The Womn s Study Bible N E W I N T E R N A T I O N A L V E R S I O N Editoril Committee dorothy Kelley Ptterson Generl Editor, First Edition rhond Hrrington Kelley Mnging Editor, First Edition Jn Drgtz Helen Rhe Stumbo Ann L. Bowmn Topicl Notes History Gospels, Acts Contributing Editor, Second Edition Jenne Hendricks Constnce N. Wieler Ptty Comber Portrits Poetry Pul s Letters Jnice Meier Pul Rinehrt mry Kssin Generl Consultnt Mjor Prophets Generl Letters, Reveltion Shron Sterrenburg Kren H. Jobes Crmen Leigh Howell Pentteuch Minor Prophets Index
T h e W o m n s S t u d y B i b l e, N I V Copyright 2012 by Thoms Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Bible mp collection 2008 by GeoNov. The Holy Bible, New Interntionl Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblic, Inc. Used by Permission. All rights reserved worldwide. New Interntionl Version nd NIV re registered trdemrks of Biblic, Inc. Used by permission. The NIV Concordnce copyright 1982, 1984, 2011 by Zondervn. All rights reserved. The NIV text my be quoted in ny form (written, visul, electronic or udio), up to nd inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without the express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not mount to complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted ccount for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the totl text of the work in which they re quoted. Notice of copyright must pper on the title or copyright pge s follows: Scripture quottions tken from The Holy Bible, New Interntionl Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblic, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The NIV nd New Interntionl Version re trdemrks registered in the United Sttes Ptent nd Trdemrk Office by Biblic, Inc. When quottions from the NIV text re used by locl church in non-sleble medi such s church bulletins, orders of service, posters, overhed trnsprencies, or similr mterils, complete copyright notice is not required, but the initils (NIV ) must pper t the end of ech quottion. Any commentry or other Biblicl reference work produced for commercil sle, tht uses the NIV text must obtin written permission for use of the NIV text. Permission requests for commercil use within the USA nd Cnd tht exceeds the bove guidelines must be directed to nd pproved in writing by Zondervn, 5300 Ptterson Ave. SE, Grnd Rpids, MI 49530, USA. www.zondervn.com Permission requests for commercil use within the UK, EU nd EFTA tht exceeds the bove guidelines must be directed to nd pproved in writing by Hodder & Stoughton Limited, 338 Euston Rod, London NW1 3BH, United Kingdom. www.hodder.co.uk Permission requests for non-commercil use tht exceeds the bove guidelines must be directed to nd pproved in writing by Biblic US, Inc., 1820 Jet Strem Drive, Colordo Springs, CO 80921, USA. www.biblic.com Any Internet ddresses (websites, blogs, etc.) nd telephone numbers in this Bible re offered s resource. They re not intended in ny wy to be or imply n endorsement by Zondervn, nor does Zondervn vouch for the content of these sites nd numbers for the life of the Bible. All rights reserved. Printed in Chin 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 RRD 15 14 13 12 A portion of the purchse price of your NIV Bible is provided to Biblic so together we support the mission of Trnsforming lives through God s Word. Biblic provides God s Word to people through trnsltion, publishing nd Bible enggement in Afric, Asi Pcific, Europe, Ltin Americ, Middle Est, nd North Americ. Through its worldwide rech, Biblic engges people with God s Word so tht their lives re trnsformed through reltionship with Jesus Christ.
John Author The postle John ws the son of Zebedee, seemingly well-to-do mn (Mk 1:20), nd Slome, who ws the sister of Jesus mother Mry (Jn 19:25; see lso Mt 27:56,61; Mk 15:40,47). John wrote his Gospel towrd the end of his life. Scholrs hve long debted the uthorship of the Gospel since it clims only to hve been written by the disciple whom Jesus loved (Jn 21:20,24). Clement of Alexndri clled the Gospel of John the spiritul Gospel. John (lit. Yhweh hs been grcious ) ws joined by Peter nd Jmes in Jesus inner circle (Mk 5:37; 9:2; 14:33). As fishermen, John nd his brother Jmes lived in Cpernum. Jesus lbeled them Bonerges (lit. sons of thunder, Mk 3:17). John nd Peter were described s unschooled, ordinry men (Ac 4:13). John referred to himself throughout this Gospel s the disciple whom Jesus loved (Jn 21:20,24). He ws n eyewitness to the life nd ministry of Jesus nd ministered longer thn ny other disciple. John ws present t the Lst Supper (Jn 13:23 26), stood t the cross with Jesus mother (Jn 19:25 27), ccompnied Peter to the empty tomb (Jn 20:2 10) nd recognized Jesus fter his resurrection (Jn 21:7). John is lso credited with writing the letters of 1, 2 nd 3 John s well s the book of Reveltion. He plyed n ctive role in the Jeruslem church (Ac 3:1) nd lter served s pstor of the church t Ephesus. The book of Reveltion ws written while he ws in exile on the islnd of Ptmos during the reign of Emperor Domitin (Rev 1:9). Dte Most scholrs believe tht John s Gospel ws the lst of the four Gospels to be written. Although dtes hve been suggested from AD 60 to 90, church trdition nrrows the dte to sometime between AD 80 nd 95. Bckground SETTING: Ireneus supports the theory tht John wrote the Gospel when he lived in Ephesus, lrge nd cosmopolitn city housing one of the lrgest Christin communities in the Gentile world of the first century. PURPOSE: The Gospel of John presents Jesus s the divine Word, the Logos (Gk., lit. Word ), the Christ nd the Son of God. Jesus is the Reveler nd Redeemer. He is the scrificil Lmb who cme to tke wy the sin of the world (Jn 1:29). John s Gospel is often seen s the most evngelistic of the four Gospels. AUDIENCE: John wrote this evngelistic Gospel to fellow Jews, encourging them to confess Jesus s the Christ. The Jews who ccepted Christ were expelled from the syngogue nd were persecuted by the Jewish community. John s Gospel helped provide the Christin community with purpose nd identity.
LITERARY CHARACTERISTICS: The Gospel of John is theologicl retelling of history. It is written in nrrtive form. While it does not contin prbles, s do Mtthew, Mrk nd Luke, the book does record llegories nd extended discourses used by Jesus in his teching ministry. Themes More thn ny other book in the New Testment, John introduces Jesus s the unique Son of God (Jn 20:31). The Gospel begins with n introduction (Jn 1:1 51), then proceeds into the ministry of Christ (Jn 2:1 4:54), the opposition he experienced (Jn 5:1 12:50) nd finlly his deeds nd words (Jn 13:1 21:25). Outline Introduction: The Prologue (1:1 18) I. Jesus Preprtion for Public Ministry (1:19 51) A. The ministry of John the Bptist (1:19 34) B. Jesus clling of his disciples (1:35 51) II. Jesus Public Ministry (2:1 4:54) A. The first mircle: wter to wine (2:1 12) B. The clensing of the temple (2:13 25) C. Jesus encounter with Nicodemus (3:1 21) D. The ffirmtion of Jesus by John the Bptist (3:22 36) E. Jesus witness to the Smritn womn (4:1 42) F. Jesus rrivl in Glilee (4:43 54) III. Jesus Opposition (5:1 12:50) A. Jesus heling t the pool of Bethesd (5:1 15) B. Jesus uthority (5:16 47) C. The events round the Se of Glilee (6:1 71) 1. The feeding of the five thousnd (6:1 14) 2. Jesus wlking on the se (6:15 21) 3. Jesus s the bred of life (6:22 40) 4. Jesus rejection (6:41 71) D. Jesus nd the Festivl of Tberncles (7:1 53) E. Jesus discourse (8:1 59) 1. The dulterous womn (8:1 11) 2. Jesus s the light of the world (8:12 59) F. Jesus heling of mn born blind (9:1 41) G. Jesus s the Shepherd (10:1 42) H. Jesus nd Lzrus (11:1 57) I. The finl dys of public ministry (12:1 50) 1. Jesus nointing by Mry (12:1 8) 2. The plot to kill Lzrus (12:9 11) 3. The Triumphl Entry (12:12 19) 4. Jesus response to the Greeks (12:20 36) 5. Jewish unbelief (12:37 50) IV. Jesus Finl Deeds nd Words (13:1 21:25) A. Jesus privte ministry to his disciples (13:1 16:33) 1. The wshing of the disciples feet (13:1 17) 2. The identifiction of Juds s the betryer (13:18 30) 3. The giving of new commndment (13:31 35) 4. The prediction of Peter s denil (13:36 38) 5. Jesus s the only wy to the Fther (14:1 11) 6. Pryer nd the Holy Spirit (14:12 31) 7. Jesus s the vine (15:1 17) 8. The world s htred nd rejection of Jesus (15:18 16:4) 9. The work of the Holy Spirit (16:5 33) B. Jesus high priestly pryer (17:1 26) C. Jesus rrest nd trils (18:1 19:16) D. Jesus deth nd buril (19:17 42) E. Jesus resurrection (20:1 21:25) 1. Jesus post-resurrection ppernces (20:1 29) 2. John s purpose in writing (20:30 31) 3. Jesus nd the disciples in Glilee (21:1 14) 4. Jesus forgiveness nd restortion of Peter (21:15 25)
john 1:1 1402 The Word Becme Flesh 1 In the be gin ning ws the Word, nd the Word ws with God, nd the Word ws God. 2 He ws with God in the be gin ning. 3 Through him ll things were mde; with out him noth ing ws mde tht hs been mde. 4 In him ws life, nd tht life ws the light of ll mn kind. 5 The light shines in the drk ness, nd the drk ness hs not over come it. 6 There ws mn sent from God whose nme ws John. 7 He cme s wit ness to tes ti fy con cern ing tht light, so tht through him ll might be lieve. 8 He him self ws not the light; he cme only s wit ness to the light. 9 The true light tht gives light to ev ery one ws com ing into the world. 10 He ws in the world, nd though the world ws mde through him, the world did not rec og nize him. 11 He cme to tht which ws his own, but his own did not re ceive him. 12 Yet to ll who did re ceive him, to those who be lieved in his nme, he gve the right to be come chil dren of God 13 children born not of nt u rl de scent, nor of hu mn de ci sion or hus bnd s will, but born of God. 14 The Word be cme flesh nd mde his dwelling mong us. We hve seen his glo ry, the glo ry of the one nd only Son, who cme from the F ther, full of grce nd truth. 15 (John tes ti fied con cern ing him. He cried out, sy ing, This is the one I spoke bout when I sid, He who comes f ter me hs sur pssed 1:1 2 Jesus Christ hs lwys existed nd will exist eternlly. He is the living Word. Jesus nd God the Fther, long with the Holy Spirit, hve lwys hd n intimte reltionship s the triune God. Jesus is God who took on humn body nd nture in order to redeem mnkind (see chrt, The Definitive Christologicl Pssges). 1:4 Gnosticism, dulistic heresy tht reched its full strength in the second nd third centuries AD, regrded the spiritul s being inherently good nd the erthly (tht is, the creted world) s inherently evil. Asceticism is nother response to this concept tht the creted order is inherently evil. John my hve emphsized Christ s humnity in his Gospel in order to combt the beginnings of the philosophicl-spiritul ideology clled Gnosticism. Gnostics believed tht the spirit world contined mny different levels of knowledge nd tht everyone must scend through them to chieve gnōsis (Gk.), secret inner knowledge resulting in slvtion nd vilble only to those who hd their consciousness rised to such level. Gnostics rgued tht through Christ they hd experienced spiritul resurrection nd hd rrived t knowledge (Gk., gnōsis). Therefore, since the sins of the body were totlly unconnected with the spiritul life, they were free on spiritul plne to worship God through Christ Jesus nd on physicl plne to do s they plesed. Pul strongly tught ginst this viewpoint s did the erly church fthers (2Co 7:1; Eph 4:17 24). First Timothy 1:3 7 nd Jude 3 19 my lso refer to techers of incipient (or developing) Gnosticism. me be cuse he ws be fore me. ) 16 Out of his full ness we hve ll re ceived grce in plce of grce l redy giv en. 17 For the lw ws giv en through Mo ses; grce nd truth cme through Jesus Christ. 18 No one hs ever seen God, but the one nd only Son, who is him self God nd b is in clos est re l tion ship with the F ther, hs mde him known. John the Bptist Denies Being the Messih 19 Now this ws John s tes ti mo ny when the Jew ish led ers c in Je ru s lem sent priests nd Le vites to sk him who he ws. 20 He did not fil to con fess, but con fessed free ly, I m not the Mes si h. 21 They sked him, Then who re you? Are you Eli jh? He sid, I m not. Are you the Proph et? He n swered, No. 22 Fi nl ly they sid, Who re you? Give us n n swer to tke bck to those who sent us. Wht do you sy bout your self? 23 John re plied in the words of Is ih the proph et, I m the voice of one cll ing in the wilder ness, Mke stright the wy for the Lord. d 5 Or understood b 18 Some mnuscripts but the only Son, who c 19 The Greek term trditionlly trnslted the Jews (hoi Ioudioi) refers here nd elsewhere in John s Gospel to those Jewish leders who opposed Jesus; lso in 5:10, 15, 16; 7:1, 11, 13; 9:22; 18:14, 28, 36; 19:7, 12, 31, 38; 20:19. d 23 Isih 40:3 Since Gnostics believed the flesh is lwys evil, they tught tht sinless Christ could not hve become truly humn. Gnostics were divided over the incrntion. The Docetic Gnostics climed tht Christ s humn body ws only n illusion, while Cerinthin Gnostics tught tht God s divine spirit filled the humn Jesus t his bptism but fled before his deth. Like ll other tenets of Gnostic belief, Scripture refutes both of these positions (Col 1:15 18; Heb 2:14; 1Jn 4:2 6; see 1Co 1, Heresies; Gl 4, Christology; Eph 2, Slvtion). 1:14 Jesus Christ, the eternl Word of God nd Second person of the Trinity, becme flesh. To his divine nture he dded perfect humn nture. As Pul lter explined, this involved his hving tking the very nture of servnt, being mde in humn likeness (Php 2:7). As the incrnte God, his wholly divine nd perfectly humn ntures re forever united without chnge, mixture or seprtion in one person (Jn 10:30; Col 2:9; 1Jn 1:1 5). Mde his dwelling (Gk., skēnoō, shring its root with skēnē, lit. tent ) refers to the fct tht God dwelt temporrily mong his people s the perfect God-Mn, Jesus Christ, just s God mnifested his presence to his people in the tberncle in the wilderness (Ex 24:16; 40:35; see chrt, The Pln of the Tberncle). 1:23 John the Bptist ws thought by some to be the prophet Isih (see Is 40:3), while others believed he ws Elijh. The Jews believed tht Elijh would pper on erth before the Messih would come, nd John resem-
1403 john 1:37 THE DEFINITIVE CHRISTOLOGICAL PASSAGES the christ The Gospel of John (Jn 1; 14) his divine his divine his divine his divine reltionship work nme nture The Word (Jn 1:1,14) Rdint glory (Jn 1:14; 14:7) One nd only (Jn 1:14,18) Son (Jn 3:16) Cretion of ll (Jn 1:1 3) Slvtion (Jn 1:12 13) Theos (Gk., lit. God) (Jn 1:1,18) Fully God (Jn 1:18; 14:6) Fully mn (Jn 1:14) The letter to the Philippins (Php 2) Form of God (Php 2:6) Equl with God (Php 2:6) Servnt (Php 2:7) Slvtion (Php 2:6 8) Theos (Gk., lit. God) (Php 2:6) Fully God (Php 2:6) Fully mn (Php 2:7 8) The letter to the Colossins (Col 1; 2) The imge of the invisible God (Col 1:15,19) Firstborn (Col 1:15,18) The Son he [God] loves (Col 1:13) Cretion of ll (Col 1:16 18) Slvtion (Col 1:4 5,19 22; 2:6,13 15) Theotétos (Gk., lit. Godhed) (Col 2:9) Fully God (Col 1:19; 2:9) Fully mn (Col 2:9) The letter to the Hebrews (Heb 1; 2) The reveltion of God (Heb 1:2) Firstborn (Heb 1:6) Son (Heb 1:2,5,8) Cretion of ll (Heb 1:2 3,10) Slvtion (Heb 1:3; 2:10 11) Theos (Gk., lit. God) (Heb 1:8) Fully God (Heb 1:3) Fully mn (Heb 1:6; 2:14 18) 24 Now the Phr i sees who hd been sent 25 questioned him, Why then do you bp tize if you re not the Mes si h, nor Eli jh, nor the Proph et? 26 I bp tize with w ter, John re plied, but mong you stnds one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes f ter me, the strps of whose sn dls I m not wor thy to un tie. 28 This ll hp pened t Beth ny on the oth er side of the Jor dn, where John ws bp tiz ing. John Testifies About Jesus 29 The next dy John sw Jesus com ing to wrd him nd sid, Look, the Lmb of God, who tkes wy the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I ment when I sid, A mn who comes f ter me hs sur pssed me be cuse he ws be fore me. 31 I my self did not know him, but the re son I cme bp tiz ing with w ter ws tht he might be re veled to Is r el. bled Elijh. He dressed like prophet; he ws rugged; he lived in the wilderness; nd, like Elijh, he ws prophet. Jesus prised John s gret prophet nd he ws populr mong the Jews of his dy. His ministry begn ner the Jordn River round AD 26. He ws sent s voice to prepre the people for the coming of the Messih. 32 Then John gve this tes ti mo ny: I sw the Spir it come down from hev en s dove nd re min on him. 33 And I my self did not know him, but the one who sent me to bp tize with w ter told me, The mn on whom you see the Spir it come down nd re min is the one who will bp tize with the Holy Spir it. 34 I hve seen nd I tes ti fy tht this is God s Cho sen One. b John s Disciples Follow Jesus 1:40-42pp Mt 4:18-22; Mk 1:16-20; Lk 5:2-11 35 The next dy John ws there gin with two of his dis ci ples. 36 When he sw Jesus pssing by, he sid, Look, the Lmb of God! 37 When the two dis ci ples herd him sy this, 26 Or in; lso in verses 31 nd 33 (twice) b 34 See Isih 42:1; mny mnuscripts is the Son of God. 1:29 John clled Jesus the Lmb of God. In this title, John pictured the Pssover lmb slin t the time of delivernce of the children of Isrel from Egyptin slvery (see Ex 12:12 13). To the Jews, the slughtered lmb represented meekness, innocence, scrifice, redemption nd the substitutionry forgiveness of sins (see chrt, The Pln of the Tberncle).
john 1:38 Perspective 1404 by Dee Brestin nd Kthy Troccoli (From Forever in Love With Jesus, 65 68) Jesus, God s Refreshing Word When The Word spoke the world into being in Genesis, it ws Jesus, in the mystery of the Trinity, speking the world into existence. When the Word of the Lord cme to Hose, it ws Jesus, in the mystery of the Trinity, speking to Hose. When the lw ws given to Moses, it ws Jesus communicting to the hert of his people. Not only does the Word include memr, or God s supportive presence mong his people, but it contins the Lw: the words, nd the holy judgment of God s seen in the Torh. (The Torh is the first five books of Moses: Genesis through Deuteronomy.) This communictive spect of the Word hs both terrible nd wonderful side. It cn feel terrible when it convicts us of sin. It cn seem hrsh when you red of someone being cst out into the outer drkness where there is weeping nd gnshing of teeth. It cn be wonderful when we her how wide nd high his love is, when he tells us he will never leve us nd when he promises us tht one dy, we will no longer weep. Becuse God is lwys good nd just, wht my seem terrible is not. It is holy mystery. The picture of Jesus coming on white horse one dy with fire in his eyes nd sword in his mouth cuses us to tremble. And yet, tht dy is when he is wging wr ginst ll the enemies of his bride, becuse he is holy nd just. We hve come to love this picture of Jesus becuse we see the sword being used on our behlf nd in our defense. The sword, Pul told us in Ephesins 6, represents the Word of God, nd we cn use it, s well, to defet our spiritul enemies. When the enemy comes, nd he will, we cn use the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, ginst him. Jesus, s the Word, is here with us nd is filled with wisdom, power nd comfort. And s he, through his Spirit nd his Word, flls upon herts eger to receive, he cnnot help but produce fruit. Hose tlked bout the Lord coming to us like the winter rins, like the spring rins tht wter the erth (6:3). Likewise, Isih extends the nlogy, nd in his picture is n exciting truth: As the rin nd the snow come down from heven, nd do not return to it without wtering the erth nd mking it bud nd flourish, so tht it yields seed for the sower nd bred for the eter, so is my word tht goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will ccomplish wht I desire nd chieve the purpose for which I sent it (55:10 11). Do you see? Once rin nd snow hve strted flling, they never suddenly reverse their course. In the sme wy, once The Word hs strted speking into our herts, it doesn t ll of sudden, like child sy, I tke it bck. Once he hs strted new cretive work in us, he will bring it to completion (Php 1:6). they fol lowed Jesus. 38 Turn ing round, Jesus sw them fol low ing nd sked, Wht do you wnt? They sid, Rb bi (which mens Tech er ), where re you sty ing? 39 Come, he re plied, nd you will see. So they went nd sw where he ws sty ing, nd they spent tht dy with him. It ws bout four in the f ter noon. 40 An drew, Si mon Pe ter s broth er, ws one of the two who herd wht John hd sid nd who hd fol lowed Jesus. 41 The first thing An drew did ws to find his broth er Si mon nd tell him, We hve found the Mes si h (tht is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked t him nd sid, You re Si mon son of John. You will be clled Ce phs (which, when trns lt ed, is Pe ter ). 1:38 Rbbi (lit. gret one, mster, or techer ) ws title of respect used by students of their wise techers. The title lter becme especilly identified with the techers of the Lw of Moses. Jesus Clls Philip nd Nthnel 43 The next dy Jesus de cid ed to leve for Gli lee. Find ing Phil ip, he sid to him, Fol low me. 44 Phil ip, like An drew nd Pe ter, ws from the town of Beth s i d. 45 Phil ip found N thn el nd told him, We hve found the one Mo ses wrote bout in the Lw, nd bout whom the proph ets lso wrote Jesus of Nz reth, the son of Jo seph. 46 Nz reth! Cn ny thing good come from there? N thn el sked. Come nd see, sid Phil ip. 47 When Jesus sw N thn el p proch ing, he sid of him, Here tru ly is n Is r el ite in whom there is no de ceit. 42 Cephs (Armic) nd Peter (Greek) both men rock. 1:46 Jesus gve prominence to Nzreth, city not mentioned in the OT. Locted between the Se of Glilee nd the Mediterrnen Se, Nzreth ws Jesus hometown, where he grew from boyhood to mnhood. With
1405 john 2:15 48 How do you know me? N thn el sked. Jesus n swered, I sw you while you were still un der the fig tree be fore Phil ip clled you. 49 Then N thn el de clred, Rb bi, you re the Son of God; you re the king of Is r el. 50 Jesus sid, You be lieve be cuse I told you I sw you un der the fig tree. You will see gret er things thn tht. 51 He then dd ed, Very tru ly I tell you, b you b will see hev en open, nd the n gels of God s cend ing nd de scend ing on c the Son of Mn. Jesus Chnges Wter Into Wine 2 On the third dy wed ding took plce t Cn in Gl i lee. Jesus moth er ws there, 2 nd Jesus nd his dis ci ples hd lso been in vit ed to the wed ding. 3 When the wine ws gone, Jesus moth er sid to him, They hve no more wine. 4 Wom n, d why do you in volve me? Jesus re plied. My hour hs not yet come. 5 His moth er sid to the ser vnts, Do whtev er he tells you. 6 Ner by stood six stone w ter jrs, the kind used by the Jews for cer e mo ni l wsh ing, ech hold ing from twen ty to thir ty gl lons. e 7 Jesus sid to the ser vnts, Fill the jrs with w ter ; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, Now drw some out nd tke it to the ms ter of the bn quet. They did so, 9 nd the ms ter of the bn quet tst ed the w ter tht hd been turned into wine. He did not re l ize where it hd come from, though the ser vnts who hd drwn the w ter knew. Then he clled the bride groom side 10 nd sid, Ev ery one brings out the choice wine first nd then the chep er wine f ter the guests hve hd too much to drink; but you hve sved the best till now. 11 Wht Jesus did here in Cn of Gl i lee ws the first of the signs through which he re veled his glo ry; nd his dis ci ples be lieved in him. Nthnel s question, John reveled Nzreth s poor reputtion. The people of Nzreth would lter reject Jesus (see Mk 6:4, note). 2:1 2 The wedding t Cn ws ttended by Jesus, his mother nd his disciples. The town ws locted in Glilee, lthough its exct loction is unknown. A wedding in Jesus dy could lst s long s week (see Weddings). To run out of wine ws n embrrssing nd inhospitble offense for the wedding host. At the request of his mother Mry, Jesus performed the first mircle of his public ministry by turning wter into wine (see chrt, Jesus Mircles Among Women). 2:4 Jesus showed no disrespect when he ddressed his mother s womn insted of mother. His public ministry hd begun, nd with the cross before him, he ws possibly putting some distnce between himself nd his mother to spre her dded suffering. This polite form of mircle jesus mircles mong women Heling Peter s motherin-lw Rising Jirus s dughter Heling the hemorrhging womn Heling the Cnnite womn s dughter Rising the widow of Nin s son Heling the crippled womn Turning wter into wine t the wedding in Cn t request of Jesus mother references Mt 8:14 15 Mk 1:30 31 Lk 4:38 39 Mt 9:18,23 25 Mk 5:22,24,35 42 Lk 8:40 42,49 55 Mt 9:20 22 Mk 5:25 34 Lk 8:43 48 Mt 15:21 28 Mk 7:24 30 Lk 7:11 15 Lk 13:11 13 Jn 2:1 11 12 Af ter this he went down to C per n um with his moth er nd broth ers nd his dis ci ples. There they styed for few dys. Jesus Clers the Temple Courts 2:14-16pp Mt 21:12,13; Mk 11:15-17; Lk 19:45,46 13 When it ws l most time for the Jew ish Pss over, Jesus went up to Je ru s lem. 14 In the tem ple courts he found peo ple sell ing ct tle, sheep nd doves, nd oth ers sit ting t t bles ex chng ing mon ey. 15 So he mde whip out 50 Or Do you believe...? b 51 The Greek is plurl. c 51 Gen. 28:12 d 4 The Greek for Womn does not denote ny disrespect. e 6 Or from bout 75 to bout 115 liters ddress ws used by Jesus in ddressing other women (Jn 4:21; 20:13; see Mt 15:28; Lk 13:12). Mry cknowledged her own confidence in her son nd pprovl of his independent ction s she instructed the servnts to follow his instructions. Although Jesus ws still her son, he ws now more thn her child: he ws her Lord. Jesus ws wre of God s timing regrding his mission on erth. A mircle or sign would help the people understnd his identity nd purpose. 2:6 The wter jrs, often mde of cly but sometimes of stone, were vessels used for storing wter. Ech wter jr contined bout 17 to 25 gllons of wter. Six wter jrs would hve held 100 to 150 gllons. The Jews used wter for clensing nd purifiction rituls, nd these lrge stone wter jrs probbly stored the wter used for wshing. Smller wter jrs were used by women to trnsport wter from wells.
john 2:16 weddings 1406 A Public Commitment In Bible times, the period of enggement (or betrothl) ws spent in preprtion the groom prepring home for his bride nd the bride prepring herself nd her trousseu. When the time cme for the mrrige to be consummted, the groom went to the bride s home (often t n unnnounced time) to ccompny her to his home where they met friends of the two fmilies, s rrnged by the groom, not the bride (see Jdg 14:5 11; Mt 25:1 13). Wedding celebrtions generlly lsted week, during which time the bride nd groom dressed nd were treted s roylty midst festivities nd the presenttion of gifts (Ge 29:27; Jdg 14:12 18; Jn 2:1 11). In the modern er, weddings rnge from forml, solemn ceremonies to informl, privte gtherings. The type of ceremony is not necessrily importnt, but these Biblicl criteri re: (1) The mrrige should be estblished in the nme of the Lord Jesus (Mk 10:9), nd (2) Thnks should be given to God (Col 3:17). A wedding should be time of worship nd should celebrte ech mrrige prtner s commitment grounded in the love of God. Weddings re much more thn beutiful gowns, crowds of people nd expensive decorting. A wedding is time of COMMITMENT. It should include worship nd giving thnks to God s well s the celebrting of the wonderful blessing God hs given both the bride nd groom. The wedding ceremony is n pproprite time to reflect on the exmple of unconditionl love, which God hs demonstrted (Ro 5:8). The couple should commit to follow the Lord in their home no mtter wht circumstnces rise nd til deth do us prt (see Mt 19:6). The importnce of this permnency of the union grows out of the fct tht the vows re not merely between one mn nd one womn but include the hevenly Fther himself, nd lso becuse such commitment is modeled fter Christ s commitment to the church (Eph 5:21 33). See lso Ge 2:15 25; notes on Celebrtions nd Holidys (Ex 12); Enggement (Mt 1); Mrrige (Ge 2; 2S 6; Pr 5; Hos 2; Am 3; 2Co 13; Heb 12); Trditions (1S 7); Vows (Nu 30) of cords, nd drove ll from the tem ple courts, both sheep nd ct tle; he sct tered the coins of the mon ey chng ers nd over turned their t bles. 16 To those who sold doves he sid, Get these out of here! Stop turn ing my F ther s house into mr ket! 17 His dis ci ples re membered tht it is writ ten: Zel for your house will con sume me. 18 The Jews then re spond ed to him, Wht sign cn you show us to prove your u thor i ty to do ll this? 19 Jesus n swered them, De stroy this tem ple, nd I will rise it gin in three dys. 20 They re plied, It hs tk en for ty-six yers to build this tem ple, nd you re go ing to rise it in three dys? 21 But the tem ple he hd spoken of ws his body. 22 Af ter he ws rised from the ded, his dis ci ples re clled wht he hd 2:19 22 The temple in Jeruslem ws the centrl plce for Jewish worship, the dwelling plce of the presence of God. King Dvid plnned to build the temple, but his son Solomon ctully built it. This building stood for lmost 400 yers, but it ws finlly plundered nd burned by the Bbylonins in 586 BC. The Jews in Bbylon were given permission to rebuild the temple, nd the new governor, Zerubbbel, completed the structure in 516 BC. Beginning in 19 BC, Herod dded to the temple nd refurbished it so tht it ws much more mgnificent thn Zerubbbel s sid. Then they be lieved the scrip ture nd the words tht Jesus hd spo ken. 23 Now while he ws in Je ru s lem t the Pssover Fes ti vl, mny peo ple sw the signs he ws per form ing nd be lieved in his nme. b 24 But Jesus would not en trust him self to them, for he knew ll peo ple. 25 He did not need ny tes timo ny bout mn kind, for he knew wht ws in ech per son. Jesus Teches Nicodemus 3 Now there ws Phr i see, mn nmed Nic o de mus who ws mem ber of the Jew ish rul ing coun cil. 2 He cme to Jesus t night nd sid, Rb bi, we know tht you re 17 Pslm 69:9 b 23 Or in him temple. Mry nd Joseph brought the infnt Jesus to be circumcised in this temple, nd Jesus tught there t ge 12. It ws destroyed in AD 70 by the Romns under Titus. The Jews thought Jesus referred to Herod s temple in Jeruslem. Jesus, however, did not sy he would destroy the ctul temple building. Jesus ws speking of himself s the temple nd of his own deth nd resurrection. 3:1 Nicodemus, pious nd knowledgeble techer, ws Phrisee nd member of the Jewish Snhedrin. This highest Jewish court hd 70 distinguished members.
1407 john 3:22 Women cn splsh the world with the love of Christ... through kindness, cring, touching, meeting needs nd telling of their love for Christ. Esther Burroughs tech er who hs come from God. For no one could per form the signs you re do ing if God were not with him. 3 Jesus re plied, Very tru ly I tell you, no one cn see the king dom of God un less they re born gin. 4 How cn some one be born when they re old? Nic o de mus sked. Sure ly they cn not en ter sec ond time into their moth er s womb to be born! 5 Jesus n swered, Very tru ly I tell you, no one cn en ter the king dom of God un less they re born of w ter nd the Spir it. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spir it b gives birth to spir it. 7 You should not be sur prised t my sy ing, You c must be born gin. 8 The wind blows wher ev er it ples es. You her its sound, but you cn not tell where it comes from or where it is go ing. So it is with ev ery one born of the Spir it. d 9 How cn this be? Nic o de mus sked. 10 You re Is r el s tech er, sid Jesus, nd do you not un der stnd these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we spek of wht we know, nd we tes ti fy to wht we hve seen, but still you people do not c cept our tes ti mo ny. 12 I hve spo ken to you of erth ly things nd you do not be lieve; how then will you be lieve if I spek of hev en ly things? 13 No one hs ever gone into hev en ex cept the one who cme from hev en the Son of Mn. e 14 Just s Mo ses lift ed up the snke Nicodemus cme from n importnt ristocrtic fmily in Jeruslem nd ws n uthority on Scripture. His coming t night could hve been for ny of severl resons: he wnted to spek to Jesus in secret so s not to rouse suspicion or to evoke criticism mong his Snhedrin collegues; he wnted the privcy tht night fforded so s not to be competitive with, nor intimidted by, the dytime crowds tht surrounded Jesus; becuse of the drkness of his own gret sins, he my hve wnted privte counsel with Jesus, the Light (v. 2); or perhps he simply could not wit until morning. Nicodemus lter publicly prticipted in Jesus buril by supplying bundnt spices to be folded within the shroud wrpped round Jesus body. 3:3 10 Nicodemus ws confused by Jesus emphsis on rebirth. The word gin (Gk., nothen) hs severl menings: from conception or the very beginning, new or second time, from bove or from God. Nicodemus knew physicl rebirth ws impossible. Spirit (Gk., pneum) cn lso men wind, depending on the context. Jesus used the word to illustrte the Spirin the wil der ness, so the Son of Mn must be lift ed up, f 15 tht ev ery one who be lieves my hve eter nl life in him. g 16 For God so loved the world tht he gve his one nd only Son, tht who ev er be lieves in him shll not per ish but hve eter nl life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to con demn the world, but to sve the world through him. 18 Who ev er be lieves in him is not con demned, but who ev er does not be lieve stnds condemned l redy be cuse they hve not be lieved in the nme of God s one nd only Son. 19 This is the ver dict: Light hs come into the world, but peo ple loved drk ness in sted of light be cuse their deeds were evil. 20 Every one who does evil htes the light, nd will not come into the light for fer tht their deeds will be ex posed. 21 But who ever lives by the truth comes into the light, so tht it my be seen plin ly tht wht they hve done hs been done in the sight of God. John Testifies Agin About Jesus 22 Af ter this, Jesus nd his dis ci ples went out into the Ju de n coun try side, where he spent 3 The Greek for gin lso mens from bove; lso in verse 7. b 6 Or but spirit c 7 The Greek is plurl. d 8 The Greek for Spirit is the sme s tht for wind. e 13 Some mnuscripts Mn, who is in heven f 14 The Greek for lifted up lso mens exlted. g 15 Some interpreters end the quottion with verse 21. it s ctivity. Jesus mde the point to Nicodemus tht he must be born of the Spirit in order to understnd the spiritul things of God. 3:13 Jesus described himself s the One who descended from heven, the Son of Mn. The description Son of mn ppers more thn 80 times in the Gospels, but only four times in the NT outside the Gospels. Son of mn points to Jesus specil ministry nd commission from God; his suffering, deth nd resurrection; nd his return. 3:14 15 John stressed both the shme of the cross nd the mjesty of the resurrection throughout his Gospel. God punished the Isrelites in the wilderness with dedly serpents fter they hd complined nd spoken ginst God nd Moses (see Nu 21:4 9). Mny people were bitten nd died. When the people repented nd begged for mercy, God told Moses to lift fiery serpent high upon pole within the cmp. God promised tht nyone looking t the rised bronze serpent would be heled of the snke s venomous bite nd sved from deth. The OT incident pointed to Jesus, who would be lifted up on cross s the scrifice necessry for slvtion.
john 3:23 1408 women s ministries Women in Evngelism Jesus ffirmed the ministry of women in evngelism. This ws most evident in his interction with the Smritn womn t the well of Sychr (Jn 4:1 30). Culturlly, Jews nd Smritns did not ssocite with ech other. Moreover, for rbbi to spek to womn in public ws considered improper. Christ s regrd for this womn ws therefore truly revolutionry. After their meeting, she returned to her city nd presented her witness. Mny believed in him becuse of her testimony (vv. 28,39). At tht time, women were not considered relible witnesses; yet Christ chose womn s his witness. God chose women s the first witnesses of Christ s resurrection (Mt 28:1 8), nd they were entrusted with Christ s first post-resurrection messge to his disciples (Jn 20:15 18). The coming of the Spirit reinforced the role of women in evngelism. Women, together with men, were empowered to be witnesses to the ends of the erth (Ac 1:8). The estblishment of the Philippin church involved women (Ac 16:11 15), nd women were lso involved in spreding the gospel in Bere (Ac 17:12). New Testment women, long with men, were commissioned to be the light of the world nd were thus extensively involved in the ministry of evngelism (Mt 5:14 16). See lso chrt on Spiritul Gifts of Women in the Bible; notes on Evngelism (Jn 6; Col 4; 1Pe 3); Spiritul Gifts (Ro 12); Women s Ministries (Ac 2; 1Co 11; Eph 2; 1Ti 3; Titus 2) some time with them, nd bp tized. 23 Now John lso ws bp tiz ing t Ae non ner S lim, be cuse there ws plen ty of w ter, nd peo ple were com ing nd be ing bp tized. 24 (This ws be fore John ws put in pris on.) 25 An r gu ment de vel oped be tween some of John s dis ci ples nd cer tin Jew over the mt ter of cer e moni l wsh ing. 26 They cme to John nd sid to him, Rb bi, tht mn who ws with you on the oth er side of the Jor dn the one you tes ti fied bout look, he is bp tiz ing, nd ev ery one is go ing to him. 27 To this John re plied, A per son cn re ceive only wht is giv en them from hev en. 28 You your selves cn tes ti fy tht I sid, I m not the Mes si h but m sent hed of him. 29 The bride be longs to the bride groom. The friend who t tends the bride groom wits nd lis tens for him, nd is full of joy when he hers the bridegroom s voice. Tht joy is mine, nd it is now com plete. 30 He must be come gret er; I must be come less. 31 The one who comes from bove is bove ll; the one who is from the erth be longs to the erth, nd speks s one from the erth. The one who comes from hev en is bove ll. 32 He tes ti fies to wht he hs seen nd herd, but no one c cepts his tes ti mo ny. 33 Who ever hs 4:4 6 Jesus did not follow the usul wy for Jews to trvel between Glilee nd Jude, which ws to void Smritn territory by crossing to the est bnk of the Jordn River (vv. 3 4). At Sychr, Jcob bought piece of lnd from the children of Hmor for 100 pieces of silver nd pitched his tent (v. 5; see Ge 33:18 20). While Jesus ws resting t Jcob s well, site not mentioned in the OT, he met the Smritn womn (see The Smritn Womn). c cept ed it hs cer ti fied tht God is truth ful. 34 For the one whom God hs sent speks the words of God, for God b gives the Spir it with out lim it. 35 The F ther loves the Son nd hs plced ev ery thing in his hnds. 36 Who ev er be lieves in the Son hs eter nl life, but who ev er re jects the Son will not see life, for God s wrth re mins on them. Jesus Tlks With Smritn Womn 4 Now Jesus lerned tht the Phr i sees hd herd tht he ws gin ing nd bp tiz ing more dis ci ples thn John 2 l though in fct it ws not Jesus who bp tized, but his dis ci ples. 3 So he left Ju de nd went bck once more to Gl i lee. 4 Now he hd to go through S mr i. 5 So he cme to town in S mr i clled Sy chr, ner the plot of ground J cob hd giv en to his son Jo seph. 6 J cob s well ws there, nd Jesus, tired s he ws from the jour ney, st down by the well. It ws bout noon. 7 When S mr i tn wom n cme to drw w ter, Jesus sid to her, Will you give me 30 Some interpreters end the quottion with verse 36. b 34 Greek he 4:7 For womn to come to the well t noon, the hottest prt of the dy, ws unusul. Middle Estern women usully filled their wter jrs in the erly morning nd t sunset, when it ws cooler. The Smritn womn ws womn of bd reputtion nd my hve filled her jrs t noon in order to void meeting other women who would shun her.
1409 john 4:44 drink? 8 (His dis ci ples hd gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The S mr i tn wom n sid to him, You re Jew nd I m S mr i tn wom n. How cn you sk me for drink? (For Jews do not s so ci te with S mr i tns. ) 10 Jesus n swered her, If you knew the gift of God nd who it is tht sks you for drink, you would hve sked him nd he would hve giv en you liv ing w ter. 11 Sir, the wom n sid, you hve noth ing to drw with nd the well is deep. Where cn you get this liv ing w ter? 12 Are you gret er thn our f ther J cob, who gve us the well nd drnk from it him self, s did lso his sons nd his live stock? 13 Jesus n swered, Ev ery one who drinks this w ter will be thirsty gin, 14 but who ever drinks the w ter I give them will nev er thirst. In deed, the w ter I give them will be come in them spring of w ter well ing up to eter nl life. 15 The wom n sid to him, Sir, give me this w ter so tht I won t get thirsty nd hve to keep com ing here to drw w ter. 16 He told her, Go, cll your hus bnd nd come bck. 17 I hve no hus bnd, she re plied. Jesus sid to her, You re right when you sy you hve no hus bnd. 18 The fct is, you hve hd five hus bnds, nd the mn you now hve is not your hus bnd. Wht you hve just sid is quite true. 19 Sir, the wom n sid, I cn see tht you re proph et. 20 Our n ces tors wor shiped on this moun tin, but you Jews clim tht the plce where we must wor ship is in Je ru s lem. 21 Wom n, Jesus re plied, be lieve me, time is com ing when you will wor ship the F ther nei ther on this moun tin nor in Je ru s lem. 22 You S mr i tns wor ship wht you do not know; we wor ship wht we do know, for sl vtion is from the Jews. 23 Yet time is com ing nd hs now come when the true wor ship ers will wor ship the F ther in the Spir it nd in truth, for they re the kind of wor ship ers the F ther seeks. 24 God is spir it, nd his wor ship ers must wor ship in the Spir it nd in truth. 25 The wom n sid, I know tht Mes si h (clled Christ) is com ing. When he comes, he will ex plin ev ery thing to us. 26 Then Jesus de clred, I, the one spek ing to you I m he. The Disciples Rejoin Jesus 27 Just then his dis ci ples re turned nd were sur prised to find him tlk ing with wom n. But no one sked, Wht do you wnt? or Why re you tlk ing with her? 28 Then, lev ing her w ter jr, the wom n went bck to the town nd sid to the peo ple, 29 Come, see mn who told me ev ery thing I ever did. Could this be the Mes si h? 30 They cme out of the town nd mde their wy to wrd him. 31 Men while his dis ci ples urged him, Rb bi, et some thing. 32 But he sid to them, I hve food to et tht you know noth ing bout. 33 Then his dis ci ples sid to ech oth er, Could some one hve brought him food? 34 My food, sid Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me nd to fin ish his work. 35 Don t you hve sy ing, It s still four months un til hr vest? I tell you, open your eyes nd look t the fields! They re ripe for hr vest. 36 Even now the one who reps drws wge nd hr vests crop for eter nl life, so tht the sow er nd the rep er my be gld to geth er. 37 Thus the sy ing One sows nd n oth er reps is true. 38 I sent you to rep wht you hve not worked for. Oth ers hve done the hrd work, nd you hve reped the ben e fits of their l bor. Mny Smritns Believe 39 Mny of the S mr i tns from tht town be lieved in him be cuse of the wom n s tes timo ny, He told me ev ery thing I ever did. 40 So when the S mr i tns cme to him, they urged him to sty with them, nd he styed two dys. 41 And be cuse of his words mny more be cme be liev ers. 42 They sid to the wom n, We no lon ger be lieve just be cuse of wht you sid; now we hve herd for our selves, nd we know tht this mn rel ly is the Sv ior of the world. Jesus Hels n Officil s Son 43 Af ter the two dys he left for Gl i lee. 44 (Now Jesus him self hd point ed out tht 9 Or do not use dishes Smritns hve used 4:9 Jesus simply disregrded the socil rules of his dy in order to tlk with the Smritn womn. 4:20 24 The ncient city of Smri ws locted bout 40 miles north of Jeruslem. Yers before, remnnt of Isrel s Jews in Smri hd intermrried with Gentiles nd hd begun to worship foreign gods. The Smritns worshiped t Mount Gerizim, where they hd been given permission to build temple. A smll Smritn community continues to worship there even now. 4:25 26 The Jews of Smri were lso witing the rrivl of the promised Messih (see Dt 18:15,18). Jesus told the Smritn womn tht he ws the long-wited Messih. The womn believed Jesus self-disclosure nd told others the Good News.
john 4:45 1410 The Smritn Womn Perhps in order to void the respectble townswomen who filled their wter jrs t sunrise nd sunset, Smritn womn cme to the well t noon, the hottest hour of the dy. This immorl womn, who hd hd five husbnds, now lived with mn who ws not her husbnd. When Jesus purposely pssed through Smri on his wy to Glilee, he met nd spoke to the womn t Jcob s Well, ner the city of Sychr, breking three mjor socil rules: First, women were considered gretly inferior to men; in public no Middle Estern mn ever spoke to womn, not even to his wife, mother or sister. Second, no Jew ever spoke to Smritn. Jews believed Smritns hd betryed their fith becuse they hd intermrried with foreigners. The Jews nd Smritns hted nd voided ech other. Third, no self-respecting mn, especilly techer, would ever spek to womn of such despicble reputtion. This womn ws well-known socil outcst. Jesus disregrded these socil brriers when he conversed with the Smritn womn. He reveled himself s the gretly nticipted Messih, offering forgiveness, redemption nd new life. She drnk from his cup of living wter, rn bck to town to the very ones who despised her, the people of Smri. There she proclimed with unembrrssed excitement the rrivl of the promised Messih. The people of Smri egerly responded to Christ. They, too, yerned for his living wter. Lter, Jesus would chllenge his disciples to witness in Smri (Ac 1:8), nd Philip, decon, would open mission there (Ac 8:5). Yet the Good News of Jesus Christ ws first proclimed to the people of Smri through the testimony of sinful, immorl womn who drnk the offered wter nd ws forgiven, clensed nd renewed, never gin to thirst. See lso notes on Adultery (Hos 3); Forgiveness (Ps 51; Lk 17) proph et hs no hon or in his own coun try.) 45 When he r rived in Gl i lee, the Gl i le ns welcomed him. They hd seen ll tht he hd done in Je ru s lem t the Pss over Fes ti vl, for they lso hd been there. 46 Once more he vis it ed Cn in Gl i lee, where he hd turned the w ter into wine. And there ws cer tin roy l of fi cil whose son ly sick t C per n um. 47 When this mn herd tht Jesus hd r rived in Gl i lee from Ju de, he went to him nd begged him to come nd hel his son, who ws close to deth. 48 Un less you peo ple see signs nd won ders, Jesus told him, you will nev er be lieve. 49 The roy l of fi cil sid, Sir, come down be fore my child dies. 50 Go, Jesus re plied, your son will live. The mn took Jesus t his word nd de prt ed. 51 While he ws still on the wy, his ser vnts met him with the news tht his boy ws liv ing. 52 When he in quired s to the time when his son got bet ter, they sid to him, Yes ter dy, t one in the f ter noon, the fe ver left him. 53 Then the f ther re l ized tht this ws the ex ct time t which Jesus hd sid to him, Your son will live. So he nd his whole house hold be lieved. 54 This ws the sec ond sign Jesus per formed f ter com ing from Ju de to Gl i lee. The Heling t the Pool 5 Some time lt er, Jesus went up to Je ru slem for one of the Jew ish fes ti vls. 2 Now there is in Je ru s lem ner the Sheep Gte pool, which in Ar m ic is clled Be thes d nd 2 Some mnuscripts Bethzth; other mnuscripts Bethsid 4:46 The mn ws royl officil in the court of Herod Antips, the tetrrch of Glilee. Whether he ws Jew or Gentile is not known. The fct tht noblemn would request the help of crpenter is extrordinry. 4:53 An ordinry household with its vriety of reltionships ws bsic to society in ncient times. The word household could suggest n immedite fmily, the servnts of tht fmily, n extended fmily nd even the descendnts of prticulr ntion. The hed of the household usully determined the fith of the household. Thus, it ws tht the noblemn s whole household followed him in believing in Jesus. 5:2 Sheep Gte is one of the entrnces crved into Jeruslem s city wll. Pools were reservoirs, often cut from stone, tht collected rinwter for drinking nd other purposes. Wter ws vluble nd precious resource in the rid Middle Est. These pools were usully deep enough for swimming. The pool t Bethesd ws fmous plce where the hndicpped nd sick gthered becuse of its reputed heling properties.
1411 john 5:35 Jesus did not tke volunteers s disciples. He put his finger on ech one... becuse he sw potentil in them. Gil McDonld which is sur round ed by five cov ered col onndes. 3 Here gret num ber of dis bled peo ple used to lie the blind, the lme, the pr lyzed. [4] 5 One who ws there hd been n in vl id for thir ty eight yers. 6 When Jesus sw him ly ing there nd lerned tht he hd been in this condi tion for long time, he sked him, Do you wnt to get well? 7 Sir, the in vl id re plied, I hve no one to help me into the pool when the w ter is stirred. While I m try ing to get in, some one else goes down hed of me. 8 Then Jesus sid to him, Get up! Pick up your mt nd wlk. 9 At once the mn ws cured; he picked up his mt nd wlked. The dy on which this took plce ws Sbbth, 10 nd so the Jew ish led ers sid to the mn who hd been heled, It is the Sb bth; the lw for bids you to cr ry your mt. 11 But he re plied, The mn who mde me well sid to me, Pick up your mt nd wlk. 12 So they sked him, Who is this fel low who told you to pick it up nd wlk? 13 The mn who ws heled hd no ide who it ws, for Jesus hd slipped wy into the crowd tht ws there. 14 Lt er Jesus found him t the tem ple nd sid to him, See, you re well gin. Stop sinning or some thing worse my hp pen to you. 15 The mn went wy nd told the Jew ish leders tht it ws Jesus who hd mde him well. The Authority of the Son 16 So, be cuse Jesus ws do ing these things on the Sb bth, the Jew ish led ers be gn to per secute him. 17 In his de fense Jesus sid to them, My F ther is l wys t his work to this very dy, nd I too m work ing. 18 For this re son they tried ll the more to kill him; not only ws he brek ing the Sb bth, but he ws even cll ing God his own F ther, mk ing him self equl with God. 19 Jesus gve them this n swer: Very tru ly I tell you, the Son cn do noth ing by him self; he cn do only wht he sees his F ther do ing, be cuse wht ev er the F ther does the Son lso 5:10 The Sbbth ws the seventh dy of the week, the dy God rested from creting the world (Ge 2:2 3). It ws holy dy of rest for ll Jews, s well s foreigners, slves nd even nimls (see chrt, The Principle of the Sbbth). Desecrdoes. 20 For the F ther loves the Son nd shows him ll he does. Yes, nd he will show him even gret er works thn these, so tht you will be mzed. 21 For just s the F ther ris es the ded nd gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is plesed to give it. 22 More over, the F ther judg es no one, but hs en trust ed ll judg ment to the Son, 23 tht ll my hon or the Son just s they hon or the F ther. Who ev er does not hon or the Son does not hon or the F ther, who sent him. 24 Very tru ly I tell you, who ev er hers my word nd be lieves him who sent me hs eter nl life nd will not be judged but hs crossed over from deth to life. 25 Very tru ly I tell you, time is com ing nd hs now come when the ded will her the voice of the Son of God nd those who her will live. 26 For s the F ther hs life in him self, so he hs grnt ed the Son lso to hve life in him self. 27 And he hs giv en him u thori ty to judge be cuse he is the Son of Mn. 28 Do not be mzed t this, for time is com ing when ll who re in their grves will her his voice 29 nd come out those who hve done wht is good will rise to live, nd those who hve done wht is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By my self I cn do noth ing; I judge only s I her, nd my judg ment is just, for I seek not to plese my self but him who sent me. Testimonies About Jesus 31 If I tes ti fy bout my self, my tes ti mo ny is not true. 32 There is n oth er who tes ti fies in my f vor, nd I know tht his tes ti mo ny bout me is true. 33 You hve sent to John nd he hs tes ti fied to the truth. 34 Not tht I c cept hu mn tes timo ny; but I men tion it tht you my be sved. 35 John ws lmp tht burned nd gve light, nd you chose for time to en joy his light. 3,4 Some mnuscripts include here, wholly or in prt, prlyzed nd they wited for the moving of the wters. 4 From time to time n ngel of the Lord would come down nd stir up the wters. The first one into the pool fter ech such disturbnce would be cured of whtever disese they hd. tion of the Sbbth could be punished by deth. The prohibition ginst crrying one s bed on the Sbbth ws just one of the numerous orl lws ( prt of the trdition of the elders) tht hd grown from the Lw of Moses.