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The Gospel of John – Part 2 Presentation of the Word – The Preacher Who Lost His Congregation

Today we continue our Good News series according to John the Apostle. Today we see that John the Baptizer fully understood his occupation and mission as a citizen of God’s Kingdom.  Let’s read John 3:22-36.

If you want a lively discussion at your next dinner gathering, ask the following questions: “Except for Jesus Christ, who is the greatest person who ever lived? What made that person great?” I guarantee the second question will quickly dominate the conversation, because we all have our own way of measuring greatness, and we rarely agree with the standards of others.

Jesus answered both of these questions for us. As He reviewed history from the dawn of time, He bypassed Abraham, the father of faith, and Moses, the instrument of God, to deliver His covenant people out of bondage. He omitted David, the rugged and humble shepherd, the champion warrior, and the greatest of Israel’s kings. He ignored Daniel, perhaps the world's most powerful and influential man, a leading figure in two of the world’s greatest empires, and a faithful prophet of God. He skipped over Noah, Samuel, Solomon, Isaiah, and every notable figure in secular history. Instead, Jesus boldly named a contemporary: “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!” (Matthew 11:11).

John didn’t have the qualities of greatness we prize most in the people we admire. He didn’t move among the rich and famous, the proud and powerful; he chose the solitude of the desert. He didn’t cultivate a suave image; he wore camel hair and leather. He didn’t rise through the ranks of politics and society to become a pied piper of men; he confronted and offended and spoke the truth without apology. Adjectives to describe John would be austere, frugal, aggressive, animated … and weird. Regardless, Jesus, who measures greatness differently, called John the greatest man who ever lived.

John the Baptizer was born to be the forerunner and fulfilled his role faultlessly. The forerunner of Christ had three primary responsibilities:

The forerunner was to clear the way. His job was to remove obstacles regarding the Messiah from people’s minds. Jews had come to expect a powerful hero on a white horse, brandishing a sword, inspiring courage, and rousing national zeal. They sought a Messiah to overthrow Rome, establish His kingdom, usher Israel into a new era of military and economic abundance, conquer the world, destroy evil, and then rule with perfect justice. Indeed, King Jesus will do just that … eventually. First, however, He must destroy evil in the hearts of His people, and He must establish His reign there before conquering a square inch of land.

The forerunner was to prepare the way. With false notions pushed aside, John prepared hearts by calling them to repentance.

Then, the forerunner was to get out of the way. He had to decrease, so that Jesus could increase (John 3:30). That made John the Baptizer great.

Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people. This verse indicates that it occurred after His dialogue with Nicodemus (3:1–21), possibly 1/3 of the way into Jesus’s public ministry. In the flow of John’s narrative, the Baptizer had his ministry in the wilderness of Judea. (1:19–36) Simultaneously, the Messiah conducted His ministry in Galilee and the temple (1:37–3:21). John then builds a sense of drama in setting the following incident’s time and place.

Judea was clearly John the Baptizer’s territory. Jesus and His disciples came into Judea, where they lingered and were baptized! Meanwhile, John the Baptizer and his disciples continued their ministry of baptism in Aenon (based on the Greek word for “fountain”) near Salim (the Hebrew and Aramaic term meaning “peace”). Both places were undoubtedly familiar to first-century readers.

John’s wilderness disciples (of which John and Andrew were previously two of them) had been engaged in the ministry of baptism, which drew inspiration from the Old Testament and the ceremonial washing of Gentile converts. Furthermore, Pharisees had raised ritual purification to high art, so John’s activity would naturally spark many theological discussions. However, the specifics of this particular conversation are not crucial to the Gospel writer; the confrontation merely called attention to a problem, as the Baptizer’s disciples saw it. So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.”

John’s response demonstrates why Jesus considered him the greatest man since Adam. Not only did John avoid following his ego into a trap, but he also corrected his disciples by clarifying four points:

All leaders serve at God’s pleasure (3:27).

John’s ministry had always been to introduce Jesus as the Christ (3:28–30).

Jesus Christ is the author of truth; opposing Him opposes reality (3:31–34).

The Son of God is the supreme ruler of all that exists; opposing Him is to choose His wrath (3:35–36).

John is absolute in his statement. Taking it literally or applying it to anything imaginable is no mistake. Authority, grace, income, possessions, even our next breath—all these things and hundreds more are gifts above and beyond anything we deserve. Everything belongs to the Lord, who has the sovereign right to give or take as He desires, including the authority to lead. Because all authority derives from God’s sovereign choosing, no leader can legitimately claim any entitlement to their position. Those who claim to exercise authority by “divine right” fail to acknowledge their duty to God and become guilty of pride.

John must have been incredulous that his disciples failed to hear his primary message or understand his very purpose for being. He had clearly stated that he was not the Messiah, (anointed one) but the forerunner. He then drew upon a familiar first-century image to explain his attitude, which should have also been that of his disciples.

In ancient Near East culture, the “friend of the bridegroom” was more responsible than the “best man” today. In addition to helping the bridegroom prepare his home for the eventual day when the bride would come to stay, he helped direct the wedding feast at the end of the engagement period. One of his most significant duties was guarding the bridal chamber during the feast, especially after the bride had slipped into the room unnoticed by the guests. No one except the groom was allowed to go near the bridal chamber. When the “friend of the groom” heard the groom’s voice heading to the chamber, he stood aside. His joy was complete when the groom arrived.  Once the groom entered the bridal chamber, to consummate the marriage, the friend’s mission was now complete. It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

3:31–34

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not have His origin on earth. While He is completely human in every respect, He is not merely human. We came into being upon human conception; Jesus Christ has no beginning because He is of heaven of divine conception. Consequently, the truth He proclaims is firsthand knowledge, not something he received from some other source. The Baptizer reminded his disciples that their shared mission was to proclaim the truth of God. That is our mission/occupation also. One cannot proclaim the truth and oppose the Word, who is God. So likewise, to believe Jesus is to affirm the truth of God.

John the Baptizer concluded his correction of his disciples with a chilling warning. The Greek term translated as “wrath or judgment” is orgē.

A God of love must also have the capacity for anger. However, the wrath of God is not the kind of bellowing anger we have come to associate with abusive people. John described the Creator’s response to sin using the Greek word orgē, which means “upsurging.” When used to describe wrath, it is a passionate expression of outrage against wrongdoing. In this context, it pictures God's passionate, righteous anger cresting the walls of heaven and spilling over onto earth. And while it is indeed a passionate, upsurging response, it is entirely consistent with God’s character, which is also love. Without question, His wrath is fearsome, yet it is also controlled, deliberate, measured, and ultimately just. His wrath is nothing less than a reasonable expression of His righteous character and His unfailing love when confronted with evil.

No Jew would admit to disbelieving God. However, because Jesus is the Word of God, failing to trust Him is the same as choosing to disbelieve God. And Hebrew history is replete with warnings and illustrations of people falling under the wrath of God for failure to believe. I refer to this as believing in loyalty. In effect, John said to his students, “Don’t forget that this ‘rival’ you are prepared to oppose is none other than God in human flesh; to oppose Him is to rebel against the Almighty.”

Billy Graham is a more modern-day example of a person's impact on the Kingdom of God.  Over 58 years, he preached at 417 crusades worldwide in 185 countries and territories, reaching 84 million face-to-face people and 215 million by satellite feeds.  Graham was a spiritual adviser to U.S. presidents, and he provided spiritual counsel for every president, from Harry S. Truman (33rd) to Barack Obama (44th).  One of his biographers has placed him “among the most influential Christian leaders” of the 20th century. Because of his crusades, Graham preached the gospel to more people in person than anyone in the history of Christianity. God blessed him with a long life as he died at 99 on February 21, 2018.  Although he was undoubtedly human, and I am sure he had flaws, he always directed all success and fame to Jesus Christ.

Success exposes a man to the pressure of people, thus tempting him to hold on to his gains through “fleshly” methods and practices and let himself be ruled wholly by the dictatorial demands of continuous expansion. So success can go to our heads, and will, unless we remember that it is God who accomplished his work, that God can continue to do so without any help, and if any of us need to be taken out of the picture, God’s will is accomplished through others.

History has affirmed that Billy Graham was a reasonably great man himself. However, it was his reverence for Jesus Christ that made him so. Like John the Baptizer, he recognized his need to decrease so that the Son of God might increase.

When I hear someone described as “great” at something, such as music, sports, writing, leadership, or some other endeavor I admire, that’s my cue to watch and learn. I want to know what they do right. For example, according to Jesus, John the Baptizer was a great man—more remarkable than any other person in history. So I want to know what made him great with an endorsement like that!

This portion of the narrative describes John’s reaction to a prickly situation in a leader's life: another leader's success. Jealousy and envy among pastors and churches are rampant, even today. Because difficulties often reveal a person’s character, this incident provides an opportunity to observe John up close and then glean several principles that will help us imitate his kind of greatness.

First, all leaders serve at God’s pleasure (3:27). Everyone at one time or another has been overlooked, ignored, underappreciated, or unjustly passed over for a promotion or an honor. It’s difficult to watch another succeed, especially when you are stuck in a cycle of setbacks. The success of another didn’t threaten John. On the contrary, he rejoiced in it. In doing so, he echoed the psalmist, who wrote in Psalm 75:6-7,

or even from the wilderness—

should raise a defiant fist.

 It is God alone who judges;

He decides who will rise and who will fall.

That’s an essential perspective to keep when you’re struggling to succeed, even more so when you’re on top of the world. All who serve do so at God’s pleasure.

Second, joy comes from serving God, not one’s title or job description (3:28–29). Let’s face it: Titles and job descriptions are important to many in our culture. Pride craves the approval of others, and people in powerful positions get plenty of applause and affirmation. John, however, refused to fall into that trap. Instead, he found joy in serving His Lord, fulfilling a role that brought glory to God rather than himself. John’s illustration describes a groom's best friend delighted to have completed his task and then stepping aside for the groom.  Titles and honors come and go. Our relationship with the Lord will stand forever, bringing more joy than we can describe.

Third, genuine humility calls attention to Christ, not oneself (3:30–34). Some Christians have a sad misconception that genuine humility stems from feelings of worthlessness. They mistakenly think that “decreasing” self will “increase” Christ. Frankly, that sounds more like depression than joy. Truth be told, the focus of attention is still self.

John regarded the exaltation of Christ as the source of his joy. “The only hope of a decreasing self is an increasing Christ.” Don’t waste time trying to decrease yourself by looking super-humble. That’s focusing on the wrong object. You’ll dig into a hole trying to act humble, appear humble, and sound humble. Before long, you’ll be the proudest one in the church. Instead, stand aside. Forget yourself as you exalt Christ. Turn glory toward Him. And without your ever knowing it, humility will have emerged naturally.

As you seek to apply these three principles, beware of two common traps: envy and jealousy. People often confuse these two fears/because of the dread of not having/fueling both.

Envy languishes in self-pity because it doesn’t have what others have.

Jealousy rants in paranoia because it fears losing what it feels unworthy to own.

John the Baptizer avoided both traps. He clutched nothing and released everything to the Lord: his following, popularity, and will. He recognized that God owns it all and deserves all the glory. He knew we find the greatest joy in fulfilling our purpose: “to glorify God, and fully enjoy Him forever.” Is it any wonder Jesus considered John the Baptizer, the greatest person?

Next we will learn about Water for a Thirsty Woman. Please read John 4:1-42 in preparation for next week’s message.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you next time for more wisdom from God’s Word!

Today we continue our Good News series according to John the Apostle. This message is the dialog between Nicodemus and Jesus Christ.  Like last week’s cleansing of the temple, we should note that this episode occurred later in Jesus’s public ministry. However, because it is crucial to John’s overall dialog, he placed it early in his version of the Good News.

Here we meet a man confused in his religion. If Judaism had an office like the pope, Nicodemus (Greek for “conqueror of the people”) would have been the ideal candidate. As we observe his encounter with Jesus, we discover that he possessed three outstanding qualifications that made him one of the most impressively religious men alive.

“Now there was a Pharisee” (3:1). The term “Pharisee” most likely meaning is “separated one.” Many trace their roots to Daniel and his three friends while in exile in Babylon. They refused to partake of their captors’ food (Daniel 1:8–19) or worship the king as a god (Daniel 3:1–30). Having been taken from the Promised Land and cut off from their temple, they clung to the Law to preserve their identity as distant sons of Abraham.

But after more than six hundred years, this admirable loyalty to nationalism and devotion to the Law had taken on a life of its own. Pharisees had become a tight-knit brotherhood, a political and religious party that had earned the respect of their fellow Jews. They were meticulous expositors of Scripture and worked tirelessly to apply the general principles of the Law to everyday life. For example, the Law stated that every Israelite set aside the seventh day of the week to rest the body and refresh the soul (Exodus 20:10–11). /So that everyone would know how to apply the Law in their culture and “rest” as they should, the Pharisaic rabbis added a long list of specific prohibitions. Later, this oral tradition of the Pharisees would be preserved in the Mishnah document, which contains twenty-four chapters on how to keep the Sabbath. That’s a bit overboard, I would say.

No one rivaled the Pharisees in being religious. No one could!

Before the Jews were exiled to Babylon, a king ruled the nation of Israel. After returning to the Promised Land, they were subject to foreign governors, and looked to the high priest for leadership. By the first century, when Rome dominated Israel, the high priest shared power with a council of seventy men who had experienced politicians and notable religious figures. This ruling council of “elders,” called the Sanhedrin, served as Israel’s Parliament/Congress and Supreme Court.

Not only was Nicodemus a devoutly religious man, but he was also a leader of religious men. “Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.”

“You are Israel’s teacher” (3:10). John uses the definite article, indicating that Nicodemus was more than merely one teacher among many in Israel. There was no rabbinical position, or political office called “Israel’s teacher,” (A Teacher of teachers). This was the general opinion of his peers. Jesus found irony in the man’s reputation, suggesting Nicodemus was regarded by most to be the preeminent voice of religious teaching in Israel.

Since Nicodemus came to see Jesus under the cover of darkness, he was concerned about being seen with Him. In John’s Gospel, the images of night and darkness are menacing (9:4; 11:10; 13:30; 19:39). Previous open confrontations with Jesus in the temple proved to be embarrassing for the religious leaders, so his peers may have sent Nicodemus to negotiate privately. Nevertheless, Nicodemus’s opening lines show all the grace and dignity of a man on a diplomatic mission. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

It’s also possible he came in all sincerity to investigate the popular and controversial rabbi from Galilee, perhaps in the spirit of professional courtesy, if not personal curiosity.

