Upwards Church

Whose approval do you seek? Even if your friends or the highest officials in the world approve of our actions but God does not, we should be concerned. But if God approves, even though others don’t, we should be content.

This and other great insights are in today’s reading…

 Jesus Heals a Lame Man by a Pool / 5:1-15

 God gives salvation freely through Jesus Christ. But to receive salvation, a person must believe. The lame man by the pool at Bethesda had to want to be healed. Then Jesus approached him later to explain to him that he needed to believe and receive spiritual healing as well. God makes the offer and God performs the miracle, but we must respond to his offer and accept it.

5:1 All Jewish males were required to come to Jerusalem to attend three feasts: (1) the Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread, (2) the Festival of Weeks (also called Pentecost), and (3) the Festival of Shelters. Though this particular holy day is not specified, the phrase explains why Jesus was in Jerusalem.

5:2-4 Readers familiar with Jerusalem would have known about the Sheep Gate (it is mentioned in Nehemiah 3:1, 32; 12:39). Recent excavations show that this site had two pools with five covered porches. These were open structures with roofs that allowed some protection from the weather. A multitude of sick people lay on the porches. People made pilgrimages to the pool of Bethesda to receive the healing benefit of the waters.

Verse 4 is not included in the best manuscripts. Where it does occur in later manuscripts, it is often marked in such a way as to show that it is an addition. The passage was probably inserted later by scribes who felt it necessary to provide an explanation for the gathering of disabled people and the stirring of the water mentioned in verse 7. The water would stir and it was believed that an angel disturbed it. The superstition was that the first person into the pool after the water stirred would be healed.

*LIFE APPLICATION: HURT, HOPE, AND HELP

After thirty-eight years, this man’s problem had become a way of life. No one had ever helped him. He had no hope of ever being healed and no desire to help himself. The man was paralyzed in sight of healing. His situation looked hopeless; that is, until the day that Jesus made his way through the crowd. Among all those trying to be healed, Jesus found the one who couldn’t help himself.

No matter how trapped you feel in your infirmities, God can minister to your deepest needs. Don’t let a problem or hardship cause you to lose hope. God may have special work for you to do in spite of your condition, or even because of it. Many have ministered more effectively to hurting people because they have triumphed over their own hurts.

5:5-8 A man lay there who had been sick for thirty-eight years. Jesus knew how long he had been ill and asked him, “Would you like to get well?” Jesus’ question shows us that he will not force himself upon anyone. He seeks permission before intervening in that person’s life. The man indirectly answered Jesus by telling how he had not been able to be healed because others would get into the water before he did. But in making this statement, the man admitted that he needed help. His hope for healing was stuck behind his hopelessness of ever having help to get to the water in time.

*LIFE APPLICATION: BOTTOMED OUT

The paralyzed man had one important trait that many people lack: He knew he needed help. Not only was he unable to help himself, he also hadn’t been able to persuade anyone else to help him. Apparently the religious leaders who were so quick to judge his failure to keep their Sabbath laws had not been nearly as quick to obey God’s clear Old Testament commands about helping those in need.

In contrast, we are surrounded with so many supports and buffers that we may live without ever facing our inability to save ourselves. Jesus didn’t choose the ones who were pushing forward; rather, he went directly to the person who had almost given up hope. He went to a desperate person who didn’t have to be convinced he needed help. The paralyzed man had reached the end of his rope and was ready to respond. Does God have to wait until we are desperate before he hears from us?

Jesus offered help, but not the kind of help the man expected. Jesus simply said, “Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk.” And the man responded immediately.

5:9 This miracle should have revealed to the Jews in Jerusalem that the Messiah was finally present, for Isaiah had prophesied this (Isaiah 35:5-6). Instead, they chose to focus on another issue: This miracle happened on the Sabbath day. Presumably, if the waters had been stirred on the Sabbath and he had been healed by getting in, the Jews would not have argued against his healing. But these religious leaders would not allow God in the flesh to break their rules by healing this man directly.

*LIFE APPLICATION: BUILDING BRIDGES

Most people would rather avoid seeing and speaking to people with disabilities. It’s easier to politely ignore someone in a wheelchair at a mall, or a child who struggles just to walk. But notice what Jesus did in this story:

He went to the place. Jesus could have entered Jerusalem by another gate. He could have avoided walking by the pool called Bethesda. Just as Jesus went to the pool, so we should go to where people with disabilities are. It’s not enough to open the church doors and wait to see who enters. Ministry in the disabled community must be outreach-oriented to be effective.

He talked with the person. Jesus spoke to the man directly. He demonstrated respect and concern, not pity. We can sometimes feel uncomfortable around people with disabilities. We may be afraid of saying the wrong thing, so we choose to say nothing at all. But guided by love, we can build bridges with disabled people by simply demonstrating common courtesy and respecting human dignity. God can help us overcome our fears so that we can ask questions and have a conversation.

He offered specific help at a point of need. Jesus healed the man—something we are unable to do. But we can pray for people, refer them to competent, professional care, and offer to help at a point of need. Specific offers are usually more well received than general ones. If we say, “Be sure to give me a call if there is anything I can do,” we usually won’t get a call. People who are struggling with a handicap don’t want to bother anyone. Besides, how do they know we really mean what we say? Specific offers of help are better, such as: “Would you like me to drive you to the store on Tuesday?” or “Could I help you with some housecleaning on Saturday?”

Like Jesus, we should demonstrate compassion to people with disabilities of all kinds. Of all the help we offer, the most important is to point people to Christ, who will one day heal all disabilities and remove all handicaps from his people.

5:10 There is nothing in God’s law making it illegal to carry a sleeping mat on the Sabbath. But the man broke the Pharisees’ legalistic application of God’s command to honor the Sabbath. The regulation against carrying something on the Sabbath was the last of thirty-nine rules in the “tradition of the elders” that stipulated the kinds of work prohibited on the Sabbath. This was just one of hundreds of rules the Jewish leaders had added to the Old Testament law.

*LIFE APPLICATION: IN A BIND

Although God’s truth is timeless, our application of that truth may be limited by time and circumstance. The authority of an application depends on how nearly it conveys the intended truth of Scripture. Application based on personal convictions may help a person, but it becomes tyrannical if made binding on everyone. In this case, God’s command to keep the Sabbath holy was still in force, but the application of avoiding certain work activities was clearly secondary to healing a person.

5:11-13 In this exchange between the man who was healed and the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, the man said he didn’t know who had healed him. The man’s ignorance is quite possible, for Jesus had not identified himself and had immediately disappeared into the crowd. At the same time, however, the healed man seemed to be more eager to blame the healer for having him walk around with his mat than to shout about his healing.

*LIFE APPLICATION: DON’T TRIP!

A man who hadn’t walked for thirty-eight years was healed, but the Pharisees were more concerned about their petty rules than the life and health of a human being. It is easy to get so caught up in our man-made structures and rules that we forget the people involved. Are our guidelines for living God-made or man-made? Are they helping people, or have they become needless stumbling blocks?

5:14-15 Perhaps the man had gone to the Temple to give thanks to God for his healing. When Jesus found him, he told him, “Stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” This statement leads to the conclusion that the man’s sickness was in some way caused by sin. This does not contradict what Jesus said in 9:3 about the man born blind because Jesus did not say the blind man never sinned; rather, he was pointing out that sin had not caused his blindness. One of the results of sin is suffering, but not all suffering is the result of personal sin.

In this case, Jesus sought out the healed man to warn him that though he was healed physically, his thirty-eight years as an invalid would be nothing compared to something worse—that is, eternity in hell. The man needed to stop sinning and come to salvation in Christ. He had been lame, but now he could walk. This was a great miracle. But he needed an even greater miracle—to have his sins forgiven. The man was delighted to be physically healed, but he had to turn from his sins and seek God’s forgiveness to be spiritually healed.

After this encounter, the man told the Jewish leaders what he could not tell them before: It was Jesus who had healed him. This report triggered the Jews’ persecution of Jesus—a persecution that continued from that day onward.

*LIFE APPLICATION: WHAT SIN?

What was this paralyzed man’s sin that Jesus now told him to stop? Was it some kind of unhealthy behavior that had directly caused his paralysis? Was it the sin of unbelief? Was it the sin of ingratitude? Or was Jesus using the man’s past illness to warn him about the dangers of falling into sin? None of these possibilities provide an absolute answer. Beyond all these questions is Jesus’ warning that continuing in sin eventually leads to something worse. The various benefits of God’s grace, including physical healing, must be followed by repentance and growing commitment to him. Many people focus on their physical well-being while completely neglecting the health of their souls.

Jesus Claims to Be the Son of God / 5:16-30

The Jewish leaders were faced with a mighty miracle of healing and a broken rule. They threw the miracle aside as they focused their attention on the broken rule. As is common with those who assume authority that is not rightfully theirs, these leaders instinctively felt their power threatened by Jesus’ actions, thus they resented him.

5:16-17 Jesus was being harassed for breaking Sabbath rules. But Jesus told these leaders, “My Father never stops working, so why should I?” With this statement Jesus challenged the notion that God himself was somehow literally subject to the Sabbath rules. If God stopped every kind of work on the Sabbath, nature would fall into chaos and sin would overrun the world. Genesis 2:2 says that God rested on the seventh day; he rested from the work of creation but began the work of sustaining the creation. God has been at work and continues to work; so does his Son, Jesus. With this claim, Jesus affirmed his equality with God. Furthermore, Jesus was teaching that when the opportunity to do good presents itself, it should not be ignored, even on the Sabbath.

*LIFE APPLICATION: SABBATH KEEPING

Two significant principles come to us from the Bible regarding the Sabbath. By Jesus’ declaration (Matthew 5:17-20), the fourth commandment (along with God’s other commands) is still in force: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8 niv). But Jesus gave helpful guidelines in applying the commandments (see Matthew 5:1–7:29—much of the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ application of God’s commands). In the case of Sabbath keeping he said, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27 nrsv). Jesus did not release us from keeping the Sabbath; he challenged us to keep it in the right way by setting down our work, consciously taking time for rest, and understanding that God has a place in our work and our rest, which makes them both holy.

When you keep the Sabbath, consider the answers to the following questions:

• When I work, am I working for God?
• When I rest, am I resting for God?
• Does my “resting” refresh me for work?
• How does my time of rest include devotion to God?
• How well do I understand the fact that one person’s “work” is another person’s “rest”? (For example, some might find tending a rose garden tedious work, while others find it a joyful, restful act of worship.)

5:18 The Jews realized that Jesus’ words revealed his very personal relationship with God. In saying, “my Father,” he was clearly claiming to be God’s Son, thus equal with God. For a human to claim equality with God was blasphemy; and blasphemy was a sin carrying the death penalty (Leviticus 24:15-16). People regularly misunderstood Jesus, and he was constantly correcting them. Jesus never attempted to correct the understanding that he was claiming to be God, for that was exactly what he meant. Thus the Jewish leaders tried all the more to kill him.

*LIFE APPLICATION: UNDERSTANDING THE HATE

To understand the hate that Jesus received from some of his own people, we must examine the larger political picture. The Roman rule over the Jews placed severe limits on most power and control exercised by native peoples. But the Romans made an important exception in matters of religion. The Romans, with their pluralistic views of religion, interpreted the religious sphere as little more than local, meaningless activity to help keep the masses under control. However, their relaxed philosophy of religion ran into serious difficulties when applied to the monotheistic Jews.

Among the Jews of Jesus’ time, the highest power someone could wield was in the religious structure. The authorities Jesus confronted had worked hard to obtain and maintain their positions of prestige and power. To the Romans, their squabbles seemed trivial, but among the Jews, religious issues, whether politicized or not, were matters of life and death.

Into this arena stepped Jesus, challenging the legitimacy of the religious leadership, exposing their false pretenses, and claiming a higher authority. To those in power, his credentials were unacceptable:

• Jesus was an outsider and not from their ranks.
• Jesus was reputedly a Galilean, considered worthy of little respect.
• Jesus was young and his training was suspect.
• Jesus spoke with uncompromising clarity and authority.
• Jesus had a startling way of cutting through the technicalities of the law that preserved the position of the hierarchy.

Threatened by the loss of power if Jesus’ claims were true, the religious leaders chose to reject him. When unable to discredit him, they attempted to dispose of him. But God used their attempted solution to the “Jesus problem” to solve once and for all the entire world’s “sin problem.”

5:19-20 Jesus did not say that he would not do anything independent from the Father, but that he cannot: “The Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing.” The Son performs the tasks the Father wants done because they are of one spirit. The Father and the Son know and love each other completely. Because of their transparent relationship, the Son always knows what the Father is doing and works in harmony with him to see it accomplished. Because of his unity with God, Jesus lived as God wanted him to live. Jesus promised to do far greater things. According to the following verses, this refers to the Son’s ability to give life to the dead and to execute judgment.

*LIFE APPLICATION: IN JESUS’ STEPS

Because of his unity with God, Jesus lived as God wanted him to live. Because of our identification with Jesus, we must honor him and live as he wants us to live. When we need guidance, the questions What would Jesus do? and What would Jesus have me do? may help us make the right choices.

5:21 This statement would have shocked Jesus’ audience because it ascribes to the Son—Jesus himself—what was seen as exclusively the activity of God the Father. God alone can raise from the dead anyone he wants to. That God gave that power to the Son is demonstrated in Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the dead (see 11:41-44).

5:22-23 The certainty of our salvation is in the hands of the Son because God entrusted him with judicial and executive authority to judge. Thus, he has equal dignity and honor with the Father—“everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.” The flip side is that those who refuse to honor the Son are not honoring the Father who sent him. Here Jesus was referring to that time when everyone will recognize his lordship. The tragedy will be that many will then recognize Jesus’ true nature but will have lost the opportunity to receive his saving help. Those unwilling to honor Christ now will discover that they have not been honoring the Father either. People should not say they believe in God while ignoring the power and authority of his Son.

