Douglas Jacoby Podcast

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him.

• The dispatch of the Temple Police to arrest Jesus would have spoken clearly to the early Christians, as to disciples today in countries where it is not easy or safe to be a disciple. For they were used to arrests of Christian leaders, a practice that continued all the way until the early 4th century.
• The tension is mounting. Finally, the Pharisees, in collaboration with the upper-echelon priests, send the arrest party to bring Jesus in (v.32).

33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34You will search for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will search for me and you will not find me’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

• Jesus remarks that soon they will be unable to find him (vv.33-36). (He will have returned to heaven.)
  • As usual, they misread him. They presume he may depart the country to preach in the diaspora.
    • They are saying, in effect, that since Christ had so little success among his own people in his own land, he was mad to think he would enjoy more success among diaspora Jews.
    • Like Caiaphas' unwitting words in 11:49-50, their insight reached beyond their understanding!
  • They are on the earthly "channel 2." Jesus is broadcasting on the heavenly "channel 1."

37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38 and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

• Strategically, Jesus waits until the final day of the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (v.37). The celebration was marked by camping under shelters ("tabernacles"), rejoicing at night in the light of the huge candelabras set up in the Court of the Women, and the daily drawing of water from the Pool of Siloam.
• In regard to vv.37-38, read about Simchat Beit HaSho'eivah. Jesus is playing off the Jewish custom of the outpouring of water.
  • Sukk. 5:1 says, "He who has not seen the joy of the water-drawing has not seen joy in his whole lifetime."
  • For the O.T. background, see also Isaiah 12:3 and Joel 3:18.
  • The phrase "from deep within him" (v.38), or "out of his belly" (KJV), may be explained by the Aramaic original. Guph / gupha' originally meant "cavity," them "body" or "person," and could even on occasion substitute for the personal pronoun.
  • The priests poured out water to symbolize Yahweh's blessing on the crops through rainfall; Jesus speaks of a different, deeper, and more important water.
• The living water harks back to his promise to the Samaritan woman in chapter 4.
  • See also Zechariah 14 and Ezekiel 47, for the deeper Messianic meaning of the flowing waters. These passages depict the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (from Pentecost onward).
  • Thus the gospel writer notes that Jesus is really speaking of the Holy Spirit (v.39).
• The Spirit was not available to all believers until Jesus had been glorified (v.39). ("There was no Spirit" doesn't mean the Spirit didn't exist, but that it was not part of the lives of true believers.)
• Does the Spirit continue to well up within me? What am I doing to make sure I'm not blocking the flow of the life-giving Holy Spirit?

40 When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some asked, “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? 42Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” 43 So there was a division in the crowd because of him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

• The crowd is divided (v.40ff).
  • Some say he is the Prophet (see Deuteronomy 18).
  • Others said he is the Messiah, perhaps not understanding that the Prophet Moses spoke of was the Messiah. (They falsely distinguished between Prophet and Messiah.)
  • Yet others questioned whether he was the Messiah, since Bethlehem (the city of David), very close to southern Jerusalem, is far from northern Galilee.

45 Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not arrest him?” 46 The police answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this!” 47 Then the Pharisees replied, “Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? 48 Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd, which does not know the law—they are accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, 51 “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” 52 They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.”

• The police, mesmerized by Jesus and his message, report back (v.45) empty-handed.
  • Oudépote elálēsen hoútōs ánthrōpos (Never spoke so [a] person).
  • It is possible that these temple servants were told to arrest Jesus discreetly, without causing a civil disturbance. (See Mark 14:1-2.) If that is the case, it would illuminate why they failed to bring him in.
  • The Jewish leaders deeply resent Jesus' influence over even their own police force (v.47). After all, the police are hardly the authorized interpreters of the Torah!
  • And yet the Pharisees are relying on a sort of circular logic:
    • (Unstated premise:) If Christ were who he said he is, the leaders would believe in him.
    • None of the leaders believes in Christ. (This is untrue! See 3:2.)
    • Therefore he must not be who he says he is.
  • Moreover, they are quick to dismiss the crowd as ignorant (of the law) and accursed (v.49).
  • As the police rightly observed, in words as true today as they were two millennia ago, "No man ever spoke this way."
• In connection with verse 49, the rabbis assumed that those who did not know the law could not obey the law.
  • While there is some truth to this viewpoint, there is also error.
    • Were even the Gentiles wholly without redeeming qualities? See Romans 2:12ff.
    • Does it follow that the scribes were de facto better people than the common people?
  • "It is forbidden to have mercy on one who has no knowledge" (Midr. Sam. 5:9).
  • "An uneducated man is not slow to sin, and no people of the land ['am ha'arets] is righteous" (Hillel, in 'Aboth 2:5).
• Nicodemus takes his stand (v.50).
  • His faith seems to have grown since the night encounter in chapter 3.
  • His mind and his heart are working together.
  • Nicodemus' faith will be demonstrated a third and final time in chapter 19.
  • Nicodemus (v.50) argues for due process.
• He is dismissed on the basis of a specious argument:
  • Jesus is from Galilee.
  • The prophet (see Deuteronomy 18) is not a Galilean. (This assumption is unsubstantiated.)
  • Therefore Jesus is not the Messiah.
  • (Additionally) Only another Galilean would be deceived by a Galilean. In effect, they are reasoning:
    • The ignorant Galileans are careless in their observance of Torah.
    • The law nowhere specifies Galilee as the origin of the Prophet.
    • Therefore it is highly unlikely that the Messiah is Galilean.
  • Yet Jonah son of Amittai was from Galilee (2 Kings 14:25), and certainly the Jewish leaders knew this. In fact, the rabbis admitted that there were Galilean prophets:
    • "You have no single tribe in Israel from which a prophet has not come forth" (Sukk 27b).
    • "You have no city in the land of Israel in which there has not been a prophet" (S. 'Olam Rab. 2.1).
• I have amended the translation of v.52, based on the evidence of p66 and p75, to the Prophet, as opposed to a prophet. The Greek can support either; keep in mind also that this is the translation of the original Semitic conversations.
• We will deal with v.53 ("Then each of them went home") in tomorrow's study, since it is part of a larger section (7:53-8:11) and doesn't properly belong in chapter 7.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

7:1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. 2 Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; 4 for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 (For not even his brothers believed in him.)