John may have summarized this conversation for brevity while keeping the general flavor of the encounter. However, Jesus quickly bypassed the flattering approach and cut straight to the heart of the matter. Nicodemus was no ordinary Jew sitting before Him; he was a remarkably astute theological mind. And Jesus saw through him with supernatural, spiritual X-ray vision.

Jesus put before the teacher a theological proposition, using fresh terminology. This phrase is the first instance of “born again.” This concept was not familiar to scholars of the Hebrew Scriptures.  The Greek word anōthen, translated as “again,” can have several meanings, but the most common rendering is “from above.” Similarly, I might say to someone, “I received help from above,” meaning God helped me. However, it likely has an intended double meaning, bringing both “from above” and “again” together to illustrate a profound truth.

Physical birth is our mode of entrance into the world and brings the potential equipment for adjustment to the world. It passes from one kind of life and from one environment to another. “To be born again,” or “born from above,” means a transformation of a person so that he is able to enter another world and adapt to its conditions. To belong to the heavenly kingdom, one must be born into it. Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God. Moreover, our own physical birth is not something we can accomplish ourselves. We cannot conceive ourselves, and we cannot become ready for birth independently. Physical birth results from two people deciding to procreate and joining their bodies as God designed. Spiritual birth is similar in that the newborn is not able to bring about their own birth; it must be done on their behalf. But, unlike physical birth, spiritual birth is strictly the work of God, as John wrote in his prolog (1:12–13). But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

Jesus made this different kind of birth a requirement for citizenship in the “kingdom of God,” a phrase rarely used in John’s Gospel. As a politician, Nicodemus cared about the crisis in Israel; God’s kingdom had been reduced to a province of Rome. Furthermore, he expected the Messiah to be a military commander and political ruler, transforming Israel into a dominant world and economic powerhouse. This new requirement grabbed his attention, and his demeanor shifted dramatically. He dropped his flattering facade and engaged Jesus in thoughtful debate.

When Nicodemus heard the new requirement, “must be born anōthen,” he deliberately focused on the “again” nuance of the phrase. Perhaps with tongue in cheek, Nicodemus stretched the image out of shape. Don’t forget; this is no imbecile sitting across from Jesus. Nicodemus is a brilliant theologian, skilled in debate, addressing what he undoubtedly saw as a young upstart. His question said, in effect, “‘What a ludicrous proposition!’’What do you mean?’ exclaimed Nicodemus. ‘How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?’”

Of course, this was not Jesus’ point at all. Nicodemus’ perspective was limited to the earthly plane, the physical dimension. To help the old theologian see, Jesus offered two illustrations (3:6–8 – wind, and 3:14–15 - snake). To twenty-first-century Westerners, both appear more cryptic than those living in the first. Nevertheless, the concepts would have been very familiar to Nicodemus.

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. The ministry of John the Baptizer was well-known to everyone in Jerusalem, including this rabbi, Nicodemus. John called Jews to a “baptism of repentance” in which Jews were to come to God as if for the first time, as Gentile converts. But remember—John’s baptism was only a symbol of new life (1:31–33); the baptism of Jesus is a baptism of actual life … abundant life, spiritual life, made possible only through the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, connecting the concepts “born anōthen” and “born of water and the Spirit” should have sparked the rabbi’s memory of a familiar Old Testament promise in Ezekiel 36:24–28.

Unless one is born “from above” through the cleansing work of the Spirit of God within, one cannot enter God’s kingdom.

Jesus’ first illustration reveals a radical difference between religion and regeneration. His second illustration (3:14–15) explains how regeneration works.

Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” Religion is man-made. Regeneration is God-made.

Let’s give Nicodemus credit. While many rejected Jesus outright, Nicodemus tried to understand Jesus’ message and wrestled with the issue of His identity. The smooth-talking statesman had become a stammering pupil. On the surface, his problem appeared to be a lack of understanding, but Jesus dug deep to find the real source of his struggle. Note the progression:

“[You] … do not understand…” (3:10),

“You do not accept…” (3:11),

“How will you believe…?” (3:12).

First, Jesus was incredulous that spiritual matters would be so foreign to the mind of Israel’s leading spiritual teacher. If the shepherd is blind, the flock is doomed!

Second, the real struggle for Nicodemus and the people he represented was their refusal to affirm the truth of eyewitness testimony. There was no stronger evidence in the ancient world than the corroborating testimony of multiple witnesses.

Third, Jesus acknowledged that spiritual realities are more difficult to believe than truths that can be perceived with the senses; nevertheless, credibility is the heart of the matter. Who are you going to trust?

Finally, Jesus claimed to be an eyewitness to heavenly truths, seeing what physical eyes cannot see. A human cannot physically ascend to heaven to witness spiritual realities, but God can descend physically to testify to humanity. Not only can God come to earth as a man, but He did also come to earth as a man. Jesus used the familiar Old Testament idiom “Son of Man” to refer to Himself.

“Son of Man”

Jesus frequently referred to Himself as “Son of Man,” a significant title with roots deep in the soil of Israel’s Scriptures.

More significantly, “Son of Man” is the title given by Daniel to the messianic figure in his vision. He was “One like a Son of Man,” who received from the “Ancient of Days” everlasting dominion over all the earth, to rule as its king (Daniel 7:13).  By no coincidence then, the title “Son of Man” appears thirteen times in John’s Gospel (John 1:51; 3:13–14; 5:27; 6:27, 53, 62; 8:28; 9:35; 12:23, 34; 13:31) and consistently in conjunction with Jesus’ claim to deity. It was Jesus’ way of identifying Himself as the sole Messiah.

Jesus drew upon a familiar episode in Israel’s history (recorded in Numbers 21:4–9) to illustrate how regeneration occurs. When this episode occurred, the Israelites had experienced God’s miraculous deliverance from slavery in Egypt: ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, a pillar of cloud, and a pillar of fire to lead them. Yet they began to grumble and complain. Eventually, God decided to discipline His disbelieving, disobedient people with an affliction of venomous snakes. As people started to die, Moses interceded. In response, the Lord instructed him to fashion a bronze snake and set it on a pole so that those bitten could look up at it. He then promised that the venom would lose effectiveness when a person looked upon the bronze representation of their affliction (Numbers 21:8–9). Just as God had promised, the plan worked. Not only did the people survive the affliction, but they also gained a powerful object lesson in repentance.

The Israelites’ experience in the desert foreshadowed what Jesus did for everyone when He was “lifted up” on the cross. When we acknowledge our sin, take complete responsibility for our guilt, and come to the Lord for healing, the poison of evil (sin) loses its power to kill.

Because Nicodemus was thoroughly familiar with Old Testament Scripture and knew Israel’s history of disbelief well, this brief allusion prepared him to see the spiritual truth he had been missing all his life. It was not a new truth; it had been plainly visible for any who desired to see:

John 3:16 is perhaps the most well-known verse in all of Scripture, and for a good reason. The truths contained in this summary statement are life-altering, even for earnestly religious ones. So let me examine the verse phrase by phrase from the NLT. I have labeled this The Good News on Five Fingers.

“For this is how God loved the world.” While a holy God must punish sin in accordance with justice, He does not delight in destroying what He created and crafted with such care. God is the Author of life; sin is the cause of destruction.

“He gave his one and only Son.” The Greek phrase translated “one and only” is monogenēs, which was an idiom based on an ancient custom called “primo/gen/iture.” Put simply, the eldest son in a family, the “firstborn,” was entitled to receive the greatest share of the inheritance. But He received everything if he was the only son, “the only-born” (monogenēs). As often happens in language, a familiar expression gradually loses its literal meaning as it becomes more common in legal or technical circles. For example, a “writ of habeas corpus” is a legal document that says the government must have evidence of a crime before arresting someone. Habeas corpus is Latin for “you have a body.” While the expression originally applied to murder cases, it eventually became a general principle for any alleged crime. In the same way, the term monogenēs lost its literal connotation in favor of the legal meaning: “sole heir.” So, monogenēs is best translated as “one and only.”

“So that everyone who believes in him.” The Greek term is pisteuō, “to believe as true, to trust, to place confidence in.” Eternal life flows like water when one trusts in God’s gift rather than merit. What simplicity!

To Nicodemus, a man who spent most of his life honing his religious skills, meticulously fulfilling every perceived expectation of goodness and righteousness, this news could have come as either a tremendous relief or an exasperating disappointment. Pride is the determining factor.

“Will not perish.” “Perish” is translated from the passive form of the Greek word apollumi, meaning “to be destroyed, to be utterly lost.” Trusting in the Son of God saves the believer from the penalty of sin. This is a promise. Good deeds cannot secure the promise, and moral failure cannot nullify it. God’s grace saves us through faith alone. What security!...

Today we continue our Good News series according to John the Apostle. This message begins with the miracles of Christ.

This chapter begins with Jesus attending a Cana wedding; while there, he helped the groom’s family avoid embarrassment and social shame. But Jesus’ simple act of kindness was much more—it was a sign.

The next day in verse 1 (NTL) most likely means on the third day (NIV) after the events of 1:45–51, where they had traveled to Galilee. So it was probably the third day after He arrived in Galilee. Regardless, Jesus was again in the region of His upbringing. Cana was about four miles north of Nazareth, and this was quite likely the wedding of a close family member, possibly even one of his half-brothers. This would explain His mother’s proactive role at the feast.

Weddings in those days were different than they are today in the West. The parents arranged marriages in the ancient Near East, a contract was prepared, vows were spoken in the synagogue, tokens were exchanged, and then the man and woman returned to their respective homes. Although legally considered married, they lived apart during an engagement period, which lasted no less than two months and could be as long as a year.

At the end of the waiting period, the groom would take to the streets with his friends, usually at night, in a torch-lit procession from his home to the bride’s home in a grand parade accompanied by pomp and color and singing. After speeches of goodwill and blessings were pronounced over the couple, the groom took his bride home, where family and friends feasted for as long as a week. The groom’s family was expected to provide enough food and drink for everyone.

The family hadn’t planned well for this particular wedding feast, and the guest drank more than expected. After all, Jesus had brought five extra guests, and it was not uncommon for unexpected guests to show up. The family didn’t have enough wine to serve their guests the entire time, which was a significant breach of etiquette. In the East, hospitality is considered a sacred duty and, sometimes, a cause for legal action if withheld! Nevertheless, something needed to be done, so Mary turned to her oldest son for help.  You can’t help but wonder if Jesus performed miracles growing up before his public ministry began, so his mom knew his capabilities.

In verse 4, six words or phrases need explanation, mainly because the language and culture are foreign and could lead to misinterpretation.

“Woman, or Dear Woman …” To all husbands and sons: I encourage you to avoid this term of address. It doesn’t go over well in English. However, in the culture of first-century Galilee, it was very polite, much like addressing a woman as “Yes, Ma’am.”

“Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” The Greek behind this phrase is based on a Semitic expression; in the NIV, it is translated “Woman, why do you involve me?”

“My time has not yet come.” Jesus references His “time” or His “hour.” Eight times in John’s gospel, He says the time or hour has not yet come (2:4; 7:6, 8, 30; 8:20; 12:23; 13:1; 17:1). These expressions are always references to the time of His glorification.

Mary knew before conception that her son was the Messiah. For years, she and Joseph endured scorn, ridicule, and misunderstanding for apparently conceiving Jesus during their engagement. For decades, she waited patiently to share her wonderful secret with the world. She likely saw the present crisis as a perfect opportunity for Jesus to burst onto the political scene, stir the people to action, and begin His campaign to claim the throne of David.

Jesus’ response clarified three misconceptions.

First, the Messiah’s glory would come at the expense of His death, not as the result of a dazzling show of power.

Second, the Messiah’s glory would come from God, not people.

Third, the Messiah’s glory would occur on the Father’s timetable, not anyone else’s.

Mary may not have understood the full significance of her son’s correction, but she got the message: He knows His destiny, and He’s in charge.

The fact that Jesus did act and that it was by supernatural means tells us that He didn’t object to His mother’s request. On the contrary, having addressed her misguided motivation, He was delighted to help the host family. He instructed the servants to fill six stone water jars weighing 20-30 gallons each. This amount would provide more than 150 gallons of wine. That’s enough for 2400 one-cup servings.

To understand the background context. By this time in history, turning water into wine was a clichéd, sleight-of-hand parlor trick. Today would be like pulling a rabbit out of a top hat. Conjurers in pagan temples used special pitchers with hidden chambers to create the illusion of pouring water or wine at will. I see Jesus revealing His sense of humor in choosing to solve the family’s problem by doing what others could merely simulate. He left no room for trickery. While he stood back—perhaps even while reclining at the table in the other room—the servants handled the jars, fetched the water, and drew the sample. Then, the miraculous transformation occurred somewhere between the jars and the wedding coordinator.

Note that the provision of wine was abundant, and the quality was excellent. Take note of the Lord’s motivation: This was a simple act of kindness done in love for His friends or family. He didn’t make this a sideshow spectacle. It appears the only people who knew about it were those who had already believed in Him as the Christ. The “headwaiter” didn’t even know what had happened.

John concludes the essay with a comment and a transition to the next scene. He calls this miracle of Jesus the first of many “signs.” The supernatural display of power attested to His identity as God. Moreover, it symbolized what He had come to do: to transform all who believe in Him. While the time for Jesus’ “glory” had not come, His disciples witnessed it nonetheless. And their faith was strengthened as a result.

Afterward, Jesus and His disciples—five of them at this point—enjoyed a time of family reunion in Capernaum, roughly 18 miles northeast of Cana. Because Mary’s husband, Joseph, is not mentioned in any Gospel after Jesus’ twelfth year (Luke 2:41–52), most interpreters conclude that he had died. Mary probably lived with one of Jesus’ half-brothers.

Let me set the stage as we move into this next section on Jesus clearing the temple. We are used to reading a book or watching movies chronologically through the story. Have you ever read a book or watched a movie where they jump back in forth in time as part of the movie? Several of the books in the Bible were written that way. Unfortunately, an unknown period of time had passed after the wedding; we have no way of knowing how long.

 

Unlike Luke, whose chronicle reads more like a traditional history—chronological and event-driven—John’s narrative is more philosophical and driven by a central theological purpose: to prove that Jesus is the Son of God. Therefore, some episodes appear way out of chronological order, organized by topic rather than by time or place. It is like arranging your picture albums by events instead of chronologically.  Like summer vacations, graduations, or birthdays.

