Summary of passage:  The Word (Jesus Christ) was in existence from the beginning with God and is God.  All things are made through him and he contains life.  He shines to unbelievers who do not understand him.

Questions:

3)  1)  “In the beginning was the Word”.  The Word is Jesus.  This means he has always existed.

2)  “the Word was with God”.  Jesus is always with the Father (God).

3)  “the Word was God”.  This means Jesus and God are one and the same, referring to the Triune God where God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are One entity.

4)  Genesis 1:1:  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  Jesus has always existed so Jesus was there in the beginning and he created the heavens and the earth since he and God are one and the same.

Colossians 1:15-17:  Jesus is the image of God and was first in creation.  Jesus created all things and all things are created for him.  He is above all things and he holds all things together.

Hebrews 1:2-3:  The universe was created through Christ.  Jesus is the world’s light and the sustainer of this world (creation).  Jesus and God are equally responsible for this world, for Creation, and for its ongoing perpetuity.  They are in ultimate control of everything.

5)  We are told even thrones, powers, rulers, and authorities were created by Jesus and for Jesus.  All things on heaven and earth.  God is in control of us and our flourishing upon this earth and in heaven.  God is responsible for our life and therefore is at the center of a fulfilling life and should be the center of my fulfillment in life.

6)  Part personal question.  My answer:  Light is God/Jesus.  Darkness is Satan/devil.  Figuratively, light is also believers and darkness is unbelievers and evildoers.  Too many examples to list.  Light is all the good people do for others.  The aiding in disasters and in daily life.  Missionary work.  Even just bringing a meal to a sick neighbor.  That is light.  Darkness unfortunately is everywhere.  Terrorism.  War.  Senseless deaths and violence humans wreck upon each other.  Very, very sad.

Conclusions:  I’m SO excited to begin the study of John.  After Revelation last year, I’m looking forward to something more clear-cut, easy to understand, and Jesus’s words to us.  My kids struggled last year due to the nature of Revelation so I’m praying they love this study and look forward to BSF every week.

Good lesson on the Word and light and darkness, which is frequently used by John in this book.  If we understand nothing else in this study, understand the first line:  God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are one in the same and have been since before time existed.  Life is in the belief in Jesus.  Period.

End Notes:  John deliberately opens his book with a parallel to Genesis 1:1.  There, God speaks creation into existence.  Here, God through John speaks salvation into existence by announcing Jesus’ presence in the world.  Everything is spoken.  Jesus speaks the Word of God and is the Word of God.

In Greek, word is logos.  Jews referred to God himself as “word of God.”  The ancient Greeks used the word logos as meaning turning chaos into order.  John uses the concept of word to speak to everyone:  the word is God–always has and always will be.  He lays out from the first sentence the Trinity so all can understand.

The Word created all things, meaning the Word himself is an uncreated being.  In the Word is the source of all life–physical and spiritual.  The Word is the life of all men.  Without Jesus we are dead and in darkness.  Most of us have a natural fear of darkness because of this fact.

The Greeks also used logos to mean the unspoken word as well that lingers in the mind–reason.

Life is Christ’s gift and is central to this Gospel for Christ is life (John 14:6).

Light is also Christ (John 8:12), who illuminates all spiritually–prominent in the Book of John as well.  Psalm 36:9 holds the connection to the Old Testament:  “in your light we see light.”  We see Jesus.

In verse 5, understand can also be overcome.  Essentially, darkness cannot overcome light.  The devil cannot defeat God.  The Greek word is difficult to translate here, meaning laying hold onto something to make its own.  In Genesis 1:2, the earth was dark until God called into light.  Until God decided to banish darkness with his light and gift us all with life.

Fun Fact:  The Greek word “life” is used 36 times by John while no other New Testament book uses it more than 17 times.

Summary of passage:  Jesus (the light) came into the world but many did not recognize him.  Those who did receive him received the right to become children of God who were chosen by God for that purpose.

Questions:

7)  Unbelievers are Christ’s “own” who did not receive him.  Their hearts are hardened.  God choses through His infinite grace who will receive Him and who won’t.  “Own” refers to all of us and also to home.  We see this exact phrase used by John in John 19:27 when Mary was taken home.

8 )  Part personal question.  My answer:  Receive Christ and believe in him.  It has meant everything in my life.  It is His will and not mine, and He is faithful.

9)  Personal Question.  My answer:

Born:  We are created for God, given life, born of God.

Not of natural descent:  We are from God and exist by His will.

Nor of human decision:  God chooses us!

Or a husband’s will:  We have no say in whom God chooses.

Born of God:  When we are chosen, we are God’s.  He lives in us.

Conclusions:  Note we skipped verses 6-8 since they reference John the Baptist.  We will examine these in Day 4 together with verses 14-5, which combine the symbolism of light.  Also note John the Baptist is NOT John the apostle who wrote this book.  Different guy entirely.

Loved the focus on how we are chosen by God for His kingdom.  So important to remember when we are sharing the gospel and when we are depressed and feel unworthy in this world.

End Notes:  Verse 9 does NOT mean every man will have saving light i.e. Jesus.  John means Jesus brings light into this world that otherwise would be darkness, which every man can see.

Membership in God’s family is by grace alone–the gift of God–never by human achievement.  We have to be open and receptive to God’s word.

Fun Fact:  The Greek word for world is used 78 times in this Gospel and 24 times in John’s letters.  It’s only used 47 times in all of Paul’s writings.

It can mean:  universe, earth, people on earth, most people, people opposed to God or the human system opposed to God’s purposes.  John emphasizes this word through repetition and uses it interchangeably between meanings.

Summary of passage:  John the Baptist was sent from God to testify that Jesus is the light.  Jesus (the Word) became flesh.

Questions:

10a)  He was sent from God to testify that Jesus is the light so that through him all men might believe.  He was an evangelist whose life’s goal was to bring people to Jesus.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  I think we are all given work to do here on earth that will shine God’s light into other’s lives.  And that looks different for everyone.  For me, I’m a writer and I try to convey God’s light through my stories.  I also pass on God to my kids and to those I meet through my actions and words.  God and the encounters He sends us are everywhere.  We just have to look.

11)  Calling Jesus the Word points to his uniqueness as the Word is what gives life from Creation on.  He’s the “One and Only”, implying Jesus is the only way to God.  He holds the glory different from humans.

Conclusions:  The take away here is to remember Jesus’ uniqueness and his special relationship to God and man.  And to remember God’s purpose is to save us.  Through Jesus.  And it’s our job to let others know about that.

End Notes:  Testifying connotes committing.  If you testify for Jesus or for someone on trial, you are committing to him.

John the Baptist had a significant following, of which John the Apostle was one until he met Jesus.  Some of John the Baptist’s followers were uncertain of Jesus.  John makes clear here that John the Baptist is not the light for those who were confused about Jesus.

“The Word became flesh” was astounding at that time in history.  To the Greeks, their gods were super-men who lived forever, not a different being entirely and certainly not logos.  To the Jews, God was an effervescent spirit.  How could he ever become as common as a man?  John speaks to both beliefs here and announces:  Jesus/God is man!

God comes to us in the flesh.  We don’t have to go out and find Him.  He is there always.

“And dwelt among us” is more properly translated as “pitched one’s tent”, directly linking to the tabernacle of Old Testament’s time where God dwelled, where the law was kept, where sacrifices were made, the center of the town, and where revelations occurred and God spoke.  God is here as our center in the flesh (Holy Spirit in our times).

“Seen” is more properly translated “beheld” and meant in Greek “to see with one’s eye” in person, in the flesh.

“Full of” is all encompassing.

“Grace and truth”.  Both together and not one without the other.  That is God.  The corresponding Hebrew translation here is often “unfailing love and faithfulness.”

Verse 15 is John the Baptist speaking.  In ancient times, if you were older than someone else, you were considered wiser.  Intelligence had no say here.  Hence, John the Baptist is making is clear that even though Jesus came after him in birth of the flesh, Jesus is the greater.  And also he’s saying Jesus did actually come before him since Jesus has always existed.

Fun Fact:  John never uses the word “grace” after the prologue (verse 14).

Another Fun Fact:  John uses the Greek word for “truth” 25 times and links it closely with Jesus who is the truth (John 14:6).

Summary of passage:  The Word (Jesus) became flesh and was sent by the Father to us.  John testifies for Jesus, saying Jesus is greater than him.  Jesus is the source of our blessings.  Jesus has made God known to all of us.

Questions:

12a)  God has blessed us out of faith through Jesus.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Way too many to choose but a recent one is God has given me a job to help support my family and continue His financial blessings upon us AND it’s a job He picked for me because it fits me and the people and company I work for are fantastic.

13)  “The law was given through Moses”:  God sent His law (the rules for livings) through Moses.

“Grace came through Jesus Christ”:  Because of Jesus, God gives us grace (forgiveness, etc).

“Truth came through Jesus Christ”:  Jesus brought the Truth which is there’s only one way to God and that’s through him (Jesus).

In essence, this entire phrase together (separated is confusing) means Christ is replacing the law brought by Moses and only Jesus is grace and truth and life.

14)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Incredible and heart-wrenching.

Conclusions:  Based on this first lesson of John, I’m gonna say that BSF has stopped marking questions as challenge questions and personal questions.  Now, BSF provides the reference verses for us to look up (which I think is a good thing especially for new believers who have no clue where to look in the Bible for such things).  And I’m assuming the personal nature of BSF questions is here to stay, especially after Revelation where it seemed every question had a personal twist on it.  I’ll leave it up to you whether you think this is a good thing or not.  I’m ambivalent.  I think it’s a good thing except where it gets repetitive i.e. the same question worded slightly different for each lesson.  We do need to apply the Word (note the pun) to our daily lives and I love that.  However, there’s only so many ways to apply the same subject to my life at any given time.  I just can’t take in big changes.  Small steps and let’s focus on those.

End Notes:  Verse 16 should say:  “Of his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace”.  John means here grace is never-ending with God.

Verse 18:  In the Greek, “God” here is missing the definite article which indicates a person.  Here, John is speaking of God’s deity or his nature of being.  “At the Father’s side” is better translated as “who is in the bosom of the Father”.  This is how children are to parents–connected and one.  Jesus and God are one.

“God the One and Only” is Jesus here. “Made him known” can be read as “declared”.  Jesus has declared the nature of the unseen God and IS the unseen God.

Because no one can look upon God and live (Exodus 33:20), God became human and sent Jesus in order to make Him known.

Final Conclusions to Lesson 1:  Admittedly, my Bible had dust on it when I pulled it out after the study of Revelation ended.  I’m so glad BSF has started because I need that push to know God and I need the structure of a bible study to make me do so.  Great opening verses to dive right into God and Jesus and who they are.  This is the essence of the book of John and what he’s trying to convey and what we as believers need to know.  We got a nice introduction to John the Baptist and we’ll see him again next week.  Knowing God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one and have been since before time began and all God asks of us is to believe that statement should lift the heart of any struggling with doubts of worthiness or shame or any other lies from Satan.  We are worthy.  We are His.  And He is ours.

Summary of passage:  John the Baptist was questions by the Levites (Jewish priests) about his identity near Bethany.  He says he is not the Christ repeatedly.  He denies being Elijah and the Prophet.  He’s the announcer and precursor to Christ, and he says he’s unworthy to untie Christ’s sandals.

Questions:

3)

1)  “Then who are you?  Are you Elijah?”  Answer:  “I am not.”

2)  “Are you the Prophet?”  Answer:  “No.”

3)  “Who are you?”  4)  “”What do you say about yourself?”  Answer:  “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.'”.

5)  “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”  Answer:  “I baptize with water but among you stands one you do not know.  He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

4a)  In Malachi 4:5-6, Elijah was predicted to return before the Day of the Lord (which we learned last year in Revelation is the Second Coming of Christ).  In Deuteronomy 18:15-19, God promised another Prophet would come in due time.  So the Levites here are trying to figure out if John the Baptist is this promised return of Elijah or the Prophet.

b)  He says he’s the one sent to reveal the Christ and tell the people to prepare for his arrival that Isaiah predicted in his book.  The one who shall make straight the highway path to God.

5)   Personal Question.  My answer:  He’s humble and gives Christ all the credit.  I can remember this for all the blessings in my life and take no credit for them.  They are all HIS.

Conclusions:  We gain insight into John the Baptist’s character here.  He knows his purpose in life and in all humility he goes about his business singularly focused.  A great example to us of a witness for Christ.

End Notes:  This is John’s testimony for Jesus.

“The Jews” here do not refer to the Jewish people as a whole.  John uses it to denote the religious establishment and this is the first time in the gospels this is seen.  Specifically, they are sent here to look into the activities of an unauthorized leader.

The Levites as most of you know were descendants of Levi who were the priests of God’s people.

Fun Fact:  The Greek word for “Jews” occurs about 70 times in this Gospel.

Note John doesn’t say exactly who he is:  “Well, I’m Jesus’s cousin, the son of the priest Zechariah” etc.  Instead, he focuses on his mission:  to prepare and cleanse (hence baptisms) the way for Jesus.

Elijah did not die (2 Kings 2:11) and thus believed he would return to earth to announce the end times.  John is repeatedly asked if he is the Messiah and he gets more and more terse with each denial.  Like we do when repeatedly asked a question.

The Messiah means “the Anointed One”.  In the Old Testament anointing was a sign of being set apart.  Here, the people are seeking “the One”.

Baptisms grew out of the Old Testament tradition of ceremonial washings.  In the first century AD, baptisms with water were only for Gentiles converting to Judaism.  So if Jews agreed to be baptized they are openly repenting of their sins.

Untying thongs of sandals was the duty of slaves and a duty which disciples did not do for masters. John is saying he’s not worthy of even this duty.  He is lower than a slave.

Bethany is just outside of Jerusalem on the banks of the Jordan River.  See map HERE

Summary of passage:  John points out Jesus as the Son of God since he saw the Spirit come done and remain on Jesus.

Questions:

6a)  Jesus’ baptism allows the Holy Spirit to live inside of someone and gives them the saving waters of God.  John’s baptism is only to cleanse the soul and prepare to receive Jesus.  John cleanses.  Jesus bestows.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Everything.  I walk with Jesus and in his ways–not in mine.  I work for him, not me.  It’s all about him.

7a)  The lamb was a sin offering for the Jesus people, a sacrifice they must make on the altar to atone for their sins.  Isaiah says how lambs are led to the slaughter.  In calling Jesus the Lamb of God, John the Baptist is saying Jesus is the sacrifice that must be made to atone for their sins.  The difference is this is final.  No more sacrifices will have to be made.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  It’s a vivid image on the meekness of Jesus and the sacrifice he bore for our sins.  It makes me more worshipful.

Conclusions:  I will probably be saying “everything” a lot this year to personal questions because Jesus is our everything.

End Notes:  Here we’ve skipped ahead.  Most scholars believe this passage is after John baptized Jesus (since that’s when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus: Matthew 3:13-17) and after the 40 days of temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; Mark 1:12-13).  Jesus came back to see John the Baptist in his work.

John could have described Jesus as any thing here:  the king, the conqueror, the Savior, the mighty, the great, etc.  Instead, he chooses the Lamb.  How powerful!  Jesus as the sacrifice–the whole reason we are saved and how we get to God.  Remember that.

Fun Fact:  “Lamb of God” is found in the Bible only twice:  here and in verse 36.

This whole sentence is perhaps the most concise description of Jesus in the Bible and the most important:  “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”.  John sees Jesus first, calls him by his role, and tells us what Jesus does for us.

Note how many times we’ve seen the lamb in the Old Testament:  The lamb slain before the foundation of the world, the animal slain in the Garden of Eden to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness, the lamb provided to Abraham in place of Isaac, the Passover lamb, and the guilt offerings required by God to cleanse Israel of its sins.

Taking away is bearing.

Note it’s sin (singular), not sins (plural).  All of humanity’s sin is bore by Jesus.

Jesus was before John like he was before all of us:  since the beginning of time.  Remember, John the Baptist is older than Jesus so he’s speaking of eternal existence here.

The Greek word for “man” here connotes head of household, Jesus’ superiority over man and women.

Jesus already had the Holy Spirit.  It was merely made visible by God to John so he could witness to the people.

Summary of passage:  John the Baptist points out Jesus as the Messiah.  Jesus gains his first 2 disciples (John and Andrew) who were followers of John the Baptist.  They spent the day with Jesus.  Then Andrew found his brother, Simon, whom Jesus called “cephas” or Peter.

Questions:

8 )  Part personal question.  My answer:  They followed Jesus.  Just listening to him as he moved us around the country and believing he had my life all worked out and I don’t have to worry at all.

9a)  Jesus invited the men to follow him and see.  They had to spend the day with him.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Spending the day reading the Bible, praying, listening for answers and guidance from God.  Help others.  Walk in his ways instead of mine.

Conclusions:  The way to Jesus is simple:  He’s identified.  He invites you in.  You follow and spend time with him.  You believe.  Open hearts and open minds are all that are required.  If you follow these steps, belief and eternal life will follow.

End Notes:  Most scholars agree the 2nd disciple who is never named must be John.  John never names himself in this book and the account is so specific it must be made by an eye-witness.

“Look, the Lamb of God” is repeated from John 1:29.  Perhaps John always said this when he saw Jesus.  To him, it was the most important thing about Jesus.

John the Baptist did not care that his disciples left him for Jesus.  After all, that’s his mission in this world: to prepare the way for Jesus.

“What do you want?” or “What do you seek?” are the first words spoken by Jesus in the book of Joh.  And Jesus still asks us this today.

The disciples lived with Jesus and shared in his life.  Jesus did not separate himself from his followers.  The same is true today.

John remembers the time (the tenth hour) that he came to Jesus–another supporting detail that John was the 2nd disciple.

Every time we see Andrew in the book of John he is bringing people to Jesus (John 6:8 and 12:22). That is how most of us come to Jesus–through a friend or family member.  Every Peter has an Andrew.  Who was your Andrew?

“We have found the Messiah” is the simplest and greatest testimony for Jesus.

Jesus knew what kind of man Peter would become so he renames him.

By spending the day with Jesus, the disciples would have first-hand testimony of Jesus and his doings to tell others instead of just pure faith alone.

Comparison of the gospels accounts of the first calling of the disciples HERE  Interesting to see the differences.

Fun post about the order of the calling of the disciples HERE  Only 4 people total in the New Testament got renamed.  This same post goes over each in detail.  3 were disciples and Saul/Paul is considered a close second disciple.  There are also 3 sets of the brothers of the original 12 disciples. Cool!

Summary of passage:  Jesus performs the first of his miraculous signs the day after having called Philip and Nathanael.  He attends a wedding in Cana still in Galilee.  Jesus’ mother told Jesus there was no more wine.  Jesus replied his time has not yet come.  Still, Jesus told the servants to fill 6 stone water jars with water and hand them to the master of the banquet.  The water had been turned into wine.  He then goes to Capernaum with his mother, brothers, and disciples and stays for a few days.

Questions:

3a)  The wine ran out.  In ancient times, it was custom to feed guests until they were full.  To run out of wine would have been a major faux pas.  The newly married couple would forever feel shame and be known for what happened at their wedding day.  Wine was also a symbol of joy, so the subliminal message would have been “We’re not happy.”

b)  Part personal Question.  My answer:  No.  Not to jump the gun and be patient and wait for Jesus to make the first move.  That doesn’t mean not to ask.  It just means to be patient.  Mary looks at Jesus expectantly.  We should not expect things from Jesus.  All we are is in His grace alone.  We must remember that when life doesn’t go our way and we’re tempted to blame God.

4)  He performs the miracle anonymously and without pomp.  He doesn’t stand up and announce to the whole wedding party:  “Hey, everyone!  I’m about to turn water into wine.  Everyone look at me!”  No.  Jesus performs miracles with no expectations of acknowledgment or anything in return.

Jesus is showing how he’s better than the Old Covenant if you think of Jesus as the wine and the Old Covenant as the water (See End Notes for more detail on this).

5)  Part personal Question.  My answer:  It seems to indicate that the disciples believed in Jesus when they saw his glory through this first recorded miracle.  They believed before but this miracle deepens their faith just like ours is deepened when we see God in our lives.  Jesus is building up his men for their important work to come.

Conclusions:  Once Jesus decides it’s go time, it’s go time.  He doesn’t dilly-dally around and waste time.  He knows his time is limited here on earth.  This is a great lesson for us all.  Do God’s work for your life now.  You never know when you’ll be called home.

End Notes:  Note Jesus calls Mary “woman” and not mother.  There is a shift in their relationship as Jesus embarks on his plan for the world.  It’s like when our kids grow up.  We’re always parents, but we cut the cord and let our children make their own decisions.  This Greek word indicates this change between the two.

These are one of the few recorded words of Mary in the Bible.  Note what they are:  “Do whatever he tells you.”  What wisdom and advice for us today!

Jesus’ “hour” is his destiny of his death on the cross and John pictures Jesus moving towards it (John 7:6,8,30: 8:20).

The 6 stone jars show detail and show how Jesus uses what’s at hand.  He uses us right where we are today!

Note how Jesus didn’t just conjure up the water.  He uses man to aid him.  Like today when we’re called for Jesus’ work.  This is very typical in Jesus’ miracles and we’ll see this throughout the book of John.  Imagine the servants’ joy.  They didn’t do the miracle, but they shared in it’s joy.  They were blessed by obedience.

The master of the feast would have been angry if the wine ran out.  The servants showed courage in carrying the water to him.

Note how Jesus makes “choice wine”.  Jesus makes the best and goes above and beyond expectations.  We should expect the best when Jesus is involved.

Note Jesus’ first miracle is a miracle of conversion:  water to wine.  Old Testament law to New Testament law.  Cleansing from the blood of Jesus.  Old life to new life.  The water is God under the Old Covenant.  The wine is Jesus under the New Covenant.

The wine was after the water, from the water, and better from the water–all indicative of Jesus.  This first sign points to the redemption of creation from all its trials, allowing the wine of joy to flow fully as the prophets had announced (Isiah 35:1-2; Joel 3;18; Amos 9:13).

John always refers to Jesus’ miracles as “signs”, which speaks to the action not the marvel.  There are 7 signs in the book of John (the number of completion), which reveal Jesus’ glory and point to the completion of salvation.  The large catch of fish is in the epilogue.

Map of Cana HERE

Summary of passage:  Jesus heads to Jerusalem for Passover.  He sees in the temple courts non-Jews or merchants who were not allowed in the temple selling their wares.  He freaks out, overturning their tables, scattering their money everywhere, and whipping their animals out of the temple.

Questions:

6)  Passover to remember when the Lord passed over the courses of the Israelites when they were enslaved in Egypt when he struck down the first-born of the Egyptians but not the Israelites.  The animals were there to serve as the required sacrifices every Jewish person must make to atone for their sins.

7)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Sometimes anger is justified when God has been disrespected and his temple has been defiled.  We must stand up for God in a righteous, just, and loving way.  Furthermore, note Jesus made the whip of cords.  He thought about his actions before letting anger take over.  This was calculated and planned.  It was not a burst of passion.  This is how we should act as well–not in the heat of the moment but after the inciting incident has passed.

8a)  “Zeal for your house will consume me.”  Psalm 69:9 which reads in full:  “For zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.”

b)  Part-personal Question.  My answer:  Jesus will come to prepare the way for the Lord, to purify the people and become the acceptable sacrifice for our sins.  The abundance of his sacrifice is immeasurable.

Conclusions:  Good lesson on justifiable anger and the consequences of blatant disobedience.  We also see the importance of being pure and clean before the Lord and gain a deeper understanding of why Jesus’ sacrifice was so very important.

End Notes:  Almost 2 1/2 million Jews descended on Jerusalem for Passover, a festival where all Jewish men were required to celebrate in Jerusalem (Exodus 12).  Think about that in ancient times.  That’s a ton of people.  With this many people in one place, it attracts those who wish to sell their services as well as some unsavory individuals hoping to make a quick buck.  The moneylenders or moneychangers were there to help Jews pay the temple tax (Exodus 30:11-16) which had to be paid in special coin.  Coins in ancient times were often clipped and made of insufficient metals designed to cheat people.  Hence, the coin had to be a certain type.  The amount was the equivalent of about 2 days wages.

You will see “Passover of the Jews” or “Jewish” used a lot by John.  This was for clarity to Gentiles reading this so they would understand the festivals.

Jesus is displaying authority with the whip, not violence here.

The temple courts was the only place Gentiles could come and worship.

Note this is a different scene than what Matthew, Mark, and Luke describe.  This is at Passover near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.  The other time is when Jesus enters Jerusalem on the eve of his death.

We can be sure the money lenders returned after Jesus left.  However, Jesus’ point was clear:  don’t defile the house of the Lord.

First we see Jesus converting water to wine and now cleansing of the temple.  This is how Jesus works:  convert and then cleanse.

Summary of passage:  After the turning over the moneylenders’ tables, Jesus was asked for a sign by the Jews of his authority.  Jesus told them to destroy this temple and he would raise it again in 3 days.  The Jews thought he meant the Temple in Jerusalem but Jesus meant his body as a temple and that he would rise again in 3 days.  Only after his death was Jesus’ words understood.

Questions:

9a)  Jesus just proved he had the authority to drive the moneylenders out of the temple by doing it.  Here, the people demanded a sign, they didn’t ask for one.  Only prophets could do so; hence, they doubted Jesus as the Messiah.  The proof was in the act itself.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  I’ve asked for a sign in terms of making a decision but never a sign to confirm His authority over me.

10a)  Jesus points to his resurrection as proof of his authority, which the people did not understand until after the fact.    They believe he is speaking of the physical temple in Jerusalem where God dwells.  He completely ignored their request and instead offered a challenge:  Destroy me and I’ll rise again.  In essence telling them they can’t destroy him for he is God.

b)  Witnesses claimed Jesus had said, “I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in 3 days.”  Jesus actually said was if you destroy the temple (himself), he will rise again in 3 days.  They twisted the usage of the word temple and added the pronoun “I”.  Jesus would not destroy anything; the people themselves are the destroyers.

Conclusions:  Good dissection of the passage.  Not much to add except in 9a.  No one knew Jesus because this is at the beginning of his ministry.  It’s not wrong to ask for a sign nor is it rebellious.  I think Jews were genuinely confused by Jesus’ behavior, given only the magistrates had such authority to drive people from the temple.  It’s right to question those who claim they are prophets.  What went wrong here is 1) they demanded a sign instead of asked for one  2) the people missed the fact that by Jesus doing what he did (something incredible and the mere execution of it proved he had a divine commission) he had just proved himself with this miracle.  So the people are asking for a miracle on top of a miracle.  That is where the rebellion piece kicks in.  They are doubting Jesus as the Messiah.

End Notes:  Jesus claimed the power to raise Himself from the dead, and He repeated the claim in John 10:18.  The New Testament also claims that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 6:4 and Galatians 1:1), and that the Holy Spirit raised Him from the dead (Romans 1:4 and 8:11).  The resurrection of Jesus Christ was a work of each Person of the Trinity, each working together as One–The Triune God.  Cool!

Jesus purposely avoids answering the question and instead answers with another statement which he explains to his disciples is frequent in the book of John.  It’s also classic rhetoric in ancient Greek society to answer a question with a question made popular by the ancient philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato.

“The Scripture” the disciples believed is Psalm 16:10:  “…because you will not abandon me to the grave nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”

After Jesus’ death, it became clear how the physical body is a temple when inhabited by the Holy Spirit.  We see this in Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 Peter 2:5, and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.  Another example of how God reveals us things when He is ready, and how there are things we do not and cannot understand–only God does.

Summary of passage:  Many people saw Jesus’ miracles and believed in him.  However, Jesus knew the heart of all men and would not entrust himself to them.

Questions:

11a)  The disciples knew truly in their hearts who Jesus was.  The Passover believers believed with their minds and not their hearts.  They believed in the spectacular miracles, not in the person who did the miracles.

b)  Those who go through the motions of belief in Jesus but don’t actually have the heart for him.  You see this everywhere from church to work to schools to vacations and every day life events.

12)  Part personal Question.  My answer:  Jesus knows these are the very people who are gonna kill him later.  He also is not fooled by their half-hearted belief.  I think Jesus entrusts himself to us every day when he gives us the Holy Spirit and we are his representatives here on earth for others to see.  It is our responsibility to live the life he wants for us, to live His life.

Conclusions:  Great emphasis on the importance of true belief and the depth of Jesus’ love for Fallen mankind.

End Notes:  Superficial belief is a start and better than nothing.  However, it’s not enough for Jesus.  We must always strive to know him better and deeper.

He doesn’t put too much faith in his followers for he knows us.  He is not misled.

Isn’t it amazing how God still loves us even though he knows man?  From here on out, John tells us Jesus is letting us know he knows everything about us.  He is the One.  There can be no doubt.

Summary of passage:  Nicodemus, a Pharisee on the Jewish ruling council, comes to Jesus in the middle of the night to find out more about him.  Jesus tells him he must be born again to see the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus takes this literally.  Jesus explains you must be born of the Spirit and of water.

Questions:

3a)  Nicodemus is questioning Jesus further on who he is.  Jesus responds with the essence of life with God:  to be with God you must be born again of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, and accept his (Jesus’) future death.

b)  First off, he doesn’t understand.  He takes Jesus’ words literally.  Partly because of the Jewish faith that being born Jewish would guarantee a place in heaven.  He might even think Jesus is speaking of merely doing right instead of wrong–chaing one’s ways so to speak.  He has been blinded to the truth.  But he’s trying to understand and keeps asking for clarity.  He’s persistent.  Determined.  Eager.  See End Notes for more.

4)  Flesh is man kind empty, devoid of the Holy Spirit.  Be careful with the given verse of John 6:51-56.  Jesus here is talking about his flesh after he has given it as a living sacrifice for mankind.  In our context, he is talking of man’s flesh without him.

5a)  That person is dead.  Dead in sin, following the transgressions of the world.  New birth is essential if you want to live forever.  Period.

b)  Yes.  Yes.  See definition of regeneration below.

Conclusions:  A weighty and important passage.  Here Jesus explains exactly how to get to heaven and essentially him.  It’s all God.  It’s accepting Jesus as your Savior.  It’s being born again with the Holy Spirit and living for God.  This is known as regeneration which is “the spiritual change wrought in people’s hearts by an act of God in which their inherent sinful nature is changed and by which they are enabled to respond to God in faith.”  (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary by Merrill and Tenney).  God initiates the change through the Holy Spirit, releasing that person from change, and thus enabling them a new life in Christ, voluntarily turning to God in fellowship.  As long as people are in sin, they cannot believe in God.

End Notes:  We can assume Nicodemus was one of those impressed by what they saw Jesus doing at the Passover Feast in John 2:23.  He was educated as a member of the ruling priests (the Sanhedrin).  As a Pharisee, he was committed to a certain set of beliefs.  No doubt he was influential.  His name is Greek meaning “conqueror over the people.”

Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus at night?  Maybe he was afraid of being seen by others.  Maybe he wanted time to speak to Jesus uninterrupted.  Maybe he was just shy.  Maybe curious.  Or maybe from conviction.  Most certainly though led by God.

Scholars are unsure who “we” is in verse 2.  It could be generic such as “It is known”.  It could be Nicodemus is referring to the Sanhedrin, the ruling Jewish rabbi.  Or it could be he’s using the royal we to refer to himself.

False prophets can also do false signs which surely Nicodemus is aware of but he still says and evidently believes God is with Jesus if he’s doing these signs.

Jews believed by just being born Jewish they were assured a place in the Kingdom of God.  Jesus here is saying now that is no longer the case.  You must believe in him to make it into heaven.

Some Jewish leaders taught that Abraham stood at the gates of hell just to make sure none of his descendants accidentally went there.

Remember most Jews at the time are seeking a Savior to usher in a new world where Jews are rulers here on earth.  But Jesus is ushering in a new life, where all are rulers in heaven.

“Born again” is literally in the Greek “born from above.”  To have new life.  After Jesus spoke of new birth here, we see it all over the New Testament.

We cannot birth ourselves.  This is something that must be done to us.  We accept Jesus but he does the rest.

Nicodemus’ confusion can further be explained by the Jewish belief of the terms of the New Covenant at that time:  1)  Israel would be gathered together  2)  God’s people would be spiritually transformed  3)  A Messiah would rule over Israel and the whole world.  Jews believed the first two had already been fulfilled.  They are only seeking the Messiah to rule the world, not someone promising new life.

What does “born of water” mean?  Some believe baptism but there’s nothing in the Old Testament to back this claim.  Some think physical birth.  Some think the Word since Ephesians 5:26 says the Word is water.  Some think the Holy Spirit since it’s called the living waters (John 7:38-39).  Some say cleansing water or purification as in Ezekiel 36:25-28.  Whatever Jesus was referring to, Nicodemus should have known (John 3:10).

Jesus establishes with these words salvation by God’s grace alone.  It is not something man could ever do on his own.  Be born again is God and God alone.

The idea with the wind is you don’t have to understand wind to experience it’s effects.  The same with the Spirit.  You don’t have to understand it or how it works but you can experience a life with the Spirit.  Understanding comes later.

We will see Nicodemus twice more in John and in the Bible where he only appears in this book.  At the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:25-52) Nicodemus says perhaps they shouldn’t kill Jesus without a fair trial and then after Jesus’ death Nicodemus provides a rich store of spices for Jesus’ embalmment and assists in Jesus’ burial (John 19:38-42).  He then vanishes from Scripture, leaving us unsure whether he ever confessed to faith in Jesus.

Summary of passage:  Jesus chastises Nicodemus for not understanding his meaning of regeneration.  He explains again, saying “No one has ever gone into heaven except…everyone who believes in the Son of Man may have eternal life.”  Out of God’s love, He sent his one and only Son so that all may have eternal life.

Questions:

6)  I talked about this extensively YESTERDAY.  Most Jews at the time are seeking a Savior to usher in a new world where Jews are rulers here on earth.  But Jesus is ushering in a new life, where all are rulers in heaven.  Furthermore, Jews at the time believed they were automatically accepted into heaven by birthright.  They didn’t have to do anything.

Nicodemus’ confusion can further be explained by the Jewish belief of the terms of the New Covenant at that time: 1) Israel would be gathered together 2) God’s people would be spiritually transformed 3) A Messiah would rule over Israel and the whole world. Jews believed the first two had already been fulfilled. They are only seeking the Messiah to rule the world, not someone promising new life.

Also, we know how corrupt the Sanhedrin had become at this time.  Jesus chastises them many times in his ministry for twisting God’s word and taking bribes.  Like today, just because someone is in a position of authority doesn’t mean they know anything or they act responsibly.  We must always be vigilant.

God revealed to Ezekiel the coming of the Holy Spirit.  But that was hundreds of years before Jesus and the Holy Spirit did not descend until Pentecost after Jesus’ death.  I think this concept would have been incredibly hard to understand amidst all the ordinances and cleansing sacrifices the Jews had to do prior to Jesus.  Thus, in my opinion, he shouldn’t have grasped Jesus’ teaching.  This is the first time in his new ministry Jesus has said point blank:  “To get to the kingdom of God, you gotta go through me and be born again.”

7a)  John the Baptist, John the Apostle, Peter, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael.

b)  They did not accept who Jesus was.

8 )  In Numbers, the Lord told Moses to put a snake on a pole, have the people look upon it, and live.  The people were being bitten by poisonous snakes and dying because they spoke against God on their way to the Promised Land.  Here, God is saying, “Have faith in the snake I place on the pole and you shall live.”  Now, in John, God is saying, “Have faith in my Son and you shall live forever!”  God is/was providing a way of escape that requires only simple faith.

9a)  To be “saved” means to be among those chosen to enter heaven and forever dwell with God.  One must merely have faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and accept him as the eternal sacrifice for our sins.  It’s that simple.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  The fact it’s so simple causes me to praise God for His infinite and unintelligible grace to us.  It’s truly amazing.

Conclusions:  Great lesson causing us to dive into just how confused God’s people were when Jesus arrived on the scene.  Most Jews had huge passages of Scripture memorized due to the mere fact they didn’t have it written down like we do; yet, still, they did not understand God’s word.  This is encouraging for me when I don’t understand God’s word and His plan for my life.  But if I focus on the stuff I do understand, on how Jesus is my Savior and if i have him I have everything, then I’ll be alright.  God will be with me and guide me and I don’t have to understand everything because God does.  All I have to do is live with God’s heart.

End Notes:  Most commentaries I read on this passage say Nicodemus should have been familiar with the new birth concept in the Old Testament enough to know exactly what Jesus was speaking of and not be stumped.  Since we are unsure exactly how important Nicodemus was, I’ll stand with my original analysis.  Based on mankind’s unchanging nature of selfishness and indifference towards others, Nicodemus believed what he wanted to about the Word.  Same as today.  People cut and paste the Bible like it’s a scrapbook.  It’s not.  It’s the whole picture of God and Jesus.  And right now we need ALL of God and ALL of Jesus in our lives.  Not just pieces.

You can just see how much Jesus wants to hit Nicodemus over the head so he’ll understand.  But he doesn’t.  He’s patient and kind and keeps explaining until we get it.  Like he does today.

Jesus has first-hand knowledge of heaven so he can speak of it.  Here, we are reminded of John 1:1:  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

“No one has ever gone into heaven” could be phrased as “no man knows the mysteries of the kingdom of God.”   (Deuteronomy 30:12; Psalm 73:17; Proverbs 30:4; Romans 11:34)

Serpents are often symbols of evil in the Bible (Genesis 3:1-5 and Revelation 12:9).  However, Moses’ serpent in Numbers 21 was made of bronze, which is a metal associated with judgment in the Bible since  bronze is made with fire, a picture of judgment.

So, a bronze serpent does speak of sin, but of sin judged.  In the same way Jesus, who knew no sin became sin for us on the cross, and our sin was judged in Him.  A bronze serpent is a picture of sin judged and dealt with.

We would have wanted to diminish our sense of sin, and put the image of a man up on the pole. Our image of man might represent “both good and bad” in man. But a serpent is more apparently sinful, and shows us our true nature and true need of salvation.

In addition, if the serpent lay horizontally on the vertical pole, it is easy to see how this also was a visual representation of the cross. However, many traditions show the serpent being wrapped around the pole, and this is the source for the ancient figure of healing and medicine – a serpent, wrapped around a pole.  See picture HERE

In Numbers 21:4-9, the people were saved not by doing anything, but by simply looking to the bronze serpent.  They had to trust that something as seemingly foolish as looking at such a thing would be sufficient to save them.  Surely, some did not have faith and paid the ultimate price.

Isaiah 45:22: “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”  It’s that simple–salvation.

The verb “lifted up” is used in Jesus’ crucifixion (John 12:32) and ascension (Acts 2:33).  Jesus suffered and was exalted in saving grace.

Analysis of verses 16 & 17 will be tomorrow’s lesson.

Summary of passage:  God loved us so much He sent His one and only Son to die for our sins.  Whoever believes in Jesus shall have eternal life.  If you don’t believe in Jesus as God’s Son, then you are condemned.  Those who live by the truth (that Jesus is God’s Son) live in the light and work because of God.

Questions:

10)  John 3:16:  Whoever doesn’t believe in Jesus, shall perish.

John 3:17-19:  Whoever doesn’t believe in Jesus is condemned.

John 3:36:  Whoever rejects Jesus will not see life and will have God’s wrath on him forever.

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9:  Whoever doesn’t obey Jesus shall be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power.

11)  Part personal Question.  My answer:  Whoever believes in Jesus is not condemned and has eternal life.  As I said in my Conclusions YESTERDAY, it’s simple:  I focus on knowing I’m saved, that I’m His, that He is with me and all else falls into place despite my humanness.  He does it, not me.

12)  Personal Question.  My answer:  God makes coming to Him as easy as possible.  A simple choice:  to believe in Jesus or not.  Yet, as John the Apostle states, men love darkness and are attracted to evil so this choice is not as easy as it seems.  It gives me greater understanding and a new perspective to the struggle of those choosing Jesus or evil.

Conclusions:  I love the focus on simplicity here.  As perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible, it would be easy to delve too deep into this.  Instead, BSF focuses on exactly what it says:  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  The End.  The crux of Christianity in 26 words.  Amazing!

End Notes:  God loved the world.  All of us, including the Gentiles, not just God’s chosen people.  Jesus sets the record straight.

Morrison suggested that there are three centers of love:

· God so loved the world (John 3:16)

· Christ also loved the church (Ephesians 5:25)

· The Son of God, who loved me (Galatians 2:20)

God gave.  What we are all called to do:  give to others and back to God.

Nicodemus might have been reminded of Abraham’s offering of Isaac with these words.

Believe means to trust, rely, and cling to.  This is the only requirement of the world.

God gives us eternal life–His intent is to save us–eternally–forever.

Seven Wonders of John 3:16:

1. God–Authority
2. World–Motive
3. Son–Gift
4. Whoever–Welcome
5. Believes–Escape
6. Not perish–Deliverance
7. Have everlasting life–Possession

“So” means “in this way”.  “World” is all people on earth.  Jesus is the Son.  “Believes” is continuing belief and convictions.

God’s purpose is to save.

John does not address those before Jesus.  He focuses on those who deliberately reject him.  Romans 1 & 2 addresses this issue and it’s best understood in terms of light:  rejecting light or accepting light.

It is all on our shoulders whether we accept Jesus or not.  God presents; we decide.

We tend to think of evil as the worst sins:  murder, rape, violence, etc.  But love of one’s own life and doing it your way instead of God’s and ignoring Him is the same.  It’s either all of God or none.  Period.

Summary of passage:  After Jesus’ time with Nicodemus, he and his disciples began spreading the word of God in the Judean countryside and baptizing people.  John the Baptist was also still baptizing people at this same time.  An argument arose between the followers of John the Baptist and other Jews.  They were saying Jesus is baptizing as well.  John said that’s fine for Jesus is giving the same gift from heaven.  Jesus is above John the Baptist since he came from heaven.  He speaks the words of God and has been given everything by the Father.  Whoever accepts Jesus will have eternal life.

Questions:

13)  Part personal Question.  My answer:  John said it’s fine Jesus is around and humbled himself by saying Jesus is greater than he since Jesus is from heaven.  He is joyful at Jesus’ presence.  The joy of others doing the same thing as you.

14)  Part personal Question.  My answer:  John says Jesus if “the one who comes from above”, “The one whom God has sent”, “the one who comes from heaven”, “the one above all”, the Son of God, and the one to bring eternal life.  The same.

Conclusions:  John’s reaction to Jesus is what’s important here.  He’s not jealous that people are going to Jesus instead of him.  He’s joyful and happy.  We should all be that way when our competitors in life do better than we do.  It’s very hard to repress that selfishness that arises but John’s example is inspiring to do so.

End Notes:  Notice John’s focus:  Jesus’ work in Judea.  The other gospels focus on Jesus’ work in Galilee.  Map HERE of region.

Jesus is continuing the work of John the Baptist, who was doing the work God told him to do.  Jesus baptized and preached repentance, the same as John.  All we know is we’re in the region of Judea.

Where John was (Aenon near Salim) is disputed.  Aenon means “springs”, which makes sense since you need water to baptize.  Two locations are suggested:  one is 7 miles south of Bethshan and the other near Shechem.

The details of the argument is unknown.  What’s important is John’s reaction:  joy!  Jesus is here.  Let him come!

John responds to his disciples:  all I have is Jesus’, Jesus is the one who he’s announcing is coming and has come (his life’s purpose), and he’s just the best man–not the bridegroom.  The friend of the bridegroom arranges many parts of the wedding for the groom and is there only to help, which is John the Baptist’s role.  Saying Jesus is the bridegroom is saying he’s God.  All would have recognized from the Old Testament that Israel is the bride of Yahweh.

John is happy that Jesus is winning disciples.  That is John’s job–to bring them all to Jesus.  He’s doing a good job at evangelism.

Jesus is greater; the servant is less.  This John understood.  He kept doing the job he was sent to do even if the crowds lessened.  He’s still doing God’s work, which changes for us all.

Scholars debate whether verses 31-36 is John the Baptist still speaking or John the Apostle adding commentary.

Jesus is greater than everyone else and has first-hand knowledge of heaven since he’s from heaven.  This who we trust:  those who’ve been there and done that.  Jesus is the only one who’s been to heaven and back to tell.

No one will believe John says.  Jesus will be rejected.  He is prophesizing here.  This is relatively speaking.  Some did believe but most did not.

The Spirit is given freely to us all (without measure).

“The one whom God has sent” is a key theme in John’s Gospel (John 4:34; John 17:3).

“Without limit” here is debated:  is God giving the Spirit to only Jesus or to all believers?

“Has” means eternal life is a present possession, not something the believer will only obtain later.

Fun Fact:  “The Father loves the Son” is used only twice in the book of John (again in 5:20).  But a different Greek word is used in each case.

Using “the Son” to designate Jesus is a theme in this Gospel.

The wrath of God is brought upon man by himself.  God doesn’t do it.  Wrath is not a passion or an outburst.  It’s God’s displeasure that sin brings.  It’s God’s righteousness against unrighteousness.  So many churches these days downplay God’s wrath.  But without God’s wrath, there is no judgment, no morals, no values.

“God’s wrath” means that God is actively opposed to everything evil.

Fun Fact:  This is the only time John uses “wrath” in his Gospel.

“Abides” or “remains” means God’s wrath is for eternity (total and permanent) unless you accept Jesus who takes God’s wrath.

Conclusions to Lesson 4 and John 3:

John 3 is a must read for any Christian and a great place to point unbelievers.  It states:

You must be born again (John 3:7)

The Son of Man must be lifted up (John 3:14)

God must increase (John 3:30)

Man must decrease (John 3:30)

Summary of passage:  Jesus’ reputation was spreading and the Pharisees caught wind that Jesus was baptizing more people than John the Baptist although in fact it was Jesus’ disciples who were doing the actual physical act.  Jesus traveled back up north to Galilee from Judea, crossing through Samaria.  At a town named Sychar, Jesus stopped to rest at a well near Jacob’s well while his disciples went to town to buy food.  A Samaritan woman drew water at the well and Jesus asked for a drink from her (something forbidden to do since Jews do not associate with Samaritans).  Jesus tells her if she knew he were God, she would have asked him for the living water instead.

Questions:

3)  Part personal Question.  My answer:  She needed to know the gift of God, who it is who is asking for a drink, and ask Jesus to drink the gift of living water.  The “when” is every day.  The “how” is accepting Jesus’ sovereignty in my life and receiving the Holy Spirit as my guide–again, every day.

4a)  Nicodemus knows about Jesus and who he claims to be.  The Samaritan woman has never heard of him.  Nicodemus approaches Jesus.  Jesus approaches the Samaritan woman.  Nicodemus speaks first.  Jesus speaks first to the Samaritan woman.  Jesus tells both truths and things they need to do.  He tells Nicodemus he must be born again.  He tells the Samaritan woman she needs to receive the gift of living water.  The Samaritan woman realizes who Jesus is; Nicodemus does not.  She tells others (testifies); Nicodemus does not.  She is responsible for others’ belief; Nicodemus is not.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Speak the truth and keep it simple.  Use analogies.

5a)  Samaritan religion closely followed Judaism but was considered a cult.  They only accepted the first 5 books of the Old Testament and insisted that Mount Gerizim, not Jerusalem, was the proper place to worship God.

According to 2 Kings 17, when God allowed the Jews to be removed from their homeland by Assyria, the king of Assyria resettled the land which was Samaria with foreigners around 721 BC.  They intermarried with the remaining Jews.  These people eventually did not worship the Lord so the Lord sent lions to kill them.  The king of Assyria sent a Jewish priest to the people to teach them the ways of the Lord.  However, each group made their own gods.  They worshipped the Lord but had all sorts of people be their priests.  They don’t follow the Lord’s commands or ordinances and worshipped their own idols.  Hence, the Jews cut themselves off from the Samaritans because they were unbelievers.

Ezra tells us how the Samaritans tried to stop the temple from being re-built, creating more resentment from the Jews against them.

The height of this rift between the Jews and the Samaritans was in Jesus’ time.  This scene is remarkable and could only have taken place by Jesus.  His purpose was to show how he is for everyone and how he can bring those lost back to him.  There is no prejudice in the eyes of the Lord and no bounds to His love.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Mine is not about cultural at all.  I need the courage to speak to others about Jesus period.

Conclusions:  I found the history behind the rift between the Jews and the Samaritans the most interesting part of this passage.  I always knew they didn’t like each other, but I didn’t know the reasons behind it.  Cool stuff!

End Notes:  Jesus knew the time for confrontation had not yet come.  Hence, he returns to Galilee.

Note Jesus did not baptize.  This was a sign to all of Jesus’ status above John the Baptist.  Yet, he sanctioned baptism as a sign of acceptance of him and repentance of sin.

The road from Jerusalem to Galilee lay through Samaria, but Jews often went around to avoid the Samaritans.  (Cool map HERE of the route around.  It’s a long way just to avoid people you don’t like.).  The Samaritans were considered half-breeds if you will.  When Babylon exiled the Jews, they left behind the lower classes, not wanting them to mix with the Babylonians.  The Samaritans are a mix of these left-over Jewish peoples and non-Jews who immigrated to the area afterwards.  This new race of people took on some aspects of the religion of the non-Jews and built their own temple to God on Mount Gerizim.  The Jews burned this temple around 128 BC.

Jesus went this way because the Samaritans needed to hear him.  He could have gone around but didn’t.

Sychar was ancient Shechem and was the capital of Samaria.  The history of this place is astounding:

This is where Abram first came when he arrived into Canaan from Babylonia. (Genesis 12:6)

This is where God first appeared to Abram in Canaan, and renewed the promise of giving the land to him and his descendants. (Genesis 12:7)

This is where Abram built an altar and called upon the name of the Lord (Genesis 12:8)

This is where Jacob came safely when he returned with his wives and children from his sojourn with Laban. (Genesis 33:18)

This is where Jacob bought a piece of land from a Canaanite named Hamor for 100 pieces of sliver (Genesis 33:19)

This is where Jacob built an altar to the Lord, and called it El Elohe Israel (Genesis 33:20). This established the connection between Jacob and what became known as Jacob’s well there in Sychar.

Sychar (Shechem) was also the place where Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, was raped – and the sons of Jacob massacred the men of the city in retaliation. (Genesis 34)

This was the plot of ground that Jacob gave his son Joseph, land Jacob had conquered from the Amorites with his sword and bow in an unrecorded battle (Genesis 48:22)

This is where the bones of Joseph were eventually buried when they were carried up from Egypt (Joshua 24:32)

This is where Joshua made a covenant with Israel, renewing their commitment to the God of Israel and proclaiming, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24)

Jesus is tired after a long day of walking.  Jesus was fully human and fully God and as fully human experienced the same things we do.

The sixth hour would have been around noon–the hottest part of the day.

The woman at the well was unusual.  Mostly women came together and came during the early part of the day for water for the day.  Maybe she ran out of water or had a sudden need or maybe she was an outcast.  Like a pub today, the well was a gathering place, a place to exchange news and gossip.  Furthermore, men would come, knowing it was a place where young women frequented.  It was also a place where prostitutes hung out as well.

Rabbi never spoke to women in public, not even their own wives of daughters.  Some even closed their eyes when passing a woman on the street.  Furthermore, Jews never asked favors from Samaritans.  Jesus was breaking all the rules–and showing us all how to live.

Also, Jews believed they would become ceremonially unclean if they used a drinking vessel handled by a Samaritan since they held the belief all Samaritans were unclean.

Jesus makes a simple request to the woman–water.  He makes a simple request of us–faith.

Jesus often speaks to us similarly:  “If you knew….” on a quest to draw us closer to him, to investigate more, to pray more.

In Ancient Times, living water was the name for bubbling water.  However, for Jews living water is associated with God (Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13).  It is fresh, flowing water not water that is sitting and stagnant.

Fun Fact:  The Greek word for gift is used only this time in this Gospel here.  It emphasizes God’s grace through Christ.

Summary of passage:  The Samaritan woman at the well asks Jesus where to get this living water he speaks of and if he’s greater than Jacob.  Jesus tells her the water he brings will give eternal life.  She asks where to get this water so she won’t thirst.  Jesus tells her to bring back her husband.  She says she has no husband.

Questions:

6a)  Ordinary water never quenches thirst.  The water Jesus offers will forever quench thirst and bring eternal life.

b)  In Ancient Times, living water was the name for bubbling water. However, for Jews living water is associated with God (Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13).  Jesus is also living water (John 6:35).  Holy Spirit is living water (John 6:63; John 7:37-39).

c)  Part personal Question.  My answer:  People thirst for ordinary water as a basic human need for survival.  People also thirst for success, power, status, material things, relationships, children, other human desires, etc.  Thirsting for other things outside God can take precedence.  This is when it’s dangerous.  Thirst for God first and the other things second.  Then will you be satisfied.  Prioritize.  For me, only Jesus satisfies the basic needs of my soul.  Everything else is meaningless without Him.

7a)  She showed belief by asking for the water that won’t lead to thirst but unbelief by equating living water with ordinary water when she gave her reason for wanting the water so she wouldn’t have to make daily trips to the well.  She was practical; Jesus wants spiritual.  Jesus told her to go and get her husband.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Jesus humbles you to the point you have to acknowledge his precedence in your life.  When we are the most blinded, he shows up to guide us on our path.  For me, it has been bankruptcy and losing it all.  It’s also the constant money struggles we have with my husband’s job being so tied to the economy and the sins in my life.  It’s all about dependence on Him and Him alone.  When that’s all in place, life is full of contentment.

Conclusions:  Love the difference of the waters and the different representations in the Bible (although they are all the Triune God).  Jesus takes a basic need and turns it into an essential need–one even more important that water itself–our spiritual health.

End Notes:  Drinking is God’s supply and man’s need.  We drink through faith and take in and choose God.  It’s simple–even easier than eating.

One sip of Jesus usually isn’t enough.  We must drink and drink and drink of God to satisfy our needs.  The expression “welling up” means leaping up.  It is vigorous and abundant.

Why ask for her to fetch her husband?  Remember from YESTERDAY we spoke of how men don’t speak to women in public.  This conversation is long and Jesus recognizes the need for her husband to be present in order to continue talking.

Jesus confronts the woman about her sinful past–her 5 husbands.  Jesus is not trying to embarrass the woman–he’s trying to get her to realize her sinful life and her need for him.  Apparently, the woman is living with yet another man.  Jesus rightfully says this is no marriage in his eyes.  She must recognize herself as a sinner first in order to drink of the living waters.  Good lesson for us all!

Jews held a woman could divorce two or at the most three times.  Her life is incredibly immoral by Jewish standards.

Summary of passage:  The woman now understands Jesus is a prophet since he knows her past.  She questions him about the proper place to worship since Samaritans believe Mount Gerazim is the place.  Jesus explains he, the Messiah, has come and it does not matter where you worship the Lord for he is spirit.

Questions:

8 )  Many followers of other religions worship other gods whom they don’t “know.”  The same can be said for Christians if they don’t “know” God.  True faith is having a personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ, knowing Him through the Word, prayer, and faith, and worshipping Him accordingly.

9)  Jesus said “salvation is from the Jews” and included himself with the Jews in verse 22 when he says “we”.   Jesus was a Jew and the Jews are God’s chosen people–the ones originally chosen to worship the Lord and to know Him.  God extends His grace to Gentiles as well through His Son, Jesus Christ.  The God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament.  He never changes.  Both parts of the Bible are equally important in knowing who God is and growing closer to Him and obeying His laws for our lives.

10)  Part personal Question.  My answer:  “Those who worship the Father in spirit and truth.”  God wants us to worship Him with our whole hearts in truth and with the Holy Spirit as our guide with no pretenses or trappings.  By giving God all of my life and all of my heart and all of my soul and all of my strength and all of my mind.  (Luke 10:27).

Conclusions:  I love how Jesus just lays it out:  God wants all of us.  Period.  I love who he lays it out to:  a woman who has a dubious past who may be an outcast.  A woman in Ancient Times was nothing.  This fact alone should convince everyone that Jesus is for everyone–especially YOU.

End Notes:  The book of John focuses on Jesus’ ministry with individuals.  We see Jesus as he wants us to be:  an intimate friend, imparting words of wisdom to live by.  He has private conversations with the woman at the well and Nicodemus.  He strives to know us as we strive to know him.

Here, Jesus uses a profound image for those living in a desert environment:  water.  To this woman, water was everything and Jesus promises her living waters and a spring of eternal life.  This would have made a profound impression on this woman.

John’s goal is to provide clarity so we can see and know Jesus.  Still, many do not understand.

Here, the abrupt change in subject in verse 20 is probably the woman trying to evade the issue of her husbands.

Remember, the Samaritans combine the teachings of Moses with outside religions.  They believed Moses commissioned an altar on Mount Gerazim.  They cherry-picked the Bible, believing only the first 5 books.

Jesus strongly identifies with the Jewish people when he says “we” in verse 22.

Jesus announces to this unidentified woman how the time is coming where the place you worship will not matter; what matter is the how you worship.  This was profound and one of the greatest announcements in the entire Bible–made unplanned at a well.

Worship in spirit and truth means no outside pretenses.  All heart.

The place of worship is irrelevant because true worship must be in keeping with God’s nature, which is spirit.  “True worshippers” must worship God in the power of his Spirit and in accordance with truth.  Truth in John’s Gospel  is Christ.

Fun Fact:  This is the only time Jesus specifically speaks of himself as the Messiah before his trial.  In Samaria, the term had no political overtures, probably the reason Jesus used it here.

Summary of passage:  The disciples return with food and find Jesus talking to a woman.  The woman leaves, telling the whole town of whom she met and to come and see him.

Questions:

11a)  She probably forgot the jar in her excitement of meeting Jesus, the possible Messiah.  It also indicates she will return.  It indicates she might be turned for Jesus.

b)  She ran to town and testified to Jesus, telling all to come and see him.  The people came to see Jesus.  The woman probably believed in her heart who Jesus was, receiving his promised gift of eternal waters (everlasting life).  Furthermore, as a probable outcast, this woman so believed in Jesus she overcame the social stigma to tell others of Jesus.  Her faith was bright!

12)  Men did not talk to woman, especially unaccompanied women.  Women were akin to animals in ancient times and had no rights.  This shows Jesus is for all.  He welcomes all.  He wants all to come to him.  He does not care about the customs of man.  He cares about saving souls.

13)  Personal Question.  My answer:  He is truly for all no matter how fallen you are in this world.

Conclusions:  Love how Jesus smashes social norms and shows how he cares for all.  He gives hope to this world.  He wants every living soul.  This conversation with a Samaritan woman proves Jesus’ greatness.

End Notes:  Note the disciples did not openly question Jesus either out of respect for Jesus and who he is or in their hearts knowing the Samaritan woman has value as well.

Perfect example of eye-witness testimony:  John recorded the woman left her clay pot.

Even after being confronted with all her sins, the woman turned to Jesus.  Human reaction is to run away from those who speak of things we don’t want to hear or remember.  Not this woman.  Jesus had touched her soul.  She felt safe with him.  The woman felt compassion.  There was no judgement or condemnation.

The predicted Messiah will be able to tell all about you (Isaiah 11:2-3).  The Samaritans probably believed this as well.

She evangelized!  She told everyone to come and know Jesus just as she just has.  So must we all.

Summary of passage:  The disciples, concerned about Jesus, asked him to eat something.  He replied how he has food to eat they know nothing about.  Mystified, they still insisted he eat.  Jesus explained he sustains himself by doing God’s work and finishing it.

Questions:

3a)  “Doing the will of God and finishing God’s work” i.e. dying for our sins and saving the world by faith and grace.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  I find great satisfaction in knowing I’m doing God’s work on this planet.  Raising my kids, being a dutiful wife, writing for Him, working for Him, etc.  It’s what sustains me when the times are hard and motivates me when I have no will.

c)  Come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior.

4a)  Personal Question.  My answer:  It’s easy in this world dominated by instant satisfaction to get lost in tasks that waste your time.  I have to stay focused and ask myself every day:  Is this for God or is it for me?  How does what I’m doing propel Him forward?  Is this meeting His goals?

b)  Love God.  Love others.  Spread the Good News and teach them to obey God.  Pray.  Give to the needy.  Do not worry.  Seek Him always.  Store treasures in heaven, not here.  Testify for Jesus.  Finish God’s work for my life.

Conclusions:  This passage is one where you want to hit the disciples over the head and say, “Don’t you get it?!  It’s Jesus, the Son of God, sent to die for our sins!”  We know that of course, but they didn’t.  This explains just how radical the idea is to the people of that time:  God sent his Son to die for us?  But why?  And that, my friend, is what the whole Bible tries to explain.

End Notes:  The disciples were rightly concerned about Jesus’ health.  He just finished a long walk from Judea.  His body needed sustenance.  Jesus’ point was there’s more to life than physical needs:  spiritual needs that bread alone won’t satisfy.  Jesus is saying, “My strength and nourishment is God.”

Jesus points out what’s most important here:  God’s will, not the fine details of serving others, etc.  Only doing God’s will will satisfy the human soul.  Period.  It refreshes weary souls like Jesus’.  Man’s own desires are lackluster in comparison.

John frequently records how Jesus depends on the Father and is doing His will (3:34; 5:30; 6:38; 8:26; 9:4; 10:37-8; 12:50; 14:31; 15:10; 17:4)

Notice the AND.  Doing the will of God and finishing it.  Remember Jesus’ last words?  “It is finished.” (John 19:30)  Once we can utter these words as well, heaven will come.  Great stuff!