The Gospel of John. a Commentary. Warren D. Hoover 04/09/12

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1 The Gospel of John a Commentary Warren D. Hoover 04/09/12

2 The Gospel of John A Commentary Introduction: The Gospel of John is unique among the Gospels in that it is the only Gospel in which the author states his purpose for writing: John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. The Gospel is also unique in that it was written several decades after the other Gospels, about A.D., and at a time when the basic doctrines of Christianity had come under virulent attack from both inside and outside the church. At the time of writing, John was the sole surviving apostle, which made him the only surviving witness who had been intimately associated with Jesus and His earthly ministry. The epistles of John - I, II, & III John were written around the same time as the Gospel. He was arrested shortly after writing the Gospel and exiled to the Isle of Patmos where he received and recorded The Revelation of Jesus Christ. The attacks from outside the church came in the form of disputation against Christianity and its doctrines by the pagan Greek and Roman philosophers, and by severe persecution as the official policy of the Roman Empire. The primary attacks from inside the church came in the form of false teachers spreading the Gnostic and Nicolaitan heresies. The primary focus of these attacks was the identity and person of Jesus Christ. They denied that deity and humanity were fully combined in one person, and that He was without sin in this world. John's Gospel is particularly well suited to answer those attacks and to reassure believers that they had not been deceived by false claims concerning Jesus. The long history of the success of this book in convincing believer and unbeliever alike is the greatest witness to the power and accuracy of what the Apostle John has written. The Gospel of John is also unique in its format. The other three Gospels are biographical in nature and mostly chronological as they progress through the life, ministry, passion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. John does not follow this format. Instead, he selects a series of vignettes from the teaching and miracles of Jesus which demonstrate His Deity, Divine wisdom, Divine authority, and Divine power. In addition, almost half of the Gospel is devoted to the Lord's fellowship with, and teaching of, His disciples during the final week before the crucifixion. John has been called the "simple Gospel" because of the concise language and simple vocabulary that the great Apostle uses, and for that reason it is widely used as an evangelical tool. Yet a careful study of the book yields the fact that it was written to take the believer on a spiritual journey to depths that will never be exhausted. The "simple" statements in John contain depths of meaning and profound truths that the greatest of Christian theologians have spent centuries exploring. Moreover, much of the Gospel is totally irrelevant to the unbeliever. For instance, Jesus great teaching about abiding in him has no meaning to the unbeliever. His instruction concerning the meaning of the bread and wine at the Last Supper is meaningless 2

3 to the unbeliever, and His great High Priestly prayer in John 17 is concerned only with believers. John also records a great deal of teaching and many miracles that are not found in the synoptic Gospels. In each case, what he records is intended to strengthen the faith of the believer and deepen his commitment to follow Christ. "In the four Gospels, or rather in the four books of the one Gospel, the Apostle John not undeservedly, with reference to his spiritual understanding, is compared to an eagle, has lifted higher, and far more sublimely than the other three, his proclamation, and in lifting it up he has wished our hearts also to be lifted." Augustine ( A.D.) John's Gospel is also unique in that it appeals to the Oriental mind far more than the synoptic Gospels do. Its spiritual nature and profound depths stated in the briefest and simplest of terms appeal greatly to those who have been raised to meditate in pursuit of spiritual truth. They are quickly drawn to examine the claim of Jesus in John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. The final unique characteristic of the Gospel of John is the emphasis he places on the Lord's interaction with women. John shows that, at a time when every culture on earth considered women as property to be exploited and bought or sold at will, Jesus treated women as worthy of respect, time, care, and love. At a time when society considered women as intellectually inferior and incapable of wisdom or great learning, Jesus treated them as intellectual equals and taught them right alongside of the men. That was a dramatic change that went on to infuse into the church and eventually changed human society forever. There is a little known tidbit about the Apostle John, and no way to confirm the truth of it, but it would help to account for the apparent special relationship between the Lord Jesus and the Apostle. One of the early church writers, Theophylact, records this about John: "John the evangelist was cousin to our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh: for Joseph, the spouse of the God-bearing virgin, had four sons by his own wife, James, Simon, Jude, and Joses, and three daughters, Esther, and Thamar, and a third who, with her mother, was called Salome, who was given by Joseph in marriage to Zebedee: of her, Zebedee begot James, and John also the evangelist." The Johannine Authorship of the fourth Gospel is proven by the testimony of the so-called church fathers. Theophilus of Antioch, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Hippolytus, Origen, Dionysius of Alexandria, Eusebius, and above all, Irenaeus, all speak of this Gospel as the work of the Apostle John. Other ancient authorities might be added. Of great value is the testimony of the two most pronounced enemies of Christianity, Porphyry and Julian. Both speak of the Gospel of John and neither one doubted that the Apostle John wrote this last Gospel. Had there 3

4 been any evidence against the Johannine authorship we may rest assured that these two prominent adversaries would have made good use of it to reject the authenticity of the Gospel which emphasizes the absolute Deity of Christ. 4

5 Outline of John: (1) I. Prologue - Incarnation, Chapter 1:1-18 A. Word is God 1:1-3 B. Word became flesh 1:14 C. Word revealed God 1:18 II. Introduction, Chapter 1:19-51 A. Witness of John the Baptist 1:19-36 B. Witness of Andrew 1:37-42 C. Witness of Philip 1:43-46 D. Witness of Nathaniel 1:47-51 III. Witness of Works and Words, Chapters 2-12 A. Jesus at marriage in Cana (First Work) 2:1-12 B. Jesus cleanses the temple during Passover in Jerusalem (First Word) 2:13-22 C. Jesus interviews Nicodemus in Jerusalem (Second Word) 2:23-3:36 D. Jesus interviews the woman at the well (Third Word) 4:1-45 E. Jesus heals nobleman's son in Capernaum (Second Work) 4:46-54 F. Jesus heals man at Pool of Bethesda (Third Work) Chapter 5 G. Jesus feeds 5,000 (Fourth Word & Fourth Work) Chapter 6 H. Jesus teaches at the Feast of Tabernacles in the temple (Fifth Word) Chapter 7 I. Jesus in the temple forgives the woman taken in adultery (Sixth Word) Chapter 8 J. Jesus opens the eyes of the man born blind (Fifth Work) Chapter 9 1. Record of the miracle 9: Reaction to the miracle 9:8-41 K. Jesus is the Good Shepherd (Seventh Word) Chapter Humanity - Christ in the form of a servant 10: Deity - Christ equal with God 10:22-42 L. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead Chapter 11 M. Witness of Jew & Gentile to Jesus Chapter Jesus comes to Bethany for supper 12: Jesus comes to Jerusalem - Tearful Entry 12: Jesus comes to Greeks 12: Jesus comes to His hour 12: Jesus comes to end of public ministry 12:37-50 IV. Witness of Jesus to His witnesses, Upper Room Discourse, Chapters A. Jesus washes feet of the disciples chapter 13 B. Jesus comforts His disciples chapter 14 C. Jesus is the Genuine Vine, Disciples are the branches Chapter 15 D. Jesus will send the Holy Spirit during His absence chapter 16 E. The Lord's Prayer chapter Jesus prays for Himself 17: Jesus prays for the disciples 17: Jesus prays for His church 17:

6 V. Witness to the world chapters A. Arrest and trial of Jesus chapter Arrest in Gethsemane, trial before Annas 18: First denial by Simon Peter 18: Trial before the High Priest 18: Second denial by Simon Peter 18: Trial before Pilate 18:28-40 B. Death of Jesus at Golgotha, burial in tomb of Joseph chapter 19 C. Resurrection of Jesus, appearances to Mary, Disciples, Thomas chapter 20 VI. Epilogue - Glorification Chapter 21 A. The resurrected Jesus is still God 21:1-5 B. Lord of our wills & directs our service 21:6 C. Lord of our hearts, motive for service 21:15-17 D. Lord of our minds 21:22 Outline of John as "The Simple Gospel": I. Light - chapters 1-12 II. Love - chapters III. Life - chapters (1) Dr. J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary Series: The Gospels: John Chapter 1-10, Nashville Tennessee by Thomas Nelson, Thru the Bible Radio 6

7 Chapter One John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. As many of my readers will know, I am a retired sailor. I'm going to make use of a naval analogy to these first three verses because I think it is an apropos way to describe their meaning and their impact on their first readers. The Law of the Sea contains a centuries old provision which allows a commissioned warship of any nation to stop and search a civilian vessel on the high seas at any time. Typical reasons for the search might be an attempt to intercept smugglers, to apprehend pirates, or simply to examine the papers of the crew and the ship's log to ascertain if everything is in order and that the ship is proceeding on legal business and in a safe manner. On rare occasions a ship will refuse to stop and comply with the warship's orders. When that happens, the warship proceeds to aim a cannon shot into the ocean immediately in front of the recalcitrant vessel. It is a blunt warning that overwhelming force will be used to enforce the stop order. That shot is traditionally called "a shot across the bows". The first three verses of John chapter one are the Holy Spirit's "shot across the bows" of the heretics who were teaching that Jesus was not God, and of the Greek philosophers who endlessly debated "first causes" and "first things". These verses are a blunt announcement that Jesus is God, and that He came first. They also affirm that He existed as a separate personality, and that He is the Creator of all things. Thus, in this brief passage, John warns the heretics to stop because their teaching is false, and he warns the Greek philosophers to cease their debates because they are seeking what is already known. At the same time, John makes a profound statement to the Christian about the eternal nature of Jesus. He is the eternal God, the I Am. No matter how far back into the past we send our feeble and finite minds, Jesus is there waiting for us and has always been there. Time is meaningless to the Lord Jesus Christ. He exists apart from time, and is the Creator of time along with everything else. When we send our minds back to the beginning of time, we find Jesus there waiting for us, waiting to introduce us to eternity past. No matter how far back we probe with our efforts at understanding, we will never discover a missing Jesus. When we read prophecy and send our minds far into the future, we find the end of time, but never the end of Jesus. This is the reason for the brief, but profound statement that the Apostle Paul writes in his epistle to the Hebrews: Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. In addition, John makes a second statement about the work of Jesus. He is Creator God. Absolutely nothing exists that is not the product of His work. In the 7

8 terms familiar to the Greek philosophers, Jesus is the first cause, and the first things are products of His handiwork. Not only is the information about Jesus profound, the title John uses is also. "The Word" is one of the highest titles of the Lord Jesus and its meaning is not easy to discover. He is not simply the "logos" of the Greek philosophers. He is the "memra" of the Old Testament. The name for Jesus in the Old Testament is so holy that the Jews never pronounced it or wrote it. Instead, they used what is known as the tetragrammaton, YHWH, which has been translated into English as both Jehovah and Yahweh. Proof of this is found in the Jewish Targum on De 26:17-18, it is said, "Ye have appointed THE WORD OF GOD a king over you this day, that he may be your God." The Targum is the Jewish translation of the Hebrew into Aramaic. "In the beginning was the Word" is only five brief words in English, but it encompasses all of eternity past. "Was" in the Greek is what is called a durative imperfect, which means it is a continuous action! This is a truth that is simply incomprehensible to our finite minds. Humanity cannot understand eternity. Humanity must simply believe eternity. To the unbeliever, this makes a simple statement about what came first, but to the believer, it is the foundational rock upon which we can build an unshakeable faith. "And the Word was with God" is a term that locates Jesus in an intimate relationship with the Father. In verse eighteen, John says that He "is in the bosom of the Father" which pictures Jesus in a manner similar to a child nestled in his father's loving arms. "...and the Word was God. John then goes on to bluntly declare the Jesus is God. The Word is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. This is fundamental to the doctrine of the Trinity. Our God is "one God" in essence, in all attributes, attitudes, and purposes, the ultimate in unity, and yet exists in three separate persons. Jesus is the Incarnation, and the portrait, and the fulfillment of everything written in the Old Testament Scriptures. He is the Word of God that indwelled human flesh and lived among His human creation for 33 years while He served as the visible demonstration of God. John 1:4-5 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John follows up his identification of Jesus as Creator God by affirming that He is also the source of life from Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Prior to the creation of man, He created all living things. Then He capped His creation work by creating man and breathing life into him. The Apostle then goes on to preview what he will quote Jesus as saying in John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. He selectively identifies Jesus as the light of men because humans are the only beings 8

9 in creation that have a conscience and spiritual awareness. But then he goes on to say that the light shined in the darkness because of our sinful human nature, and alludes to the fact that our sinful nature blinds us to the light shining from the Lord Jesus. The Lord expresses a similar idea in John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. The Greek words used in these verses are an outstanding example of John's simple language leading to great depths of meaning. The word he uses for life is "zoe", from which we get our name for the science of zoology, the study of life. The word for light is "phos" from which we get photography as well as the scientific name for the particle that makes up a portion of light, the photon. Both are very simple words, but lead to very complex ideas and great depths of investigation, both in theology and in scientific inquiry. "...and the darkness comprehended it not" The key to understanding this phrase is the meaning of "comprehended". The first definition of comprehend in my dictionary is "to grasp the nature, significance, or meaning of what has happened". The second is "to contain or hold within a total scope, significance, or s the truth of everything which man may understand". Today, we would say that the world was unable to "take it all in" or "the world just didn't get it". Understanding the fullness of Jesus is far beyond man's feeble mental ability without God stepping in to aid in the process. We are all aware of physical darkness. It arrives every evening shortly after sunset, and unless we light a candle or turn on a lamp, we will be enveloped in darkness until the next morning. We seldom think about the darkness, or worry about it, because we know that we have the next morning's sunrise to look forward too. Fortunately, only one half of the Earth is in physical darkness at any one time. This is not the case with spiritual darkness. The entire world is enveloped in spiritual darkness every second of every day, yet God built a craving for light into our very being. That is the reason mankind has been searching for "enlightenment" since the beginning of recorded history. Yet we search in vain, for there is no light in this world apart from Jesus. There are only illusory philosophies and worldviews that always end in a pitch black dead end. All of those misguided paths are the reason that Jesus came into the world. He brought the true light. Unfortunately, those philosophies and worldviews are also the reasons that the world "knew Him not". John's Gospel points the way to the true light. John 1:6-9 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. At this point in Israel's history, God had been silent for about 400 years. No prophet had appeared in Israel since Malachi, but Malachi had left behind a prophecy that caused those in Israel who loved God to be continually watchful. They were watching for the messenger who would announce the coming of the 9

10 Messiah. Malachi's message was: Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. In verses six through nine, John writes that Malachi 3:1 is fulfilled. John the Baptist is the messenger that announced the coming of Messiah. John 1:10-11 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. Here John tersely writes that John's announcement was accurate. Messiah did come, but was rejected by the world. He will spend the rest of the Gospel documenting the proof that the world made a mistake when it did not recognize, acknowledge, and worship its Creator God when he walked among them in human flesh. John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John points out that there were a few who recognized Jesus for who He truly is and believed, then he gives a brief summary of how eternal salvation happens and the results of that salvation. Note that the only part of salvation that man does is believe. God does all the rest. There is no room for any work of man in the process. It is God's will that man be born again, but man must believe before it will happen. The Apostle Peter writes the same thing from a different perspective when he explains why the Lord's return has been so long delayed: II Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Man must repent, which is to change his mental attitude towards God and turn from his sin to God, believing that Jesus provided the full atonement for our sins. Again, all that man can do is believe, God does all the rest. When man repents and believes, he receives power. The word power in the Greek is important. It is not the word dunamis, which is physical power or strength. It is the word exousian, which is delegated power or authority. It is recognition that we are nothing, but Christ dwelling in us is everything. He gives us the authority to claim that we have become the children of God. The world denies this principle when the claim is made that humans are all God's children. Humans are all God's creation, but not all God's children. Only those saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ have the authority to claim they are God's children. All others making that claim are imposters. John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. After summarizing the salvation process, John summarizes the Incarnation of the One whom we must believe before the salvation process will take place. 10

11 He reiterates the profound truth that the Creator God has become flesh and lived among us on this tiny planet in His vast universe. Then he goes on to summarize what he observed about Jesus while He walked among us and sacrificed Himself for our redemption. John 1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. Now the Apostle reaffirms that John the Baptist both recognized Jesus for who He was when He came to be baptized, and that John announced to all there that Jesus was the one he had been sent to announce. Note that John the Baptist knew of the preeminence of Jesus as well as His eternal nature. John 1:16 And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. The Lord Jesus is the fullness of God. Everything we receive in both time and eternity comes from Him. All blessings, both physical and spiritual, come from Him. There is nothing that exists, or that ever will exist, that does not come from Him. Grace is first extended to us as the Holy Spirit points the way to Jesus and draws us toward Him. Then grace continues as the Lord graciously provides all that we need in this life. Finally, grace culminates in the provision of our eternal joy and thankfulness when we find ourselves face to face with Jesus. That is the implication of "grace for grace". John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. The law was a schoolmaster intended to teach us (Galatians 3:24), and it was a great burden for the Jews with its many ceremonies and sacrifices. All of the law pointed to the mission Jesus would fulfill as The Lamb of God that took away our sins. The sacrificial atonement provided by Jesus ended the need for all the ceremonies and sacrifices and replaced them with the gracious offer of salvation solely by faith in Jesus and His finished work. The law was the shadow of the truth that taught about the burden of our sin and the need for redemption. Jesus is the truth that has provided the sacrifice needed for our redemption. The law demonstrated the totality of our unrighteousness before a holy God. Jesus graciously provides His righteousness to those who believe so that we are made acceptable to a holy God. John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. Prior to the incarnation of Jesus, no man had seen God. No man could see God and live to tell about it (Exodus 33:20). But Jesus, the only Son, had been in the intimate embrace of the Father and was able to declare Him to us in His own person. I Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: 11

12 God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. John 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? In modern language we would say that this is the testimony of John the Baptist. According to Matthew 3:5 he was famous in the land, and according to Luke 3:15 some thought that he might be the Messiah and his presence and preaching were causing a great sense of expectation in the land. That is the apparent background for the instance recorded here. The Jews, most likely the Sanhedrin, became aware of John and curious about him. They sent some priests and Levites, the religious leaders under the Law, to search out John and question him about his preaching and who he was. John 1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. The very first thing the Apostle records about this interview is that John was very quick to tell them that he was not the Christ, the Messiah. John 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. These interrogators knew their Scripture and the first question they asked comes from Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: (Elias is the way the New Testament Greek is transliterated into English). The reason that Elijah did not come is that the first coming of Jesus was not the precursor to "the great and dreadful day of the LORD" which will be the time of judgment. Elijah will come before that day. He is generally recognized to be one of the two witnesses of the Great Tribulation period in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. When John denied that he was Elijah, they went back to the Torah and asked if he was the prophet Moses had foretold in Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. Again John answered no. John 1:22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? This can be read in two ways. Either they exhausted their knowledge of the prophets they might expect to come, or, they simply did not want to keep guessing and instead asked John to identify who he was. I think the later is the more likely. John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 12

13 Either way, the answer they received from John was straightforward and took them straight back to the Scripture. The answer he gives is that he is the one Isaiah foretold in Isaiah 40:3 (Esaias is the way the New Testament Greek is transliterated into English). John 1:24-25 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizeth thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? The following quote taken from Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible fully explains why they asked the question: "Why baptizest thou then, &c. Baptism on receiving a proselyte from heathenism was common before the time of John, but it was not customary to baptize a Jew. John had changed the custom. He baptized all, and they were desirous of knowing by what authority he made such a change in the religious customs of the nation. They presumed, from the fact that he introduced that change, that he claimed to be a prophet or the Christ. They supposed that no one would attempt it without pretending, at least, authority from heaven. As he disclaimed the character of Christ and of the prophet Elijah, they asked whence he derived his authority. As he had just before applied to himself a prediction that they all considered as belonging to the forerunner of Christ, they might have understood why he did it; but they were blind, and manifested, as all sinners do, a remarkable slowness in understanding the plainest truths in religion."(1) John 1:26-27 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. It appears from this statement that John had recognized Jesus standing among them in the crowd, but that Jesus had not yet come forward to be baptized and recognized as the Messiah. John states the He is present, but does not point Him out or declare Him as The Lamb of God because the Holy Spirit restrained him. His answer must have been frustrating to the interrogators. They went away knowing that someone far greater than John the Baptist was in the crowd but unrevealed because John stated that there was someone there who was so much greater than he that he was not even worthy to perform the functions of a household slave for Him. John 1:28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. There are several good commentaries on the Bible that make the claim that the actual name of the place was Bethany, but that Bethabara is substituted to prevent confusion with another Bethany, the home of Lazarus, which is in the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem. "Bethabara" means "the place of crossing" and often refers to the point at which the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land. It may well be that John was baptizing in the Jordan River at that historic location. It would also be spiritually appropriate for the One who was to fulfill all of God's promises to the Jews to make His first appearance and be declared to the people there at the point where they had entered into His promise. 13

14 John 1:29-30 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. The very next day, after the interrogators were gone, Jesus came to John again, and this time John forcefully declares who He is and what His mission is. The terminology John uses refers back to the Law of Moses and the sacrifices which Israelites had been making for centuries. Those sacrifices were meant to teach Israel about their need for a Savior. The "Lamb of God" refers to the Passover lamb whose blood kept Israel safe from the wrath of God that came upon Egypt. It is the Lamb that Abraham was ultimately referring to when he told Isaac that God would provide for Himself a Lamb (Genesis 22:8). "Taketh away the sin of the world" referred to the scapegoat ceremony instituted in Leviticus 16:8-10 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. Remember, the synoptic Gospels record that the Holy Spirit led Jesus away into the wilderness to be tested shortly after John baptized Him. John 1:31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. In order to understand this comment, we must remember that John and Jesus were relatives according to the flesh (Luke 1:36-43). John is saying that he did not know that Jesus was the Messiah when he began his ministry and started baptizing with water. He only knew that the moment when the Messiah would be revealed was imminent. John 1:32-33 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. Instead of knowing who Jesus was ahead of time, John had received a sign to look for from the Holy Spirit. He was to watch for the Holy Spirit to descend in the form of a dove and land on a man, then remain on him. That would be a totally supernatural event because a dove is one of the most easily frightened birds there is and normally flees at just the approach of a man. The Holy Spirit told John the Baptist that the man the dove lit on and remained would be the one that would baptize with the Holy Spirit instead of just water. Decades ago, a country and Gospel singer named Roy Acuff made a huge hit out of a song telling of this event. The title of the song was On the Wings of a Dove, 14

15 and the lyrics included: "On the wings of a snow white dove He sends His pure sweet love A sign from above on the wings of a dove" It's unfortunate that portions of God's holy word are no longer part of our popular culture. John 1:34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. John concludes his testimony by repeating that he saw the sign that he was told to look for and that he was faithful in testifying about the one the dove descended on. John 1:35-36 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! The "next day" is the day after John saw the dove settle on Jesus and then baptized Him. The prophet sees Jesus passing by and again emphatically points Him out as the Lamb of God. John the Baptist was a faithful prophet who pointed unerringly to the one he was sent to proclaim. That should be the purpose and goal of anyone God calls to preach His word today. John 1:37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. The meaning is that two of the men who had been disciples following John heard his testimony concerning the identity of Jesus and began to follow Him instead of John. That is the purpose of all faithful preaching. It should point men to Jesus as the one they truly need to follow and result in new disciples following the Savior. Christians should always be following Jesus, never a man. Those who follow a man are in a cult, not in Christ. John 1:38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? This is the same question Jesus would ask any person who begins to follow Him today. What do you want? What are you looking for? What do you want me to do for you? The question that the men asked Jesus is rooted in the culture of that day. They were, in effect, asking if they could come and stay where Jesus was staying. The way they asked the question also reveals the limits of their knowledge and faith at that point. John the Baptist had just told them that this was the Son of God, yet they call Him teacher. The word "Master" is used in the sense that we would use the term schoolmaster today. It refers to the role the one who led disciples had in that day. He went about teaching and the disciples followed wherever he went and learned by both listening and observation. Meal time and evenings were both times when the 15

16 disciples were traditionally allowed to ask questions and seek clarification of what they had seen and heard that day. That is the reason they asked Jesus where He was staying. They were asking if they could accompany Him and spend this traditional time with Him. John 1:39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. Jesus agrees that they can accompany Him. We are never told where He was staying at this time, but it was apparently a large enough house that it could accommodate the guests, and Jesus expected there to be enough food to provide the evening meal for them. This is indicated by John's comment that it was about the tenth hour, or about 4 PM in modern time. That means that it was late in the day and whatever home they were received into would be expected to provide hospitality for that night. John 1:40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. John now begins to get more specific about these early followers of Jesus as he calls out the ones who will eventually be known as the twelve disciples. Their importance rests in the fact that eleven of them would go on to become apostles, while the twelfth would be the infamous traitor that betrayed his Lord. The first that he identifies is Andrew. The second one that followed that day was apparently John himself, though he never tells us that. One of the signs of the Apostle John's great humility is that he writes this entire Gospel in the third person, never mentioning himself directly, but always and ever pointing to the Lord Jesus. John 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. After telling us that Andrew is Simon Peter's brother in the previous verse, John goes on to tell us that the very first thing Andrew did after becoming a disciple was go and tell his brother about his discovery. What an example of how the word about Jesus should spread. One of the first indications we should get that we have been born again is the sudden desire to tell others, especially our own families, about Jesus. John 1:42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone. There is great meaning, as well as some confusion, concerning the names used here. First the meaning. Jesus looked at Simon and said "You are the son of Jonah", which is Hebrew for son of a dove, a name which denoted timidity or easily frightened. Then the Lord said "thou shalt be called Cephas" which is the Aramaic word for a stone. 16

17 Now for the confusion. The Aramaic word Cephas translates into Greek as Petra, and Petra transliterates into English as Peter. Hence, we know Simon as Simon Peter. Later, Jesus will assign even greater meaning to the name. In summary, at this point Jesus has His first three disciples. John the Baptist pointed Andrew and John to Jesus and they sought to accompany Him to where He was staying. After receiving approval to accompany Jesus, Andrew sought out his brother Simon and brought him along to meet Jesus. John 1:43-44 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. The key to understanding this is to remember that Andrew and John both followed Jesus from where John the Baptist was preaching and baptizing to wherever He stayed the evening they met. The next day after meeting those two plus Simon, Jesus started for Galilee, which is the area in Israel on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. When He got to Galilee, he went into the fishing village of Bethsaida, which also happened to be Andrew and Peter's home, and found Philip. John 1:45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Again the process by which the Gospel spreads repeats itself. Philip becomes a disciple and immediately goes and seeks out Nathanael. Philip's testimony is simple. He has found the One predicted in the Scripture. His name is Jesus, He is from Nazareth, and He is the son of Joseph. John 1:46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Prejudice is nothing new. Nazareth was a poor backwater town in the hills near the Sea of Galilee. The people were considered uneducated and backward. They were suspected of impiety because of their remoteness from Jerusalem. Note that Philip does not try to argue with the doubting Nathanael. Instead he simply says "come and see". That is another lesson many need to learn today. Simply point the doubter to Jesus. The honest doubter will be convinced by what he sees of Jesus in the Scripture. The hardened skeptics will not believe no matter how much argument is offered in the vain attempt to convince them. John 1:47-48 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 17

18 In the introduction to the book, I noted that John selects vignettes to demonstrate who Jesus is. That is demonstrated here. As Nathanael approaches Jesus, the Lord knows he is a skeptic, and in response gives a simple demonstration of the fact that He is omniscient. Omniscience is the attribute of deity that recognizes the fact that God knows everything that can be known or that ever will be known. There is absolutely nothing in creation that is hidden from the knowledge of God, and in addition, He knows everything that can be known apart from creation. Not only does He know everything, He knows all of the possible alternatives. God is never caught unawares or surprised. Jesus demonstrates His omniscience to Nathanael in two ways. First He tells him what is in his heart, or in this case, what is missing from his heart, then when Nathanael asks how the Lord knows this, Jesus reply reveals that He knew Nathanael's location at a time when he thought he was totally alone. John 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Nathanael's immediate response is total commitment. By his identification of who Jesus is, he also demonstrates that he knows and understands the Old Testament Scripture. By identifying Jesus as the Son of God, Nathanael demonstrates understanding of Psalms 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee., and by proclaiming Him King of Israel, he demonstrates that he knows and believes Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. John 1:50-51 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. It is not entirely clear what Jesus is referring to here. The most likely explanation is that this prophecy was fulfilled at the Lord's ascension because we know that there were angels involved in that event and that Nathanael was present. On the other hand, some commentaries claim that this is figurative and that Jesus is referring to Jacob's life and the incident at Bethel when Jacob saw angels ascending and descending the ladder into heaven. The thought is that the ladder is figurative and represents Jesus Christ because He is the one that provides the only access to heaven. Jesus is telling Nathanael that he will now get to witness the true ladder instead of the figurative one that Jacob saw. (1) as contained in the library of SwordSearcher copyright 2011, StudyLamp Software LLC; Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 18

19 Chapter Two John 2:1-2 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. There is some debate among theologians about the "third day" which reflects humanity's tendency to get into debates about inconsequential things. The Apostle Paul was strong in his opposition to such debates. In Romans he alluded to the fact that they are unprofitable when conducted in front of those of weak faith: Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations., and in his pastoral letter to Titus he bluntly said to avoid them because they are worthless and a waste of time: Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. The gist of the debate is the chronology of the "third day". Is John indicating the third day after Jesus' baptism or the third day after the conversation with Nathanael. When we read the story of the wedding feast which follows, it's very evident that which "third day" is totally irrelevant to the message that John is trying to convey about the Lord Jesus! Next John specifies Cana of Galilee. This is a simple clarification for his readers because there was a second Cana near the seaport of Sidon, and possibly a third near the city of Zarephath, where Elijah had raised the widow's son from the dead. A couple of the ancient writers say that Mary and Jesus, plus Jesus' disciples, were invited to the wedding (called) because this is the wedding of the Apostle John himself. That would be a logical explanation for their presence, but there is no way to verify it as fact. What we do know is that weddings in Israel were occasions for great feasting and celebration which often lasted for a week or more. John 2:3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Mary's involving of herself at this point also seems to lend credibility to the idea that it was the wedding of a relative since a person who was just a guest with no standing in the family would be very unlikely to involve themselves in the problem. The preparations for a wedding in Israel in that day were totally different from what happens in America today. The prospective groom was the one who was responsible for all of the planning and preparation. That was a spiritual foreshadowing of the marriage supper of The Lamb, which Jesus makes all of the preparations for. Also unlike today, the feasting all occurred before the groom claimed his bride. He went to her home and claimed her at the end of the celebration, then took her to his home for the wedding night and consummation of the marriage. The fact that they ran out of wine during the celebration would have been 19

20 a great embarrassment to the groom, and would have reflected poorly on both his trustworthiness as a provider and his foresight as a planner. John 2:4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. This is an unfortunate translation because it makes Jesus sound harsh, or even rude, neither of which He would ever be. In fact, He addresses His mother in a perfectly respectful and normal way. Actually, He addresses her from the cross in exactly the same way in John 19:26. Jesus' comment that His hour had not yet come was a reference to the fact that it wasn't yet time for Him to be begin His ministry as Israel's Messiah, not an indication that He did not want to help in the situation. That is confirmed in the very next verse. John 2:5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. First, this is yet another indication that this was the marriage of a family member. Someone outside the family would be very unlikely to give orders to the servants. Second, had the previous verse been a rebuke to the Lord's mother, she would be very unlikely to be presumptuous enough to order the servants to do what He said. John 2:6 And there were set there six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Many of the large stone pots of the type referred to here have been found by archaeologists in the area of ancient Israel. They were a common way of storing water at a time when there were few wells and no water distribution systems. The fact that the purifying of the Jews is mentioned means that they contained water reserved for the ritual washing required by the Mosaic Law. The presence of six of them indicates that this was a large and fairly prosperous household, as does the presence of multiple servants. The number and capacity also indicates a very large wedding feast. Both the fact that John explained the reason for the pots and his use of the term "firkin" for the capacity of the pots indicate that he was expecting this Gospel to be read primarily by Gentiles. The Greek word translated as firkin is an exclusively Greek unit of measurement with no Hebrew or Aramaic equivalent. It is believed to represent about nine gallons in our modern measurement. A good estimate would be that the pots held gallons each. John 2:7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 20

21 This represents an arduous and time consuming task since the servants would have to make several trips to the local well with smaller pots in order to carry back enough water to fill these. John 2:8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. The "governor of the feast" would have been either the steward of the house or perhaps a hired feast specialist of some sort who would be similar to what modern brides know as an event planner or wedding planner. The following verses indicate that it was probably a hired feast manager since the steward of the house would have been aware of any wine held back from the guests. John 2:9-10 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. Here is an indication of how society has changed over the centuries. In ancient times, the groom was responsible for planning and funding all of the wedding festivities. I'll guess that a lot of modern brides and their families would happily vote to change it back! The ruler's comment about the "good wine" is very important on a couple of levels. First, it's simple truth that Jesus always supplies the very best of what we need, and exactly in the form we need. We are the ones who fall short when we don't accept and appreciate what He supplies as being what is best for us and abundantly sufficient to meet our needs. Human beings are very prone to covet what their human nature, or even the devil, tells them is better than what God has provided. This is exactly the trap that Eve fell into in the Garden of Eden, and mankind has gotten steadily more demanding ever since. Second, this comment labels the legalistic teetotaler crowd as deceivers when they try to claim that Jesus only supplied fresh grape juice. It is widely known that the flavor of wine improves and mellows with age. That is the reason that bottles of wine that are decades old sell for hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, and that they are normally reserved as indulgences for the very wealthy. Here are some simple facts. There was no refrigeration in ancient times. Fresh grape juice will begin to ferment within a couple of days without refrigeration. When it ferments, it becomes wine. Wine can be stored for long periods in a sealed container because the alcohol in it acts as a natural disinfectant and preservative that prevents spoilage. When the wine is opened, the alcohol begins to evaporate out of it and it will spoil within a short period. The "spoiled" wine is what is known today as wine vinegar. That is the reason that some translations of the Scripture say that Jesus 21