Jesus Changes People

Word about Jesus preceded him to Galilee. The Galileans welcomed Jesus, in large part, because they had seen what he had done in Jerusalem. When Jesus went to Cana in Galilee, he was met by a royal official whose son was sick. While we don’t know for sure, the royal official may have been a Roman or someone in a position of authority. He asks for Jesus’ help and Jesus replies, “Your son will live.” What makes this story so incredible is the response of the official – he took Jesus at his word. As we will see throughout the Gospel of John, our task as apprentices of Jesus is to “take him at his word” and to believe what he believed.

Passage: John 4:43-54

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To fully appreciate this story, one must be aware of the deep-seated animosity between Jews and Samaritans. These weren’t simply groups who favored a different football team. They were groups who dehumanized the other group. This prejudice is what makes Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan so powerful – no Jewish listener would have made a Samaritan the hero of the story. In John 4, Jesus purposefully went through Samaria on his way back to Galilee. Along the way he encounters a lady at the well and engages her in conversation that concludes with him revealing to her that he is the Messiah (his first public reveal). In this one story, Jesus confronts multiple social issues in a redemptive manner.

Passage: John 4:1-42

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We’ve learned a lot about Jesus in the first 3 chapters of John, but if we don’t do something with it, then it hasn’t really been helpful information. Ken and Mike discuss different ways that will help you put into practice what we’ve been learning about and from Jesus. This includes how to develop a healthy rhythm of Bible reading and prayer; how to have a greater awareness of God’s presence; and how to engage in personal solitude and retreat. The discussion is practical and offers tangible ways for someone to start implementing these practices into their life today.

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Earlier in the Gospel of John, John the Baptist used Isaiah 40:3 to describe his role in the ministry of Jesus: “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” A few of John’s disciples come to him and seem worried that people are flocking to Jesus. John uses this occasion to remind his disciples that his role was to prepare the way for Jesus. “He must become greater; I must become less.” To follow Jesus today still requires us to submit to his ultimate superiority over all other things, ideas, and philosophies.

Passage: John 3:22-36

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We know two things about Nicodemus. First, he is a Pharisee, the Jewish sect that had begun as a reformation movement within Judaism. Second, he is a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. It’s likely that he comes to Jesus at night to avoid being seen talking with Jesus. Although Jewish opposition towards Jesus is just beginning, Nicodemus doesn’t want to risk his reputation. But he does show an openness to Jesus: “For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus then steers the conversation into one about spiritual rebirth. This leads to one of the best-known expressions of the gospel, John 3:16.

Passage: John 3:1-21

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The story of Jesus clearing the temple is also told in Matthew 21 and Mark 11. In all three accounts, Jesus is concerned about the integrity of the temple – that the merchants had turned a house of prayer into a den of thieves. This concern is also a fulfillment of prophecy (Psalm 69:9). Under the new covenant, both our individual bodies and the gathered church are temples of God. God still desires for his temple to be a house of prayer. When pressed about what gave him the authority to clear the temple, Jesus points ahead to his own death and resurrection.

Passage: John 2:13-25

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The first miracle recorded in the Gospel of John occurs at a wedding. Jesus initially resists getting involved because “my hour has not come.” In other words, he didn’t feel it was time to begin revealing his true identity in such a public setting. It’s only because of the prodding of his mother that Jesus gets involved and turns the water into wine. This is the first of his miracles “through which he revealed his glory.” The result? His disciples believed in him. We experience the same result today when we see God’s power displayed in our everyday lives.

Passage: John 2:1-12

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How did Jesus recruit followers? How does his method influence our approach today? Rather than try to convince people to follow him by winning arguments, Jesus simply invited them to spend time with him. “Come and see” is an invitation to be with Jesus. Just as Jesus did with his disciples, we are to extend the same invitation to our friends and neighbors today. Our goal isn’t to win them to a system or structure but to introduce them to a person – Jesus!

Passage: John 1:35-51

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Jesus was the smartest person who ever lived. His teachings have inspired billions of people. His influence has shaped education, medicine, and so much more. There has never been anyone whose impact comes close to Jesus. Why is that? Ultimately, it’s because we believe Jesus is not only the smartest person who ever lived – he is also the most unique person who ever lived. He was God in the flesh, the living Son of God. In God’s great plan of redemption, Jesus was God’s chosen way of reconciling a lost world unto himself.

Passage: John 1:29-34

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