• "The Jews" (the leaders, the authorities) want to kill Jesus.
• Jesus is avoiding the southern part of Israel (Judea), staying instead in the upper reaches (Galilee). His reputation has made his presence in the capital not only controversial but also dangerous.
• And yet one of the three annual mandatory trips to Jerusalem (in Judea) is near: the Feast of Tabernacles (v.2).
• The Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) (v.2) was the most popular gathering at the Temple, according to 1st century Jewish historian Josephus (Jos. Ant. 8.100). Skēnopēgía comes from skēnē, tying in to 1:14: The Word eskēnōsen among us.
• Jesus' (four) brothers presume to advise him on how to be a successful Messiah (vv.3-4).
  • Their advice is essentially the same as that of the Tempter (Matthew 4:5-7)!
  • They neither understood his mission nor believed in him (v.5).
  • And yet in the future, his brothers would play key roles in church leadership!
• The question is hanging: Will Jesus go back to Jerusalem, or not?

6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil. 8 Go to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

• As always throughout the gospel of John, Jesus is keenly aware of his divine timetable.
• The world accepts his family, since they are not (yet) on the side of truth. The hatred of a world opposed to the truth is a common theme in John. See the extended passage beginning in 15:18.
• Jesus rejects their immediate advice (v.9), and its bad timing (v.6ff). Jesus followed the Father's timing throughout his ministry.

10 But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret. 11The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds. While some were saying, “He is a good man,” others were saying, “No, he is deceiving the crowd.” 13 Yet no one would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews.

• Later Jesus does go up to the Feast of Tabernacles (v.10), but cautiously and clandestinely.
• Public opinion is divided over who he is (vv.11-13). This makes for a potentially unstable situation.
• He makes his move halfway through the festival (v.14). According to Leviticus 23:34, the observance lasted seven days.

14 About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. 15 The Jews were astonished at it, saying, “How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?” 16Then Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. 17 Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. 18 Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him. 19 “Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?”

• Jesus times his visit to Jerusalem for the middle of the Feast to Tabernacles.
• Once he begins to teach, people are amazed (v.15).
  • Jesus always impressed the crowd with his content and delivery.
  • Their amazement is because he had not been educated in their system, by a prominent rabbi.
    • Moreover, he did not teach in the scribal manner ("Rabbi so-and-so taught, whereas Rabbi such-and-such believed...).
    • That is, he did not appeal to the authority of rabbinical tradition.
  • Christ was fully trained, and in time so would his apostles be. (In this regard, many totally misread Acts 4:13.)
• Jesus defends his message (v.16ff).
  • His message is from God.
  • Anyone receptive to the will of God will see that this is the case (v.17).
  • He is not self-seeking (v.18).
  • Their attacks on his righteous words show they are not true Jews (v.19).

20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the sabbath? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

• As expected, this doesn't go down too well (v.20). The crowd reacts with extreme, black and white thinking.
  • Rather than think through what Jesus is saying, some prefer to write him off as demon-possessed. The label, it would seem, is meant to absolve them of their responsibility to think objectively and fairly about Jesus' claims.
  • Jesus reasons with them about the Sabbath, probably referring to the healing in chapter 5 (v.21ff). Jesus is saying, in effect, that their theology is inconsistent. He encourages them to judge correctly, not superficially (v.24).
• Here is the thinking in Jesus' response.
  • The rabbis taught that the Sabbath could be contravened for the purpose of circumcision, a rite that affected only one part of the body.
  • Jesus had healed the whole body (chapter 5).
  • A fortiori, this infraction of the Sabbath tradition was certainly justified.
• "Righteous judgment" (v.24), dikaia krisis, can be rendered upright, righteous, good, just, right, proper, fair, honest, innocent.
• There are multiple types of judging in the Bible. See my article "Judge Not!"

25 Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? 27 Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” 28 Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him.

• It is publicly known that there is a bounty on Jesus' head (v.25). That he has not yet been arrested is interpreted by some to mean that they are uncertain as to whether he is a false Messiah or a true one (v.26).
• In verse 28, "in the temple" (en to[i] hieō[i]) is rendered various ways in the translations: "in the temple courts" (NIV), "in the temple area" (NAB), "in the temple complex" (HCSB), "in the temple" (NASB, NRSV, NKJV, NJB). The last rendering is the most literal.
  • Yet since Jesus would have been teaching in the outer courts, and not in the sanctuary, there is justification for the periphrastic expansion.
  • Thus we see that "the temple" is the structure itself or the entire temple complex. Context determines the exact meaning.
• Jesus is fully aware of God and his mission and obedience.
• He is equally aware that his opponents are not God's children. Silly statements like "Everyone is God's son or daughter, and they will all be okay at the end" must be rejected. This is worldly, channel-2-type thinking.
• Some comment that the origins of the true Messiah will be unknown, whereas Jesus' origins are known.
  • Of course they are wrong in this assessment.
  • Isaiah and Micah indicate that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and minister in Galilee.

29 I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” 30 Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, “When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?"

• Jesus admits that they know his earthly origin (v.28), yet insists that he has come from God (v.29).
• Crowd reaction is divided.
  • They try to seize him (v.30), but the time is too early.
  • And yet some believe that he is indeed the Messiah, based on his miracles (v.31).

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

6:37 Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38 for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”

41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.

• The Jews could not conceive how Jesus could be both man and God (v.42). This classic question in theology was the focus of debate for two centuries in the early church!
• This concept was hard for fleshly man to accept.
  • For most people, on "channel 2," spiritual bread (a "channel 1" concept) was hard to comprehend.
  • The notion of eating flesh and (especially) drinking blood would have been shocking to an orthodox Jew.
  • The grumbling is like that of the Jews in the desert (e.g. Exodus 16-17; Numbers 14; 16).
• Jesus tells them to stop grumbling (v.43), and adds several vital truths.
  • We must be drawn to God (v.44). This does not necessarily support Calvinism.
     

• 12:32 shows that this takes place through the power of the Cross.
• God will force no one, though the force of the Holy Spirit will transform anyone open to the truth. (See also 7:17.) I compare it to waterskiing. The boat "draws" you, although never without your permission.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 is helpful in explaining the biblical doctrine of election, as is Luke 5:31-32.
  • 31 Jesus answered, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; 32 I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
  • 13 But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.
• For a critique of Calvinistic predestination, click here.
• We will be taught by God (v.45), as Isaiah 54:13 had prophesied. (The implication is that Jesus is God.)
• Faith is essential for everlasting life (v.47).

