JESUS & THE SAMARITAN WOMAN - JOHN 4:1-26

 

Jesus & The Samaritan Woman

4:1-42

This passage relates the second evangelistic dialogue in which Jesus engaged. They stand in great contrast with each other. The first dialogue was with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a leader of the Jews. He was well educated in the Jewish scriptures (what we call the Old Testament). He was respected in his society.

This encounter, on the other hand, was with a woman, a Samaritan, and one shunned by her society.  

First, let’s look at the setting.

The Setting

4:1-6

The story starts with Jesus out in the countryside of Judea, preaching, bringing people to salvation, and seeing them baptized by his disciples. (1-2) He learned that the Pharisees had become aware of him, and that his disciples were baptizing more people than John. We previously saw the Pharisees come out to evaluate John the Baptist and argue with his disciples. They may have heard John’s disciples complaining that Jesus was baptizing more people than they were. 

Hearing that he was now on the radar of the Pharisees, Jesus decided to leave Judea for Galilee. It was evidently not the time for him to engage the Pharisees. 

Walking north to Galilee meant walking through Samaria. I’ve heard many sermons and lessons that say Jews did not walk through Samaria, but rather crossed the river and walked up the east bank until they could cross over to Galilee. However, Josephus, the historian, indicates that only some very strict Jews did that. All others walked through Samaria because it was the shorter route. And that certainly comports with human nature. 

However, the Jews disdained the Samaritans and avoided contact with them as much as possible. They considered the Samaritans to be racially and religiously tainted. Second Kings 17 gives us the reason for this.

The area known as Samaria was originally the northern kingdom after the split of the kingdom under Solomon’s son. The southern kingdom was known as Judea and the norther kingdom was known in the Old Testament as Israel. King Omri of Israel built a new city to be his capital and called in Samaria. Eventually, the whole area became known by that name. 

The Assyrians defeated Israel and carried all of the important people to be resettled in other parts of the kingdom as was their policy. God allowed this because of Israel’s idolatry. The Assyrians then resettled the area with other races. Since those people did not worship the Lord, the Lord sent lions among them. The people asked the Assyrian king to send them a priest because they did not know how to worship the god of the land. It was a common belief in those days that different countries or regions were subject to the power of local gods.

The people began to practice the worship of the Lord in various ways, but also worshipped the local gods they had known before being relocated. Eventually, these religions corrupted the worship of God so that it was different from that prescribed in the scripture. So, the Jews did not consider Samaritans to be Jews racially and did not consider them to worship God correctly. Therefore, interaction with Samaritans would make the Jews ceremonially unclean. 

At about noon on a day of travel, Jesus and his disciples stopped at a village named Sychar, in Samaria. The village no longer exists. Many believe it is the place known as Shechem in the Old Testament, where Jacob lived for a while. The land was believed to be part of the land Jacob gave to Joseph. The well known as Jacob’s well was close to the village.

Jesus was hot and tired, so he sat down next to the well while his disciples went into the village to buy food for lunch.   This well is where the dialogue occurred. 

The Dialogue, Part 1

4:7-15

While Jesus sat next to the well, a woman from the village came to draw water from the well. It was customary for women to come to the well in early morning or in the evening when it was cooler. And they usually came in groups. 

Since John specifies what time it was, we have to think there was a reason for it. It is likely that the woman was an outcast and did not want to face the other women or was afraid of being mistreated. 

But, of course, when she got to the well, she was not alone. And of all things, there was a Jewish man sitting by the well. Knowing that Jews and Samaritans did not mingle, as John noted in verse 9, she probably expected to fill her water jar and leave without interference form the man. 

But it was not to be. Jesus addressed her directly, asking her for a drink. (7) The woman was shocked and asked Jesus how it was that he, a Jew, asked her, a Samaritan for a drink. John inserted a parenthetical explanation that Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. (9) The New International Version has a footnote that says those words could be translated as “do not use dishes Samaritans have used”. 

As Jesus did with Nicodemus, he responded to the woman evangelistically and metaphorically. He told her that, if she knew who he was, and the gift of God, she would have asked him to give her “living water” and he would have done so. (10) The “gift of God” to which he refers is eternal life and Jesus is the only one who can give it to her. 

The term “living water” has a physical meaning, referring to running water in a spring, which was considered cleaner and fresher than still water. 

The term also has a metaphorical, or symbolic, meaning. It was often used in the Old Testament to refer to life, particularly life in the transforming power of the Holy Spirt. For example, in Jeremiah 2:3, God accused Israel of forsaking him as the spring of living water to dig their own cisterns, which were broken and could not hold water. They had abandoned the life God could give them for religions of their own making, which could not give life. 

But the woman, like Nicodemus, took Jesus as referring to the physical. She pointed out that he had nothing with which to get water from this deep well.  So, where would he get it? She was clearly skeptical of his claim. 

She was also sarcastic. She asked Jesus if he was greater than Jacob, who gave the Samaritans this well. (12) (This was their tradition; there is no Old Testament record of Jacob digging a well there.) Samaritans believed themselves to be descended from Jacob, despite their actual racial makeup. Jesus could have said he was greater than Jacob, because he is. But, he ignored her sarcasm and skepticism and pressed on with his message. 

Jesus drew a distinction for her. He distinguished physical water from spiritual, or living, water. He told her the physical water in the well would only satisfy her thirst for a while. In contest, the living water he offered caused a permanent transformation. She would never be thirsty again. That water would become in her and anyone who received it, as a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (13) When a person receives Jesus as savior and lord, he receives the Holy Spirit, who is our pledge of eternal life. 

2 Corinthians 1:22 says God put his seal on us and gave us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. Ephesians 1:13-14 says we are sealed with the Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.

As with Nicodemus, the woman continued to dwell on the physical. She asked him to giver her the water so she would not be thirsty or have to come to the well again. 

The Dialogue, Part 2

4:16-28

Jesus had a way of getting past the barriers to get to the need. With Nicodemus, he cut off the flattery of being told Nicodemus knew he was a man sent by God by telling him he must be born again.

When a young rich man, who believed he was righteous, asked Jesus how to get eternal life, Jesus knew he was attached to his riches and went straight to that point, telling the young man to give away his possessions and follow him.

Here, Jesus cuts through the woman’s skepticism and focus on the physical by going directly to her problematic moral life. He told her to go get her husband. She said she did not have one and Jesus said that is true, you have had five husbands and are now living with a man who is not your husband. 

This story shows us the two natures of Jesus at work. As fully a man, a human being, he was hot, thirsty, and tired. As fully God, he knew this woman’s circumstances even though he had never met her. He demonstrated his divine omniscience. 

But Jesus was not trying to show off his knowledge, he was showing the woman her need. She was a sinner and was living in sin. She was spiritually thirsty and she needed to know that in order to receive Jesus’ gift of salvation. 

Upon hearing this, the woman realized that Jesus was no ordinary man. She called him a prophet. She did not yet realize who he really was. But, since he was a prophet, she decided to sidetrack the conversation by bringing up a big theological disagreement between Samaritans and Jews: the proper place of worship. The Samaritans built a temple on Mount Gerizim, which was close to the location of the well. This may have been in response to the Jews refusing the people of the land to help in building the second temple under Ezra. 

The Old Testament shows that the temple in Jerusalem was sanctioned by God, but there is no mention of God allowing a temple on Mount Gerizim. However, the Samaritans only accepted the first five books of the Bible, so the story of God sanctioning the building of the temple in Jerusalem by Solomon would not carry any weight with them.

Jesus did not ignore the error, pointing out that the Samaritan worship was in error, but he quickly moved on to the real point: the hour was coming, and had come, when temple worship, even that of the Jews, would become obsolete, and true worshipers would worship God in spirit and truth. 

The New International Version uses the word “time” instead of the word “hour”, which is the literal translation. In this case, the term “hour” is important. When Jesus spoke of his hour (or of when his hour comes) he referred to the events of his death, resurrection and exaltation.  So, Jesus was saying when his death, resurrection, and exaltation occurs, temple worship in any place will be obsolete and worship in spirit will take its place.

True worship comes only through Jesus. He is the true temple (2:19-22), he is the resurrection and the life (11:25), and he is the only way to the Father (14:6). Further, the gift of the Holy Spirit comes only after Jesus’ resurrection and exaltation. 

Jesus also said the hour is now here. He used an oxymoron, a contradictory phrase, saying the hour is coming but also saying it is now here. He does this to reveal who he is. He is the one and only one through whom true worship can occur and he is right there with her.

Finally, Jesus reiterates the point of worship in spirit by saying God is spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and truth. God is different than us. We are flesh, physical, visible, human. God is spirit, invisible, divine, life giving, and unknowable unless he chooses to reveal himself. John told us that in the Prologue. He said that no man has seen God the Father and that Jesus the son has made him known to us. The Father has revealed himself to us in the Son.

John also told us, by telling Nicodemus, that only those who are born from above through Jesus, who are baptized by him into the Spirit, can see the kingdom of God and worship God truly, or in truth. By being in Christ, knowing him, and being in the Holy Spirit, we can know the Father as much as he can be known by us and, thereby, worship him as he wants to be worshipped, in spirit and truth. 

We see a picture of this in Revelation 21:22, which is a picture of the new heavens and new earth. John saw the throne of God and of the Lamb there with his servants, believers, worshipping him. But there was no temple there because the temple is the Father and the Son there in their midst. This would be the ultimate fulfillment of what Jesus was speaking to the woman about. We experience an imperfect version of that now, but still a version that has made the concept of temples and locations obsolete. 

The Samaritan woman likely did not understand all of this, as Nicodemus did not understand all Jesus told him. So, she replied that when Messiah comes, he will explain all these things to us. And John again explains to his Greek readers that “Messiah” means “Christ”. 

The Samaritans did not normally use the term Messiah, so she may have used it in deference to the Jewish Jesus. They referred to the Taheb, who was a teacher and prophet as foretold by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. Therefore, she could wait for him to come and explain it to her. 

But, Jesus did not allow her to wait. He told her “I who speak to you am he”. (26) This is his declaration that he is the Messiah, God’s anointed one, come to bring salvation.  

And that changed everything. His declaration that he was the Messiah\Christ accompanied by his knowledge of her circumstances, and his teaching of true worship sparks in her the belief, or at least the hope, that he is indeed the one God sent to bring salvation to the world.

Takeways

Jesus demonstrated his love for the world by evangelizing both the devout Jew and the unorthodox Samaritan, a man and a woman, the educated and the uneducated, the upstanding citizen and the outcast. We should follow that example.

Jesus also shows us that we should not be preoccupied with buildings and furnishings and procedures, but be focused on the true worship of God in the Spirit and in the truth of Christ. 

JOHN & JESUS: SENT BY GOD - JOHN 3:22-36

 

John and Jesus

3:22-36

“After this” in verse 22 means after the events that took place in Jerusalem during Passover, including the cleansing of the Temple and the discussion with Nicodemus. Jesus left the city and went into the countryside. He was evidently preaching, because people were coming to profess their faith in him and to be baptized. 

In verse 23, we see that Jesus’ ministry overlapped with that of John the Baptist, who was baptizing in a different place. People were still responding to his message of repentance and were being baptized. 

The parenthetical phrase in verse 24, telling us John had not yet been put in prison is interesting. Obviously, John could not preach and baptize out in the countryside if he were in prison. So, why did John provide this explanation? 

I think this shows us that John was aware of the other gospel accounts, particularly of the Gospel of Mark. Since Mark’s gospel is thought by most to be the first written, and John’s the last, it seems likely John would be aware of Mark’s gospel account and even to have read it. 

Mark’s gospel begins with the ministry of John the Baptist and proceeds quickly to his arrest in Mark 1:14. So, John the Apostle, wants us to know that all he has written about to this point occurs before the arrest of John as recorded in Mark 1:14 and that,  although he wrote about different things, there is no conflict of facts between his John’s account and Mark’s earlier account.

While John was preaching and baptizing, his followers got into an argument with a Jew over purification. The Jews had many purification rites that involved washing. We see an indication of this in the story of the wedding at Cana, where there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification. (2:6) The word translated “purification” in 2:6 is the same word used here in verse 25. So, this Jewish person may have been confused about the meaning of John’s baptism or arguing about the propriety of it in light of the purification rules of the Jews. 

This discussion must have led John’s disciples on to think about the fact that Jesus’ disciples were also baptizing and that people were going to see Jesus. There appears to be a sense of resentment here, as they say “all are going to him”. (26) We know that is not true, because John was still baptizing. So, the hyperbole likely means John’s disciples felt competitive with Jesus and his disciples and resented the rising popularity of Jesus.

John, however, does not share their resentment and shows again what a remarkable man he was. First, he reminded them that none of them worked on their own; they received their ministries from the Father. (27) John received his calling from God, from heaven, to come before the appearance of the Christ and to prepare the way for him. Jesus also received his calling from God and was sent to be the savior. John reminded his disciples that he had already testified that he was not the Christ, but the forerunner. (28) 

He was satisfied with the role given him by God. He was not jealous of the one for whom he prepared the way. 

So, we see that John embraced the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. God was sovereign over John’s calling and station in life and John was fine with that. When we are jealous of another person’s ministry or status, it is a type of arrogance on our part, wanting to elevate our judgment over God’s. 

John then used an illustration to help them understand. Jesus is the bridegroom and has the bride. His followers would know this illustration from the Scripture. For example, Isaiah 62:5 says “as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall our God rejoice over you” (God’s people). 

So, as Christ is the bridegroom and the church the bride, John portrays himself as the friend of the bridegroom. We would think of this as the “best man”. He rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. He does not want to usurp the bridegroom, but to help him. 

This illustration made more sense to his followers than to us if we do not know how things worked then. At that time, the focus of the wedding proceedings was the bridegroom as opposed to the bride, as it is now. 

So, John was not resentful of Jesus’ popularity. In fact, he rejoiced that Jesus had come. His labeling of Jesus as the bridegroom shows his believe that Jesus was the Messiah and king. 

John’s joy was complete. He had fulfilled his mission and now saw it come to fruition. He was perfectly happy that Jesus would increase and he would decrease. He was an incredibly obedient and faithful servant.

John’s Summary

3:31-36

In these verses, John the Apostle provides further teaching about Jesus and his superiority to all others. Here are the things John tells us about Jesus: 

1. Jesus comes from above, from heaven. (31) Jesus himself told us he was sent by the Father about 17 times in the Gospel of John. 
2. In contrast with Jesus are all of those, including John the Baptist, who are of the earth and speak in an earthly way. (31) Jesus came from heaven and spoke of what he saw and heard in heaven. (32) Jesus spoke the words of God and acted according to the will of God.
3. God the Father gave Jesus the Spirit without measure or limitation. (34) This statement creates a contrast between Jesus and the old testament people who had the Spirit for a limited time or a specific purpose.  
4. Jesus, the Son, is loved by the Father, who has given all things into his hand. (35) The Son has all authority. As he said in Matthew 28:18, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”. 
5. Note also that we see the Trinity in action here. The Father sent the Son and gave him the Spirit. 

John also told us some things about human beings:

1. People in his time often did not receive Jesus’ message (32) Many did not believe him to be the Son of God. That is true today. It is easier for people to accept Jesus as a good man and good teacher than the God who must be obeyed.
2. Those who do receive Jesus’ message, or testimony, testify that God is true. (33) Those who reject Jesus’ claim that he is the Son of God are calling the Father a liar. 
3. Those who believe in Jesus have eternal life. (36)
4. Those who do not believe do not have eternal life and are subject to God’s wrath. (36) This is another statement to us that there will be a judgment at the end of this age which will determine where all of mankind will spend eternity in the age to come. 

If you will believe in Jesus today, you will receive eternal life and avoid the wrath to come. 

ETERNAL LIFE - JOHN 3:16-21

 

Eternal Life

3:16-21

It is actually best to start reading this passage in verse 14, where Jesus said the Son of Man must be lifted up so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. Verse 16 is connected to verse 15 by the word “for”. So, verse 16 is an explanation of verses 14-15.

In fact, may commentators believe the words of Jesus end with verse 15 and that verses 16-21 are John’s commentary, or explanation of Jesus’ words. This is for several reasons, such as the narrative stops using the first person pronoun “I” and Jesus’ title changes for “Son of Man”, the most common way he referred to himself, to “Son of God”. This change of narrative to commentary also occurs in the following passage where John the Baptist speak of Christs, then John follows in verses 31-36 with his commentary on John’s words. This does not change the importance of the words, because all scripture is inspired by God. But it helps us understand what is going on. 

John 3:16 is likely the best known verse in the Bible among Christians and the most likely to be memorized. It is easy to pass over it because it is well known, but it is worth studying.

Jesus has just alluded to the story of the bronze serpent to give Nicodemus an Old Testament reference. This is the story from the book of Numbers where God sent serpents among the people because of their grumbling. When they repented, God had Moses make a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole. If the Israelites looked upon the serpent, they would be healed of the snakebite. Jesus ended his words to Nicodemus by saying he must also be lifted up, or crucified, so that those who believe in him may have eternal life.

So, John goes on in verse 16 to explain why this is true. First, he tells us the reason for this is that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son”. The motivation for God’s action is his love for the world. This statement would shock the Jews. They would be comfortable with the statement “because God loved the Jews, he sent a Messiah”. Jews of his time did not really see God as loving the Gentiles. The word “world” implies peoples of all nations and, certainly, Gentiles. 

But John’s Greek readers would be encouraged to be part of the group God loved. Even though a God fearing Gentile could participate in some of the activities of the Jews, they were always second class citizens, as shown by their exclusion from all but the outer court of the Temple. But now John is making sure they understand that the lifting up of Jesus may benefit them also if they believe, and benefit them on an equal basis with the Jews. 

Additionally shocking in this expression “the world” is the common meaning in John. The world is wicked and sinful, in opposition to God. In the prologue, John portrayed the world as a place of spiritual and moral darkness (1:5), the world system that does to know God or obey him. (1:10) God’s love for the world is remarkable because the world is so bad. 

In fact, the world is so bad, God warned us from loving it. John wrote:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions - is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17) 

Paul wrote:

“do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”. (Romans 12:2)

Is it a contradiction for God to love the world and then tell us not to? It is not, for God loves the world redemptively. He does not participate in the wickedness of the world. He provides a way for the world to be reconciled to himself. When we love the world, we tend to love it as something we want to participate in. And that we cannot do if we belong to the Lord. We are called out of the world to live for God. 

 The word “so” in verse 16 causes some misinterpretation these days, mostly to our exposure to popular music. It is common in pop music and culture to say “I love you so”, meaning “I love you so much”. You may have even heard someone read this word into the text. But that is not what it means here and the word “much” is not in the text.

Rather, the Greek word translated “so” means “in this way”. For example, an attorney tells the judge I move we postpone this trial until the witness can be found. The judge responds “so ordered”. It does not mean that the judge wants to order so much, but that he orders in this way, the way the attorney asked.

An example from church life would be at the end of a business meeting, the pastor might say “I would entertain a motion to adjourn”, in response to which a deacon says “so move”. He does not mean he will move so much. He means he makes a motion in this way, the way suggested by the pastor. 

Most translations have not wanted to update the word “so” because people know it from the King James Version. The Christian Study Bible, though, renders this clause as “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only son”. 

Why is this important? It is because it speaks to the exclusiveness of salvation through Jesus. God loved the world in this way: he provided one way of salvation by sending his only Son. Connecting verse 16 to verse 15, we understand that God sent his Son to die for us. It is more fun to think of God’s love than his demands, but the New Testament is clear that they only way to God, to eternal life, is through his son, Jesus. And Jesus accomplished our salvation by dying for us, paying the penalty for our sins. 

The door to eternal life for us if belief. God sent his Son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. If we believe, we are born again into eternal life. If we do not believe, we perish in that we face the final judgment and eternity under that judgment. Those are the only two options.

Thus, the mission of the Son sent and given by the Father is to bring salvation to the world. Verse 17 tells us that the first coming of Jesus was not to condemn the world, but to bring salvation to the world. 

Verse 18 then tells us that those who believe are not condemned. They do not face the final judgment or eternity in punishment. Remember the picture shown to us in Revelation 20, that as the books are open that will reveal the deeds of the people for the judgment, the Book of Life is opened, and those whose names are written in it are not judged by sinful deeds, but by their faith in Jesus. All others are consigned to the lake of fire.

Verse 18 also tells us that Jesus did not come to condemn because those who do not believe are condemned already. There is no neutral zone between saved and condemned. The only way out from under condemnation is to come to Jesus in belief. 

Ephesians 2:1-5 tells us that before we believed in Jesus we were children of wrath like the rest of mankind. Romans 9:22 refers to those who do not believe as vessels of wrath. That is what we all were before coming to Christ. Once we have come to Christ in faith, as John 1:12 tells us, we move from being children of wrath to become children of God. 

In verses 19-21, John returned to his themes of darkness and light that he used in chapter 1. He used this metaphor to drive home his point. The world was spiritually dark, having abandoned the knowledge of God. Romans 1:21 tells us that people rejected God, which resulted in their foolish hearts being darkened. 

Light came into the world with the birth of Jesus. (John 1:9) Jesus revealed God to the world. 2 Corinthians 4:6 says:

For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness”, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. 

In the face of the light of Jesus Christ, many chose darkness instead. (19) They did this because their works were evil and they did not want them exposed. 

You will often see this if you debate Christ with non-believers. They will argue with you, but you eventually see that the real issue is they do not want to give up their sin. They may not even want to acknowledge that their deeds are sinful. They may even start a church that allows them to claim Christ while validating their sin. 

In contrast, those who believe become those who “do what is true” (ESV) or “lives by the truth” (NIV) (21) This is a a Jewish expression meaning “acts faithfully”. The person who acts faithfully toward Jesus happily and eagerly comes to the light. He or she does not come to the light to boast or brag, but that they may show that their works have been carried out in God, in his power. (21)

The purpose of these verses is to show the unbeliever the imminence of their danger. They stand condemned and await the judgment. Once death has come, or the return of Jesus, there is no second chance. They can only be saved if they look to the Son of God who was lifted up for their sin and believe in him. 

JESUS AND NICODEMUS - JOHN 3:1-15

 

Jesus and Nicodemus

John 3:1-15

The chapter division here can interrupt the flow the story if you are not careful. It can cause you to miss a great transition. If you start reading the passage in 2:23, you see that Jesus did not entrust himself to people who said they believed in him, because he knew “what was in man”. Then, chapter three starts with “now there was a man”. 

Jesus knew what was in the people of Jerusalem, their spiritual darkness. And when Nicodemus came to see him, he knew the spiritual darkness that was in him also. John reinforces that idea by telling us Nicodemus came at night. (2) John often uses the term “night” to indicate spiritual or moral darkness. Here, Nicodemus was in spiritual darkness and did not know it. 

Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews, most likely meaning that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling religious body of Israel. He was also a Pharisee, a man devoted to keeping the law. His use of the word “we” indicates he came, not only for himself, but also as a representative of the Pharisees or the Sanhedrin, or some sub-group of one of them.

Nicodemus greeted Jesus respectfully. He addressed Jesus as “Rabbi” even though Jesus was not formally trained. He also acknowledged that God was with Jesus, as evidenced by the signs he had done that week in Jerusalem. 

This does not mean that Nicodemus believed, at this point, that Jesus was the Messiah or the Son of God. In fact, the implication of his acknowledgment of Jesus having God with him is, tell us who you really are.

Jesus, for his part, did to engage the point with Nicodemus or explain himself. He simply went directly to the spiritual need of Nicodemus. Jesus said “you cannot see the kingdom of God unless you are born again”. (3)

There is also this underlying note about authority. Nicodemus comes as one with some authority as a member of the Sanhedrin to sort out the matter of who Jesus is. Jesus opens up the dialogue by telling Nicodemus he is not qualified to sort out spiritual, or heavenly things. Nicodemus thinks he can “see” something about Jesus through the signs, but Jesus ays you cannot “see” the kingdom, or reign of God at all unless you are born again. 

To Nicodemus, as a Jew and a Pharisee, the concept of “kingdom of God” would mean that he and others like him would participate in the kingdom of God at the end of the age. He would experience eternal life and resurrection. But Jesus contradicted that idea. The qualification to participate in the kingdom was not being a Jew, but being one who has been born again. 

The word translated “again” can also be translated as “from above”. Nicodemus seems to treat it as “again” when he asked  if a person could enter a second time into his mother’s womb. (4) This is an early example of Jesus speaking of spiritual things but the Jews taking it as physical things. 

But Jesus did counter by saying one must be born of water and Spirit to enter the kingdom of God, which gives credence that the intended meaning was “born from above”.  This would go nicely with 1:13, which says those who receive Jesus are born of God. 

Regardless, you can see that Nicodemus is dumb-founded by Jesus’ statement and responds very literally with how can I get back in my mother’s womb and be born? (4) 

Jesus “doubled down” with his response to Nicodemus’ question. He invoked the solemn formula of “truly, truly” and said “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”. (4)

There is a lot of speculation about the meaning of “born of water and the Spirit”. One is that water actually refers to amniotic fluid present at physical birth. The other is that water refers to baptism. However, the term is meant to be a restatement of the words “born again” or parallel to it. So, physical birth is not contemplated. And baptism is not being discussed, but the transformation or regeneration of the person that is needed to see or enter the kingdom of God. 

It is more plausible that Jesus is referring to an Old Testament passage, Ezekiel 36:25-27. This also explains why Jesus berates Nicodemus for not understanding. Since he is a Pharisee, he should know and understand the Scripture. 

Ezekiel wrote: 

“I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

This passage speaks of transformation and it speaks of a new birth in the sense of getting a new heart and new spirit after being cleansed.

In verse 6, Jesus reiterates the necessity of a new birth, saying that which is born of flesh is flesh and that with is born of the Spirit is spirit. Being born of a human body only makes you human, it does not get you to spiritual rebirth into the kingdom of God. But that which is born of the Spirit is the transformed person, with a new spirit, a transformed heart, and entrance into God’s kingdom. 

Paul’s explanation is similar in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this is from God…” 

In verse 7-8, Jesus chides Nicodemus for his lack of understanding of being born again. He drew an analogy between the wind and the Spirit. You cannot see wind, but you can observe its effect: you hear the sound, for example. But you cannot say where it came from or where it goes. In other words, you cannot control it or completely understand it.

It is the same with the Spirit. You cannot see the Spirit, understand or control him, but you can observe the effect of his presence. One effect is the new birth, the transformation and regeneration of a person. This was portrayed to us symbolically in Ezekiel 37, when God caused the dry bones to live. The same symbols of wind (also breath) and spirit were used to show God to reviving the Israelites from dead and useless to living and filled with the Spirit. 

Nicodemus still did not understand. He said “How can these things be?”. And Jesus rebuked him for it. He said “you are a teacher of Israel and you do not understand these things?” . This again shows up these concepts are built upon the Old Testament scripture, since Jesus tells this teacher he should understand it. 

Jesus went further in his rebuke, saying that Nicodemus did not lack understanding so much as he lacked belief. Jesus spoke of things he knew and had seen, but Nicodemus did not receive them. (11) The use of the plural “we” here is probably a reference back to Nicodemus’ introduction that “we” knew he was a teacher come from God. 

Verses 12 and 13 are difficult to understand. But, in the context of what Jesus is saying, I think it means that “earthly things” are Jesus’ teaching about the new birth, the need to be born again. So, Jesus was saying, if you do not understand this basic thing, how will you understand the deeper things, such as the heavenly things of God’s kingdom fully consummated. 

Verse 13 is Jesus’ assertion of authority to teach these things. The English translations may not capture the original language well. In context, we see that Jesus is challenging Nicodemus’s understanding and teaching that you come into God’s kingdom by being an observant Jew by teaching that you come into God’s kingdom by being born again. Here is he says he is the only one with the authority and ability to teach how you come into the kingdom because no one has ascended into heaven to learn the truth and descended back to earth to teach it. But Jesus was in heaven and came to earth to teach the truth. True wisdom and knowledge reside in heaven and Jesus came from heaven to teach it. 

In verse 14, Jesus moves from explaining the new birth to the well known (at least to the Jews) story of the bronze snake. He has moved from referring to Ezekiel 36:25 to Numbers 21:4-9 in his references. God told Moses to lift up a bronze snake on a pole so the Israelites could look upon it and be healed of their snake bites. The people had spoken against the Lord and he sent snakes to bite them. When they acknowledged their sin, God, in his grace, provided that they could look upon the snake and live.

Similarly, the Son of Man must be lifted up (on the cross) so that those who believe in him will receive eternal life. Jesus was challenging Nicodemus to look to Jesus for the new birth into eternal life, into the kingdom, as the Israelites looked to the bone snake for new life when they were dying from snake bites.  

One of the things we should focus on as we study the Gospel of John is the exclusivity of Jesus. Jesus repeatedly says that faith in him is the only way to have eternal life and forgiveness of sins. He said you must be born again, not you should be born again, or it would be nice if you were born again, or being born again is one way you obtain eternal life. He also said the Son of Man must be lifted up. It was absolutely necessary for Jesus to be crucified to pay the penalty for our sins. It was the way God provided and the only way he would accept.

Takeaways

Jesus also asserted his exclusive authority to teach the way to the new birth into eternal life as the one who came from heaven to do so. The signs, which Nicodemus had observed, testified to Jesus’ authority and status as teacher and savior. Now, it was up to Nicodemus to believe.

The same is true for us. John recorded these things to know what Jesus taught and his authority to teach it, so that we will believe it and have eternal life. 

FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM - Hebrews 12:1-2

 This passage starts with the word “therefore”. “Therefore” means, based on the the facts I have presented you, you need to come to the conclusion I present to you.

So what are the facts? The writer of Hebrews says we are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses”. Those witnesses are listed for us in chapter 11, which precedes the word “therefore”.

In chapter 11, the writer sets out examples of Old Testament saints who endured through faith and received their commendation. (11:2) He hammers away at this theme, saying by faith Abel (11:4), by faith Enoch (11:5), by faith Noah (11:7), by faith Abraham (11:8), by faith Sarah (11:11), by faith Jacob (11:21, by faith Moses (11:23) and many more. 

All of these experienced hardship, persecution, and suffering, yet they endured in faith to the end because they believed in God’s promised salvation.

So, the writer of Hebrews drew on the image of a sporting event, a great race taking place in a stadium full of witnesses. But they are not witnesses of our struggles, like spectators, they are witnesses to us of their faith and endurance. They surround us and we look up in the stands to see them and are encouraged to endure.

In small towns in Texas, the identity of the town is often deeply connected to the high school football team. There may even be a bulletin board or sign on the lawn of the courthouse that calls the town the home of the tigers, or whatever the team mascot is. The sign will also mention past victories, such as “State Champs 1997”. And in the stands are men who played on those championship teams. If they can fit into them, they still wear their letter jackets. So, as the boys take the field, they look up into the stands and see witnesses to the struggle, men who played and won and show them they can do it if they play hard enough. 

So, encouraged by these witnesses, we are urged to run the race. The writer calls it the race that is set before us. This race is the living of a life devoted to faithful service to Christ up to the very end, to death. 

We cast aside every weight that would make it harder to run. Marathon runners take off every ounce of unnecessary weight they can, because, over 26 miles, even a few ounces can make a difference.

Let me give you an example. Back in the 80s, I went to watch the Cowtown Marathon because a local man, Ricky Cox, was a contender to win it. I went to a place a couple of miles from the finish line, hoping to see Ricky run by in the lead. 

Instead, another runner came first. I waited and waited until finally Ricky came into sight. He was in second place, but a good ways behind. 

And then an interesting thing happened, Ricky took off his hat and threw it down. He took off his gloves. He took off his sweatshirt. He took off everything that might weigh him down. And he began to bear down on the leader, finally overtaking him to win the race. 

What are those weights for the believer? They are all of the failures, mistakes, heartbreaks, and betrayals we have experienced.  I cannot begin to tell you of all the people I have talked to that tell me they quit the race because years ago someone hurt their feelings. They let that one hurtful thing take them completely out of the race. 

A weight can also be our pride that makes us feel entitled to special treatment. Remember Samson who was so proud of his strength he believed the law of God did not apply to him and was destroyed. 

A weight can be or our inability to separate from the things of the world to devote ourselves to the things of God. Remember the Rich Young Ruler who walked away from Jesus because he could not cast off the weight of his riches. 

Not only can we be hindered by the weight of past experiences, we can be hindered by sin. The writer calls it the “sin that clings so closely”. Sin can take you completely out of the race. How many Christians have we seen fall because of sexual sin? How many have damaged their testimony because of their pursuit of money? 

Sin neutralizes you so that you do not grow spiritually, you do not pray or read the Bible, and you do not anything that moves you along in faith. 

Our struggle with sin is constant even as believers. Every person has at least one major weakness they must struggle against. It may be pride, lust, greed, inability to forgive, or any number of things. But when we give in to our weakness and let sin overtake us, we are taken out of the race. 

If we want to run with endurance, as Hebrews charges us to do, we must lay aside our sin in repentance and commitment to Godliness and move forward in faith.

Even more than looking to the witnesses, we must look to Jesus to run the race. “Look” here means to ignore all distractions to concentrate on one thing. We look to Jesus. We look to him because he endured. He endured the cross and the shame of his humiliation. 

He did this for the joy that was set before him. Joy is not the thing I think of when I read the accounts of Jesus suffering beatings, spitting, mocking, whipping and crucifixion. 

What was this joy that was set before him? It was his exaltation to the right hand of the throne of God and his bringing atonement for the sins of the millions who would believe in him and join him in heaven.

When we look to Jesus and run, we also have joy set before us. It is the joy of eternal life. It is the joy of communion with God through Jesus Christ. It is the joy of knowing Jesus will return and take those who remain to be with him in glory. 

We are observing Advent now. The word Advent comes from the Latin word “Adventus”, which means “coming”. We celebrate his coming 2,000 years ago as a baby in Bethlehem. But we also look to his second coming when he will take his own to be with him. 

At Christmas, we sing “Joy to the World”, the most published hymn in America. It was written by Isaac Watts back in the 1700s. But I think the hymn is not about the first coming of Christ, but the second. We sing “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king!” 

Knowing we will be with Jesus in the future should create great joy within us. That is why the New Testament refers to it so often. 

The angels told the shepherds they had good news of great joy. (Luke 2:10)

Galatians 2:22 tells us joy is a fruit of the Spirit. 

1 Peter 1:8 says that we believe in Jesus and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.  

So, as you celebrate Christmas this year, as you look at the baby in the manger, look also to the Jesus coming in glory and living with us in eternity and with great joy.

As a last thought, know you can only have this great joy if you have Jesus as your savior and Lord. You can only look to Jesus if you have Jesus. 

And what better time than now? Don’t just sing “let earth receive her king”, receive him yourself and commit to running the race of faith to the end.

JESUS CLEANSES THE TEMPLE - JOHN 2:12-25

 

Capernaum

2:12

After the wedding at Cana, Jesus, his disciples, and his family went to Capernaum for a few days. Capernaum was a fishing village on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, a little west of Bethsaida. It is in the territory that was allotted to the tribe of Zebulun. 

It seems, at first glance, to be an odd insertion in the storyline, since nothing happens during these days. But, we know John had to have a reason for recording this journey. 

The reason may be that Capernaum became an important location for Jesus’ ministry. Mark 4:12-16 tells us that Jesus moved there from Nazareth after John the Baptist was arrested. Mark wrote that this move fulfilled a prophecy found in Isaiah that the people of Galilee were dwelling in darkness but have now seen a great light. Jesus also performed miracles there. So, John may have recorded this to foreshadow these future events. 

Peter lived there and Andrew lived there. (Mark 1:29) A structure believed to be his house has been excavated. A church was later built on top of the remains. 

Additionally, as we mentioned before, this verse also shows us Jesus had brothers and sisters in his family. He was not Mary’s only child. 

Jesus At The Temple

2:13-22

When the time for Passover came, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. When John writes “up”, he literally means up in altitude. Capernaum was situation in a low spot next to the Sea of Galilee. You went up in altitude toward Jerusalem. Plus, Jerusalem was built on a small mountain, called Mount Zion, and was elevated above the land around it.  

The Passover was one of the feasts the Jews were required to observe. The first Passover is recorded in Exodus 12. The last plague God would impose on Egypt and Pharaoh was the death of the first born. God told the Jews to take a lamb without blemish and kill it at twilight, then put the blood on the door frame of their house so that the Lord would passover their houses and not kill their first born.

From that time on, the Jews were to observe the Passover on the 14th day of the first month of the Jewish year. In Leviticus 23, Moses added details to the observance, which went on for 7 days. On the 15th day of the first month, and for the rest of the week, they observed the Feast, or Festival, of Unleavened Bread.  They ate unleavened bread for seven days. They also made a food offering to the Lord every day for seven days. They held a convocation on the first and seventh day and could not work on those days. 

Since Jesus obeyed the law, he went to Jerusalem to observe Passover. People from all over Judea came to Jerusalem, so the population of the city swelled by many thousands. 

On one of the days, Jesus went to the temple. There he found people selling oxen, sheep, and pigeons. He also found money changers. 

The reason these merchants were there was that people who traveled long distances to get to Jerusalem could not easily bring animals for sacrifices. So, they could come to Jerusalem and buy an animal there. It is likely that the merchants paid the priests a fee to conduct business at the temple.

Also, the Jews had to pay a temple tax at Passover. They had to pay the tax with a Jewish coin. Most of them used Roman money in their towns because that was the medium of commerce. So, when they went to pay the tax, they needed a money changer to allow them to properly pay the temple tax.

There was nothing wrong with merchants providing these services. They were helpful. However, there was something wrong with the place they chose to do their business. They did it at the Temple. This would be in the courtyards, not the Temple building, and likely in the Court of the Gentiles, the only place Gentiles could go. 

The courtyard were the place where people came to pray. They could not do that if merchants were taking up all the space for business transactions. Plus, it would be noisy and busy, not conducive for prayer. 

So, Jesus made a whip of cords and drove them out of the temple with all their animals. He overturned the tables of the money changes and poured out their coins. It must have been quite a spectacle.

Finally, Jesus instructed them to take their things away and “do not make my Father’s house a house of trade. The Temple was the place where God said he would dwell among the Jews. It was his house. It was for worship and prayer, not trade. 

Jesus’ words and actions reminded the disciples of Psalm 69:9 “zeal for your house will consume me”. 

The Jews, meaning the leaders, confronted Jesus and asked him what sign he would show for doing these things. (18) By that, they meant who gave him authority to run off the merchants they had allowed to conduct business there. The fact that they asked for a sign, or miracle, indicates they had some suspicion that Jesus was some sort of prophet sent by God. 

But Jesus, the divine Son of God, did not perform miracles upon demand. As Jesus had previously indicated to his mother, his agenda was not man driven, either by his family or now by the Jewish leaders. His agenda was driven only by the will of the Sovereign God. 

Jesus answered “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up”. (18) This answer made no sense to the Jewish leaders. It had taken 46 years to build the temple. There was no way Jesus could rebuild the Temple in three days if they destroyed it. 

Others, however, would later twist Jesus’ words and try to use them against him. At his trial, a witness claimed Jesus said that he would destroy the temple. This was likely done because the destruction of a temple was a capital offense in Roman law and would justify the killing of Jesus. 

But John, writing years later, understood that Jesus meant the temple of his body. (21) So, after Jesus was raised on the third day, the disciples remember what Jesus said and believed the Scripture and what Jesus said. Since Jesus manifested the Father (“he has made him known - John 1:18), and the Father dwelt with him, he was the living temple. When the temple of his body was destroyed by death, it was raised again in three days. 

 John does not say which Scriptures they believed. But, we can assume that the Holy Spirit brought Old Testament Scripture to mind after Pentecost, that allowed them to understand things Jesus said and did, including this cleansing of the temple and the claim that he could raise it in three days. 

Many Believed

2:23-25

During this week of Passover, Jesus did many signs. Many believed in his name. But, Jesus did not assume all was well. He did not entrust himself to them, because he knew what was in them. 

That tells us that people believed when they saw the signs, but their belief was not to salvation. They believed he was a miracle worker. Because their belief was superficial, Jesus did not entrust himself to them. He knew they could and would turn on him under pressure, for they were not fully committed to him. God said he searches the heart and examines the mind. (Jeremiah 17:10) Jesus did the same.

What the Wedding at Cana and the Cleansing of the Temple have in common is the replacing the old with the new. Jesus replaced water used for Old Covenant rituals with wine which symbolized the New Covenant. Jesus said the temple of his New Covenant body would replace the Temple of the Old Covenant.

JESUS MANIFESTS HIS GLORY - JOHN 2:1-12

 

The First Sign

2:1-12

This is a well known story. It is also an important story, because it tells us of the first sign Jesus performs. John used the term “sign” rather than “miracle”. John records seven signs in his gospel.

The structure of John 2:1-11 is typical of a miracle story: the setting is established (verses 1-2), a need arises (verses 3-5), a miracle addresses that need (verses 6-8), and there is a response to that miracle (verses 9-11).

There are many interpretations of this story, many of which are allegorical and speculative. We should remember that John said he recorded these signs, so that people would be convinced that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and interpret the signs in light of that purpose. (20:30-31). 

The story begins after Jesus had met Nathanael in the area of Bethsaida. After that encounter, Jesus and his disciples walked to Cana to attend a wedding. It was a two day walk, so this story happens on the third day after Jesus met Nathanael.

Jesus was invited to the wedding with his disciples. His mother was there also. She seems to have had a role in the wedding and felt responsible in some way to help with the shortage of wine. Plus, she seems to have had some command of the servants, (5) These things indicate either the bride or groom were relatives or close friends of Jesus’ family. Also, verse 12 implies his brothers and sisters were there also. The Greek word for brothers in that verse can mean brothers and sisters. 

Matthew 13:55-56 tells us Jesus had brothers and sisters:

“Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all is sisters with us? 

Mark 6:3 is the corresponding verse, although it mentions only the brothers. There are those who claim that Mary had no children after Jesus, but Scripture attests to the contrary. 

The event that is called a wedding here is more like what we would think of as the reception, except that it lasted for several days. The groom paid for the food and drink rather than the bride’s family. 

Unfortunately, the groom did not stock enough wine and it ran out before the party ended. This would have been a huge embarrassment to the groom and his family if the guests found out. Jesus’s mother sympathized with the groom’s plight and informed Jesus that the wine had run out. 

Although Jesus’ mother (who is unnamed in this gospel) did not ask Jesus to do anything, the implication is certainly there. This is certainly true in verse 5, where his mother tells the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. This may not mean she expected a miracle, since Jesus had not performed one yet. It may just mean she had, as a widow, habitually leaned on him as the oldest son to take care of things. 

But she also knew he was special. She had been told by an angel that her son would be great and would be called the Son of the Most High. (Luke 1:32)

Jesus’ response to his mother carries a tone of rebuke. He addressed her as “woman”, not as “mother”. “Woman” was not an impolite term, but it was not an affectionate one. It seems that Jesus was creating some distance between himself and is mother. 

He then went further by saying “what does this have to do with me?”. (3) The literal wording is “what to me and to you”. It meant something along the lines of “what is common between you and me with regard to this”, or “why do you involve me”? 

Why does Jesus answer this way? He seems to be saying that he will act in his earthly ministry independent of anyone else’s agenda or manipulation. He will only act according to the Father’s will. He said this explicitly in 5:30, saying I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me”. When Peter objected to Jesus saying he would go to his death, Jesus rebuked him, called him Satan, and said he cared only for the things of men not the things of God. (Matthew 16:23)

With this first sign, Jesus was entering into his public ministry. Everything else had to be a lower priority, even his family. This had to have been difficult for his mother. 

The reasoning behind Jesus’ response was that his hour had not yet come. (4) His “hour” referred to his death and resurrection to glory. So, it was not time for him to be glorified, at least to the public. 

Jesus was also keeping the focus on his glory and not on Mary’s role as his mother who got him to do something. Mary is not the mediator between believers and Jesus. She is simply a believer. 

Mary did not argue with Jesus, she simply told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. (5) She was content to leave the matter in Jesus’ hands, trusting him to do the right thing. Her appeal as a family member was rebuked, but her faith in the miracle working Messiah was rewarded. 

Jesus had the servants fill six stone jars with water. These jars normally held water for ceremonial washings, washings for spiritual purity. The Jews had many rules for purification that involved washing the person, or the feet and hands, or utensils. 

These jars were big. They held twenty or thirty gallons of water.(6) Jesus transformed all of that water to wine and had the servants take it to the master of the feast. The master did not know where the wine came from. But when he tasted it, he complimented the bridegroom for keeping the best wine to the last. (10) 

So Jesus turned the water to wine, made it good wine, and made lots of it. There would have been between 120 and 180 gallons of it. 

By performing this sign, Jesus manifested his glory and caused his disciples to believe in him. (11) No mortal man or woman can change water to wine. Only God could do that. So, Jesus proved himself to be the divine Son of God. The disciples believed. Remember, John wrote “we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth”.

Jesus also showed himself to be full of grace with this sign. He did not owe the bridegroom anything, but he provided the best and he provided it abundantly. He will later say “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”. (John 10:10) 

There may be an additional symbolism here. The water represented the old covenant since it was used for rituals based on the Jewish regulations. Jesus replaced that water with something greater, the good wine. It was a symbol that the new covenant replaces the old and is much better. Hebrews 8:6 says “But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant …”

God has poured out his grace on us in abundance. We are saved by grace. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Grace is God’s unmerited favor. Like the bridegroom in this story, we did nothing to deserve it. 

The old hymn says “Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, freely bestowed on all who believe”. 

As we celebrate the first coming of Christ and look forward to his second coming, we have a great opportunity to reflect upon God’s grace in sending his Son so that all who believe do not perish, but have eternal life. 

Reflect on God’s grace this week.