The remainder of John’s chapter 2 is such an example.  The other Gospel accounts of Jesus clearing the temple occurs after Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. (Matt 21, Mark 1, Luke 19)1 So either the temple clearing was recorded twice, or John pulled that story from near the end of Christ’s ministry and inserted it here. John’s account of Palm Sunday and Passion Week does not include this story, although it does include him going into the temple where the voice of God spoke.   So as you study scripture, be aware that it does not always follow a chronological storyline. John does the same thing in revelations, which cannot be read chronologically.

This is one such storyline whose symbolism fits much closer to Passion Week. In John’s Gospel, the Feast of Passover is a signpost along the journey through Jesus’ life, and it plays a crucial role in the narrative. Earlier, John the Baptizer called Jesus “the Lamb of God” (1:29, 36). John does not use the term again, but he does use symbolism to identify Jesus as the true sacrificial lamb and the ultimate fulfillment of the Passover festival.

Passover goes back to the time in Egypt when Moses was instructed to prepare a lamb a certain way and to honor the Lord’s presence by spreading its blood on the lintel and doorposts of every Israelite’s house. So when the death angel moved through Egypt to take the life of the firstborn male in each household, he passed over every home bearing the blood of a sacrificial lamb.

By the first century, the festival was very different. It hardly resembled the solemn event of Israel’s exodus from bondage in Egypt. The priesthood was wholly corrupt, and the priests’ greed had polluted the temple. The outer courts of the temple complex had become a mixture of flea markets and stock markets. This so-called “Annas Bazaar” was named for Annas, a godfather-like figure who once held the office of high priest but had been deposed by the Roman government more than fifteen years earlier. Since then, he ruled through a successive series of puppet priests, most of them his sons, and continued to run a well-established con game on a grand scale. Put bluntly, he was corrupt to the core.

Throughout the year, but especially at Passover, all Jewish males were expected to visit the temple, pay the tax required by the Law of Moses, and sacrifice an animal. On Passover, the sacrifice was to be a lamb, and as always, it had to be without blemish or defect. Moreover, the tax had to be paid in shekels, not in foreign currency, which bore images forbidden by the Law.

Annas and his cronies set up stations in the temple courts to exchange foreign currency for shekels—for an exorbitant fee. Then, he supplied sacrificial animals, for which he charged the top price. If someone brought his animal, an inspector would judge it unfit and offer another in trade … for additional cash. Undoubtedly, the inferior animal would later become another man’s “superior” sacrifice. What a racket!

During the Passover festival, the population of Jerusalem would swell to more than 250,000 men. Josephus put the total number of people (males and their families) close to three million! Obviously, the money-making potential of the temple was staggering.

This setting is what Jesus had seen each year as He and His family visited the temple to celebrate festivals, observe sacrifices, and glorify God. But, this year, like all the others, He found not a place of worship, but a shameless sham—a shrine to greed and a sanctuary for thieves. But, this year, especially if it was at the climax of his ministry, something was different.

Jesus’ disciples stood back—probably in stunned silence. Mouths wide open, they stared astonished as Jesus tossed furniture like toothpicks and slung coins like seeds. (Bullwhip) The lash of His whip sent livestock scurrying behind their unclean owners as the true temple Owner’s voice (Jesus Christ) echoed through the courts, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” And the disciples remembered Psalm 69:9, “Passion for God’s house will consume me.”

Once the commotion died down, the inevitable confrontation came. Jesus was not surprised. He knew it would happen … and where it would lead Him. The religious leaders knew the Scriptures too. Concerned with the issue of authority—just as they were with the Baptizer in the Judean wilderness, they demanded (18), “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.” John uses the term “sign” here, just as in 2:11, because Jesus was not opposed to offering a miracle as a seal of authenticity under the right circumstances (2:23). However, the burden of proof was not His to bear in this case. He was not in violation of the Law. His actions were not blatantly immoral. The rightness of His actions was authority enough. So instead, Jesus gave them a veiled response (19). “‘All right,’ Jesus replied. ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up.’” Only a perceptive hearer would comprehend it, and none of them qualified. His disciples didn’t understand His true meaning until after His resurrection.

Just as Jesus expected, the religious authorities took His challenge literally. But, unfortunately, they completely missed His point.  The temple was constructed to be the dwelling place of God—not that God needs a structure! God is omnipresent, present everywhere simultaneously. Therefore, he ordered the temple constructed to house the unique manifestation of His presence, a supernatural light called the shekinah, “glory.” In the Old Testament, this light appeared in a burning bush on Mount Sinai and as a pillar of fire in the wilderness. When the Tabernacle was constructed—and later the temple—the shekinah hovered over the ark of the covenant behind a thick veil in the most holy place. The Lord did this to benefit His people and affirm His presence among them as their only God.

Unfortunately, because of the people of Israel’s repeated and persistent failure to worship Him exclusively and because of their immorality and rebellion, the shekinah had long ago departed. While God’s love for Israel never faded, and He continued to guide the nation after its return from exile, the temple had not been the dwelling place of God for centuries. When Jesus challenged the religious leaders, it’s as though He were pointing to His chest to say, “I AM the authentic dwelling place of God.”

John concludes this part of the story on a positive note. While the religious leaders had remained defiant and rejected their High Priest, many others believed. John adds that those who believed did so by “observing” Jesus’ signs.

John tells the story of Jesus cleansing the temple in Jerusalem to establish three primary truths:

God owns His temple, not priests. He called priests to steward the temple and help people approach Him as He commanded.

God’s Word is the only authority recognized in the temple, not the high priest or any other designated position. Therefore, anyone acting contrary to His Word has no authority.

God’s Son came to claim ownership of the temple, and the religious “authorities” rejected Him. This point is repeated often in John’s narrative and ultimately leads to the final rejection of Jesus as the Messiah.

This incident also illustrates a practical truth for believers: God’s temple is a sacred ground, a dedicated place of meeting between the Lord and His people. In the Old Testament, the Lord used a physical structure for that purpose: a tabernacle, which the Hebrews called the “tent of meeting,” and then a permanent building in Jerusalem. The Lord was particular about reserving everything in the temple for worship. Once Jesus...

Putnam Church Message – 02/13/2022

The Gospel of John – Part 2 Presentation Of The Word – Five Guys Who Followed In Faith

Today we continue our Good News series according to John the Apostle. This message focuses on the first five of Jesus’s twelve disciples.

Before we examine these five guys, let’s read John 1:35-51.

Most of us can remember what was referred to as the Cold War, which was never more frigid than during the 1970s. It seemed that nothing would stop the creeping spread of communism. One by one, capitalist nations in Europe, Asia, and Africa either crumbled before the Soviet military or fell under the spell of socialism.

Few in the United States feared a military assault from the East. Instead, the genuine threat of communism would come from within. Fortunately, the Soviet Union gradually fell, and some falsehoods were exposed. We have seen, though, in recent years, that there is still a strong influence in many democratic nations, including our country. These ideologies have infiltrated much of academia, media, and politics, which continue to promote them, but more in more subtle ways.

As Christ-followers, we must also realize that there is much corruption and thirst for power and wealth among many who actively fight against the false promises of communism and socialism. Neither ideology (socialism or capitalism) will bring world peace or utopia. Only when the Good News of Jesus Christ changes hearts will we see true and lasting change in the world. This change does not require the rich and powerful, or ruthless dictators, to happen. As citizens of God’s kingdom, we should have great expectations that the world can and will change as we diligently build His kingdom.

In today’s passage, Jesus set out to change the world, beginning with a handful of unremarkable men. And from the beginning, He had great expectations.

Last week and this week, our focus is on John 1:19–51; one might think the apostle John had torn four pages out of his personal journal as he wrote his account about John the Baptizer and Jesus (Red Journal)

1:19—“This was John’s testimony …”

1:29—“The next day John saw Jesus coming ...”

1:35—“The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. …” (one of which was John the Apostle)

1:43—“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee…”

He presents four consecutive days in simple, chronological order based on his personal observation of the events. On the first day, John the Baptizer announced the imminent revelation of the Messiah. On the second day, the Baptizer identified Jesus as the Messiah. On the third and fourth days, Jesus called His first five disciples, which the Gospel writer describes in quick, rapid-fire succession.

With each encounter, there is the presentation of truth. Then an initial response from the hearer and a decision to believe and follow. The pattern is set for all who follow Christ. Each response to the truth is as individual as the man, and the Lord engages each man individually. It is a 1:1 engagement.

In this first encounter, Andrew and another disciple, not mentioned, but by inference, was the apostle John who had been following the wilderness preacher, John the Baptizer. When they saw their mentor (JB) point to Jesus and then declare Him to be the long-anticipated Hebrew Messiah, the man who would save the world from sin. Immediately, they moved toward Jesus to learn more.

The phrase “they followed Jesus” is both literal and figurative. Jesus was walking somewhere, and the two men trailed after Him. In the ancient world, disciples literally “walked after” a teacher to observe His life and listen to His teaching. When Jesus noticed the two men, He asked, “What do you want?” which was to ask, “What are your intentions?” In other words, “Are you here to ask a question, or are you indicating a desire to become my disciples?” When they asked Jesus where he was staying, they confirmed their intention to follow Him from then on.

I love His response: “Come, and you will see.” Such simple words would have lifelong meaning.

In John 1:38–39, John uses one of his favorite terms three times. The Greek word menō means “to stay, live, remain still, and endure.” Later, Jesus commanded His disciples (probably in Aramaic) to “abide in Me,” which John renders in Greek using menō.

Andrew and John remained with Jesus the rest of the day because they would arrive at where he was staying at 4 p.m. Because the hour was late, they likely reclined at Jesus’ table for a meal, talked into the night, and lodged with Him until the following day. It must have been magnificent for them to spend those hours alone with the God-man Himself!

After leaving the home of Jesus, Andrew’s first act was to find his brother, Simon. Although Simon was a principle owner of a fishing enterprise in Galilee, more than 70 miles north of Jerusalem, he was undoubtedly nearby, perhaps visiting the temple. Andrew announced that he had found the Messiah and brought his brother to see Jesus. (Andrew had a habit of introducing others to Jesus; see 6:8–9 and 12:20–22.).

When Jesus looked at Simon, He immediately looked intently at him. We can only guess what He saw or why He said what He did. Jesus changed the man’s name from Simon, derived from the Hebrew word shama, “to hear.” His name would be changed to Kepha, the Aramaic word for “stone.” (John transliterated the name as “Cephas” for Greek readers). However, Greeks would know him by their word for “stone,” Petros, or Peter.

John’s narrative never thoroughly explains the significance of this encounter or the reason for the changed name. However, it is certain: Jesus saw people not as who they were, but as who they would ultimately become. And the same is true today…for you and me.

After meeting Peter, we are told, “The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee,” which was a journey of about three days of difficult walking. John, Andrew, and Simon were all residents of the same fishing village in Galilee in a town called Bethsaida. This town was also the home of Philip, who was probably in Jerusalem for the same reason as Peter. John doesn’t tell us how Jesus knew Philip. All we know is that Jesus looked for him with the express purpose of calling him to be a disciple. He apparently followed without hesitation or reservation.

Philip’s first act as a disciple was to find his friend Nathanael. Philip identified Jesus in three ways:

“We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about!”

“His name is Jesus.”

“The son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

Of course, Jesus was not the physical son of Joseph, and the Gospel writer knew this. Philip either spoke in ignorance at the time, or he meant “a member of the Joseph household.” Surnames (last names) were not common in the ancient world. People were most commonly identified by their family association (even enslaved people) and their place of origin. Jesus was from Nazareth and was reared in the household of Joseph.

Earlier that day, Nathanael sought solitude in a fig tree's shade. The Talmud (the collected writings of Jewish scholars on practical living) encouraged men to meditate under a large tree, reading and reflecting on the Scriptures, at least once each day. Nathanael was likely doing just that. Philip’s description of Jesus would only influence a man who had studied “the Law and the Prophets” and was looking for the Messiah.

Nathanael’s response seemed incredulous: “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Nazareth was considered a no-account town, not far from Bethsaida.  (It would be like what many DC politicians think of WV). Recent archaeological discoveries suggest the town housed a garrison of Roman soldiers. Where you find a town full of bored soldiers, you find a nesting ground for vice and immorality. In addition, many Jews believed that contact with Gentiles rendered them ritually unclean. Philip said, “Come and see for yourself.”

Jesus didn’t rebuke Nathanael. Instead, He peered into the man’s soul, and “As they approached, Jesus said, ‘Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.’” Then, to help Nathanael overcome his sincere skepticism, Jesus offered a small measure of supernatural evidence. The dialog continues, “‘How do you know about me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, ‘I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.’”

The response was both immediate and enthusiastic. “Then Nathanael exclaimed, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!’” Nathanael’s confession reveals a remarkable depth of understanding and an impressive breadth of scope. He understood both the theological and practical implications of Jesus’ identity. He is both the Son of God and the King of Israel.

So now we have introduced the first five of the twelve disciples, Andrew, John, Simon, Philip, and Nathaniel.

Throughout history, the disciples have been presented as saints, which creates a particular holier-than-us image that can leave us feeling inferior. As a result, we have churches named after St Andrew or St. John. We see statues of St. Peter and St. Philip. They seem larger than life. How can we ever measure up to that?

As we learn the biblical account of these “saints,” we find out they are pretty ordinary folks with their share of problems, just like we have. They were far from the flawless specimens of perfection we tend to imagine. Instead, they were like us. Confused, called to fulfill roles far beyond their abilities, weighed down by all sorts of flaws, and hindered by individual quirks. But, they were saints, just like you and me!

In time, the disciples became great men of God. The Lord chose, transformed, equipped, trained, and empowered them to make disciples of all nations. All they did was believe and follow. Even we can do that!

Nathanael’s heart was prepared to receive the truth because he had been earnestly studying the Scriptures and searching for the Messiah. So, once Jesus removed a legitimate obstacle to belief, (Nazareth), Nathanael believed at once. Others will be quite the opposite; the most astounding displays of supernatural power will not move some people to believe because they stubbornly reject the truth standing before them.

As his dialog continues with Nathaniel, Jesus’ final words in this episode reveal His ultimate purpose for coming into the world.

(Led Zepplin may have sung about the stairway to heaven, but Jesus Christ is that stairway.)

Jesus bridges the great schism that sin created between heaven and earth. Verse 51 references Genesis 28:12, in which Jacob dreamt of a ladder stretching from earth to heaven and angels using it to move between the separated realms.

Jesus announced that He is that ladder. What had been a dream is now a reality. Undoubtedly, this held special significance for Nathanael, as a son of Jacob, a sinful man, and an earnest student of “the Law and the Prophets.”

Throughout this segment of John’s narrative (1:35–51), the Greek word heuriskō, “to locate by searching,” appears five times:

Andrew found Simon, claiming to have found the Messiah (1:41).

Jesus found Philip (1:43).

Philip found Nathanael, claiming to have found the Messiah (1:45).

Ironically, it’s unclear who found whom. From a human perspective, the men found one another. However, each man's heart had been providentially prepared for the moment that Jesus met him.

The Gospel writer’s primary purpose was not to outline different models of evangelism; however, it is worth noting the various means by which the first five disciples were found and brought to faith in Christ. Their stories highlight an important truth: no one method of evangelism will be effective for all because we are different. This passage illustrates four popular means of calling individuals to follow Jesus Christ.

Mass Evangelism (1:35–39)

“Mass evangelism” refers to one gifted person proclaiming the good news to audiences who have not yet received the gift of eternal life. John the Baptizer was the evangelist of the first century. And he pointed to Jesus Christ and proclaimed, “Look! There is the Lamb of God! –Follow Him.”  More recent examples include John Knox, John Wesley, George Whitefield, Dwight L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham. They preached to large gatherings of nonbelievers, and multitudes were converted and became disciples of Jesus Christ.

Personal Evangelism (1:40–42)

Personal evangelism occurs when a person shares the good news of Jesus Christ with a friend or loved one. It is perhaps the most common and effective means people come to know the Lord, because they hear the gospel from someone they already know and trust and respect. Unfortunately, personal evangelism is dreadfully underutilized. Many believers fear the dreaded question, “How can I be saved?” So they would instead invite others to church, or better, hire someone else to do evangelism. It doesn’t have to be uncomfortable; live your life as a citizen of God’s kingdom with the fruit of the Spirit evident (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control), and others will notice.  All we need to do is be prepared to answer for the hope that is in us.

Contact Evangelism (1:43–44)

Contact evangelism, like personal evangelism, occurs when one individual shares the gospel with another. Only in this case, the two may not have established a rapport. We have no contact between the two men before Jesus “found” Philip. It is quite possible the Lord had been talking to Philip for several days or weeks and then called him to become a formal disciple. However, it is equally likely that “found” is John’s shorthand for a first-time conversation that resulted in Philip’s immediate decision to believe. Upon his belief, Jesus called him to follow as a disciple.

I wholeheartedly believe in “divine appointments” in which a person’s heart is prepared, and the Lord places a willing messenger in their path. Contact evangelism doesn’t seek to convince another to believe; contact evangelism merely assists a willing heart to receive the gift of eternal life. However, belief may not occur right away. Many people who became Christians later in life admit to hearing the gospel many times before believing.

Word Evangelism (1:45–51)

The power of God’s Word dare not be underestimated. So many people have come to know the Lord merely from reading Scripture, recognizing their need, and kneeling in prayer alone, even before setting foot in a church. In 1898, two traveling business people recognized the power of the Bible to penetrate the hearts of nonbelievers. They then founded an organization best...

Putnam Church Message – 02/06/2022

The Gospel of John – Part 2 Presentation Of The Word – A Man Sent From God

Today we continue our Good News series according to John the Apostle. This message focuses on the forerunner of Jesus Christ, John the Baptizer.

Before we examine the one who announced the light of the world, I will read John 1:19-34.

John the Baptizer is a shadowy figure in the minds of many Christians. Most could fit all they know about him on one side of a 3 × 5 card with plenty of room to spare. Clearly, he baptized people. Some know he lived in the desert and subsisted on a diet of locusts and honey. Those interested in theology realize he was the forerunner of the Messiah. But, unfortunately, that is about all most people know. Yet Jesus said of him in Matthew 11:11, “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!”

The Gospel of John gives us very little information about the man, where he came from, and what he was like. This is, of course, intentional. Nevertheless, the lack of information serves an essential purpose for John, which we will soon discover. We must look to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke for details.

Dr. Luke, a physician by training, was interested in the humanity of the men and women surrounding Jesus. John was born the only child to an aging priest, Zacharias, and his post-menopausal wife, Elizabeth. His birth attracted the attention of everyone in the Judean hill country, not only because it was miraculous, but also because John was set aside from day one to be a Nazirite. He was not to cut his hair, touch anything dead, or partake of anything from the grapevine—no wine, grapes, or raisins. Even before his conception, God had chosen him as the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah.

Luke 1:15

John the Baptizer didn’t grow to manhood in a palace court. Instead, Luke 1:80 says, “John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.”  John grew up among dust, rock, scrub bushes, heat, and the scarcity of everything, including food and water. However, in those difficult days of silence, solitude, and simplicity, John communed with the Author of truth. He lived by the foundational principle of God’s kingdom—a standard Israel failed to heed centuries before.

Deuteronomy 8:3

When John came out of the wilderness to confront and convict the nation of Israel, how different he was from the religious leaders, that people were used to hearing!

Mark 1:6

So while the Sadducees, Pharisees, chief priests, scribes, and Herodians were robed in finery and nourished with meat and wine, John stood in contrast with frugal living and leathery skin from the sun. His message was just as unadorned and unyielding as his appearance. So when Sadducees and Pharisees, practitioners of hypocritical religion, came to him for a showy baptism of counterfeit repentance, he would have none of it…and he told them so!

Matthew 3:7-9

The religious elite hated him! And they would have killed him were he not protected by the wilderness and surrounded by growing multitudes of people who were genuinely repentant of their sins.

While John the Baptizer was as extraordinary as any human could be, he was a man nonetheless. Therefore, John the Apostle introduces him as simply “God sent a man, John the Baptist.” John 1:19–34 will show us what made this mere man, remarkable.

The issue of truth was essential to the apostle John—it repeatedly appears in his account of Jesus’ ministry on earth. In this first episode, John the Baptizer is challenged by “the Jews,” the religious leaders who ruled Israel through the temple in Jerusalem. Their principle concern was his authority: Who has the right to proclaim the truth? Take note of their questions and John’s answers:

(19-20) “Who are you?”  He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”

(21) “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “No,” he replied.

(21) “Are you the Prophet we are expecting? No.”

(22-23) “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself” John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:  “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”

(25) “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”

Their real question was, “Who do you think you are?” According to the world’s standard, whoever wields the greatest power has the right to determine the truth and who can proclaim it. But according to the standard of Scripture, only worthy people can be a source of truth, and we should only listen to those who live according to God’s precepts.

This strange-looking, ultra-dogmatic wilderness preacher was a mystery to the religious elite. This man, who preached in the rugged regions of Judea, claimed neither power nor worthiness. The thought of celebrity turned him off. Consequently, as noted in the verses, he took great care to strip himself of all credentials. He refused to make himself of any account, choosing to clarify his role. He said, in effect, “I am not the source of truth; I simply bear witness to the One who is the Truth.” John fiercely denied being the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet.  The wilderness preacher was indeed a genuine prophet; however, he was not the Prophet.

Having run down the list of known possibilities, the religious leaders continued to press the issue by asking if John were some other authority, perhaps someone they failed to anticipate. Again John denied any personal credentials. Nevertheless, the bizarre-looking man was clear about his role, and the Gospel of John faithfully reflects his message.

John 1:7–8

John 1:15

John 1:23

To avoid any mistaken notion that he was of any importance whatsoever, John described himself as merely “a voice.” Not as a prophet, though he was one. Not as a remarkably worthy man of God, though he was. Not even as a man to be noticed, though he was certainly that! “Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.” He was simply “a voice.”  That is what we are called to be, also.

John, the Baptizer’s self-description in verse 23, was drawn from a well-known prophecy (Isaiah 40:3), drawing upon a familiar image. When a monarch traveled to a particular region, it was rarely unplanned. A forerunner would first go and announce the imminent arrival of the king. The city would then be prepared, and the route cleared of anything that would slow the king’s chariot or make the journey unpleasant. The forerunner was simply a voice, having no authority of his own. If people chose to heed his message, it would be because they revered the coming king.

The Pharisees cared most about rules, regulations, rituals, and rights. They established themselves as religious authorities and jealously guarded their power. So they were disturbed by John’s boldness, in baptizing people without the proper credentials, regard for the proper use of the rite, and following their established procedures.

Let me explain why the religious leaders seemed so concerned. Jewish baptism was a rite where a new Gentile converts to Judaism was ceremonially immersed in pure water as a symbolic, once-for-all cleansing from sin before entering the Hebrew covenant community. It was supposed to be administered by priests, not by a wild-eyed, locust-eating firebrand from the wilderness. It was intended for Gentile proselytes, not Jews already born into Abraham’s covenant with God. It would be done in pure water in the temple or synagogue, not the muddy Jordan River. But these were all artificial rules.  They asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”

John gave the rite of baptism a new application. He called Jews to a baptism of repentance, saying, “Because of your sin, you are outside of Abraham’s covenant with God. Therefore, you must repent like a Gentile and come to God as if for the first time.” As a result, they came in droves! Nevertheless, John admitted that his baptism was merely symbolic and quickly turned the discussion away from water baptism itself—which pointed to the Messiah—toward the One he had come to announce. After all, he was merely a witness to the truth, not the source of truth. He was only the lampstand, not the light, and so should we be.

We cannot know the precise location of John’s ministry along the Jordan River; (bulletin picture); we know that he baptized near Bethany (the east side of the Jordan River). Because the Jewish ritual of baptism at Gentile conversion involved complete immersion, John likely chose a slow portion of the river where the waters ran at least waist-deep.

The day following John’s selfless denial of any credentials and his relentless deflection of glory away from himself, the moment for which he had been born suddenly arrived. He saw Jesus and identified Him, not as the King of Israel, the Prophet, or even the Messiah. Instead, he proclaimed, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” This proclamation references the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:1–13) and Isaiah’s messianic imagery (Isaiah 53:7).

John’s honesty is startling. On the one hand, he freely talks of his receiving revelation directly from God—a privilege reserved for prophets—and on the other hand, he admits that he did not recognize his relative as the Messiah. According to Luke 1:36, their mothers were related, so their families must have mingled before. Undoubtedly, Elizabeth told her son the story of Mary’s visit many times throughout the years. Yet, he did not “recognize” His true identity.

Jesus Christ, though equal with God in every respect, did not appear to be an extraordinary man on the surface. He was a man among men, a Jewish son of a Jewish mother, reared in an obscure town far from the center of religious activity. Nevertheless, he was remarkable in that He had never sinned and was extraordinary in His understanding of Scripture and spiritual matters. Still, He possessed none of the traits we expect from the religious leaders of his day.

But make no mistake; He is the Word, the Author of truth in a human body. However, no one recognized Him as He stood among His fellow humans. No one connected the dots. And let’s be honest: Truth often stares us in the face.  We have the entire written revelation of God, and we fail to acknowledge Him as Christ.

We know from the other Gospels that John baptized Jesus, but the apostle John leaves it out of this account. The incident was undoubtedly well known to him and his audience, and omitting it serves his purpose better. Moreover, in describing this scene, he has taken great care to stress Jesus Christ’s superiority and emphasize the Baptizer’s role as a witness. Perhaps this is why we see the phrase “baptize in water” three times in connection with the Greek word oida, “to know, to recognize.”

Just as light was a classic image of truth, water had long been a symbol of life. John’s baptism in water was merely symbolic of what was to come, and it took place in the context of spiritual blindness. So then, Jesus, the Word, stepped onto the scene baptizing with water and the Holy Spirit—authentic, abundant life—thus proving His identity as the Messiah. The genuine source of truth has arrived, and He baptizes in eternal life. There can be no more convincing proof of His true identity than this.

The Gospel writer closes the episode, as he opens it: This is the testimony of John the Baptizer in verse 34, “I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”

John the Baptizer said, in effect, “Christ is the light; I am merely the lampstand.” The purpose of a lampstand is to hold up the light so that everything around it is illuminated. No matter how expensive or beautiful a lampstand may be, it’s useless without a light. This is a crucial distinction when serving God in ministry, one the religious authorities in Jerusalem didn’t understand. John, however, never forgot his role and his purpose. He refused to let anyone overlook the message by focusing on the messenger. And that is what made him an exceptionally extraordinary man among men.

Our application is that we are Common People with an Uncommon Message.

As I reflect on the witness of John the Baptizer, this strange Elijah-like figure calling to Israel from the wilderness, I observe four truths that are helpful for us today, as each of us are a citizen of God’s kingdom, doing kingdom work.

First, John was extraordinary, but he was only human. The unusual wilderness preacher was a remarkable man in most respects. He rejected most of what his contemporaries would have considered reasonable comforts.

This gives us hope. John had the Holy Spirit dwelling within him; those in Christ have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. John was given an extraordinary, countercultural message from God, and so are we. We all have the opportunity to be uncommon men and women because the Lord has given us every advantage John enjoyed. Remember what Jesus said about John (and us) in Matthew 11:11, “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!”

Second, John was a lamp, but he was not the light; he was a voice but not the Word. While John amassed a large, loyal following, he never allowed his admirers to mistake the messenger for the message. That is why it is vital that the ministry here at Putnam does not center on a single individual but that we realize all of us are messengers for the message. We may have different functions, but we are one body.

Third, John was useful, but he was not indispensable. Those who become “successful” in ministry, specifically those who attract a significant following, face a particular danger. If they are not careful, they begin to believe their press; that is, they allow the well-intentioned encouragement of others to become the basis of their perspective. And it isn’t long before they believe they are indispensable to the Lord’s work.  Let’s face it; cemeteries are full of people who thought they were indispensable.

Putnam Church Message – 01/30/2022

The Gospel of John – Christ Is the Eternal Word

Today we continue our new Good News series according to John the Apostle. This message will present Jesus Christ as the author of all creation.

John’s prologue offers four reasons to believe that Jesus Christ, the Word, is God:

The Word is eternal; He had no beginning, and He will have no end (1:1–2).

The Word is the Creator; all things were made through Him (1:3).

The Word is the Source of life; nothing remains alive apart from Him (1:4–13).

The Word, though completely human, fully reveals the Father (1:14–18).

Before we examine these reasons in detail, I will read John 1:1–18 in the NLT. Take note of John’s deliberate progression from infinity and eternity down to the single individual, Christ, in whom all that is infinite and eternal resides. I would recommend keeping this passage open as we go throughout the message today.

The Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He existed in the beginning with God.

God created everything through him,

and nothing was created except through him.

The Word gave life to everything that was created,

and his life brought light to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness can never extinguish it.

The Word is eternal; He had no beginning, and He will have no end. In eternity past, before the beginning of anything—space, time, matter—in the indefinite expanse of timeless existence, in the beginning, He that had no beginning, “the Word” was existing in an eternal, infinite “present.”  The NLT is a literal rendering of John’s first sentence. In the beginning, the Word already existed.

Why is this so important? Because John carefully crafted these initial sentences to establish an essential truth. He chose his words carefully and arranged them precisely to leave no room for misunderstanding. Before any conceivable point in the eternal past, the Word already existed. The Word, therefore, has no beginning. The Word has always existed.

Later in the prologue (1:14), we learn that the Word is Jesus Christ. The Greek term “Word” is logos, a profoundly significant concept among philosophers for at least three centuries before Christ. It referred to an uncreated divine mind that gives meaning and order to the universe. John essentially co-opted the concept, saying in effect, “The concept pagan philosophers have theorized about, actually exists; He is God, and Jesus Christ is He.”

John describes “the Word” by saying He was with God. When used in this particular manner, the Greek preposition pros represents familiarity. “The Word” and God the Father were existing closely together, sharing place, intimacy, and purpose. The intimacy and closeness were such that “the Word was God.” The Word and God share the same essence; therefore, all that is true of God is true of the Word.

Psalm 90:1-2 came from the pen of Moses, and it celebrates the eternal existence of God, who has no beginning—unlike His creation.

you have been our home!

Before the mountains were born,

before you gave birth to the earth and the world,

from beginning to end, you are God.

A good paraphrase would render the idea this way: “From the vanishing point in the past to the vanishing point in the future, You have existed, Lord.”  God is, at both points, unaffected by either.

Time marks the beginning of created existence, and because God never began to exist, it can have no application to Him. “Began” is a time word, and can have no personal meaning for the high and lofty One that dwells in eternity.

This is what John expresses about the Word. Then, to underscore and summarize his point, John adds, He existed in the beginning with God. In that eternal existence before time, the Word and God were together, and they were, in their essence, the same being.

In 1:1–2, John states that the Word is Deity and then makes his case from the standpoint of time: Only God is eternal, and because the Word is eternal, He is God. In 1:3, the apostle establishes the deity of Christ from another perspective: creation. In the ancient mind—Hebrew and Gentile—everything that exists can be placed into two distinct categories: Created and Not Created.

Anything “not created”— anything not brought into being—is deity. For the Hebrews, only God was “not created.” Therefore, anything said to be “not created” is God.

Why is John’s prologue so important? Because false teachers—starting in John’s day and persisting even now—claim that Jesus Christ is not God, coeternal and coexistent with the Father in eternity past. Many claim that He was the first created being—that the Father brought the Son into existence, and the Son then brought everything else into being. A third-century false teacher, Arius was fond of saying, “There was a time when He was not.”  Today, this teaching is the official doctrine for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Both organizations have translated John’s prologue to suit their theologies. If you think that sounds like nonsense, you’re right. It is nonsense!  The Son of God could not have made Himself. Therefore He is God, and He created all things.

With this ancient worldview in mind, let’s reread John 1:3 carefully:

“God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.”  John emphasizes the phrase “created through him,” which he uses repeatedly. Anything that was “created through him,” had a beginning. At one point, it did not exist, and then it began to exist. John takes us back to eternity past, far beyond Genesis 1:1, to say that the Son of God was already existing. With our understanding of the triune God, we see all three elements of God were active in creation (Father, Son, and Spirit). He brought everything else that exists into being.

John’s Gospel does something not done by the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Matthew traces Christ’s genealogy back to Abraham. Luke traces His roots to the first human, Adam. But John reaches beyond them to the creation of the universe. John states that in Jesus Christ was life and light, two images Moses used about God in Genesis 1. The Creator spoke the universe into existence and then filled it with the light of His truth (Genesis 1:3). The Creator began filling the earth with life: vegetation, sea creatures, birds, land animals, and His crowning achievement, humanity. Finally, he breathed His own life into the man and woman, who were created as His imagers.

John says, in effect, “In the beginning, God the Son created humanity and filled them with life. He then came to earth as a human to bring life again to humanity, which is spiritually dead because of sin.” While it is true that John did not specifically mention the fall of humanity (see Gen. 3), it is safe to assume that by the end of the first century, the doctrine of human depravity was well understood by most. Nevertheless, John did highlight our desperate need for salvation by describing the world’s reaction to the appearance of Life and Light.

John declares in verse 5 that “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” The primary meaning is “to seize,” “to attack,” “to overpower,” or “to hold without losing grip.” However, as often happens in language, the literal definition eventually led to its symbolic use, “can never extinguish it.” “The darkness did not overpower the Light; nothing can stop the light from shining.”

In the end, darkness could not diminish the Light, even by placing the Light in a tomb. The following verses appear to stress the mental deficiency of the darkness: its unwillingness to believe and, therefore, its inability to be illuminated by the light. So then, as the story of Jesus unfolds, John will show that truth is nonsense to a mind darkened by sin.

In verses 6-8, John the Baptizer, the man Jesus called the greatest of all the prophets (Matthew 11:9–13), was no match for the darkness. Like Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and all the luminaries of the Word throughout the centuries before him, John the Baptizer failed to enlighten humanity. After all, they were only human. Therefore, the only hope for humankind was the Source of Light, who can illuminate every mind because He is more than human.

When Moses wrote the creation story, he drew upon the literary symbol of light to communicate an important truth. Immediately after forming space and matter, the Lord filled the void and formless earth with literal light, but not merely illumination. Before He fashioned physical sources of light on the fourth day—the sun, moon, and stars—He filled the universe with the light of His presence, with truth, the foundation upon which everything else would be built. Before giving the world order (the beginning of fixed time by dividing day from night, sky from earth, dry land from the ocean), the Lord suffused every atom with His truth so that everything would reflect His character. These creative acts began the space-time continuum as we know it.

One day, it could be soon, or centuries later, God will recreate what He began with the original Eden. However, His plan will not be delayed this time as God establishes a global Eden where heaven and earth are combined, where we will work, rule, and reign in the presence of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. In this new Eden, we will not require the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them” (Revelation 22:5). Evil will be gone, and all of creation will again reflect what we are told in 1 John 1:5, “God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.”

John 1:9-13 can be troublesome at first glance. It would seem to contradict what John had just declared in 1:5: verse 9 reads, “The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” In a future message, when we explore John 15, John’s point becomes more apparent. Now that the Source of light has come to earth and illumined humanity's minds, no one can legitimately claim ignorance. All who do not believe are without excuse. That is why, before His arrest, Jesus told His disciples in John 15:22-25, “They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’”

Let me illustrate John’s point another way. Every modern house is connected to an electric grid, providing the energy to illuminate every dark corner. However, people in these homes can choose to live in the dark. The light is available, but it isn’t compulsory. The Source of light has come to the world and has illuminated all minds; however, many choose to draw the shades and shun the light. Now that Christ has come, belief or unbelief is no longer a crisis of the intellect (if it ever was); it is a crisis of the will and choice. When a darkened mind chooses to remain in darkness, no one is to blame but the individual making that choice.

Many have rejected the light, but many have chosen to receive it through faith—the choice to believe in Jesus Christ. John foreshadows the teaching of Christ in John 3:1–21 by declaring that those who have chosen to believe are “children of God” as the result of supernatural birth from above. Natural birth is the result of two humans choosing to procreate. By contrast, spiritual birth is the result of God’s sovereign choice.

The truth of Christ’s dual nature, His unblemished deity, and His complete humanity are essential theologically, but it’s also crucial in a practical sense. John’s gospel reminds me of an important truth when I am tempted to shake a fist at the heavens or wonder if God is cruelly indifferent while innocent people, especially children, suffer down here on earth, I have to remember this fact. When Adam brought sin into the world, and death with sin, as we are told in Romans 5:12, the Lord could have incinerated the world as a just punishment. He would have been no less holy or righteous. But He didn’t.

Furthermore, when we sin—as individuals and collectively as humans—God has every right to turn His back and say, “Fine. Run the world your way. The mess you make of it is yours to bear.” But He doesn’t.

On the contrary, the Creator voluntarily became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ, who suffered as we suffer, tempted as we are tempted, and endured injustice as we will never know—yet without sin. I am comforted to know that God understands and empathizes. Through His incarnation, we can appreciate His compassion more fully. Because He lived and died as a human, we can more easily understand and accept that, in His resurrection, the Son is for us even when we feel abandoned, mistreated, or punished by God. The Word, though completely human, fully reveals the Father.

John’s terminology was boldly offensive to these false teachers. He says, in effect, "The Word became meat." He lived among us in the material world. We literally saw Him, heard Him, and touched Him. So in 1 John 1:1, the apostle puts it in absolute terms: “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.”

In the Old Testament, God didn’t remain abstract. Having revealed Himself in several ways, dreams, and visions, as supernatural fire amid a bush, as an otherworldly glow above the Ark of the Covenant, at times took on a human physical manifestation. Those times differed from when God became fully human from conception to death.  A flesh, blood, and bone human being who could be seen, heard, touched, and even smelled. The Son of God became a tangible representation of the Father in all His glory. If we have trouble understanding God the Father, we need only look to God the Son for all we need to know. Or, to summarize John 1:14: So the Word became human (flesh) and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

People have always wondered, “What’s God like?” You could have observed His visible presence throughout Jesus’ thirty-plus years on earth. As Jesus conducted ministry in Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. Today, people struggle to know who God is and what He’s like. We can point to Jesus Christ and say, “Get to know Him, and you will know God.”

Let’s apply the Five Qualities of Authentic Faith contained in John 1:1-18.

First, genuine believers are not too independent to admit their own needs. Throughout John’s narrative, those who needed healing, forgiveness, or enlightenment understood their helplessness and came to Christ for help. While pride kept many in their sin, others’ vulnerability allowed Jesus to perform miracles.

Trust in the Lord should translate into vulnerability with others. Only when we trust the Lord enough to admit our weaknesses and inadequacies will we enjoy intimacy with the people He has given us as a blessing.

Second, genuine believers are not too busy to know the people around them. People, not tasks, are the priority of believers living out their faith in truth. Authentic trust in Christ recognizes the value of others, despite their failures or shortcomings, and devotes adequate time to know them well.

Third, a genuine believer isn’t too proud to rely upon God’s Word. Most churchgoers do their best to obey the Scriptures they know. However, true faith pangs of hunger to know as much about God’s Word as possible because it doesn’t trust itself. Genuine trust in Christ remains humbly devoted to knowing what He thinks about life and how He would have us live.

Fourth, a genuine believer doesn’t rely solely upon their perspective. Genuine believers have no trouble admitting the continuing impact of their sinful natures, and they do whatever is necessary to nullify its influence when making decisions. They...

Putnam Church Message – 01/23/2022

Today we begin a new Good News series according to John the Apostle. This message will examine John's identity and why he was unique among all Apostles. Have you ever started reading a novel, and you go to the last page of it to see how it ends before reading it?  That is what we will do today, so turn with me in your Bibles to John 21:24-25.

John had lived long enough to see it all, from the beginning to the end. As a bold, blustering young man, the idea of tramping around the wilderness of Judea after John the Baptizer appealed to him a great deal—so much so, that the young fisherman left a thriving fishing enterprise in the hands of his brother, James, and abandoned his privileged status for the Baptizer’s diet of locusts and wild honey…and for the chance to help prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah. He helped the forerunner of the Messiah baptize thousands of repentant Jews. He supported the strange, Elijah-like figure as he called down judgment upon the corrupt leaders of the Jewish people.

Then, finally, the day came when John saw the long-awaited Anointed One. He looked nothing like what John had imagined, but the declaration of his wilderness mentor, John the Baptizer, was unequivocal: This was the One. He and another of the Baptizer’s disciples decided to get a closer look, to follow Jesus home, to hear what He had to say about Himself and Israel. Before the next day's dawn, he knew: They had found the Messiah.

John's few years with Jesus flew by like a flash of lightning, yet remained vividly clear in his mind for more than seventy years. During that short time with Jesus, he saw the man he thought would be a conquering super-David, the Savior of Israel, stripped, beaten mercilessly, and hung on a cross like a petty thug. He saw the sky darken as the world's Light faded into death. Then he saw his hope resurrected to assume a more glorious form than he ever could have imagined, and he stood in awe as the presence of God filled the group of squabbling, self-promoting disciples and transformed them into the body of Christ—the bones and muscle, hands and feet of Christ.

Then, as the blood of his martyred brothers and sisters yielded new believers, John nurtured them. As Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Apollos, Luke, Timothy, Titus, and other missionaries zealously expanded the church westward, John anchored its foundation. As critics bashed, John defended. As imposters subverted, John exposed them. As false prophets misled, John refuted their heretical message. He condensed his teaching into three letters (1–3 John), originally circulated within Asia Minor churches around AD 65.

Having outlived all his martyred peers, John was exiled by Emperor Domitian to the nearly barren isle of Patmos. There he saw the world’s future all the way to the recreation of a worldwide new Eden where heaven and earth will combine as one. Then preserved everything he heard and witnessed in “The Revelation,” which he sent as a letter to the churches of Asia Minor that were under his care. After Domitian’s death in AD 96, John rested in the care of the church in Ephesus, which in turn enjoyed his gentle, grandfather-like shepherding.

The Synoptic Gospels, written as early as the AD 50s by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, had been staples of church teaching for decades. They told the story of Jesus from different perspectives, yet they included many of the same events, primarily taken from Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. Decades later, when the elder John was in Ephesus, the church was no longer a budding movement, but an established community and system of thought. The challenges were different than when Christianity was in its infancy. The danger came less through physical attacks or religious opposition, and more through philosophical corruption and theological compromise. Furthermore, the biography of Jesus lacked a much-needed cosmic dimension.

So, in the final years of John’s life, after he had witnessed the most significant period of history the world has ever known and with the nearness of death giving memories an urgency to be shared, John wrote of his Master. “That You May Believe”

The Gospel of John is a masterpiece of storytelling. It is charming in its simplicity and challenging in its depth, a rare work of literature that fun-loving children and deep-thinking philosophers can share equally. John’s God-breathed account of Christ’s earthly ministry uses such elementary Greek, it reads like a child’s primer and is often one of the first books novice learners of (Greek-Koiné) learn to translate. Yet philosophers and theologians spend lifetimes trying to fully comprehend the profound truths John presents.

 

John’s Gospel presents God as Father more tenderly than any other book in the Bible. It boldly and unambiguously establishes the dual nature of Jesus Christ—fully God and fully human, perfectly united in one person. And it reveals the mystery of the Holy Spirit, unlike any other Gospel. Moreover, John’s narrative provides many practical lessons to guide the believer through life. Several passages come to our rescue when leading someone to faith in Jesus Christ, while others bring comfort and consolation when burying a cherished loved one. The Gospel of John teaches us about our increasing estrangement from the world and our deepening intimacy with the Almighty. We begin to appreciate the priority the Lord places on unity in the family of God.

Despite its intricacy and complexity, the Fourth Gospel is usually the first book of the Bible to be read by students and new believers. Martin Luther marveled over the dual nature of John’s writing, admitting, “Never in my life have I read a book written in simpler words than this, and yet the words are inexpressible!”

John’s approach is deliberate. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he carefully crafted each sentence to unveil the fascinating mysteries of heaven in simple language, and he painstakingly chose which facts to relate to and which to leave out. In his own words, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written,” John 21:25. Rather pen a document that quadrupled the size of the Old Testament, he chose the “less is more” approach. Instead of overwhelming us with volumes of information, he strategically chose which stories to relate to accomplish his primary purpose: “So that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name,” John 20:31.

Why do we have four biographies of Jesus when one could have done the job just as well? Why not fourteen? In reality, we do not have four Gospels; we have one Gospel from four different vantage points. We have one biography from four writers, each providing his unique perspective.

If we were to document the life of Jesus using only pictures, we could choose one of several possible methods. For example, we could use a motion picture camera to record every movement in detail, and—if the reel is long enough—replay Jesus’s life from birth to death to resurrection and beyond. The running time of the film would exceed thirty-three years of non-stop viewing! Another method would be to capture key moments in still photographs—perhaps from several angles—and tell his life story in a photo essay. The benefits would be obvious. (Show photo albums) The story could be told briefly, yet adequately, allowing time to reflect on the details of the most important moments. In the case of the Gospels, we have four albums of Christ’s life, put together by individuals who highlighted different, yet crucial, themes. Before John penned his account, these three were in circulation:

Matthew was a Jewish disciple of Jesus Christ who once earned his living as a tax collector and an official of the Roman government. Moved by the Spirit of God, he wrote a biography of Jesus from a Hebrew point of view, emphasizing the regal rights of Jesus as Messiah and legitimate King of Israel. Matthew traces Christ’s genealogy from Abraham, through King David. It’s a Jewish book written by a Jew to his fellow children of the covenant. Matthew’s primary theme: The Messiah has come.

Mark was not one of the Twelve but the son of a follower named Mary (Acts 12:12) and a close associate of Barnabas, Paul, and Peter. He presents Christ’s ministry from a practical, action-oriented point of view in a narrative frequently punctuated by the phrase, “and immediately …” This style would have appealed to the can-do Romans of the first century, who respected deep thinkers but looked to men of action for leadership. Mark’s Gospel shows Jesus as the no-nonsense God-man who came from heaven to complete a task. Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark’s primary theme: The Son of God came to seek, serve, and save. He gained much of his material from Peter.

Luke was a physician, probably born and reared in Macedonia. He was a Gentile, not a Jew. He wrote to neither the spiritually privileged Jew nor the politically privileged Roman, but to common Greeks, most of whom had no power, wealth, or hope. Luke’s Gospel highlights the humanity of Jesus, favoring the title “Son of Man” and providing details about His humble birth, His ordinary boyhood, His compassion for the poor and sick, and the global scope of His ministry. Luke’s genealogy traces Jesus’ lineage back to Adam, the father of all humanity. Luke’s primary theme: The Son of Man came to redeem all of humanity.

John certainly knew of the other Gospels and probably taught from them for many years before deciding under the guidance of the Holy Spirit that the biography of Jesus was still incomplete. The Christian world knew Jesus as the King of the Jews, Jesus as the servant, and Jesus as the Son of Man, but a need remained to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God. John wrote his Gospel so that we would know that the Son of Man is God in human flesh—completely human, yet no less God than when, “in the beginning,” He spoke the very universe into existence.

The Gospel of John provides no genealogy, illustrating the fact that Deity has no beginning. The Gospel of John offers no childhood details and retells no parables, perhaps to emphasize Jesus’ transcendent nature as God. The Gospel of John bypasses Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, His transfiguration on the mountain, His commissioning the disciples after His resurrection, and His ascension from the earth.

Instead, John writes from a philosophical and theological perspective, emphasizing the miracles of Jesus, which he calls “signs.” For John, the miracles were indicators of a supernatural happening, proving that many considered theoretical truths tangibly real. The Word had become flesh to give humanity every reason to believe and leave us with no excuse for doubt. John’s primary theme: The man we know as Jesus is none other than God on earth.

Matthew says, “This is the Messiah, the King; worship Him.”

Mark says, “This is the Servant who served humanity; follow Him.”

Luke says, “This is the only Man among men without sin; emulate Him.”

John says, “This is God in human flesh; believe in Him.”

The Crisis of Faith

John declares, in effect, “I’m not writing merely to inform. I’m not writing merely to entertain. I’m writing to stir the heart of the reader to believe.” The Greek word pisteuō, translated “believe,” appears 98 times in the Gospel of John—multiple times per chapter. But what does it mean to believe?

We are called, first and foremost, to believe in Jesus Christ. This was the intellectual and moral crisis presented to people of all kinds in John’s narrative, many of whom responded with pistis belief, complete trust. Here are just six examples of people who responded positively to Jesus’ message:

John the Baptizer (John 1:33–34)

Nathanael (John 1:46–49)

Peter (John 6:66–69)

Martha (John 11:24–27)

Thomas (John 20:27–29)

Signs and Discourses

John’s narrative is remarkable in several respects, not the least of which is its structure. The first verse of chapter 13 marks a dramatic shift in the story of Christ’s earthly ministry, so the final eight chapters read very differently from the first twelve. Chapters 1 through 12 describe an extensive, very public ministry and message, whereas chapters 13 through 21 bring us behind closed doors to witness the private ministry of Jesus. Chapters 1 through 12 carry us through more than three years, whereas chapters 13 through 20 spanning about four days (followed by the epilogue, chapter 21, which took place within forty days of Christ’s resurrection.) The first section highlights the miracles of Jesus, while the second section records His discourses with the Twelve.

JOHN 1–12 | 3+ Years | Public Proclamation | Spectacular Miracles

JOHN 13–21 | 3+ Days | Private Instruction | Intimate Discourses

John did not structure his Gospel account haphazardly. The narrative unfolds much like the Christian life itself. Our initial, intriguing introduction to the Savior leads quickly to a call to believe and follow. Understanding will come in time. This is not an intellectual decision but a moral one. Then, as we witness His power, hear His teaching, and experience life in His presence, our understanding and confidence grow. Gradually we become mature disciples, though never beyond the need for grace after failure.

In other words, John’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth is no mere biography. The Gospel of John is an invitation to believe in the Son of God, to become His disciples, to deepen our understanding of His identity and mission, to grow in maturity, and to join Him in tending His sheep.

Now let us take note of John 1:29…The next day John (the Baptizer) saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

The Good News, according to John, is split up into five parts.

Prologue - Christ, the eternal Word.

Presentation of the Word

Authentication of the Word

Confirmation of the Word

Vindication of the Word

Next our lesson will be Prologue—Christ, the eternal Word. The other four parts will have numerous messages under each part. I would encourage you to read John 1:1-18 in preparation.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you next time for more wisdom from God’s Word!

Putnam Church message – 01/16/2022

James: Wisdom Is Faith in Action – Patience in Correction

Today is the fourteenth and final message in our series on the Proverbs of the New Testament, better known as the letter of James. Last we continued in James 5:13-18, focusing on Patience through Payer. As we conclude this section on patience, we want to learn how to have Patience in Correction.

Lifeguards who have rescued swimmers from drowning, know better than most that victims tend to fight their rescuers in the hysteria of that terrifying moment. They will even pull their rescuers under the water in an uncontrollable panic. Logical reasoning should tell them that if the lifeguard goes under, so does their only hope of surviving.

But a drowning person isn’t thinking reasonably. Unfortunately, the same is often true when a believer attempts to rescue those floundering spiritually because their faith has suffered a shipwreck, and they have gone overboard.

The late well-known Professor Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary, tells the story of a young man who, after straying far from the Lord, was finally brought back by the help of a friend who loved him unconditionally. When he was fully restored, Dr. Hendricks asked him what it felt like when he was straying from God.

The man answered, “It seemed like I was being pulled farther and farther out to sea, into deep water. And all my friends were standing on the shoreline hurling accusations at me about justice, condemnation, and sin.” Then he added, “But one Christian brother swam out to get me, and he wouldn’t let me go. I fought him, but he withstood my fighting. Finally, he grasped me, put a life jacket around me, and pulled me to shore. By the grace of God, he was the single reason I was restored—the man refused to let me go.”

James doesn’t want us to let anybody go, either. Throughout his letter, he stresses the need for the faith that works. For example, he asks, “If you say you believe as you should, why do you behave like you shouldn’t?”

Now, at the climactic conclusion of the book, James instructs us on how to deal with those who believe like they should, but behave like they shouldn’t.

James has developed the theme that real faith produces genuine patience for the last several verses. But genuine patience is different from passive permissiveness. Under the excuse of “patiently waiting on the Lord,” Christians frequently stand back and “patiently” watch a fellow Christian sink deeper into sin. But, don’t forget that genuine patience is part of the more prominent theme of James’s book—Wisdom Is Faith in Action. We’ve already seen that genuine faith manifests itself in various kinds of works: in stability (1:1-27), acts of love (2:1- 3:12), humility (3:13-5:6), and patience (5:7-20). So, when handling straying saints, the genuine work prompted by real faith includes prayer and intervention. Throughout the process of confrontation and restoration, we should maintain a disposition of patient reliance on God.

In these last two verses, James addresses four practical questions. First, is there ever a time when one Christian ought to intervene and deal with the sin of another fellow Christian? Second, at what point should a Christian’s patience run out? Third, is the correction of a straying saint solely a work of the Holy Spirit, or should we step forward and become part of the solution too? Fourth, if so, how can we do this without appearing legalistic or judgmental? Didn’t James condemn this kind of judgmental attitude earlier in his book?

With these questions in mind, let’s examine his answer.

I read a true story about a teenager who took a metalworking course in summer school. In the process of that course, a tiny particle of metal flew into his eye and became embedded in his cornea. He didn’t realize it at the time because it was so small. But his eye was irritated, and it became obvious that there was a problem. His parents took him to an ophthalmologist, who quickly discovered the metal speck. So, that physician calmly rested their son’s chin on a brace, numbed the cornea, and extracted the metal particle carefully. It was agonizing for the parents to watch. They could hear the long prong give off a high-pitched ping-ping-ping as he tried to pluck that speck of metal from the young man’s eye. (The parents had to look away, it was just too difficult to watch.) Thankfully, the skilled physician removed the speck with delicate care and patience.

That story reminded me of our lesson in the Sermon on the Mount series in Matthew 7:3-5. Jesus instructed removing specks from the eyes of those whose sight has been blurred by sin: “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?  How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First, get rid of the log in your own eye; then, you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

You see, some people feel called to criticize! Even when their own life is chaos, and their own perspective is clouded by sin, they think they must point out even the most minor flaws of others. Jesus condemns this kind of hypocritical judgment of others. Like his older brother, James spoke out against those who hypocritically judge, slander, and speak against a brother or sister in Christ (James 4:11-12). In light of these warnings, we must never hastily rush into the practice of spiritual eye surgery. Only one qualified with a clear vision, refined by patience, and equipped with wisdom and humility should take on this task.

Given these essential warnings and understanding the seriousness of our responsibility for straying saints, we can work through James’s principles for handling wayward Christians. Let’s follow James’s reasonable instruction in 5:19. First, James addresses the situation of believers who have gone astray. He’s not talking about leading unbelievers to salvation, but restoring Christians who have strayed from the truth. We get our English word “planet” from the Greek word for “wandered” planaö. Unlike stars, which kept their place in relation to other heavenly lights, planets appeared to drift and wander through the night sky. In the same way, these individuals have drifted and wandered from the straight path.

The person James has in mind wanders from the truth alêtheia. That refers to the complete body of Christian truth contained in Scripture. People can stray from the truth in a couple of ways. They can wander doctrinally; that is, they can err in their beliefs. But they can also wander from the truth practically, failing to align their practice with their profession. In either case, the response of healthy believers should be the same: we should turn those who have strayed back to the truth.

The word for “brought back” epistrepho means turning around and heading in the opposite direction—a 180-degree reversal. You may recall that Jewish believers viewed life as heading in one of two trajectories, the path of life or the path of death. Believers growing in faith and good works were on the way of life. But unbelievers were on the way to death. James says that some believers, after making progress along the way of life, can stray, heading in the wrong direction. Such people need firm yet gracious intervention to avoid the discipline of God described previously in 5:15-16.

Not everybody has the right attitude for turning wayward saints back toward the right way. I read Galatians 6:1-2 earlier. It clearly describes the attitude one must approach straying saints: Did you catch it? The person who intervenes in the life of a wayward brother or sister in Christ must be spiritual, gentle, wise, and humble. The fleshly, harsh, and arrogant person has no business trying to rescue the wandering—though they are often the ones who try to do so.

I’m deeply concerned that we too often take upon ourselves the practice of digging specks from other people’s eyes without first considering whether we’re qualified for the task. If a person relishes confronting a believer, they probably shouldn’t. Furthermore, if the one facing the wandering soul assumes a holier-than-thou attitude, the intervention will do more harm than good. That approach pushes the speck deeper rather than gently plucking it out.

Let’s move on to verse 20. James assures us that we will have restored the person to the right path if we succeed at our rescue operation through patience, humility, gentleness, and perseverance. He then describes the wholesome and encouraging results of this restoration.

First, James writes, “Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death.” Given the Jewish Christian background of this letter, it seems most likely that “death” here refers to the “way of death”—a dark, “death-like” existence. In early Christian training, life was viewed as following one of two paths, as summed up in the opening line of the first-century Jewish Christian writing, the Didache: “There are two paths: the path of life and the path of death, and there is a vast difference between these two paths” (Didache 1.1). The Greek word for “path” or “way” hodos refers either to a literal road or figuratively to a lifestyle. In 5:20, James again uses the hodos to describe the wayward Christian’s lifestyle as “the error of their way” hodos. So, James has the figurative use of the term in mind—not physical death but a lifestyle characterized by death. However, some unrepentant sins could lead to sickness and physical death (5:14-16), which is viewed as the final destination of those who continue down the “way of death” without turning around in repentance.

Second, James continues, “Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” This has a double application. Not only does a person’s confession of sin bring forgiveness for the wayward path they took, but it also prevents that person from continuing farther along that dead-end path of sin and death. The damage the rebellious Christian’s personal sins have done and could still do will be covered. Peter uses the same term for “cover” kalyptö when he says in 1 Peter 4:8, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.” The intervention of loving Christians through prayer, patience, and perseverance will not only save that person from accumulating more sin and making a greater mess of this life, but also spare the church from the damage done by a wayward brother or sister.

James doesn’t fudge on his claim that real faith produces genuine patience, but sometimes we must step forward and accompany our prayers for straying saints with deliberate words and actions. In other words, patience is not an excuse for passivity; faith is not an excuse for inaction. If James has taught us anything, he has clarified that Wisdom Is Faith in Action.

If you’re considering whether to get involved in the life of a straying believer with a word of encouragement, relief, or correction, check your motives first. Make sure you’re acting out of genuine love for that person. Be sure you’ve immersed yourself in God’s Word and prayer. Finally, be ready to apply patience as you endure a long process. Most wayward saints don’t suddenly turn around with a tap on the shoulder. It can take a long, long time.

I think it’s fitting that James ends his letter with an appeal to watch out for wayward saints. His entire letter has been a plea to make certain outward actions accompany inward convictions, that our words match our deeds, that real faith produces genuine works of stability (1:1-27), love (2:1-3:12), humility (3:13-5:6), and patience (5:7-20). He has involved himself in the most intimate areas of our lives. He has done it with a spirit of conviction and care. James’s entire letter exemplified his own call to restore wayward saints to the path of life. His finale addressed to the original readers could just as easily be addressed to us: “I’ve come to your rescue in this letter and have invested my time in giving my thoughts to you in these specific areas where you were going astray. Now you do the same.” This final appeal involves three essential principles we need to keep in mind.

First, there are occasions when we’re involved in removing specks from others’ eyes, helping those who have strayed. Just as we need to be ready to receive correction when we’ve lost our way, we must be prepared to correct others. This isn’t a sign of contempt or hatred but compassion and love.

Second, the entire process must be under the direction and control of the Holy Spirit. It can’t be a fleshly ego trip. It can’t be something prompted by pride, but rather by humility bathed in gentleness. There’s no room for haste, rage, or vengeance. The fruit of the Spirit must dominate.

Third, the motive and attitude is as important as the action. Sometimes those whom we correct will respond negatively—even harshly—to our efforts. But they should never be able to condemn our hearts. When our attitudes consist of constant compassion, the repentant saint who returns from their straying will eventually see that they had been loved all along. Remember that when you “intrude” into a person’s wayward ways, you save that person from a path of destruction.

Admittedly, one of the least pleasant aspects of ministry is confronting those who stray. It’s not popular. It’s not glamorous. It’s not easy. And it’s not always received well. Frequently it leads to misunderstanding when the heart is not prepared by God to change. But it’s biblical, and necessary, and when the Spirit works repentance in the person’s heart, it can be a great blessing to both the one who corrects and the one we have corrected.

We have completed our James; Wisdom is Faith in Action series. I pray you have learned from these lessons and enjoyed them as much as I have.  I believe it is essential that we study God’s Word systematically.  This method prevents us from cherry-picking verses to fit our theology.  I struggled with which book to explore next; there are so many I would like to study with you. So I have decided that we will begin a new series next week as we start through the Good News, according to John.  It is a riveting story centered on the Life of Christ. By the end of this extended series, you will know more about the life of John than ever before, but more importantly, you will have a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ than you ever thought possible.  Next week our lesson will be on “Who is John?” I would encourage you to consider what you think you may currently know about the Apostle John, Jesus’s closest disciple.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you next time for more wisdom from God’s Word!

Putnam Church message – 01/09/2022

We are continuing our series today on the Proverbs of the New Testament, better known as the letter of James. Last week we continued in James 5 and focused on verses 7-12. This message is titled, Patience in Suffering. This week we will study James 5:13-18.

Like a car without fuel, life without prayer grinds to a halt. The prayer-starved Christian fails to shine like a lamp without electricity in a dark, desperate world. But show me a man or woman of prevailing prayer, and I’ll show you a man or woman whose faith is deep. Ernest, fervent prayer moves the heart of the omnipotent God of the universe. Yet far too many Christians fill their lives with dizzying activities, leaving no time for this crucial ingredient that can transform mere human actions into divine acts of power.

 

From the introduction to James’s letter, you may recall that James was well-known for his prayer life. He had the nickname “Camel Knees” because he spent so much time on his knees in prayer that they resembled the calloused knees of a camel. As one would expect from a book written by a man famed for prayer, the theme comes up repeatedly in the letter. In 1:5, James wrote, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” And in 4:2, he said, “Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” Now, at the climax of his letter, James develops the theme of prayer more fully.

Here in 5:13-18, James continues to develop the idea of how we are to conduct ourselves with patience as we await the Lord’s return: true faith exhibited through patience, manifests itself in prayer. In the face of every obstacle, whether sickness or sin, the correct response is prayer. Prayer reflects an attitude of genuine faith and reveals patient endurance as we rely on God to handle life’s struggles in His timing and according to His promises. As such, prayer becomes an essential mark of authentic faith.

James refers to two ends on the spectrum of life: suffering and cheerfulness. The one relates to physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual affliction. It can include disease or discouragement, doubt or anxiety, financial hardships, or relationship conflicts. In short, it includes anything that causes trouble or affliction. The response? “You should pray.”

People usually don’t have difficulty praying to God when their lives unravel. When pain increases, worry overcomes them, and events spin out of control, God finally gets His call. But in my experience, people tend to put off prayer as the last option or treat it like a time-waster that distracts them from solving the problem on their own. But James is clear: prayer is the solution to the problem. Therefore, everything we do must start with prayer.

When we pray, it doesn’t mean God immediately ends the affliction. He never promises to bring instant relief. But He does promise to provide the strength for patient perseverance. Prayer doesn’t express faith in God to deliver us from trials but to strengthen us through trials. So, when we’re afflicted, it’s time to pray.  When affliction is lifted, it leads us to cheerfulness. The response is to sing praises. James sees praise as another form of prayer, lifting our hearts in worship, thanksgiving, and honor to God for who He is and what He has done. The correct response is to turn to God in prayer and praise in all circumstances, the good and the bad. In other words, we are to pray constantly.

James next covers a significant area of prayer with which most Christians are familiar. Who hasn’t called out to God to heal from sickness for ourselves or others? Most of the prayer requests in our prayer lists seem to be about recovery from illness, surgery, or injuries. So James addresses the issue of the physically ill in 5:14-15.

The word “sick” in 5:14 has the basic meaning of “weak” or “feeble” astheneö. The New Testament often refers to physical sicknesses (Luke 4:40; Acts 9:37). But it also refers figuratively to those who are “weak in faith” (Rom. 4:19; 14:1) or to those who have a “weak conscience” (1 Cor. 8:12). In James 5:14-15, the emphasis is more on the person who is weak from physical illness. James prescribes three things for such a person.

First, they must call for their spiritual leaders (5:14). We actively inform our members through our email prayer chain.  James says that even our physical illnesses are not private, personal matters. We’re to allow the body of Christ to minister to us in our weakness along with the medical community.

Second, James prescribes a specific response by the church elders: prayer and anointing. The Greek syntax combines these two actions, one accompanying the other—“pray, while anointing with oil.” We find two distinct uses of anointing with oil in the Bible. One involves a religious or ceremonial act as a symbol for consecration, as in the anointing of David as King of Israel (1 Samuel 16:13). A more mundane type of anointing was for medicinal or hygienic purposes. As for the use of lotion for dry skin or ointments for wounds, oils were used to affect the body in specific ways. We see this use when the Samaritan pours wine and oil on the injured man in Luke 10:34. The wine cleansed the wounds while the oil soothed and protected them.

Most likely, James has the second use of oil in mind. The idea behind prayer and anointing was that the church should seek to aid a sick person's physical and spiritual needs. The medicinal use of oil provided physical comfort and promoted the healing process. Please observe that there was no conflict between prayer and medicine for James.

Third, the prescription for the physically ill was to leave the results up to the Lord. Ultimately God does the healing; he may use the oil (medicines), the elders, and the prayers. So praying “in the name of the Lord” meant praying according to His will. This, in turn, means accepting God’s plan and purpose.

It is the age-old question: Does God heal today? Of course, he can, but He may have a greater purpose behind not healing. A former pastor and Dallas Seminary president Church Swindoll created “Five Laws of Suffering,” which I will share.

These principles will help the hurting and erase their confusion about why we suffer and what God has done (and can do) about it.

Law One: There are two classifications of sin. The first is original sin is the sinful condition all humans (except Jesus Christ) inherit from Adam, who was the source and “head” of the human race (Romans 5:12). The second is personal sins which are individual acts of wrong we commit on our own because of our sinful condition (Romans 3:23). Because of original sin (the root), we commit acts of sin (the fruit).

Law Two: Original sin introduced suffering, illness, and death to the human race. If Adam and Eve had not sinned in the Garden of Eden, humanity would never have known sickness or death.  Although, likely, we would have made the same choice (Romans 5:12).

Law Three: Sometimes, there is a direct relationship between personal sins and sickness. David testified to the relationship between his disobedience and physical ailments in Psalms 32:3-5 and 38:3-5.

Law Four: Sometimes, there is no relationship between personal sins and sickness. Some people are born with afflictions, suffering before committing personal sins, or children like Hazel with Leukemia who did nothing to cause it. Others, like Job, live upright lives when suffering comes (Job 1:1-5). Jesus, Himself, never committed personal sins, yet He often suffered; therefore, He can fully sympathize with our plight of suffering in a fallen world (Hebrews 4:15; 5:8).

Law Five: It is not God’s will that everyone is healed in this life. Some believe God wants every believer to experience complete physical healing in this life. As a student of the Bible, there is no way to support that idea. Romans 11:33 says, “Oh, how great are God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” God may have a greater purpose in suffering and illness that we will never understand.

Now let me clarify two crucial points. First, am I suggesting God doesn’t heal? Absolutely not! God can—and does—heal people, sometimes instantly and miraculously, sometimes slowly and gradually.  Every time healing happens, regardless of the means, God is responsible. He is the source of life and health. Most often, healing comes through diagnosis and medical treatment. But sometimes, God can choose to heal miraculously—nothing is too difficult for Him. His healings are complete and permanent. Therefore, when God heals, there is no way any man or woman can grab the glory or take responsibility.

Second, am I stating that God uses divine healers—certain people who are especially “anointed” by the Spirit of God to lay hands on people and heal them instantly? Absolutely not!  So-called divine healers prey on those who don’t know the facts. They blame all sicknesses on sin or a lack of faith. And when their healing powers don’t work, guess who those impostors blame? The sick person who didn’t have enough faith to be healed. Tragic!

 

Let’s move on to 5:16. I want you to notice the link with the previous verse. James says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other.” He shifts from the third person (anyone who is sick) to the second person: “your sins.” James 5:16 helps us understand this whole passage regarding sickness and sin. James is saying, in effect, there may be those in our churches who are sick because of sin. Upon being called, the elders are to come and pray and wait upon God to bring about restoration. My encouragement is to preemptively rid our lives of sin so we don’t become ill. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

The context of James’s message suggests making amends with those whom you have wronged and forgiving those who have wronged you. If we do not rid ourselves of these offenses, we can become sick deep inside; our souls will become plagued by a gnawing bitterness or guilt. Letting those thoughts fester without clearing them out through confession and prayer will consume us. They’ll eventually work their way out in the form of unhealthy habits, chronic depression, unmanageable stress, underlying anger, and even physical illness. But it doesn’t have to be that way. When believers in Christ confess their sins to those they’ve wronged, their guilt will be healed. Likewise, their bitterness will be cured when they pray for those who have harmed them.

And guess what? When we have released the burdens of guilt and bitterness through confession and prayer, the garbage that has contaminated and diseased our inner life will be cleared away. That condition of righteousness before God and others will improve your ability to pray more effectively. In verse 16, James affirms, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”  Or, as it reads in the NLT, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

So far, we have seen three times when we should pray. First, when afflicted with trouble, we should pray (5:13). Second, when physically ill, we should pray (5:14-15). Third, we should pray when stained with guilt or bitterness (5:16). To conclude his practical discourse on prayer, James gives us our fourth example of praying for specific requests (5:17-18).

Remember, the context of praying for God to respond to specific requests, is that our life has been cleansed from sin through confession and prayer (5:16). If we are bogged down with guilt, bitterness, or a multitude of other sins, not only will our prayers be ineffective, but we may not even be in a spiritual state to discern what to pray for or how to pray. The righteous person has their attitude, priorities, and disposition oriented toward God’s will. That’s what causes the prayer of a righteous person to be effective and unusually powerful. The Greek word for “effective” is energeö, from which we get the word “energy.” Prayer is the ingredient that turns ordinary utterances into powerful words. James’s word for “prayer” deêsis refers to asking for a specific need. “Petition” or “request” might be better translations.

Let me offer a few guidelines on how to pray effectively.

First, it involves knowing the Scripture, and praying in keeping with the Word of God.

Second, it includes being specific, dealing directly with particular issues, and asking for specific results.

Third, it embraces absolute faith in God’s ability, timing, and wisdom, trusting without reservation that His answer to your petition will be correct.

These things characterize the prayer life of a righteous person. Small wonder that this kind of prayer “produces wonderful results.”

James illustrates this kind of prayer with the prophet Elijah (5:17-18). He reminds Elijah was as human as we are (5:17) —he was sinful, inconsistent, and imperfect, yet forgiven and equipped with gifts from above. Elijah’s specific petitions had such an abundance of power that he was able to stop and start the rain. Before you rush outside and pray for a sudden change in the weather, you need to understand the broad context of James and Elijah. Being a righteous man, Elijah knew what to pray for and when to pray for it. The Spirit specially enabled him to discern God’s will to pray for certain miraculous events to get the attention of the rulers of Israel and drive home his call for repentance (1 Kings 17-18). Today, a righteous believer can still be in tune with the Spirit’s leading and know how to pray, when to pray, and what to pray for. But even when we don’t have a clear sense of God’s leading, we can always pray for the things God has told us to pray for explicitly in the Bible.

To conclude this section on prayer, let’s remind ourselves how it fits in the overall argument of the letter. In 5:7-20, James develops how we conduct our lives as we patiently await the Lord’s return. The central theme is this: real faith produces genuine patience.  Prayer reflects an attitude of genuine faith and reveals patient endurance as we turn to God to handle life’s struggles in His timing and according to His promises. As such, prayer becomes an essential mark of true faith.

Practical Principles of Prayer

Prayer may be one of the most misunderstood and neglected blessings of the Christian life. The irony is that prayer is one of the simplest concepts to understand and one of the easiest actions to take. So let me share four simple and practical lessons I gathered from James’s profound passage on prayer.

First, prayer is to be continuous. If prayer applies to all situations and circumstances, it should be a constant rhythm in your life. It should represent the inner disposition toward God that creates a rhythm as consistent as your heartbeat or as natural as breathing. I’m not necessarily talking about a scheduled event at three or four specific times during the day, though that’s a great discipline worth considering. I’m talking about the need to communicate with God throughout the day, responding in prayer and praise to whatever occurs. Believers need to be prayer addicts. We should “suffer” from chronic prayer. Do you speak to your Lord throughout the day—or is prayer an infrequent act?

Second, prayer is designed for every part of life. Stop thinking of prayer like a fire extinguisher. It’s not to hang around in the back spaces of your mind until a crisis or tragedy strikes. Yes, prayer typically follows affliction, sickness, sin, fear, and loss. But it also relates to joy, blessing, thankfulness, and intimate conversation with your heavenly Father. Every kind of situation calls for prayer. Have you discovered the peace and joy when you respond to the Father in every circumstance?

Third, prayer is not a substitute for responsibility. Remember that James says prayer is supposed to accompany the application of medicine (5:14). Prayer doesn’t exclude intelligent action but includes it. We err when we exclude prayer from our planning and action.  But we also err when we exclude action from prayer. Don’t pray to be healed without at the same time taking reasonable steps to get healthy. Don’t ask God to protect your children if you neglect them yourself. That isn’t faith; it’s presumption. Prayer and action go hand in hand.

Fourth, prayer is not for the perfect but for the imperfect. James used Elijah as an example of the powerful prayer “Elijah was as human as we are” (5:17). You don’t need to be a prophet or an apostle to pray effectively. You don’t need to wait to be perfect before God hears your prayers. Cleansing from sin comes through prayer (5:15).

Wisdom comes through prayer (1:5-6). Specific needs are met through prayer (4:2-3). So, yes, the prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (5:16). But you don’t need to be sinless to pray. If that were so, nobody would be able to pray for anything! So, don’t wait until you’re...

Putnam Church message – 01/02/2022

James: Wisdom Is Faith In Action – Patience in Suffering

We are continuing our series today on the Proverbs of the New Testament, better known as the letter of James. Our previous message covered James 5:1-6 which dealt with  Warnings to the Wealthy, and we learned why wealth should not be our primary source of thankfulness. Today we pick up where we left off as we continue in James 5 and focus on verses 7-12. This message is titled, Patience in Suffering.

We’ve all experienced the hurt of mistreatment and misunderstanding. Such hurts come in various forms— an intolerable working situation, domestic conflicts, overbearing parents, rebellious children, a treacherous friend, a petty parishioner, and a gossipy neighbor. Our natural tendency is to retaliate—to return evil for evil, an eye for an eye. Or we bottle it up and allow a slow, bubbling ferment. But God has a better idea than either bottling up or bursting out! James reveals this alternative. He tells us what to do when we’ve been wronged and how to do it.

James 5:7 simultaneously connects and contrasts with the previous section. First, James changes his audience from “you rich people” (5:1) to brothers and sisters (5:7). You will remember that James addressed oppressive wealthy people in 5:1-6, exposing their wrongs and calling for repentant humiliation in light of the coming judgment of God. Now, beginning in 5:7, James addresses the victims of their ugliness: “Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.”

James continues with the theme of Christ’s coming in judgment when he returns a second time. While persecutors should fear Christ’s coming, believers, anticipate it through patiently enduring suffering. Don’t miss that James has shifted to believers in this section. The man without Christ is frustrated if he tries to bring patience into persecution, mistreatment, or everyday afflictions. Yet, through the work of the Holy Spirit, the believer has the supernatural ability to endure the miseries of life, whether mild or extreme. How valuable is patience!

 

The appeal to “be patient” in 5:7 governs the rest of chapter 5 until the end of James. It’s the faith-inspired response to a variety of circumstances Christians must endure in this world, from putting up with suffering (5:7-11) to responding to sickness (5:14-15), from the temptation to flippancy (5:12) to the treatment of those who have strayed into sin (5:19-20). Finally, James answers a simple question in this section: “How can I do right when I’ve been done wrong?” He answers this underlying question with four commands—two positives to embrace and two negatives to avoid. 

Be patient. James illumines the first answer to responding right when we’ve been wronged with an illustration. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. Christians should “be patient” (5:8). The word translated patience comes from the Greek word makrothymeö, referring to the ability to wait in tranquility. In today’s vernacular, James says, “When something unjust takes place, have a long fuse. Don’t blow your top. Just chill, or as Dad used to say, hang loose.”

But let’s face it, and we would instead take our offenders by the throat. God has a better plan: that we wait on Him. What does that mean? In the most ultimate sense, when Christ returns, He will meet justice on those who have persecuted His people (5:7). But patiently waiting on the Lord also has a here-and-now application. God has a way of working out His purposes and plans on an everyday scale, just as He will work out His grand plan on a cosmic scale. So, being patient in adverse circumstances means we deliberately allow God to handle the situation in His way and in His own time. Like the farmer waiting for a harvest, be patient.

Since most of us do not farm for a living, and even then, we can water the crops, we miss the meaning of the autumn and spring rains.

For thousands of years, farmers in the Holy Land have experienced an annual cycle of dry and rainy seasons. The dry season, running roughly from June through September, parched the soil. The rainy season, however, quenches the land in two six-week periods in October and November (the “autumn rains”) and then again in April and May (the “spring rains”). The autumn rains would allow the seeds to germinate. After a long wait, the spring rains would cause the plants to take root and grow. While the land was in its dry season for those five months, the farmers eagerly watched the skies for God to send rain and produce a bountiful crop.  By their very occupation, farmers must be patient to survive.

The Israelites understood that God was their Sustainer and Provider, who sent rains of blessing according to His promises (Gen. 1:11-12). On the other hand, the absence of sufficient rain was one of the curses for disobedience under the Old Testament Law (Deut. 11:13-17; 28:12, 23-24). When James likens the farmer’s anticipation of the spring rains to the believer’s expectation of the Lord’s return, he emphasizes the need for patience. The autumn rains are a symbol of our current salvation.  However, we are not yet receiving the blessing of final salvation planted in our lives by the seed of faith. Our unbreakable New Covenant promise of salvation guarantees that one day God will rain His blessings on us through the glorious appearance of His Son.

The first command was be patient. As we move on to 5:8, see the word, stand firm, or in the NLT, it says take courage. The second command relates to how we should respond when we’ve been wronged. It refers to our emotional fortitude or inner disposition. The word “stand firm” stêrizô means establishing, supporting, or fixing something firmly in place, so it’s immovable. Under stress and duress, our hearts can grow heavy, but the Spirit of God can lighten the load of a heart weighed down with pressures. Psalm 55:22 says, “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” Similarly, 1 Peter 5:6-7 tells us, “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time, he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”

Practically speaking, this is where I find the “50/20” principle helpful. I get the name from Genesis 50:20, the climactic passage on the life of Joseph. Remember the story? Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery and told their father, Jacob, that he had been killed. As Joseph’s tragic life unfolded, he went from imprisoned slave to Egypt’s prime minister. Years later, how does Joseph respond when the same brothers who had sold him down the river show up on the scene again, groveling for mercy? With the “50/20” principle: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” 

We'll retaliate unless we can see beyond the one who wronged us. That’s the natural (and carnal) response. But God works out all things for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). So we need to have a big-picture perspective. We don’t need “20/20” vision, but “50:20” vision of Genesis. That shift in perspective from our limited view of things, to God’s divine viewpoint, has helped strengthen my heart through all kinds of wrongs. Trust me—it can do the same for you.

So we have had two positive commands, be patient and stand firm.

Now let’s move on 5:9-10 and look at two to avoid.

Don’t grumble. The third answer to how believers should respond to suffering, concerns our actions toward those around us. When your circumstances try your patience and you feel discouraged and frustrated by external pressures, the subsequent tendency is to grumble. Here, James refers to a more insidious phenomenon than silently holding a grudge against those who have wronged us. He warns us not to groan, grumble, or complain “against one another” (5:9).

Isn’t it odd that when a family, business, or church suffers hardship, the community members sometimes internalize their aggression and turn on each other? Or they turn on their leadership. Or they turn on their children, employees, or pets! So we vent our frustrations on those around us. On the outside, we may appear to have patience amid suffering, but on the inside, we’ve become a tightly wound spring, exploding at the slightest touch on those nearest us.

James has already dealt with the results of this complaining spirit in 4:11-12. The one who speaks against or judges a fellow Christian will be subject to the judgment of God (4:12). Equally serious, those who point fingers and complain against others will be subject to the disciplining hand of God (5:9). The judge is standing by the door! We’ve already seen that God doesn’t judge believers with condemnation or hell (Romans 8:1). However, He doesn’t let our bitterness and lousy behavior go without discipline, just as a loving father disciplines his children for their good (Hebrews 12:5-11).

The ancient Hebrew prophets serve as an example to us of how to suffer with patience (James 5:10). “Prophets” often refer not merely to the prophetic office—people like Isaiah and Daniel—but also to the whole cast of Old Testament figures who spoke and acted on behalf of God (Matthew 5:17; Romans 1:2). Next, James zooms in on perhaps the greatest example of patient endurance under excruciating suffering —Job. Though Job endured incomprehensible personal, financial, and physical losses, he refused to give in to the revenge reflex, demonstrating his real faith through genuine patience. Finally, James reminds us that Job’s suffering was temporary, eventually giving way to an abundant blessing that reflected the compassion and mercy of God (James 5:11). In the same way, those who patiently endure hardship today without grumbling can rely on God’s promise of ultimate reward and blessing, whether in this life or the life to come. Grumbling or complaining is one habit worth breaking this year!

The return of Christ, the judgments and rewards of God, and the coming of the kingdom are repeated themes in James’s letter. Look for them the next time you read through James.

Let us now look at verse 12. Do not swear. This final command related to how we should respond when we’ve been wronged refers to our tendency to make rash decisions and promises under duress. The word “swear” omnyö doesn’t refer primarily to the use of profanity. Instead, it means to “take an oath,” to grasp onto something with our words. It’s calling God into the circumstance and presenting Him to give validity to your commitments. For example, “I swear by God I’m not lying!” Or, “Before God, I’ll do this.” Or, “As God is my witness, this will never happen!” or as country fold would say, “I swear on a stack of Bibles,” or I swear on my momma's grave.” As with several points in his letter, James got his teaching on oaths from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:34-37

We don’t know enough about the historical situation to determine exactly why they took oaths. However, we know his Jewish Christian readers were caught between Jewish and Gentile persecutors. They endured extreme religious, cultural, and economic pressures to deny Christ in their words or deeds. It may be that James’s prohibition of oath-taking related to going back on their confession of faith in Christ—or swearing allegiance to others outside the church. In this context, swearing would bring significant personal benefits—lessening suffering, persecution, hardship, or trial. But the cost would be abandoning their Savior.

I see in all this an appeal to simplicity of speech. Respond to the circumstances with a simple “yes” or “no.” Answer succinctly and with authenticity. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are full of exhortations to limit our speech.  Regarding the challenging circumstances, we find ourselves in; we’re wise to avoid long explanations, detailed excuses, and especially pious spiritualizing. This kind of overanalysis leads to stumbling in our words. We’ll find ourselves bringing God into circumstances to play a role on our terms. We’ll fall into the trap of making deals with God, promising Him all sorts of unnecessary things if He lightens the load. In the process, we think we’ve figured out what’s causing the suffering—and how we can weasel out of it. Resist this temptation to over-spiritualize and overanalyze.

Instead, stay quiet, sit back, and let God work out His purpose. Have patience.

In 5:7-12, James answers a simple question: “How can I do right when I’ve been done wrong?” His answer comes in the form of four commands: be patient (5:7-8), Stand firm with courage (5:8), don’t grumble or complain (5:9-11), and don’t swear (5:12). In light of these practical exhortations, let me suggest four easy-to-understand applications.

First, don’t focus on the situation, or you’ll get angry. Instead, be patient! Yes, you’ve been wronged. Yes, you could express your anger through retaliation. But don’t. Resist the revenge reflex and let it go. Be patient.

Second, don’t focus on yourself, or you’ll have self-pity – a royal pity party! Instead, be strong! Remember the 50-20 principle (Genesis 50:20) and pray, “Lord, I see this person not as an enemy but as a tool. They may see themselves as my enemy inflicting damage on me, but I know You’re bigger than that. Thank you for making me the object of Your handiwork. Please make me a vehicle of your grace.” Let God get you through it and accomplish His purpose. Be strong.

Third, don’t focus on someone to blame, or you’ll grumble and complain. Instead, view others as a means God uses to shape your life. Just as the perpetrators of wrong are tools for your spiritual growth, those God has placed over you, around you, and under you can be tools to teach patient endurance. So don’t redirect your wrath toward them. Don’t put them down with your complaining, bitter spirit. Don’t shift the blame on others. Instead, view others as a means God uses to shape your inner person.

Fourth, don’t focus on the present. Instead, look to the future for insight. This is a challenging principle to apply when you’re in a crisis. So consider memorizing a few key verses to stitch this idea into the fabric of your heart.

Make this perspective found in these three passages change your mindset.

I don’t know what’s in store for you or me in the following weeks, months, and years. Neither do you. But God knows. It may be a court summons you don’t deserve. It may be an unwarranted rebuke from an employer—or an unexpected layoff. It may be a neighbor who causes you prolonged grief over some triviality. It may be a spouse who walks out, a child who rebels, or a parent who treats you like garbage. Whatever may come, the practical advice in James can get you through. Be patient. Stand firm with courage. Don’t hold a grudge. Don’t scheme to get out from under it.

Next, we will explore our second lesson in James about patience, Patience through Prayer. I encourage you to read James 5:13-18.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead