrifices in life for. As we continue to study this chapter we will see that Jesus will continue to challenge them with the awareness of a ‘bigger picture’ of what this life is all about being not just physical, meeting physical needs only, but challenging them with the perspective of Kingdom Living. Kingdom living includes the spiritual realm which recons on the reality of a Living God, living our life daily in communion with Him and His ways. He continues to speak to His followers even today with this concept, this focus and this challenge of how to live.

Even though they have yet to commit to Him as Savior, they at least begin to see the benefit of having Him around elevating Him to the status of the Great Prophet referenced to in O. T. passages. Their perception of Jesus has at this point now changed so much that they want, if need by force, to elevate Him to earthly kingship, hoping that possibly He might free them from their present situation and their captors.( Joseph Stowell – Kingdom Living)

The reference to that Prophet that they were referring to was found in the O.T. book of Deuteronomy chapter 18:15-19 which makes reference to a Promise and prophesy from God to raise up from their breathen Someone that would be the representation of God Himself to them. In that passage in Deuteronomy it refers to an incident in their past found in Exodus chapter 20 (restated to the next generation in Deut. 5:22-31) where God came down and visited them coming down on Mt. Sinai. The encounter of meeting with God was so dramatic and traumatic to those present on that day that the people being overcome with God’s Presence were naturally afraid and drew back being terrified.

Some might be critical of their action here and it is true that they did exhibit a lack of faith even during their fear, but I must say that I can sympathize with them. In Exodus 20:18-23 we see that after that encounter the people make a request that Moses go talk to God instead of them and then have Moses after the conversation come back and brief them on the details of the meeting saying in essence that they would hear him and obey what God tells him. In other words, you tell us what God said to you and we will obey. In Deut. 5:22-33 we see this arrangement restated to the next generation as Moses was preparing them to eventually enter the Promised Land.

In Deut. 18:15 God makes a Promise to go a step further than the Exodus encounter promising them a future Prophet that will rise up from their own brethern better than Moses fully representing God and yet identifying with them, their struggles, their frailties and their fears. This miracle of the feeding of the 5,ooo was so dramatic that as blind as they were to Him being their offered Savior, they could not deny His connection to being that Great Prophet Promised by God doing such miracles in human form.

Not being the right time and not being the right context for His coming, Jesus rightly so backs off from their prematurely wanting to make Him king. Jesus even though a King and in actually the King (King of Kings) would not step forward presenting Himself in this position receiving His throne yet for at least another couple of thousand years. He now departs into the nearby mountains in all probability to commune with the Father in prayer. His disciples are not with Him having been sent on ahead by Him by boat to their next destination. John tells us that He had sent them out heading toward Capernaum whereas Mark says gives us the destination of Bethsaida. Although there is a pretty good idea of where Capernaum is there is a fair amount of conjecture as to the exact location of the Bethsaida referred to here.

It is now late in the night, or very early in the morning, Jesus had not yet caught up to them. It was now 3 or 4 in the morning Jesus was still on the mountain praying to the Father. It is interesting to compare the different Gospel accounts seeing their different perspectives and the additional details that they give giving us a better understanding of what actually happened here. At the time that they had set out for Bethsaida the weather conditions were probably not that bad. It was getting dark and His disciples were familiar with this body of water knowing that conditions could change at a moment’s notice. It is hard to believe that they would have set out in the evening as they did even if they thought the conditions had the possibility of going the south so to speak.

However, conditions did digress, and it appears that they did so rather quickly. At this time they were well out in the water, about 3-4 miles out, apparently out in the middle of the Galilean Sea with no land in sight. As anyone will tell you that has experience on the water, 3-4 miles out in a small boat on rough seas is a long way out. All of the three Gospels where this miracle was recorded tell us that the disciples were in trouble being on the water at night facing a stiff headwind and making little to no progress rowing toward their destination.

The accounts tell us that Jesus was still on the mountain praying. Marks Gospel tells us that while He was still on land He was aware that they were having a difficult time making headway. Mark’s Gospel does not tell us that when He saw their difficulty that He left immediately to rescue them. Instead he gives us the impression that Jesus did not leave for some time yet and continued to pray to the Father even while His disciples were fighting the elements.

However, after some time passes, Matthew and Mark both tell us that during what they call the forth watch, or in other words prior to dawn, Jesus leaves the mountain and goes to catch up with them using a method that gets their attention, i. e. walking on water. The seas were rough. The winds were contrary. Yet, the Lord of the troubled sea was walking on water. Pretty amazing!

His disciples seeing Him could not believe their eyes. Seeing Him come to them walking on water was the last thing that they would have looked for. Mark gives us an interesting observation in 6:51-2 telling us that His disciples even after all that they  had seen having been with Him were about as unbelieving if not more so than the crowd so they never would have considered such a thing. Evidently Jesus had not yet gotten through to them even after the feeding of the five thousand. It almost seems interestingly enough that that miracle had more impact on the crowd than it did on them.

Mark makes the point in Mk. 6:48 that Jesus in walking on the water apparently did not have them as His destination saying that He actually intended to pass them by on his way to their next destination. Jesus did not have to be right there to care for them. His disciples had caught sight of Him and were sorely frightened of Him thinking that He was a spirit or ghost. They were so frightened that Jesus being the good Sheppard caring for His own could not pass them by. They had all seen Him. The night can do strange things to your imagination. If one person even thinks that they might have seen something fear can grow exponentially. But, all four of them had seen this…it was the real deal and was not going away. Knowing their fear Jesus called out to them to comfort them.

In reading the other Gospel accounts apparently His words did the trick, so much so that Peter calls back to ask Him if he can come to Him walking on the water also, Jesus giving him the nod to do so. We all know what happened next. Peter steps out of the boat and actually begins to walk on the water, but very quickly loses sight of the Master, instead focusing on the wild seas and begins to sink. But, Jesus quickly reaches out for Peter and after He rescues Peter they both get into the boat and in v. 21 John gives us what most believe is another noteworthy detail.

Matthew and Mark tell us that when Jesus got into the boat that the winds and the seas calmed immediately. John adds another detail and tells us that after Jesus got into the boat that they found themselves immediately at their destination. It is true that there is no record of how far they were from shore when Jesus met up with them, but it appears that from the way John makes this statement that they were not really near their destination before He entered the boat, but somehow being transported they had arrived miraculously ahead of schedule.

The Gospel of John - Lesson 15 (12-16-12)

The Gospel of John (12-16-12)

Lesson 15 – John 6:1-13

Chapter 6

As we begin chapter 6 it should be noted or restated that John’s Gospel like the other Gospels does not cover the events of Jesus’ life chronologically or in complete detail. To do so John says in chapter 21 would be impossible. This is the case we find here as we begin this chapter. In studying the other Gospels along with this one we find that there are a lot of events that are not included between chapter 5 and v. 47 and chapter 6 v. 1.

C. I. Scofield in his reference Bible has a footnote stating that between 5:47 and 6:1 there are about 10 chapters of events and details that are found in Matthew’s Gospel alone, 4:12-14:12, that John omits between these two verses. When looking at this section in Matthew, 4:12-14:12, we see some pretty significant events recorded there. Events like the Sermon on the Mount, numerous detailed healings, teachings on the Kingdom, the seventy sent forth, the casting out of demons and healing of the man of Gerasa. These events are significant when we read some of the things that we will find in this chapter.

One might ask why John omitted so many important events. As we skim through and read some of them we might think that John should have included at least some of these events in his account, however, we must remember that John had a purpose in mind in writing this Gospel and that was to give us enough of his personal experience that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ. He did not intend to include every detail. As stated in one of our previous lessons one commentator believes that the entire Gospel of John comprises about 22 days of Jesus’ life during His active ministry years.

It is true that this Gospel contains a lot of details and pertinent facts that should be laid on the foundation of faith that Jesus is the Christ. In other words, this Gospel contains some deep theological truths. However, John’s main thrust is to give enough of his experience to believe that Jesus is Who He said He is. In doing so John will give us numerous theological and doctrinal statements that will do just that, point us to Jesus as the Promised One, the Savior God of eternity.

It is good to remember what we just saw at the end of chapter 5 where Jesus makes a broad statement saying that the Scriptures…all of them, point to Him in some fashion, 5:39. At the end of chapter 5, vs. 39-47, we do not see Him referring to one or several specific verses or passages which point to Him, but instead the only reference that we see is His reference to Moses and his writings which most believe are a large and broad account covering the first 5 books of the Bible.

We see at the beginning of chapter 6 a much larger ministry than what we even saw just a few verses ago. Many Bible commentators see Chapter 6 as a natural progression of John’s perspective and purpose of writing this Gospel even though there is a time gap between these two sections. Another Passover was at hand, so we see that some time had passed. Although it is not easy to determine the exact amount of time, some commentators say as much as two years may have passed since the miracle of the healing of the impotent man at the Pool of Bethesda.

In this chapter John will demonstrate however to us some practical examples of what Jesus had discussed with the Jewish leaders in chapter 5 showing Himself in a practical way in chapter 6 as the ‘Bread of Life’ or the One Moses wrote about.

We see Him here at the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias as well as many other names, passing over it to the other side. Jesus made several forays across this lake and although this lake being called a sea is a relatively small body of water compared to the seas of the world, 64 square miles, 8 miles wide and 13 miles long, and it has been known to be extremely unpredictable, often becoming very dangerous at a moment’s notice.

Some believe this to be due to the unique geography found here in that this lake is well below sea level, 693’ below sea level, being the second lowest lake on earth, and has relatively high hills surrounding it with some somewhat significant mountains near it. Some believe that this combination can drive the winds, forcing them downward with greater force making the relatively shallow waters very turbulent very quickly which we will see later in this chapter. This area of Israel near and around the Sea of Galilee was a fertile area for Jesus’ ministry, Jesus spending a considerable amount of time here.

By this time a great multitude followed Him almost everywhere that He went. In v. 2 John gives his observation as to why the crowd sought Him at this time saying that they essentially sought Him out at this point in His ministry for their own personal gain, looking for healing and His ability to meet earthly needs, not fully believing in Him at this time as Savior. Later on in this chapter we will see just how shallow their commitment to Jesus was when He shared with them some of the not so glorious parts of being a follower of His, at that time many turning and leaving.

We must remember that Jesus’ life and ministry here on earth was essentially evangelistic. He had not come just to show off His powers, but had come to rescue those that were lost. Because of this He often challenged those He came in contact with with this Truth. Unfortunately some chose not to receive it.

However, at this time in His ministry many sought Him out even though it was basically for what they could get from Him. We see that Jesus reaches the other side of the Sea of Tiberias and He retreats to the mountains with His disciples for some down time.  However, at this point He is much too popular, and a multitude of people seeks Him out and finds Him, taking His disciples by surprise finding them basically unprepared to meet the needs of such a crowd.

But, Jesus was not unprepared. Although He may have been somewhat surprised by the crowd showing up, He was not at a loss as to what to do. Jesus and His disciples at this point in their relationship operated on different wave lengths as to how they saw and approached life. His disciples had something to learn from the Master.

His disciples were a lot like us, basically operated by the numbers, always crunching the numbers to see if life was going to fit or add up and adjusting life accordingly often leaving people out in the process if necessary. Jesus on the other hand had understood that there was a lot more to life than just what one could see reckoning on the principles of God’s Kingdom which had provisions far greater than anything that this world has to offer those in need.

In v. 5 Jesus begins to challenge and test His disciples challenging them to change their view and perspective from an earthly view to a heavenly one. This is His challenge to us! He begins to challenge their belief system by asking them the obvious question that was on their mind, ‘Where are we going to buy enough bread to feed so many’? Jesus Himself knew exactly what He was going to do, but His purpose in this situation was to not just get the job done, feeding the many, but to transfer to His followers the principles and keys of the Kingdom that could handle and meet the needs of any person no matter how impossible or how large the need, or, any number or multitude of people that may show up on one’s doorstep lacking the basic necessities of life. Jesus had come to establish His Kingdom, Mk. 1:14-5 attempting to teach them Kingdom principles in the process.

You see, Jesus had been here before. This was not the first time that He was called upon to take care of such a large group needing more than was earthly possible to provide. He had seen the numbers game played before…numbers that did not match…too much need, too little resources to draw from…from an earthly perspective there was too little product to fill the order. But, Jesus had seen a crowd like this in need before,…numerous times,…a crowd even much larger than the one present here,…needing to be cared for repeatedly day after day…40 years worth.

If Jesus was who He said that He was then He was the One that provided for the children of Israel day after day for forty years in the wilderness providing for them food, or manna, in the morning and food, or quail, in the evening not missing a day. There is a much bigger challenge given to those present here than most would see. His goal was not to get His disciples to occasionally exercise faith to see God answer an impossible situation occasionally here and/or there. But, He challenges them, and us, to see Him as Faithful providing for us all the necessities of this life including even the basic daily necessities like food. They were looking for a free lunch. Jesus was looking for a change in their perspective seeing Him as the Giver of Life, the Giver of all things, physical, spiritual and emotional.

Here Jesus challenges us to make the jump from our earthly perspective of doing things only by the numbers, which by the way was the Pharisee’s problem, and begin to focus on the realities of God’s Kingdom, applying the Kingdom principles of the God Provider to our life here on earth. i.e. Matt. 6:33 In doing so they would see the love of the Father being in relationship with Him and not just having the needs of this life met in an impersonal and sometimes cruel way by a world and its system that barely knows that you exist. (Scene from Mr. Poppers Penguins following the Slow Mo Scene)

Jesus had accused those who were following Him of seeking a sign and this annoyed Him so to speak. Their problem was that they were not looking to Him as the Provider of the culmination of this life, but instead saw Him as the one time fix of their need. He is God Jehovah Jireh, ‘the Lord will Provide’ sufficient to meet all of the needs of our life, not just the big or difficult ones. These people like us were functioning in a world that had usurped His position, taking His place. These people in reality were functioning as if there was no God and didn’t mind it a bit as long as they got what they wanted. In other words this world system had become their ‘Big Daddy’ replacing the God and His love and provision that created them.

Even His disciples missed this. In v. 5 when Jesus asked them how they would feed this crowd. The answer came back showing where their faith was…more money was the answer not God. It is true that Jesus led them on in His initial question to them asking where they would buy bread to eat. But, it says in verse 6 that He asked this question in this way to test them and their perspective knowing that this world system requiring money was not enough to meet their need.

When asked this question they all knew what they lacked and saw the Kingdom of earth as the answer that was in reality not an answer at all. What they had would not even feed those present even a morsel which would do nothing but prolong their agony of hunger. As we will see God’s Kingdom on the other hand can and would provide more than enough not only meeting the need of food and hunger, but God communing with those present in the process.

One disciple, however, at least had a thought in the right direction, maybe not having a fully matured faith, but having the thought that maybe something could be done at least for some by a young boy that definitely did not have enough to meet the greater need no matter how you divided it up. But, at least Andrew for a moment offered this meager amount up to the True Provider. Who knows what was really in Andrew’s heart. It does appear however that he does offer the lad’s food, although reservedly, with at least a mustard seed of faith.

In v. 10 Jesus takes this faith offered to Him and begins to act on it making provisions for what really is His. It is a scary world that we live in. As we see technology continue to advance it is interesting to see the world of people rely more and more on what it can do bypassing God altogether. Instead of asking God we are first found asking Google. Futuristic movies are never found as portraying God as the answers to man’s problems, but always portray man or the kingdom of men as the hero.

Of course, this is not to say that we should shun the advancements of this world. God had given us a brain to use to help provide answers to the problems that we face in this world, but not at the exclusion of its creator God. As we will see those present came basically for what they could get wanting a show with the dinner.

We notice in v. 11 a difference in the process of Jesus supplying this worlds needs vs. this world’s system taking a stab at it.  In looking at the details of this process we are often found using the excuse that those were different days then and that we however live in a different world being more advanced. But, in looking at the details we will notice that the setting is in reality not much different. There was a need, a need that needed an answer.

The first thing we notice as Jesus begins to meet the need at hand is that Jesus prays stopping to give thanks to the One True Provider not just acknowledging God creator, but truly appreciating His provision. It says that He gave thanks actually being thankful to God for His provision, the five small loaves and the two fish, even though they were small. Jesus knew the secret was not in the numbers, but in the Provider...the One that made them.

It is possible and actually probable that Jesus had no idea exactly what the Father would do, He only knew the Father and His nature to answer Him, not only having the ability to meet this need, but also able to pile it on if He chose to, more often than not giving more than enough for the situation. It is important to notice that faith was demonstrated in the action of Jesus first praying asking God’s blessing followed by acting in faith knowing that God would answer, knowing that God’s answer would be His will for the situation. It is good to ask God specifically for our need, but God does not have to show up according to our standards. This is why we do not always recognize God’s answer when we receive it only to realize later that God in reality had given us just what we needed.

It says in v. 11 that Jesus gave thanks and God the Father came through again this day satisfying their need being hungry. It is interesting in this verse that we see Jesus passing this blessing and miracle through the disciples who in reality had no part in the happening of this miracle except that they were associated with Him. It also says that those present were full having eaten as much as they wanted of both the bread and also the fish. We must remember that these people were in all likelihood hungry…I mean really hungry. Coming by a good meal in those days was not common. They were not use to the three square meals a day that we are most often accustom to in our society. They were offered an ‘all you can eat buffet’ and they had come for receiving from this generous Giver. Theys were going to get their money’s worth even though they it had cost them nothing.

In looking at this miracle we also notice something else. The meal is over. The miracle was now history and those that came were satisfied. Now,…on to the next event…carrying nothing forward learning from the experience. How often do we do this in life? Jesus satisfies our wants and needs and so often we barely acknowledge what He just did for us. I am all too often guilty of this. We will see that even His disciples at least initially appear to learn little to nothing from this miracle. Mk. 6

But, Jesus makes sure that this does not happen this time. He tells them to collect what is left over. I am sure that many knew what He had started with. In passing out the food I am sure that the details were probably made known letting those present know that there was not much and the food would probably run out soon, so everyone should not expect to end up eating. This was not like a family dinner of 23, but instead  ne of 5000 plus. But, the disciples kept going back to the source of supply for more and to their surprise there was still more to take and give sto the people.

Now being full Jesus wants to make a point and asks them to now go back to the people and collect what is left in the areas where they were dining. It is a good thing to remember that in addition to what was eaten by those being present being full and satisfied, that most in all likelihood would have taken a doggie bag of leftovers for a snack later as food was not always easy to obtain on a journey. These people had gotten to this place having nothing to eat; they would have at least given some thought to having a little something for later. In other words the food collected would in all likelihood have been the food that was left lying around by their dining area after the meal.

They now collect the leftovers and now probably for the first time they begin to see the full magnitude of this miracle. They had collected 12 baskets full. These probably were not small containers, but were in all probability large baskets about the size of a small to medium garbage basket. They had never seen or heard of anything like this. After letting them see the full parameters of this miracle they now begin to realize Who they have in their presence raising Jesus in their awareness acknowledging that Jesus is at least one of the greats of their history and faith. One might ask a question here at this point. How does this account and story affect us as we read John’s record? Are we as equally impressed, or is this just a story to us? What action does this story lead us to take in our own personal life? It says that this miracle changed their perspective of Jesus now identifying Him with the promised Prophet that was to come referenced in the O. T. We will take a look in our next study seeing if they were right and just Who this promised Prophet was. 

The Gospel of John Lesson 14 (12-09-12) John 5:30-47

The Gospel of John (12-09-12)

Lesson 14 – John 5:30-47

Review briefly vs. 17-29

It is amazing when reading Scripture how deep and how vast even a single verse can be. Here in this section I am reminded of just how vast God’s Word can be having just read and studied this section last week and yet missing this very important detail that I saw in preparation for this week’s lesson. John 5:26 is one of those verses. I had totally missed this last week, and I am not sure if I had ever understood what is contained in this verse.

When reading this verse too quickly you might miss what Jesus says here. When reading carefully you are struck with the truth of eternal life and the promise of the resurrection. In this verse Jesus states that in Himself is found life, self contained and always present. In Him and in the Father Life reigns supreme never being absent. Nothing can overcome or cancel out this attribute of God. Even death as powerful as it is has no power over Him and this attribute…in other words resurrection is assured. Eternal death is not possible.

In vs. 30 to the end of this chapter Jesus sights witnesses that confirm that Jesus is who He claimed to be. He begins His list of witnesses by first prefacing their testimony and witness with a statement as to what they are witnessing to, vs. 30-2.

In v. 30 Jesus reminds them that He did not come for His own purposes and glorification. He tells them that his actions and judgments are not judgments according to His will or whims, but are performed and pronounced according to the will of the Father. He goes on to say and admit in v. 31 that if He came witnessing of Himself that that would prove that His witness was not true.

A witness by definition is one that testifies to or of someone or something else, other than themselves. If you were to witness of yourself your witness being in the first party would not be credible, not to mention a little self gratifying. Jesus’ witness was not of Himself. When He bore witness He bore witness of His Father. In v. 32 Jesus reminds them that even though He came bearing witness of His Father there were those who also bore witness that His testimony and what He was saying was true and in harmony with their witness recorded in vs.33-47.

The first witness that He cites bearing witness to Him was John the Baptist. In v. 33 He brings out that even they recognized that John was a reputable witness pointing out that they recognized that John was a man sent from God bringing a message that was from God directly. Even they by their actions witnessed that John was a credible witness because they had sent messengers to John inquiring of him of the message that God had given him recognizing that he had something to say.

In citing John the Baptist as one of His witnesses He reminded them of John’s witness and what he told them testifying that he himself, John, was not the Christ, but instead made it plain, actually pointing Jesus out, that He indeed was that Christ.

In v. 34 taking nothing from John, Jesus tells them that in essence this is the least of the witnesses that he will list stating that God does not need man to validate Him. Stop and ponder this for a moment. Although God loved and cared so much for us that He took time for us and came and actually died for us, in this verse and in this statement He puts us in our place saying that what man thinks or says about Him and who He is is least important and that it makes no difference to Him what man’s opinion of Him is.

Jesus, however, goes on to tell them why He cites John saying that it is for their sakes that He makes mention of John because in doing so it might cause them to stop and think and possibly it may get their attention and they might believe, for they had revered John’s message. (Read several versions of this verse)

What an awesome statement here in this verse. God’s mercy and His majesty mixed so powerfully here in one statement. God’s Love and His Omnipotence shown in so few words.

Jesus goes on in v. 35 reminding them of what they had seen. They had recognized and identified with John’s testimony saying that he was a burning and shining light and even according to their standards and they were willing to give him prominence as a true prophet even though this recognition was only for a season.

In the next few verses He will go on to cite three more substantial witness than man’s testimony. He goes on in v. 36 citing one of these greater witnesses that even they would have to agree with and could in no way deny. Here in v. 36 he cites His works as testimony and identification being proof that the Father sent Him. In these works no one could deny that His works had not only the power of God in them, but also the complete personality and makeup of the Father having the Father’s Name and signature written all over them.

In the previous verses Jesus made it plain that the works that He did were not done to show forth himself or His personality, but was to have the look of the Father who had sent Him. In stating His works as a witness to them He was asking them to stop and think for a moment and replay what they had seen as to how these works appeared to them. He was telling them to witness the signature that was placed on these acts as to Who’s they really were witnessing also that even though Jesus performed these acts they were as if the Father did them Himself.

The third witness, v. 37-8, that Jesus cites is the witness of the Father Himself. Even though the Jews rejected Jesus, Jesus reminds them of the incident that occurred that they were probably present for. He reminds them of the time following His baptism when those present literally heard the Father speak from heaven attesting that Jesus was indeed the Promised One.

Two things happened at that time that confirmed that He was the One. The first thing that happened was after His baptism when He was coming up out of the water John saw the Holy Spirit come down from heaven having the appearance of a dove coming down and residing on Him. We know that John at least saw this for God had told John that this would be the sign signifying that this would be the Promised One when he saw this happen. Others other than John may have been privileged to see this at that time also, but, it is not clearly stated in the Gospels if others were able to see what John saw.

The second thing that happened at Jesus’ baptism was that the Father spoke audibly from heaven testifying the Jesus was indeed the One. It is likely that those there heard the voice from heaven, but some believe that it is not definite that all present actually understood what had been said. However, we do know that at least John the Baptist heard and understood what was said, the others at least hearing God’s voice speak weather they actually understood it or not.

Earlier in this chapter Jesus makes a point that He hears and communes with the Father constantly and that He and the Father understand and communicate with each other perfectly. However, in vs. 37-8 He points out to them that they are the ones that have never communicated with the Father and that they are the ones that should be accused of not communicating with the Father never having heard His voice or never seeing His shape.

Jesus continues in v. 38 pointing out to them that in reality they have none of God’s Word or His ways in them knowing this because they do not believe the One that God sent, namely the One that they are talking too right now. What a bold up front statement. To us this may sound a little confrontational, but Jesus was not being confrontational at all, He was only trying to help them see reality so that they might believe.

The fourth and final thing that He states as a witness to Who He is are the Scriptures. In v. 39 He tells them to search the Scriptures and they will see that He is witnessed to in them. The sad part of this discussion and encounter is that these men had spent a lot of time and a lot of years in the Scriptures, but had missed its meaning.

Many down through history have done this missing the truth and real benefit of the Gospel. It is not only time in the Scriptures that makes the difference, but perspective and an open heart searching for the truth, Jesus being the full representation of the Truth. In reading and studying the Scriptures they were looking for the wrong thing. It seems that in their studies they were looking to justify their own perspective looking to justify things from man’s view whether it was right or wrong instead of looking to the Scriptures to be instructive having insight revealing God’s perspective to them.

He told them that if they were reading the Scriptures with the right perspective that they would be able to see Him clearly revealed in its meaning and message finding life in the process. Instead He told them point blank that they had missed the message missing the life that goes with it.

A good example of this is found in the life of Nikita Khrushchev who as a boy in Russia was enticed by a priest to memorize Scriptures and attend Sunday school. The priest was successful, for he had encouraged him to memorize large portions of Scripture enticing him with rewards such as candy and getting his parents to relieve him of his chores at home to allow him to spend time memorizing. The enticement worked for at one point he was able to recite publically in church all four Gospels flawlessly receiving an award and certificate for doing so. Later in life Nikita continued to love to recite Scripture publically, but for reasons that would have gravely disappointed to priest. Throughout his life Nikita did not believe in the existence of God and had not problem stating so publically. Nikita although knowing the Scriptures intellectually, did not know the truth contained in them.

In these verses at the end of chapter 5 Jesus tells them that He came to them in the right way matching what was in the Scriptures and they did not receive Him. He points out to them that in essence they however love the praise of men more and would much rather receive the praise and flattery of men than the straightforward truth of the Scriptures. In other words, they would rather receive someone unreservedly coming to them with puffed up self praise and ambition than to receive the truth backed up by the witnesses found here at the end of this chapter that He states are backed up by the Scriptures.

He tells them that they would rather receive man’s biased and untrue flattery from each other and their so called religious club than to seek God’s approval. In essence He tells them that God’s approval would be enough by itself meaning more than any and all the praise one could receive from man. Jesus knew this. We see that He was satisfied even in this setting receiving Praise from God the Father alone even if He had received no praise from man whatsoever. Jesus was not into popularity contests.

In the last part of the chapter He tells them that they had missed the message completely telling them that even Moses whom they claim to know and follow was witness to what He was saying. He went on to say that Moses’ message which they had claimed to know would in the end end up judging them for their unbelief instead of validating or justifying their perspective and treatment of Jesus here. In the end in v. 47 He tells them that if they blinded their hearts not receiving what Moses had said about Him then He could see how they would not believe Him, ending up being completely opposed to Him. 

It appears that the conversation ends abruptly here. Who knows what happened at this point. It is unlikely that the scale tipped to the positive or it is likely that the Apostle John would had made mention of it. One can only surmise that the conversation ended abruptly as so many of these encounters with Israel’s religious leaders did.

The Gospel of John Lesson 13 (12-02-12) John 4:30-5:16

The Gospel of John (12-02-12)

Lesson 13 – John 5:17-29

In vs. 17 and onward Jesus and the religious leaders have a few words. In v. 17 Jesus calls God His Father. This is a pretty significant claim and one that if you cannot back it up can bring down on you some pretty significant charges and accompanying penalties. In v. 18 we see the Jews do just that listing the charges that they have so far against Him. It was one thing to heal on the Sabbath making the Jews angry with Him, angry enough to slay Him. But, calling yourself God’s Son, now the Jews were so angry they could not see straight.

God having a Son did not make sense to the Jews. To them God was One and their understanding of the Godhead having three distinct personalities was not on their radar at all. It at times must have also confused His disciples for they also were also Jewish and were taught from the OT Scriptures that God is One and Jesus claiming equality with God the Father was at least a difficult concept to grasp. This concept is often equally as difficult for us to grasp in our Christian culture even in our day. It can be and often is, confusing to many being only fully understood by accepting its reality by faith.

His disciples had come to accept Jesus’ claim by faith, for they had believed His message and testimony having walked with Him and having seen His works. But, as we will see, the religious leaders could never grasp what He was saying as He expounded the Truth to them especially in the following verses never mixing what they had heard with faith so that their understanding could be opened and the Truth be seen.

Jesus begins to expand and expound on not only His relationship with the Father, but also on who He is and what part is committed to Him to perform and execute in the Godhead. We saw at the beginning of this book that this same Jesus was given the descriptive name of the Word telling us that all things were created by Him, Jn. 1:3. Here in John chapter 5 we will see that He takes responsibility along with the Father for ‘life’, which was also stated in chapter 1 of John, and in v. 23 of this chapter it says that all judgment is committed to Him.

In v. 19 we see that the Son does nothing of Himself meaning that He does nothing on His own for His own glory. To do so would be an act of selfishness and pride which is sin. He was the perfect servant always obedient doing the will of the Father always following the Father’s example learning the Father’s ways always wanting to please the Father.

It says in v.20 that the Father loved the Son so much that He showed Him all things. In this verse Jesus was saying that the Father will show the Son works that the Son is to perform that will be even greater than what they just witnessed in the healing of the paralytic man. In John’s record he will share with us that this same Jesus not only healed the sick, but we will see Him walking on water, feeding five thousand plus with essentially nothing, raising the dead and it is recorded and demonstrated in the other Gospels that Jesus had command over the laws of nature calming the storm.

In verses 23 and 24 Jesus makes a statement that would definitely be offensive to these Jewish leaders saying that He is worthy of the same honor and respect that the Father was worthy of. However, He goes even a step further in making the statement that to just tolerate what they might perceived as arrogance of the Son demanding the same respect and worship as one would give the Father, that just tolerating what Jesus was saying was not good enough.

In v. 23 Jesus tells us that all men, including these Jewish religious leaders, should worship and honor the Son just as they would the Father. He in essence tells them straight forward that you cannot honor the Father if you do not have the same honor and respect for the Son. In rejecting the Son, which was what they were in essence doing, Jesus said it was equal to not knowing the Father at all who they were claiming to know and serve.

It is no different in our culture. Many claim to honor and believe in God claiming that there are many ways to God passing by and not acknowledging and giving honor to God’s Son Jesus. Here in Jn. 5:23 Jesus makes His claim clear as He will again in John chapter 10 that there is no other way to God than to come through the Son. Here in v. 23 He essentially says that it is impossible to honor the One True God if you reject Jesus which is what these religious leaders and many in our day do.

In v. 24 He goes on to say however that anyone that heard His words, whether in person as Jesus was speaking to them in this passage, or through the witness of this written account, and believes this record and account would not come under this judgment, but would be given and granted life eternal instead. He uses the description of those who were already dead on the road destine for God’s judgment now receiving Christ’ message being made alive eternally by passing by the judgment that was once theirs.

In vs. 25 through 29 Jesus reveals some of the details and events of the resurrection in which He will clearly have a part in. He tells them that the hour would come that the dead in the grave would hear His voice and come forth and live.

In these verses He is telling them of a future time when all the dead will hear His voice and come alive again. When this happens it is believed by many that the dead in Christ will rise at a different time than those that are spiritually dead having never believed, the one rising unto eternal life and the other it says clearly unto the resurrection of damnation. Other passages make this clear that there will be a resurrection of the unbeliever appearing before the Son in judgment having the sentence of eternal damnation and death passed upon them forever being separated from God in a place where they will receive eternal punishment. This is not a popular message in our day, and it was not a popular message in that day either. Jesus suffered a lot of persecution for saying such as this.

However, in v. 25 He says something else that we should not miss. It tells us that the hour of this resurrection when those that would hear His voice and would rise to life was coming referring to sometime in the distant future, but then again He goes on to say that this resurrection had also become present meaning that some would witness the raising of the dead shortly,… so pay attention.

We know that this became a reality being mentioned in the Gospels in several places seeing individuals like Lazarus who was dead being brought back to life. Matthew also records the resurrection of many saints coming out of the grave following Jesus’ resurrection. 

The Gospel of John Lesson 12 (11-25-12) John 4:30-5:16

The Gospel of John (11-25-12)

Lesson 12 – John 4:30-5:16

Between the woman at the well leaving to share the Good News with her city and her returning to Jesus with those who would listen to her, there is an interesting dialog that transacted between Jesus and His disciples, v. 31-8, concerning what is really important in life. In v. 31 His disciples are concerned about the Master not having anything to eat urging Him to eat something. But, even though He was probably overdue for some nourishment, He was more concerned with their, and our, perspective on what was important in life.

His disciples offered Him something to eat. His response was that He already had been satisfied by what He termed as food that they were not aware of. In reality as men they were blind to the spiritual essentials of life and the satisfaction that they bring to those who partake. In essence, Jesus at this time was participating in a ‘fast’ focusing His attention more on the eternal and the Father’s will than on what would be termed as the temporal or perceived as essentials of this life.

In v. 34 Jesus responds to His disciples essentially saying that He is actually feed and nourished by the acts of obedience to the Father giving Him life, …like the Living Water that that He had just shared with the woman at the well. It is interesting here in this chapter that Jesus makes a point putting a spin on two of the most important and essential components of this life, food and water, using them to make an analogy of greater eternal and more lasting truths concerning the Kingdom. In other words He was saying to them, ‘what is really more important here, food, or the town that will be arriving momentarily looking for what the woman had found’?

So often we can get sidetracked and waste an entire life dealing with the so called necessities of life. Jesus addressed this issue in Mt. chapter 6 in the Sermon on the Mount where He told them not to be so concerned and so narrowly focused on temporal things knowing the God the Father knows even our temporal needs and will care for them, Mt. 6:15-34. One could apply Mt. 6:33 to what was happening here in Jn. 4:33-8. The Kingdom was headed toward them in mass, called a city of people, and if they were not careful they may miss the Kingdom because they were busy having lunch.

Here in John 4 He was trying to get them to focus on God’s Kingdom which trumps the kingdom of earth. In v. 34 Jesus restates to them what He came for. Even though food is a necessary item of this life, it is not the purpose of us being here. He in essence tells them that we are not just born to eat and drink and take up space in history. He reminds them that God is at work here and that we are called to His labor to labor with Him. Jesus’ main focus in this life was not to have as much fun and pleasure as possible, but to finish the work that the Father had given Him, that was to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and to recover and redeem the lost.

In vs. 35-6 He gives an overview of the task at hand telling them that to get a harvest you first must plant. Some may take it that and have a good argument that we are still planting preparing for the harvest. And, though I would not disagree with this line of reasoning I wonder if He is not actually referring to a bigger picture, namely that God the Father has planted over the centuries of history and Jesus is essentially saying that in these late days, what we referred to as the times of the Gentiles beginning with His first coming continuing to our present day is the Great Harvest Time? He alludes to this perspective in 4:35 telling His disciples to lift up their eyes making them aware that the Great Harvest had begun! Incidentally, a portion of that harvest was about to appear in the city of people that were headed toward them. He tells them in v. 36 that they will be paid wages and benefits for this labor that will be used forever and will never run out. In v. 38 Jesus reminds us that we are laboring on a harvest that has been cultivated over the history of man.

In v. 39 the harvest field shows up, some of them already harvested by the woman. It is interesting to me that this woman believed to be an outcast had that much pull and persuasion on a town that so many came out to see what she had told them about. Upon arriving those from the town got to see what the woman was talking about many more now believing because of their first hand encounter. They were so impressed with what they found that they asked Him to remain with them being hungry for the truth of the Gospel. In v. 42 we know that their faith was placed rightly acknowledging that this was indeed Christ the One and only Savior of the world.

In v. 43 we read that after two days with the Samaritans Jesus departs headed for Galilee. While heading north from Samaria one might have expected Him to make a visit to His home town of Nazareth, but at this time in His ministry he was focused on doing the Father’s will sharing the Gospel and establishing the Kingdom and being from Nazareth this was a message that they had not yet embraced. It says in v. 45 that there had been a lot of Galileans present in Jerusalem while Jesus was there during the Passover that had seen His miracles and what happened in the Temple that they received Him with great joy.

In going to Galilee He went through Cana where He had turned the water into wine. As a side note, to get to Cana from Samira He would have had to pretty much walk right by His home town of Nazareth. Cana was a small out of the way town that was relatively insignificant, but had been exposed to Jesus before and was now ready for His return. By now those in this region had heard about the turning of the water into wine and in all likelihood had also heard of the events centered around Him in Jerusalem.

A certain nobleman from Capernaum had also heard of Jesus and what He had done, most likely also hearing of His compassion on the afflicted and His ability to help and heal and went and sought Him out because his son was sick lying near unto deaths door. To his credit we see that the nobleman did not take the situation lightly sending one of his servants to seek out the Savior, but made the trip himself wanting to be sure that the proper attention was given to this matter as the stakes were high. His son’s life was at stake. He did not want to leave it to a servant,…maybe He could do something more to persuade Jesus if his servant was unsuccessful.

Even though the nobleman did exercise some faith in coming to and seeking out Jesus, he also however, had some misconceptions about Jesus and what He was capable of. Those in the region after Jesus’ arrival were in all likelihood looking to see what He might do next, in essence looking for a show. Jesus had not come to put on a show, but point those in darkness toward the Kingdom. All the nobleman was looking for was intervention to avert the death of his son. The nobleman’s faith even though present and placed in the right direction was small and limiting as far as what he thought Jesus could do. This prompted Jesus’ comment to him in v. 48 challenging him to believe in the One he was talking to as God and not just to believe that He was capable of doing something good or even great. Jesus had not come to get attention. And, He had not come to be a spectacle. The nobleman getting frustrated and impatient with Jesus tells Jesus to please come now knowing that it was likely even if Jesus had come with him immediately that there was a good chance that his son would have already been dead. Jesus’ comment to him in v. 48 was to raise the bar of his expectation and understanding as to Who He was.

After the nobleman had made the comment to Jesus in v. 49 I can imagine that Jesus first gave him a look that told him a lot. Jesus then followed this by words telling the nobleman to go his way that his son was made well. The look on Jesus’ face told the nobleman that he had misjudged Jesus and His abilities. The comment in v. 50 from Jesus made sure what he had already known at that moment in his heart his faith now being made complete. Now knowing in his heart and believing what he had heard, he turns and leaves for home. On the way he meets up with some of his servants and out of curiosity and confirmation inquires of his servants as to the time of his sons healing. Knowing what he would hear from them they tell him exactly what he thought they would say now sealing his faith and inspiring those of his household to follow his decision also. The Apostle John tags this as the second miracle that was performed in Cana of Galilee.

John Chapter 5

After these things Jesus heads back to Jerusalem. I am sure that there is more that went on in Galilee than what John records before returning back to Jerusalem. One commentator has said that the entire Book of John only covers approximately 22 days of Jesus’ life. I do not know how accurate that is, but as we continue in John’s Gospel we must remember the Apostle John’s comment found in Jn. 21:25 telling us that he in no way could give us a complete detailed account and story of his experience with Jesus. He reminds us however in chapter 21 that he did include enough for us to know that Jesus was and is the Christ and that in giving us this witness that it will be more than enough for us to believe.

Jesus returns to Jerusalem for another Jewish feast. We are not sure exactly which feast this is that Jesus returns for. Some believe that could have been the second Passover, others would disagree making the point that John would have surely made mention of such a significant event. But, at any rate, Jesus returns having been given the task of preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to the lost sheep of Israel.

I find it interesting personally here at the beginning of this chapter that we find Him at the Pool of Bethesda near the Sheep Gate. The question I have is, ‘What was Jesus doing here at the Sheep Gate’? Most of the commentators that I have read do not comment on this and it may have been that Jesus was just passing by this way in all likelihood going into the city using the Sheep Gate. It is true that the Sheep Gate was located on the northern end of the city and Jesus was coming in from the north coming from Galilee. However, I find it personally interesting that we find Him here at the Sheep Gate where lambs were brought into the city to be used as sacrifices. Later in John chapter 10 Jesus will refer to Himself as that gate. I personally wonder what thoughts went through His head and heart at this time as He saw this gate and in all likelihood eventually passed through it thinking about future events that would eventually involved Him.

However, while passing this way Jesus passes by a pool or a pair of pools where those who were sick were found to be. This was an interesting place having an interesting daily life dynamic. Although this site in all likelihood had a beginning that might have been a little more upscale or not so run down, by this time it had become a site where the crippled and those with infirmities were left hoping for a miracle.

It was thought that this pool was a spring fed pool that was believed to have medicine properties. This was a fairly prominent place that lay just outside the city of Jerusalem. In John 5:2 it tells us that it had five porches. Although the exact layout of this place is conjecture, it is thought that the porches were probably arranged one on each side of the pool and a fifth across the middle of the pool with a part of the pool on each side. What made this place unique was that the porches were covered for the most part sheltering the occupants from a good portion of elements. We have a good idea of how this structure was laid out because of archeological finds in this area finding what is believed to be this site.

When reading passages like these we so often do not take a moment to reflect on the probable details on what the daily life in a place must have been like. First of all, it says in v. 3 that this was a popular spot for a certain kind of people to congregate. In the KJV it uses the term ‘great multitude’ giving us the picture of being crowded. In all likelihood this place was so densely populated by people that there was not much ground space left to walk on, kind of like a crowded beach. The only difference was that even though this place was located by a pool and by water this was no place of luxury being far from paradise. The inability of those present to be able to get around adequately would have made this place not a very sanitary place at all.

John says in v. 3 that this place was full of impotent folk, blind, lame, paralyzed and sickly people that were not in good shape health wise and in all likelihood not able to get around very well at all. Many were probably like the man mentioned in this passage that were so incapable of performing routine daily activities that even if a healing were to be given to the first to be in the water after it moved many found there would never have a chance to even reach the water let alone get in it. In considering the details of this passage it would appear that the reality of an angel stirring the water and then healing the first into the water was actually highly unlikely and was more likely folklore that had grown out of the possible medicinal benefits of a spring fed pool that may have at one time been naturally heated. Considering the dynamics, if a healing given to the first into the water was true then the actual healing would go to the one in best shape and not the one that was actually most needy.

It was in this place that our Lord for some reason chose one person out of many to show His mercy. In v. 5 it tells us that this man, if all of the details were represented accurately, was indeed in need of a touch from the Master. It tells us that this man had what would be considered a permanent condition having this condition for 38 years. For some reason Jesus singled this man out having compassion on him seeing that he had been there for a long time.

In v. 6 Jesus asks the man an interesting question. He asks the man if he would receive health or healing if it were offered to him. In v. 7 the man tells us plainly what the focus of his faith was at this time. His only hope for a healing was the pool he was near not realizing that there was another more viable option even closer than the pool.

It could be that Jesus in asking the man if he would accept healing could have been testing the man’s faith, but the man’s response really does not tell us much about what he was thinking. It is also possible that Jesus in asking the man if he would receive healing may have been preparing him for what was about to happen. Whatever went on in that conversation between them is somewhat of a mystery, but in v. 8 Jesus commands the man to take up his bed and do something that he had not done in at least 38 years…walk. Whether the man exercised faith in getting up and walking being healed as he exercised his faith or being already healed feeling strength already in his body he decided to rise he got up and obeyed Jesus’ command and began walking is only conjecture. What we do know is that the man got up obeying the details that he had been given by Jesus and began walking, at once,… strong and stable enough to carry his bed.

All this was good except for one thing. The healing took place on the Sabbath day, and not everyone felt good about the good thing that was done here. The religious leaders caught the man breaking their law. Carrying a bed on the Sabbath day was a no no and they called the man on it. When questioned on why he was doing this so called wicked thing carrying a bed on the Sabbath his response was that he had just been healed and the One that healed him told him to do this. They did not rejoice with the man over what had just happened to him. The man was overcome with joy and would have done anything that Jesus had asked him to do. But, the man’s healing did not impress these religious leaders a bit. All they were concerned with was that the man was breaking their law, which by the way was not God’s law. We know this because it was God who had just healed the man and God would not have broken His own law.

So, in v. 12 the religious leaders ask him to tell them the name of who had healed him. In v. 13 it says that the man had no idea of who it was that had healed him. Jesus had moved on doing other things. We are not told what He did as He mingled at the Bethesda Pool. It is possible that other healings may have taken place at this time. We do not know. But, it tells us in v. 14 that Jesus sought out the man and admonished him to live a righteous life, the man now knowing Who had healed him.

After the man leaves having seen Jesus after his healing he again encounters the religious leaders now being able to inform them of Who it was that had healed him. Again the healing had been done on the Sabbath infuriated them. After this the Jews now began to seek Jesus out to of all things slay Him focusing on the man being healed on the Sabbath instead of rejoicing with the man that had been healed. 

The Gospel of John Lesson 11 (11-18-2012) Jesus’ Method of Sharing the Gospel

The Gospel of John (11-18-2012)

Lesson 11 – Jesus’ Method of Sharing the Gospel

Read Jn. 3:31-36 In Jn. 3:36 The Apostle John says that ‘He that believes on the Son has everlasting life; and he that believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. What do you think about this verse? What is it saying? Do you believe it? How is this verse received in our world today? How does what others think about this verse affect your confidence in sharing and proclaiming its reality?

It is easy to pass by those that we come in contact with as we go through our life. But, somehow in a practical way God wants to use our daily routine of life to encounter those we meet in a more meaningful way that might make a difference in their life. We pass by people every day that the Holy Spirit is dealing with and preparing for His Kingdom bring them often times right by us, but being burdened by the affairs of our life they walk right past us.

Read Matt. 28:19-20 What is the charge given to us in these two verses? Go to all nations proclaiming the good news teaching them to observe all things that Christ has taught them/us. Part of what we are to tell all nations are to share the truth of the Gospel. Here in chapter 3 and chapter 4 we see Jesus do just that. In chapter 3 we see Jesus witness to Nicodemus sharing with him the good news and in chapter 4 we see Him share the truth of the Kingdom with the women at the well. Two different people. Two different approaches? Same Gospel. Different outcomes.

Have you ever shared your faith? Have you ever shared the details of the Gospel hoping to give someone enough that they too might receive the truth and start a new life? How did it go? Do you feel comfortable in doing so or are you intimidated by the whole process. We are going to take a look at Jesus’ method of evangelism. How did He connect with those He came to save sharing with them the truth?

What was the setting for the initial encounter for each of these examples, Nicodemus and the woman at the well? Nicodemus sought out Jesus in His initial encounter with Him while the women at the well was essentially street evangelism. Both examples began with an initial encounter, albeit different, and ended in different ways having different outcomes.  Both seem to be seeking, but also both throw up resistance putting up smoke screens attempting to dodge the truth. Both come with their viewpoint of how they think things work. These were obstacles that Jesus has to address if He is going to be able to share the truth of God with them.

Before we begin, I think that it is good to look at some basic truths and principles that Jesus based His discussion on as He shared the truth. Read Jn. 3:31-36. Here John makes a distinction between God, His Kingdom, His Realm and real Truth and man’s position, viewpoint and opinion. In these verses John makes it very clear again at the end of v. 32 that man does not have the answers to life. We need to hear this message clearly in our day. Many would say that we are not listening very well in our day.

 Everyone has their own opinion, their opinion of their perception of truth. And, we want to voice our opinion and be heard. In a world that is so loud and clamorous it is only natural for us to want to speak up.  These verses are not about never having anything to say that is worth hearing. Jesus had ordained for us to carry the Truth of God and life to the world being or becoming His spokesman. Rom. 10:14-21 So, what we say is important. But, the question here is ‘What are we saying’, what do we believe and who are we speaking for? What is the foundation or source of what we say we believe?

In these passages John is making a clear foundational statement for those who are seeking the Truth and wish to speak or share the same.  This is hard for us to swallow, but there is only one source for real Truth, and it did not come from us. In order to come to God one must realize and at least begin to admit that God has the Answers. And, if we are always telling everyone including God what we think, then we are not listening and especially listening to what God is saying. This is an important message for a loud and busy world that likes to talk, but does not like to listen.

What John in is essence saying here is that coming along side Christ and His work adding what we want to or have to offer to Him from our earthly perspective is not the basis on which He wants us to join Him. He has not come to us to recruit us so that He can accomplish His work. But, again as John will make a theme of in his Gospel, God has come to offer us something if we will receive it.

This passage relates to and goes in tandem with an earlier part of this chapter found in John 3:10-12 and 17- 21. This principle is essential to set as a foundation as we study this or any Gospel passage. We are the recipients of truth and from man’s earthly perspective we bring nothing of real value. That is not to say that God has not put in and witnessed to our heart some real truth having some substance or value. We were originally made or created for God and His Truth. Rom. 1:19-20 But, here John reminds us that with our fallen nature it is not natural for us to seek it out or go after it.

John Lennon said it in one of his songs written in 1970, ‘Gimme Some Truth’ being a good example of the problem stated here. Nicodemus also had this problem and so did the woman at the well found in chapter 4. When confronted with the truth our initial reaction is almost always a response justifying our own position and perspective. It seems to me in looking back at the facts of John Lennon’s life that he was good at pointing out the flaws of others, but not admitting and seeing his own needs. In other words his life did not match what he was telling other people they should do.

In v. 9 of chapter 3 we find Nicodemus responding to the truth of the Gospel that Jesus shares with him by saying ‘How can these things be?’ To paraphrase Nicodemus’s response he was saying from his perspective ‘That’s impossible’ it does not satisfy man’s reasoning and logic.

But, in noticing Jesus’ witnessing technique Jesus responds by restating the truth in a little different way packaging it and placing it before him in a different way so he can plainly examine it again. In v. 10 responding to v. 9 Jesus kindly but bluntly points out a gaping hole in Nicodemus’s life and lack of real truth telling him that as a teacher you should know plainly these things and you just told me that what I just said is a totally foreign concept to you. Jesus did not stick him with the truth and twist it causing his inadequacy to make it/him hurt. And He did not gloat with the fact that he had just won the discussion. But, He did point out the truth of his inadequacy exposing to him the truth of his need.

In the next few verses Jesus restates the truth to him sharing with him the basis that He gets His truth from. Man often shares from a philosophical or theoretical basis. In doing so the outcome is not always predictable as far as truth is concerned. In doing so sometimes man gets it right and sometimes he gets it wrong. Actually more times than not he either gets it wrong or does not get enough right to make it work in life for him.

However, Jesus reminds Nicodemus that He is speaking from experience saying “I saw these things…at the source…they are real…they are absolutes…the truth that you are holding does not measure up to truth that I am sharing with you…what do you think…you might want to compare what your faith is in and what it is founded on to what I am saying…?”  After sharing this with Nicodemus, Nicodemus is silent on the matter.

Jesus points out in v. 11 that Nicodemus has not as yet bought into what He is saying not receiving Jesus’ witness. In v. 12 He tells Nicodemus that these are earthly spiritual truths and that if he understands and accepts these earthly spiritual truths that there is more. V. 13 He shares a truth that is not commonly accepted by man, but is a truth all the same and is an important fact that he needs to consider and receive. In other words, you may need to reevaluate some of your beliefs, by the way…

He continues to witness to Nicodemus now by sharing with him the truth of the heart of the Gospel Jn. 3:14-6. Nicodemus continues to listen, so, Jesus continues to talk. He finishes His presentation with a few more truths concerning the Gospel and pretty much closes explaining to him that there are two choices to His message. Those who are looking for the light will continue their journey letting the Light expose their questions, thoughts and theories to see how they measure up or one will turn their back on these truths and seek out excuses and false philosophies founded on spiritually dark concepts and principles.

Which did Nicodemus choose? We do not know for sure, but because of the context and his responses in two other passages found in this Gospel there is a good possibility that he continued his journey hopefully toward God in the light. Jn. 7:45-52 and 19:38-42  But, for now he does not make an on the spot decision whole heartedly jumping in. Jesus does not wrestle him to the ground for a decision either, but instead appears to release him to the Holy Spirit to catch up with him at a later date. It is important to remember that we should not hit someone over the head with the Gospel, but we cannot slip it under the door either. Also, there is a time to encourage a decision and also a time to give the Holy Spirit room to work.

Another good example of Jesus sharing the Gospel, the original way of the Master, is found in the next chapter between Jesus and the woman at the well. Different situation. Different approach.

The first thing that we see Jesus do is to engage the person He is sharing God’s Gospel message with. In this instance it was asking her to do something for him. However, this is not the only way to engage one that God may want you to share the Gospel with. You could buy something, you can ask directions or some form of information from them, you can borrow something, or loan something, bump into someone, compliment them, remark something, make noise, swing by their way…etc, etc, etc.

Some would say that in asking this woman at the well for water he really was not thirsty, but instead just wanted to strike up a conversation with her to share the Gospel with her. Others would say He shared a real need with her that just happened to lead into a conversation with her. We do not know for sure which is true, but it is a good point to bring out that one thing that is evident is that Jesus went out of His way to engage people for the Kingdom’s sake. It is often said that Jesus even going through Samaria was not the norm.

His encounter with this woman begins with a basic staple of life. Water. Now there is something that everyone can relate to. A basic necessity of life. It doesn’t get more basic than that. It is a good time to stop and take a moment to ask what drove Jesus to go out of His way and take the time to help someone looking for God to find their way? What did He get out of it? Was it just that good feeling you get when you help someone out. If this was it then why did He not just cook a meal and give it to someone, or give someone a ride, or buy them a pair of shoes, or just meet one of a million needs that one might have giving Him that good feeling of helping someone else out. As good as these things are and as helpful as all of these things are at opening the door to engage someone who may be looking for God, He did not see them as an end unto themselves. They are however, a means to an end so to speak, opening the door to something more important than the things associated with this world…as important as those things can be. Most earthly human organizations would stop right here at giving or in this case receiving a drink and stamp the file as ‘job completed’ ‘mission accomplished’, on to the next need. Not a bad thing right? Right,…but there is more. Jesus sees a deeper and what He refers to as an even more important need than water.

He asks her for a drink and she is taken back by the fact that He being a Jew would be kind enough to pay her the time of day asking her for a drink. This was an act of kindness and respect and it got her attention and interest. But, after He has her attention He in turn makes an offer to her that is far more valuable. What did He offer her? Living Water. And, what did He claim this Living Water would do? Was He being accurate? Was He being open and honest with her? Of course! What He promised her was accurate, however it just wasn’t what she was expecting looking at it from her perspective.

His offer sounds too good to be true. Was it? What do we tell those we witness to that they will receive if they buy our product? A couple of questions come to mind here. Do we know how to represent our ‘product’ so to speak accurately and how do we demonstrate to someone what our produce can do for them? It has been said that people are motivated to act by one of two things, to gain a benefit or to prevent a loss. How do we relate this to those we are trying to get to receive our message?

So why did Jesus bother to and take the time to share the Gospel with those that He came in contact with? Because He was focused on the Kingdom, and He say His real purpose in this life was to head toward the Kingdom of God and bring as many with Him as would go along.

He had come to this world not only to provide a way back to God, but to personally escort those that He came to redeem back to His Kingdom. His mind was really only on one thing, well actually two…the Cross and those that He came to save. All other things were temporal and therefore of a lesser value, …a much lesser value. He was looking for those who were looking for the Light to shine on the path to guide them home.  

So what method did He take to win those He wanted to redeem? Whatever it took. How many approaches should we know? One or many? For some one will work, but for most it is a good idea to have several methods at your disposal as one approach may not always fit all. Some can make one approach work just fine. Do you have at least one approach? In sharing the Gospel with someone what is our goal, what do we term as success?

Some methods:

Rom. 10:9-10, 13

Romans Road: Rom 3:23 and 6:23

Eph. 2:8-9

Additional supportive verses: Rom. 4:1-8   Gal. 2:21

Did Jesus win in these cases?

The Great Commission. Mt. 28:18-9

Take time to look for and share with those who come your way that God has prepared to hear His Gospel. 

The Gospel of John Lesson 10 (11-11-12) John 4:1-29

The Gospel of John (11-11-12)

Lesson 10 – John 4:1-30

Chapter 4

The Lord knowing that the Pharisees had taken notice of His ministry for the wrong reason departs from Judea and travels to Galilee. The Pharisees were no real friend to John the Baptist in reality only tolerating John’s message and ministry because of the people. Now that the Christ that John spoke of had arrived, and seeing Jesus’ ministry considerably expand the base of this movement they now considered Jesus a threat to the status quo.

In going from Jerusalem or Judea to Galilee there was only one direct route and that was through Samaria. It was customary for the Jews to avoided Samaria altogether taking a longer route first crossing over the Jordan River and traveling northward east of the Jordan up to Galilee. However, for whatever reason Jesus chose the most direct route taking Him through Samaria on His way to His destination.

One could argue the reasons that Jesus chose the most direct route on this trip. Some would argue that there was no other way but to take the road that led through Samaria. Others may argue that He chose this route on purpose knowing the encounter that was waiting for Him at the water hole. However, the text does not tell us for sure His reasoning. What we do know is that there was someone waiting for Him when He got there.

Samaria was an interesting mix of background and history that adds some interesting dynamics to this passage and this encounter. To the Jews the Samaritans were considered half breeds because they were not full blooded Jews having Gentile blood as part of their ancestry. The Samaritans were descendents of Jewish colonists that had been planted by the Assyrians following the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. Because of this the Jews considered Samaritans unclean and avoided them pretty much like the plague. If they happened to encounter them they would go to great lengths to go out of their way to avoid having any contact with them. So, if for some obscure reason the Jews had to take the road through Samaria they would certainly go out of their way to avoid any contact with them, especially avoiding any conversation with them.

Another interesting part of this region was that the patriarchs of the OT had traveled this region and like the Jews, the Samaritans claimed connection to them. Some of their connection to the OT patriarchs was justified the Samaritans having some Jewish blood in them. However, having also Gentile blood in them they also had connection to a Gentile past and in combining the two not only did their heritage get a little mixed up, but so also did their religious practices and beliefs. As we will see in a minute Jesus will spend some time attempting to straighten out some of the Samaritan woman’s mixed up beliefs.

An interesting dynamic in this passage was that Jesus actually talked with the woman at all given the circumstances. Having a conversation with a woman at the watering hole at this time of day would not have been looked upon very favorable in that day, especially a woman that was a Samaritan. We read this recorded in Jn. 4:27 where His disciples were perplexed upon returning from getting food finding Him at the well talking to her. A woman coming to the watering hole at this time of day would have been most likely an outcast coming to the well at the heat of the day when everyone else would be laying low due to the heat. We know that this was the case because we find out later after Jesus’ inquisition that she had had at least five husbands and at the present was living with one that at that time was not her husband. Jn. 4:17-8

However, knowing all of this Jesus still encounters the woman asking her for a drink of water v. 7 striking up a conversation with her that eventually leads to her apparent conversion. In v. 7 we see Jesus asking her for a drink. In v. 9 we see her reply to Jesus’ request stating everything to Him that we just discussed. She states that she is perplexed and puzzled that He being a Jew would even make such a request to her she being a Samaritan and a woman at that. She was well aware of how Jews treated Samaritans. They would usually not have even recognized their presence. However, in Jesus taking the initiative and striking up this conversation with her Jesus had been kind to her and she responded inquisitively to His request.

Jesus responds in v. 10 with further kindness to her by instead of receiving the drink that He had requested He offered her a drink of His Living Water instead. Like Nicodemus in chapter 3 she does not make the spiritual connection to His offer at first. She states physical or earthly reasons why He cannot make good on His offer, like Him having nothing to draw from the well with and the well being too deep to get the water any other way.

However, she seems to understand that this water that Jesus offers her is somehow special and has greater properties and possibilities than the water and the source of the water that she is use to. In v. 12 she states the dependability of the source that she has been use to and that it has produced consistently for hundreds of years sighting that even Jacob drank from this well. Water was life to a region like this and was not to be taken lightly. A dependable water source was hard to come by. Her question to Him asking Him if He was greater than Jacob was appropriate. Even though it took effort to get the water from this source it was dependable. However, she understood that what Jesus was offering her was a step up from what she was use to. However, she could not see how He was going to make good on His offer.

In v. 13 and 14 Jesus clarifies His offer. He uses the term water, but in actuality He was not offering to her physical water. His offer was the life that water offers and gives. The offer of life… that was His offer to her. Life that kept giving and giving… never having to be replenished or renewed. She was smart. She saw the practical value of this valuable commodity. She wanted to believe Him. She wanted what He had said He could provide. But, there were still some questions that had to be answered. There were some details to be worked out in the deal.

Jesus must have been believable in His presentation because in v. 15 she demonstrates her belief by asking Him for this water beginning to believe that He may actually be able to deliver on His offer. This was the beginning of her faith in Jesus. In v. 16-8 Jesus begins to lay out the terms. He asks her to go and get her husband. In her reply to His request she does not come clean not offering to Him the details related to His request. She had learned how to avoid the unpleasantries of life burying them instead of being up front about them because they were too painful to admit openly. After all, over time she had learned how to navigate life in what in reality could be termed as survival mode skirting around the gray or even black issues of life, making life work the best she knew how in spite of the social obstacles.

Jesus’ offer was an answer so to speak for one of her uncomfortable parts of life. Because of her life style she was forced to come to get a necessity of life (water) at a very inconvenient and emotionally embarrassing time. But, Jesus’ offer came with strings. Would she be able to face the sticker price? Yes Jesus had offered to her Living Water, and yes He offered her this Living Water for free, but it would do her no good if she did not make some changes in her life. You see, this Living Water that was offered to her was only beneficial to someone that was willing to apply it in the right way making it beneficial to their life.

Living water or no living water, continuing to live the same old way as one did before receiving Living Water in reality offered little to no benefit. In receiving Living Water, or eternal life, it comes with an accompanying owners and user’s manual containing related and associated instructions. Life was not meant to be used the way she was using it. In vs. 16-8 Jesus made a point of pointing out and clarifying the difference between just plain water and Living Water. As we will see in many of Jesus’ encounters in which He shares the message of the Kingdom and eternal life with He will make it clear and will point out man’s sin problem in living life without Christ. Jesus did not come to patch her up, but to heal her.

In response to Jesus’ words in vs. 16-8 she tells Him in v. 19 that she perceives that He might have something and that maybe she should listen a little closer to what He is saying to her. She has now come to the point of calling Him a prophet, or in other words someone she should pay attention to. In vs. 20-6 Jesus and the woman begin to have a serious spiritual conversation. However, the reality of how this spiritually really works is a little one sided. From her perspective and understanding she really did not know much, only bits and pieces that she had picked up along the way that in actuality really only amounted to here say which did not have any real substantial truth associated with it.

She had her opinions as to how this spiritual part of life worked. And, from her vantage and viewpoint her views were as good as the next guys, maybe even better. But in the next few verses Jesus begins to share with her the realities of how God sees it and the truth of how it really is. These are truths that are necessary for man to deal with and receive if he, or she, is going to be able to bring down the barrier between God and man and bridge the gap of the spirit world to God reestablishing fellowship with Him.

This dialog is the same exact dialog that we would have in sharing with those in our current culture. The woman talked about so called spiritual things and awareness, but in reality the so called knowledge that she held was of little real benefit to her, in this life and from an eternal perspective. And, in v. 22 being up front with her Jesus tells her just how it is sharing with her the real truth.

In v. 20 the woman reveals what she has been taught and has picked up along the way, but admits that she questions inside herself what is really true. In the next few verses Jesus tactfully, but clearly tells her the narrow truth telling her in reality there is only one way and that the way to God is not a composite and collage or combination of men’s thoughts and ideas. This right here is the watershed as to whether or not someone is actually looking for the truth. When confronted in the right way with the truth one will either continue the dialog with sincere concerns or questions, or they will turn away denying the truth attempting to justify their life without God. This is where the Pharisees turned against Jesus and the rich young ruler turned and walked away. But, the woman at the well was looking for truth and continued the dialog.

In v. 22 Jesus confronts her with the reality that the truth is actually found in a culture that her people are not on the best of terms with. This by itself would turn someone away who is not actually seeking out truth. But, this does not detour this woman. In v. 25 she continues to probe for more answers. In vs. 21-4 Jesus shares with her some truths that even the Jewish religious leaders would not receive and could not understand sharing with her the concept and possibility of having an intimate and personal relationship with God.

In v. 25 she asks the next right question for someone seeking the truth asking about the Messiah. I wish I could have been there to see the look on her face when Jesus told her that He was that Messiah. Just then Jesus’ disciples come back from town and the woman leaves leaving her waterpot behind. She had all the answers that she needed now to believe. She had made her decision. In v. 29 we see that she had received the Gospel message and had already begun to share that message with a lost world, beginning with her town, bring those who needed the Savior personally back to Him. 

The Gospel of John Lesson 9 – John 3:22-36

The Gospel of John

Lesson 9 – John 3:22-36

Read Jn. 3: 22-30. Jesus continues His Journey. After the events of the Passover in Jerusalem and His discussion with Nicodemus we find Jesus leaving Jerusalem and going into the countryside of Judea, spending some time with His disciples in ministry. We see in these verses that John the Baptist also continued to preach and baptize, preaching the Kingdom of Heaven and proclaiming the coming of the Christ. We see here two large, prominent and growing ministries. From God’s perspective, He saw one ministry going in the same direction from two different places working for the same cause and purpose, i.e. establishing the Kingdom of God. However, from man’s perspective two competing ministries, evaluating which is the best, counting the numbers, thinking status, prestige, flash, curb appeal, in the end picking one as the best…the winner of their poll.

A similar situation happened in the early Church recorded in I Corinthians 1:11-7 where some were claiming status based on the one who baptized them and who’s ministry they were saved under. They were claiming some special status making them more prominent or somehow more special than others who had the same experience except God used some other person or ministry of lesser earthly prominence to bring them to Himself. Isn’t that just like man, always wanting to be better than or above someone else using whatever method or reason he can find to validate his prominence. It is only natural for us to use things like ancestry, being at the right place at the right time or a special event, being related to or knowing someone famous, or even financial status to make us feel above or more special than the next guy.

In this case they were using being associated with a particular ministry to elevate some to a higher spiritual plain than others. Both John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul set the record straight pointing out that it is Christ that does the saving and not man and it is God that should be the focus and foundation of our salvation and not necessarily the method that He used to bring us to Him. Both John and Paul pointed out that it is Christ that is the central focus in our spiritual experience and although the method that He used is important to us it does not afford us any special spiritual status in Christ’s Kingdom.

Apparently, there was some discussion between a Jew or a group of Jews who were probably of the religious leadership and John’s disciples as to which ministry was not only more prominent, but also more spiritual in their practices and observances. Before Jesus began His public ministry we find that the Jews, signifying Israel’s religious leadership, were almost always critical and antagonistic to John’s ministry. However, in these verses we find them appearing to side with John’s ministry as being more accurate. It is believed that the discussion centered around baptism and or ceremonial washing in essence focusing on which baptism John’s or Jesus’ was exactly right. John had not trouble setting the record straight as to what part he played in the greater scheme of things. He had only one purpose in his ministry that was to prepare the way for the Lord and point to the Christ himself fading into the background yielding to Christ and His ministry when He showed up. John had no greater joy than to offer his work and what God had accomplished through him over to God when Christ appeared on the scene. John the Baptist summed up his perspective in v. 30 in saying, ‘He must increase, but I must decrease’. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all were to adopt John the Baptist’s point of view?

In v. 31 the Apostle John continues making further declarations concerning Christ. Here John makes a distinction between God, His Kingdom, His Realm and real Truth and man’s position or viewpoint and opinion. In these verses John makes it very clear again at the end of v. 32 that man does not have the answers to life. We need to hear this message clearly in our day. Many would say that we are not listening very well in our day to what God is saying. Everyone has their own opinion, their opinion of their perception of truth. And, we want to voice our opinion and be heard. In a world that is so loud and clamorous it is only natural for us to want to speak up.  These verses are not about never having anything to say that is worth hearing. Jesus had ordained for us to carry the Truth of God and life to the world being or becoming His spokesman. Rom. 10:14-21 So, what we say is important. But, the question here is ‘What are we saying’, what do we believe and who are we speaking for? What is the foundation or source of what we say we believe? Is it our view or do we share the Truth from God’s perspective?

In these passages John is making a clear foundational statement for those who are seeking the Truth and wish to speak or share the same.  This is hard for us to swallow, but there is only one source for real Truth, and it did not come from us. In order to come to God one must realize and at least begin to admit that God has the Answers. And, if we are always telling everyone including God what we think, then we are not listening and especially not listening to what God is saying. This is an important message for a loud and busy world that likes to talk, but does not like to listen.

This passage relates to and goes in tandem with an earlier part of this chapter found in John 3:10-12 and 17- 21. This principle is essential to set as a foundation as we study this or any Gospel passage. We are the recipients of truth and from man’s earthly viewpoint or perspective we bring nothing of real value. That is not to say that God has not put in and witnessed to our heart at least some real truths having some substance or value. We were originally made or created for God and His Truth. Rom. 1:19-20 But, here John reminds us that with our fallen nature it is not natural for us to seek out or go after the truth.

In v. 32-5 John reminds us that God had to send Jesus to bear the truth to us because on our own it is only natural for man to reject the truth. The One that God sent from heaven however witnessed from a different source, that not of this earth, witnessing of and from a heavenly perspective.

It says in v. 34 that God did not give the truth sparingly to Jesus, Jesus not only had full access to the truth, but spoke the truth only. In v. 36 John declares that there is no middle ground. Either we believe and act on the truth that the Son declares being the recipient of the life that goes along with it or we reject the truth that the Son offers trusting man’s opinions and receive the judgment of not only physical death, but spiritual death as well.

The end of v. 36 is quite frightening. John makes it clear as to the end of one who chooses another path casually rejecting the truth of the Son and His offer of forgiveness and eternal life. One cannot deny the claim of the Gospel stated very clear here telling us that rejecting God’s offer of eternal life in Jesus Christ results in God’s wrath and judgment placed upon them. From man’s view man would say that this verse is narrow. From God’s view He would say it is essential, dealing with the problem of sin and is a message and truth that man would do well not to ignore.