46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

• This message was taught by Jesus in the synagogue of Capernaum.
• The capacity of the structure would have limited the crowd to the hundreds -- not the thousands, as in Luke 12:1.
• Note: The early church ruled that Christians must not ingest blood (Council of Jerusalem, Acts 15).

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 65 And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”

• "This is a hard teaching" (v.60) refers to everything from verse 35 onward. This is the very response of men and women even today who find undiluted Christianity too inconvenient for their lifestyles.
  • Jesus knew this message was offensive to some (v.61), yet never waters it down. Rather, he asks us whether we are willing to keep following him.
  • Jesus' ascension (40 days after Pentecost) would prove that he spoke the truth, and that these words must not be compromised.
  • People tend to serve their own interests, attempting to work their way to God on their own terms. This is the flesh. Yet without openness to the Spirit, we gain nothing. Humanistic religion is ultimately worthless.
• Jesus' words bring life (v.63).
• Those who did not believe were known to Jesus from the beginning (v.64).
  • They were not enabled by the Father (v.65) because they did not accept Jesus and his message.
  • God's sovereignty does not override free will, and yet he knows all our thoughts and actions -- past, present, and future..

66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67 So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

• Then comes the mass defection.
  • When the majority of the crowd finally reject the demands of discipleship and depart (v.66) -- unless this is describing a different occasion -- hundreds were walking away from Jesus.
  • The crowds who wanted to make Jesus king by force (6:15) vanish when he shows that his kingdom is not of this world.
  • And he did nothing to try to bring them back! (No P.R. expert was brought in to make the gospel message more appealing.)
    • Those who have heard Jesus' voice know that there is nowhere else to go!
    • And yet Judas left (vv.70-71). Every generation of the church is called to keep the faith of the apostles, and not join the error of Judas.
  • Peter's response (v.68) are words many of us have felt when following the Lord has been difficult: "To whom shall we go?..."
  • Judas is described as "a devil" (vv.70-71). While there was still (theoretically) hope for him at this point, in time he would cross the point of no return; Satan would "enter" him (Luke 22:3)
• Have I ever been tempted to walk away from the Lord? If yes, what prevented me? Am I regularly feeding my faith so that when the going gets tough, I am able to resist unproductive and irrational thoughts.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

6:1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples.

• John 6 takes place after John 5, but the writer does not tell us whether the gap is days, weeks, months, or years.
• That he identifies the Sea of Galilee as the Sea of Tiberias suggests that his readers are not familiar with the places and events of which he writes. This body of fresh water is also called the Sea of Kinnereth (Heb. kinnor = harp -- as the lake is shaped like a harp).
   
• A large crowd is following Jesus (v.1). Their motivation is their interest in the sensational aspects of Jesus' ministry.
• Jesus sits down -- his usual posture when teaching his disciples, like that of the rabbis of that period.

4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.”

Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

• Another Passover is near (v.4), and Jesus takes advantage of this time to teach his disciples.
• Jesus tests Philip (v.5), asking him how the apostolic band might feed such a large crowd. Thanks to a small boy (v.9), the pump is primed, and the miracle begins.
• The presence of grass (green grass, as in Mark 6) suggests he is teaching in the springtime, before the dry season (when it does not rain for many months).
• The Feeding of the 5000 is recounted in all four gospels (Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9; John 6).
  • Matthew 14:21 tells us that this approximation includes men only, not women and children. Counting males only was the custom of the Jews in O.T. times as well as that of the early church.
  • Was the total crowd 6000 persons? 10,000? This is difficult to determine. 
• Six (or possibly eight) months' wages is how the Greek "two hundred denarii" has been rendered. Since a denarius was a day's wage, the equivalent is accurate.
• The crowd is amazed (v.14). And yet their motives are far from pure.

15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

• Theirs is a political agenda, and they have high hopes for Jesus to replace the Romans as a new king (v.15). 
  • He refuses their offer -- just as he refused Satan's offer of dominion (see Matthew 4).
     
  • Nor does he propose that one of his disciples serve as king.
  • What a contrast to modern interpretations of Christianity! Faith is equated with one or another political party. Such linkage of religion and politics was something Jesus wholly avoided.
  • Bottom line, politics involves force. Those who refuse to submit to the will of the state will be compelled to submit -- "at gunpoint," so to speak. Those who do not put the state first may be imprisoned or even executed. This is wholly contrary to the Spirit of Christ.
• Jesus, resisting their overtures, withdraws, presumably to pray (v.15). Meanwhile, his disciples set out across the lake.

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

• Jesus walks on the water. After initially shocking the apostles, he joins them (v.21). It is then recorded that they immediately reached the shore! Is there a lesson here -- that when Jesus is on board, we reach our destination sooner?
• As we will see tomorrow, the crowds will eventually catch up with Jesus.
• For more on the O.T. background to Jesus' walking on water, see Job 9:8; Psalm 77:16,19.
• When we are fatigued, rowing hard in rough seas, and tempted to be frightened, how quickly do we invite Jesus into our boat?

22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves."

• Why are most people attracted to Christianity and to church? Are motives in the 21st century more or less the same as those in the 1st century?
• Earlier in the chapter Jesus has fed the 5000, greatly arousing their curiosity. And yet something is wrong. Their motives are not right (vv.26-27).

27 "Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

30 So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

• Notice that faith (believing) is the work God wants us to do. Beware the artificial separation of faith and works, a common error of Protestantism.
• Not pleased with Jesus' challenge, they ask him to prove his point by performing a miracle (v.30).
• They are asking him to work the miracle again! This reminds us of Pharaoh's stubborn refusal to believe, despite seeing several miracles. It also reminds us of the faithlessness of the desert generation.
• In Moses' day, the Israelites ate bread (Exodus 16); can Jesus do more? This question is a propos, since he has just given a large crowd plenty of bread.
  • As Jesus correctly points out, it was not Moses who gave bread to the Israelites in the desert, but God the Father (v.32).
  • There is a midrash on Exodus 16: "As the first Redeemer brought down the manna... so will also the last Redeemer cause manna to come down" (Midr. Qoh. 1:9).
• For reference, compare Jesus' miracle to Elisha's in 2 Kings 4:42-44.

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.

• Ultimately, Jesus offers himself as the miracle, the "bread of life" (v.35).
  • Compare the apocryphal Sirach 24:21: "Whoever feeds on me will be hungry for more, and whoever drinks from me will thirst for more."
  • If we are to follow Jesus, he must be our source of sustenance, nothing else (whether health, the approval of others, recreation, professional success, sensual experience, drugs, etc).
• In v.35 is the first of the seven "I am" statements in John.
  • Each points to Jesus' divinity, since in the O.T. "I am" is the name of Yahweh, God. Thus each statement tells us something different about how Jesus is God.
  • Interestingly, the early church may not have made this point, particularly in their outreach to the Jews. (At least no record survives of this point being made.)
     
• The 7 "I Am" sayings
  • "I am the bread of life" (6:35).
  • "I am the light of the world" (8:12).
  • "I am the gate for the sheep" (10:7).
  • "I am the good shepherd" (10:11).
  • "I am the resurrection and the life" (11:25).
  • "I am the way and the truth and the life" (14:6).
  • "I am the the true vine" (15:1).
• While John, making use of the "perfect" number 7, gives us only seven "I am" statements, there are at least 7 more:
  • "I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting..." (Mark 14:62).
  • "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9:5; 22:8).
  • "I am the alpha and the omega..." (Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13).
  • "I am the root and the offspring of David" (Revelation 22:16).
  • Can you find more?
• Is Jesus truly the bread of life to me?
  • What is my "bread"?
  • As I read Deuteronomy 8:3, Jeremiah 15:16, and other passages, can I honestly say that I thrive on the word of God?

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

19 Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Fatherdoes, the Son does likewise. 20 The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. 21 Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. 22 The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.

• Jesus describes God as his father. This unique appellation annoyed the religious leaders.
• What the Father does, the Son does, even including initiating the resurrection of the dead.
• And yet they are not the same person. The Father sends the Son. This raises the question of the nature of the Trinity. More than the Synoptics, John gives us a lot of material about the Father, Son, and Spirit.
  • Father, Son, and Spirit are all divine. They are all God in nature, or essence.
  • Yet the Son and the Spirit proceed from the Father. The Son is begotten, not made. The Father is their origin. Further, we see in John a consistent pattern of obedience: Son to Father. This is not limited to the time of Jesus' earthly ministry. It is true also of time in eternity. The Son is incarnate, not the Father. And the Son will turn the kingdom over to the Father at the end (1 Cor 15). So the members of the Trinity are equal in nature, but not in order (rank).
  • Thirdly, the members of the Trinity have different attributes. The Father cannot become flesh. No one can see God (the Father), but whoever sees Jesus sees God (1:18; 14:9). Whereas Father and Son communicate verbally, there is no such communication between Spirit and Father or Son (as far as I can see in Scripture -- though they must be "in communication" somehow).
  • If this is confusing, three points may help:
    • We must avoid the extremes of Tritheism and Modalism.
      • Tritheism = three separate Gods
      • Modalism = one person, revealed in different ways. (Think of water in its three states.)
    • "God" in the NT nearly always refers to the Father.
    • The Son is subordinate to the Father. Equality of nature isn't the same thing as equality of rank. (You are just as human as your boss at work, and equal before the law, but definitely not equal in terms of your company and employment. God calls the man to be a spiritual leader in the home, yet this hardly means that his wife and children are less than 100% human.)
• Moreover, Jesus claimed that the Father had entrusted all judgment to him. No wonder the leaders were determined to do away with him!
• If we truly honor God, we must also revere his Son (v.23). There are two implications:
  • We must become intentionally become followers of Christ. No one is a Christian by virtue of being a nice person.
  • We must continue to follow Jesus on an ongoing basis.
• All who believe cross over from death to life (v.24).
  • Obviously this does not happen the moment we have faith, otherwise Peter's reply to the big question in Acts 2:37 would have been inane.
  • Crossing over involves hearing the word of Christ, and responding.
  • For more on the transition from death to life, read Romans 6:1-7.

25 “Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; 27 and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

• At the last day, all will rise.
• Whereas the “crossing over” from death to life of verse 24 is spiritual, the resurrection of verse 25 is physical.
  • At Jesus’ voice the dead will rise bodily (vv.26-29). See also Daniel 12:2.
  • The apostle Paul speaks further of this transformation in 1 Corinthians 15.
  • This resurrection will be followed by judgment (v.27ff).
• There are not two separate resurrections (events), but one (with two possible outcomes).

30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

• Again, notice the obedience and subordination of the Son.
• Jesus consistently seeks to obey the will of the Father. How about you and me?
• Jesus always carried out the will, and conveyed to mankind the words, of his father (v.30; see also 6:38, 8:29).

31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that his testimony to me is true. 33 You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent.

• Re: testimony (v.31): "But no one is to be believed when he testifies about himself" (Ketubbot 2:9).
• In rejecting the testimony of John the Baptist, who clearly pointed to Christ, the people of Israel were even more guilty (v.33ff).
• Jesus' ministry itself is a testimony to his truthfulness (v.36). In short, there is no excuse for rejecting Jesus Christ.

39 “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 41 I do not accept glory from human beings. 42But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”

• Jesus dismissed his listeners’ religion as completely bogus (vv.37ff).
  • They had never heard his voice, his word.
  • They had never seen his form. Their conception of God was grossly inaccurate.
  • Despite all their Bible study, they rejected the Christ of whom the scriptures testify.
  • They did not have the love of God in their hearts.
  • Their error is underscored in that they accept those who speak in their own name (by their own authority, misrepresenting God), while refusing to accept Christ, who truly spoke the truth of God.
  • They sought praise from one another, but did not genuinely seek the approval of God.
  • Despite their claim to follow Moses (see also 9:28), they did not in fact believe what he wrote concerning the Messiah.
• The verb in verse 39 has been rendered two ways: you study or study. This is because in the Greek, the second person plural form of the present active imperative is identical to the second person plural form of the present active indicative. The ambiguity does not exist in Aramaic, the original language of exchange.
• Jesus does not accept praise from men (vv. 41,44). That is, his decisions are not motivated by the approval of others -- to which he is indifferent. (Of course we may praise Jesus, as we praise God, and this offering is accepted and acceptable [Heb 13:18], but that's a different sense of the word.)
• Moses spoke of Christ (vv.45-47).
  • See, for example, Numbers 24:17-19 and Deuteronomy 18:15-19.
  • The O.T. is the foundation of the N.T. This means that unless we are diligent students of the O.T. Law, Prophets, and Writings, we will never truly master the N.T.
• Thus, although the Jews challenged the validity of Jesus' claims, Jesus has refuted them by demonstrating that there are in fact four witnesses to his truthfulness: John the Baptist, the Word of God, the works of Jesus, and God himself.

