Jhn 1B Let s cntinue in the pening chapter f Jhn s Gspel Jhn is explaining the relatinship between Jhn the Baptist and Jesus, using Jhn the Baptist s wn wrds Jhn is reinfrcing that Jhn the Baptist was just a man called t be a prphet in anticipatin f the Messiah It s the beginning f Jesus earthly ministry And it begins a week f events in chapters 1-2 that brings Jesus t the public s attentin Jhn s rle in annuncing Jesus ministry is the first event f the week In last week s study, we saw Jhn being interrgated He denied he was the Messiah And nw we mve t the secnd day f the week As the Messiah arrives Jhn 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus cming t him and said, Behld, the Lamb f Gd wh takes away the sin f the wrld! Jhn 1:30 This is He n behalf f whm I said, After me cmes a Man wh has a higher rank than I, fr He existed befre me. Jhn 1:31 I did nt recgnize Him, but s that He might be manifested t Israel, I came baptizing in water. Jhn 1:32 Jhn testified saying, I have seen the Spirit descending as a dve ut f heaven, and He remained upn Him. Jhn 1:33 I did nt recgnize Him, but He wh sent me t baptize in water said t me, He upn whm yu see the Spirit descending and remaining upn Him, this is the One wh baptizes in the Hly Spirit. Jhn 1:34 I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Sn f Gd. The day begins with Jhn in his usual place, baptizing in Bethany beynd the Jrdan And as he is at wrk baptizing, Jhn lks up t see Jesus appraching 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 2 f 23 At this Jhn declares that Jesus is the Lamb f Gd, the One Wh takes away the sins f the wrld Jhn was making this declaratin t thse wh were there with him in that mment Thse wh had cme t be baptized n that day And the rest f his disciples wh were waiting fr the Messiah But ntice in vs. 30-31 Jhn begins t speak in the past tense He says this He whm I said He cmes after me Jhn is speaking in the past tense, because this isn t the first time that Jhn has seen Jesus at the riverside Jhn baptized Jesus prbably nly a few days earlier at mst As Jhn mentins in v.33, he witnessed the Spirit descend upn Jesus like a dve That scene is nt recrded in Jhn s Gspel, but it s given in the synptic Gspels Here s a brief excerpt frm Mark Mark 1:4 Jhn the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism f repentance fr the frgiveness f sins. Mark 1:5 And all the cuntry f Judea was ging ut t him, and all the peple f Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jrdan River, cnfessing their sins. Mark 1:6 Jhn was clthed with camel s hair and wre a leather belt arund his waist, and his diet was lcusts and wild hney. Mark 1:7 And he was preaching, and saying, After me One is cming wh is mightier than I, and I am nt fit t stp dwn and untie the thng f His sandals. Mark 1:8 I baptized yu with water; but He will baptize yu with the Hly Spirit. Mark 1:9 In thse days Jesus came frm Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by Jhn in the Jrdan. Mark 1:10 Immediately cming up ut f the water, He saw the heavens pening, and the Spirit like a dve descending upn Him; Mark 1:11 and a vice came ut f the heavens: Yu are My belved Sn, in Yu I am wellpleased. 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 3 f 23 All fur Gspel writers describe this mment when Jesus came t Jhn t be baptized in water And as he came up frm the water, a thephany appeared The Hly Spirit manifested Himself like a dve and descended upn Jesus In cnjunctin with the arrival f the Hly Spirit, the Lrd spke wrds frm the heavens In Jhn s Gspel we cme t understand why Jesus was intended t be baptized by Jhn And we als cme t understand the relatinship between ur water baptism and the Hly Spirit First, Jesus received the Hly Spirit t enable Him t serve in His earthly ministry The Gspels tells us that Jesus ability t perfrm miracles was by the pwer f the Hly Spirit When Jesus became a man, He willingly lwered Himself and setting aside His pwer t act in supernatural pwer Jesus wasn t a superher, a super human He was truly a man, but by the pwer f the Hly Spirit He culd accmplish great miracles The arrival f the Hly Spirit was the mment that Jesus transitined frm carpenter s sn t rabbi and Messiah Secndly, Jesus cmes t Jhn t receive the Spirit, because Jhn was the man appinted by Gd t identify the Messiah t the wrld Thse wh were ready and waiting fr the Messiah still needed the Lrd t tell them Wh the Messiah wuld be in the day He arrived Jhn s ministry was a ministry f calling attentin t Jesus and naming Him as the Messiah Jesus came t be baptized s that Jhn s ministry culd be made cmplete 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 4 f 23 Finally, the water baptism Jesus received was t becme a picture f the Spirit s arrival As when He instituted the Last Supper cmmunin meal, Jesus is blazing the path fr the church in future years Like ur Lrd, every believer receives an indwelling f the Hly Spirit The very same thing the Spirit did fr Jesus is still happening fr believers tday We knw the Spirit isn t in the habit f descending as a dve n each and every believer in their mment f faith But every believer can and shuld submit t water baptism just as Jesus did Jesus cmmanded as much And His wn baptism invlved bth water and a dve t make sure we understd the cnnectin t ur wn baptism A believer receives the Hly Spirit at the mment we cme t faith in Christ And at sme later pint, we submit t water baptism t picture the baptism f the Hly Spirit which we received at faith Jesus water baptism was a washing away f sin, but a demnstratin f what He expected His fllwers t d as an symbl f Spirit baptism Just as Jhn says in v.33, Jhn the Baptist applied a baptism f water alne, but Jesus brught a baptism f the Spirit Ntice in v.31 Jhn says that he didn t knw wh the Messiah was t be prir t the mment f Jesus baptism In fact, Jhn ges even farther and says he didn t even recgnize Jesus as Jesus apprached Jhn fr baptism This is a curius and striking detail We knw that Jesus and Jhn were early cusins, since their mthers were related They were brn nly 6 mnths apart 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 5 f 23 Yet Jhn had n idea his cusin, Jesus, was the Messiah Jhn didn t realize that Jesus was the Messiah until he witnessed the dve It s imprtant t understand that the fur Gspel writers recrd nly tw peple as having witnessed the thephany f the dve and hearing the Lrd s vice frm the heavens Only Jesus and Jhn the Baptist witnessed these things Fr anyne else wh happened t be present in that mment, Jesus baptism lked just like any ther that Jhn perfrmed The thephany was fr the benefit f Jesus and fr Jhn Fr Jesus, it cnfirmed fr Him that the Father was bringing the Spirit t Him n this day t begin His ministry And fr Jhn, it was the sign he had been prmised s he culd prperly identify the Messiah After the baptism tk place, Jhn began testifying that Jesus was the Messiah He tld everyne what he had heard and seen, just as we see Jhn recrding here This is exactly Gd s pattern f revelatin Gd gave ne man a supernatural revelatin f the Messiah But the rest f the wrld was then t believe the testimny f the prphet sent by Gd Jhn said Jesus was the Messiah, and men and wmen began t fllw Jesus frm the first day based n Jhn s testimny That s Jhn s pint in chapter 1 f his Gspel It was Jhn the Baptist s testimny that Jesus was the Sn f Gd The prmised Messiah Based n Jhn s uncertainty f wh the Messiah wuld be, we must cnclude that Jesus true identity was entirely unknwn t the wrld prir t the baptism We knw Jesus earthly mther and father knew f His spiritual destiny because an angel tld them at His birth, but it seems n ne else did 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 6 f 23 Certainly, we knw Jesus wn earthly brthers had little regard fr Him while He lived with them S if Jhn the Baptist was in the dark abut the Man he was called t annunce, then certainly it must have been a secret t everyne else t This fact reinfrces fr us the true humanity f Christ: He lived an abslutely nrmal human life because He was fully human As we said, Jesus was nt a superhuman r Clark Kent figure wh culd stp bullets even when He wasn t dressed in tights Apart frm a few mments (like His birth and the time He was left behind in the Temple by His parents), His life was unremarkable He truly was living as a man, withut anything t suggest He was Gd and the Creatr Yes, Jesus was sinless, but apparently a persn can live sinlessly withut drawing t much attentin t himself I knw the feeling (jke) This wuld als explain why the Gspels cntain s little detail f Jesus early years Why recrd details f a mundane, rdinary life? Finally, take nte that Jesus ministry began immediately after He was baptized We have already said that Jesus receive a baptism by the Spirit t equip Him fr earthly ministry And He tk water baptism t establish a picture f the Spirit baptism S it stands t reasn that we shuld understand ur wn baptism in the Spirit as the mment we launched an earthly ministry We were equipped by the Spirit and nw we have a missin t serve the Lrd I wnder hw many Christians truly begin their service frm the first mment 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 7 f 23 I suspect many f us tk sme time t figure ut that we even had a missin Perhaps sme are still trying t figure that ut Dn t hesitate t fllw Jesus example...it s never t sn t start serving smene in Christ s name S n this day, Jhn testifies t his wn disciples that Jesus is the Lamb f Gd His purpse was t direct his disciples t leave him and t begin fllwing Jesus But apparently, nt everyne tk Jhn s advice right away S Jhn recrds a third day in this week, when Jesus came back t the river t visit Jhn again And n this day, a cuple f Jhn s disciples heed Jhn s advice and begin t fllw Jesus Jhn 1:35 Again the next day Jhn was standing with tw f his disciples, Jhn 1:36 and he lked at Jesus as He walked, and said, Behld, the Lamb f Gd! Jhn 1:37 The tw disciples heard him speak, and they fllwed Jesus. Jhn 1:38 And Jesus turned and saw them fllwing, and said t them, What d yu seek? They said t Him, Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are Yu staying? Jhn 1:39 He said t them, Cme, and yu will see. S they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, fr it was abut the tenth hur. Jhn 1:40 One f the tw wh heard Jhn speak and fllwed Him, was Andrew, Simn Peter s brther. Jhn 1:41 He fund first his wn brther Simn and said t him, We have fund the Messiah (which translated means Christ). Jhn 1:42 He brught him t Jesus. Jesus lked at him and said, Yu are Simn the sn f Jhn; yu shall be called Cephas (which is translated Peter). On the third day, Jhn sees Jesus again and repeats his declaratin that Jesus is the prmised Messiah, the Sn f Gd Imagine hw thrilling it must have been t be amng that first small grup t knw the identity f the Messiah The Messiah is a Persn prmised since Adam and Wman fell in the Garden 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 8 f 23 All Israel had been taught f this prmised Deliverer Yung girls grew up in Israel dreaming and hping they might be privileged t ne Gd selected t birth the Messiah Religius men were frever asking each ther hw t recgnize the Messiah when He arrived And n this day, thse at the river Jrdan were learning fr the first time that Jesus was t the Messiah Tw f Jhn s disciples leave Jhn and seek t fllw Jesus They begin by just walking behind Jesus, fllwing Him as He walked They had nt even apprached Him, perhaps intimidated Jesus ntices He s being trailed, s He turns and asks them what they want Immediately, they call him teacher, which Jhn helpfully translates fr his Gentile audience By calling Jesus rabbi, these men are acknwledge Jesus as a man f spiritual authrity in their lives, a man they may wish t fllw as a disciple But they nly ask Him where He is staying, which simply means we want t hang ut with yu They aren t cmmitting t be His disciples just yet, but they re curius and want t knw mre All this tells us that they dn t yet understand what Jhn said r even what a Messiah was They knew Jesus was the Messiah, but they didn t knw Him as Gd incarnate The wrd Messiah just means aninted ne Israel saw prphets and kings as aninted by Gd S Israel understd their kingly deliverer wuld be an aninted man 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 9 f 23 Only by spiritual revelatin culd smene cme t understand that Jesus was als Gd in the flesh And that hasn t cme t these men yet In answer t their questin, Jesus tells them t cme and yu will see In the cntext f this narrative, Jesus is saying fllw me t where I m staying and yu will have the answer t yur questin But Jesus chice f wrds are revealing and purpseful Anyne wh wants t knw Jesus must cme t Him We have t enter His huse, s t speak And then by cming t Jesus, we will see We will have spiritual life and spiritual sight This is the ffer Jesus is making t these men, thugh they bviusly dn t appreciate His meaning at the time Jhn identifies ne f the tw men as Andrew (we dn t knw wh the ther man was...sme speculate it was Jhn himself) Andrew eventually becmes ne f the twelve disciples designated as apstles And his first respnse t meeting Jesus is t g tell his brther, Peter, t cme see the Messiah What a wnderful first respnse t meeting the Messiah Anther example we wuld d well t fllw At Peter s first meeting with Jesus, Jesus immediately identifies Peter by name and ancestry The scene strngly suggests that Jesus was never tld Peter s name nr his father s name S when Jesus revealed this infrmatin t Peter, I m sure Peter was a little surprised And then Jesus ges the next step and changes Peter s name His name was Simn, which prbably cmes frm Simen 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 10 f 23 But nw he is called Cephas, which is an Aramaic wrd fr rck Peter is the Greek wrd fr rck Simen yu may remember was a man wh acted rashly and impulsively at times And Peter is shwing acting much the same way in the years with Jesus But later, Peter was the man wh funded the early church in Jerusalem and beynd, truly a rck upn wh s ministry the church began As we end chapter 1, we enter the frth day f this pening week in Jesus public ministry Jhn 1:43 The next day He purpsed t g int Galilee, and He fund Philip. And Jesus said t him, Fllw Me. Jhn 1:44 Nw Philip was frm Bethsaida, f the city f Andrew and Peter. Jhn 1:45 Philip fund Nathanael and said t him, We have fund Him f whm Mses in the Law and als the Prphets wrte Jesus f Nazareth, the sn f Jseph. Jhn 1:46 Nathanael said t him, Can any gd thing cme ut f Nazareth? Philip said t him, Cme and see. Jhn 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael cming t Him, and said f him, Behld, an Israelite indeed, in whm there is n deceit! Jhn 1:48 Nathanael said t Him, Hw d Yu knw me? Jesus answered and said t him, Befre Philip called yu, when yu were under the fig tree, I saw yu. Jhn 1:49 Nathanael answered Him, Rabbi, Yu are the Sn f Gd; Yu are the King f Israel. Jhn 1:50 Jesus answered and said t him, Because I said t yu that I saw yu under the fig tree, d yu believe? Yu will see greater things than these. Jhn 1:51 And He said t him, Truly, truly, I say t yu, yu will see the heavens pened and the angels f Gd ascending and descending n the Sn f Man. The day after meeting Andrew and Peter, Andrews decides t travel back t his hme in Galilee Yur Bible might have the he in v.43 capitalized suggesting it was Jesus wh decided t g t Bethsaida, but a careful reading f the text leads us t a different cnclusin First, ntice in v.41, when Andrew brings Simn t meet Jesus, it says he first brught his wn brther Simn t Jesus 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 11 f 23 The wrd first suggests that Andrew brught tw peple t Jesus, and the first was his brther Simn Wh was the secnd? Philip appears t be the secnd persn But Philip lived back in Andrew s hme twn in the Galilee, s he asked Jesus t accmpany him back hme On the map this was a walk f abut 20-30 miles, s it tk mst f that furth day t travel there Once again Jesus tells Philip t fllw Him Interestingly, n ne wh is fllwing Jesus at this pint fund Jesus f their wn accrd Everyne has met Jesus because smene else intrduced them t Jesus And that chain f intrductins ges back t Jhn the Baptist, wh initiated the intrductins just as his ministry was intended t d And again, the patter repeats with Philip intrducing Jesus t a friend called Nathaniel When Philip find Nathaniel he annunces Jesus by His earthly affiliatin and then adds that this is the One that Gd s wrd has been talking abut frm the beginning It s unclear t us hw these men have becme s cnvinced that this lwly man frm Nazareth is in fact the Messiah, but they all get it As we said, they aren t sure what Messiah means yet, but they d understand that Jesus is the One Gd prmised t bring t Israel And there is great excitement ver this discvery and the need t share it with thers fllws immediately What des it say that Andrew wanted t travel 20-30 miles the very next day t intrduce Jesus t a friend Hw far are we willing t g t d the same? Nathaniel s respnse is decidedly less enthusiastic, and he utters ne f the mst memrable lines in all the Gspels - a line he prbably regretted 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 12 f 23 He asks if anything gd culd cme ut f Nazareth Nathaniel was prbably reacting t the ridiculus thught that Gd wuld raise up smene as imprtant as the Messiah frm such an insignificant place This als shws just hw lwly Jesus beginnings were The Father chse t give His Sn a human identity that wuld add nthing whatsever t His appeal r credibility If anything, Jesus earthly rigins detracted frm His appeal But that was in keeping with Gd s purpse in bringing salvatin by faith and nt by sight He uses flish things t shame the wise It annys me when Hllywd makes Jesus lk like a rck star r a Calvin Kline mdel Instead, yu need t image smene wh was prbably shrter than yu expect, and far less attractive Once again take nte f Philip s respnse t Nathaniel s tepid respnse Philip says cme and see If we want smene t understand wh Jesus truly, we simply extend an pprtunity fr them t cme t Jesus And if they d, they will see fr themselves that what we say is true But unless and until they make that spiritual trip, there is nthing we can say t cnvince them Our ffer t cme is far, far mre imprtant than any ratinal argument we can make t persuade them In fact, trying t cnvince smene that Jesus is the Messiah befre they are inclined t cme is a reversal f the salvatin call It s cme t Jesus s yu can see Him as Lrd It s nt see Jesus as Lrd, s that yu can cme t Him 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 13 f 23 In Nathaniel s case, he chse t cme t Jesus Ntice that Jesus didn t cme t Nathaniel Nathaniel had t make a decisin t cme t Jesus s that He cme have that experience f knwing Him And then as the encunter begins, Jesus initiates the cnversatin He declares that behld, here cmes an Israelite in whm is n deceit And the wrd fr deceit is als a euphemism fr the name f Isaac s sn, Jacb Jacb meant deceiver S Jesus essentially said here cmes an Israelite in whm is n Jacb What He meant was here s a man wh has a true heart His decisin t cme t Jesus has set his heart straight This reminds us f Jhn the Baptist s ministry, t make crked paths straight And Jhn indeed did his jb fr Nathaniel Nathaniel s heart had been made straight because Jhn the Baptist sent Andrew t Jesus, Andrew sent Philip t Jesus, and Philip sent Nathaniel t Jesus After Jesus calls Nathaniel by name, Nathaniel is taken aback and asks Jesus hw He culd knw him Jesus, under the inspiratin f the Hly Spirit, declares that befre Jesus called Nathaniel, Jesus saw Nathaniel sitting under a fig tree Once again, ntice Jesus careful chice f wrds First, He says befre I called yu... But it was Philip that called Nathaniel Only nw we understand that Jesus Himself was the One issuing that call thrugh Nathaniel And s it is with us, as we endeavr t call thers t knw Jesus 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 14 f 23 We may be the nes chsing ur wrds, hning ur techniques, and inevitably wrrying abut hw t recruit the mst fllwers fr Jesus But the Bible testifies that we dn t call anyne Jesus calls thrugh us, and s it suggests that an emphasis n certain methdlgies must be tempered by an appreciatin that Gd can wrk thrugh the muth f a dnkey We shuld mve with the Spirit, freely changing ur fcus and methds as the Lrd directs Secndly, Jesus mentin f a fig tree is interesting because f it s cnnectin t be called We remember that a fig leaf was the way Man and Wman tried t cver their wn nakedness after the Fall in the Garden That clthing was insufficient frm Gd s pint f view He prvided animal skins, which imply a sacrifice was made fr their sin S befre Jesus called Nathaniel, he was cvered nly by fig leaves Nw there is n deceit fund in Him Why? Because he came and saw Jesus Then Jesus ffers Nathaniel a great prmise, ne that is true fr every believer Jesus tld Nathaniel that he wuld see many greater things Of curse, Jesus was referring t the events Nathaniel wuld witness in the years with Jesus and afterward But Jesus is als thinking f the marvelus things that await all thse wh believe in Jesus We will rule and reign with Him in His cming Kingdm And we will see His glry In respnse t Jesus demnstratin f prphetic knwledge, Nathaniel exclaims that Jesus is the Sn f Gd and King f Israel This is a strng reactin, even under the circumstances 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 15 f 23 The Jewish understanding f the Messiah didn t include a Triune Gdhead This phrase is likely being uttered under inspiratin f the Spirit Which makes sense, since Jesus had just declared that Nathaniel is a Israelite withut deceit In ther wrds, it seems as thugh the Lrd declared that Nathaniel wuld speak truthfully And thereafter the Hly Spirit inspired Nathaniel t make his declaratin Finally, Jesus reacts t Nathaniel s strng statement asking if yu are willing t make such a declaratin n the basis n s little, just wait Greater things are cming as we said And then Jesus adds that all the disciples will see the heavens pened and angels f Gd ascending and descending n the Sn f Man Here s anther interesting reference t Jacb s life As Jacb was in Bethel fleeing frm his brther Esau, he wndered if Gd was ging t take care f him Gen. 28:10 Then Jacb departed frm Beersheba and went tward Haran. Gen. 28:11 He came t a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he tk ne f the stnes f the place and put it under his head, and lay dwn in that place. Gen. 28:12 He had a dream, and behld, a ladder was set n the earth with its tp reaching t heaven; and behld, the angels f Gd were ascending and descending n it. Gen. 28:13 And behld, the LORD std abve it and said, I am the LORD, the Gd f yur father Abraham and the Gd f Isaac; the land n which yu lie, I will give it t yu and t yur descendants. Gen. 28:14 Yur descendants will als be like the dust f the earth, and yu will spread ut t the west and t the east and t the nrth and t the suth; and in yu and in yur descendants shall all the families f the earth be blessed. Gen. 28:15 Behld, I am with yu and will keep yu wherever yu g, and will bring yu back t this land; fr I will nt leave yu until I have dne what I have prmised yu. Gen. 28:16 Then Jacb awke frm his sleep and said, Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did nt knw it. 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 16 f 23 In Jacb s dream, the ladder reflected Gd s prmise t be with Jacb and t minister t him by way f angels When Jacb awke, his respnse was that surely Gd was in this place And yet he says I didn t knw it Jacb hadn t realized hw clse Gd culd be t him in his life n earth Gd was capable and willing f descending frm heaven and reaching dwn t the earth He did s thrugh intercessrs, angels appinted t minister t the saints But f curse, in that dream was a picture f Christ Himself Jesus is the intercessr Wh came t earth t reveal the Father t men And t make a way pssible fr men t enter Heaven In ther wrds, Jesus is the ladder in that dream, as he says in v. 51 While the angels ascended and descended n an ladder in Jacb s dream, nw Jesus says they ascend and descend n Jesus Jesus says yu will see smething that Jacb saw in a limited frm Only yu will see it in its full frm Previusly, Gd revealed Himself in a limited frm t Israel, that is t Jacb And nw Gd was revealing Himself t an Israelite in the full frm And like Jacb, Nathaniel declares (in s many wrds) that the Lrd is in this place, but he didn t knw it This is nly the furth day, but already several disciples have been cllected and the awareness is grwing that Jesus is the Messiah f Israel And in the first chapter, the identity f Jesus has already becme Jhn s dminant theme 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 17 f 23 He s used n less than 16 different names r descriptins f Jesus identity in this pening chapter The pint is t emphasize Jesus is the Messiah, the Sn f Man, the Sn f Gd Three days after the meeting with Nathaniel, Jesus is in Cana with his mther Jhn 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana f Galilee, and the mther f Jesus was there; Jhn 2:2 and bth Jesus and His disciples were invited t the wedding. Jhn 2:3 When the wine ran ut, the mther f Jesus said t Him, They have n wine. Jhn 2:4 And Jesus said t her, Wman, what des that have t d with us? My hur has nt yet cme. Jhn 2:5 His mther said t the servants, Whatever He says t yu, d it. Jhn 2:6 Nw there were six stne waterpts set there fr the Jewish custm f purificatin, cntaining twenty r thirty gallns each. Jhn 2:7 Jesus said t them, Fill the waterpts with water. S they filled them up t the brim. Jhn 2:8 And He said t them, Draw sme ut nw and take it t the headwaiter. S they tk it t him. Jhn 2:9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had becme wine, and did nt knw where it came frm (but the servants wh had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegrm, Jhn 2:10 and said t him, Every man serves the gd wine first, and when the peple have drunk freely, then he serves the prer wine; but yu have kept the gd wine until nw. Jhn 2:11 This beginning f His signs Jesus did in Cana f Galilee, and manifested His glry, and His disciples believed in Him. This is the seventh day f Jesus public ministry, and it seems apprpriate that the first f Jesus miracles wuld ccur n the seventh day f His ministry In fact, Jhn generally desn t include specific time references in his Gspel This suggests that Jhn had reasns t make clear that this event happened n Jesus seventh day f ministry We remember that Jhn began his Gspel with bvius references t the first chapter f Genesis 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 18 f 23 And if we think back t that first chapter, we als find that the chapter is structured as a series f days...six days t be exact And the start f the secnd chapter f Genesis is Day 7 Likewise, we see the next chapter f Jhn starting n Day seven f Jesus ministry There may be n mre significance than simply emphasizing nce mre that Jesus is the Creatr The ccasin is a wedding in Cana, which is a small twn in the Galilee where Jesus has been staying Jesus and the five disciples he s cllected s far were invited as was Jesus mther It must be a wedding that invlved a clse family cnnectin That wuld explain why Jesus mther chses t invlve herself and her Sn in the affairs f the wedding We re tld in v.3 that at a pint the wine runs ut This is a bit surprising, since wine drinking was a highlight f any wedding Perhaps mre peple attended than the hst expected Or perhaps the hst simple did a pr jb f estimating the need In any case, the party is abut t becme a disaster Nt nly was it a scial disgrace t fail t care fr guests in the right way, there were financial implicatins as well In that culture, if yu invited smene t a party r dinner, yu were legally bligated t care fr them prperly If yu didn t, yu wuld be expected t cmpensate them fr their lss S Mary turns t her Sn and simply says They have n wine When a mther, especially a Jewish mther, says smething like this, it s nt simply idle chit chat She is expecting her sn t recgnize the seriusness f the prblems and t d smething t rectify the prblem 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 19 f 23 Perhaps her clse cnnectin t the hst led her t want t help The questin we ask urselves at this pint is what exactly did Mary think Jesus wuld r culd d abut this prblem? Jhn says in v.11 that this miracle was the beginning f the signs Jesus perfrmed in Cana f Galilee It seems t suggest Jesus hadn t yet dne miracles And since Jesus nly received the Hly Spirit a week earlier, it stands t reasn He wasn t in the habit f making wine miraculusly S did Mary think Jesus wuld perfrm a miracle in this case? It s hard t imagine that she expected anything ther than a miracle Cnsider that Jesus had n significant financial resurces that we knw f And even if He did, He hardly culd have prcured wine n a mment s ntice Furthermre, in v.5 Mary all but anticipates that Jesus is ging t wrk smething miraculus She tells the servants t d whatever Jesus tld them That wuld seem like an unnecessary things t say, since servants d what they re tld naturally But if Mary expected Jesus t perfrm a miracle, then it makes sense that she was preparing the servants fr smething unusual As I lk at the entire scene, I cnclude that Mary expected a miracle Mary knws Jesus is the Messiah She s knwn His true identity frm the time f her cnceptin She s prbably nticed that Jesus never went thrugh terrible tw s He was an ideal teenager And nw she knws He has been baptized by Jhn Furthermre, she see that Jesus has disciples in tw at the party 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 20 f 23 S she had every reasn t believe that Jesus has begun His earthly ministry and was nw prepared t act in the pwer and authrity f His divine nature S like a typical prud mther, and a Jewish mther n less, she wants t advance the career f her Sn and give him a kick start S she asks Jesus t perfrm this little miracle I dn t knw if she understd that Jesus wuld use water t make wine But she seems t be cnfident Jesus can prduce mre wine smehw There is an interesting irny here Mary is the nly ne wh truly gets Jesus at this pint She knws His rigins She knwns His destiny She knws His pwer and authrity These are things n ne else yet understands like she des But then she is the ne trying t misuse that authrity and pwer I realize Mary has gd intentins, and she thinks she s ding the right thing She assumes it s Jesus desire t save the hst s reputatin at this party But in reality, she s lking at Jesus as a genie in a bttle She wants t rb the bttle, s t speak, and make a request, and expect Jesus t respnd Mre than anyne else, she shuld be sensitive t appraching Jesus in a manner cnsistent with His divinity Instead, she treats Him mst dismissively And we are prne t the same mistake at times We apprach Jesus frgetting He is the Lrd f the Universe 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 21 f 23 We bring Him ur cncerns, which we are suppsed t d, but we expect Him t respnd like a genie wh des ur bidding But this is nt hw we apprach Jesus Cnsider His respnse t His mther Jhn 2:4 And Jesus said t her, Wman, what des that have t d with us? My hur has nt yet cme. Jhn 2:5 His mther said t the servants, Whatever He says t yu, d it. Jhn 2:6 Nw there were six stne waterpts set there fr the Jewish custm f purificatin, cntaining twenty r thirty gallns each. Jhn 2:7 Jesus said t them, Fill the waterpts with water. S they filled them up t the brim. Jhn 2:8 And He said t them, Draw sme ut nw and take it t the headwaiter. S they tk it t him. Jhn 2:9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had becme wine, and did nt knw where it came frm (but the servants wh had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegrm, Jhn 2:10 and said t him, Every man serves the gd wine first, and when the peple have drunk freely, then he serves the prer wine; but yu have kept the gd wine until nw. Jhn 2:11 This beginning f His signs Jesus did in Cana f Galilee, and manifested His glry, and His disciples believed in Him. He asks His mther what des the lack f wine have t with Mary and Jesus? This is a Jewish idim that is hard t translate int English It can be understd t mean yur cncerns are nt My cncerns The prblems f this wedding party have nthing t d with Jesus earthly ministry Jesus didn t vluntarily leave the right hand f the Father and lwer Himself t take the frm f man s He culd cater weddings The Hly Spirit didn t cme upn Him and grant Him pwer t perfrm miracles s that He culd accmmdate everyday needs 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 22 f 23 Jesus came t earth and displayed His pwer s He culd validate His identity as Messiah The miracles were always a means t an end in His ministry Jesus shwed signs and wnders t prve a message which He delivered in cnjunctin with thse miracles But here Mary wanted the miracles dne divrced frm any message Her cncern was fr the hst s reputatin rather than fr Jesus glry That s why Jesus asks what des this have t d with us? Mary s purpses were nt in keeping with the Father s purpses, and therefre by definitin her desires were sin We d this as well, mre ften than we realize We declare that what we want is what Gd wants We assume that just because we think smething is gd, well then certainly Gd must want it t But we frget that Gd s definitin and understanding f what s gd is nt the same as urs ften times Lk at hw Jesus ends His cmments t her He says my time has nt yet cme He s reminding Mary that the timing fr Jesus miracles is accrding t the Father s plan S in this mment, she was acting accrding t her wn will and nt the Father s Jesus was displaying His divinity befre Mary in the way He highlights her behavir as sin In a sense, He was acting as Judge, cnvicting Mary fr having the wrng mtives in making her request But then ntice Mary cnveniently ignres Jesus respnse and tells the servants t fllw His instructins What des Jesus d at this pint? 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Jhn 1B 23 f 23 He ges thrugh with the miracle Why des He d it if Mary was wrng? Well, making water int wine is nt a sin by itself Jesus did it discretely and withut drawing any attentin t Himself In fact, the headwaiter credit the bridegrm, nt Jesus Only the servants knew what Jesus had dne S Jesus didn t vilate the Father s will in perfrming the miracle, because He didn t use it t publicize His ministry prematurely Nevertheless, he beyed His mther s request, because t d therwise was t dishnr his mther Therefre, the humanity f Christ respected His mther and cmplied with her request As Divinity, Jesus had rebuked the sin f Mary And nw as Humanity, Jesus had beyed his mther t avid sinning Jhn shws us bth sides f Jesus nature in ne succinct stry As it ends, we see that Jesus creative wrk is s superir that his prduct is the best wine pssible 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.