5:24 True hearing results in believing. The gospel usually stresses believing in Jesus himself; but Jesus points to believing in God who sent him. The statement affirms the unity of the Father and the Son. To believe in the Father is to believe in the Son he sent to earth. This belief gives eternal life. Believers have eternal life as a present possession. Because of that, they will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. The judgment has passed. Belief in Jesus provides the only escape from this judgment.

5:25 When Jesus spoke of a time that is coming, and is here, he saw God’s wonderful future plan as happening in the present. Christ makes the same power that will resurrect the dead at his return available to all who are spiritually dead—the woman at the well, the paralyzed man, and each one of us.

In the future, the physically dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. Jesus was speaking about two kinds of life-giving power. On one level, he was speaking of the power to give life as we know it; on the other, he was speaking of the power to give life as he knows it. In saying that the dead could hear his voice, he was referring to the power to return physical life to those who had died. In fact, Jesus raised several persons who had died while he was on earth (11:38-44), though at some point they would die again. But he was also referring to the spiritually dead who hear, understand, and accept him. Those who accept God’s Word will live, even though they may still experience physical death (11:25-26).

*LIFE APPLICATION: ETERNITY NOW

Everlasting life—living forever with God—begins immediately when a person accepts Jesus Christ as Savior. At that moment, new life begins (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is a completed transaction. We will face physical death; but when Christ returns again, our body will be resurrected to live forever.

5:26 Human beings do not have life in themselves; they receive it from God. God does not receive his life from any exterior source; he is the source and Creator of life. In eternity past, the Father gave his Son the same capacity—to have life in himself (see 1:4). God does not share this uniquely divine characteristic with any created being. Because Jesus exists eternally with God the Father, he too is “the life” (14:6) through whom we may live eternally (1 John 5:11). God’s gift of life comes through Christ alone (Deuteronomy 30:20; Psalm 36:9).

5:27 This statement seems to contradict 3:17, where Jesus is said not to have come into the world to judge it, but 8:15-16 offers an explanation. Jesus did not come to judge, but his coming led to judgment because his coming forced decision—and decision results in judgment for those who reject Jesus. Because he is the Son of Man, Jesus, as man, will judge all mankind (see Daniel 7:13-14). In this way, the Father has given all authority to the Son, for everyone must answer to him (see Philippians 2:5-11). Jesus always kept before his audience, in word and deed, his unique dual nature as God-man.

5:28-29 Verse 28 speaks only about a future event—the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Every person will be resurrected when the Lord returns, with one of two results: one will be life, the other will be judgment. God grants eternal life to those who have come to the Light and have believed in Jesus Christ. But God will judge and condemn those who rebelled against Christ by refusing to come to the Light. God’s judgment has already come upon them and will be completely executed by the Son of Man after the resurrection (see 3:18-21).

5:30 Even though the Father committed to the Son the task of executing judgment, the Son cannot and will not perform on his own authority and by his own initiative. The distinctions within the persons of the Trinity allow each to perform certain specific functions, but the divine unity of God means that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each do what the others would do if the roles were changed.

Jesus Supports His Claim / 5:31-47

Jesus claimed to be equal with God (5:18), to give eternal life (5:24), to be the source of life (5:26), and to judge sin (5:27). These statements make it clear that Jesus claimed to be divine—an almost unbelievable claim. So he called upon several witnesses to his divine being: (1) John the Baptist (5:33-35), (2) Jesus’ works (5:36), (3) the Father himself (5:37), (4) the Scriptures (5:39-40), and (5) Moses (5:45-47). Any of these witnesses should have been enough, but together they supplied a compelling testimony to Jesus’ claims. But many of the ones listening to Jesus were examples of how a hard heart can nullify even the most powerful argument.

5:31-32 According to the Jewish law, truth or validity had to be established by two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15). Therefore, Jesus’ testimony would not be valid by itself. For these Jewish leaders, he needed the witness of another. So Jesus said that someone else was testifying about him, referring to his Father (see 5:36).

5:33-35 Further witness came from John the Baptist (see 1:6-8). His testimony that Jesus was the Christ was necessary for the Jews, not Jesus. They all knew he preached the truth. He shone brightly for a while, and some of the Jews enjoyed the light he brought them. But they did not really understand his message or receive the illuminating revelation concerning the one to whom John gave witness—Jesus, the Son of God.

*LIFE APPLICATION: LIGHT WORK

Jesus’ description of John as a “lamp” and container for the light reminds us of Jesus’ description of the believers as being “the light of the world.” He said, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 niv). We have both the privilege and command to be carriers of the light in our corner of the world. We can hardly predict how God might use the witness we have to offer others, but we have been warned not to keep our light hidden. We simply must keep asking ourselves if those who are regularly part of our lives know of our relationship with Jesus Christ.

5:36-38 The teachings and miracles testified that the Father had sent Jesus. The Father testified about his Son at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:16-17), on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5), before his crucifixion (12:28), and in his resurrection (Romans 1:3-4). The Jews to whom Jesus was speaking had never heard God’s voice or seen him face to face. Yet, here they had the greatest of all God’s manifestations standing right before their eyes—Jesus, the Word, the visible expression of God to people. But they did not have his message in their hearts because they were refusing to believe in Jesus. Even though the Jews to whom Jesus was speaking had not received the kinds of revelations some of their ancestors had, they still possessed the Word of God. If that Word had been abiding in their hearts (see 8:31; 15:7), they would have recognized the one to whom the Scriptures give testimony.

5:39 The Jewish teachers devoted their lives to studying the Scriptures—not so much to search for the truth but to analyze the minutia of the law. And the “scholars” studied, Jesus said, because they thought that by doing so they would possess eternal life. But by studying the Scriptures they should have seen the source of life: “The Scriptures point to me!” If we fail to see this testimony, we miss the very purpose for which the Scriptures exist. If there were no such person as Jesus Christ, the Scriptures would have little value. The Bible’s chief value lies in its testimony to him.

5:40 To refuse to come to Jesus is to reject life because Christ is the giver of eternal life (1:4; 5:25; 14:6). Religious zeal—even involvement with the Scriptures—does not bring a person eternal life. The religious leaders knew what the Bible said but failed to apply its words to their lives. They knew the teachings of the Scriptures but failed to see the Messiah to whom the Scriptures pointed. They knew the rules but missed the Savior. Entrenched in their own religious system, they refused to let the Son of God change their lives.

*LIFE APPLICATION: APPLIED TRUTH

Every other lesson and application drawn from the Bible takes second place to our personal response to Jesus Christ. Bible study and the accumulation of Bible knowledge profits us little if we are not brought face to face with our own need for salvation. All the applied principles will do us little good if we have never allowed God to give us spiritual birth!

5:41-43 Just as Jesus did not receive (or need) the testimony from people (5:34), he does not need to receive approval from them. Jesus knew the condition of the people; they did not really have God’s love within them—they loved their religion. Therefore, they could not receive the Son of God. Jesus came as the Father’s personal representative (see 14:7-11), but many of the Jews could not accept his claims of being the one sent by the Father. The others that were accepted may have been other persons who claimed to be the Messiah. Because they fit the mistaken image of what the Messiah was supposed to accomplish (political liberation), people eagerly received them. Many men made such a claim. For example, in a.d. 132 Simeon ben Kosebah claimed to be the Messiah, and his claim was upheld by Akibah, the most eminent rabbi of the day.

*LIFE APPLICATION: WHY PEOPLE REFUSE TO COME TO CHRIST

People do have reasons for rejecting Jesus. Their wrong attempts to justify themselves are often plain when they are willing to share their reasons.

• Life in Christ is too demanding. People think they have found an easier path. But have they?
• Life in Christ is too humiliating. People resist surrender to Jesus because they think it is the same as surrender to anyone else. But is it?
• Life in Christ is too costly. People value their power, position, or possessions too much to set them aside for Christ. But are these things really theirs?
• Life in Christ is too disappointing. Christ seems no different from the Christians who have been bad examples. But is the example of inadequate, failure-prone Christians an acceptable excuse before God?
• Life in Christ is irrelevant. It is about as significant as some people’s dim memory of a visit to Sunday school or the latest talk-show discussion on religion. Is ignorance an adequate defense before God?
• Life in Christ is for later. Someday some people might get around to giving him serious consideration. But while they are pursuing “better things,” their hearts and minds become insensitive. Will God wait forever until we are ready to listen?

5:44 This condemning word exposes why the Jewish religious leaders could not believe: They were so dependent on group acceptance that an individual could hardly make a stand that differed from the rest. Instead of seeking what would honor God and bring glory to him—which, in this case, would be to believe in his Son—they continued to seek acceptance from their peers.

*LIFE APPLICATION: STAMP OF APPROVAL

Whose approval do we seek? The religious leaders enjoyed great prestige in Israel, but their stamp of approval meant nothing to Jesus. He was concerned about God’s approval. This is a good principle for us. Even if the highest officials in the world approve of our actions but God does not, we should be concerned. But if God approves, even though others don’t, we should be content.

5:45 The verb tenses here reveal that Jesus wouldn’t have to go to the Father and accuse these religious leaders because they were already being accused by Moses. This could mean that Moses was in the presence of God in heaven accusing them (Matthew 17:3), or it could mean what Moses wrote, as is indicated in the next two verses. To be told that Moses was accusing them was a great blow. The Pharisees prided themselves on being the true followers of their ancestor Moses. They followed every one of his laws to the letter and even added some of their own. Jesus’ warning that Moses was accusing them stung them to fury.

5:46-47 Moses had written about Christ (see Genesis 3:15; Numbers 21:9; 24:17; Deuteronomy 18:15-18; see also Luke 24:44), but since they did not believe in Christ when he came, they did not really believe in the writings of Moses. This was Jesus’ final condemnation in this section.

For more about The Ridge Fellowship go to www.RidgeFellowship.com

Sources:

— Life Application Bible Commentary

— Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

 

ARE YOU SATISFIED? – Our bodies hunger and thirst; so do our souls. But our souls need spiritual food and water. We don’t generally deprive our bodies of food and water when they hunger or thirst. Why then should we deprive our souls? The living Word, Jesus Christ, and the written Word, the Bible, can satisfy our hungry and thirsty souls.

This and other *Life Applications are in today’s reading.  We see Jesus love and grace overcome prejudice. We see that the good news is for everyone!  We also learn about true worship and faith.  

 Jesus Talks to a Woman at the Well / 4:1-26

 Jesus had to pass through Samaria on his way to Galilee. In Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman and with the Samaritans in Sychar, he revealed that he is the expected Messiah (4:25-26). Furthermore, Jesus pointed the Samaritans to the truth about salvation, God’s nature, and the worship of God: Salvation comes from among the Jews (the Messiah is a Jew), God is spirit, and God must be worshiped in spirit and in truth.

*LIFE APPLICATION:  EAR WITNESS

To our knowledge, no one was present during the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. The details of the exchange must have come to John, therefore, from one of the two. Given the woman’s eagerness to proclaim to everyone that Jesus was “a man who told me everything I ever did” (4:29 niv), we can assume that she shared with the disciples the details of that conversation.

Hearing the experiences of other believers significantly affects our spiritual growth. The Bible itself is a collection of the firsthand experiences with God that people like us had in the past. As Christians we have the privilege of passing on to others what we have learned from God. Insights, lessons, and corrections that we receive from God can help and encourage other believers. We must be eager to tell others about the most important person in our lives!

4:1-2 Jesus realized that his popularity had come to the attention of the Pharisees. They had scrutinized the activities of John the Baptist and sent emissaries to question him about his identity (1:19-28). John always pointed his followers to a greater one, the coming Messiah. Because the greater one had come and was in fact drawing the crowds away from John, the Pharisees began to watch Jesus closely.

Jesus had gained many more disciples than just the Twelve. We know that he had at least seventy-two committed disciples (Luke 10:1-17). We are also told that various disciples came and went, especially when times were difficult or when Jesus predicted troubles ahead (Luke 9:57-62; John 6:66).

*LIFE APPLICATION: THE MEMBER GAME

Competition can be created when none is intended. John and Jesus were not competing. But as others compared their ministries, their analysis gave the impression of competition. Similarly, two churches in a city that both have effective programs in reaching their community for Christ may begin to be compared to each other and described as if they were competing for converts. This not only distorts the purpose of the church, it also trivializes the importance of the eternal destiny of persons. The real issue is not which church wins the “member game” but whether the gospel is being communicated and people are responding. If Christ is not becoming “greater,” then whoever or whatever else is growing doesn’t really matter. Don’t foster the false impression of competition by artificial comparisons.

Part of the information received by the Pharisees was incorrect because Jesus didn’t baptize anyone—his disciples did. This parenthetical remark helps to explain John the Baptist’s statement in 1:33 that the Messiah would baptize in the Holy Spirit—in contrast to John who baptized in water. Thus, Jesus never personally performed water baptism; his disciples continued to perform that task during the early years of the church. These baptisms, still following the pattern set by John the Baptist, indicated repentance and confession of sin (see Matthew 3:6).

4:3 Knowing that the Pharisees (in Jerusalem) had heard about his popularity and that they would begin watching him closely, and at the same time knowing that his “hour” had not yet come (see also 2:4), Jesus wisely decided to withdraw from possible conflict by leaving Judea and returning to Galilee. Thus, Jesus’ first Judean visit had come to an end—a visit begun by his coming to Jerusalem for the Passover (see 2:13). The other Gospels do not record this visit.