Application 

• Do I honor the Son in my daily life?
• If I have been a Christian for some time, do I appreciate the fact that I have crossed over from death to life? When I pray, how often am I thanking the Lord for my salvation?
• Do I diligently study the scriptures? And if so, am I willing to "come to Christ," or do I insist on Christianity on my own terms?
• Do I accept "praise from men"? When we receive positive feedback, we ought to be gracious, and without false modesty. And yet we are never to base our confidence or salvation on the approval of others.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

43 When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee 44 (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country). 45 When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival.

• Leaving the Samaritan village, Jesus continues northwards into Galilee (v.43).
  • Despite the observation that a prophet is without honor in his own country (v.44 -- see parallels in Matthew 13:57 and Mark 6:4), Jesus is welcomed in Galilee.
  • His deeds had been noticed during the Passover festival (2:23).
    • Exodus 12 and Numbers 9 instructed all Jewish males to attend the annual Passover in Jerusalem. Women were of course welcome, but with sensitivity to pregnancy and family, were not obligated. (In Luke 2 Jesus' family, including Mary, makes the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, apparently a large group.)
    • In addition, there were two other annual mandatory visits to Jerusalem.

46 Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 

• Jesus goes again to Cana, where he meets a royal official, who begs him to help his son (v.46f). Capernaum is near the top of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum is Jesus´ hometown.
• The boy lay mortally ill.
  • As some readers have experienced, the death of a child is different to the loss of a parent, or even a sibling. It is devastating in every possible way.
  • The royal official is desperate.
• And yet Jesus is not entirely pleased that some will not believe without signs and wonders. His comment in v.48 isn't a declaration of the impossibility of faith in the absence of miracles, but more of an expression of frustration over the slowness of people to believe.

49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. 51 As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” 53 The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.”

• And yet Jesus was not willing to leave Cana for Capernaum, preferring to heal at a distance.  For a similar example of a "distance" healing, see Matthew 8:13 / Luke 7:10.
• The father took Jesus at his word, and the son was healed -- at the exact hour Jesus promised his son would live. Realizing this was no coincidence, the official believed, along with his household.

So he himself believed, along with his whole household. 54 Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.

• The royal official´s whole household would have included his wife, sons, daughters, and servants. In ancient times, as in many traditional societies today, there is great solidarity among households. When the leader makes a decision, it is normal for all in the group to support it and to follow it.
• John notes that this was Jesus' second sign. This was hardly Jesus' second miracle.
• Nothing else about this stay in Galilee is related to us. In chapter 5 we will find Jesus back in Jerusalem.
• To quote Beasley-Murray (John, in the Word Biblical Commentary, 71): "The relationship between the Johannine narrative of the healing of the king's officer's son and that of the Centurion's son (or pais/servant) has been much discussed. Whereas earlier writers tended to view them as different events most recent scholars agree that they represent independent accounts of the same happening."

5:1 After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

• Which feast was Jesus attending (v.1)? Was this Passover again? If so, there may be four Passovers in all recorded in John. The three definite Passovers are:
  • 2:13, 23; 4:45 = one instance
  • 6:4 = another instance
  • 11:55; 12:1; 13:1; 18:28-29; 19:14 = a third instance.
• Again, the three Synoptic [common view] Gospels are structured around a single Passover visit, whereas John's gospel has several, with the action moving up and down between Galilee and Judea (where Jerusalem is).

2 Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. 

• Aramaic (v.2) was the language of the people, even more than Hebrew (the language of the Temple).
• Bethesda was the name of the pool(s) with covered colonnades.
  • The meaning is "house of mercy," from Hebrew beth (house) and chesed (mercy).
  • The original Aramaic word is Bethesdatayin, which is neither singular nor plural. It is dual, indicating two pools -- which is what this was.
  • The pools were first discovered by archaeologists in 1956. It is by the beautiful church of St. Anne.
  • The pools had attracted many sick and handicapped persons, believing their chances for being cured were greater in the vicinity of such a holy place.
• The Sheep Gate was at the northeast entrance to the Temple precinct.
  • Presumably this is the portal through which sheep and other animals were led for sacrifice.
  • This means that the location of this miracle, at the pools of Bethesda, was right under the noses of the priests!
    • Jesus is invading their territory, challenging their authority, coming too close for comfort.
    • Moreover, he performs this miracle on the Sabbath (v.9), implicitly challenging the Jewish traditions.

3 In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.

• The invalid had been there for 38 years -- nearly four decades (v.5)!
• This man was doubly victimized.
  • He was a victim of his condition.
  • He was also victimized in that others made their way to the healing waters before he was able to drag himself to the pool.
  • At the same time, the location and the routine had become the major part of his life.
• Jesus asks what some might take as an unusual question: "Do you want to get well?" (v.6)
• The man seems to make an excuse.
  • What sort of heart does the invalid have? Is he a moocher, or someone who has been sincerely making efforts to rise above his condition?
  • We will return to this matter once we have finished reading the entire account.
• Verse 4 is missing from modern Bibles.
  • This is not because it was removed, but because it was probably never in the original text.
  • Sometime in the early Middle Ages verse 4 was added. (Remember that there were no verse numbers in the original manuscripts, so an addition might not be obvious.)
  • Occasionally scribes would write explanatory comments, or glosses, in the margins. Later copyists might unwittingly include them in the canonical text, perhaps unsure whether the previous scribe had omitted something in the copying process.
• "Get up!" (v.8), egeirein, is the same verb as in 5:21 (raise).
  • Jesus "raised" the invalid, an illustration of the believer's transition from paralysis and darkness and death to freedom and light and life.
  • At any rate, the man is healed. Then things get really interesting.

Now that day was a sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, “It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” 

• We are told that it was the Sabbath. Why did Jesus choose this day for the miracle? 
  • Jesus came to set us free from sin (John 8:31-34).
  • Yet he also sets us free from bad theology.
• It is doubtful that the Torah really forbade someone from carrying his mat.
  • The Pharisees had added all sorts of rules to the law, to prevent even accidental infractions.
    • They confused God's law with their law.
    • Matthew's gospel (especially) insists that there is a difference.
  • Sabbath law did not forbid healing, but it did forbade carrying a load (v.5).
    • It is difficult to see how carrying a mat, especially after one has been healed from a 38-year incapacitation, is a sin.
    • Yet in later Jewish writings (Mishnah and Talmud), "carrying" even one's own wooden leg was considered a sin by some rabbis!

11 But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.” 

• Jesus follows up with the man he has healed (v.14).
  • He has been restored to fellowship.
  • Because of his physical limitations and under O.T. law, this man had probably not been permitted to worship or sacrifice with his fellow Israelites.
  • For another passage on "follow-up," see 9:35.
• But the fellow gets Jesus into trouble.

15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” 18 For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.

• This raises the question again about his motives, and his heart.
  • Is the man’s response an excuse, or an explanation?
  • There are different views on this. I personally lean towards doubting the purity of his motives.
    • His words are in stark contrast to the faith of the official in 4:50.
    • The man (inadvertently?) caused trouble for Jesus (vv.15-18).
    • That the Lord tells him to “stop sinning” suggests he was not entirely innocent.
  • On the "innocent" side, we may say that:
    • He was quite helpless in his condition, physically speaking, wholly dependent on the benevolence of others.
    • The "competition" was stiff.
    • Spending so many years in failure and despondency, he was trapped psychologically.
    • His behavior may seem a little off to us, but surely he was in shock.
  • Yet on the "guilty" side, we note that:
    • When asked whether he wanted to get well, he does not respond with faith in Jesus, or even a wholehearted "yes," but seems to make an excuse.
    • Why did he need to inform the Jewish leaders it was Jesus who had healed him? Having camped out in the shadow of the Temple for several decades, was he really clueless about the nature of the religious establishment?
    • Unlike the blind man (chapter 9), he has no idea who had healed him. (That is remarkable.) Did he care? Was he not grateful?
    • Jesus warns him to "sin no more." The Bible doesn't draw a direct connection between sin and sickness, but in this man's case there was a particular sin he needed to avoid.
  • This makes for a lively group Bible discussion.
    • See the study XIV in chapter 18 of Till the Nets Are Full[March 2018], formerly Shining Like Stars [1987-2017].
    • Other studies from John in Nets that make for good group discussions:
      • John 9 (the Blind Man), which is another more or less complete chapter with multiple clearly identifiable characters. [This is study V.]
      • John 4 (the Samaritan Woman). [This is study VII.]
      • John 6+ (The I Am Statements), great for anyone new to Jesus, for example people from non-Western cultures. [This is study VIII.]
      • The study of Nicodemus (John 3; 7; 19) is excellent, as there are only 3 passages and they show us the man, and the trajectory of his life, without giving us the conclusion (whether he ultimately became a Christian). This is good for those in the throes of making a decision for Christ.
• Jesus insists there are some activities that are permitted even on the Sabbath.
  • Severely criticized for “working” on the Sabbath, Jesus responds (v.17ff). Jesus commented that his Father was still at work to this day (v.17), this implies that the "rest" of Day Seven in Genesis 1 was only a pause.
    • To illustrate, if I were to say, "My son stopped eating," I probably only mean that he was full, not that he had entered a state of permanent fasting.
    • In other words, God's creative work, rather than taking place in toto in Genesis 1, may equally well be interpreted as ongoing.
    • Time to rethink theology?
  • Claiming a unique relationship to the Father, Jesus offended the leaders with an apparent claim to divinity -- the same issue that would lead to his condemnation in the nocturnal trial after his arrest.

Tomorrow: We will continue studying chapter 5, and also consider the nature of the Trinity -- a doctrine that extremely few Christians understand. Please come back, ready to learn!

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”

27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” 30 They left the city and were on their way to him.

• Returning to her village, the woman instantly becomes an evangelist for Jesus (v.28ff).
• This is in stark contrast to the spiritual dullness of the disciples (v.27,31ff).
• They are oblivious to what has just happened.
  • Their lack of concern for the woman is evident.
  • Like her (a little earlier), they are on "channel 2" (27).

31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?”

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36 The reaper is already receivingwages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

• Jesus' food is to do the will of the Father and to finish his work (v.34).
  • See also 17:4; 19:28,30.
  • His followers should share in this work (vv.35-37).
  • In the case of the Samaritans, others had done the "hard work."
    • O.T. prophets had prepared the ground.
    • The woman herself was representative of God-fearing Samaritans who were ripe, ready to respond to the message.

39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

• Through his sharing with her, the Samaritan woman´s perspective changes as she comes to appreciate who Jesus is:
  • A thirsty Jewish man (v.9).
  • A prophet (v.19).
  • The Jewish Messiah (v.26,29).
  • Savior of the World (v.42).
• One conversation led to change in Jesus' plans. He stays for two days in the Samaritan village, bringing many to faith (vv.39-42).
  • Their response could hardly have been more positive. Unlike "his own" (1:11), the Samaritans received Christ, accepting him and his message.
  • Many people we ignore, pass by, or "write off" may also be seeking. They may be far more open to the gospel than we imagine!

Conclusion

• Savior of World. Since Jesus is savior of the entire planet, let's strive to become familiar with other cultures. Don't imagine that "good Hindus" (for example) will be okay without hearing the gospel message. The whole world is in darkness and needs the savior (1 John 5:19).
• Let's try to rise above our local situation -- to take a global perspective. Read the news at least once a week. Find a pen pal or Christian soul mate in another country. Travel abroad. Read books on history and culture. Reach out to people from all parts of the world (but don’t forget your own!).
• Appreciate that Jesus isn’t the Messiah for the Jews only; he is the Christ for us, for other nations, and for the whole world.
• Further study:
  • Listen to the sermon The Woman at the Well.
  • Listen to the character podcast on the Samaritan Woman.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

4:1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” 2 —although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized— 3 he left Judea and started back to Galilee. 4 But he had to go through Samaria. 

• Jesus is concerned about his increasing notoriety. Remember, he is moving his ministry according to a special sense of timing. He doesn't want events to spiral out of control, or his life to end before he has completed the training of the Twelve.
• Jesus was traveling from Judea (in the south) to Galilee (in the north). Whereas many Jews would have bypassed Samaria, crossing the Jordan so as not to have to go through it, Jesus opts for the direct route (v.4)!
• Jesus challenges prejudice and shatters stereotypes!

5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

• "The sixth hour" (Greek text) must be translated into a modern time, and the equivalent is affected by our understanding of Jewish time.
  • Starting at 6 am, this would yield a time of noon (TNIV, NLT). Beginning at noon, the time of 6 pm results (HCSB). (Water was usually drawn near sunrise and sunset, not in the heat of the day.)
  • To play it safe, several translations (NIV, NASB) simply say "the sixth hour."
  • On the other hand, it could be that because of her reputation in the town, she went to the well at an odd hour. I am not certain of the exact time, but it was a lonely part of the day, at last at Jacob's Well!
• Jacob's well is still extant and still in use. It is at the foot of Mt. Gerizim, and you can still drink water from it -- which the locals are more than happy to offer.

7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)

• Talking with a woman in public was unacceptable in ancient Jewish culture. For example, Aboth 2 (1d) says, "One should not talk with a woman on the street, not even with his own wife, and certainly not with somebody else's wife, because of the gossip of men."  70a reads, "It is forbidden to give a woman any greeting."
• Although tired and in "alien" territory, Jesus reaches out to the person whose path he crosses (v.6).
• Sometimes when we are willing to take a chance and to engage with a stranger, God moves. It’s obvious and immensely rewarding. Other times all we may accomplish is to plant a seed—which also in time can lead to great things. And of course some people just don’t listen.
• Jesus asks for a drink of water from the well.
• She responds in surprise (vv.7-9).

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 

11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” 

• Samaritans claimed a similar heritage
• Muslims—a little farther a stretch

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

• Knowing her true spiritual need, Jesus then turns the conversation in a spiritual direction (v.10ff), referring to "living" water. See Ezekiel 47 and Zechariah 14 for the allusion. See also John 7:38.
• As is typical throughout John, she interprets literally his spiritual, figurative words (v.11). He is speaking on "channel 1," the spiritual, heavenly wavelength, while she is on "channel 2," the physical, earthly wavelength.
• In reference to verse 14, the apocryphal Sirach 24:21 reads, "Whoever feeds on me will be hungry no more, and whoever drinks from me will thirst no more." This passage would have been well known to the Jews, since the Apocrypha was part of the Jewish scripture until around the year 200 AD.
• There is also an allusion to Jeremiah 2 here.

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” 

• Jesus looks into the heart of this neglected, five-times-abandoned woman (vv.16-18).
• While he does not condone her living in sin (see Hebrews 13:4), he reaches out to her in genuine concern, calling her to truthfulness and spiritual life.
• Jesus offers her living water:
  • Living (moving) water contrasts with stagnant (still) water.
  • Many of the prophets took up the theme, like Jeremiah and Zechariah.
  • The ancient Jews also wrote, "The words of Torah are received (into the heart) till the Torah becomes a flowing spring" (Yalkut Shimoni 2, 480).
•  

19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

• The discussion in verses 19-24 is integral to this interaction and the entire gospel of John.
  • Jews worshipped in Jerusalem (Mt. Zion). Deuteronomy 12:1-14 stated that God's people must worship in one central location.
  • Samaritans worshipped at Shechem (Mt. Gerizim), even though their rival temple had been reduced to rubble a century and a half before this conversation.
  • Thus the debate over the proper place of worship divided these two related peoples.
• Jesus aligns himself with neither side, insisting that since God is Spirit (not confined to space or temples), he can be accessed anywhere.
  • It´s as though the entire world were one free wireless spot.
  • But the one who comes to God must be genuine and sincere.
• Therefore we must worship God "in Spirit and truth" (v.24).
  • This does not mean with zeal (spirit) and correct doctrine (truth), as vital as these are.
  • It means worshipping the Lord spiritually, not spatially. Truth is personal truthfulness, openness, authenticity.
  • For truth as integrity / reliability, see 1 Kings 2:4; Hosea 4:1-2; Jeremiah 4:2; Psalms 15:2, 86:11; Isaiah 38:3; Zechariah 7:9; Ezekiel 18:8.

The story continues... 

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

• Again (from yesterday), the context of John 3:16 is the bronze serpent incident in Numbers 21.
• Notice that this is not a passage about how to become a Christian, but about God´s initiative to save sinful mankind. 
• Overtaken by Matt 7:1 as most popular Bible verse.
• Jesus was lifted up, just as the snake (!) was lifted up. We must look at/to him, not to ourselves, if we want to be saved.

17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

• Without faith we stand under the judgment of God. Like the snake-bitten Israelites, we have a mortal problem. The venom of sin circulates in our veins. If we find the cure (looking to Jesus, exalted) then we are cured; otherwise we die--not (fundamentally) because we didn't notice Jesus, but because we have been poisoned.
• Light has come into the world (v.19), yet darkness has not understood it (see 1:5).
  • This resistance is not just a matter of a psychological reflect against the light, or intellectual ignorance, but of moral opposition to the truth.
  • When we hear the truth of the gospel, a decision is required!
  • Throughout the gospel of John, the light shines into the lives of many persons: the Samaritan woman (chapter 4), the lame man (chapter 5), the fickle crowd (chapter 6) etc.

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized 24 —John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison.

• In the Judean countryside Jesus´ disciples were baptizing (v.22). 4:2 clarifies that though Jesus was present, and probably presiding, he was not performing immersions personally.
• Was the baptism administered by Jesus or his apostles the same functionally as John´s baptism?  It would seem so, in light of 7:39, since the Spirit was not yet conferred.
• John the Baptist was baptizing in the same area, as well as at Aenon (v.23).
  • If real baptism were sprinkling or pouring, why would water need to be "abundant"?
  • Clearly immersion is in view, and this is also the meaning of baptisma.
• The incarceration of John the Baptist is mentioned in John only in verse 24. This event is found in the synoptics in Matthew 14, Mark 6, and Luke 3.

25 Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

• Yet once again John is directing his followers to Christ (vv.25-30).
  • John does not seem bothered that he is "losing members" (v.26).
  • (One) star of the wedding is the groom, not the groomsman, who should be seeking no attention for himself. "The bridegroom's voice" (verse 29) may refer to the groom's affirmation that he has successfully consummated the marriage, shouted to his friends waiting outside the tent or house.
  • This is the purpose of all Christian leaders: to point others to the Lord, not to make them dependent on themselves. See 2 Corinthians 4:5.
• In verse 30, the words auxanein (grow larger) and elattousthai (grow smaller) have special significance. Astronomically, they are used of the rising and setting of stars. As John's star was setting, Jesus' was rising.

31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. 34 He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.

• The testimony of Christ (v.31ff) is valid, and those who accept it certify God´s word as true. The one who comes from heaven is Jesus (see 3:13).
• Christ speaks the word of God; he has received the Spirit "without measure" (v.34).
  • These words seem to be saying that Jesus was completely spiritual, completely connected with the Father, completely true in his life and words.
  • With reference to verse 34, Rabbi Aha said, "The Holy Spirit who rests on the prophets, rests on them only by measure" (Lev. Rab. 15:2).
• If we do not accept the words of the Son of God, we are under the wrath of God. That is because all authority has been given to him; to reject Christ is to commit the worst sin, for one has cut off his only source of salvation.

Final thought: 

• Can I make the words of 3:30 into a prayer, and then say it with all my heart?
• The traditional Prayer for Humility is essentially an expansion of the Baptizer's words (3:30):

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, of being honored, of being praised, of being preferred to others, of being consulted, of being approved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being despised, of being rebuked, of being neglected, of being forgotten, of being ridiculed, of being wronged, of being suspected, of being injured, deliver me, Jesus.

That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside; that others may be praised and I unnoticed; 
That others may be holier than I -- provided that I may become holy as I should --
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

3:1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 

• The nocturnal visit of Nicodemus is well known (v.1ff).
  • Nicodemus was a Pharisee, the sect of the Jews deeply concerned that people follow the scriptures. While generally speaking they did not "walk the walk" (Matthew 23), they were correct about the need to obey God´s word.
  • Nicodemus was one of their better representatives, and approaches Jesus in a positive and apparently sincere way. He accepts his miracles and even -- unlike some Pharisees -- his divine authority.
  • The visit takes place at night. Perhaps this was because of fear or discretion, but it may also have been in order for Nicodemus to have uninterrupted conversation with Jesus.

3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 

• Jesus does not mince words, but directly tells Nicodemus that he must be born again -- make a new start (vv.3,5,7).
  • The Greek ánōthen has a double meaning: again or from above. That is, the new birth is not something man can accomplish; it comes only from heaven.
  • The notion of new birth in the new covenant is an O.T. concept, found in Isaiah, Ezekiel, and other books. Thus it should have been familiar to someone who knew his Bible well.
  • Therefore Nicodemus should not have stood aloof from the baptism of John.

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

• Yet Nicodemus seems not to understand (v.9). Jesus attempts to explain this spiritual truth to Nicodemus, using several illustrations:
  • Water and Spirit (v.5). The new birth comes in baptism. See the parallel verse in Titus 3:5. This was the unanimous interpretation of the early church fathers.
    • The water of verse 5 refers to baptism, as virtually every N.T. scholar agrees. Attempts to make it refer to amniotic fluid are far-fetched. For example, British Baptist scholar George Beasley-Murray (see Baptism in the New Testament) rejects the notion as unconvincing, insisting rather than baptism and salvation were always directly connected in the N.T.
    • Water and Spirit are conjoined in a number of ancient Jewish texts. See, for example, the O.T. passage Ezekiel 36:25-27. Among the apocalyptic and sectarian writings, see Jub. 1:23; Pss. Sol. 18:6; Test. Jud. 24:3; 1QS 3:6-9; 1QH 11:12-14.
  • The wind (v.8), the point is not that the motions of Spirit-led people are weird and erratic, but rather that the wind, though invisible, still has definite effects. In other words, something unseen may still be quite real and tangible.
  • The bronze serpent (next section)
• Jesus rebukes Nicodemus for not knowing these important spiritual precepts (v.10).
  • Those who teach and lead need to know the Bible, and there is no excuse for ignorance.
  • If he does not accept these truths, Nicodemus (v.11) is illustrating the resistance of the Jews to the light (1:11). If he does accept them, he can be born again (1:12-13).

11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

• Nicodemus appears again in chapters 7 and 20. The trajectory of his faith is clear: from the night visit to defending Jesus before the Jewish leaders to approaching Pilate for the body of Jesus...
  • If he continued on this path (and here we can only speculate) then he would have become a strong Christian.
  • Listen to the podcast on Nicodemus in the NT Character Studies series (login required).
• The serpent (v.14). Referring to a well-known event recounted in Numbers, once again Jesus tries to draw Nicodemus' spiritual gaze upwards.
  • An amazing analogy: Jesus' crucifixion is compared to Moses´ raising of the snake on a pole! This image is directly connected with verse 16 – a fact seldom noticed by Bible readers.
  • In John, the lifting up of Jesus (v.14 and 12:32) encompasses the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ -- not just the crucifixion.
  • Early Christians saw this as a sign of the Tau Cross (in the shape of a T, a capital tau in Greek).
  • In Hezekiah's time the object had become venerated as an idol and had to be destroyed (2 Kings 18:4).
• Notice that in all three passages we are drawn upwards. The snake was lifted up; the wind comes from above, the source of the new birth also is heavenly.
• It´s hard to know where words of Jesus end and where the words of the evangelist begin.
  • Does Jesus stop speaking in verse 12? 16? 21?
  • One difficulty is that in ancient Greek there were no quotation marks.
  • Theologically, nothing is affected whether these words are Jesus' or those of the gospel writer, since it is the Spirit speaking either way.

Wrap-up

• John's gospel is carefully constructed, and there are many connections that we might miss on first reading it.
• Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus is best understood in connection with the miracle of his changing water into wine (chapter 2). Both are about transformation and the new life.
• Similarly, his conversation with the Samaritan woman in chapter 4 is connected with this cleansing of the Temple. Both concern returning to God in truth, and not putting our trust in holy places or institutions.
• Some questions:
  • In my outreach, am I more direct and to the point with religious people than I am with those unfamiliar with God´s word?
  • Do I follow Jesus´ lead in calling to commitment those with greater knowledge, responsibility, and influence?
  • Am I using the whole arsenal of the Bible, the OT included?
• Tomorrow we will continue from 3:16.