4:4 The territory of Samaria lay between Judea and Galilee—thus Jesus’ itinerary meant that he had to go through Samaria on the way. Since the Samaritans were hated by the Jews, many of the strict Jews traveling from Judea to Galilee took a route around Samaria (through Perea, east of the Jordan River), even though that route took more time. But for those who were trying to make the best time, it was faster to go through Samaria to Galilee. The context does not indicate that Jesus was in a hurry to get to Galilee (see 4:40, 43). Thus, the necessity must be understood in a different way: Jesus went to Samaria to give the Samaritans what he had given to Nicodemus—the offer of eternal life by being born again. And, furthermore, by going to Samaria and bringing the gospel to the despised Samaritans, he showed that he was above the Jewish prejudices.

Where did these prejudices come from? Samaria was a region between Judea and Galilee where Jews of “mixed blood” lived. In Old Testament days, when the northern kingdom of Israel, with its capital at Samaria, fell to the Assyrians, many Jews were deported to Assyria. King Sargon of Assyria repopulated the northern kingdom with captives from other lands to settle the territory and keep the peace (2 Kings 17:24). These captives eventually intermarried with the few Jews who remained in the land to form a mixed race of people who became known as Samaritans. The Jews hated the Samaritans because they were no longer “pure” Jews. The Jews who lived in the southern Kingdom felt these Jews had betrayed their people and nation through intermarriage with foreigners. And the hatred continued down through the years. The Samaritans had adopted the Pentateuch as their Scriptures and set up a place for worship on Mount Gerizim using for their guidelines Deuteronomy 11:26-29; 27:1-8. Although they knew about a coming Messiah, they were far from having an accurate knowledge of the truth.

4:5-6 According to Genesis 33:19, Jacob purchased a piece of land in this vicinity and then later gave Joseph some land in Shechem (Genesis 48:22). Joshua 24:32 says that Joseph was buried on that land (the Jews had brought Joseph’s bones with them when they made their Exodus from Egypt). Jacob’s well was there indicates that the land must have included the parcel on which Jacob’s well was dug. Thus, this well was highly valued by the Samaritans who claimed Jacob (also called Israel) as their father (4:12), just as the Jews do. The trip made Jesus tired. He had walked from Judea to Sychar—a trip that probably took two days. Jesus’ weariness shows his true humanity. He waited while his disciples, more rested, or hungrier, than he, went to find food. He never seemed to worry that the limitations he took in becoming human might somehow undermine his claims to be the Son of God. Such expressions about Jesus’ humanity help us identify with him. So he sat wearily beside the well at about noontime, the hottest part of the day.

*LIFE APPLICATION: A VALUED GIFT

The woman came to the well with shame on her mind. She was avoiding human contact, but the stranger at the well was probably little more than an inconvenience. How often at the supermarket, gas station, or even in church do we pass by people loaded down with guilt. They find themselves having to pursue life’s necessities, hoping to avoid anyone who knows their real needs. Dreading judgment and rejection, they live in fear. And yet, when shown real concern, when gently confronted, these same people find great relief in unburdening themselves. When you greet someone with “How are you?” do you stop long enough to show him or her that you really want to know? Simple caring is a gift valued infinitely more than it costs to give.

4:7 Two facts are unusual about the woman’s actions: (1) she could have gone to a closer well (scholars have identified wells that were closer to Sychar); (2) women generally drew water later in the day, when the temperature was cooler. This woman, whose reputation seems to have been well known in the small town (4:18), probably chose the well farther away from home and came to that well at an unusual hour in order to avoid contact with other women. It was also highly unusual for a man to address a woman, but Jesus said, “Please give me a drink.” Again, this statement reveals Jesus’ true humanity; he was really thirsty. Even though such a request startled her (4:9), it drew her into a conversation with Jesus.

4:8 This statement serves to inform the reader that Jesus was alone with this woman. Jesus could not ask his disciples to help him get water, for they had gone into Sychar to buy food. Thus, we see Jesus, weary from his journey, depending on others for food and drink.

4:9 The Samaritan woman was very surprised—first, that a Jew would even speak to a Samaritan; second, that a Jewish male would speak to a Samaritan woman (she also had a bad reputation and this was a public place); third, that a Jew would drink from a Samaritan’s cup. The Jewish ceremonial laws described not only certain people as ceremonially unclean, but also anything they touched. In strict religious terms, many Jews of Jesus’ time considered the Samaritans to be permanently unclean.

*LIFE APPLICATION: NO PREJUDICES ALLOWED

This woman (1) was a Samaritan, a member of the hated mixed race, (2) was known to be living in sin, and (3) was in a public place. No respectable Jewish man would talk to a woman under such circumstances. But Jesus did. The attitude of the Jews toward the Samaritans in Jesus’ day is not unlike that which has been frequently displayed in America by whites toward blacks. In the past, whites have not allowed blacks to share the same public facilities with them. For Jesus to ask for a drink of water from a utensil belonging to a Samaritan woman was to go against the accepted prejudices of the time.

The gospel is for every person, no matter what his or her race, social position, religious orientation, or past sins. We must be prepared to share this gospel at any time and in any place. We must also be prepared to deal with those who may be accustomed to being ill-treated and who are not sure of our motives. Jesus crossed all barriers to share the gospel, and we who follow him must do no less—even if misunderstood.

4:10 The woman was ignorant of the gift God had for her—the gift of life, represented by living water—and she did not know the giver, Jesus the Messiah. Jesus makes an extraordinary offer to this woman—living water that would quench her thirst forever.

4:11-12 Jesus’ remark concerning “living water” produced several practical questions in the mind of the Samaritan woman. Like Nicodemus, she did not immediately sense the depth of Jesus’ words. Obviously, if this living water was at the bottom of the well, Jesus was in no position to offer it because he had no rope or bucket for drawing it. She began to wonder if Jesus had access to some source of water other than Jacob’s well. She asked if he thought he was greater than their ancestor Jacob and could somehow offer better water. Perhaps the woman sensed in Jesus’ words a possible dishonoring of the well provided by their great ancestor. Or perhaps the woman was beginning to have some inkling of who Jesus was claiming to be. He certainly accepted her in a way that must have challenged her thinking.

4:13-14 People need water daily because they soon become thirsty again. The water from Jacob’s well would indeed satisfy the woman’s thirst, but only temporarily. So also are all the other “drinks” of life—they never satisfy. Some of them even create more thirst. The human needs for love, food, sex, security, and approval, even when met, do not give complete satisfaction. Attempts to find full satisfaction will lead only to disappointment and despair. But the water Jesus offers takes away thirst altogether. Jesus’ “water” continually satisfies the desire for God’s presence because it becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life. The gift that Jesus gives—this perpetual spring—suggests the availability, accessibility, and abundance of the divine life for believers.

*LIFE APPLICATION: ARE YOU SATISFIED?

Spiritual functions often parallel physical functions. Our bodies hunger and thirst; so do our souls. But our souls need spiritual food and water. The woman confused the two kinds of water, perhaps because no one had ever told her about her spiritual hunger and thirst before. We would not think of depriving our bodies of food and water when they hunger or thirst. Why then should we deprive our souls? The living Word, Jesus Christ, and the written Word, the Bible, can satisfy our hungry and thirsty souls.

4:15 The woman’s response reveals that she took Jesus’ words literally. The woman must have been thrilled to think that this man could give her water that really quenches thirst and would not have to be drawn from a well. Obtaining water was hard work—requiring trips to the well twice a day and carrying heavy jars full of water home. If she had some of that water, she would never be thirsty again and wouldn’t have to haul water every day.

*LIFE APPLICATION: TROUBLED WATERS

Many people who claim to be Christians admit they feel unhappy and dissatisfied over the same problems mentioned by nonbelievers. Feelings of low self-esteem, lack of love, loneliness, and struggles over sex, money, work, and position in life are often as severe with believers as with unbelievers. Are differences between Christians and non-Christians merely on the surface or even imaginary? Did Jesus overstate his claim? Questions like these come from interpreting Jesus’ words as the Samaritan woman did—expecting that physical thirst and all other life-related needs will be satisfied by Jesus’ “living water.” But that is not what Jesus promised. He offered freedom within life, not freedom from life! Later he told his disciples in no uncertain terms: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (16:33 niv). Believers will experience many of the same difficulties encountered by unbelievers, but the presence of Jesus in our lives should make a significant difference in the way we respond. Living water gives us spiritual power to face the challenges of living, not escape from them.

4:16-18 Jesus abruptly shifted the subject from his living water to her style of living. The woman perceived her need for living water at one level; Jesus knew that her need was far deeper, so he turned the conversation to reveal his knowledge of her personal life—and her sin of adultery. By asking her to go and get her husband, Jesus wanted to make this woman see her sin and her need for forgiveness and then offer her the living water—salvation. She must have realized that this was not a man who could be fooled, for she answered transparently, “I don’t have a husband.” The woman spoke the truth without any explanation.

Although he confronted the woman’s sinful life, Jesus managed to affirm her truthfulness. He did not accuse or excuse; he simply described her life so that she could draw some clear conclusions about the mess in which she was living. The conclusions we reach without knowing the facts will usually err in one of two directions: We will accuse others and raise their defenses, or we will excuse others and enable their denial. We see in Jesus’ communication with this woman that when faced with an accepting confrontation, people will often respond positively. When we speak to others about themselves, we must limit our words to what we know.

4:19 The woman acknowledged the truthfulness of Jesus’ remarks about her life. At the same time, she recognized that he must be a prophet who had the power to “see” the hidden past as well as the future. The theme of people “seeing” Jesus appears several times in John (especially in chapter 9). The persons Jesus encountered saw him many different ways, but he consistently directed their attention to recognize him for who he really was—their Savior.

Many commentators have pointed out that the woman may have been purposely attempting to avert any further disclosure of her personal, sinful life by shifting the conversation to religion. Notice how Jesus responded to her change of direction. He was not presenting a system or a gospel outline; he was having a conversation with someone who needed the living water. Jesus made no attempt to turn the discussion back to her lifestyle; rather, he entered into a dialogue about the true place of worship. Jesus kept the woman’s interest by demonstrating his willingness to let her direct the discussion.

4:20 The unspoken question is, If you are a prophet, who’s right? The Samaritans had set up a place for worship on Mount Gerizim, basing their authority to do so on Deuteronomy 11:26-29; 27:1-8; the Jews had followed David in making Jerusalem the center of Jewish worship. The split had come in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 4:1-2; Nehemiah 4:1-2) when the Samaritans had offered to help rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem but had been rebuffed. So there was an ongoing debate between the two groups as to who was correct. The Scriptures authenticated Jerusalem as the place of worship (Deuteronomy 12:5; 2 Chronicles 6:6; 7:12; Psalm 78:67-68); thus, the Jews were correct and the Samaritans in error. The Samaritan woman wanted to hear what a Jewish prophet had to say about this.

*LIFE APPLICATION: WORSHIP-FULL

Do you depend on a physical building or a specific setting for the proper worship environment? God is Spirit and cannot be confined to a building. The location of worship is not nearly as important as the attitude of the worshipers. The specific conditions that enhance worship tend to be quite individual and should not be legislated. By emphasizing where we worship, we may neglect the substance of our worship where we are.

4:21 Both the Jews and the Samaritans were convinced the correct way to worship God depended on a particular geographical location. But Jesus pointed to a new realm—not at Mount Gerizim or in Jerusalem, but in the Spirit of God. He also knew that the Temple in Jerusalem soon would be destroyed. The first readers of John would have known this as a historical fact because it would have already happened!

4:22 The Samaritans worshiped, but their system of worship was incomplete and flawed because it had no clear object. Because the Samaritans only used the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy) as their Scriptures, they did not know what the rest of the Old Testament taught about worship. The Jews, with whom Jesus explicitly identified himself here, did know whom they worshiped, for they had the full revelation in the Old Testament Scriptures. These Scriptures revealed that salvation comes through the Jews, for the Messiah would come from the Jewish race (Genesis 12:3). The message is: “You are demonstrating a good quality in desiring to worship, but your worship is misdirected; the perfect object to be worshiped, the Messiah, has come.” The living water that comes from Christ and is ever present in the believer makes the idea of continual worship a possibility. Worship becomes, at least in part, the enjoyment of our relationship with Christ wherever we are at any moment.

*LIFE APPLICATION-WORSHIPING IN TRUTH

If we are not worshiping “in spirit,” our worship will be dry and lifeless. Worship not done “in truth” becomes deceitful or irrelevant. “In spirit” reminds us who we are worshiping. “In truth” exposes the required genuineness of those doing the worshiping. To paraphrase Jesus, “True worshipers worship truthfully.” By contrast, fleshly or false worship would be: pretending to be someone or something we are not; displaying prejudice toward others who are also made in God’s image; practicing self-righteousness by denying our constant need for God’s mercy and grace; worshiping in ignorance or superstition without knowing the reality for ourselves; blindly worshiping out of habit with no heartfelt devotion.

4:23-24 The new worship is already here among Jesus’ followers (including both Jews and Samaritans who are united in Christ), although the end of worship in the Temple or on Mount Gerizim is still future—is coming. Jesus announced that a new time had come, a time in which true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. True worshipers are to be recognized by the way they worship. After making the place of worship and order of worship secondary to our spiritual relationship with God, Jesus defined real worship. According to him, worship would take on two new aspects: It would be in spirit and in truth (see also 4:24).

The expression “in spirit” refers to the human spirit—the immaterial, inner being in each person, the God-breathed entity that corresponds to the nature of God himself, who is Spirit. Using the terms of Jesus’ conversation, worship involves the person’s awareness of that personal “spring of living water” that God has planted in him or her. God indwells believers—that is where true worship takes place. Our body can be anywhere, yet worship occurs as our attention and praise are turned toward God. We need to consciously focus on God when we are in a house of worship because we easily assume that our presence in church is all that we need in order to worship. We can usually remember how long the worship service lasted, but can we remember exactly when we actually worshiped the Lord?

The phrase in truth means “in a true way” or “with genuineness.” This would speak to all people—Jews, Samaritans, and even Gentiles; all need to worship God by recognizing God’s character and nature as well as our common need for him. We worship in truth because we worship what is true.

In the Greek text, the word Spirit comes first for emphasis: “Spirit is what God is.” Here is a simple yet sublime definition of the nature of God. He is Spirit. God is not a physical being limited to place and time as we are. He is present everywhere, and he can be worshiped anywhere, anytime.

*LIFE APPLICATION: WHAT GOD ISN’T

As spirit, God relates to us without the limitations that we possess:

•  He is never tired.
•  He is never distant.
•  He is never distracted.
•  He is not limited by time and space.
•  He can be present in all people.
•  He cannot be destroyed or overpowered.

In Christ, God experienced all our weaknesses firsthand. He knows them, but they do not control him. Someday we will leave our present limitations behind and be fully in God’s spiritual presence. Worship includes saying to God, “Thank you for understanding where I am; I can hardly wait to be where you are!”

*LIFE APPLICATION: ON HIS TERMS

When Jesus taught that worship must be “in spirit,” he was emphasizing the proper relationship with God. We approach him on his terms, not ours. But his terms are for our benefit. If God were to invade our world openly with his glory and holiness, we would be overwhelmed. Instead, God has chosen to reveal himself generally through his creation, specifically through the prophets and writers of the Bible, and fully (though humanly) in his Son, Jesus. We worship in submission to what God has revealed of himself. Worship includes our praise to God for the ways that he has revealed himself, our confession for the sins he has allowed us to see, our thanksgiving for all he has done for us, and our requests to learn more. True spiritual worship must have God at its center.

4:25 Talk of a new kind of worship must have reminded the Samaritan woman about the coming of the Messiah. Her comment was only loosely related to what Jesus had just said. She probably uttered it with a sigh, revealing her uncertainty about an unknown future. The Samaritans believed in the coming of “the Prophet” predicted by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-18), whom they called “the Restorer.” The Samaritans may have also heard of the coming Messiah from John the Baptist who had been baptizing in northern Samaria (3:23). They, as with the Jews, probably did not consider “the Prophet” and “the Messiah” to be the same person. Either way, both groups were expecting someone who would be a political liberator. They could not accept the idea that the long-awaited one would be a suffering servant before he would become the conquering king.

The woman had already perceived that Jesus was a prophet (4:19); his comments made her wish for the coming Prophet who would explain everything.

 *LIFE APPLICATION: ANSWER MAN

The discussion had reached a point at which the Samaritan voiced her hope that someone would eventually be able to settle all her questions and problems. Sooner or later, in a conversation on life, people will reveal their hope. They will tell us what they rely on when worldly answers fail. At those times, we certainly should reveal our hope. Peter reminds us to “quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord, and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way” (1 Peter 3:15 tlb). Unlike Jesus, we cannot claim to be the Answer, but if we believe in Jesus, we can claim to know the Answer. When someone says, “Someday I’ll figure it all out,” we ought to respond, “I know someone who has the answers today!”

4:26 Although Jesus avoided telling the Jews directly that he was the Christ, he told this Samaritan woman that he, the one who sat there with her on the well, was the promised Messiah.

 Jesus Tells about the Spiritual Harvest / 4:27-38

The sudden arrival of the disciples interrupted the conversation. Jesus seems to have made no effort to continue the exchange. He had placed himself before the woman as the one she was expecting. What the woman would have said in response to Jesus’ revelation is unknown. But what she did is clear. She immediately went and told her neighbors that she had just encountered a unique and wonderful person whom they should also meet.

4:27 The disciples returned from getting food (4:8) and were astonished to find Jesus talking to a woman. Jesus had broken two cultural taboos: (1) Jews did not speak with Samaritans, and (2) a male did not normally speak with a female stranger. Yet the disciples did not query him concerning his motives, for they must have come to realize that all of his motives were good. Anyone else would have been called to account.

4:28 Beyond displaying the woman’s excited state of mind, her action of leaving her water jar beside the well as she went back to the village has several significant explanations: On the one hand, it speaks of the woman leaving behind her water jar representing her thirst for true life and satisfaction; on the other hand, it also reveals her intention to return. The water jar was a valuable and practical household object. But as useful as it was to get water from the well, it was useless for obtaining the water of life. However, she had just met someone who promised living water and who had displayed intimate knowledge of her life and profound understanding of spiritual truths. We can’t be sure how much she understood of what Jesus had told her, but she was convinced that everyone in town ought to hear what he had to say.

4:29-30 In essence, the Samaritan woman was saying that Jesus could have told her everything about her life, for in telling her about her relationships with various men, he revealed his knowledge about her history. She made no promises about what Jesus might know about everyone else, but she appealed to their curiosity. What was it about this stranger that could make a woman who had every reason to be ashamed of her life now speak publicly about her experience of transparency before him? Yet she said to the townspeople, “Can this be the Messiah?” Her invitation proved irresistible. She probably knew that her reputation preceded her, and any assertion on her part regarding her belief in this man would go unheeded. But her question did serve to stir up curiosity and had the desired effect—the people came streaming from the village to see him.

 *LIFE APPLICATION: WHAT TO LEAVE BEHIND

When we return to the world of family and friends after encountering Jesus, there are two kinds of “water jars” we must leave behind:

1.  We must leave behind our shame about the past. Because Jesus knows all about us, we can repent and receive his forgiveness. God may use the emptiness of our past life to help us convey to others the wonder of forgiveness. But we must not dwell on or carry guilt about the past.

2.  We must leave behind some habits and pleasures. Certain pleasures and relationships (not bad in themselves) may hinder our telling others about Christ. The water jar would have slowed the woman down. She probably retrieved it later, but was not concerned about it in the light of her discovery.

Are there possessions that threaten to own us rather than the other way around? These we must leave with Christ. We must lay down our useless former pursuits of pleasure and personal fulfillment. Even though we know that our old way of living never truly satisfies, the tempter deceives us into believing that there still may be an instant, easy source of happiness in the old empty ways. Have you turned your back on old habits, old treasures, old pleasures in order to seek what only God can give? Leave them behind and satisfy your thirst in Christ.

4:31-33 After the woman left for the town, the disciples urged their master to eat. His response was baffling: “I have food you don’t know about.” The disciples thought he was talking about physical food; instead, Jesus was saying that he was spiritually satisfied by having shared the Good News with the Samaritan woman.

*LIFE APPLICATION: HUNGRY?

Jesus spoke about the “food” that provided his spiritual nourishment. We are nourished by Bible study, prayer, and attending church. Spiritual nourishment also comes from doing God’s will in order to be his kind of people in the world. We are nourished not only by what we take in but also by what we give out for God.

Recognize the spiritual hunger to which Jesus referred in statements like, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6 niv); and “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ . . . But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:31, 33 niv). Don’t you hunger to do God’s will?

4:34 This statement shows that Jesus lived to please his Father and in so doing found spiritual nourishment (17:4). Doing the will of God meant that Jesus submitted himself to the Father’s plan and enjoyed carrying out his Father’s desires. Satisfying the Father gave Jesus true satisfaction. Finishing God’s work speaks of completing the task—all the way from sowing the seed to reaping the harvest (see following verses). According to 17:4, Jesus accomplished all that the Father wanted him to do before leaving this earth. Preeminently, Jesus had revealed the Father to the world.

4:35 For farmers, approximately four months elapsed between the end of sowing and the beginning of reaping. From Jesus’ spiritual perspective, the time for harvesting had already arrived. The Samaritans, who were coming from town, were ready to be harvested. In telling the disciples to look around and see the vast fields, Jesus may well have been directing them to look at the approaching Samaritans.

4:36-38 The harvester of this spiritual harvest derives satisfaction from bringing others to experience eternal life. This parallels Jesus’ experience with the Samaritan woman; he was satisfied by offering her the gift of life. Jesus also here mentions the planter in addition to the harvester. Jesus, as both, sowed the seed through a single Samaritan woman and reaped a harvest from many in a Samaritan city. This sowing and reaping transpired so quickly that the planter and harvester could rejoice together.

The planter and the harvester do not have the same role—the point of the next verse: “One person plants and someone else harvests.” This saying may have come from verses like Deuteronomy 20:6; 28:30; Micah 6:15; Job 31:8, but it is not a direct quotation of any known biblical passage. That the disciples would harvest where they didn’t plant probably refers to the coming harvest of Samaritan believers reaped by Jesus and his disciples, as well as to the harvest that would come after Pentecost (see Acts 1:8; 2:41; 9:31; 15:3). The others who labored may have been some of the Old Testament prophets or, more likely, John the Baptist and his followers (see 3:23).

*LIFE APPLICATION: HARVESTTIME

Sometimes Christians excuse themselves from witnessing by saying that their family or friends aren’t ready to believe. But our excuses don’t stand up very well before the example of the Samaritan woman, who spoke to the very people most likely to reject anything she had to say. Her message was attractive because she described how Jesus had met her needs; she did not attempt to expose their needs.

Jesus made it clear that a continual harvest awaits reaping. Don’t make excuses. If you are watchful and available, you will find people ready to hear God’s Word.

Many Samaritans Believe in Jesus / 4:39-42

As a result of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman, her bold witness in town, and the people’s curiosity, many became believers. Jesus’ proof was compelling. John was convinced and believed; the Samaritans were convinced and believed; so have millions of others. The unavoidable question each person must ask is, “Have I believed in Jesus?”

*LIFE APPLICATION: God oversees the continual work of planting the seeds of the gospel (Luke 8:4-15) and then reaping the crop. That the fields are ripe for harvest reminds us that many are ready to receive salvation because others have sown the seed. Can you identify the process of sowing and reaping that occurred in your life? Perhaps your mother or father, a Sunday school teacher, a pastor, a camp director, or a youth group leader sowed or nourished the gospel seed in you. Then a “reaper” came along whose gospel message found you ripe to respond, and you accepted eternal life. At the moment of being “harvested,” we became sowers and reapers ourselves. Our lives ought to be an effort to sow wherever and reap whenever. As was done for us, we ought to seek to do for others. In the end, the sowers, reapers, and the harvest will all rejoice!

 4:39-42 Many of the Samaritans who believed in Jesus were first drawn by the testimony of the woman about the mysterious man who told her everything she had ever done. They begged Jesus to stay at their village, and because of that, others believed when they heard Jesus for themselves. Many Samaritans had come to know absolutely and positively that Jesus was the Savior of the world. This last statement is the climax of this passage (4:1-42), for it speaks of how Jesus had come to be, not just the Jews’ Messiah, but the world’s Savior as well.

*LIFE APPLICATION: TAKING CREDIT

Think of all that farmers do—plowing, fertilizing, sowing, weeding, watering, harvesting. For the most part, however, farmers are a humble group when it comes to taking credit for the results. So much is out of their hands, yet what they do is vital. In spreading the gospel, God gives us a significant role, yet he deserves the credit. In fact, we can only claim to have done a small part of the job. Often we have only a slight idea of how others have contributed to what God accomplished in a person. But our testimony, kindness, encouragement, patience, or teaching of the gospel may be the turning point in someone’s life. Let us make the most of all our opportunities.

 *LIFE APPLICATION: ON OUR OWN

When people become new believers they often depend on the individual who invited them to believe in Christ. That dependence helps in the beginning, but it can cause harm if it becomes central to their understanding of Christ. Spiritual maturity grows from one’s own direct relationship with God. At the human level, the giving should go both ways, not just one way. We will always be grateful to those who shared the gospel with us. But as we grow in Christ, God will help us minister to those who first ministered to us.

Jesus Preaches in Galilee / 4:43-45

After his wonderful experience in Samaria, Jesus went to Cana in Galilee, where he healed a government official’s son. But along with the healing came Jesus’ rebuke that the people’s belief was based on seeing signs and wonders, not on trusting in Jesus himself. These events stand in contrast to Jesus’ experience in Sychar (4:1-42), where without miracles and through an unexpected witness, many placed their trust in him.

4:43-44 According to verse 3, Jesus left Judea and headed for Galilee. He passed through Samaria on the way and stayed there for two days (4:40). So after those two days, Jesus went on into Galilee, called his own country, as he had been raised in Nazareth, a town in Galilee. Jesus went to the Galileans, knowing that they would welcome him as miracle-worker but not as a prophet, much less as the Messiah.

4:45 This statement that the Galileans had seen all his miraculous signs refers to 2:23, which says that the people assembling in Jerusalem (among whom were these Galileans) during the Passover believed in Jesus because of the signs they saw him perform.

Jesus Heals a Government Official’s Son / 4:46-54

The story of Jesus turning water into wine was still news in Cana when he returned. The local welcome was tinged with interest over what new wonders he might perform. The opportunity would soon come. A child in nearby Capernaum lay sick, and an anxious father came to Jesus, begging for help.

4:46-50 Jesus arrived in Cana where he had done a miracle (see 2:1-11). Jesus’ name was known there, and so this government official went to find him. This man was very likely an official in Herod’s court, serving in some capacity in Capernaum, about twenty miles from Cana. Although this miracle bears similarities with the one recorded in Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:2-10 (both deal with the healing of a soldier’s servant), they seem to be different incidents. All the Gospel writers imply that the miracles they recorded were nothing more than samples of Jesus’ work.

When the government official requested that Jesus heal his son, who was about to die, Jesus responded, “Must I do miraculous signs and wonders before you people will believe in me?” Jesus took the opportunity to address all the Galileans (2:23; 4:45) and reprimand them for being sign-seekers. But this Galilean was not merely a sign-seeker. He had a need, and he truly believed Jesus could meet that need. As a result, his need was met. The man believed the word that Jesus spoke, “Go back home. Your son will live!” and started on his way. The official believed Jesus’ word, and the healing was performed. He was the type of man whom Jesus would later call “blessed,” for he had not seen and yet he believed (see 20:29). Jesus’ word is a life-giving word (see 5:24-25; 6:68).

*LIFE APPLICATION: CAN HE BE TRUSTED?

This government official not only believed that Jesus could heal, he also obeyed Jesus by returning home, thus truly demonstrating his faith. It isn’t enough for us to say we believe that Jesus can take care of our problems. We need to act as if he can. We also need to leave the means, ways, and timing up to him. When we pray about a need or problem, we should live as though we believe Jesus can do what he says.

4:51-53 The details given in these verses tell the reader that the healing occurred at exactly the time Jesus spoke the words, “Your son will live!” Although the official’s son was twenty miles away, he was healed when Jesus spoke the word. Distance was no problem because Christ has mastery over space. This miracle produced faith in the officer and his entire household (including family members or servants). There are cultures where the word or belief of the head of the household represents what each member of the house believes. New Testament evidence points to these kinds of responses in more than one case (Acts 10:2; 16:15, 33).

*LIFE APPLICATION: EXERCISE YOUR FAITH

Notice how the official’s faith grew:

• He believed enough to ask Jesus to help his son.
•  He believed to the point of insisting that Jesus come with him to heal his son.
•  He trusted Jesus’ assurance that his son would live, and he acted on it.
•  He and his whole household believed in Jesus.

Faith grows as we use it.

4:54 The first sign was changing the water into wine at the wedding in Cana (2:1-11). The second miraculous sign was healing a dying child. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus’ miracles were “signs”—pointing the people who witnessed them to the one who performed the signs, Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. If the miracle produced faith in Jesus only as a miracle worker and not as the Son of God, then the people missed the miracle as the sign it was intended to be.

For more about The Ridge Fellowship, go to www.RidgeFellowship.com

Sources:

— Life Application Bible Commentary

— Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

The most popular verse in the entire bible (John 3:16) is found in today’s reading.  Discover the conversation that started it all and who Jesus was talking to.

Here’s one of today’s great *Life Applications:

“STARTING OVER

Most people, at one time or another, wish they could start life over again. But second thoughts usually bring us to the conclusion that another trip through life would involve just as many opportunities for mistakes as the first time.  Jesus made the point that only way a person can really start over in life is by being “born again” by receiving God’s eternal life and the regenerating Holy Spirit. Starting over may be naturally impossible; but Jesus makes new life a supernatural possibility.

For more insights from John 3, Read on….

 Nicodemus Visits Jesus at Night / 3:1-21

 It would be difficult to find any other portion of Scripture as well known as John 3:16 or any other statement of Scripture more applied than “You must be born again” (3:7). When Jesus revealed the necessity of the new birth to Nicodemus, he exposed mankind’s ultimate hope. This evening interview is the first of a series of individual encounters between Jesus and persons who fit the description given at the end of chapter 2—those who approached Jesus with an inadequate faith. Nicodemus (3:1-15), the Samaritan woman (4:1-42), and the nobleman from Capernaum (4:43-54) illustrate a certain view of who Jesus was and what he could do. But meeting Jesus face to face changed their views. It also changed their lives.

3:1-2 Nicodemus was a Jewish religious leader, a Pharisee—the most strict Jewish sect of those times. The Jewish religious leaders were divided into several groups. Two of the most prominent groups were the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees separated themselves from anything non-Jewish and carefully followed both the Old Testament laws and the oral traditions handed down through the centuries. As a “leader,” he was a member of the Jewish ruling council. Although the Romans controlled Israel politically, the Jews were given some authority over religious and minor civil disputes. The Jewish ruling body was the council made up of seventy-one of Israel’s religious leaders.

What motivated Nicodemus to come to Jesus? Very likely Nicodemus was both impressed and curious about Jesus and chose to form his opinions about him from firsthand conversation. It is possible that he did not want to be seen with Jesus in broad daylight because he feared reproach from his fellow Pharisees (who did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah). But it may not have been fear that brought Nicodemus after dark; it is also possible that he chose a time when he could talk alone and at length with the popular teacher who was often surrounded by people.

Nicodemus respectfully addressed Jesus as a teacher who had been sent by God. While true, the title reveals Nicodemus’s limited understanding of Jesus. He was far more than just another rabbi. At least Nicodemus identified Jesus’ miraculous signs as a revelation of God’s power.

* LIFE APPLICATION:  AT LEAST HE CAME

The meeting between Nicodemus and Jesus was not by accident. Nicodemus did not stumble over Jesus, but sought him out. He made it a point to find and be with Jesus. Often we are guilty of allowing our relationship with God to degenerate into occasional chance meetings where God has had to seek us out. Do we only turn to Christ in crises, finding little place or time for him in our daily lives? How often at night, when the hustle of the day settles down, do we think of Jesus in the silence and seek him out in prayer?

3:3 Jesus’ words are unmistakable and to the point: “Unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God.” That a person must be born again speaks of spiritual birth, but Nicodemus understood Jesus as referring to a physical rebirth. What could Jesus expect Nicodemus to know about the Kingdom? From the Scriptures he would know that the Kingdom would be ruled by God, it would eventually be restored on earth, and it would incorporate God’s people. Jesus revealed to this devout Pharisee that the Kingdom would come to the whole world (3:16), not just the Jews, and that Nicodemus wouldn’t be a part of it unless he was personally born again (3:5). This was a revolutionary concept: the Kingdom is personal, not national or ethnic, and its entrance requirements are repentance and spiritual rebirth. Jesus later taught that God’s Kingdom has already begun in the hearts of believers (Luke 17:21). It will be fully realized when Jesus returns again to judge the world and abolish evil forever (Revelation 21–22).

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Kingdom of God was present with him (Luke 17:21). To “see” the Kingdom of God means, in part, to have a special perception or insight concerning God’s absolute control. But a sense of belonging, or citizenship, is also included. The “seeing” is not simply for purposes of examination; it represents participation. To “see,” then, is to be a citizen without yet being able to exercise all the rights and privileges of that citizenship. Nicodemus was being taught that Israel was a chosen people to be a vehicle of God’s message to the world, not to be the only beneficiaries of that relationship.

*LIFE APPLICATION: NECESSITY OF A SEARCHING HEART

Nicodemus was searching, and he believed that Jesus had some answers. A learned teacher himself, he came to Jesus to be taught. No matter how intelligent and well-educated we are, we must come to Jesus with an open mind and heart so he can teach us the truth about God. A searching heart is marked by several characteristics:

•  Humility in seeking and admitting personal need.
•  Perseverance in overcoming obstacles that may keep us from finding and following Christ.
•  Insight in recognizing that the gospel message relates to our lives.
•  Willingness to submit to the lordship of Christ.
•  Obedience in going beyond mental assent to active dependence on God’s promises and guidance.

3:4 Nicodemus either stopped listening after Jesus’ opening phrase, or he chose to address the first curious statement he heard. These questions that focused solely on birth—whether spoken sincerely or sarcastically—show that Nicodemus did not perceive the spiritual intent of Jesus’ words. He saw only the literal meaning and questioned its absurdity: “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” But with all his learning he should have understood that God can and will give spiritual rebirth. The prophets had spoken about this spiritual regeneration (see Ezekiel 36:25-27; see also Jeremiah 31:31-34; Joel 2:28-32).

3:5 This statement has perplexed and divided commentators for many centuries. Some traditions have taught that the water denotes physical birth (referring to the “water” of amniotic fluid or even semen) and Spirit to spiritual birth—in which case Jesus would be saying that a person has to have two births: one physical and the second, spiritual. This view builds upon the preceding context when Nicodemus referred to physical birth. It also points to the parallel Jesus makes in verse 6. According to this position, Jesus would have been granting the Pharisee’s point in order to highlight the nature of the second birth as spiritual. Two strengths of this interpretation are that it avoids making the physical act of water baptism a necessity and that it avoids bringing almost a “third birth” idea into the discussion. If water doesn’t refer to natural birth, say its defenders, then Jesus seems to be saying that a person must be born of their parents, born of water, and born of the Spirit.

Other traditions have taught that the water refers to baptism and the Spirit to spiritual regeneration—thus, Jesus would have been saying that a person must both be baptized and receive the Spirit in order to enter the Kingdom of God. This view is at times influenced by the belief that the sacrament of baptism is itself a requirement for salvation.

A parallel view makes water refer to baptism but places the emphasis on teaching two steps of baptism; one by water, the other by the Spirit. For support, these views point to the larger context in John where John the Baptist and water baptism are mentioned just preceding the events in Cana and following this encounter with Nicodemus. They also rely on the tendency of previous generations of believers to equate the mention of water with baptism. But in the first seven chapters of John, water appears in some way (naturally or symbolically) in each chapter. To associate water and baptism too closely makes baptism a higher priority than the Scriptures give it. Here, for instance, if Jesus was speaking of two completely separate acts, two baptisms, it is odd that the rest of the discussion between Jesus and Nicodemus never again refers to the subject but revolves entirely around the work of God’s Spirit.

Still other traditions have taught that Jesus’ reference to water is not physical in either the sense of birth or baptism. The term water is simply another description of the Spirit—or the Spirit’s activity of cleansing and giving life (see John 7:37-39).

3:6 Humans can produce only more human beings; this answers Nicodemus’s question in verse 4. Only God the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. At the same time God puts his Spirit into us, we are given a new regenerated human spirit. It is God’s Spirit, not our effort, that makes us children of God (1:12). Jesus’ description corrects human hopes that we might somehow inherit goodness from parents, or earn it by good behavior, church background, or correct associations. At some point we must be able to answer the question: Have I been born of the Spirit?

*LIFE APPLICATION: STARTING OVER

Most people, at one time or another, wish they could start life over again. But second thoughts usually bring us to the conclusion that another trip through life would involve just as many opportunities for mistakes as the first time. Nicodemus saw only complications and impossibilities in Jesus’ challenge. But Jesus later made the point in discussing the possibility of salvation with his disciples that “with man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27 niv). The only way a person can really start over in life is by being born from above—”born again” by receiving God’s eternal life and the regenerating Holy Spirit. Starting over may be naturally impossible; but Jesus makes it a supernatural possibility.

 *LIFE APPLICATION: WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

God has revealed himself as three persons in one—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God became a man in Jesus so that Jesus could die for our sins. Jesus was raised from the dead to guarantee God’s offer of salvation to all people through spiritual renewal and rebirth. When Jesus ascended into heaven, his physical presence left the earth, but he promised to send the Holy Spirit so that his spiritual presence would still be among his people (Luke 24:49). The Holy Spirit first became available in this special way to all believers at Pentecost (Acts 2). Whereas in Old Testament days the Holy Spirit empowered specific individuals for specific purposes, now all believers have the power of the Holy Spirit available to them. For more on the Holy Spirit, read 14:16-28; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13; and 2 Corinthians 1:22

3:7 Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus that evening has been heralded to all the world ever since. Both Jew and Gentile have heard the divine mandate: You must be born again. Without the new birth, one cannot see or enter into the Kingdom of God. In those words, millions have heard Jesus speaking directly to their hearts. Behind Jesus’ challenge is his invitation to each of us—“You must be born again; allow me to do that for you.”

*LIFE APPLICATION: IN OR OUT

Just as earthly citizenship is a right of birth or is granted to a person, so citizenship in the kingdom of God is a right of new birth. A person can take steps toward citizenship in the kingdom, but one’s actual position is either in or out. Jesus told one perceptive man, “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34). Evidently, a person can approach yet still not “see” or be part of the kingdom of God. We need to prayerfully consider before God the exact location of our citizenship. If we have not been born again into God’s kingdom and submitted to his rule in our lives, we cannot assume that we are citizens.

3:8 Perhaps at this moment in the evening a soft wind rustled the leaves outside the house or in the garden where they were talking. Jesus used the illustration of the wind to depict the effect of the Spirit in the person born of the Spirit. In Greek the same word (pneuma) can have several meanings: “Spirit,” “wind,” and “breath.” God’s Spirit, like the wind, has free movement and, like reviving breath, has power. Jesus used this illustration to show that the reality of the Spirit living in a person is evidenced by the effect of the Spirit on that person’s life. People can control neither the wind nor the movement of God’s Spirit. The image Jesus used describes the wonderful experience we can have of realizing that God actually moves in and through us by his Spirit. Just as we do not know the origin or the destination of the wind, we do not know or control the Spirit. What we do know are the effects of the wind and of the Spirit. Life in the Spirit is as radical and unexpected as being born of the Spirit.

*LIFE APPLICATION: QUESTIONS/ANSWERS

It is quite common to find people treating spiritual questions as if asking them was a perfectly valid pursuit, even if they had no real hope of getting an answer. That kind of treadmill leads to despair. If we are not serious about answers, questions—even hard questions—are a waste of time.

We don’t know exactly what questions Nicodemus planned to ask Jesus, but we do know he went to the right source. If all we want to do is ask questions, any ear will do. But if we are hungry for answers, God will be our source. He has provided his Word, his presence, and the freedom of prayer to place any question before him. Others who have brought their questions and quests to God can also provide valuable help to us. Jesus wants to be more than just an item of discussion. He has answers for the heart and soul.

3:9-10 In response to Nicodemus’s continued question, Jesus called him a respected Jewish teacher and expressed amazement at his lack of understanding. Having such a position, Nicodemus should have known what Jesus was talking about, for the new birth is not a topic foreign to the Hebrew Scriptures (see, for example, 1 Samuel 10:6; Isaiah 32:15; Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:25-27; 37; Joel 2:28-29). Jesus’ question must have exposed Nicodemus, who perhaps thought that he and Jesus were teachers who would discuss spiritual matters from an equal level of learning and understanding (see 3:2). This Jewish teacher of the Bible knew the Old Testament thoroughly, but he didn’t understand what it said about the Messiah.

*LIFE APPLICATION: DON’T GIVE UP ON PEOPLE

It must have seemed unlikely to the disciples that Nicodemus would believe in Jesus. Are there people you disregard, thinking they could never be brought to God—such as a world leader for whom you have never prayed or a successful person to whom you have never witnessed? Don’t assume that anyone is beyond the gospel. God, through his Holy Spirit, can reach anyone, and you should pray diligently for whomever he brings to your mind. Be a witness and example to everyone with whom you have contact. God may touch those you think most unlikely—and he may use you to do it.

3:11-12 Commentators do not agree as to whom the pronoun we refers to. Most likely, it refers to all those prophets who have spoken to Israel; it may also refer to Jesus and his Father. Things that happen here on earth such as the wind, can be “sensed”—that is, felt and heard. Jesus has spoken in an “earthly” analogy, and if Nicodemus could not believe that, how could he possible believe if Jesus were to tell him what is going on in heaven? These are the truths that pertain to the heavenly realm and heavenly Kingdom (for example, the more abstract theological topics such as the Trinity or Jesus’ coming glory).

*LIFE APPLICATION: HEAVENLY MINDED

These “heavenly things” cannot be sensed; they must be revealed by God and believed in faith. They are not conclusions to which we are naturally drawn. Quite often Jesus did not speak of these things directly because his listeners would not be able to understand. Instead, Jesus used parables to help those whose ears and hearts were open to grasp God’s revelation.

Even today the depths of Christ’s teaching escapes the bored and inattentive. As Jesus pointed out, many of us have ears to hear, but do not listen. Sometimes the simple discipline of repeatedly reading a chapter of Scripture can help us see and receive what God has stored there for our benefit.

3:13-15 This statement, following the last part of verse 12, tells us why Jesus was uniquely qualified to speak about heavenly matters. His authoritative message about heaven was based on personal experience. He came to earth and will return to heaven. Heaven was the home he left on his mission to rescue us. No other man could claim the same. The Son of Man is the term Jesus always used as his self-designation (1:51; see also Daniel 7:13; Matthew 26:64).

The Son of Man came from heaven and became flesh in order to die—but his death would have special importance. That significance had been “taught” by God throughout the experiences of his chosen people. To illustrate this, Jesus compared his coming death to a story well known to Nicodemus, for it came from Jewish history. According to Numbers 21:6-9, while the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, God sent a plague of snakes to punish the people for their rebellious attitudes. But God also gave the remedy for the poisonous snakebites—he told Moses to erect a pole upon which he was to attach a bronze snake. Those bitten by the poisonous snakes could be healed by obeying God’s command to look up at the elevated bronze snake and by believing that God would heal them. Their healing came when they looked upon this lifted-up, bronze snake.

Jesus used this incident to picture his coming salvation work on the cross. To be lifted up in Jesus’ time—according to the usage in John (see 8:28; 12:32-34)—was a euphemism for death on the cross (the victim was literally lifted up above the earth); it also spoke of his subsequent glorification. In Numbers 21:6-9, the perishing Israelites looked upon the lifted-up snake and lived. Similarly, salvation happens when we look up to Jesus, believing he will save us. God has provided this way for us to be healed of sin’s deadly bite. The Israelites were spared their lives; the believer in Jesus is spared eternal destruction and given eternal life.

*LIFE APPLICATION: THE REQUIRED RESPONSE

Three times in this context the idea of “believing in him” is used to describe the required response by a person to Christ. The way this word is used means more than mental assent. Rather, it has been paraphrased: to have a firm faith; to accept trustfully; to be fully convinced; to place confidence in; to wholeheartedly accept. There is a danger, however, in emphasizing only the idea of “belief,” since belief without an object is merely wishful thinking. The importance of a Christian’s belief is not in the believer, but in the one believed. A person may have a strong belief in a lie, but that faith will not change the lie to truth. Believers anchor their trust in Jesus Christ, who identified himself as truth (14:6). Does our faith depend on our ability to trust or does it rest on the trustworthiness of Jesus?

3:16 The entire gospel comes to a focus in this verse. God’s love is not just to a certain group of individuals—it is offered to the world. God’s love is not static or self-centered; it reaches out and draws others in. Here God’s actions defined the pattern of true love, the basis for all love relationships—when you love someone, you are willing to sacrifice dearly for that person. Sacrificial love is also practical in seeking ways to meet the needs of those who are loved. In God’s case, that love was infinitely practical, since it set out to rescue those who had no hope of rescuing themselves. God paid dearly to save us; he gave his only Son, the highest price he could pay.

This offer is made to everyone who believes. To “believe” is more than intellectual agreement that Jesus is God. It means putting our trust and confidence in him that he alone can save us. It is to put Christ in charge of our present plans and eternal destiny. Believing is both trusting his words as reliable and relying on him for the power to change.

Jesus accepted our punishment and paid the price for our sins so that we would not perish. Perish does not mean physical death, for we all will eventually die. Here it refers to eternity apart from God. Those who believe will receive the alternative, the new life that Jesus bought for us—eternal life with God.

*LIFE APPLICATION: LIVING FOREVER DOESN’T SOUND SO GREAT . . .

Some people are repulsed by the idea of eternal life because their lives are miserable with pain, hunger, poverty, or disappointment. But eternal life is not an extension of a person’s mortal life; eternal life is God’s life embodied in Christ given to all believers now as a guarantee that they will live forever. Not only will we be changed, almost everything else will also be changed (Revelation 21:1-4). In eternal life there is no death, sickness, enemy, evil, or sin. When we don’t know Christ, we make choices as though this life is all we have. In reality, this life is just the introduction to eternity. Receive this new life by faith and begin to evaluate all that happens from an eternal perspective.

3:17 All people are already under God’s judgment because of sin—specifically the sin of not believing in God’s Son (16:9). The only way to escape the condemnation is to believe in Jesus, the Son of God, because God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. He who believes in him is saved from God’s judgment. And God wants people to believe (2 Peter 3:9).

When we consider ways to communicate the gospel, we should follow Jesus’ example. We do not need to condemn unbelievers; they are condemned already. We must tell them about this condemnation, and then offer them the way of salvation—faith in Jesus Christ. When we share the gospel with others, our love must be like Jesus’—willingly giving up our own comfort and security so that others might join us in receiving God’s love.

*LIFE APPLICATION: GOOD NEWS

The gospel truly is good news! It is not always seen as good news because people are often afraid it is too good to be true. Moments of honest reflection usually confront us with the hopelessness of our lives. We know we are far from perfect. The bad news is so bad that we can hardly stand it. So we try to protect ourselves from our fears by putting our faith in something we do or have: good deeds, skill, intelligence, money, possessions. Since perfection is far out of reach, we are tempted to settle for effort. We end up living barely a step ahead of despair. To those who can see their predicament, the gospel is welcomed good news. Only God can save us from the one thing that we really need to fear—eternal condemnation. We believe in God by recognizing the insufficiency of our own efforts to find salvation and by asking him to do his work in us.

3:18-20 What follows describes the grounds for judgment. Those who trust in Jesus have no judgment awaiting them. But those who don’t believe have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God. The arrival of the light from heaven signals that with the coming of Jesus we have: (1) an absolute source of truth; (2) condemnation of sin; (3) guidance for our daily decisions; and (4) illumination to learn about God more clearly.

What a tragedy that people have turned away from God’s offer, embracing instead the darkness in hopes of covering up evil actions. There is probably no more painful moment than when we honestly confront our tendency to love darkness, to twist or withhold the truth. The Son did not come to judge, but in the light of his character the sharp shadows of our sinfulness stand out. The people who hate the light are those who want to sin in the darkness. Evil deeds are revealed by the light, so people who want to do evil must do it in the dark so they cannot be exposed and caught in the act.

*LIFE APPLICATION: TURN OFF THE LIGHTS!

Many people don’t want their lives exposed to God’s light because they are afraid of what will be revealed or because of the demands the light places on them. They don’t particularly want to be changed. We should not be surprised when these same people are threatened by our desire to obey God and do what is right—they are afraid that the light in us may expose some of the darkness in their lives. Rather than giving in to discouragement, we must keep praying that they will come to see how much better it is to live in light than in darkness.

3:21 According to the context, to do what is right is to come to Christ, the light; the result of coming to the light and living in the light will be clearly seen in believers’ lives. Christ’s life in us will make our lives able to stand exposure to bright light, for our deeds will be honest, pure, and truthful. John wrote about this at length in 1 John 1:5-7.

*LIFE APPLICATION: LIVING IN THE LIGHT

Graciously, God does not reveal everything about us that needs changing at once. But as we move toward the light, as our lives become filled with God’s presence, we become more aware of sin as well as more aware of the benefits God brings to us. Like people in a dark room when the lights suddenly come on, it takes time for our “eyes” to grow accustomed to seeing. But as Jesus points out later in 16:7-11, the presence of the Holy Spirit in us will make us specially sensitive to sin and the need for continued cleansing. Once we are in the light, we must also guard against the temptation to “close our eyes tight” when God is showing us something by the light of his Word (Psalm 119:105).

John the Baptist Tells More about Jesus / 3:22-36

This section begins with an abrupt change of scene to Aenon, near Salim, in the land of Judea. Both Jesus and John—the two prominent figures in the new movement of God—were gathering disciples; but more were coming to Jesus than to John. This seems to have troubled John’s disciples. As for John, he was perfectly aware of what his position was in God’s plan. He was the herald of the Messiah-King—to put it in his own words, the friend of the bridegroom (3:29). John was content to prepare for the bridegroom and then fade quietly into the background while the bridegroom received all the attention. John knew that he would become less important and less noticed and that Jesus would receive increased recognition and importance. John rejoiced to see this happen.

3:22-23 These verses tell us that two groups were baptizing at the same time: one in Judea, the other at Aenon, near Salim, which may have been in northern Samaria. Aenon, which means “a place of many springs,” helps explain the statement, there was plenty of water.

While John was baptizing in northern Samaria, the disciples of Jesus under his direction (for Jesus himself did not baptize, according to 4:2) were also baptizing. Since John’s baptism prepared the way for people to come to the Messiah, we can postulate that Jesus’ disciples carried out the same kind of baptism as did John—one that prepared people to receive Christ and enter into his Kingdom.

3:24 This was occurring before John was put into prison, clarifying the chronology of events. At the time John wrote this Gospel (a.d. 90s), his readers may not have known when John the Baptist’s ministry ended—especially in relationship to Jesus’ ministry.

3:25 Given the immediate context, the argument over ceremonial cleansing probably involved some debate about the authority of John’s baptism and how it related to the baptisms connected with Jesus. This topic was still controversial years later during one of the final confrontations between Jesus and the teachers of religious law (Luke 20:1-8). The Jews sought cleansing through various sacrifices and washings prescribed by God through Moses. But centuries of human “adjustments” had transformed the way of humility before God into a hopeless maze of human effort. The huge system was bent on self-preservation rather than in truly serving God. Thus, for many religious leaders, John’s effrontery in preaching simple repentance and requiring public baptism was unacceptable as a form of cleansing.

3:26 John’s disciples exposed their competitive spirit—this is certain because of the way John responded to them in the following verses. These disciples of John must have lost sight of their mission—which was to join John in preparing people for Christ. They should not have been surprised (much less, dismayed) that people were going to Christ—they were supposed to!

Why did John the Baptist continue to baptize after Jesus came onto the scene? Why didn’t he become a disciple too? John explained that because God had given him his work, he had to continue it until God called him to do something else. John’s main purpose was to point people to Christ. Even with Jesus beginning his own ministry, John could still point people to Jesus.

*LIFE APPLICATION:  “CHRISTIAN” COMPETITIVENESS

We Christians must always remember the primary focus of our ministry: to exalt Christ and point people to him. Healthy relationships with other Christians will include our recognition of certain leaders, pastors, and teachers. But we must always remember that they, too, have the same commission. We should not allow ourselves to become prideful of the particular church, group, or leader with which we are associated. And we must do our utmost to resist any kind of competitive spirit. All of us are under the sovereignty of God. Envious or bitter comparisons make us ineffective. Our task is to follow Christ and see that he is exalted.

3:27 John’s reply to his disciples was the response of a man who knew his place in God’s plan. He knew that a person is not able to do anything unless it has been given to him or her from God: “God in heaven appoints each person’s work.” If all the people were going to Christ, if Christ’s ministry was expanding, then it must be God’s plan. John exemplifies the kind of exuberant endorsement that ought to come from us when we hear that someone is being effective as a servant of Christ.

*LIFE APPLICATION: REAL SUCCESS

To what degree is success the mark of God’s blessing or approval? If God guarantees success to those who really serve him, is he limited to fulfilling their expectations of success? The answer in both cases is clearly no. Both John and Jesus were successful in their missions, but the first lost his head; the second was crucified. God’s idea of blessing is quite different from ours. God calls us to be faithful where we are, with his plan for us. We are not to carry out anyone else’s plan. Someday we will probably be amazed at the variety of people to whom God says, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21 niv). Let’s make sure we share in the delight of hearing those words directed at us. That objective will require that we center our living on what God directs us to do through his Word rather than trying to live up to the expectations of neighbors or our culture.

3:28 Here John reiterated what he had told the disciples earlier: “I am not the Messiah” (1:20). John had always been forthright in declaring his position; he did this so that the distinction between himself and the Messiah would be unmistakably clear. His job had always been to prepare the way for him—that is all.

3:29 John employed a beautiful metaphor to depict the way he saw his relationship with Jesus the Christ. He described himself as being the bridegroom’s friend—or, as we would say today, “the best man.” As the best man, John enjoyed seeing his friend, the bridegroom, honored. He insisted that all the attention should go to the bridegroom and his bride.

3:30 What a realization John had! He knew that his work was destined to become less and less—he himself would have to decrease. John’s willingness to decrease so that Jesus would increase reveals unusual humility. It also reveals how much he was like Jesus in character.

*LIFE APPLICATION: BECOMING LESS

We may be tempted to focus more on our success than on Christ. Others may project a false humility or even a destructive self-hatred. Healthy humility, as modeled by John, defines itself in truthful comparison. John did not say he was nothing. He identified himself in relation to the most important person in his life. Because of John’s profound understanding of his purpose in life, he eagerly pointed to the greatness of Jesus. John welcomed the success of Jesus’ revelation as the Messiah even though he realized his own moment in the spotlight was passing. The more Jesus was recognized, the more John could enjoy his own success. Humility combines the persistence to do and be what God has called us to be, the wisdom to recognize those things we cannot do and be, and the vision to always see ourselves in relation to God’s greatness.

3:31 John’s statement revealed his attitude about Christ’s superiority and preeminence over him. The same word (anothen) that appears here was used in 3:3. Jesus is the one who has come from above, while we are people who must be “born from above” if we hope to see the Kingdom of God. John, whom Jesus himself called the greatest man born among men (Matthew 11:11), was still a man of the earth (see 1 Corinthians 15:47). Christ’s heavenly origin gives him superiority over every person.

3:32 Throughout his Gospel, John emphasized the fact that Jesus spoke what he had seen and heard from the Father (8:14-30). He was the Father’s representative in word and action. But few would believe what he tells them. This is a great condemnation upon mankind—especially upon the people who lived when Jesus did, for they were the ones who heard his testimony and rejected it (see 1:10-11; 3:11; 12:37ff.).

3:33 By way of contrast with verse 32, this verse indicates that some did receive Jesus’ testimony. Those who believe him discover that God is true. They believed that he was the Son of God come from heaven, the Messiah. Their belief in his testimony was their “stamp of approval” on the truthfulness of God’s action (sending his Son). In other words, they tested the testimony and found it to be true. It was true whether or not anyone else ever witnessed to its truth. The gospel is the invitation from God to add ourselves to those who have staked their lives on Christ, the Truth.

*

• LIFE APPLICATION: TOLERANCE

Jesus did not accept the mere tolerance of others in his own day, and neither will he in ours. Jesus helps us recognize that tolerance is often nothing more than thinly veiled rejection. Nicodemus’s opening words can be read as complimentary tolerance. Jesus’ response pushed Nicodemus to declare himself plainly, to make a choice. Jesus received the open acceptance or rejection of people, but he refused to be simply tolerated.

Repeating the absolute claims of Jesus today is liable to bring heated responses not unlike those Jesus himself experienced. Doubts about this can be easily settled by mentioning in social company that Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 nrsv). Responses will almost always vary from “Really?” to “He must not have meant it like it sounds,” to “”That’s just narrow-minded, fundamentalist thinking!” The world persists in wanting to categorize Jesus as nice, wise, or even great—almost anything short of bowing before him in repentance and worship.

 When truth is sacrificed on the altar of tolerance, no one hears the truth of what God did for us by sending his Son to die on the cross.

3:34 This statement authenticates what was said in verse 32. God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is sent by God and speaks God’s words because God’s Spirit is upon him without measure or limit. God gave the immeasurable Spirit to his Son. As such, the Son was the recipient of the immeasurable Spirit for his prophetic ministry (see Isaiah 11:1ff.). But unlike the Old Testament prophets who were anointed with the Holy Spirit only when they were speaking for God, Jesus always had the Spirit and therefore always spoke the words of God. We can trust the words of Jesus.

3:35 The Father committed all of his divine plan to the care of his beloved Son: The Father loves his Son, and he has given him authority over everything. What a glorious privilege and awesome responsibility! By the end of his ministry, Jesus told the Father that he had accomplished everything the Father had wanted him to do (17:1-4).

3:36 Believers need not wonder whether or not they have eternal life (or wait for the future judgment to see if eternal life will be granted or not). All who believe in God’s Son have eternal life. Thus, eternal life begins at the moment of spiritual rebirth. The question for individual believers, then, is: How does our way of living demonstrate the fact that we expect to live eternally?

In contrast, those who don’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life. There are only two groups in the end—those who have eternal life, and those who do not. To disobey the Son is to reject him. To reject the Son’s testimony and the gospel is to cut ourselves off from the benefits available only through him. Those people will experience the wrath of God.

John, the author of this Gospel, has been demonstrating that Jesus is the true Son of God. Jesus sets before us the greatest choice in life. We are responsible to decide today whom we will obey (Joshua 24:15). God wants us to choose him and life (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). God’s wrath is his final judgment and rejection of the sinner. To put off the choice is to choose not to follow Christ. Indecision is a fatal decision.

For more about the Ridge Fellowship, go to www.RidgeFellowship.com

Sources:  Life Application Bible Commentary

 Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

Jesus performs his first miracle by turning water into wine.  Later he clears the temple of thieves and swindlers.   Check out this and other *Life Application points in today’s reading:

“YOU CAN HAVE THE BEST NOW

People look everywhere but to God for excitement and meaning. For some reason, they expect God to be dull and lifeless. Just as the wine Jesus made was the best, so life in him is better than life on our own. Why wait until everything else runs out before trying God? Don’t save the best until last.”

Read on for other great *Life Applications…

Jesus Turns Water into Wine / 2:1-12 Turning water into wine was Jesus first miracle(2:11). This small display of his divine power was enough to convince the disciples of his identity and initiate their trust in him (2:11), though later events demonstrated that they only partially understood Jesus’ purpose.

2:1-2 A wedding celebration could last as long as a week (see Genesis 29:27-28). Cana was a town about nine miles north of Nazareth. The only references to the town of Cana are found in John’s Gospel. Two of Jesus’ miracles are connected with that location: creating wine from water (2:1-11) and healing an official’s son (4:46-54). Nathanael, one of the twelve disciples, is described as a native of Cana (21:2). The town has not survived into the present but is thought to have been between Nazareth and Capernaum, in the northwest region of the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus’ mother, Mary, was a guest, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited. When a wedding was held, the entire town was invited, and most made the effort to come (it was considered an insult to refuse an invitation to a wedding). Cana was Jesus’ home region, so he may have known the bride and groom. In any case, his presence was intentional.

Jesus’ attendance and his actions at this wedding indicate his approval of the celebration. (See Jesus’ comments about marriage in Matthew 5:31-32; 19:3-9.) Images of Jesus as a dour-faced Messiah, passing judgment on all in his path simply fail to account for the biblical evidence that he was completely at home in festive occasions. In fact, part of his rejection by religious leaders was based on their perception that he enjoyed being with sinners more than was appropriate (see Mark 2:15-16 and Luke 5:30). Jesus’ life is the most profound statement ever made against joyless spirituality.

*LIFE APPLICATION: LET’S CELEBRATE!

Jesus was on a mission to save the world, the greatest mission in the history of mankind. Yet he took time to attend a wedding and take part in its festivities. We may be tempted to think we should not take time out from our “important” work for social occasions. But we need to see these social occasions as part of our mission. By participating in these events, Jesus was able to be involved with people, the very ones he came to save. Likewise, our efforts to represent Christ should not exclude joyous times of celebration with others. We can develop balance in our lives by bringing Jesus into times of pleasure as well as times of work.

2:3-4 The week-long weddings in Jesus’ time must have had about the same impact on family budgets as weddings do today. Banquets were prepared for many guests, and everyone spent several days celebrating the new life of the married couple. To accommodate the guests, careful planning was needed. Running out of wine meant more than embarrassment; it broke the strong unwritten laws of hospitality. Jesus was about to respond to a heartfelt need. Mary told Jesus of the predicament, perhaps expecting him to do something about it. Some believe Mary was not assuming that Jesus would perform a miracle; she was simply hoping that her son would help solve this major problem and find some wine. Tradition says that Joseph, Mary’s husband, was dead, so she probably was used to depending on her son’s help in certain situations. Although Mary did not know what Jesus was going to do, she trusted him to handle the problem. Others point out that Mary had known for a long time about her son’s divine commission. Perhaps she wanted Jesus to do something in the presence of her relatives and/or friends (who may have heard some reports about Jesus) that would prove he was the Messiah. The tension between Jesus’ verbal response, “How does that concern you and me?” and his later actions leaves the question of Mary’s expectations undecided. But Mary’s trust is unmistakable!

In any case, Jesus made it clear to his mother that his life was following a different timetable; he lived to carry out his Father’s business, according to his Father’s plans. Whatever Jesus’ intended response to the problem at hand, he expressed to his mother a firm reminder that his priorities were different from hers—his time had not yet come. The “time” to which Jesus referred was the time of his glorification, when he would receive his true place and position, not as an earthly king, but as the Messiah, God’s Son, Savior of mankind, seated at God’s right hand (see 7:30, 39; 12:23-24; 17:1). This glorification would occur after his death and resurrection, for it would be only through death and resurrection that Jesus could accomplish what he came to earth to accomplish—to offer salvation to all people.

*LIFE APPLICATION: NO MORE WINE

Mary’s simple action illustrates that receiving our Lord’s filling and healing begins with recognizing our need. For Mary, it was easy—the wine was gone. It may be more difficult for us to identify our problem. But left to our own resources, we will run dry. Life is too complex, its problems too challenging, and our own strength too limited to allow us to cope without help. Defining the exact need may not be as crucial as admitting our incompleteness. But recognizing our emptiness before Christ will allow him to work a miracle in us. He will apply his powerful resources to our lives. Have you expressed to God your lack that only he can fill? Are you willing to do what he asks of you?

2:5-6 Mary was not promised any kind of action but realized that Jesus might do something about the situation, even though his remark in verse 4 must have limited her expectations. Nevertheless, Mary’s words to the servants to do whatever they are told show her respect for Jesus’ authority.

The six stone waterpots were normally used for the ceremonial washing of hands as part of the Jewish purification rites before and after meals (see Matthew 15:1-2). When full, each jar would hold twenty to thirty gallons.

*LIFE APPLICATION : DO IT!

We would do well to follow Mary’s command to the servants to “Do whatever he tells you” every moment of our lives. No one could have guessed what Jesus was about to do. But Mary’s willingness to obey was settled beforehand. We, too, must decide that our first reaction will be to obey rather than to question what God directs us to do. Like the servants, we will rarely be told beforehand all the details of what God plans to do.

Are you ready to do what he says? Ask yourself:

• Is there a cherished sin? Confess and forsake it.
• Is there a broken relationship? Seek to heal it.
• Is there a service opportunity Christ has placed before you? Step out and do it.
• Is there a need you feel convicted to fill? Be strong and meet it.
• Is there a higher level of commitment that Christ directs you to make? Welcome his call with all your heart.

2:7-8 This filling to the brim showed that nothing could be added to the water. When Jesus performed the miracle, all the water was changed to wine; wine was not added to the water. It portrays the abundance of Christ’s gracious work; it also indicates the wholeheartedness of the servants’ obedience. The servants dipped into the jars and drew out the water that had been miraculously changed to wine. Jesus instructed them to take it to the master of ceremonies.

 *LIFE APPLICATION: HUMAN AGENTS

Jesus did not require the help of the servants nor the filled jars in order to perform his miracle. The filling of the jars could itself have been part of the miracle. But as Jesus demonstrated repeatedly in dealing with people, God honors us with significant roles in his work. We are not indispensable, but graciously included. For another outstanding example, note the resurrection of Lazarus (11:43-44) where Jesus gives life, but friends unwrap and clean up what must have been a completely shocked Lazarus! Does your work carry the imprint of Christ upon it? Do you fulfill your responsibility, sensing how Christ is using you?

2:9-10 It was customary to give the best wine first and the poorer wine last because people’s taste buds grow less sensitive with more and more drinks. The water turned into wine was of such quality that the master of ceremonies made a point of mentioning this to the bridegroom, who also probably reacted in surprise. Neither of them knew where this wine came from, but Mary, the servants, and the disciples were aware of what had happened.

*LIFE APPLICATION: YOU CAN HAVE THE BEST NOW

People look everywhere but to God for excitement and meaning. For some reason, they expect God to be dull and lifeless. Just as the wine Jesus made was the best, so life in him is better than life on our own. Why wait until everything else runs out before trying God? Don’t save the best until last.

 This miracle illustrated the emptiness of the Jewish rituals versus what Jesus came to bring (see 4:13; 7:38-39). The water of ceremonial cleansing has become the wine of the messianic age. Have we tasted the new wine?

*LIFE APPLICATION: MORE THAN WE NEED

Jesus did not come to earth solely to satisfy our desires or to make us happy, as this first miracle might lead some to conclude. Jesus did perform a miracle, but it was in his time and in his way. Jesus provided as much as 180 gallons of choice wine. The lavish supply of wine was a picture of the salvation he came to offer, and a revelation of who he was. What God gives is given in abundance. In Christ we are promised life, the abundance of that life is indicated by the fact that it is eternal!

2:11 The Gospels record thirty-five miraculous signs performed by Jesus. In the Gospel of John, each miracle was a sign intended to point people to the truth that Jesus is the divine Son of God come down from heaven. These signs were remarkable actions that displayed the presence and power of God. According to John’s Gospel, this was Jesus’ first sign—and it was performed in Cana in Galilee (his own region). His second was also performed in Galilee (see 4:46-54).

*LIFE APPLICATION: WHY JESUS PERFORMED MIRACLES

Miracles are not merely superhuman events, but events that demonstrate God’s power. Almost every miracle Jesus did was a renewal of fallen creation—restoring sight, making the lame walk, even restoring life to the dead. We are to believe in Christ, not because he is a superman, but because he is the God who continues his creation, even in those of us who are poor, weak, crippled, orphaned, blind, deaf, or with some other desperate need for re-creation.

Many have wondered why Jesus would “waste” his powers on performing a miracle of providing wine for a wedding feast, a party. But all of Jesus’ miracles had a purpose beyond alleviating suffering; they were a display of his glory. The miracles recorded in John’s Gospel (and indeed all the miracles recorded by the other Gospel writers) demonstrated God’s great love for people and his concern for their individual needs. But on a deeper level, Jesus’ unique, divine nature was portrayed in such a way as to claim our loyalty and reverence. The sign of turning water into wine was a partial unveiling of Jesus’ full identity. His power over nature, death, sin, and evil revealed him to be the promised Messiah.

*LIFE APPLICATION: GLORY!

What was this glory of Jesus that people glimpsed in the miracles? It was as if, for a moment, the miracles drew back the curtain and allowed people to see a fuller view of Jesus, including his divine power and authority. Jesus’ divine nature became apparent to those willing to see. The sight was dazzling, compelling, and overwhelming. The Gospel writer summarizes what those who were with Jesus came to understand: “We have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth” (1:14 nrsv). John’s invitation to us is to look through the eyes of the disciples and allow ourselves to be convinced, as they were, by the glory of Jesus.

Up to this point, the disciples (those who had been called so far) were following Jesus for their own reasons. Others may have been questioning who Jesus was and were following him to find out. John says that when the disciples saw the miracle, they believed in him. The miracle demonstrated Jesus’ power over nature and revealed the way he would go about his ministry—helping others, speaking with authority, and being in personal touch with people. God may confront us in any number of ways with our need to believe in his Son. We will be held accountable for whether or not we have believed.

*LIFE APPLICATION: MIRACLES TODAY

Sincere believers wonder whether or not God works miracles today. Certainly God knows what each person requires in order to believe in him. The New Testament accounts record a basic human characteristic that is still true today: people who insisted on a miracle in order to believe remained unconvinced after witnessing the miracle, or were told by Jesus that miracles would not help them. The person who requires God to prove himself may be hiding his or her unwillingness to believe.

In coming to a personal conviction about miracles today, we can make several affirmations:

l God can perform miracles. We must not confuse two questions: Does God perform miracles today? and Can God perform miracles today? The first is a reasonable question; the second implies a loss of power on God’s part and questions his ability. We cannot, by definition, impose limitations on God. God can and will do miracles anywhere and anytime he wishes.

l Miracles tend to be more obvious where the gospel makes new impact. This is because miracles primarily confront ignorance rather than unbelief. Most reports of miracles today come from missionaries on the “outposts” of God’s work. It is entirely possible, as Western society sinks into a morass of religious ignorance, that God will, in fact, increase the frequency of miracles in this part of the world.

l God uses people to do his miraculous work. In the past, there were many basic acts of healing and helping that required God’s direct intervention, for there were no other options. Advances in medicine, mental health, and science (which themselves strike us as miraculous at times) now allow us to carry out what previously required God’s intervention.

l We must expect counterfeits in a fallen world. All the miracles recorded in the Bible were not given a divine stamp of approval (for instance, Pharaoh’s magicians’ snakes—see Exodus 7:8-13). Trusting in God’s ability and willingness to do miracles today may make believers seem gullible. But denying God’s willingness to do miracles may place believers in the even more precarious position of doubting God’s power.

2:12 Capernaum became Jesus’ home base during his ministry in Galilee. Located on a major trade route, it was an important city in the region, with a Roman garrison and a customs station. At Capernaum, Matthew was called to be a disciple (Matthew 9:9). The city was also the home of several other disciples (Matthew 4:13-19) and a high-ranking government official (4:46). It had at least one major synagogue. Although Jesus made this city his base of operations in Galilee, he condemned it for the people’s unbelief (Matthew 11:23; Luke 10:15).

 Jesus Clears the Temple / 2:13-25

The magnificent Temple that Jesus entered with his disciples was the one rebuilt by the remnant of Israelites who had returned from Babylon under Ezra and Nehemiah; it was later enlarged by Herod. The Jews considered the Temple to be God’s house. But the arrival of Jesus and the beginning of his ministry signaled a change. The glory of God, which had filled the holy shrine since the days of the Exodus and the Tabernacle, was no longer in the building; that glory was in Jesus, though veiled within his humanity.

2:13 The Passover celebration took place yearly at the Temple in Jerusalem. Every Jewish male was expected to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem during this time, so Jesus went (Deuteronomy 16:16). This was a week-long festival—the Passover was one day, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasted the rest of the week. The entire week commemorated the freeing of the Jews from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:1-14).

2:14 The Temple was on an imposing hill overlooking the city. Solomon had built the first Temple on this same site almost one thousand years earlier (949 b.c.), but his Temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians (2 Kings 25). The Temple was rebuilt in 515 b.c., and Herod the Great had recently remodeled it.

God had originally instructed the people of Israel to bring from their own flocks the best animals for sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:5-7). This would make the sacrifice more personal. But the Temple priests instituted a market for buying sacrificial animals so the pilgrims would not have to bring their animals on the long journey. In addition, the merchants and money changers were dishonest. The businesspeople selling these animals expected to turn a profit. The price of sacrificial animals was much higher in the Temple area than elsewhere. In order to purchase the animals, travelers from other lands would need local currency, and the Temple tax had to be paid in local currency; so money changers exchanged foreign money, but made huge profits by charging exorbitant exchange rates. Jesus was angry at the dishonest, greedy practices of the money changers and merchants, and he particularly disliked their presence on the Temple grounds. They had set up shop in the Court of the Gentiles, making it so full of merchants that foreigners found it difficult to worship—and worship was the main purpose for visiting the Temple. With all the merchandising taking place in the area allotted for the Gentiles, how could they spend time with God in prayer? No wonder Jesus was angry!

*LIFE APPLICATION: WHY DO YOU GO TO CHURCH?

Many churches do everything they can to make the time of worship convenient for people. And some people attend church because they see it as a place for personal contacts or business advantage. But worshiping God is not always convenient; it demands true devotion and self-sacrifice. Nor is it for our own earthly advancement. Our focus should be on God alone. We are to worship sincerely, reverently, and humbly. That is not to say we cannot be excited, even zealous, about God. But we are always to worship with reverence—recognizing and remembering who God is.

 2:15 Jesus’ response to the desecration of the Temple was deliberate and forceful. He was intent on scouring the Temple. This cleansing was significantly appropriate during Passover because that was the time when all the Jews were supposed to cleanse their houses of all leaven (yeast). During the Feast of Unleavened Bread, no leaven was used in any baking and, in fact, was not even to be found in the Israelite homes (Exodus 12:17-20).

Jesus did not lose his temper; his action expressed anger, but he was clearly in control of himself. Jesus was zealous for the reverence due to God the Father, and he knew that the irreverent marketplace within the very courts of God’s Temple would not be expelled without the use of force. He made a whip and chased them all out of the Temple.

 *LIFE APPLICATION:WHEN IS ANGER GOOD?

Jesus was obviously angry at the merchants who exploited those who had come to God’s house to worship. There is a difference between uncontrolled rage and righteous indignation—yet both are called anger. We must be very careful how we use the powerful emotion of anger. It is right to be angry about injustice and sin; it is wrong to be angry over trivial personal offenses.  Jesus made a whip and chased out the money changers. Does his example permit us to use violence against wrongdoers? Certain authority is granted to some, but not to all. For example, the authority to use force and restrain people is granted to police officers, but not to the general public. The authority to imprison people is granted to judges, but not to individual citizens. While we want to live like Christ, we should never try to claim his authority where it has not been given to us.

2:16 Jesus saw the Temple as his Father’s house. His own rightful claim to ownership was unmistakable. But the religious leaders of that day were trespassers—turning it into a place of business and money-making—no more than a marketplace. People had created an environment that, in essence, put a price on what God intended to be free. Access to God is not for sale. According to the other three Gospels, Jesus visited the Temple again and cleansed it during his final visit to Jerusalem during the Passover, just prior to his crucifixion (see Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-46).

*LIFE APPLICATION:CHEAP WORSHIP

We have so many opportunities for worship that we may trivialize its importance. We frankly have a difficult time identifying with believers elsewhere in the world who worship under threat of pain, imprisonment, even death. The faith of these believers is portrayed by exuberance, seriousness, and reverence in worship, despite their environment. Too often for us, worship seems to be nothing more than Christians getting together for fellowship, to learn from each other, and to help each other. While all that is good, it may not be true worship. If God is not the focus, the church is in danger of becoming nothing more than a service club.

 2:17 This quote from Psalm 69:9 was thought to refer not only to the psalmist but also to the coming Messiah. His incredible zeal for God and for purity of worship would endanger his life. In fact, Jesus was perceived as a threat to the religious establishment, and this was a direct cause of his death. The disciples, probably as much as any of the people then present, must have been shocked at Jesus’ display of anger. But John reported that they remembered God’s word and saw the action as God-ordained, having been prophesied in the Scriptures.

2:18-19 The hardhearted people of Jesus’ day continually required Jesus to give them some miraculous sign to prove his authority from God. However, Jesus would not give his generation the kind of sign they demanded; he himself was the sign, for he was the Son of God come from heaven to earth. This would be known to all after his resurrection. This would be the ultimate sign he would give Israel and all mankind. So Jesus answered the Jewish leaders’ challenge with a counter-challenge that the disciples later understood to be a prediction of his own death and resurrection (2:22). Jesus’ opponents saw only the absurdity of his claim. His sign to them was, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Jesus’ ambiguous statement is a good example of how he encouraged people to think and inquire more deeply. Along with his parables, these statements accomplished the dual task of frustrating the halfhearted and self-righteous while at the same time piquing the curiosity of those who were sincere seekers.

This would be the sign the Jews required, even if they did not recognize it. They would destroy his body, and he would raise it up in three days. At another time when the Jews asked Jesus for a sign, he told them that the only sign he would give them was that of Jonah the prophet, who spent three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish before God delivered him (see Matthew 12:39-40). In like manner, Jesus would be killed and after three days rise from the dead.

2:20-21 The Jews understood Jesus to mean the Temple where he had just driven out the merchants and money changers. This was the Temple Zerubbabel had built more than five hundred years earlier, but Herod the Great had begun remodeling it, making it much larger and far more beautiful. It had been forty-six years since this remodeling had started (20 b.c.), and it still wasn’t completely finished. They understood Jesus’ words to mean that this imposing building could be torn down and rebuilt in three days, and they were openly skeptical.

*LIFE APPLICATION:TEMPLE

Jesus was going to make salvation universally available through his death. Only by clarifying how the old system was intended could the new system have a place. Only by “destroying the temple” would Jesus be able to offer all believers personal access to God. Only by fulfilling the system of sacrifice could he become the perfect and final sacrifice for all mankind. The eventual destruction of the temple in 70 a.d. was the final evidence that the old system had been superseded by Jesus’ work on the cross and in the lives of those who believe in him.

2:22 The Scriptures probably means the whole Old Testament as it testifies to Christ’s death and resurrection (passages such as Psalm 22:7-17). After Christ’s resurrection, the Spirit illuminated these Scriptures (14:26), so the disciples remembered and believed. As Jesus predicted, they did destroy his body (the Temple), and he did raise it up in three days.

*LIFE APPLICATION: RESURRECTION

For believers, the Resurrection places a confirming stamp on Jesus’ life and words. It is not just one of many miracles of Jesus. Instead, it is the key to understanding God’s plan; it is the central, foundational fact of Christianity. As Paul put it, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14 niv). Whenever we are troubled about what Jesus said or did, it usually indicates that we have drifted from our understanding of his resurrection. With the Resurrection settled, the rest of the record seems possible; but doubting the Resurrection makes the rest improbable. Do you accept his credentials as the risen Lord?

2:23-25 This was during the same week that Jesus purged the Temple in Jerusalem (see 2:13ff.). It was the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread that followed the day of Passover. John did not recount any of the miraculous signs Jesus performed in Jerusalem; he simply said that many people were convinced that he was indeed the Messiah. But, as the next verse indicates, this belief was not complete. The people believed in Jesus as a miracle worker or a political Messiah, but not necessarily as the true Messiah, the Son of God.

In 2:23, John said that many believed in him; in 2:24, John said that Jesus did not entrust himself to them. The reason for Jesus’ lack of trust then follows—he knew what people were really like. Jesus was realistic about the depth of trust in those who were now following him. Some would endure; others would fall away (6:66). Jesus was discerning, and he knew that the faith of some followers was superficial. Some of the same people who claimed to believe in Jesus at this time would later yell, “Crucify him!”

For more about The Ridge Fellowship go to www.RidgeFellowship.com

Sources:

 Life Application Bible Commentary

 Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary