Category Archives: Bible Studies

Studies In The Gospel of John

Study Guide – The Gospel of John
Chapter One– Study One

How does John begin his gospel, the good news, about Jesus?
John 1:1-2

1a “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John doesn’t begin with the birth of Jesus as did Matthew and Luke, nor did he begin his gospel with an introduction of John the Baptist, as did Mark. He began his Gospel by declaring that Jesus was God.
How did he describe Jesus? As the word of God
What is implied in that phrase?
Turning to our teachers at “Got questions.org”, we read: [By starting out his gospel with saying; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” John is introducing Jesus with a word or a term that both his Jewish and Gentile readers would have been familiar with. The Greek word translated “Word” in this passage is Logos, and it was common in both Greek philosophy and Jewish thought of that day. For example, in the Old Testament the “word” of God is often personified as an instrument for the execution of God’s will (Psalm 33:6; 107:20; 119:89; 147:15-18). So, for his Jewish readers, by introducing Jesus as the “Word,” John is in a sense pointing them back to the Old Testament where the Logos or “Word” of God is associated with the personification of God’s revelation. And in Greek philosophy, the term Logos was used to describe the intermediate agency by which God created material things and communicated with them. In the Greek worldview, the Logos was thought of as a bridge between the transcendent God and the material universe. Therefore, for his Greek readers the use of the term Logos would have likely brought forth the idea of a mediating principle between God and the world.
So, essentially, what John is doing by introducing Jesus as the Logos is drawing upon a familiar word and concept that both Jews and Gentiles of his day would have been familiar with and using that as the starting point from which he introduces them to Jesus Christ. But John goes beyond the familiar concept of Logos that his Jewish and Gentile readers would have had and presents Jesus Christ not as a mere mediating principle like the Greeks perceived, but as a personal being, fully divine, yet fully human. Also, Christ was not simply a personification of God’s revelation as the Jews thought, but was indeed God’s perfect revelation of Himself in the flesh, so much so that John would record Jesus’ own words to Philip: “Jesus said unto him, ‘Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, “Show us the Father”?'” (John 14:9). By using the term Logos or “Word” in John 1:1, John is amplifying and applying a concept with which his audience was familiar and using that to introduce his readers to the true Logos of God in Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, fully God and yet fully man, who came to reveal God to man and redeem all who believe in Him from their sin.]
Our teachers at “Got questions.org” are simply saying that preincarnate Jesus was the spokesman, the communicator, a.k.a. the agent of God and when He became flesh (John 1:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:7) He continued that role but in a more personal way, by identifying as both God and man. (He was representative God and representative man).
The writer of Hebrews confirms that in His humanity (in His flesh) Jesus was the spokesman of God. “1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2a).
What does John say about preincarnate Jesus?
1:1b / And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (Preincarnate Jesus was God)

What else did he say about preincarnate Jesus?

1:2 “He was in the beginning with God, and the Word was God”.

What is the impact of this?

John was convinced that the Jesus he personally knew, before He (Preincarnate Jesus) became flesh, existed as God.

What role (If we can call it a role) did preincarnate Jesus exercise at creation? (Pages 3-4).

John 1:3 “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made”.

See Colossians 1:16 “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him”.

Genesis 1:1 says that “God created the heavens and the earth.”
Then, Colossians 1:16 gives the added detail that God created “all things” through Jesus Christ.
John 1:1 emphatically declares three important things about Jesus and Father God.
1) Preincarnate Jesus was “in the beginning”—He was present at creation. Jesus had existed eternally with God.
2) Preincarnate Jesus is distinct from the Father—He was “with” God.
3) Both preincarnate and the human Jesus is the same as God in nature—He “was/is God.”
The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, was also active in the creation (Genesis 1:2).
“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
Creator God of Genesis 1:1-2 was/is a plurality. This is verified by the declaration of verse 26a:
“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’”. The word Our emphatically declares God’s plurality.
Not a plurality of gods but God’s triune being, 3 essences of the one God. The mystery of the triune God is difficult to understand yet it is one of the doctrines revealed in Scripture. In the Bible, both God the Father and Jesus are called Shepherd, Judge, and Savior. Christ is the exact representation of God the Father, having the same nature (Hebrews 1:3). There is some sense in which everything the Father does, the Son and Spirit also do, and vice versa. They are always in perfect agreement at every moment, and all three equal only One God (Deuteronomy 6:4). Knowing that Christ is God and has all the attributes of God aids our understanding of Jesus as the Creator. Sourced from – The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty. John 1:3 “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

The Word (Preincarnate Jesus) was the agent of Creation (cf. John 1:10; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2). All Creation was made by the Word in colaboration with the Father and the Spirit. John stressed the work of the Word. He came to reveal the Father (John 1:14, 18); and the work of revelation began in creation for creation reveals God (Ps. 19:1; Rom. 1:19-20). John Walvoord, Editor of the Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

One can only conclude from John’s opening 3 verses that he believed that preincarnate Jesus was God. That it was preincarnate Jesus who created all there is, and from the rest of John’s testimony (His Gospel) we will learn that he emphatically believed that Jesus was God in the flesh. In fact, he says of Jesus in verse 1:14); “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth”.

Walvoord writes: The Word (Logos; cf. v. 1) became flesh. Christ, the eternal Logos, who is God, came to earth as man. Yet in doing so, He did not merely “appear” like a man; He became one (cf. Phil. 2:5-9). Humanity, in other words, was added to Christ’s deity. And yet Christ, in becoming “flesh,” did not change; so perhaps the word “became” (egeneto) should be understood as “took to Himself” or “arrived on the scene as.”

Chapter One– Study Two
The Light of Men

What did John mean by these words “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men?- John 1:4. (Page 7).

It is true that God is the source of all physical life of everyone and everything that has life, but it is interesting that John used the Greek word “zōē” which has to do with spiritual life opposed to the word “bios” which has to do with physical life. John then added that the spiritual life that was in Jesus was/is the light of man. We don’t want to miss John’s point here, yes, his subject is Jesus, but what is he saying about Jesus? Jesus was/is the embodiment of spiritual life and that spiritual life is the light of men. So if John’s secondary emphasis is spiritual life and it is the light of men, what does this imply? Does it not imply that there is a certain amount of spiritual awareness in every person? (See 1:9)
John MacArthur commenting on these two verses, writes: “While it is appropriate to make some distinction between life and light, the statement the life was the light halts any disconnect between the two. John is writing that life and light cannot be separated. They are essentially the same, with the idea of light emphasizing the manifestation of the divine life. The life was the Light is the same construction as ‘the Word was God’ (v. 1). As God is not separate from the Word, but the same in essence, so life and light share the same essential properties. The light combines with life in a metaphor for the purpose of clarity and contrast. God’s life is true and holy. Light is that truth and holiness manifest against the darkness of lies and sin. Light and life are linked in this same way in John 8:12, in which Jesus says: ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’ The connection between light and life is also clearly made in the Old Testament. Psalm 36:9 says: ‘For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.’ (End of quote).
In that spiritual life is the reality of God and that spiritual life is manifested as spiritual light there exist in every human being the reality of God (See John 1:9) Even though that light may burn dimly, it still exists. We need to remember man was/is given a spirit, a spirit that identifies God to them. (Genesis 2:7; 1st Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12) and even though man because of sin is separated from God still, his spirit lives within him.

What us the implication of this? There are, no true atheist.

What is physical and spiritual light’s nature?

Light’s nature is to shine and dispel darkness, both in the physical and spiritual realms. The properties of darkness and light, whether physical or spiritual are opposed to one another. By this verse John personalized his Gospel record, in the man Jesus. Jesus came into the world to shine spiritual light into spiritual darkness.

Chapter One– Study Three
John the Baptist

Who was John the Baptist?

“John the baptizer” was the forerunner of Jesus Christ. He and his mission were foretold by Isaiah (Isa. 40:3; cf. Matt. 3:3) and by Malachi (Mal. 3:1). John was of the priestly tribe by both of his parents, his father, Zacharias, being a priest of the division of Abijah, and his mother, Elizabeth, being “from the daughters of Aaron” (Luke 1:5). His birth—through the miraculous inter-position of almighty power, by reason of his parents’ extreme age—was foretold by an angel sent from God, who at the same time assigned to him the name of John. He was born in the hill country (where his mother had gone, probably for the sake of privacy) six months before the birth of our Lord, perhaps 5 B.C.). (Source-Unger’s Bible Dictionary)

The Gospel’s of Matthew (3:1-12); Luke (1:5-25); Mark (1:1-10); and John (1:6-) all tell of John and give some insight of God’s purpose for him. He was to prepare the way for Jesus. The apostle John however simply makes this statement: “6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:6-9).

To whom was the Baptist sent?

We note that John was sent to the house of Israel (The Jews) not to the Gentiles. This would have been natural as John was a Jew and it was through the Jews that the message of salvation was to be broadcast to the rest of the world. It was through Israel (the Jews) that preincarnate Jesus entered humanity and it was Jewish men that would be taught by Him and who would establish the church.

About A.D. 25, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar John appeared preaching repentance to the Jews who lived in Jerusalem, Judea, and all the district around the Jordan” (Matt. 3:5). As he called persons to repentance, he proclaimed the king-dom of heaven as being at hand and on a certain day, as he stood in the Jordon river baptizing, Jesus approached him to be baptized. Recognizing Jesus for whom He was (the Lamb of God) John at first declined, but when Jesus said Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15), he baptized Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17).
3:16-17. The significant thing about the baptism of Jesus was the authentication from heaven. As Jesus came up out of the water… the Spirit of God came down on Him in the form of a dove. As One went up, the Other came down. A voice from heaven—the voice of God the Father—said, This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased (cf. Eph. 1:6; Col. 1:13). God repeated these words about Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:5). All three Persons of the Godhead were present at this event: The Father who spoke of His Son, the Son who was being baptized, and the Spirit who descended on the Son as a dove. This verified for John that Jesus is the Son of God (John 1:32-34). It was also in keeping with Isaiah’s prophecy that the Spirit would rest on the Messiah (Isa. 11:2). The descent of the Holy Spirit empowered the Son, the Messiah, for His ministry among people. (Source The Bible Knowledge Commentary)
What was John the Baptist’s testimony? (John 1:19-27)

19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ‘ as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”

With the baptism of Jesus, John’s special office ceased. The King had come, and there was little further need of the herald. We learn that John and his disciples however, continued to baptize for a time after our Lord entered upon His ministry (John 3:23; 4:1). Thus the introduction of Jesus’ ministry and the end of John’s ministry. John had accomplished God’s purpose for him and shortly after Jesus’s baptism (perhaps a few months) he was imprisoned and put to death by Herod Antipas. (See Matthew. 14:3–12; Mark 6:17–29).

Some thoughts
Throughout history God has had a specific purpose for certain persons: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob a.k.a. Israel, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, the harlot Rehab, Daniel, John the Baptist, Joseph and Mary, and the apostles; just to name a few.

Out of all the billions who have been born God has chosen certain ones for specific purposes. Certain persons of our day have also been chosen, all those who faithfully proclaim God’s truth. I believe He chose them before they were conceived and engineered their spiritual rebirth. He called them out of spiritual darkness to Himself and equipped them to fulfill His purpose for them, to have part in bringing many of the rest of humanity to Himself.

Chapter One– Study Four
Rejected by Most but Received by Some
The Recruitment of 12 Men

Returning to John’s introduction of Jesus he wrote: “10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:10-11).

What people are identified as His own? John wrote that Jesus began His ministry among His own people, the Jews, but they did not receive Him. Even His own brothers (John 7:5) did not believe that He was Israel’s Messiah, the Son of God It would take 3 years of ministry among them and His death, burial, and resurrection before they would fully grasp that He was deity, God incarnate.

Why did the Jews of Jesus’ day reject Him and as important, why do many, if not most people, reject Him, including people of our time?

As to the Jews of Jesus’ day they were looking for a Messiah, a leader who would restore the Davidic throne, and freedom from Gentile rule.
As to those who have rejected Him down through these many centuries including people of our day, lets look back to a devotional of 9-9-19 written in part by teachers at gotquestion.org titled “four reasons why many deny Jesus”. To wit:

Several months ago, a subscriber asked; Why do people reject Jesus as their Savior? To which the staff replied: The decision to accept or reject Jesus as Savior is the ultimate life decision. There are perhaps as many different reasons for rejecting Christ as there are people who reject Him, but the following four reasons can serve as general categories:

1) Some people do not think they need a savior. These people con-sider themselves to be “basically good” and do not realize that they, like all people, are sinners who cannot come to God on their own terms. But Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Those who reject Christ will not be able to stand before God and successfully plead their own case on their own merits.

2) The fear of social rejection or persecution deters some people from receiving Christ as Savior. The unbelievers in John 12:42-43 would not confess Christ because they were more concerned with their status among their peers than doing God’s will. These were the Pharisees whose love of position and the esteem of others blinded them, “for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”

3) For some people, the things that the present world has to offer are more appealing than eternal things. We read the story of such a man in Matthew 19:16-23. This man was not willing to lose his earthly possessions in order to gain an eternal relationship with Jesus (see also 2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
4) Many people are simply resisting the Holy Spirit’s attempts to draw them to faith in Christ. Stephen, a leader in the early church, told those who were about to murder him, “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!” (Acts 7:51). The apostle Paul made a similar statement to a group of gospel rejecters in Acts 28:23-27.

Whatever the reasons why people reject Jesus Christ, their rejection has disastrous eternal consequences. “There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” than the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12), and those who reject Him, for whatever reason, face an eternity in the “outer darkness” of hell where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30). (End of tran-scription).
Was there any of Jesus day that received Him?
John 1:12-13 gives the answer: “12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”.

Walvoord writes: That unbelief, however, was not universal. Some received Jesus’ universal invitation. To all who accepted Jesus as the Revealer of the Father’s will and as the Sacrifice for sin, He gave the right to become children of God. The word “right” (exousian) is a needed improvement over the KJV’s “power,” and “children” (tekna) is better than the KJV’s “sons.” People are not naturally children of God but can become so by receiving the gift of the new birth.
1:13. The new birth does not come by natural descent (lit., “of bloods”), nor is it the result of a human decision (lit., “the will of the flesh,” i.e., the natural human desire for children), nor is it the result of a husband’s will. The birth of a child of God is not a natural birth; it is a supernatural work of God in regeneration. A person welcomes Jesus and responds in faith and obedience to Him, but the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit is “the cause” of regeneration (3:5-8).
Following Jesus’ baptism what did the Baptist say to two of His disciples?

John 1:33-36 gives us the setting and the answer: “33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” 35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

What did this commence?

Jesus began gathering around Him those who would become His apostles; “eyewitnesses” of His life from the time of His baptism until the time He was taken up into heaven. (See Acts 1:15-22).

We read from John 1:37-51: The two disciples (John spoke with) heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).
42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).
43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote–Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Walvoord writes: Jesus promised Nathanael a greater basis for belief, probably referring to the miracles in chapters 2-13. (End of quote)

As we now move into chapter two, we will read of the first miracle and its result.

Study Guide – The Gospel of John
Chapter Two– Study One
Jesus Demonstrates His Deity
By Turning Water into wine

Matthew, Mark and Luke record that after His baptism Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan. Mark records that this was immediately after His baptism (Mark 1:12-13) Matthew, Mark and Luke all record that after Jesus had been tested, He went into Galilee. According to Mark (1:14) it was during these days that John the Baptist was cast into prison.
We read from Mark 1:14-15- “14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother.’”
Jesus picked up John’s mantle, so to speak, and in Galilee He began preaching that the kingdom of God was at hand and He called certain men to Himself whom he began to instruct about the kingdom of heaven, and, His intended purpose for them.
Several began following Jesus but out of them Jesus called 12 to be apostles.

How was an apostle to be different from other followers?

Acts 1:12-22 gives us the answer: “12 Then (After Jesus ascension into heaven) they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.
13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, 16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; 17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. 19 And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office.’
21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

Acts 1:21-22 defines an apostle as a (man) who was a continuous eyewitness of Jesus life from the time of His baptism until He was taken up into heaven. Many of Jesus followers came and went but the 12 had a personal relationship with Him and were his constant companions. It was to these men that Jesus revealed His deity.
Why was this necessary?
Because it would be these men, Jesus apostles (with the exclusion of Judas Iscariot and the inclusion of Paul) that Jesus would use in establishing His church and the new covenant. Their assurance of His deity was necessary for those tasks.
What was the first recorded sign that Jesus used in demonstrating His deity, that He was God?
The first recorded sign (miracle) was the turning of water into wine (John 2:1-11). John Walvoord writes: It is fitting that John’s Gospel is the only one that records Jesus’ first miracle. This event, where Jesus turns water into wine, shows His divine power over the elements of the earth, the same power that would be revealed again in many more miracles of healing and the control of the elements such as wind and the sea. John goes on to tell us that this first miracle had two outcomes—
1) The glory of Christ was manifest
2) The disciples believed in Him. (John 2:11). The divine, glorified nature of Christ was hidden when He assumed human form, but in instances such as this miracle, His true nature burst forth and was made manifest to all who had eyes to see (Matthew 13:16). End of quote.

Because of Jesus turning water into wine eleven of the twelve chosen men believed in Jesus, at least to some extent. The signs that would follow would strengthen their faith and prepare them for the difficult times that lay ahead of them. At this point they did not understand that He didn’t come to reestablish the glory of Israel, but to die, they did however believe in His power.

About this first miracle we read: “1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine.’ 4 Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.’
The phrase “My hour has not yet come” refers to Jesus’ death and glorification (7:6, 8, 30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1; 16:32; 17:1; Matt. 26:18, 45; Mark 14:35, 41). This supports the possibility that Mary was knowingly asking Jesus to reveal Himself at that time, since He had for years been in the fullness of mature manhood. Jesus made it clear that He would act according to God’s timetable, decreed before the foundation of the world, not hers or any man’s (cf. 7:2-8). It was not the appointed time for Jesus’ full messianic glory to be revealed; yet the miracle He would perform would make His divine power unmistakable and preview His glory to come. The dark hour of the cross would precede the full revelation in His glorious messianic kingdom where wine, emblematic of joy and gladness, will abound:
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; when the mountains will drip sweet wine and all the hills will be dissolved. Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; they will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit.” (Amos 9:13-14; cf. Isa. 25:6; Jer. 31:12; Joel 3:18).
MacArthur New Testament Commentary, The – MacArthur New Testament Commentary – John 1-11.
Continuing; 5 His mother said to the servants, ‘Whatever He says to you, do it.’ 6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the waterpots with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, ‘Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.’ And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, ‘Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!’ 11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. 12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days” (John 2:1-12).
What would have been interesting about the return to Capernaum after turning water into wine?
It would have been interesting to have been an invisible observer amongst this entourage of people (including His brothers (James; Joses; Simon; Judas; and His sisters (See Matthew 13:55-56) who returned with Jesus to Capernaum. We don’t know how much Mary and Joseph had previously told His brothers and sisters about their older brother, but He had just turned water into wine. Can you imagine the confusion, the excitement and perplexity of this group? How did Jesus turn water into wine? He was their brother, having the same mother, He had grown up amongst them, how could this be? His disciples also would not have understood what had happened. Not many days past, in the hearing of at least some of them, John had said of Him, “behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:35-36). They believed John’s testimony about Him and became His followers. But they would not have understood His deity (See John 7:1-5). His changing water into wine was the first sign (miracle) that He was at least, a prophet of God. This would certainly have been an attention getter, and that perhaps was Jesus’ intention. He knew His mission and He knew that by changing water the into wine door would be opened to what lay before. Thus He said Mary “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come” (Vs. 4).
Study Guide – The Gospel of John
Chapter Two– Study Two
Jesus Cleanses the Temple

John 2:13 “And the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
John writes that after having stayed at Capernaum for a few days, because the Passover was at hand, Jesus and His disciples (those who had journeyed to Capernaum with Him) went to Jerusalem to participate in that festival. Arriving at Jerusalem and going to the temple Jesus “14 found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise”(2:14-16).
What was Jesus purpose in chasing out from the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, the changers of money including their merchandise; the sheep, and the oxen?
Jesus cleansed the temple of the moneychangers and sellers of merchandise because of His disgust at what they had made of God’s house of prayer and His zeal to purify it from the abuse of ungodly men. Judea was under the rule of the Romans, and the money in current use was Roman coin. However, the Jewish law required that every man should pay a tribute to the service of the sanctuary of “half a shekel” (Exodus 30:11–16), a Jewish coin. It became, therefore, a matter of convenience to have a place where the Roman coin could be exchanged for the Jewish half shekel. The moneychangers provided this convenience but would demand a small sum for the exchange. Because so many thousands of people came up to the great feasts, changing money was a very profitable business and one that resulted in fraud and oppression of the poor.
Also, according to the Law, two doves or pigeons were required to be offered in sacrifice (Leviticus 14:22; Luke 2:24). Yet it was difficult to bring them from the distant parts of Judea, so a lucrative business selling the birds sprang up, with the sellers gouging the faithful by charging exorbitant prices. There were other merchants selling cattle and sheep for the temple sacrifices as well. Because of these sellers who preyed on the poor and because of His passion for the purity of His Father’s house, Jesus was filled with righteous indignation. As He overturned the tables of the money-changers, He condemned them for having turned God’s house of prayer into “a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). John tells us in verse 17 that those who were with Jesus (His disciples) recalled Psalm 69:9 where David said “Zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.”
David referred to himself in this psalm but also to another, who would appear in Israel many years later, Israel Messiah, Jesus Christ. Who else could these words be ascribed to: “20 Reproach has broken my heart, And I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none. 21 They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink”.
So yes, “Jesus cleansed the temple” because of righteous indignation but, we should remember, this was early on in Jesus ministry and by cleansing the temple and saying that it was His Father’s house He was also claiming that He Himself was God. Remember Jesus was building in His disciples, especially the apostles, a faith that would carry them forward in ministry after His departure back into heaven.
What did Jesus declare by His cleansing the temple?
It was also a declaration to the Jews that He was God. As we continue with the narrative we read: “18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? 19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said”.
While in Jerusalem at Passover did Jesus do miracles and if so, why?
As a result of His cleansing the temple and many other miracles that He did many of the Jews believed on Him. We read from verse 2:23 “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs (miracles) which He did”.
The effect of these miracles (which were probably healings) was to elicit faith on the part of many people. They believed in His name, that is, they trusted in Him. This was not necessarily saving faith as the next verse implies. They believed He was a great Healer, but not necessarily a great Savior from sin.
Verses 24-25: “24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, 25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man”.
Jesus knew that a temporary excitement or a faith based on signs was not sufficient. Many of the early followers turned back when He taught things that they could not or would not understand. Consider John 6:47-66” 47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” 52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”
53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven–not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. 60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”
61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” 66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more”.
Until His death and resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the foundation for saving faith was not fully laid. Jesus dialogue with Nicodemus, our next study, demonstrates this truth.
Jesus was laying the foundation of faith during His first advent. Yes, He was efficaciously calling some, establishing faith in them, but there were others (many) who would look back to what they had heard Him say while he walked among them, and come to faith. This by the way, is how faith is increased it us. As we learn more about Him our faith is strengthened.
Study Guide – The Gospel of John
Chapter Three– Study One
Jesus and Nicodemus
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?
11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Who was Nicodemus?
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin.
Why did he approach Jesus?

We are not told of the timing of this visit but being convinced that Jesus was at least a teacher who had “come from God” he sought an interview with Him.

Was God drawing Him?

Yes. We know this because of what happened later. Nicodemus would argue against Jesus’ arrest when the Sanhedrin sent officers to apprehend Him but returned without Him. In defense of Jesus he said to them, “Our Law does not judge a man, unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” (John 7:51) His words were answered by the taunt, “You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee” (7: 52). Secondly, After Jesus had been crucified Nicodemus assisted at His burial. He brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds’ weight, to anoint the body, and he assisted in its embalming and burial (19:39–42).

However at this time, the time of his approaching Jesus (John 3:1-21) Nicodemus did not believe that Jesus was divine, that Jesus was the Son of God, that He was God in the flesh. And this helps explain why he approached Jesus at night. He no doubt feared the Jews, especially the Sanhedrin.

Who, or what were the Sanhedrin?
They were the ruling council of the Jews and two sects made up the council, Pharisees and Sadducees. The characteristic feature of the Pharisees arose from their spiritual legal tendency, and the Sadducees from their political ideology. Although the Sadducean high priests were at the head of the Sanhedrin, the decisive influence upon public affairs was in the hands of the Pharisees. “They had the bulk of the nation as their ally, and women especially were in their hands. They had the greatest influence upon the congregations, so that all acts of public worship, prayers, and sacrifices were performed according to their injunctions. Their sway over the masses was so absolute that they could obtain a hearing even when they said anything against the king or the high priest, consequently they were the most capable of counteracting the design of the kings. Hence, too, the Sadducees, in their official acts, adhered to the demands of the Pharisees, because otherwise the multitude would not have tolerated them”.
The Pharisees taught “that every soul is imperishable, but that only those of the righteous pass into another body, while those of the wicked are, on the contrary, punished with eternal torment”.
Sadducees on the other hand did not believe in an afterlife, that man’s experience was the ever present. (Sourced from Unger’s Bible Dictionary).
It would be these two sects (the Pharisees and the Sadducees that would lead in opposing Jesus during His first advent, and after His ascension they would oppose the apostles. The Pharisees from a religious viewpoint and the Sadducees from a political view-point.

But now, back to our text of John 3:1-21
Nicodemus opened the conversation with Jesus saying “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (3:2).

However, Jesus did not respond in the way one might expect. Knowing what was really in the heart and mind of Nicodemus “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (3:3)

That response caused Nicodemus to ask “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (3:4).

Nicodemus knew that Jesus wasn’t being absurd. He knew Jesus wasn’t actually saying that a person must be reincarnated or have a second physical birth in order to enter into heaven, but he had no idea that Jesus was actually saying that one must be reborn spiritually from above.
Jesus answered Nicodemus question “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” by saying “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (3:4-8)
Jesus’ shocking statement was far more than Nicodemus had expected. Incredulous, Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
Certainly, this highly educated Pharisee was not so obtuse as to have misinterpreted Jesus’ words in a simplistically literal sense. He knew our Lord was not talking about being physically reborn but that he was to leave behind all that he had trusted in for his salvation. But how could he start all over, go back to the beginning? Jesus was telling him that entrance to God’s salvation was not a matter of human effort, trusting in his religious heritage or adding to that heritage, he must leave those things behind and start over again.
At the same time, he clearly could not grasp the full meaning of what that meant. His questions convey his confusion, as he openly wondered at the impossibility of Christ’s statement. He realized that Jesus was making entrance into the kingdom contingent on something that could not be obtained through human effort. But if that was true, what did it mean for Nicodemus’s works-based system; his religion?
Thought: What does this do to the works-based ideology of many today?
It should destroy it. After all Ephesians 1-10 clearly states:
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
This means that good works of any kind are not involved in salvation. If they were it would be grace plus works but that is not the declaration of the above, or other passages. In fact, according to Paul that at the time of salvation persons are separated from God, they are spiritually dead.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a keeper and administrator of the Law. His claim to fame was his religiosity. Far from minimizing the demands of the gospel, Jesus confronted Nicodemus with the most difficult challenge He could make. No wonder Christ would later say to His disciples, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:24). By calling him to be born again, Jesus challenged this most religious Jew to admit his spiritual bankruptcy and abandon everything he was trusting in for salvation.
What was Jesus answer to Nicodemus’ question: “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?
He said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again” (vss. 5-7).
What did Jesus mean by “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God?”
John Walvoord (The Bible Knowledge Commentary) answers: Various views are given to explain Jesus’ words about being born of water and the Spirit:
1) The “water” refers to the natural birth, and the “Spirit” to the birth from above.
2) The “water” refers to the Word of God (Eph. 5:26).
3) The “water” refers to baptism as an essential part of regeneration. (This view contradicts other Bible verses that make it clear that salvation is by faith alone; e.g., John 3:16, 36; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5.)
4) The “water” is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39).
5) The “water” refers to the repentance ministry of John the Baptist, and the “Spirit” refers to the application by the Holy Spirit of Christ to an individual.
John MacArthur (MacArthur Commentary on the New Testament) writes:
A number of interpretations have been offered to explain the phrase born of water: Some see two births here, one natural, and the other spiritual. Proponents of this view interpret the water as the amniotic fluid that flows from the womb just before childbirth. But it is not clear that the ancients described natural birth in that way. Further, the phrase born of water and the Spirit parallels the phrase “born again” in verse 3; thus, only one birth is in view.
Others see in the phrase born of water a reference to baptism, either that of John the Baptist, or Christian baptism. But Nicodemus would not have understood Christian baptism (which did not yet exist) nor misunderstood John the Baptist’s baptism. Nor would Jesus have refrained from baptizing people (4:2) if baptism were necessary for salvation.
Still others see the phrase as a reference to Jewish ceremonial washings, which being born of the Spirit transcends.
Jesus expected Nicodemus, being Jewish, to connect what He was saying to the ceremonial washings of the Levitical Law (vs. 10). Water and Spirit often refer symbolically in the Old Testament to spiritual renewal and cleansing (cf. Num. 19:17-19; Isa. 4:4; 32:15; 44:3; 55:1; Joel 2:28-29; Zech. 13:1).
In one of the most glorious passages in all of Scripture describing Israel’s restoration to the Lord by the new covenant, God said through Ezekiel,
“For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you (symbolic language), and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances” (Ezek. 36:24-27)
It was surely this passage that Jesus had in mind, showing regeneration to be an Old Testament truth (cf. Deut. 30:6; Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 11:18-20) with which Nicodemus would have been acquainted. Against this Old Testament backdrop, Christ’s point was unmistakable: Without the spiritual washing of the soul, a cleansing accomplished only by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5) through the Word of God (Eph. 5:26), no one can enter God’s kingdom. (I believe this to be the correct meaning).

To emphasis His point what did Jesus add?

“8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

In this verse Jesus took regeneration (salvation) out of the hands of man and places it solely on the Holy Spirit.
As verification of this we look back to John 1:11 &13 and to
Ephesians 2:1-10.

John 1:11 &13 “11 He (Jesus) came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood (racial or ethnic heritage), nor of the will of the flesh (personal desire), nor of the will of man (manmade system), but of God”.

Ephesians 2:1-10. “1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

In the John passage Jesus states clearly that He gave the right to become children of God by a new spiritual rebirth granted by God.
In the Ephesians passage Paul was led to write that even when his readers (The Ephesian believers) were still dead in their sins (separated from God) God the Holy Spirit moved upon and in their hearts regenerating them to newness of spiritual life.
Nicodemus was relying on religious rituals, good works, and self-reformation to bring about his salvation but none of those things could solve the problem of His spiritual separation from God. Only the radical transformation (2 Cor. 5:17-18a) wrought by God in regeneration can impart spiritual life to the spiritually dead. That was the shocking truth with which Jesus confronted the zealous Pharisee Nicodemus (3:1-10). Although the Lord’s teaching on the new birth was solidly grounded in the Old Testament, Nicodemus was incredulous. He struggled to accept that his religious efforts were useless and needed to be abandoned altogether as a means to gain God’s kingdom.
Still not understanding Nicodemus asked Jesus; “How can these things be?” (vs. 3:9).
To which Jesus replied (perhaps with light sarcasm to get Nicodemus’ full attention): “10 Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?”

Then going on Jesus said: “11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
MacArthur Writes: The plurals “we’ and “our” encompassed Jesus’ disciples and even John the Baptist, who understood and testified to the truth of salvation. They provided a contrast with the “we” in verse 2 (which referred to Nicodemus and his colleagues). The Pharisees and their fellow Jews were ignorant of the new birth, but Jesus and His disciples were certain about regeneration—the truth to which they testified. Moreover, Nicodemus spoke with human authority, but Jesus with heavenly authority (cf. Matt. 7:28-29).
The Lord’s rebuke went beyond Nicodemus to include the nation of Israel, of which Nicodemus was a representative. The Jewish people did not accept the testimony of Jesus and His true followers (cf. John 1:11); their unbelief was what perpetuated their spiritual ignorance. Continuing with His rebuke Jesus said:
“If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” This shattered Nicodemus’s self-righteousness. His shallow profession of faith in Jesus as a teacher sent from God (v. 2) was meaningless, as was his misconstrued understanding of salvation (cf. v. 10). Because of his refusal to believe, he could not even fathom the earthly truth of the new birth, not to mention profound heavenly realities such as the relationship of the Father to the Son (John 1:1; 17:5), God’s kingdom (Matt. 25:34), or His eternal plan of redemption (Eph. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 1:9).
There were two sides to Nicodemus’s unbelief. Intellectually, while he acknowledged Jesus to be a teacher sent from God (3:2), he was unwilling to accept Him as God. Spiritually, he was very reluctant to admit that he himself was a helpless sinner, since that was unthinkable for proud members of the Pharisees, the self-righteous, self-confessed religious elite of Israel. Further, he was a privileged member of the Sanhedrin and thus viewed as a prominent spiritual leader by the people (3:10). To humble himself, to admit that he was in spiritual darkness and needed to come to the light of true salvation and righteousness (cf. 3:19-21) would have been to confess his sinfulness and lack of righteousness. Like many who were impressed by Jesus’ miracles (2:23-25), Nicodemus refused to commit himself to Christ as Lord and Savior.
Thought: this is certainly true of many today. In their religiosity they are blind to the truth that they are dead in trespasses and sin.
Continuing Jesus said: “13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Beginning in verse 14, Jesus appealed to an Old Testament illustration to make His point, further emphasizing that there was no excuse for Nicodemus, an expert in the Scriptures, to be ignorant of the way of salvation. As a type of His sacrificial death on the cross, the Lord referred to an incident recorded in Numbers 21:5-9:
“The people spoke against God and Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.’ The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. So the people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.’ And Moses interceded for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.’ And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived”.
The event took place during Israel’s forty years of wilderness wandering before entering the Promised Land. As a judgment upon the people’s incessant complaining, the Lord sent venomous snakes to infest their camp. In desperation, the Israelites begged Moses to intercede on their behalf. And Moses’ prayerful petition was answered with a display of divine grace, as God showed mercy to His rebellious people. He instructed Moses to make a bronze replica of a snake and raise it above the camp on a pole. Those who were bitten would be healed if they but looked at it, thereby acknowledging their guilt and expressing faith in God’s forgiveness and healing power….The point of Jesus’ analogy was that just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up (crucified; cf. 8:28; 12:32, 34). The term “must” emphasizes that Christ’s death was a necessary part of God’s plan of salvation (cf. Matt. 16:21; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22; 17:25; 24:7, 26; Acts 2:23; 4:26-28; 17:3). He had to die as a substitute for sinners, because “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23), and “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22). Therefore God, “being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us” (Eph. 2:4), “sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). The stricken Israelites were cured by obediently looking, apart from any works or righteousness of their own in hope and dependence on God’s word at the elevated bronze serpent. In the same way whoever looks in faith alone to the crucified Christ will be cured from sin’s deadly bite and will in Him have eternal life.
Because Nicodemus responded in unbelief, he apparently walked away from his conversation with Jesus unconverted. (He did become a believer later, however, as noted in chapter 8 of this volume.) His initial response typifies those who reject the gospel. Unrepentant unbelief is the sin that ultimately condemns all lost sinners (cf. Matt. 12:31-32), for unless they confess Christ’s lordship, and repent of all sin, including the sin of trying to earn heaven, they cannot be saved. In this discourse on the meaning of salvation, Jesus addressed the problem of unbelief, provided the answer for unbelief, and warned of the results of unbelief.
It is important that we pay close attention to this passage of John 3:1-21) because it explains how persons are born into the family of God. Being born into the kingdom of God, is not possible by any attempt of man, it is the work of God on behalf of man.

Study Guide – The Gospel of John
Chapter Three– Study Two
Putting things in Right Perspective

John 3:22 “After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. 24 For John had not yet been thrown into prison”.
The phrase after these things indicates that the events recorded in this section followed (after an unspecified interval) the events described in 2:13-3:21 (Jesus’ cleansing of the temple, His miraculous signs, and His dialogue with Nicodemus). After the Passover, Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, meaning that they left Jerusalem (which is in Judea) for the surrounding Judean countryside (the Greek text literally reads “the Judean land” or “region”)…..Jesus’ purpose in leaving Jerusalem was twofold: spending time with His disciples, and inaugurating His preaching that led to His baptizing ministry (although Jesus did not personally baptize, only His disciples did; cf. 4:2). Spending time translates a form of the verb diatribō, which implies that a considerable period of time elapsed (cf. its use in Acts 12:19; 14:3, 28; 15:35; 25:14), probably several months. During this interval, Jesus’ disciples were baptizing those who came to hear Him preach and heeded His call to repent (cf. Matt. 4:17). Their baptisms foreshadowed Christian baptism, which was not instituted until after Jesus’ death and resurrection (of which Christian baptism is a picture; cf. Rom. 6:3-4).
At the same time John also continued his baptizing ministry in Aenon near Salim. Even as Jesus’ ministry was gaining momentum, large crowds of people were still coming to John and being baptized. (Sourced from; MacArthur New Testament Commentary).
Verses 25-34 / 25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified–behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!” 27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
At some point during the concurrent but separate ministries of John and Jesus there arose a discussion between John’s disciples and a Jew (the singular “Jew” is the preferred reading, rather than the plural “Jews,” as in the KJV and NKJV) about Jewish ritual purification (cf. 2:6). Whether or not the Jew was a follower of Jesus is unclear. The reaction of John’s disciples, however, reveals that they felt a deeper issue was at stake—namely, the relative merits of John’s baptism ministry in comparison to that of Jesus.
The dispute surfaced an issue that had no doubt been disturbing John’s disciples for some time. During the prolonged time (cf. the discussion of v. 22 above) that John ministered in close proximity to Jesus, John’s following had gradually diminished. Troubled by their master’s waning popularity (cf. 4:1), which their dispute with the Jew highlighted, John’s disciples came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.” Apparently unwilling even to name Jesus, John’s envious disciples saw Jesus as a competitor, who was gaining popularity at their master’s expense (their exaggerated use of all reveals the extent of their bias). Incredibly, they also missed the purpose of John’s ministry, which was to point the nation to the Messiah (cf. 1:19ff.).
Unlike his overly zealous followers, however, John was not bothered in the least by his declining popularity. Despite his tremendous initial influence, he had always remained focused on the purpose of his ministry that he had probably known from childhood—to testify to Christ (cf. 1:27, 30). Now as his ministry began to wind down, John’s purpose did not waver. His humble reply must have startled his disciples: “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.” In this way, he affirmed and embraced his subordinate role as the herald of the Messiah. God had sovereignly granted him his ministry (cf. Rom. 1:5; 1 Cor. 4:7; 15:10; Eph. 3:7; 1 Tim. 2:7); if God now chose to change or end that ministry, John was content. Everything among God’s servants, including popular ministry, is a gracious gift from God, not something to which a person is entitled. Therefore there is no place for jealousy, as John’s self-effacing reply indicated (note the opposite reaction by the Pharisees in 12:19).
John’s emphatic reminder to his envious disciples, “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ’ (cf. 1:8, 20), but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him'” (cf. 1:23; Matt. 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 1:17, 76; 3:4-6; Acts 19:4), was a rebuke for their obtuseness. Nothing he had said could account for their misunderstanding of his role; on the contrary, he had always maintained that he was the forerunner of the Messiah, not the Messiah Himself. Thus, John saw Jesus’ increasing popularity not as a concern, but as the fulfillment of his ministry. Far from upsetting him, it brought him great joy. (Sourced from; MacArthur New Testament Commentary).
Egotism is the destroyer of many. Solomon in his collection of proverbs wrote that there are seven things that God hates; “16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren”.
About a “proud look” The commentators at Gotquestions.org writes: A proud look describes a feeling of pride and looking down upon others (Philippians 2:3, 5–11). When we begin to think of ourselves more highly and with unparalleled importance, we are forgetting the fact that anything good in us is the result of Christ living in us and that the old self is now dead (Galatians 2:20). Often, believers feel superior to other believers when they receive godly wisdom and display amazing tenacity against sin. We fail to realize these gifts were given by God through Christ and fanned into flame by the Holy Spirit and are not due to our own goodness. This sin of pride is so detested by the LORD that Paul was kept from committing this sin by being provided with “a thorn in the flesh” to humble him (2nd Corinthians 12:7).
John the Baptist was void of such pride and was lowly in spirit. His whole desire and purpose in life was to elevate Christ. He finished his testimony by saying: 31 He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33 He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. 34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. 35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” Verse 36 reflects Jesus testimony to Nicodemus: “18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”.

John knew who he was, and he knew who Jesus Christ was. He was the herald, but Jesus was God in the flesh.

Thought: We, like John, are heralds, why should we think of ourselves other than that. From the advent of Jesus until this day, there has been hundreds of thousands of heralds and if He tarries there will be many more. Shouldn’t each of who are led by the Spirit of God have the attitude of the John the Baptist.

Study Guide – The Gospel of John
Chapter Four– Study One
An Orchestrated Meeting
1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

The sudden prominence of Jesus, evidenced by the growth of His followers, caused the Pharisees to take special notice of Him. Since Jesus was working on God’s schedule, He knew how His ministry would end. Until that appointed time, He must live carefully, so He withdrew from the conflict until His “hour” (7:6, 8, 30; 8:20; cf. 12:23; 13:1; 17:1). He left Judea (cf. 3:22) and went back… to Galilee. But on the way back to Galilee He did not take a circuitous route around Samaria as did most Jews. Jews travelling between Galilee and Judea would take the longer, six-day journey along the Jordan River valley rather than taking a shorter, more direct route through Samaria. The Jews avoided the Samaritans because of their bitter history.

After Israel’s (The Northern Kingdoms fall) to the Assyrians, they began to intermarry with the Assyrians, contrary to Deuteronomy 7:3-5. The Jews despised the Samaritans as “dogs,” or “half-breeds.” The Samaritans were also a continuous source of difficulty for the Jews who rebuilt Jerusalem…(Sourced from housetohouse.com). Because the Israelite inhabitants of Samaria had intermarried with the foreigners and adopted their idolatrous religion, Samaritans were generally considered “half-breeds” and were universally despised by the Jews. (Got Questions.org).

For added insight considering the Samaritans we turn to the Old testament book of 2nd Kings 17:25-41and read: “25 And it was so, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, ‘The nations whom you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the rituals of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, and indeed, they are killing them because they do not know the rituals of the God of the land.’27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, ‘Send there one of the priests whom you brought from there; let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the rituals of the God of the land.
28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the Lord. 29 However every nation continued to make gods of its own and put them in the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities where they dwelt. 30 The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,31 and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 So they feared the Lord, and from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. 33 They feared the Lord yet served their own gods–according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.
34 To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the Lord, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the Lord had commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel,
35 with whom the Lord had made a covenant and charged them, saying: ‘You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them; 36 but the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice. 37 And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods. 38 And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 39 But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.’40 However they did not obey, but they followed their former rituals. 41 So these nations feared the Lord, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.

2nd Kings 17:25-41 gives the true disposition of the Samaritans. They embraced a religion that was a mixture of Judaism and idolatry. After their Babylonian captivity the Southern Kingdom of Judah, which at the time of Jesus occupied much of the Land of Israel, no longer worshipped other gods or their idols but were orthodox in their worship of true God. This explains the animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans and why the Jews avoided any contact with the Samaritans.

But why then did Jesus determine to go through Samaria on their (He and His disciples) way to Galilee? There may have been several reasons but certainly Jesus wanted to pave the way for the advancement of Christianity into that region. He would later commission the apostles to be witnesses in “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria (Acts 1:8), and to the end of the earth” and His going through Samaria, to the city of Sychar testifying to citizens of that city, opened that door.

One such occasion is found in Acts 8:5-12 “5 Then Philip (the apostle) went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city. 9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.”
11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized”.

Even though Satan raised up a man to oppose Phillip’s message, yet many believed (were born again) and were baptized with Christian baptism.
Verses 6-9 The Orchestrated Meeting
6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

The woman at Jacobs well contrasted sharply with Nicodemus. Nicodemus was seeking; she was indifferent. He was a respected ruler; she was an outcast. He was serious; she was flippant. He was a Jew; she was a despised Samaritan. He was (presumably) moral; she was immoral. He was orthodox; she was heterodox. He was learned in religious matters; she was ignorant. Yet despite all the differences between this “churchman” and this woman of the world, they both needed to be born again as did her people, the Samarians.
Responding to the Woman’s question “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Her question and His answer began a dialogue that would greatly affect not only her but many of the Samaritans. We read from 4:11-30 and 4:39-42: “11 The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?’”
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” 27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” 28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ? 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him……… 39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world”.

So, what are we to make of all this?
Turning to our friend John Walvoord we read:
4:7-8. With His disciples in the city buying food, Jesus did a surprising thing: He spoke to a Samaritan woman, whom He had never met. She was of the region of Samaria, not the town of Samaria. The woman was shocked to hear a Jewish man ask for a drink from her. The normal prejudices of the day prohibited public conversation between men and women, between Jews and Samaritans, and especially between strangers. A Jewish Rabbi would rather go thirsty than violate these proprieties.
4:9. Surprised and curious, the woman could not understand how He would dare ask her for a drink, since Jews did not associate with Samaritans. The NIV margin gives an alternate translation to the Greek sentence with the word synchrōntai (“associate” or “use together”): the Jews “do not use dishes Samaritans have used.” This rendering may well be correct. A Rabbinic law of A.D. 66 stated that Samaritan women were considered as continually menstruating and thus unclean. Therefore a Jew who drank from a Samaritan woman’s vessel would become ceremonially unclean.
4:10. Having captured her attention and stimulated her curiosity, Jesus then spoke an enigmatic saying to cause her to think. It was as if He had said, “Your shock would be infinitely greater if you really knew who I am. You—not I—would be asking!” Three things would have provoked her thinking: (1) Who is He? (2) What is the gift of God? (3) What is living water? “Living water” in one sense is running water, but in another sense it is the Holy Spirit (Jer. 2:13; Zech. 14:8; John 7:38-39).
4:11-12. She misunderstood the “living water” and thought only of water from the well. Since Jacob’s well was so deep how could Jesus get this living water? Today this well is identified by archeologists as one of the deepest in Palestine. Are You greater than our father Jacob? she asked. In Greek this question expects a negative answer. She could not conceive of Him as greater than Jacob. Her claim “our father Jacob” is interesting in light of the fact that the Jews claim him as the founder of their nation. That well had great tradition behind it but, she wondered, what does this Stranger have?
4:13-14. Jesus began to unveil the truth in an enigmatic statement. This water from Jacob’s well would satisfy only bodily thirst for a time. But the water Jesus gives provides continual satisfaction of needs and desires. In addition one who drinks His living water will have within him a spring of life-giving water (cf. 7:38-39). This inner spring contrasts with the water from the well, which required hard work to acquire. Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit who brings salvation to a person who believes and through Him offers salvation to others.
4:15. The woman could not grasp this dark saying because of her sin and materialism. All she could understand was that if she had a spring she would not get thirsty and would not have to work so hard.
4:16-18. Since she was not able to receive His truth (1 Cor. 2:14), Jesus dealt with her most basic problem. (Apparently she never served Him a drink. He forgot His own physical need in order to meet her spiritual need.) Jesus suggested she get her husband and bring him back with her. This suggestion was designed to show her that He knew everything about her (cf. John 2:24-25). Her marital history was known to this Stranger, including the fact that she was living in sin. Thus in a few words Jesus had revealed her life of sin and her need for salvation.
4:19-20. Her response was most interesting! Jesus was not just a passing Jewish Rabbi. Since He had supernatural knowledge, He must be a prophet of God. But instead of confessing her sin and repenting, she threw out an intellectual “red herring.” Could He solve an ancient dispute? Samaritan religion held that the one place of divinely ordered worship was on top of nearby Mount Gerizim, whereas the Jews said it was on the temple mount in Jerusalem. Who was right in this controversy?
4:21. A time is coming (cf. v. 23) referred to the coming death of Jesus which would inaugurate a new phase of worship in God’s economy. In the Church Age, because of the work of the Spirit, worship is no longer centered in temples like those on Mount Gerizim and Mount Zion.
4:22. Jesus was firm in His declaration of the issues involved. The Samaritan religion was confused and in error: You Samaritans worship what you do not know. They were not the vehicle for the salvation of mankind. Israel was the nation chosen by God to have great privileges (Rom. 9:4-5). When Jesus said, Salvation is from the Jews, He did not mean that all Jews were saved or were especially pious. “Salvation is from the Jews” in the sense that it is available through Jesus, who was born of the seed of Abraham.
4:23. With the advent of the Messiah the time came for a new order of worship. True worshipers are those who realize that Jesus is the Truth of God (3:21; 14:6) and the one and only Way to the Father (Acts 4:12). To worship in truth is to worship God through Jesus. To worship in Spirit is to worship in the new realm which God has revealed to people. The Father is seeking true worshipers because He wants people to live in reality, not in falsehood. Everybody is a worshiper (Rom. 1:25) but because of sin many are blind and constantly put their trust in worthless objects.
4:24. God is Spirit is a better translation than the KJV’s “God is a Spirit.” God is not one Spirit among many. This is a declaration of His invisible nature. He is not confined to one location. Worship of God can be done only through the One (Jesus) who expresses God’s invisible nature (1:18) and by virtue of the Holy Spirit who opens to a believer the new realm of the kingdom (cf. 3:3, 5; 7:38-39).
4:25. The Samaritans expected a coming messianic leader. But they did not expect Him to be an anointed king of the Davidic line, since they rejected all the Old Testament except the Pentateuch. Based on Deuteronomy 18:15-18, they expected a Moses-like figure who would solve all their problems. The Samaritan woman now understood a part of what Jesus said. She wistfully longed for the messianic days when the Messiah would explain everything.
4:26. This self-declaration by Jesus Himself—I… am He (the Messiah)—is unusual. Normally in His ministry in Galilee and Judea (cf. 6:15) because of political implications, He veiled His office and used the title “Son of Man.” But with this Samaritan the dangers of revolt by national zealots were not a problem.
27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men,
29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him…….
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”
40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
41 And many more believed because of His own word.
42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

Turning to John MacArthur we read: Following the interlude of verses 31-38, the Samaritans reenter the narrative as the story builds to a powerful conclusion. Many of the villagers believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” Surely, we can assume that she gave the details of His supernatural knowledge, not just this summary comment. That supernatural knowledge of the details of her past settled for them that He was in fact the Messiah. Therefore when they came to Jesus at the well, they were continually asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. During that time many more believed because of His word. Though they were influenced by the woman’s testimony, hearing from Jesus Himself was the clincher. So they were saying to her, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.” Such words were not intended to denigrate her testimony, but rather to indicate that their time with Jesus confirmed it.
The Samaritans’ confession of Jesus as the Savior of the world (cf. 2 Cor. 5:19; 1 John 2:2; 4:14) was especially significant because they were not Jewish. Had He come only to save Israel as the Jews preferred to think (and not the whole world), the Samaritans would have been excluded. But the Lord did not come to save Israel alone. His saving mission extended far beyond the borders of Judea and Galilee, encompassing men and women from every nation on earth.
Through His conversation with a non-Jewish woman, Jesus gave an entire non-Jewish village the opportunity to receive salvation. In so doing, He set the precedent for the worldwide impact of His saving work. As His forerunner John the Baptist had earlier exclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). (End of transcription)
John did not go into detail concerning the depth of the belief but according to verse 42 they believed that Jesus was/is the Savior of the world. This may mean that they had come to believe that Jesus wasn’t just the savior of the Jews but also, they themselves, the Samaritans, and beyond them, the Savior of all peoples.
They may not have been thinking of personal salvation, the saving of their own souls. They may have been thinking along the lines of Jesus being a universal Messiah. Consider once again John Walvoord’s comments of 4:25: “The Samaritans expected a coming messianic leader. But they did not expect Him to be an anointed king of the Davidic line, since they rejected all the Old Testament except the Pentateuch. Based on Deuteronomy 18:15-18, they expected a Moses-like figure who would solve all their problems. The Samaritan woman now understood a part of what Jesus said. She wistfully longed for the messianic days when the Messiah would explain everything.” This would not just have been her hope, but the hope of all the Samaritans.
Remember, we just read from Chapter John 3 and from Ephesians 2:1-10 that no one can believe to the point of personal salvation unless the Holy Spirit works the work of regeneration in their spirit which is not indicated here. A year or so later however that would occur, for we read from Acts 8 that following the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7) that “5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city. 9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘This man is the great power of God.’11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. 14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Whether those of Sychar, Samaria who heard Jesus believed to the point of personal salvation and commitment is not clear but when Phillip gave them the word of God, they did believe to the point of commitment and were baptized.

Study Guide – The Gospel of John
Chapter Four– Study Two
Jesus’ Purpose in Healing the Nobleman’s Son

John 4:43-54 “43 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast. 46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
48 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.’ 49 The nobleman said to Him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies!’ 50 Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your son lives.’ So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, ‘Your son lives!’ 52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, ‘Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.’ 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, ‘Your son lives.’ And he himself believed, and his whole household. 54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

Was the coming of the Nobleman to Jesus orchestrated by God or was it an act of desperation by the nobleman?
Perhaps both; it certainly was an act of desperation on the nobleman’s part, but God had a purpose in this.
What was that purpose?
Verse 44 gives us a clue to the answer, we read: “For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country”. Although John did not record those words spoken by Jesus, Luke, the writer of the gospel that bears his name, did. Consider: Luke 4:14-30 and Luke 7:1-5.

Luke 4:14-30: “14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified (recognized as being someone special) by all. 16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ‘18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’ 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, ‘Is this not Joseph’s son?’ 23 He said to them, ‘You will surely say this proverb to Me, Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’ 24 Then He said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’
28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way”.

Luke 7:1-5: “1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to Him, ‘Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.’ 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him”.
Even though the setting of these passages were of earlier times, they give us Jesus’ purpose of going back up into Galilee after the meeting with the women at the well and His ministry to the Samaritans. Many of the Galileans had witnessed His miracles while in Cana, including the water into wine, and some believed that certainly He had been sent by God (perhaps as a prophet) but did not see whom He truly was, God in the flesh. Even His brothers did not believe in Him that way. They mockingly questioned His person. His purpose therefore was to testify to the Galileans and His family that He was more than a prophet, He was God in the flesh. This was needful as He was on a schedule, He knew that His time was short, that within just a couple of years He would be killed. I believe the healing of the Nobleman’s son therefore was orchestrated by God.
MacArthur commenting on this passage, writes:
Unbelief is the damning sin. It is the sin for which people are ultimately sentenced to hell, since all other sins are forgiven for those who repent and believe in Christ. Therefore, “he who does not believe [in Christ] has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). In John 16:8-9 Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me.”
An “evil, unbelieving heart” (Heb. 3:12) characterizes un-regenerate people—a heart that loves sin’s darkness and detests the light of the gospel (John 3:19-20). The heart’s unbelief is also compounded by Satan, “the god of this world [who] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4). Sometimes God Himself hardens the hearts of unbelievers as an act of judgment for their stubborn unbelief (John 12:39-40). For example, the Old Testament records that while Pharaoh hardened his heart (Ex. 8:15, 32; 9:34; 1 Sam. 6:6), God also hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8).
At its core, unbelief is a rejection of the saving truth from God contained in Scripture. Thus Jesus said to the unbelieving Jews, “Because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?” (John 8:45-46). Unbelief is a rejection of Jesus Christ, who is the truth of God incarnate (John 14:6). “But though He had performed so many signs before them,” John noted, “yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: ‘Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?'” (12:37-38; cf. 5:38; 16:9; Rom. 11:20; Heb. 3:12). The people of Israel rejected Jesus’ miraculous signs, just as they had similarly rejected God’s mighty works throughout their history (Ps. 78:32; cf. v. 22; Num. 14:11; Deut. 1:32; 9:23; 2 Kings 17:14; Luke 22:67; Acts 14:2; Heb. 3:18-19).
The gospel accounts describe several levels of unbelief. First, there was unbelief due to lack of exposure. This was the unbelief of the prepared and ready heart, just awaiting the revelation of the truth from God. This is the shallowest level of unbelief, requiring only knowledge of the glorious majesty of Christ’s person to be overcome. For example, when John the Baptist pointed out Christ to Andrew and John (1:35-37), they immediately followed Him—even though He had not yet even spoken to them. Their knowledge of the Old Testament and their love for God made them ready.
Second, there was unbelief due to lack of information. This type of unbelief required more than mere exposure to the person of Christ; those at this level were less prepared and had to hear His words to be persuaded. The Samaritan woman at the well was not impressed by Jesus’ appearance or exposed to any of His miracles; to her He seemed to be just another Jewish rabbi. But after she experienced His supernatural knowledge regarding her sin (4:16-19); His forthright declaration that He was the Messiah (4:26) was convincing. His words also persuaded many of her fellow villagers to believe in Him (4:41-42).
Third, there was unbelief due to a perceived lack of evidence. Those who fall into this category had heard the claims of Christ, but desired evidence that those claims were true. The Gospels describe them as those who need to see the works of Christ. Jesus Himself offered His miracles as proof that He was the Messiah (Luke 7:20-22; John 5:36; 10:25, 37-38; 14:11; cf. Acts 2:22). Although the attesting miracles Christ performed did not bring all who observed them to saving faith (2:23-25; 12:37; cf. Luke 4:23), they did convince some. They were enough to persuade Nicodemus that Jesus was sent by God (3:2), and start him down the path to saving faith (see chap. 8 of this volume).
But there was a fourth level of unbelief found in the extremely religious and self-righteous—namely, unbelief due to deliberate hardheartedness. Those at this level refused to believe in Christ and the gospel of grace, and no amount of evidence would convince them otherwise. They knew who Jesus was; they understood His teachings; they were aware of the overwhelming evidence; yet they stubbornly rejected His claims. Jesus warned of the consequences of this obstinate unbelief when He said, “Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (8:24). The Pharisees exemplified this ultimate level of self-righteous unbelief when they concluded of Jesus, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons” (Matt. 12:24). They decided, exactly opposite the truth, that Jesus was satanic. Such deliberate unbelief is the deadliest type. Because such people, who think they have achieved righteousness, continually reject all the evidence for the gospel God shows them and hate the reality that they are spiritually poor, blind, enslaved, and oppressed with sin (cf. Luke 4:16-30). Their unbelief will never give way to repentance and saving faith (cf. Matt. 12:31-32; Heb. 6:4-8). End of Transcription.
We need to keep in mind that God meant for John’s gospel, and the other 3 gospels to be read by many down through the centuries. Certainly the healing of the Nobleman’s son was meant as a convincer of Jesus’ deity to the Galileans, but He has also meant it to be a convincer to all who read of it.
What about you? Has it convinced you that Jesus was God in the flesh?

Study Guide – The Gospel of John
Chapter Five– Study Two
Jesus Heals a Lamb Man on the Sabbath
John 5:1-18

“1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ 7 The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.’ 8 Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’
9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.

10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, ‘It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.’
11 He answered them, ‘He who made me well said to me, take up your bed and walk.’ 12 Then they asked him, ‘Who is the Man who said to you, Take up your bed and walk’? 13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.’ 15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.
17 But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.’ 18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God”.

John MacArthur’s background of this passage
The earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ created an unprecedented sensation in Israel. For three and a half years He performed miraculous works unlike anything ever seen before (John 15:24; cf. Matt. 9:33; Mark 2:12). Those signs authen-ticated Him as the Son of God and Messiah (Matt. 11:2-5). In His compassion and grace, Jesus frequently chose to do miracles that alleviated people’s suffering. He healed the sick—practically banishing disease from Israel for the duration of His ministry—raised the dead, cast out demons, and fed large crowds of hungry people.
The Lord also taught concerning the kingdom of God with boldness, confidence, and authority. Unlike the scribes, who primarily quoted other human authorities, Jesus spoke with the divine power of the Son of God (cf. Matt. 5:21-22, 27-28, 31-32, 33-34, 38-39, 43-44). As a result, “the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matt. 7:28-29), and “all the people were hanging on to every word He said” (Luke 19:48). Even His enemies acknowledged, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks” (7:46).
Excited by His astonishing miracles and powerful preaching, people flocked to Jesus. Matthew 4:25 reports that “large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.” After the Sermon on the Mount, “when Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him” (Matt. 8:1). On another occasion, “large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach” listening to His preaching (Matt. 13:2). Across the Jordan in the predominantly Gentile region of Perea, “large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there” (Matt. 19:2; cf. 20:29; John 6:2, 5). Luke records a time when “so many thousands of people had gathered together [to hear Jesus] that they were stepping on one another” (Luke 12:1).
But the overwhelming popularity that Jesus experienced was not as beneficial as it appeared. The crowds who flocked to Him primarily consisted of curiosity seekers. They were not devoted to Him as Lord and Messiah, but followed Him for the excitement, healings, and free food He provided (cf. 6:26). At one point, they were so enthusiastic about what they perceived as Jesus’ supernatural social welfare program that they tried to make Him king (6:15). But because they were not generally committed to Him or His gospel of the kingdom, Jesus did not commit Himself to them (2:24; 6:26, 64).
Ultimately, the fickle crowds rejected Jesus (6:66), following the example of their religious leaders. Those leaders, especially the Pharisees (the most influential religious sect of Judaism), mounted an unrelenting campaign of lies against Jesus, falsely accusing Him of being a demon-possessed Samaritan (8:48) of illegitimate birth (8:41). As noted earlier, they even attributed His miraculous signs to the power of Satan (Matt. 9:34; 10:25; 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15). The nation’s ultimate rejection came at Jesus’ trial before Pilate when, urged on by the religious leaders, the crowd screamed, “Crucify Him!… His blood shall be on us and on our children!” (Matt. 27:23, 25). At His death, Jesus had only a handful of identifiable true disciples—120 in Jerusalem (Acts 1:15) and another 500, probably in Galilee (1 Cor. 15:6; cf. Matt. 28:7, 16).
As chronicles of His ministry, the gospels record the rising tide of opposition that Jesus faced (e.g., Matt. 9:27-34; 11:20-30; 12:1-14, 22ff.; 13:54-58; 15:1-20; 16:1-4, 21; 21:15-16, 23-27; 22:15-46; 28:11-15; Luke 4:16-31; 11:14-23; 13:10-17; John 3:32; 7:30-52; 8:12-20, 31-59; 9:13-41; 10:19-39; 11:45-53). Summing up Israel’s rejection of Jesus, John observed, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (1:11). The Jewish people were hostile to Him because of both their hypocritical legalism and their misconceptions concerning His mission (they looked for a political-military messiah who would free them from the yoke of Rome). After His death, they continued to reject Him because of the offense of the cross (1 Cor. 1:23; Gal. 5:11).
Chapters 5 through 7 of John’s gospel note the beginning of the nation’s shift in attitude toward Jesus from reservation (cf. 3:26; 4:1-3) to outright rejection (summed up in 7:52). Chapters 5 and 7 describe the opposition that He faced in Judea; chapter 6 records the opposition in Galilee. The first sixteen verses of chapter 5, which chronicle the controversy generated by Jesus’ healing of a sick man on the Sabbath, signal the beginning of that hostility. It would intensify in chapter 6 when many of Jesus’ followers, unwilling to accept His teaching that He was the bread of life, abandoned Him (6:66). Finally, chapter 7 records the hardening of official opposition, as the religious authorities sought unsuccessfully to arrest Him (7:30-42).
The outbreak of hostility toward Christ was triggered by an incident at a pool in Jerusalem known as Bethesda. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple had stirred up antagonism (2:13-22), which only grew as His ministry gained popularity (4:1-3). His rejection of self-righteous Jews and His violation of the Jewish traditional regulations concerning the Sabbath fanned the flames of resentment into open opposition. (End of Transcription)
Thus we come to a pool at Bethesda and Jesus’ healing of an infirm (crippled) man.
People with many kinds of infirmities; blind, halt and withered flocked to this pool daily, each hoping that on his or her day of visitation an angel (as reported) would enter the water and affect it in such a way that they would be miraculously healed of their infirmity. Verse 5 tells us of one such man. On the day that Jesus was passing by the pool He noticed a man laying nearby who was trying to enter the pool but was prevented by the throng. This man had been in this condition for 38 years. Stopping by the man, Jesus asked him ‘Do you want to be made well?’ (vs.6) The man answered that he did but that he was prevented because of the throng and his slowness of movement he could not reach the pool (vs.7). To that Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’ (vs. 8). Verse 9a tells us that immediately the man was healed.
But there was a problem; What was the problem?
Verse 9b gives us the answer. “And that day was the Sabbath”.

Remember this was a Jewish setting, and the Levitical Law strictly forbade an Israelite from doing any work on the Sabbath, or at least that was the Pharisees narrow interpretation of the Law.

J.Vernon McGee, Former pastor of the Church of the Open Door and Author of Thru the Bible writes: Chapter 5 brings us to this very wonderful incident of the healing of the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda. Actually, in a sense, this miracle is the turning point in the ministry of Christ. You see, this miracle set the bloodhounds of hate on His track, and they never let up until they put Him to death on the cross.
Consider verses 16-18: 5:16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
Verse 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
Verse 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
You see, the clash with them was over the Sabbath Day; they never forgave Him for what He did on the Sabbath. They hated Him because He said, “…The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27). The miracle that our Lord performed here really put murder into their hearts. They hated Him because of the Sabbath and because He made Himself equal with God. “Making himself equal with God” was a clear-cut claim to deity.
This is the incident that put those bloodhounds of hate on the trail of Jesus. (When John says the “Jews,” he is actually referring to the religious rulers of the Jews.) This is the point at which they began to persecute Jesus and sought to slay Him.
5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
These men never let up until they folded their arms beneath His cross. End of transcription.
One might ask, why belabor the point? Why linger on this passage? Well, the healing of the lame man and the many miracles recorded throughout the gospels proved that Jesus was God in the flesh. But because of sin many deny that absolute truth as the Jewish leaders did here. And because His life shines light on man’s sin they will not accept the truth, instead they fight against it, and Him. There is no wonder then, that throughout the Gospel of John we see the Jewish leadership (representative of fallen man) forcefully resist Him and eventually end His life, or so they thought.
Study Guide – The Gospel of John
Chapter Five– Study Three
Jesus Testifies of His Relationship to
God His Father / Thus Claiming to be God
John 5:19-47

5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
Verse 5:19-20 look back to our last study where we found from verses 5:1-18: that because Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath and called God His Father, the Jews began to continuously persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him.
But rather than cower Jesus further affirmed He relationship with His father.

Consider John MacArthur’s, John Walvoord’s and J. Vernon McGee’s comments.
MacArthur: For a mere man to claim to be God was, to the Jews, an outrageous act of blasphemy. Therefore if they had misunderstood Him, Jesus surely would have immediately and vehemently denied making such a claim (cf. Acts 14:11-15; Rev. 19:10; 22:8-9). But instead, He became even more forceful and emphatic, introducing His next statement with the solemn affirmation, truly, truly, I say to you (cf. the discussion of 3:3 in chapter 8 of this volume). In the strongest possible terms, the Lord assured His hearers that what He said to them was true. He further defended His healing on the Sabbath by tying His activities directly to those of the Father. “The Son can do nothing of Himself,” Jesus declared, “unless it is something He sees the Father doing.” He always acted in perfect harmony with and subordination to the Father’s will. Thus, His works paralleled those of the Father in both their nature and extent, for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. Obviously, only someone who is equal to the Father could do everything that He does. Christ’s statement, then, was a clear declaration of His own divinity.
The perfect harmony that characterizes the joint working of the Father and the Son stems from the absolute unity of essence that they share (cf. 17:21). Because they are one in being, one eternal God (10:30), to see Christ act is to see God act (John 12:45; 14:9-10). By accusing Jesus of wrongdoing, the religious leaders were actually doing what they charged Jesus with doing, impugning the holy nature of God Himself.

Walvoord: 5:19. Jesus explained that He is not independent of or in opposition to the Father. His activity is not self-initiated. The Father directs and has sent the Son. The Son’s activity imitates the Father, and the Two always work together. 5:20. The Son is in no way independent of or in rebellion against the Father. Their relationship is one of continuous love. The Son is not doing simply a part of God’s will; He has a full disclosure of all the Father’s works. By the Father, the Son will do even more amazing works than physical healings.
McGee: Our Lord now goes on to make three tremendous claims concerning Himself. It is on the basis of these claims that we can use John 5:24 in presenting the gospel.
The Three Claims: 1) Able to physically heal and forgive sin. 2) Raise the physically and spiritually dead. 3) And make spiritual judgements.
The first claim: (We’ll address the 2nd and 3rd claims shortly).
Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise [John 5:19].
The Lord Jesus claimed that He was God and that He can do what God does. There is a perfect correspondence and harmony between the Father and the Son. Therefore, the charge that was made against Him (the forgiving of the lame man’s sin and breaking the Sabbath by healing him) was absurd The Son does not contradict the Father, nor does the Father contradict the Son. Jesus does what God does. Jesus can forgive sins. Then He goes on to say that there is a personal and intimate relationship between the Father and the Son; [John 5:20]. “For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
Jesus then made and even bolder claim, that like His Father He could raise a physical dead person but also give spiritual life to a spiritually dead person.
We read from 5:21-30:
“21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth–those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me”.

MacArthur Writes:
By asserting His equality with God, Jesus claimed that He had the parallel power with God to raise the dead just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life. The Bible teaches that only God has the power to give life to the dead (Deut. 32:39; 1 Sam. 2:6; 2 Kings 5:7; Acts 26:8; 2 Cor. 1:9; Heb. 11:19), and the Old Testament records several instances where He did so (1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:32-37; 13:20-21). Because His power was/is the same as the Father, Jesus Christ is able to raise the physically dead (11:25-44; Matt. 9:18-25; Luke 7:11-15; cf. John 6:39-40, 44). Moreover, He has the power to give spiritual life to the spiritually dead. “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him,” Jesus promised, “shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (4:14). In John 6 He admonished His hearers, “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you,” because He is “the bread of God… which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world” (vv. 27, 33; cf. vv. 35, 48, 54; 1:4; 10:28; 11:25; 14:6; 17:2).
Unlike Elijah (1 Kings 17:22) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:34-35), Jesus did not merely act as God’s representative when He raised the dead, but as God Himself. The Son Himself gives resurrection and spiritual life to whom He wishes. As God is the source of life, so Jesus Christ is the source of life. As God chooses when He gives life, so does the Son choose, in perfect agreement with the Father, a truth illustrated by the salvation of sinners. All whom the Father chose before the foundation of the world to give to the Son will come to him, and He will not reject any of them (6:37). Even Jesus’ truly human prayer in Gethsemane, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39), yields to the perfect concord between the persons of the Godhead.
Walvoord Writes:
5:21. One of the prerogatives of Deity is the right over life and death. (A king of Israel asked Naaman, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life?” [2 Kings 5:7]) One of Jesus’ “greater” works (John 5:20) is the giving of life. The Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it, just as He chose to heal one man out of a crowd of disabled people. The giving of life includes spiritual (eternal) life and a resurrected body. The resuscitation of Lazarus (chap. 11) would illustrate both.
5:22. The Son’s ability to give life is coupled with His right to judge mankind (cf. v. 27). The Father has placed this eschatological prerogative in Jesus’ hands.
5:23. Jesus’ unity with His Father is so complete that the honor of God is tied to Jesus. To reject or dishonor God the Son is to reject and dishonor God the Father.
5:24. Since Jesus has the unity and divine prerogatives mentioned in verses 19-23, to trust His message and His Father is to have in the present time eternal life (cf. 3:36). No judgment will come in the future (he will not be condemned [cf. 3:18; Rom. 6:13; 8:1] because he has already passed from one realm—death—into another—life [cf. Eph. 2:1, 5]). Only once elsewhere (in 1 John 3:14) is the phrase “passed from death to life” used.
5:25. Jesus’ life-giving power can call a person out of the grave (11:43), everyone from their tombs (5:28-29), or anyone in spiritual death (v. 24) to eternal life. (The words, a time is coming, occur four times in John: 4:21, 23; 5:25, 28.)
5:26-27. Jesus’ discourse now returned to the two central prerogatives of God: life (vv. 21, 24-26) and judgment (cf. vv. 22, 24-25, 27). Jesus has both because the Father… has given Him both. This giving is both eternal and temporal. In Himself Christ, the Logos, has life as an eternal gift of the Father (1:4), but in the Incarnation authority to judge was also delegated to Jesus. As the Son of Man (cf. Dan. 7:13), authority is given to Him.
5:28-29. Jesus said His hearers should not be amazed at His claim that right now those who believe pass from death into life (v. 24), because in the future there will be a universal physical resurrection at His command. This universal resurrection is clearly taught in Daniel 12:1-2. Other passages show that the resurrection to life, “the first resurrection,” will occur in stages (the church at the Rapture, and Tribulation saints at the Lord’s second coming at the end of the Tribulation), and that the resurrection of those who will be condemned will occur at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:11-15). John 5:28-29 is one of the few passages in this Gospel which expressly teaches eschatology.
The words those who have done good and those who have done evil (ta phaula, “worthless things”; cf. 3:20) by themselves might imply a salvation by good deeds or damnation because of evil deeds, but a consideration of John’s theology as a whole forbids this (cf. 3:17-21; 6:28-29). Those who are truly born again do live a different kind of life. They obey Him (14:15), they abide in Him (15:5-7), and they walk in the light (8:12; 1 John 1:7). They are saved by the Lamb of God who, as their substitutionary Sacrifice, takes away the penalty of their sin. Salvation is by faith in Christ. Damnation is because of rejection of God’s Son (John 3:36).
5:30. This verse is transitional; it concludes the section on Jesus’ unity with the Father (vv. 19-30). The section ends the way it began, with the point that the Son can do nothing apart from the Father (cf. v. 19). His judgment, as everything He does, is from the express will of the Father. He is the perfect Spokesman for the Father and His effective Executive. Jesus’ will is to do the Father’s will (cf. 4:34; 8:29), which shows that He has the same nature.

From McGee we read; Concerning the three Claims of Jesus: 1) That He Able to physically heal and forgive sin. 2) that He could raise physically and spiritually dead person. And 3) He had the authority to make make spiritual judgements. We now come to the second claim:
For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will [John 5:21].
Jesus imparts life, gives life, to whom He will. If the Father raises the dead, the Son will raise the dead. (An Aside: Today we hear a great deal being said about the gift of healing, but with that gift went the ability to raise the dead. Paul raised the dead, and so did Simon Peter. Our Lord gave them that gift. It was an apostolic gift of healing and raising the dead, which disappeared with the apostles). Jesus backed up His claim by actually raising the dead. He raised the dead because He was God. These other men did it in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Which leads us to the third claim
For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son [John 5:22].
A literal reading would be, “For not even the Father judgeth anyone, but He hath given all judgment unto the Son.” You can have everlasting life if you hear His word and believe it. Why? Because the Lord Jesus does what God does, because He raises the dead, and because He is going to judge all men someday. Whether saved or lost, they are going to appear before Him. The believers will appear before Him at the judgment which we call the Bema seat of Christ to see whether they receive a reward (see 2Cor. 5:10). The lost will come before Him at the Great White Throne (see Rev. 20:11). Remember that the Lord Jesus did not come to judge the first time, but He will come as Judge the next time, and all judgment is committed to Him.
Jesus, in His answer the Jewish leaders who challenged Him for healing the lame man on the Sabbath, put Himself on a par with God the Father. “That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him [John 5:23].
It is on the basis of these three claims, these three great principles, that He goes on to this wonderful statement in verse 24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life:
So, before moving ahead, perhaps we should ask ourselves, what is it that I believe about Jesus? Wasn’t that John’s intent in writing this Gospel? Wasn’t it his intent to get his readers to focus on the Godhood of Jesus, and that our salvation is only in Him?
I believe this is borne out by what John wrote, next.
“21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life”. (These are the words of Jesus, not something that John wrote about Him).

The Jewish leaders of course didn’t want to hear this. They, as all spiritually dead persons, rejected what He said. They wanted to hold on to their religion (Judaism) which gave them authority and power. They would not accept that Jesus was God in the flesh, to do so meant that they would have to surrender their authority and be subject to Him…..People today, are no different. People today, when hearing the Gospel reject it because they do not want to be subject to Jesus authority over their lives. Holding on to religion give a person a certain amount of latitude. But Jesus said “13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it”(Matthew 7:13-14).
Verses 25-29

Jesus went on: “25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,
27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice
29 and come forth–those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation”.

John began his gospel declaring that in Jesus was spiritual life (John 1:4) and here in these verses Jesus claimed that He had life-giving authority. Our commentators believe this had a double meaning. Jesus claimed to have the authority and power to restore physical life to those who had died physical deaths, who had trusted Him during their lifetime. But secondly Jesus was claiming that He had the power to spiritually resurrect (rebirth) persons who were spiritually dead.
Walvoord writes:
5:25. Jesus’ life-giving power can call a person out of the grave (11:43), everyone from their tombs (5:28-29), or anyone in spiritual death (v. 24) to eternal life.
5:26-27. Jesus’ discourse now returned to the two central prerogatives of God: life (vv. 21, 24-26) and judgment (cf. vv. 22, 24-25, 27). Jesus has both because the Father… has given Him both. This giving is both eternal and temporal. In Himself Christ, the Logos, has life as an eternal gift of the Father (1:4), but in the Incarnation authority to judge was also delegated to Jesus. As the Son of Man (cf. Dan. 7:13), authority is given to Him.
5:28-29. Jesus said His hearers should not be amazed at His claim that right now those who believe pass from death into life (v. 24), because in the future there will be a universal physical resurrection at His command.
MacArthur Writes:
“For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;” (5:26)
The Son can give life (v. 21) because, like the Father, He has life in Himself. No one can give to others what he himself lacks; thus no sinful human being can generate for himself eternal life, nor impart it to anyone else. God alone possesses it, and He grants it through His Son to whomever He wills.
John had already stated in the prologue to his gospel that the Son possessed life in Himself from all eternity (1:4). Again, it must be affirmed that when He became a man, our Lord voluntarily gave up the independent use of His divine attributes (Phil. 2:6-7; cf. John 5:19, 30; 8:28). But the Father granted Him the authority to give life (both physical and spiritual) even during the self-limiting condescension of His earthly ministry.

As with the authority to give life, the Father also gave the incarnate and submissive Son the authority to execute judgment. Christ received that authority because He is the Son of Man. The phrase Son of Man, Jesus’ favorite designation of Himself, derives from Daniel’s messianic description of the Son of Man as the one who “was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. Since He is the God-man who entered fully into human life, experience, and temptation (Heb. 2:14-18; 4:14-16), Jesus can be the ultimate judge of all mankind.
The Persons
“Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs” (5:28a)
The unbelieving Jews were astonished and outraged at Jesus’ bold claim to be the giver of spiritual life and the ultimate judge of all men. But the Lord was about to make another shocking claim. Rebuking them for their unbelief—that they would marvel at His teachings—Jesus continued by revealing another truth that astounded them: that He would one day raise the dead from their graves. As He did with the spiritual resurrection (v. 25), Jesus said that the hour of bodily resurrection is coming. Those who belong to Christ will be raised in connection with His coming.
McGee Writes
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice [John 5:25,28].
In John 11 where we have the incident in which Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, you will remember that He said to the two sisters at the time of the death of Lazarus, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26, italics mine). “Though he were dead.” Does this mean the person that is in the grave hears? No, no, this is referring to spiritual death! Death means separation from God. The hour is coming when those who are in the grave shall hear His voice and shall live, but the hour is now when those who are spiritually dead hear His voice and live. Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers that they had been dead in trespasses and sins. That is the spiritual condition of everyone. But then, “he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death [out of spiritual death] unto life,” the life that He gives. So in verses 25 and 28 He is talking about two separate things. The time is now when Christ gives spiritual life. The hour is coming when He will raise the dead out of the grave.
“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man” (John 5:26-27).
The Lord Jesus is a life-giver, you see. Not only does He have life, but He gives life. He also has the right to execute judgment. He came the first time as the Savior and not to judge, but He is coming the next time as the Judge. At that time, those in the graves will hear His voice.
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29). A better translation for the word damnation would be “judgment.”
As long as we are reading McGee, let’s look at verse 5:30
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me [John 5:30].
Jesus says, “I can of mine own self do nothing.” That is His self-limitation when He came down to this earth and took upon Himself our humanity. He came down as a man, not to do His own will but the Father’s will.
This is the example for us today. You and I have a will, an old nature, that is not obedient to God. We can’t be obedient to God because we are in rebellion against God. That is the natural state of every man. That is the reason our Lord had to tell Nicodemus that he must be born again. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). You and I have to have the new birth because this old nature is incorrigible, my friend. It is in rebellion against God. It has been carrying a protest banner before the gates of heaven ever since man came out through the gates of paradise in the Garden of Eden.
John 5:31-39: Jesus continues testifying to those who rejected Him, and who began seeking to kill Him (The Jewish religious leadership), that there were other witnesses who testified of His person.

“31 If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. 32 There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. 33 You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. 35 He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. 36 But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish–the very works that I do–bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.
37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.
38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.
Walvoord commenting on these verses, writes.
The thought in this discourse moves from that of Jesus’ unity with the Father to that of the Father’s witness to Jesus.
He had the Testimony of John the Baptist John the Baptist’s function was that of a witness. A good witness tells the truth as he knows it. John’s witness to Jesus had an abiding character. Jesus did not need human testimony, but John’s work helped people because in their darkness he pointed them to the light. John’s work was that you may be saved. His great popular movement was only an anticipatory one, in which he pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God.
5:35. John was only a lamp, not the true Light (1:9). The Jewish nation for a short time was stirred by and rejoiced in his ministry. For a moment they thought the Messianic Age was dawning. Even though his preaching had some stinging rebukes, there was a great popular excitement about his message. The people thought that though Israel might be disciplined, their enemies would be destroyed.
His miracles (signs) testified of His person. Though John the Baptist was a great voice for God, he did not do any miracles (10:41). The “signs” were specific works which God had assigned for the Son to do. These miracles were predicted in the Old Testament (Isa. 35:5-6). Jesus’ work was a clear manifestation that God was with Him and that He worked through Him (cf. Nicodemus’ words [John 3:2]; Jesus’ logic [Mark 3:23-29]; and the lesson from an ex-blind man [John 9:30-33]).
God the Father testified of Him. Jesus told the Jewish leadership that God, His Father testified of Him. But when and how did or does the Father give this witness? The possibilities include:
(1) At Jesus’ baptism (Matt. 3:17),
(2) At the transfiguration (Matt. 17:5),
(3) At the Triumphal Entry (John 12:28),
(4) In Jesus’ works (3:2),
(5) In people’s minds or hearts (6:45). Most likely Jesus was referring to the inner work of God in which He impresses on people’s consciences that Jesus is the Truth (6:45; 1 John 5:9-12).
The Scriptures testified of Him. “39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life”.
Old Testament writing witnessed to His person: The Jewish religious leaders studied the Old Testament with great diligence. They believed that if one could comprehend the words of the text, he would gain a share in the world to come. They considered those ignorant of the Law to be under a curse (7:49).
Similarly many people today think Bible study is an end in itself rather than a function leading to the knowledge of God and godliness.
All these things testified of Jesus’ person but yet, they rejected Him. He said:
41 I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you–Moses, in whom you trust. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me”47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
The Jews may have thought that Jesus was upset because He was not officially endorsed by the leaders. But He denied that idea. They thought they knew His motivation, but in contrast He knew them and the cause of their unbelief (cf. 2:24-25): they did not have the love of God (i.e., love for God, not love from God) in their hearts. The great command is that people should love God (Ex. 20:4; Deut. 6:5); the great sin is that they reject Him and love and serve “created things” (Rom. 1:25).
Two things evidenced their lack of love for God. (1) They rejected Christ, the Father’s “Representative.” To insult or reject one’s ambassador is the same as rejecting him. (2) They accepted false teachers or prophets. This reveals a lack of affinity with the truth. An additional failure was their desire for acceptance and approval from sinful men while ignoring the favor and the will of the only God. True faith was impossible because they were seeking the wrong object: man, not God.
Verses 45-47: Jesus came as the Savior, not as the Judge (cf. 3:17). It was unnecessary for Him to accuse the people. Moses, whom they claimed to follow, would condemn them because they had broken the covenant he instituted and missed the Person he wrote about. On whom your hopes are set implies that they thought salvation would come by their good deeds in keeping the Law.
If the Jews really believed Moses, they would believe Christ, for Moses wrote about Him. Jesus here did not refer to any specific passage (cf. Gen. 3:15; 22:18; 49:10; Num. 24:17; Deut. 18:15) or to any specific types (such as the Passover, the manna, the rock, the offerings, or the high priesthood). He simply assumed the Old Testament clearly points to Him. Since Moses’ revelation was rejected (cf. Luke 16:29-31), Jesus’ words were rejected also. Later Jesus said that Isaiah had written about Him (John 12:41).
Study Guide – The Gospel of John
Chapter 6– Study one
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand, And the Bread of Life

Each Gospel writer had he own reasons for writing, and each emphasized certain viewpoints on the ministry of Christ.

Matthew, wrote to a Jewish audience and emphasized Jesus’ fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, proving that He is the long-awaited Messiah. Mark wrote a fast-paced, condensed account, recording Jesus’ miraculous deeds and not recording His long discourses. Luke portrayed Jesus as the remedy of the world’s ills, emphasizing His perfect humanity and humane concern for the weak, the suffering, and the outcast. John emphasized Jesus’ deity by selecting many conversations and sayings of Jesus that pertained/pertains to eternal life.

Matthew’s gospel was directed toward a Jewish audience, Mark toward a Greek audience, Luke’s gospel was written to a friend, or colleague by the name of Theophilus as an evangelistic tool or as an encouragement. John’s gospel was evangelistic and was intended to be read by both the Jews and the Gentiles. Each writer was inspired by the Holy Spirit thus each gospel was/is a part of the whole message of God. Support of this truth is found in 2nd Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 2nd Timothy 3:16.”

From this point on we will find that John will continue to highlight Jesus miracles but now he adds Jesus’ doctrinal discourses. Discourse that had/have to do with eternal life.
6:1-2 / 1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.

Why did a great multitude follow Jesus to the other side of Galilee?

Verse 2 give the answer: Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.

This multitude followed Jesus not because they believed that He was God in the flesh but because of the signs He did; the healing of all sorts of those who were afflicted with one disease or another.
We come now to Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the five thousand. (A miracle recorded in all four Gospels).
Different than the other gospels John records that followed this miracle with a discourse on the Bread of Life. You will note that John calls the miracles that Jesus did, “signs”. Signs point to something; thus Jesus signs was with purpose.
What was that Purpose?
Leaping ahead to John 20:30-31 we read: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” This is an important verse because it is actually the key to this entire Gospel.
God’s purpose of the signs (miracles) that Jesus did in the presence of His disciples, and the multitudes, was to prove that Jesus truly was God in the flesh. John’s purpose of writing about these signs (miracles) was to lead his readers (which includes you and I) to faith in Christ, a faith that would result in the salvation of their/our souls.
Jesus feeding the five thousand
Now we read of Jesus feeding the five thousand, and we learn that He had a purpose of doing this. It gave Him the opportunity to later declare that He was the Bread of God
Verses 3-59 “3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. 7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” 10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.”
16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,
17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone–23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks– 24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” 26 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

What did Jesus know about their reason of following Him?

Jesus knew that the true reason of the multitude following Him across the sea was not spiritual, but fleshly desire. He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (Vs. 26).

Jesus didn’t answer their question directly. He penetrated beneath the surface to their motive for seeking Him. You ate the loaves and were filled. Your only interest is that your stomachs are full. Labor not for the meat which perishes, but for that meat which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed [John 6:27].

Verse 28: This caused them ask: “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
They asked “what shall we do, that we might work the works of God? In essence they were asking, what can we do to be saved?
What has people before regeneration always believed?
People have always believed that if they could just work at it, they could be saved. Man feels thoroughly capable of working out his own salvation. He feels competent to do it, and he feels that God must accept his works. But notice what Jesus said the work of God is that leads to salvation.
Verse 29: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
In these 4 verses (26-29) Jesus in essence, said: Stop laboring for meat that perishes, but labor for that meat which will lead to everlasting life which I will give unto you: for him hath God the Father has set His seal.
Verse 30-31: Still not accepting what He was saying they asked Him; “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

Verses 32-33: 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Verses 34-42 “Lord, give us this bread always.” 35 And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 41 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, ‘I am the bread which came down from heaven.’ 42 And they said, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know’? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
What does this reveal about the unregenerate person?
This reveals the hardness of the unregenerate person. Many of them had just been fed miraculously by Jesus when he multiplied five barley loaves and two small fish into a sufficiency that satisfied everyone’s hunger. Yet they now said; “Show us a sign. What dost Thou work?”
It seems that they didn’t want to believe for that would mean a change of heart and lifestyle. That is exactly what John the Baptist had called them to. He challenged them to turn from (repent of) their sin and prepare themselves for their expected Messiah. He would not baptize them otherwise they did. Many of these same people now wanted the benefits of following Jesus but they would not accept what He was saying that He was the spiritual food that they needed.
Verses 43-57 “43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, ‘Do not murmur among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day’. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” 52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”
53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven–not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

What was the Jews wrong thinking?

The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat? (John 6:52). They were think-ing in the physical sense, but Jesus was thinking and speaking spiritually. As a person takes in literal bread (food) to maintain life, so a person must take in Jesus, in the spiritual sense, to have spiritual life. Consider John 3:36 and 3:18 →

John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
What does it mean, to take in (consume) Jesus?
To take in Jesus is to believe in Him to the point of commitment. Another way of saying this would be “trusting in Him” for salvation. Both verses cite positive and negative positions: 1) he who believes (trusts) in Jesus has everlasting life, 2) but He who does not trust in Jesus is condemned and under the wrath of God.
The Jews to whom Jesus was speaking referred back to the bread that Moses had provided their ancestors (Actually it was God who had provided) during their wilderness wanderings but Jesus retorted by saying “32 Most assuredly, I say to you, ‘Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ 34 Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, give us this bread always.’ 35 And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst’” (6:32-35).
Jesus said that He was the bread of life that came down from heaven but they (the Jews to whom Jesus spoke) immediately complained saying how can you say that you came down from heaven, are you not the son of Joseph, whose mother is Mary, both whom we know? (see verses 6:41-42). They rejected this because coming down from meant that He was not human, but God. But he was God, and He was human. They either didn’t remember the words of the prophet Isaiah who said “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14) or they refused to accept his prophecy. It was probably the later. They refused to believe, because to believe the prophecy meant that they would have to accept Jesus’ claim of being the bread from heaven.
There is one other thing that we should address before leaving this section, and that is Jesus’ words of verses 6:36-37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Election and free will are both in this verse. “All that the father giveth me shall come to me” suggest election. But, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” suggests free will. Both are true. The Father gives men to Christ, but men must respond by an act of their will. The only way we can reconcile this is that the ones that come to Jesus are the ones whom the Father gives to Him.
I read that Charles Spurgeon preached a “whosoever will” gospel, and that someone said to him, “If I believed like you do about election, I wouldn’t preach like you do.” Spurgeon’s answer was something like this, “If the Lord had put a yellow stripe down the backs of the elect, I’d go up and down the street lifting up shirttails, finding out who had the yellow stripe, and then I’d give them the gospel. But God didn’t do it that way. He told me to preach the gospel to every creature that ‘whosoever will may come.'”
Does this mean that if “a person is not of the elect he still can come” Yes, but will he? No! Remember Jesus words to Nico-demus?
“19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God” (John 3:19-21).
Earlier Jesus said to this same person: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…..5 “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
And remember Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1st Corinthians 2:14). All persons are natural persons before having a spiritual rebirth.
It might be good to consider: If I have not trusted in Jesus for salvation it is because I have not been elected and because I have rejected the solicitation of the Holy Spirit who has been sent into the world to convict all persons of their sin (John 16:7-11).

Study Guide – The Gospel of John
Chapter 6– Study Two
Jesus Walks Upon the Sea and
Jesus the Bread of Life

6:15-21 Jesus Walks on Water
15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. 16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
This same account was written of by Matthew (14:22-36) and Mark (6:45-52. Each writer; Matthew Mark, and John wrote from their own perspective and their reporting varies somewhat from the others. But, for the purpose of our study we turn to Mark and read his account. Now remember, Jesus had just fed 5,000 plus people by miraculously multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish into and amount that satisfied the hunger of them all.
Mark’s account: After feeding the five thousand “45 Jesus Immediately made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. 46 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. 47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. 48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. 49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.
Mark wrote that Jesus disciples (the apostles) because of the hardness of their heart did not understand what Jesus had just done, miraculously feeding the five thousand. This wasn’t done by trickery but by actually multiplying the loaves and fishes.
By multiplying the loaves and fish, what did Jesus demon-strate?
In multiplying the loaves and fish Jesus demonstrated that God was with Him, that He was God in the flesh. He knew the hardness of their hearts and by predetermination demonstrated that He was God by walking on water.
We must remember, they were still unregenerate humans, they did not have the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) indwelling them. They were considering (measuring) things from a human perspective. Considering this we should not be in wonderment why that even after there is a church on almost every corner here in America, there are many Bible expositors (preachers-priest), Bible book stores, colleges and seminaries still the vast majority of people do not really understand whom Jesus was/is. Even many of the said preachers-priest, Bible students and so-called Christians do not know true Jesus. John 3:1-8 explains that a person must be born again in order to see (understand) the kingdom of God and 1st Corinthians 2:14 explains that the natural man cannot receive knowledge about the kingdom of God because it is acquired only by the Spirit of God.
Jesus feeding of the five thousand and coming to His disciples by walking on water (actually walking on a raging sea) were by design, not of circumstances. They were precursors to what Jesus was to do next. We read from John 6:22-35:
22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone– 23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks– 24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”
26 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
30 Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”
32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” 35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.
Commentary
Not seeing Jesus the crowd began searching for Him, Why?
We find the answer in verse 26. Finding Jesus on the far side of the lake and knowing that He had not gotten into the boat that the apostles took ask Jesus how he had gotten to this side of the lake. Rather than answer their He responded, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.”
They sought Jesus not because of anything spiritual but because of what they might gain temporally.
This makes us think about our times. Many today sign on to Christianity because of what they might gain temporally i.e. some financial benefit, position in their church or community, or per-haps access to something they might not otherwise realize.
Jesus did not answer their question directly but knowing what was really on their mind He said: “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him” (John 6:27). In essence Jesus said: stop looking (working) for food that perishes, but work for food that endures for everlasting life, which food the Son of Man will give you, for on Him, God the Father has set His seal.
What did they ask?
What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? (John 6:28).
By this question they were asking what they could do to be saved. It seems that it was a half-hearted question. The text clearing indicates that they sought Jesus for physical (temporal) reasons not spiritual reasons. But their question does reveal what man through out time has supposed, that to be accepted by God one must do certain works. Man feels thoroughly capable of working out his own salvation. He feels competent to do it, and he feels that God must accept his works.
What was Jesus’ answer? This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom He hath sent (John 6:29).

How did they respond?
“30 Therefore they said to Him, ‘What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’ ” (John 6:30-31).
What was Jesus’ answer
Having gotten their attention Jesus answered: “32Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:32-33).
But what was they thinking of?
They were still thinking of physical food and said: “Moses gave our people manna.” Actually it wasn’t Moses who gave the manna; God did that. And it wasn’t a one-time deal. God fed them every day for forty years. These who confronted Jesus wanted to be taken care just like their forefathers. They wanted free food. Manna gave life in the day of their forefathers; it was a gift from God, and this was what they were seeking. The manna that God provided their forefathers gave physical life out there in the wilderness and this is what they were thinking of, but the Lord was speaking of something altogether different. Jesus was speaking of a manna (the food) that gives spiritual life.
This revealed the hardness of their heart. Jesus had miraculously provided them with food and yet here they asked for a sign. They did not want to believe Jesus’s message concerning their souls, they were only interested in that which pertained to the physical.
They were just like the woman at the well who asked for water but was thinking of physical water so she wouldn’t need to come and draw water at the well anymore. These men sought Jesus looking for that which would satisfy their physical needs. But Jesus knew their real need, their need of spiritual food and He said to them “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst- (John 6:35).
He joins the two together. Christ is the living water and the living food of spiritual life. He is the One who came down from heaven and gave His life for the world that we might have life, salvation. Not salvation only but our spiritual life source. We are to feed upon Him constantly that might grow spiritually.
Did they now understand and believed?

Verse 36 answers that question: “you have seen Me and yet do not believe.”

Now it gets theologically interesting:

Jesus continued: “37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

How are we to tie this verse in with the other verses of this back and forth conversation, verses 28-36?

Consider once again the dialogue: The Jews to whom Jesus spoke had asked: “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? (v.28)” and Jesus answered: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (v. 29) “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe (vv.35-36). Then in verse 37 He said: All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

Verse 37 is a continuation of verse 36 and there is a supposed conjunction here, the word “but”. So the two verse read this way: “I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe, but All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”
How are we to understand this seeming contradiction?

Speaking of the crowd that sought Jesus, He said; You have seen Me and yet do not believe. But He implied; there will be those who will believe (maybe some of them, or others) because they are the Father’s gift to Him.
Why would God make a gift of certain ones to Jesus?
The answer is commenced in verse 38. “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
And, what was the will of the One who sent Jesus?
Hebrews 10:1-10 Gives us the answer: “1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer con-tinually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the wor-shipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. 5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure’. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come– In the volume of the book it is written of Me– To do Your will, O God.’
8 Previously saying, ‘Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them’(which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’ He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

And continuing with Romans 5:1-19 we read;
“6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned– 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.

17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justi-fication of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
And 2nd Corinthians 5:21states “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
From these verses we learn that the will of God was that His only begotten Son be sacrificed for the salvation of man. Thus It was God the Father’s will, that Jesus sacrifice His life for lost man-kind. Because of His obedience to that will God drew/draws certain ones to the Son as a gift.
Verse 6:37 “All that the father giveth me shall come to me” opens up the age-old argument of election and free will.
J. Vernon McGee
There are some people who put all their eggs in the basket of election. There are others who put all their eggs in the basket of free will.
Election and free will are both in this verse. “All that the father giveth me shall come to me” states a truth, and that is election. But wait a minute! “And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” is also true, and “him that cometh to me” is free will. I don’t know how to reconcile them, but they are both true. The Father gives men to Christ, but men have to come. And the ones that come are the ones, apparently, whom the Father gives to Him. You and I are down here, and we don’t see into the machinery of heaven. I don’t know how God runs that computer of election, but I know that He has given to you and to me a free will and we have to exercise it.
Because Spurgeon preached a “whosoever will” gospel, someone said to him, “If I believed like you do about election, I wouldn’t preach like you do.” Spurgeon’s answer was something like this, “If the Lord had put a yellow stripe down the backs of the elect, I’d go up and down the street lifting up shirttails, finding out who had the yellow stripe, and then I’d give them the gospel. But God didn’t do it that way. He told me to preach the gospel to every creature that ‘whosoever will may come.'” Jesus says, “…and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” So, my friend, you can argue about election all you want to, but you can come. And if you come, He’ll not cast you out.
Someone may ask, “You mean that if I’m not the elect I can still come?” My friend, if you come, you will be the elect. How tremendous this is! How wonderful it is that the will of God is for you to come to Him. Jesus came down from heaven because “the Son of man must be lifted up.” He came to do the Father’s will in that, and it is the Father’s will that you be born again. But you will have to come to Him, friend; that is the only way. You must come to the Lord Jesus by faith.
But back to our text
Verse 6:39 “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”

When Jesus starts out with one hundred sheep, He’s going to come through with one hundred sheep. He will not lose one. That is what this means. Everyone who believes and receives Christ has everlasting life and will be raised up again at the last day.
Who affirms this truth?
Paul affirms this in Romans 8:28-39: 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? (No one can condemn the redeemed of God—why? )Because – It is Christ (the Son of God) who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In that our salvation is secured by the Lord we can live out our days knowing with surety that when we pass from this present experience, we will be with Him. What a blessing!
John 6:41-42 “The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?”
How perplexing this must have been for the Pharisees (the Jews), they knew that Mary was His mother, how then could He claim to have come down from heaven? Evidently, they had forgotten, not understood, or rejected what the prophet Isaiah had prophesied “a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel means, God with us, but they couldn’t, or wouldn’t, make the connection. They knew that Jesus had been birthed by Mary, they knew His brother’s and sister(s), they knew that He had grown up among them, how could He have come down from heaven? It seems that they willfully rejected His claim.

Did their murmuring surprise Jesus?
Verses 6:43-59 “43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.
What is meant by the word “draw”?
The word draw in the Greek (The language of the New Testa-ment) is hĕlkō helʹ-ko (1670) with a meaning of to drag and is linked with hairēŏmai hahee-rehʹ-om-ahee (138) meaning to take for oneself. These Jews, of our text, knew exactly what Jesus was saying when He said that “no one can come to me unless the Father draws him”. They knew that Jesus was saying that no one could come to Him unless the Father had taken him or her for Himself.
Again, this speaks of divine election. How do we explain it? I for one, cannot. Scripture confirms that man is free to choose or reject God, yet they can’t come to Him unless he draws them. Scripture also confirms that God holds the rejector responsible, we only have to read Jesus’ own words spoken to Nicodemus; 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God” (John 3:18-21) to be assured of this truth.
Jesus was not swayed by their murmuring.
No, He laid it back in their laps, so to speak, and held them responsible for their rejection, He said: 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.
Jesus reminded the Jewish leadership that they had within them-selves the testimony of their Old Testament prophets. Isaiah 54:13 for instance promised “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, And great shall be the peace of your children” and Jeremiah 31:34 promised “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” These of course are promises that will be fulfilled during the tribulation period but was partially fulfilled in those of Jesus day. It will be a recalling of the prophecies of their prophets that the Lord will use in convincing the Jews that Jesus was/is their Messiah and it was this same testimony that should have convinced them. It was and will be God’s inner work that will dispose people to accept Jesus and respond to Him. Had the Jewish leader openly considered the testimony of their prophets they would have accepted the words of Jesus. But, as John wrote in his prologue “Jesus came on to His, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11) they would not accept and apply the Fathers testimony through their prophets about Jesus.
Did the Jews have any legitimate excuse?
No, they were without excuse, the very works (miracles) that Jesus had been doing in their midst (giving sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk, restoring hearing to the deaf, cleansing lepers and raising the dead) testified that indeed He was not just a representative of God but was God in the flesh. Only God could do these things.
Jesus testified that even though their prophets had not seen God, He had. Consider 6:46: “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. The Jews would have readily connected this with what God had said to Moses “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live” (Exodus 33:20).
What is the implication of this?
To see the face of God meant death, yet Jesus said that He had seen the Father, the implication being that He Himself was of God, that he was God. This would have enraged the Pharisee’s even further.

But Jesus wouldn’t be swayed. He continued: “47Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world…53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven–not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. (6:47-51; 53-59).
The eating of Jesus flesh and the drinking of His blood was misunderstood by these Jews (as have some of our day). Verse 52 gives their thinking. “The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” They of course were thinking of His literal flesh. But Jesus was speaking in spiritual terms. He was right there before them, if He meant His literal body, they should have begun at that time to eat His body and drink His blood.
What then did Jesus actually mean?
Jesus meant that they must partake of Him spiritually. They were to trust in Him for their salvation, as persons/we must. He did give His flesh (body) and He did shed His blood on the cross for man’s salvation but the eating His flesh and drinking “His blood” are figures of speech. Had the Jews thought this through they would have recalled the Levitical law which forbade the drinking of blood.
Consider Leviticus 3.17: “This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood. ”
And Leviticus 17.10-14: “10 And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. 12 Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.’ 13 Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust; 14 for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.’
Was Jesus refuting or changing this law?
No, from Matthew 5:17-18 we read: “17 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Even though the Jewish leadership, especially the Pharisees, knew that the Law forbade the dinking of blood still they interpreted Jesus words in the literal sense, were they legitimately confused or were they looking for ways to discredit Jesus? Not sure, but they were masters of the Law and knew that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (See Hebrews 9:22). They should have, and perhaps did, make a spiritual connection with Jesus’ words.
What did many of Jesus disciples do at this time?
Even many of those who followed Jesus also did not understand and left off following Him. We read from John 6.60 and 6.66” “60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can understand it?…..’ 66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
But what was Jesus response? “61b Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”
Clearing up any doubt of what He meant by the eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood Jesus asked them “What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?” His physical ascension into heaven would rule out crassly literal interpretation of eating His flesh and drinking His blood and that of course is exactly what He did, He ascended back into heaven (Acts 1:3-11).
In that Upper Room (Matthew 26:26-28) Jesus made it very clear that the bread and the wine were symbols of His flesh and His blood. He would soon shed His blood upon the Cross and give His life.
Verse 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
Could it be any clearer?
One is not saved by the eating of Jesus flesh or the drinking of His blood. A person is saved by trusting in His one-time sacrifice.
Jesus went on – 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.’
What was the result of Jesus’ strong declaration? From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more (Verse 66). There were many who followed Jesus superficially, they were not true believers. This reminds us of Jesus parable about the sower of seed and the 4 types of soil. We read from Matthew 13:3a-9 ……
“3b Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
As there was different reasons why the seed of this parable didn’t survive in 3 of the 4 soils there were different reasons why Jesus’ words did not change the hearts of the many disciples that left and no longer followed Him, The underlying reason however was unbelief, they didn’t believe Jesus.

Verse 67: Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’

Verses 68-69 What was their response? But Simon Peter (speaking on behalf the other apostles) answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’

Verses 70-71 “70 Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?’ 71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

Study Guide – The Gospel of John
Chapter 7

Reading Verses 1-13: “1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to Him, ‘Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.’ 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him. 6 Then Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.’ 9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. 10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, ‘Where is He?’ 12 And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, ‘He is good’; others said, ‘No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.’ 13 However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

Commentary
Verse 1 “After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.”
After these things is a common expression with John who is giving us a chronological picture. The events of chapter 6 took place in Galilee at the Sea of Galilee; but before that, Jesus had been in Jerusalem where there had arisen the controversy concerning Him at the pool of Bethesda. It seems that the events of chapter 6 transpired about one year before the Cross in April; the events in chapter 7 occur about six months later, in October. If this is an accurate time tabulation Jesus is about six months away from offering Himself as Israel’s Messiah, being rejected by the Jewish leadership and being killed.
Verse 2 “Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.”
As we come to chapter 7 the Feast of Tabernacles was at hand and as it was the time of year that the Jews in celebration celebrated God’s provision to their forefathers during their wilderness wanderings Jesus’ brothers (likely His whole family) determined to go to Jerusalem for that celebration .
Verses 3-5 “3 His brothers therefore said to Him, ‘Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.’ 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.”
Jesus’ brothers, sons of Mary and Joseph after Jesus’ birth, were at this time unbelievers (cf. Mark 3:21, 31-35; 6:3; and verse 5 of our text. They logically argued that the messianic question could not be settled in Galilee, as Jerusalem was the religious capital. The popular Feast of Tabernacles would be the right time for Jesus to present Himself as the Messiah. If He would display His powers in Judea, He might be able to recapture the lost crowds. It did not seem rational to Jesus’ brothers for Him not to show off His glory. If He really was what He claimed to be, they reasoned, He should publicly demonstrate it. They advised Him to display Himself in a powerful, brilliant way: “Show Yourself to the world was their” sarcastic suggestion.
Verses 6-7 “6 Then Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.”
Jesus responded that His time differed from theirs. They could come and go without any significance, without being singled out; for them any time was right, but His movements were subject to His father’s time schedule. Knowing that He would soon be sacrificed as His Father’s atonement for man’s sin and knowing that that would happen on the next day of atonement, He needed to restrict His time to that event. He knew that the Jewish leadership hated Him and were seeking His death.
Several times John noted that Jesus’ time had not yet come (Chapter 2 verse 4; Chapter 7 verses 6, 8, & 30; Chapter 8 verse 20) and chapter 17 verse 1.
The world was not dangerous to the brothers of Jesus because they were part of it (the world cannot hate you). But the world hated Jesus because He is not of it. He had come into it as Light and pointed out its sin and rebellion against the Father. The world has its religions, its programs, its plans, its values, but Christ witnessed that it is all evil (ponēra, “wicked”). Partly because of this, He lived carefully in order to fulfill the Father’s will.
Verses 8-10 “8 You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.’ 9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. 10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.”
Walvoord explains that Jesus said He was not going up to Jerusalem and the feast at this time. If He said that He was not going at all, He would have been lying for He did go up (vs. 10). Walvoord explains-most Greek editions of the New Testament omit the word “yet,” because it is considered a difficult reading. No, Jesus simply meant that He was not going up to the Feast “right then,” as they suggested. Rather than go up at that time Jesus stayed in Galilee for a time, doing the tasks of ministry which the Father had ordained.
Verses 11-13 “11 Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, ‘Where is He?’ 12 And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, ‘He is good’; others said, ‘No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.’ 13 However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

His reason for not going up with His brothers at the time they went was valid for we read that Jesus’ enemies (The Sanhedrin) were searching for Him. There was also a great controversy about Him among the common folk. A widespread argument was growing in intensity. Some were saying that He was a good man, yet others were saying that He was a deceiver. The charge, He deceives the people, had ominous tones for the penalty for this, according to Talmudic law, was death by stoning.
Reading 7:14-19 “14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. 15 And the Jews marveled, saying, ‘How does this Man know letters, having never studied?’ 16 Jesus answered them and said, ‘My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. 19 Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?’”
Commentary
7:14-15. “14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. 15 And the Jews marveled, saying, ‘How does this Man know letters, having never studied?’
The first three days passed without anyone seeing Jesus. The crowds wondered if He would come and perhaps claim to be the Messiah. Then halfway through the Feast He began teaching in the temple courts. As the official religious leaders listened to Him along with the crowds they were amazed (cf. Mark 1:22). His teaching was learned and spiritually penetrating. Yet He had never been a disciple in any Rabbinic school. They wondered how this could be possible.
7:16-17. 16 Jesus answered them and said, ‘My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.
In Answer to their question, ‘How does this Man know letters, having never studied?’Jesus said that the doctrine He was teaching was given Him by His Father. We must remember that Jesus in His humanity spent hours in prayer communicating with His Father and it was He who gave understanding to Jesus. He said, ‘My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. They, the religious leaders would not have understood that, they could only determine things by human intellect. This reminds us of Paul’s Words to the Corinthian Believers: “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”(1st Corinthians 2:14). In this passage Paul is contrasting human wisdom against spiritual enlightenment but the principle is the same. In His humanity Jesus mind was enlightened by God. God honored Him with that enlightenment because of His being obedient to His will.
Jesus went on to say that if anyone (they) truly sought to do God’s will (vs. 17) they would know that the doctrine He was speaking was not of Himself but was God the Father’s doctrine.
Verse 18 “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.”
If Jesus were only self-taught (speaking on His own) He would have had reason to boast, His ministry would be self-exalting. But He did not seek honor for Himself, He sought to honor His father. This, by the way should be our goal.

Reading Verses 7: 19-24 “19 Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me? 20 The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?” 21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. 22 Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Commentary
7:19. The audience boasted in Moses’ Law (9:28). Jesus attacked their self-confident religion. They assumed they were Law-keepers. But their hearts (inner thoughts) were full of evil (Mark 7:6-7, 20-22; Matt. 5:21-22). He knew them (John 2:24-25), and that their hatred would lead to murder.
7:20. Instead of repenting because His light had rebuked their darkness (3:19-20), they insulted Him, saying He was demon-possessed. People had said the same of John the Baptist (Matt. 11:18). Jesus had told His half-brothers the world hated Him (John 7:7), because “everyone who does evil hates the light” (3:20). To call Jesus, who is sent from God, demon-possessed is to call light darkness (cf. 8:48, 52; 10:20). They denied His accusation that they were trying to kill Him. But earlier they were in fact trying to do that very thing (5:18).
Verses 21-24 “21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. 22 Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Commentary
7:21-23. The one miracle (lit., “work”) Jesus referred to was His healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, which He had performed in Jerusalem at His last visit (5:1-18). This started a fierce controversy. Circumcision is a religious rite that predated Moses. Abraham circumcised as a sign of the covenant (Gen. 17:9-14). But Moses gave Israel circumcision in the sense of establishing it as part of the Levitical system. Under the Mosaic Law, “On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised” (Lev. 12:3). If that day fell on a Sabbath, circumcising a boy would seemingly violate the Sabbath Law of rest. Yet the Jews circumcised on the Sabbath. Therefore, Jesus argued, if care for one part of the body was permitted, then certainly the healing of a whole body (that of the paralytic) should be allowed on the Sabbath. Hence, they had no reason to be angry with Him.
7:24. Their problem was that they understood the Scriptures only superficially. They majored in minors and missed the intents of many passages (cf. Matt. 23:23; John 5:39-40). They were judging by mere appearances. Their superficial understanding was caused by their hostility against God’s Representative.
Verses 7:25-26: 25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill? 26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?

In that Jesus spoke openly and forcefully may were amazed, Why?

Some of the local people were amazed at His bold public teaching. They knew of a plot to kill Him. Yet the leaders were not doing what they said they would do. Why? Had the authorities changed their minds? People were confused over the lack of leadership in the nation. They felt that if He was a deceiver, He should be locked up, or if He was the Messiah, they should accept Him.

Verse 27: However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”

What was their confusion?

The crowds assumed that Jesus was only a Galilean carpenter from the city of Nazareth. They also believed that the Messiah (the Christ) would be unknown until His public appearing yet for approximately the past 2 ½ year he had been all over Judea, Galilee and Samaria.

Verses 28-29 28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. 29 But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”

Why would Jesus say “You both know Me, and you know where I am from” if in fact the Jews didn’t know who he truly was?
A comparison of the Lord’s words, “You both know Me and know where I am from” with His declaration in 8:19, “You know neither Me nor My Father,” reveals that His comment here was intended as irony. Jesus certainly would not contradict Himself, nor would He affirm that His opponents knew Him, but not the Father (cf. 5:23; 8:19; 15:23; 16:3). And He would hardly have said that those who regarded Him as an impostor and a charlatan actually knew Him. In fact, Jesus was asserting that they did not know Him, saying in effect, “So you think you know Me and where I am from, do you?” This was another of their false assumptions of spiritual knowledge.
There was ample evidence that Jesus was not the self-appointed false prophet and pseudo-Messiah the leaders accused Him of being. In reality, as He declared, “I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true.” He had not come on His own, but rather had been sent by the true God. But to the unbelieving crowd, and more shockingly to the religious leaders, Jesus said, “you do not know [the God you profess].”
That statement “You do not know the God you profess) was a devastating indictment and a stunning rebuke, especially to the scribes and Pharisees. As Israel’s religious elite, they had devoted their entire lives to the study of the Old Testament. They prided themselves on their knowledge of God. To them, as Paul noted, “belonged the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises” (Romans. 9:4).
Yet despite all those privileges, they were woefully ignorant of the very God they so proudly professed to know.
Verse 7:30 “Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.”

Rather than be persuaded by Jesus words what did many of them attempt to do?
Infuriated by what they considered blasphemy His enemies were seeking to seize Him. This was evidently a spontaneous effort by some in the crowd, as opposed to the official attempt to arrest Him described in verse 32. Why they failed, humanly speaking, to seize Jesus is not stated, but it was likely because many in the crowd were protective of Him (v. 31).
John quickly gave the divine aspect when he stated that the reason no man laid his hand on Hun was because His hour had not yet come. As noted in chapter 23 of this volume, Jesus always operated according to God’s sovereign timetable. Nothing, including impulsive mob violence, could precipitate His death before the appointed hour. As always, redemptive history at that moment was perfectly on schedule; God’s sovereign purpose would not be thwarted

Verse 7:31-32 “31 And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?” 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. 33 Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. 34 You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.” 35 Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”

Some angrily rejected Jesus, and wanted to seize Him (v. 30). But on the other hand, many of the crowd believed in Him.
What was the assertion of those who believed?
“When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?” This explains what convinced them of Jesus’ authenticity. Being Jews they were familiar with Old Testament prophecy, which foretold that the Messiah would perform miracles (e.g., Isa. 29:18; 35:5-6; cf. Matt. 11:2-5); and they could not imagine that the Christ (Messiah) would perform more signs than those that Jesus had performed (John 2:23; 3:2; 6:2).
What signs were they probably recalling?
The pilgrims from Galilee would have remembered the wedding where Jesus made wine out of water (2:1-11) and the miraculous meal where thousands were fed (6:1-13). And the Judeans would have known about the sick man Jesus healed at the pool of Bethesda (5:1-9). In addition, all would have been aware of the multitude of other miracles that Jesus performed (cf. 2:23; 3:2; 6:2).
What affect did the fact that many of the Jewish populace believed in Jesus and defended Him have on the pharisees?
When the Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about Jesus, they became alarmed. They did not even want people to speak of Jesus (v. 13); yet here some were quietly suggesting that He might be the Messiah. The Pharisees were so distressed by the popularity of Jesus that they joined forces with their archrivals the Sadducees. Though the two groups historically were at opposite ends of the theological spectrum, the mutual hatred they felt for Jesus drove them together (cf. v. 45; 11:47, 57; 18:3; Matt. 21:45-46; 27:62).
What did their alarm cause the Pharisees and Sadducees to do?
After consulting with each other (possibly in a formal meeting of the Sanhedrin), the chief priests (Sadducees who were former high priests and members of important priestly families) and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Jesus. The officers (temple guards) were a kind of police force consisting of Levites, who were responsible for maintaining order in the busy temple grounds (especially at feast times), though the Sanhedrin could also employ them elsewhere in matters not affecting Roman policy.
These verses strikingly illustrate the nation’s division over Jesus. While some were prone to hail Him as the Messiah and would do so at the start of Passion Week (Luke 19:37-39), others sought desperately to silence Him. And the leaders, who should have been the first to recognize His authenticity, led the effort to have Him eliminated.
The Jewish leaders (The Sanhedrin-composed of both Pharisees and Sadducees) had the same information about Jesus as did the general populace but they rejected Him, why?
John 8:37-45 gives the answer: “37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father. 39 They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
41 You do the deeds of your father.’ Then they said to Him, ‘We were not born of fornication; we have one Father–God.’ 42 Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.’” (We will discuss these verses in more depth when we reach that point).

Back to our present text.
Verses 37-39 “37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
.Jesus cried out in a loud voice, calling all to hear and heed His invitation. By using water to illustrate the truth about Himself, Jesus capitalized on a very prominent ceremony that was happening at the feast. The major feature of the Feast of Tabernacles was the booths (shelters) which the people prepared but on each of its seven days there was also an important water ritual. That ceremony was not prescribed in the Old Testament, but had become a tradition in the centuries just before Jesus’ time. It commemorated God’s miraculous provision of water during Israel’s wilderness wandering. This was not lost on His audience (The Pharisees, Sadducees and the general populace) they understood that Jesus was declaring that He was God’s spiritual provision for them.
Verses 40-43 “40 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, ‘Truly this is the Prophet.’ 41 Others said, ‘This is the Christ. But some said, ‘Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?’ 43 So there was a division among the people because of Him. 44 Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
How did the listeners respond to Jesus claim?
The above verses (verses 40-44 suggest that there were several different responses: There were the convinced that Jesus at least was a prophet sent from God; there were the contrary (the deniers) and there were the confused.
Verse 44 tells us that the contrary (the deniers) wanted to have Him arrested.
Verses 45-49 What happened next?
“45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, ‘Why have you not brought Him?’ 46 The officers answered, ‘No man ever spoke like this Man!’ 47 Then the Pharisees answered them, ‘Are you also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.’”

But there was one man who came to the defense of the un-arrested Jesus, who was he?

50 Nicodemus said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?”

Remember Nicodemus? He was the Pharisee who came seeking an audience with Jesus back in chapter 3. By his defense of Jesus here, and because he aided Joseph of Arimathea in recovering the body of Jesus (John 20:38-39) after His crucifixion many Bible scholars believe that by this time he had also come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah and the rescuer of fallen man.

But what was their answer to him?

Verse 52 “They answered and said to him, ‘Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.’”

His fellow members of the Sanhedrin, their minds already closed against Jesus, were in no mood to be fair. Instead, they turned on Nicodemus savagely. “They taunted him by saying: You are not also from Galilee, are you?” To identify Nicodemus with the despised, unsophisticated Galileans was the most demeaning insult they could make.
Then they mockingly invited him to “search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee,” conveniently overlooking the fact that Jonah was from Galilee (from a city near Nazareth in the tribal region of Zebulun; 2 Kings 14:25; cf. Josh. 19:10). (Some scholars believe that Nahum and Hosea, and possibly other prophets, may also have been from Galilee.) They implied that he was ignorant of the most basic theological truths. But the statement actually exposed their own lack of knowledge, since some prophets had come from Galilee and Jesus was originally from Bethlehem. Nonetheless, their minds were already made up regarding Him. Thus they saw no need to seek the truth.

Verse 53 “And everyone went to his own house.”

Study Guide – The Gospel of John
Chapter 8

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

The hypocrisy of the Scribes and the Pharisees exposed. In verse 5, Scribes and the Pharisees tested Jesus, saying: “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” What was wrong with their charge?
For an answer, let’s look at the law they pointed to as recorded in Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22.

Leviticus 20:10 -The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.

Deuteronomy 22:22 – “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die–the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel.

It takes two to commit adultery, but where was the man that had committed this act the woman?

Their hypocrisy was evident? They weren’t really concerned about this woman’s adulterous act, if they were serious about this violation of the law, they would have also brought the man. Verse 6a tells us their real purpose “6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.”

But how did Jesus respond?

Verses 6b-9 gives us the answer: “6b But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.”

It would be interesting to know what Jesus wrote on the ground, maybe it was the time(s) and date(s) that they themselves had committed adultery, perhaps even with her, but in any regards, they were guilty of some sin, and they knew it because verse 9 tells us that each one was convicted by his own conscience and went out from the temple.

Verses 12-20 tells us that before they went out, Jesus said to them: “‘12 I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’ 13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, ‘You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.’ 14 Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.’ 19 Then they said to Him, ‘Where is Your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.’ 20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.’”

His words of verse 12 called/calls for commitment. He said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. But did they heed those words? No! Why not?
We find the answer in Jesus’ words to Nicodemus back in chapter 3:18-20 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

Remember, these Pharisees knew well of Jesus miracles (signs) i.e., His miraculous healing of lame persons, restoring sight to the blind, unstopping deaf ears, curing leprosy and the raising of the dead. Yet, they turned a blind eye to these things because of their lust for power and prestige. Oh, the hardness of their heart!
Our text (8:13) tells us that instead of believing Jesus they a called Him a liar saying that what He was claiming was untrue, that He had no supporting witnesses to His claim (the Law demanded that at least two witnesses must support a claim – see Deuteronomy 19:15), but Jesus responded saying that in fact beside His own testimony He had the witness of His Father (8:18) as His second witness. Immediately they pounced on this saying, ‘Where is Your Father?’ Perhaps they thought they had trapped Jesus; they knew that Joseph (His surrogate father, had passed from the scene, having died, how could he testify on Jesus’ behalf? But Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
The Pharisees were not blind to what Jesus had been doing, because many of these same Pharisees had witnessed Jesus healing of the lame man on the Sabbath at the Pool of Bethesda (5:1-9). However, they would not accept what he was saying. They refused because of the belligerence and hardness of their hearts.

Verses 8:21-30 “Then Jesus said to them again, ‘I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.’22 So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’ 25 Then they said to Him, ‘Who are You?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.’ 27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. 28 Then Jesus said to them, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.’ 30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.’”

What does verse 30 mean, many believed in Him?

This indicates that some paid attention to Jesus’ words without necessarily committing themselves to Him personally (cf. 6:53). It was possible to “believe” in the message of repentance and the coming kingdom without being born again. Because Jesus was going away, these Jews who rejected Jesus (The Pharisees and most of the populace) would die in their sins (8:21). Why?

Because He was the light of the world (8:12) that exposed their sin and their need of God’s mercy and grace, rejection of that light would result in being still in their sins. If they wouldn’t turn to Him while He was present with them, they wouldn’t turn to Him after He was gone. Not that they couldn’t, but that they wouldn’t. Remember, Jesus’ address was too specific persons, to the Pharisees, and because of the hardness of their hearts, they would die in their sins. Jesus added that when He would be lifted up (crucified) they would know that what He was now saying was true. He didn’t say that they would turn to Him for salvation only that they would know that what he had been saying was true.

Verses 31-32 ’31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Continuing in the truth is the sign of true followers and learners (disciples). If they really grasped His message, they would find salvation truth. Knowing this salvation truth would liberate them from their bondage in sin. As mention in our comments under verse 30 there were some of the general populace who believed Jesus’ message about repentance and the kingdom (perhaps some of the Pharisees also-Nicodemus was one such Pharisee) but the proof of understanding that Jesus was much more than a prophet was abiding in His word(s). Abiding in His word would result in the blessing of knowing and trusting in the truth that they had been set free, set free from the bondage of sin.

Now notice, Jesus’ testimony was hypothetical, if they were to abide in His word (verse 31), they would be set free, but by their answer and His reply it is evident that they weren’t abiding at this time. Consider the back and forth between Jesus and them in verses 33-59.

From verses 33-37 we read:

33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be made free’?” But, 34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.

Thus, whatever it was that they were believing about Jesus they hadn’t grasped what abiding in His word meant. His word was a light onto their path, exposing their sin and their need of a Savior. They were thinking that because they were descendants of Abraham, they were naturally free (temporally speaking) but He was speaking of the spiritual freedom. (See Romans 9:1-8).

38 He said: I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.”

39a They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.”

39b-41a Jesus said to them, “39b If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41a You do the deeds of your father.”

41b Then they said to Him, we were not born of fornication; we have one Father–God.”

42-47 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”

49-51 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

52-53 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ 53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?”

54-56 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Commentary on verses 8:33-59

Their response to Jesus’ words that abiding in His word would set them free indicated that they had not grasped Christ’s message. Even though they were under Rome, they insisted that as Abraham’s descendants they were free men. How could Jesus free them when they were not slaves? They had no sense of their bondage to sin. Physically these Jews were the descendants of Abraham. Yet this same crowd was seeking to kill Jesus, Abraham’s true Son, thus showing that they were not Abraham’s spiritual descendants (cf. Rom. 2:28-29; 9:6, 8; Gal. 3:29).

These Jews claimed Abraham as their spiritual father. But Jesus responded by stating that if they were, they would do as had Abraham, he believed and trusted God, they were to respond to Jesus in the same way and abide in His word. They were to respond in faith to the heavenly messenger and do what He said. They claimed that Abraham was their father, but Jesus responded saying that the devil was their father. They were believing lies fostered by him and rejecting Jesus’ claim of representing His Father.

The devil is the enemy of life and truth. By a lie he brought spiritual and physical death to mankind (cf. Gen. 3:4, 13; 1 John 3:8, 10-15.) He still distorts truth (there is no truth in him… he is a liar and the father of lies) and seeks to lead people away from God, the Source of truth and life (2 Cor. 4:4). Since these Jews wanted Jesus’ death and since they rejected the truth and embraced the lie, their family solidarity with Satan and his desires was certain. How different from having Abraham as their father!
Jesus, in contrast with them, having God as His Father was of the truth and was proclaiming it. Since they, as unbelievers love darkness not light (cf. 3:19-20), and falsehood not reality, they were rejecting Jesus as being God in the flesh. He asked, why don’t you believe me? Which of you convicts me of Sin? Rather than answer that question they insulted Jesus by calling Him a Samaritan and saying that He had a devil.

Samaritans were a mixed race with a religion the Jews considered apostate (cf. comments on 4:4). To call Jesus a Samaritan was to use a term of abuse, referring to a heretic or one with a faulty worship. They charged Him with being demon possessed. Jesus’ claims however were not those of a demon-possessed person. He was not seeking self-exaltation but the honor of His Father.
Jesus said that if a man would abide in His word (in Him) he would never die, a promise of eternal life. But they responded by saying: “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, as are the prophets and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ 53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?”

But how did Jesus respond? He said, Your Father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it and rejoiced.
They were incredulous, they said: “you are not yet fifty years old, have you seen Abraham?” But Jesus responded saying: “”Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” a claim of being deity.

They responded: “Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”

The hatred of the Jews intensifies against Jesus from this point on.

The Gospel of John / Chapter 9
Jesus Heals a Man blind from birth

“1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ 3 Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ 6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. 8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, ‘Is not this he who sat and begged?’ 9 Some said, ‘This is he.’ Others said, ‘He is like him.’ He said, ‘I am he.’ 10 Therefore they said to him, ‘How were your eyes opened? 11 He answered and said, ‘A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, Go to the pool of Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and I received sight.’12 Then they said to him, ‘Where is He?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ 13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.”

9:1 We read that as Jesus and His disciples were walking in the city of Jerusalem they came upon a man with congenital blind-ness.
From 9:2-3 “2 And His disciples asked “‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ 3 Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.
Remember, at this point Jesus disciples weren’t much different than their countrymen. They believed that all suffering was caused by sin and yet before this man had been born blind before he committed any sin. They faced a theological problem. Believing that sin directly caused all suffering, how could a person be born with a handicap? Therefore either this man… sinned in his mother’s womb or his parents sinned (See Exodus 20:5). Jesus therefore answered, Neither this man nor his parents sinned. These words do not contradict the universal sinfulness of man (cf. Romans 3:9-20, 23). Instead Jesus meant that this man’s blindness was not caused by some specific sin. Instead the problem existed so that… God could display His glory in the midst of seeming tragedy. Remember, the Pharisees and the Sadducees would not accept that Jesus was God manifested as Jesus. He time, on earth was going short, withing 6 months He would return to heaven from which He had come.
9:4-5. “4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’
What did Jesus mean, “while it is day”?
Jesus wasn’t referring to the hours of daylight but was referring to the time allotted to Him in which he would accomplish His Fathers will. In contrast the “night” was a reference to His death.
The Light would be extinguished for a short time but after His ascension back into heaven His disciples would carry His light to the darkened world illuminating the path of salvation (cf. Matt. 5:14), bringing Christ to others.
9:6-7. “6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.”
There was nothing that was medicinal about the clay but Jesus saliva would have had medicinal qualities (Remember the women who a discharge of blood for twelve years who upon touching His garments was instantly healed Luke 8:43-48) However, Jesus used the clay only as an aid to develop the man’s faith, not as a medicine. As an added aid in developing the man’s faith Jesus told the man to go to the pool of Siloam and wash. The man complied and came back seeing.
This make us think of James 2:14-18. We learn from that passage, that genuine faith is demonstrated by action.
What is notable about this miracle?
This miracle is notable because Jesus had just pro-claimed Himself as “the Light of the world” (8:12) and soon after He gives sight to a man born blind.
Was the succession of the two things, Jesus declaring that He is the light of the world and then giving sight to a blind man just a coincidence or was it an orchestration of God?
Again, As we have discussed several times in our study, John is presenting Jesus as deity, as God in human flesh and affirms that truth by miracles, by signs. God leaves no doubt that Jesus was in fact God and that He was to be listened too. Thus we should understand the succession of these two things, Jesus declaration, that He is the light of the world, and then soon after, giving sight to a blind man was not a coincidence but divine order. Jesus didn’t just restore sight to this man but gave him sight, only God could do such a thing. He had healed other persons who had become blind, but this is the only record of our Lord healing a man with congenital blindness.
Being Jews those who witnessed this healing would have immediately recalled the words of the prophet Isaiah who prophesied that the Messiah would “open eyes that were blind” (Isa. 42:7; cf. Isa. 29:18; 35:5).
Upon hearing of this miracle the neighbors of those who had witnessed this miracle argued among themselves whether or not he was actually the same man who had had formally been blind. Some believed he was, but others would not accept that he was. But when questioned he affirmed that he was the same man who had been blind (verses 9:8-9). After he affirmed that he was the same man those who had been told of his healing asked how had gained his sight and when told what Jesus had done to give him sight they took him to the Pharisees (9:10-13).
Did those who brought the blind man to the Pharisees have good intentions?
Seemingly not because verse 9:14 tell us that “it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.”
After questioning the man about his receiving sight, what did some of the Pharisees say about Jesus?
We find the answer in verses 15-16; “15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.
Discounting the fact that something had miraculously occurred some (probably most) of the Pharisees would not accept the obvious, that Jesus was who He had been claiming to be, that he was the Son of God. Their argument was that He was a false Prophet because He had violated the Sabbath and by His actions was turning people away from God. They had in mind that part of the Law that declared: “1 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’–which you have not known–‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst” (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).
Their claim however was a bogus claim because the Law did permit certain things to be done on the Sabbath. For instance if a Jew had an animal that had fallen into a pit on the Sabbath, that animal could be rescued (See Matthew 12:11-12). Jesus would later explain that Sabbath was made for the benefit of man, not man for the benefit of the Sabbath (See Mark 2:27-28). The Pharisees were hypocritical looking for any charge that they might bring against Jesus in order to stop Him. There were some Pharisees that believed that least Jesus had been sent by God (9:16) and this caused great division among them.

9:17-18 The unconvinced Pharisees asked the man who had formally been blind: “17 What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes? And He answered “18a He is a prophet.”

9:18b-23 “18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 19 And they asked them, saying, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’ 20 His parents answered them and said, ‘We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.’ 22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’”

Looking for any hole in the testimony of the man who had been blind the Pharisees called his parents hoping that they might deny that he was their son or that they would refute that he had been born blind and was now miraculously healed. But, they would neither deny that he was their son or that he now could see. Not being able to shake their testimony they again called for the man himself, saying to him: “9:24 Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.”

9:25 But his answer was: “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

“9:26 Still looking for a way to blunt his and his parents testimony the Pharisees said to him again, What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”

“9:27 But he answered: I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”

9:28-29 Still not wanting to give in to this powerful testimony and the testimony of his parents; “the Pharisees reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.”

What does the word disciple mean?

The word disciple means “follower” so when the Pharisees said that they were disciples of Moses they were saying that they were “followers” of Moses.

What were they declaring?

When they said that they were Moses disciples (followers) they were saying, in essence, that they were followers of the Law for it was Moses who had given them the Law. [A hypocritical claim, as we know, for they did not adhere to the letter of the law].

What did they also say the man who had been blind?

“As for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.”

But how did the healed man reply?

Verses 30-33 “30 Why don’t you know where this man is from? This is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! 31 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
In essence he charged the Pharisees with their unwillingness to accept what was evident. Only God could open the eyes of a person who had been born blind, and yet, they were denying what had happened to him. More importantly, they would not accept that He was from above, from God. Just a few days earlier, Jesus in their presence told them emphatically where He came from, from above. Let’s re-read John 8:12-24….in this passage a woman was about to be stoned because of adultery but Jesus intervened, saying to those (The Pharisees) who were about to stone her:
“8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’ 13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, ‘You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.’ 14 Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.’ 19 Then they said to Him, ‘Where is Your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.’ 20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come. 21 Then Jesus said to them again, ‘I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.’ 22 So the Jews said, ‘Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?’ 23 And He said to them, ‘You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’”
It could not be clearer, they remembered that Jesus said He was from above, from God. And the healing of the man born blind supported that truth. So, it wasn’t that they didn’t know where He came from (9:30), they refused to surrender to what it meant. They would have to bow to His authority over their lives which meant the loss of their self-centered authority over the Jews, and the wealth that came with that authority.

Back to our text concerning the blind man.

When the blind man rebuked the Pharisees claim that Jesus was a sinner he answered and said: “9:30 Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see. “30 Why don’t you know where this man is from? This is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! 31 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

But How did they answer him and what did they do?

They said: “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out (vs.34).
Upstaged by a beggar (the recently blind man) , they could only insult him again and throw him out of the synagogue They reasoned that his blindness was due to some specific “sin(s)” either his or his parents (evidently they forgot the Book of Job).
We also should note their air of superiority and hypocrisy. They said you are steeped in sin from birth, and are you teaching us?

Such arrogance. This reminds us of Jesus word’s in Luke 18:10-14: “10 Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men–extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The Pharisees of our text were blind to their own sin being steeped in pride and arrogance. But like the Pharisee of Jesus’ discourse they would, unless they repented remain unjustified (unsaved).

Verses 35-41: “35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of God?’ 36 He answered and said, ‘Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?’37 And Jesus said to him, ‘You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.’ 38 Then he said, ‘Lord, I believe!’ And he worshiped Him. 39 And Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.’ 40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?’ 41 Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.’”

Commentary
Jesus heard that the man He had healed was cast out of the synagogue by the Pharisees because of his refusal to deny that he had been blind but now could see because of what Jesus had done.
Verse 35 – Hearing that he had been cast out of the synagogue Jesus sought him out and finding him, asked ‘Do you believe in the Son of God?’
We note; Jesus didn’t ask him, does your people (family or friends) believe in the Son of God, but asked Him pointedly (emphatically) “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
What was Jesus doing here? Jesus was leading the man toward making a commitment.
He had just been miraculously healed by this man who now stood before him but didn’t yet understand that He was in fact, the Son of God (God in the flesh). Having led the man to consider this miracle, Jesus asked the man, do you believe in the Son of God? To which he responded, “I want to believe but I don’t know who He is; Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus answered saying “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” These words imply that at this point God opened his spiritual eyes so that he could and would believe. The same thing God would later do in the life of Lydia (Acts 16:14-15). She was a worshipper of God, but did not know Him.
His (the healed man) spiritual eyes were opened and he believed that Jesus was God and worshipped Him. And as further testimony Jesus said “39 For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”
Some of the Pharisees who overheard Jesus say; “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind” sarcastically said “Are we blind also?’ Certainly, they held, that of all men, they possessed spiritual perception. But to this Jesus relied: “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.’”
Jesus knew that they knew better. Knowing the Law, they understood that they had and were breaking it in many ways. They were guilty of being sinners, yet they would not repent. Jesus said to them, if you were truly blind to your sin you would not be held responsible, but you condemn yourself because you say “we see” therefore your sins remain and you are not forgiven.
A powerful condemnation for sure.
The Gospel of John / Chapter 10
Jesus, The True and Good Shepherd

Chapter 9 concluded with Jesus opening the spiritual sight of a man born physically blind (9:35-38) and His words to him, were; ‘For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind’(Vs. 39).

As we read John’s account of this what do we learn?

Verse 40 tells us that Jesus said these things to him in the presence of some of the Pharisees who were accompanying the healed man.

Now consider; after a period of time (perhaps a few hours) Jesus sought the man out, the man did not seek Him out. And, Jesus sought him out with at least, a two-fold reason. To open his eyes spiritually, but also, He knew that he (the healed man) was accompanied by Pharisees and this would be another opportunity to witness to them, to warn them about their spiritual blindness. They considered themselves as spiritual light bearers to Israel, but in truth, they were spiritually blind.

Overhearing Jesus say to the healed man “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind” they sarcastically said to Him “Are we blind also?”

How did Jesus answer them? He said “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.’”

In essence Jesus said to them; you claim to know the Law and what it teaches but you willfully will not accept what it clearly says, even though illuminated by it, you refuse to see.

So with this as background we come to chapter 10 and find that verses 1-21 is a continuation of that dialogue.

“1 ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.’ 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. 7 Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.’” “19 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. 20 And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Commentary

To further illustrate the hypocrisy of these Pharisees and to expose to them their spiritual blindness, Jesus uses the relation-ship of a shepherd with sheep. But this spiritual lesson was missed by those who heard Jesus (the Pharisees), even though they certainly understood the local shepherd/sheep relationship.

10:1-2. “1 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.”
A shepherd enters through a gate into a walled enclosure which has several flocks in one sheep pen. The enclosure, with stone walls, is guarded at night by a doorkeeper to prevent thieves and beasts of prey from entering. Anyone who would climb the wall would do it for no good purpose.
10:3-4. “3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”
By contrast, the shepherd has a right to enter the sheep pen. The watchman opens the gate, and the shepherd comes in to call his own sheep by name (out from the other flocks). Shepherds knew their sheep well and gave them names. As sheep hear the sound of their owner’s familiar voice, they go to him. He leads them out of the pen till his flock is formed. Then he goes out toward the fields with the sheep following him.
10:5-6. “5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.”
If a stranger enters the pen, the sheep run away from him because his voice is not familiar.
The point of this figure of speech consists in how a shepherd forms his flock. People come to God because He calls them (cf. vv. 16, 27; Rom. 8:28, 30). Their proper response to His call is to follow Him (cf. John 1:43; 8:12; 12:26; 21:19, 22). However, in their blindness these Pharisees could not see Jesus as the Lord who is the Shepherd (cf. Ps. 23).
Knowing that they were still blinded to whom He was Jesus then referred to Himself as the door of the sheep enclosure.
10:7-9. “7 Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.’”
After a shepherd’s flock has been separated from the other sheep, he takes them to pasture. Near the pasture is an enclosure for the sheep. The shepherd takes his place in the doorway or entrance and functions as a door or gate. The sheep can go out to the pasture in front of the enclosure, or if afraid, they can retreat into the security of the enclosure.
The spiritual meaning of the passage is clear; Jesus was telling the Pharisees that He was/is the only Gate by which people can enter into God’s provision for them. Referring to the spiritual leaders of the nation, which included them, Jesus said; “all who ever came before Me were thieves and robbers, they and you care not for the spiritual good of the people but only for themselves/yourselves.” Jesus emphatically said “I Am the Good the Shepherd and the Door, I am Israel’s salvation. I provide security them and their daily needs.”
10:10. “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Jesus said; The thief, that is, a false shepherd, cares only about feeding himself, not building up the flock. He steals sheep in order to kill them, thus destroying part of the flock. But I come to benefit the sheep that they may have a more abundant life. I give life which is not constricted but overflowing. The thief takes life; but I give it to the full.
10:11. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”
Jesus then developed the sheep/shepherd figure in a third way. When evening settled over the land of Palestine, danger lurked. In Bible times lions, wolves, jackals, panthers, leopards, bears, and hyenas were common in the countryside. The life of a shepherd could be dangerous as illustrated by David’s fights with at least one lion and one bear (1 Sam. 17:34-35, 37). Jacob also experienced the labor and toil of being a faithful shepherd (Gen. 31:38-40).
10:12-13. “12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.”
In contrast with the Good Shepherd, who owns, cares, feeds, protects, and dies for His sheep, the one who works for wages—the hired hand—does not have the same commitment. He is interested in making money and in self-preservation. Obviously he cares nothing for the sheep. Israel had many false prophets, selfish kings, and imitation messiahs. The flock of God suffered constantly from their abuse (Jer. 10:21-22; 12:10; Zech. 11:4-17).
10:14-15. “14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
In verse 14 Jesus said, I am the Good Shepherd and the Pharisees would have immediately associated His claim with Old Testament passages that referred to God as being the Shepherd of His people (Pss. 23:1; 80:1-2; Ecc. 12:11; Isa. 40:11; Jer. 31:10).
In contrast with a hired workman, the Good Shepherd has an intimacy with and personal interest in the sheep (cf. vv. 3, 27). I know My sheep stresses His ownership and watchful oversight. My sheep know Me stresses their reciprocal knowledge of and intimacy with Him. This intimacy is modeled on the loving and trusting mutual relationship of the Father and the Son. Jesus’ care and concern is evidenced by His prediction of His coming death for the flock. Some shepherds have willingly died while protecting their sheep from danger. Jesus would soon willingly gave His life for His sheep (vv. 11, 15, 17-18)—on their behalf as their Substitute (Rom. 5:8, 10; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18). His death gives them life.
10:16. ‘And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.’
The other sheep… not of this flock refers to Gentiles who would/will believe. His coming death would bring them also to the Father. They too would/will listen to His voice. This has continued down through these many centuries and continues today, Jesus continues to save people as they hear His voice as He speaks to them/us through the Scriptures. Acts 18:9-11 illustrates how this works out in the history of the church. One flock and one Shepherd speaks of the church with believers from Jewish and Gentile “sheep pens” in one body with Christ as Head (cf. Eph. 2:11-22; 3:6).
10:17-18. “17 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father. ”
Again Jesus predicted His death, saying four times that He would voluntarily lay down His life (vv. 11, 14, 17-18). But, He said, My Father has a special love for Me because of My sacrificial obedience to His will.
Jesus predicted His resurrection twice (He would take… up His life again [vv. 17-18]) and His sovereignty (authority) over His own destiny. His death was wholly voluntary: No one takes it from Me. Jesus was not a helpless pawn on history’s chessboard.
Verses 19-21 “19 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. 20 And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Jesus words to the Pharisees were stinging and caused division among them. This is exactly what God’s word does. It divides.

The Reading of Verses 22-23

“22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, ‘How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ 25 Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.’
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, ‘Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?’ 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.’ 34 Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your law, “I said, ‘You are gods’? 35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” 39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. 40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.
41 Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.”
42 And many believed in Him there.

Commentary of verses 22-42

We read from verses 19-21 that some of the Pharisees were incensed over Jesus’ condemnation of them and as we read through verses 22-42 we learn that this anger spread throughout the Jews leadership. Two months had elapsed since the healing of the blind man, the assault of the Pharisees, and Jesus confrontation with them and it was now the time of celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles which was in October so Jesus again returned to the temple area.

The Feast of Dedication is nowadays called Hanukkah or the Feast of Lights. It commemorates the reconsecration of the temple by Judas Maccabeus in 165 B.C. after its desecration in 168 B.C. by Antiochus IV (Epiphanes). The time for the eight-day feast was in December. It was winter. The feast reminded the Jewish people of their last great deliverance from their enemies. Solomon’s Colonnade was a long covered walkway on the east side of the temple.

Verses 22-24 “22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24 Then the Jews (The Pharisees) surrounded Him and said to Him, ‘How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.

Remember many of these Pharisees were the same ones who had confronted Jesus over His healing of the blind man because He healed him on the Sabbath and had said that He was demon possessed and was mad. Now as Jesus walked and talked in the court of the temple they confronted Him again and said if you are the Christ (the anointed), tell us plainly.
The word “surrounded” in the Greek is the word ‘ekyklōsan” and has the thought of closing in on Him. These hostile Jerusalem leaders were determined to pin Him down so they pressed Him heavily for an answer. His enigmatic sayings plagued them, and they wanted Him to declare Himself on their terms. How long will You keep us in suspense? They insisted, If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.
How did Jesus answer them?

“25 I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”
Jesus responded that the miracles “works” He had been doing was clear evidence that He was from the Father (cf. Isa. 35:3-6; John 3:2; 9:32-33). Jesus said that He was the One that God (His Father) had sent.
Why would they not accept Him as being from God?
He did not match their expectations. They believed that when the Messiah came, He would lead them to victory over Gentile (Roman) dominance and suppression. They were looking for a political military leader much like David their previous king.
What was their problem?
Their problem was a lack of spiritual perception and faith. They were spiritually blind. They could only look at the world through eyes that were spiritually blinded toward true God. Hadn’t He said to them not very long before “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see (are physically blind) may (spiritually) see, and that those who see (are physically sighted) may be made (spiritually) blind” (9:39)? Yes, He had. And hadn’t they proved their spiritual blindness when they sarcastically said to Him “Are we blind also” not realizing their spiritual blindness?
Their spiritual blindness however, was willful. Remember how Jesus answered them? “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains”(9:41). In essence Jesus was saying, if you would admit your spiritual blindness you would be able to be healed but, because you willfully reject this truth you remain spiritually blind.
Jesus drove the point home by saying “You do not believe, because you are not of My sheep” (10:26). If the Pharisees were truly Jesus’ sheep they would have been responsive to His teaching. They would have listened to His voice (vv. 3-5, 16). Jesus sheep have an intimacy with Him (I know them; cf. vv. 3, 14), they understand His message of salvation, and they follow Him (vv. 4-5). To follow Him means to obey the Father’s will as Jesus did. 10:27. You are not my sheep was a condemnation of their conduct, they were choosing not to believe in or follow Him.
About His sheep Jesus said: 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”
And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish is one of the clearest statements in the Bible that one who believes in Jesus for salvation will never be lost. Believers sin and stumble, but Jesus as the perfect Shepherd loses none of His flock (cf. Luke 22:31-32). Eternal life is a gift (John 3:16, 36; 5:24; 10:10; Rom. 6:23). If one has it, he has it eternally.
The Pharisees had no idea of what they were resisting. The security of the sheep is found in the ability of the Shepherd to defend and preserve His flock. Such security does not depend on the ability of the frail sheep. No one can even snatch His sheep out of His hand. It is God the Father who assures this. Jesus said My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. That is, no one is strong enough to snatch any of Jesus’ flock from the Father’s hand (or from Jesus’ hand, v. 28). “What My Father has given Me is greater than all.”
The pharisees, as were their fellow Jews, depending on the Law and their ability to keep it. And that is where the Pharisees’ hypocrisy showed up. They knew that they weren’t able to keep the law, yet they claimed to be doing so.
10:30. The Pharisees in their spiritual blindness believed that when Jesus said “I and My Father are one” He was claiming that He and the Father was one person, however He was not saying that He and the Father are the same Person. The Son and the Father are two Persons in the Trinity. This is confirmed here by the fact that the word “One” is neuter. Instead, He was saying They have the closest possible unity of purpose. Jesus’ will is identical to the Father’s regarding the salvation of His sheep. And yet absolute identity of wills involves identity of nature. Jesus and the Father are One in will (and also in nature for both are God; cf. 20:28; Phil. 2:6; Col. 2:9).
They, could not comprehend this and verse 31 says that they “took up stones to stone (kill) Him.

But, How did Jesus respond?
He said “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” (10:32).
To which they answered “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God” (10:33).

“Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ‘? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?(10:34-36)
Jesus referred them to their history where many times others had been addressed as gods, and if so why were they about to stone Him? Jesus then completed His argument. Since the inerrant Bible called their judges “gods,” the Jews could not logically accuse Him of blasphemy for calling Himself God’s Son since He was under divine orders (set apart) and on God’s mission (sent into the world).
[John Walvoord editor of the “Bible Knowledge Commentary writes; Jesus’ response to their objection requires a bit of insight into the methods of argument common in Rabbinic discussions. He first directed them to the Old Testament: in your Law. Normally “the Law” refers to the first five books. But here it means all the Old Testament, for Jesus quoted from the Psalms. It was “your” Law in the sense that they gloried in their possession of it, and also in the sense that they should submit to its authority over them. Psalm 82 speaks of God as the true Judge (Ps. 82:1, 8) and of men, appointed as judges, who were failing to provide true judgment for God (Ps. 82:2-7). “Gods” in Psalm 82:1, 6 refers to these human judges. In this sense, God said to the Jews, You are gods. In no way does this speak of a divine nature in man.]
10:36. Jesus now completed His argument. Since the inerrant Bible called their judges “gods,” the Jews could not logically accuse Him of blasphemy for calling Himself God’s Son since He was under divine orders (set apart) and on God’s mission (sent into the world).
Jesus Continued 10:37-38 “37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”

How could they possibly argue against the works that He had been doing? Giving sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk, curing leprosy, and raising the dead, only God could do that.

And Yet verse 10:39 tells us that “they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.”

And, as stated above because it was not yet time to offer Himself up as God’s atonement for sin, He…

“40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. “41 Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true. 42 And many believed in Him there.
Because of their hostility, Jesus went… across the Jordan to Perea, which had been the location of John the Baptist’s activity (1:28). Jesus’ ministry here was received much more favorably, probably because the Baptist had prepared the people there. John, even though dead, was still having influence in people’s lives as they remembered his witness. Though John never performed a miraculous sign (sēmeion), the people believed his witness about Jesus. By contrast, the hostile Jerusalem crowd had seen His signs and yet disobeyed. In Perea many trusted Jesus as Savior.
The Gospel of John / Chapter 11
The Raising of Lazarus

1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” 4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” 12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.” 16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.
21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” 28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.” 32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” 37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” 38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” 45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” 49 And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. 53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. 54 Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

55 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. 56 Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think–that He will not come to the feast?” 57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.

Commentary

At the close of chapter 10 we read that because of the hostility of the Pharisees, Jesus went across the Jordan River into Perea, around Bethabara which had been the location of John the Baptist’s activity (1:28). Jesus and the apostles ministered there until a few days before the next Passover which was to be celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Nisan.
Shortly before Passover week word came to Jesus that His beloved friend Lazarus was sick unto death. Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha lived in Bethany, in the Providence of Judaea, just below Jerusalem which was about 3 days journey.

Verses 1-7 “1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” 4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
In that Lazarus was sick unto death, why didn’t Jesus leave immediately?
His delay was not from lack of love (cf. v. 5), or from fear of the Jews. Long before God created the world the events of Jesus life had been predetermined. Events linked to the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies, even the time that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey (8 Nisan), one week before Passover (15 Nisan). Lazarus’ sickness would not end in death, that is, in permanent death. Instead Jesus would be glorified in this incident (11:4). Jerusalem would be filled with Jews from all over the region at this time of year and word would have quickly spread about His raising of Lazarus from the dead. Seeing Him now riding into Jerusalem on the fold of a donkey they would have immediately recalled God’s message to their fore-fathers via the prophet Zachariah. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zachariah 9:9) They of our text, who heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem and were looking for Him, fulfilled this prophecy. We read from John 12:12-13: “The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!”
However not everyone was looking for Him with good reason. We read from 11:57 that the priests and Pharisees had given a command that if anyone knew where He was they were to report His whereabouts that they might seize Him.
Not leaving right away, upon hearing that Lazarus was sick unto death, but waiting for two days, gave time for the unfolding of all these things (the above mentioned things).
There is also another reason that Jesus’ delayed leaving Perea; Jesus knew that His time on earth would soon end, that He would soon ascend into heaven and no longer be seen by His friends, or by His disciples. Jesus used His resurrection of Lazarus as an object lesson. By allowing Lazarus to die Jesus had the opportunity to proclaim “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (11:25-26). Jesus attention was to build their (and our) faith in Him.
The climactic miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead was Jesus’ public evidence of the truth of His great claim, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Death is the great horror which sin has produced (Rom. 5:12; James 1:15). Physical death is the divine object lesson of what sin does in the spiritual realm. As physical death ends life and separates people, so spiritual death is the separation of people from God and the loss of life which is in God (John 1:4).
Verses 7-10 ‘7 Then after this He said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’8 The disciples said to Him, ‘Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?’ 9 Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’”
His disciples knew that His going to Judea, would be dangerous, they recalled that many of the Jews had taken up stones to kill Him because of His healing of the blind man on the Sabbath and that He had declared Himself to be one with God, in essence, that He was God (9:1-10:31). So they tried to prevent Him from going. They incredulously asked “are you going there again?”
But How did Jesus answer them and what did He mean by His answer?
“9 Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
The Jews divided the daylight period into twelve hours, which unlike modern hours varied in length at different seasons of the year. The twelve hours in the day symbolize the duration of the Lord’s earthly ministry as allotted by the Father. Just as no one can lengthen or shorten a day, so the disciples’ concern could not extend the time allotted to Jesus, nor could the Jews’ hostility shorten it. The one who walks in the day need not fear that he might stumble; thus Jesus was perfectly safe for the prescribed time of His life (7:30; 8:20). The night, signifying the end of His earthly ministry (cf. 12:35), would come at the precise time set by God’s eternal plan, and only then would the Lord stumble in death.
Verses 11:11-14 “11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’ 12 Then His disciples said, ‘Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.’ 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead’”.
As was often the case in the Gospels, Jesus was speaking about one thing, but the disciples were thinking about another.
Meaning of the word friend in the context of our text: Jesus then said, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. The word “friend” has special significance in Scripture (cf. John 15:13-14; James 2:23).
Meaning of the word sleep in the context of our text: This “sleep” is the sleep of death. Since the coming of Christ the death of a believer is regularly called a sleep (cf. Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians. 15:20; 1 Thessalonians. 4:13-18). Dead Christians are asleep not in the sense of an unconscious “soul sleep,” but in the sense that their bodies appear to be sleeping.
The disciples wrongly assumed that Jesus meant Lazarus had not died, but was sleeping physically (cf. John 11:13) and was on his way to recovery: They said “If he sleeps, he will get better”.
11:15 Jesus said: “And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”
If Jesus had prevented Lazarus’ death, the disciples, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus himself would not have had this unique opportunity to have their faith quickened. As mentioned, Jesus would soon be leaving them and His raising Lazarus’ from death would enhance their faith in Him and His promises.
11:16 “Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with Him.’”
Thomas believing that Jesus would be facing certain death if He went up to Jerusalem, committed Himself and his fellow disciples to that same death. This perhaps showed courage, but it also showed His ignorance of Jesus’ atoning death. He had missed the point of Jesus allegorical words “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world’.
11:17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
Apparently Lazarus had died soon after the messengers left Bethany to inform Jesus. Since Palestine is warm at that time of year decomposition sets in quickly, a person was usually buried the same day he died. Thus we see God’s miraculous hand in two ways. Jesus not only raised Lazarus from the dead but God either prevented the natural decomposition of His body or reversed that decomposition when life was restored to Him. That both were miraculous could not be denied. Verse 11:43 says that many believed in Jesus because of these miracles, which by the way, was Jesus reason for delaying His arrival by two days.
Verses 11:18-19 “18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.”
The fact that Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem points up two things. It explains why many Jews from Jerusalem were at the scene of this great miracle (vv. 11:45-46). It also prepares the reader for the coming climax which was to take place in the great city. Many of these same people would be those who would greet Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem on the donkey. But as already discovered, there were many who followed Jesus in an confrontational way, seeking how they might turn Him in to the Priest and the Pharisees (see 11:57). This of course points out their spiritual blindness and the hardness of their hears.
Verses 11:20-29 20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” 28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.
Hearing that Jesus had arrived and was coming into the Bethany Martha went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. This was in keeping with their personalities (See Luke 10:38-42). Expressing her grief Martha said to Him; “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. (But) Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” I am not sure what she meant by that statement, perhaps she was asking Jesus to either ease or remove the pain of her loss, but Jesus responded to her saying “your brother will rise again”. By her response “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day” it is evident she wasn’t thinking of an immediate resurrection of Lazarus but the future resurrection, that awaits all those who have trusted in Jesus for their salvation. Had she forgotten Jesus restoring life to Jairus’ Daughter (Luke 8:41-56) or had she not known about it? Her confidence that God would resurrect persons at the end of the age evidently did not extend to Jesus’ ability to resurrect her brother, as her later hesitation when the tomb was opened makes clear (11:39 ). She seems to have had faith in the Lord’s power to heal, but not in His power to raise the dead (perhaps the possibility had not even crossed her mind).

The resurrection of the body was taught in the Old Testament (in the books of Job 19:25-27; Psalms. 16:10; and Daniel. 12:2), and affirmed by the Pharisees (though not by the Sadducees; in the New Testament in Matthew. 22:23; and Acts 23:6-8). It was also, as Martha knew, the teaching of Jesus (cf. 5:21, 25-29; 6:39-40, 44, 54). It is interesting that while Martha believed Jesus had the power to raise her brother in the distant future, she did not think that He could also do so immediately. Nonetheless Martha recognized that Jesus had a special relationship with God. She was therefore confident that through His prayers some good could still come out of the tragedy.
Challenging Martha to move beyond an abstract belief in the final resurrection to complete faith in Him, Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Martha’s focus was on the end of the age, but Jesus was about to raise her brother immediately. The Lord called her to a personal trust in Him as the One who alone has power over death.
[Perhaps it would be good at this point to again reiterate the purpose of John’s gospel. Johns purpose was to present to its readers (which includes you and me) the truth that Jesus was/is God in the flesh. John clearly demonstrates that all that is of God is found in Jesus.]
Jesus went on to say “he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die,” are not redundant. They teach separate, though related, truths. The one who believes in Jesus will live even if he dies physically because He will raise him on the last day (John 5:21, 25-29; 6:39-40, 44, 54). And since everyone who lives and believes in Him has eternal life (John 3:36; 5:24; 6:47, 54), they will never die spiritually since eternal life cannot be extinguished by physical death.
When Jesus challenged Martha, “Do you believe this?” He was not asking her if she believed that He was about to raise her brother. The Lord was calling her to personally believe that He alone was the source of resurrection power and eternal life. Because of His infinite love for Martha’s soul, Jesus pointed her (and indirectly us) to the only source of spiritual life and well-being—Himself.
Martha responded to Jesus question “do you believe this” saying “27 ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’ 28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, ‘The Teacher has come and is calling for you.’
Martha’s affirmation of faith in Jesus should be our affirmation of faith because as Peter said to the Sanhedrin a few days after Jesus ascended into heaven: ‘There is salvation in non-other for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
As Martha left, Jesus gave her a message that she was to take to Marry. He wanted to comfort and assure her as He had Martha. This shows Jesus compassion. Within eight days He would face crucifixion and yet He took time to comfort Martha, and Mary.

Verses 30-32 “30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, ‘She is going to the tomb to weep there.’ 32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’”
Having affirmed her faith in Jesus, Martha went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” Mary was still in the house (v. 20) being comforted by the mourners. Although the text does not record it, Jesus evidently sent Martha to get her. She probably gave the message to Mary secretly, hoping that she also could have a private meeting with Jesus before the crowd of mourners spotted Him. Since Martha still did not realize that the Lord intended to raise her brother, she may also have been trying to keep Him away from the hostile Jews (especially the leaders) who were in attendance.
Whatever Martha’s motive, her attempt at privacy failed. When Mary heard her sister’s message, she got up quickly and went to meet Jesus. He had not yet come into the village, but was still on the outskirts, in the place where Martha met Him. But Mary’s hasty departure did not escape the attention of the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her (v. 19). When they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her. Assuming she was going to weep at the tomb, as was customary, they felt it was their duty as her comforters to go with her. Once again, God sovereignly orchestrated the circumstances to
Verses 33-34 “33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see.’
Mary appears to have been the more emotional of the sisters, and when she came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet. She said to Him what they had surely discussed, since Martha had said it earlier: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” As was the case with her sister, Mary meant no reproach to Jesus her statement was simply a reflection of their grief.
The scene was understandably one of intense sorrow and pain. Not only was Mary weeping (a form of the verb klaiō; “to wail,” or “to lament loudly”), but the Jews who came with her were also weeping and wailing loudly. According to Jewish custom, even the poorest family was expected to hire at least two flute players and a professional wailing woman. Since Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were a prominent family, they would likely have had even more professional mourners, in addition to the others who came to pay their respects.
Verses 35-37 “35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, ‘See how He loved him!’ 37 And some of them said, ‘Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?’”
Like the others, Jesus wept. But the Greek verb is not klaiō as in verse 33, but dakruō, a rare word used only here in the New Testament. In contrast to the loud wailing implied by klaiō, dakruō has the connotation of silently bursting into tears, unlike the typical funeral mourners. Jesus’ tears were generated both by His love for Lazarus, and by His grief over the deadly and incessant effects of sin in a fallen world. Verse 35, though it is the shortest verse in the Bible, is rich with meaning. It emphasizes Jesus’ humanity; He was truly “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). But while the Jews were correct in seeing Jesus’ sorrow as evidence that He loved Lazarus, they were wrong to think that His tears reflected the same hopeless despair that they felt.
Jesus was sorrowful over the death of Lazarus but not because of a sense of loss but because of the effect it was having on Mary, Martha and their friends, He empathized with them. They were wailing over the death of Lazarus, wailing like those who have no hope. Jesus knew however the Lazarus’ death was for a different purpose. This is demonstrated by His words to the apostles while He and they were still in Perea “”This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4). Remember Jesus was in full control of all events that surrounded Him. He could have healed Lazarus from Perea of whatever sickness that had overtaken him. But God the Father was going to glorify Himself and Jesus, His only begotten Son, resurrecting Lazarus from the dead.

Concerning verses 11:35-37 John MacArthur writes; Obser-ving the chaotic scene, Jesus was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled. Deeply moved is a misleading translation of the verb embrimaomai, which literally means to snort like a horse. Apart from its use in v. 38, it appears only three other times in the New Testament (Matthew. 9:30; Mark 1:43; 14:5), where it is translated “sternly warned” or “scolding.” It thus includes the connotation of being indignant. Jesus appears to have been with the indignant with the mourners, who were acting like the pagans who have no hope (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13). Tarassō (troubled) further emphasizes the intensity of the Lord’s indignation. The term is similarly used elsewhere to describe strong emotions, such as Herod’s reaction to the magi’s arrival (Matthew 2:3), the disciples’ terror when they saw Jesus walking on the water (Matthew 14:26); Zacharias’s fear when he saw the angel in the temple (Luke 1:12); or the disciples’ amazement at seeing Jesus after His resurrection (Luke 24:38).

Verses 38 & 45 “38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.’ 40 Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.’ 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go.’ 45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.’”
The scene was highly dramatic. The crowd watched and listened. Mary was weeping and Martha objected because after four days putrefaction had set in. Martha evidently assumed that Jesus wanted to take one last look at the body of His friend. She, however, was horrified at the thought of seeing (and smelling) her beloved brother’s body in a state of decomposition, or of having his body viewed publicly in that condition. In her mind it was too late for Jesus to do anything for Lazarus; He had not arrived in time (v. 21). According to verses 11:23-27 she believed that someday, way in the future (the last days) he would rise again to newness of life but for the present, because Lazarus had already been dead four days Martha had given up all hope.
Her dismay and the continued murmuring of the mourners resulted in Jesus being deeply moved within Himself as He came to the tomb. Reaching the site Jesus commanded that the stone door be taken away. With the stone taken away, the tension mounted. What would Jesus do? He simply thanked His Father for granting His request. He knew He was doing the Father’s will in manifesting His love and power. His prayer of thanksgiving was public, not so that He would be honored as a Wonder-Worker but so He would be seen as the Father’s obedient Son. The granting of His request by the Father would give clear evidence to the people that He had been sent by the Father and would cause the people to believe. After His brief prayer He called (in a loud voice. Lazarus come out! (Augustine once remarked that if Jesus had not said Lazarus’ name all would have come out from the graves). Immediately, the dead man came out. Since he was wrapped in strips of linen, a special work of God’s power must have brought him out. Jesus’ directive to the people, Take off the grave clothes, enabled Lazarus to move on his own and at the same time gave evidence that he was alive and not a ghost.
This event is a marvelous picture of God’s Son bringing life to people. He will do this physically at the Rapture for church saints (For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first (1st Thessalonians 4:16); At His return for Old Testaments saints (And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt (Daniel. 12:2) and Tribulation saints (And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years… Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years (Revelation 20: 4…6).
And, He also now speaks and calls spiritually dead people to spiritual life. Many who are dead in sins and trespasses believe and come to life by the power of God. This is pointed out in Paul’s reminder to the Ephesians. “1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians. 2:1-7).
Having Raised Lazarus from the dead Jesus immediately gave the practical command to unbind Lazarus and let him go. And with that John draws a curtain on the scene. He does not describe Lazarus’s tearful reunion with Martha and Mary, or the stunned reactions of the people in the crowd. Nor does he report on Lazarus’s experience after resurrection. All of that would have detracted from his reasons for recounting the miracle—that the Lord Jesus Christ might be glorified (v. 4) and that the readers of John’s gospel might believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be (20:31).
It is significant that Jesus involved the bystanders in touching and unwrapping Lazarus: Some of these were the very same mourners who had been doubting Jesus. They were now agents in in the completion of the miracle. In their participation the mourners in fact became part of the sign and therefore were undeniable witnesses to the power of Jesus.” Thus God the Father and Jesus were glorified in the raising of Lazarus from the dead. They were esteemed by those who were present, they have been esteemed in the minds of many down through these many centuries, and they are being esteemed in the minds of many today. What other god had/has the power to bring someone back from the dead?
John tells us in 11:45 “that many of the Jews (the mourners) who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.” I am not certain what they believed, the Holy Spirit had not yet been given, but they did, at this point, believe that Jesus was God’s anointed and that it was by the power of God that He had raised Lazarus from the dead.
At some point 120 Jews so believed in Jesus that after His resurrection from the dead and His ascension into heaven they were gathered in Jerusalem in an upper room (Acts 1:15) waiting for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). We know from John 3:1-8 and Ephesians 2:1-7 that before a person can believe unto salvation the Holy Spirit must birth in that person new spiritual life.
John tells us that not all those who witnessed this miracle believed but went immediately reported all that had happened to the Pharisees. We read from 11:46 ‘But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.”
And what did the chief priests and the Pharisees do?
47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” 49 And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.
The council expressed its inability to solve the problem by continuing to do what they had been doing. Official disapproval, excommunication, and counter-teaching were not stopping Jesus’ influence. They feared that unless Jesus was stopped their countrymen (the Jews) would rise up against the Romans in insurrection and the Romans would crush the Jewish revolt; taking away their authority and the nation.
But Caiaphas the high priest that year (cf. 18:13-14, 24, 28) frustrated by the Sanhedrin’s indecision intervened and said “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” His judgment was that Jesus must be sacrificed if the nation was to continue in Rome’s favor. The alternative was destruction of the Jewish nation in war (11:48). He presented them with a false either/or dilemma, giving them two extreme alternatives as if there were no other options. Either Jesus dies, Caiaphas argued, or the nation perishes. His outward veneer of patriotic concern masked his seething hatred and jealousy of Jesus. Such pious hypocrisy would reach its apex during Jesus’ trial. Caiaphas would tear his robes in feigned shock and sorrow over Jesus’ “blasphemy,” while secretly being delighted that he had found a way to condemn Him (Matt. 26:64-65).
Ironically, though the Sanhedrin was successful in crucifying Jesus, the nation did not escape. The whole nation did perish at the hands of the Romans in the massacre of a.d. 70 and the years that followed.
The startling footnote that Caiaphas did not say this on his own initiative does not mean that he was forced to act against his will; he was no puppet, and was responsible for his own wicked words. But God providentially invested those words with a meaning that he did not intend. In his capacity as high priest and hence technically by office God’s spokesman (cf. Num. 27:21; 2 Sam. 15:27), God ordained an opposite meaning when Caiaphas prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation. Caiaphas spoke cynical words of political expediency, claiming that Jesus must die to preserve the Sanhedrin’s power and the nation’s existence. However, Caiaphas unwittingly spoke prophetically of Christ’s sacrificial death (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24). God sovereignly turned his wicked, blasphemous words into truth (cf. Gen. 50:20; Ps. 76:10; Prov. 16:9; 19:21; Acts 4:27-28).
While Caiaphas thought only in terms of Israel, Jesus’ death was much broader in scope. It was not to be for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. From a purely Jewish perspective, the children of God who are scattered abroad referred to the Jews of the Diaspora, those who lived outside of Palestine. They, too, would be gathered into the body of Christ’s redeemed people (cf. Acts 2:5, 41; 11:19). But in a wider sense, it referred to the salvation of the Gentiles (cf. John 10:16; 12:32; Isa. 42:6; 49:6; 56:6-8; Acts 9:15; 10:1-11:18; Rom. 1:16) and their union with the Jews in the church (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:11-18; 3:6; Col. 3:11).
The high priest’s malicious proposal to execute Jesus met with the Sanhedrin’s approval, so from that day on they planned together to kill Him. Their decision, made well before Jesus was even arrested, rendered His later trial a total mockery. It was a mere formality, confirming a sentence that had already been passed.
John by God’s Spirit recognized a deep irony in Caiaphas’ words. As the high priest, Caiaphas pointed to the last sacrificial Lamb in a prophecy he did not even know he made. Caiaphas meant Jesus had to be killed, but God intended the priest’s words as a reference to His substitutionary atonement. Jesus’ death would abolish the old system in God’s eyes by fulfilling all its types and shadows. His death was not only for Jews but also for the world, thus making a new body from both (cf. Eph. 2:14-18; 3:6). The Sanhedrin then decided to kill Jesus.
But their rejection of Jesus did not solve the problem. The Jewish people followed false shepherds into a war against Rome (A.D. 66-70), which did in fact destroy their nation.
Verses 53-57
53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. 54 Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

55 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. 56 Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think–that He will not come to the feast?” 57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.

11:51-57 John by God’s Spirit recognized a deep irony in Caiaphas’ words. As the high priest, Caiphas pointed to the last sacrificial Lamb in a prophecy he did not even know he made. Caiaphas meant Jesus had to be killed, but God intended the priest’s words as a reference to His substitutionary atonement. Jesus’ death would abolish the old system in God’s eyes by fulfilling all its types and shadows. His death was not only for Jews but also for the world, thus making a new body from both (cf. Eph. 2:14-18; 3:6). The Sanhedrin then decided to kill Jesus.
Jesus… withdrew from Bethany to a village 15 or so miles to the north called Ephraim. It was from here that Jesus would journey into Jerusalem for the last time.
Jewish pilgrims went up to the Passover feast at Jerusalem and looked for Jesus. Previously (2:13-25) He had attended the national festivals during which time He publicly taught in the temple area. Would He continue this pattern of ministry? Large crowds gathering in the city kept looking for Him. The religious authorities gave orders for anyone to report if he found out where Jesus was so they could arrest Him.
The Gospel of John / Chapter 12
Six Days Before Passover

Supper with Mary, Martha and Lazarus

1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 4 Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. 7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

Jesus Rides into Jerusalem offering Himself
As Israel’s Messiah

12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!” 14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. 17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”

Greek Proselytes Seek an Audience With Jesus

20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. 23 But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

Knowing what He Faced, Jesus is Trouble but is surrendered to His father’s will, and His Purpose

27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” 29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”
30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die. 34 The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them. 37 But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.”
41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.
42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
44 Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.
47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him–the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

Commentary

Verses 1-2 “1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.”

It was now six days before the Passover and Jesus went back from Ephraim (11:54) to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, and attended a dinner in His honor. Mark wrote that the place the supper was held was at Simon the Leper’s home (Mark 14:1-11). The gather-ing must have been a joyous occasion for Jesus as His friends Mary, Martha, Lazarus, the 12 apostles, Simon whom He had earlier in His ministry cleansed of leprosy, and perhaps others (not named) who had witnessed His raising Lazarus from the dead. According to verse 9 many others had come, not as attendees of the supper but to get a glimpse of Jesus and Lazarus. We read: “9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead”.
Verses 3 “Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Why did Mary do this?
Certainly in was an act of love, devotion to and commitment to Jesus (cf. 11:32-33; Luke 10:39), In a startling, spontaneous outpouring of her love for Him, she took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and applied it to the feet of Jesus. Then she dried His feet with her hair. This would have been shocking to all present (except Jesus). The Jews considered the washing the feet of another person to be degrading [As we shall see None of the Twelve at the coming Passover meal in the upper room were willing to serve the others by washing their feet], But even more shocking than her costly and lowly washing of Jesus’ feet was the fact that Mary let down her hair. For a respectable Jewish woman to do that in public would have been considered indecent, perhaps even immoral. But Mary was not concerned with the shame she might face as a result. Instead, she was solely focused on pouring out her love and in honoring Christ, with no thought of any perceived shame that it might bring to her.
Mary knew what she was doing. She believed Jesus would soon be put to death by his enemies. Would his friends be given the opportunity to anoint his body? Yet, this honor must not be withheld. Mary knew that she owed much, so very much, to Jesus! To him she owed her salvation, and… the recovery of her brother Lazarus from the very realm of the dead. Hence, rather than sell the oil or use it for some other purpose she had decided to keep the ointment for the day of her Lord’s burial. She had often heard Jesus speak of his approaching death; sometimes publicly, sometimes privately. (See Matt. 9:22; 16:21; Mark 8:31, 32; 9:12; 10:32-34; John 6:52-56; 7:33; 8:21-23; 10:11, 15). Some of these predictions must have reached Mary’s ears. Not knowing for sure when that would be or that she would have a future opportunity to anoint the body of Jesus she did this now in anticipation of his burial. In her mind it was now or never!
Verses 4-6 “4 Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 ‘Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.’”

Judas Iscariot, one of the apostles objected to this lavish waste (in his viewpoint) and said that the oil could have been sold and given to the poor. This was not his true intent, however. He had been given the responsibility of being the treasurer of the group and whereas Mary gave openly and sacrificially, Judas wanted to hoard money for himself secretly and selfishly. Even though He had been chosen to be one of the inner circle of Jesus’ followers (one of the 12 apostles) he had a thief’s heart and mentality. From verse 6 above we read that John (the writer of this gospel), recalled that it was Judas’ practice to keep part of whatever money came in for himself: “but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.” This same man would just a week later betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (John 13:21-30)
John Mark, the writer of the Gospel writes that there were some of the other apostle who also criticized Mary for pouring this expensive oil on Jesus. He wrote: “4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.” This suggest that Judas’ attitude was infectious and that it wasn’t the first time that He had grumbled about such matters. Patterns of behavior have an affect on people. Might not this be a warning to us? Remember, what a monkey sees and hears, he repeats.
Verses 12:7-8 “7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
Out of her love for Jesus Mary was emotionally moved to anoint Him with this fragrant expensive oil, and when Judas and some of the others criticized her Jesus came to her defense, saying: “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
Jesus was not endorsing poverty or an encouragement to do nothing about poverty when He said “the poor you have with you always, but Me you do always have” but was stating a truth. He would soon be leaving them physically and returning to heaven was not a divine endorsement of poverty or an encouragement to do nothing about poverty. Instead, Jesus was saying that the causes of poverty are many and people will always have occasions to help the poor but occasions to serve (aide) Him were limited as He would soon be gone.
Verses 12:9-11 “9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.”

Now isn’t this Amazing?
Less than a year ago Jesus had healed a man blind from birth, born without sight (Chapter 9), and now He has raised a man (Lazarus) from the dead. Yet the chief priests in order to put an end to the growing popularity and fame of Jesus plotted to put not only Him to death, but also Lazarus. Lazarus had been dead but now he was alive, enjoying excellent health, walking around as usual and because of this many were believing in (becoming followers of) Jesus. This needed to be stopped. From the time that Jesus had healed the blind man the Pharisees sought ways how they might kill Him and now, in their thinking, this living testimony of Jesus’ deity must also be killed.
Verses 12-19 “12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!’ 14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt’ (Zachariah 9:9). 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. 17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, ‘You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!’”
As Jesus takes his departure from Bethany, very soon after starting out He sends two of his disciples into a small village in order to fetch from there a donkey on which he plans to enter the capital. In reality (as Matthew points out) there were two animals (a colt and its dam), but it appears later that Jesus makes use of the colt, the other animal either trotting by its side or else being held back by the disciples. The disciples find everything exactly as Jesus had predicted: they find the donkey and its colt tied to a stake at the entrance of the village. There are some people standing around. “Why are y o u untying them (or it)?” ask the owners. “The Lord needs them (it),” is the answer. The owners, who were probably disciples of Jesus, comply immediately, and the disciples bring the animals to Jesus.
The disciples throw their outer garments upon both of the animals (Matthew 21:4-5) not knowing at first which one Jesus will choose), and when it has become clear that he wishes to ride upon the colt, they assist him in mounting this animal. Jesus starts out toward Jerusalem. Both Matthew and John see in this event a fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. “Stop being afraid, daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming, mounted on the colt of a donkey”
Most of the people who accompanied Jesus from Bethany (The twelve apostles, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, other family members and friends) cut branches from the trees and with these they paved the way before him. From the city (Jerusalem) many Jews who had come from various parts of Israel for the celebration of Passover and had heard of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead came pouring out of the eastern gate on their way to meet him. They cut fronds from the palm-trees that lined the road, and with these they proceeded on their way to welcome the Messiah. Keep in mind, in this large crowd their would have been some hostile Pharisees.
As Jesus approached Jerusalem the combined throngs with the exception of the Pharisees, started to shout:

“Hosanna! Blessed is he (who is) coming in the name of the Lord, Even the king of Israel! Blessed is the kingdom that is coming, The kingdom of our father David. Peace in heaven,
And glory in the highest” (See Matthew 21:9)

That part of the multitude which had been with Jesus when Lazarus was raised from the dead continues to bear testimony with reference to this astounding deed. As a result, the excitement and the enthusiasm reached a climax (Matthew 21:10-11; John 12:17-18).
By no means did the crowds that flocked to Bethany to see Jesus and Lazarus escape the notice of the Jewish authorities. The ruthless chief priests had already plotted to kill Jesus (11:53); now they expanded the plot and planned to put Lazarus to death also. As living proof of Jesus’ miraculous power, the resurrected Lazarus presented a great threat to the Sanhedrin (The Jewish political, religious leaders) because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus (cf. 11:48). He was an undeniable testimony to the Lord’s messianic claims. Not only that, a resurrected man was also an embarrassment to the Sadducees (one of the sects that made up the Sanhedrin) in another way: they denied the resurrection of the dead (Matthew 22:23), and he was an undeniable refutation of that error. Unable to counter the incontrovertible testimony Lazarus provided by being alive, they now sought to destroy the evidence by killing him.
From Luke’s account we read that the Pharisees in order to stop this enthusiastic display of adoration and worship appealed to Jesus asking Him to put an end to it. They said: “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” To which Jesus answered: “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:39-40):
Continuing with Luke’s account we read: “41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it.”
Why did Jesus weep when the city of Jerusalem came into view?
The answer is given in verses 42-44” As he wept over Jerusalem He exclaimed: “42 If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:41-44).
What did Jesus Mean?
Jerusalem was the Holy City of God, the city from which Messiah would/will rule over Israel, and the world. Looking over the city Jesus showed, by weeping, His compassion for it. He knew the adoration He was experiencing from the majority of these supposed disciples was shallow. They were looking for a Messiah who would lead them to national prominence and freedom, much like David their revered king of the past, had. David of course brought national prominence by the sword but when Jesus would not take up the sword these people would soon turn on Him. This is why He said to them: “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes” Jesus knew that they weren’t ready for the peace that He was offering them, peace not of the temporal realm only, but of the spiritual realm also. He wept because He knew that they were not worshipping Him for who He truly was but worshipping Him for whom they had made Him out to be. He wept because he knew it would take many years of Gentile dominance and suppression before they would, as a nation turn to Him spiritually. He wept over the city because its people did not understand the significance of what was going on that day—that national acceptance of Him on that day would bring them true peace. He wept because He knew that the city they esteemed so greatly would be totally destroyed and that many would perish in its destruction.

Now back to our Text of John, Chapter 12
Verses 20-25. “20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. 23 But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.’
Why would John deviate from the telling of Jesus offering Himself as Israel’s Messiah to a mention of certain Greeks coming to see Jesus?
Before answering this question, we must remember, it is the Holy Spirit that is directing the mind of John as he pens this accounting of Jesus’ life.
That said
John deviated from his telling about Jesus entrance into Jeru-salem and offering Himself as Israel’s Messiah to mentioning Greeks who had come to Jerusalem to worship at the feast. They were most likely Gentile proselytes to Judaism (or at least God-fearers [Acts 10:22; 17:4,17; cf. 8:27]; Gentiles who had abandoned their pagan religion and turned to worship the true God). They had come to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.
The text does not state who these Greeks were, where they were from, why they wanted to see Jesus, or why they came to Philip. Perhaps Jesus was then in the part of the temple to which they were not permitted to go (Gentiles could go no farther than the Court of the Gentiles). In that case, they may have seen Philip passing through the Court of the Gentiles, recognized him as one of Jesus’ disciples, and approached him. John’s note that Philip was from Bethsaida of Galilee may suggest that the Greeks singled him out for that reason. Bethsaida was near the Gentile region known as the Decapolis (Matthew 4:25; Mark 5:20; 7:31), and they may have been from that region. Further, as a native of Galilee, Philip likely spoke Greek. Unsure of how to handle these Gentiles, Philip came and told Andrew about their request and together, Andrew and Philip, went and told Jesus about the Greeks’ request for an interview.
The question remains; why John would include such an open-ended incident in his record. Since there is no record that Jesus ever spoke to them, the best that can be said is that they represent Gentile interest—the wave of the near future as the Lord called the church, a new people made of Jews and Gentiles, to be His witness in the world. We should consider however that the hour of Jesus’ sacrifice was quickly approaching and the coming of the Greeks affirmed that the time had come. Soon after His sacrifice and glorification (resurrection and ascension) Jesus through His apostles would begin the building of His church. His church was to be inclusive of both Jew and Gentile.
In that vein, consider what Jesus then said: “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
In the context of the triumphal entry, Phillip and Andrew no doubt interpreted Jesus’ words “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified” to mean that He was about to overthrow the Romans and set up His earthly kingdom. They would have remembered the prophecy of Daniel 7:13-14 concerning the Son of Man and the establishing of His kingdom:
“I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.”
Jesus’ next statement, [Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain] however, shattered any illusions the two men had, turning their dreams of conquest into a vision of death. The Lord introduced it with the solemn phrase Most assuredly, I say to you underscoring its significance. [The same phrase is used in (cf. 1:51; 3:3,5,110; 5:19,24,25; 6:26,32,47,53; 8:51,58; 10:1,7; 13:16,20,21,38; 14:12; 16:20,23; 21:18], The Son of Man would be glorified, not by conquering the Romans and immediately establishing His kingdom as they so eagerly anticipated but by dying.
Using an agricultural illustration that would have been familiar to His audience (cf. 4:35-38; Mark 4:1-32; Luke 17:6), Jesus told them: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. The Lord’s point was that He would be glorified, but through death and resurrection not by the sword.
Jesus knew that after the cross the gospel would spread far beyond the borders of Israel to all the nations of the world. Thus, He responded to the Greeks’ interview request by pointing to His impending death. The Greeks wanted to see Him. But Jesus knew that the only way they could truly enjoy fellowship with Him was through His atoning sacrifice. Just as a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies to produce a rich harvest, so also Christ’s death would bear much fruit by providing salvation for many, of every tribe and language (Matthew 20:28; 26:28; Hebrews 9:28; Revelation 5:9). That fruit would include countless Gentiles like these Greeks who desired to meet with Him.
Regardless of race, every person who through faith in Christ receives eternal life is part of the spiritual harvest that resulted from His death. Jesus’ obedience “to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8) was also the ultimate manifestation of His submission to the Father (John 4:34; 5:19,30; 6:38) and refusal to seek His own glory (John 5:41; 7:18; 8:50).
Verse 12:25-26 “25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
Jesus then applied that truth with a general invitation illustrating the heart attitude required of one who receives His gift of salvation. The one who loves his life in this world (cf. 1 John 2:15-17), by preferring it over the interests of God’s kingdom, ultimately loses it. On the other hand, the one who hates his life in this world by making Christ, not self his first priority, will keep it to life eternal.
John MacArthur writes:
Hating one’s life is a Semitic expression that has the connotation of giving preference to one thing over another (cf. Genesis 29:31; Deuteronomy 21:15 [the word translated “unloved” by the NASB in those verses literally means, “hated”]; Luke 16:13; Romans 9:13). In this context it refers to preferring Christ over one’s family, possessions, goals, plans, desires—even one’s own life (Luke 14:27). This call to sell all to buy the pearl, to purchase the treasure (Matt. 13:44-46), is the constant, unmistakable demand of the Gospels.
Jesus repeatedly cautioned those who would follow Him to consider the extreme cost that could entail:
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it. (Matt. 10:37-39)
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. (Luke 14:26-33)
In Luke 9:23-24 “He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it'” (cf. 17:33). Therefore “whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted” (Matt. 23:12; cf. Luke 14:11; 18:14). In Luke 9:26 Jesus warned, “Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Though it may not be required, being willing to give up everything to follow Christ is what separates true disciples from false professors. Jesus does not identify true saving faith by its perfection but by its affection. Those who truly come to Christ love Him above all else—all sin, all self-righteousness, all relationships, and all self-will.
The one who serves Jesus must follow Him; “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:6; cf. 1:7; 3:24; 4:15; 1 Cor. 11:1; Eph. 5:1; 1 Thess. 1:6). So true salvation is not only affection but also direction. To those who follow, Jesus made two ultimate and glorious promises. First, where He is, there His servants will be also. That is nothing less than a promise of eternal heaven. In John 14:3 Jesus told His disciples, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (cf. 17:24). In contrast, His enemies did not know where He was going (John 8:14; 9:29) and could not go there (John 7:34; 8:21). End of transcription.

Verses 27-29 “27 Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” 29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”
As Jesus talked about the cost of discipleship He thought about His own commitment to His Father’s will, that He would soon be called upon to give His life to accomplish that will. He knew what that it would not be by stoning (according to the Levitical Law) that He would be killed, but by Roman crucifixion, the cruelest of all executions (See Psalm 22:14-17). He knew the cruelty of the Romans and how they unmercifully executed people. But His anguish went deeper than a natural human rejection of such a death, especially in that He was not guilty of anything, but the anguish of His inner being (the anguish of His soul), that soon He would bear the sin of the world, bear His Father’s wrath, and be separated from Him. Jesus said, “Now My soul is troubled’ and we just cannot imagine the depth of that statement.
MacArthur writes: The word “troubled” translates form the verb tarassō, which literally means, “to shake,” or “to stir up”. It is a strong word, used figuratively to speak of severe mental or spiritual agitation; of being disturbed, upset, unsettled, or horrified The perfect tense of the verb suggests that this was an ongoing struggle for the sinless Savior, as He recoiled in revulsion from the implications of bearing divine judgment for sin.
We cannot not know when Jesus, in His humanity, knew of His purpose, probably from a very early age (perhaps from birth) but certainly from the time of His ability to process information He knew who He was and His purpose. Throughout His life Jesus thoughts would have been on His ultimate purpose and yet being cognizant of these things Jesus said: “27 what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28a Father, glorify Your name.”
Upon saying that, Father God spoke from heaven saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again” (28b). Not sure when God glorified Jesus in the past; certainly at His transfiguration –(See Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, Luke 9:28–36) or through the many miracles that Jesus did, i.e., His changing water into wine, His various healings of the blind, deaf, lame, and restoration of life, or perhaps, His raising of Lazarus from the dead, but, He was soon to glorify Him again as He (Jesus) satisfied His (the Father’s) judgment against sin making it possible for persons to be reconciled to Him (Father God).
This was the third time in Christ’s earthly ministry, the Father’s voice came audibly out of heaven. On the other occasions, at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:17) and the transfiguration (Matthew 17:5), the Father’s voice affirmed that He was pleased with His Son. Now, as the cross approached, the Father again authenticated Him, thus reassuring the disciples that Christ’s impending death in no way signified His disapproval. On the contrary, just as He had already glorified His name through Jesus’ life and ministry, He would glorify it again through His death. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection would mark not only the successful completion of the mission the Father had given Him to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10) and to “give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45), but also His return to His full glory in the Father’s presence. It was for the latter that Jesus prayed in His High Priestly prayer:
Verse 29-31 Not all who heard the voice however comprehended it as being a voice, some thought it was thunder and others thought it to have been an angel. However, the voice confirmed to those who’s ears were spiritually unstopped that Jesus spoke truth. They perhaps didn’t fully comprehend all that He said but after He was risen from the dead and had ascended into heaven, they would recall His words and make the connection, that Jesus sacrifice atoned for the sin of the world. That from the cross He secured Satan’s defeat and He made folly of the unregenerate world’s goals, standards, and religions. In verse 30 Jesus confirmed that God spoke from heaven, not for His benefit but for theirs.
In verse 32 Jesus went on to say: “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” And in verse 33 John tells us that Jesus said that, “signifying what death he would die.”
MacArthur writes: Jesus declared that He would, by His sacrifice for sin, draw all men to Himself. That does not, of course, mean that all humanity will be redeemed, as some universalists think. The phrase all men refers specifically to those (the “much fruit” of 12:24; cf. 6:44) who will come. The all men are those who will be drawn to salvation from all types and classes of people. The phrase also stresses that all who are saved are saved by believing in the work of Christ on the cross. There is no access to God apart from the cross, because only through Christ’s death is sin satisfactorily atoned for (Matthew 20:28; Romans 3:24-25; Hebrews 9:12; 10:4-12; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 2:24; 3:18; 1 John 2:2; 4:10; and Revelation. 5:9) and divine forgiveness granted (Matt. 26:28; Ephesians1:7; and Colossians 1:13-14).
Verse 34 Having declared that He would soon be killed “The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever (Psalm 102: 25-27; Isaiah 9:6-7) and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
The “Son of Man” said another way, would be, the “Son of Humanity” and if those who asked “who is this Son of Man (of humanity) would have recalled Daniel 7:13-14 they would have been able to answer their own question, for that passage says: “As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. And He came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To Him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and His kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.”

In saying that He, as the Son of Man (Son of humanity) must be lifted up Jesus was ascribing Daniel 7:13-14 to Himself. It was to Him that the Ancient One (God) would give the eternal kingdom and glory.

Jesus was not saying that He was a Son of Humanity, but the Son of Humanity. Son of humanity was/is an identification with Humanity. So in essence it was always Jesus’ claim that even though He was God, He Human. The apostle Paul writing of Him said “6 Jesus, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men”.

Verses 35-36 “35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

To these Jews Jesus was declaring that He was the light that illuminated the way to God, that they should listen to and believe Him. He said that if they believed Him, they could become sons of light (become sons of God). This would be His final appeal to them, as it would be to the nation. For more than three years, Jesus had presented Himself to the people of Israel as the Messiah and proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom. He had substantiated His claims by teaching with power and authority unrivaled by anyone before Him (Matthew 7:28-29; Mark 1:22; Luke 4:32; John 7:46). He had also performed miraculous works that no one else had ever done (John 15:24). Even so, His present audience (with the exception of His disciples) would not believe in Him, or what He was saying. This had been true throughout His ministry. Jesus had faced unbelief, hatred, hostility, and rejection, particularly from Israel’s religious leaders.
Just a few hours earlier Jesus had been hailed as Israel’s Messiah and King by a frenzied crowd (perhaps even some of these to whom He was now speaking) but that was the problem, they were looking for a powerful military leader who would overthrow the Romans. But when Jesus rebuffed their attempts to force Him into the role of political and military deliverer (John 6:14-15), and began speaking about of dying (John 12:24), the people abandoned Him altogether; they were unable to grasp the concept of a murdered Messiah (which even His disciples were slow to accept; cf. Matthew 16:21-23). Their hopes were shattered, and they rendered their final verdict on Jesus: they rejected Him.
But despite their rejection, in His persistent and intense love for them, Jesus extended to them one final invitation to acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. That invitation not only expressed the compassionate cry of His heart for Israel’s salvation (cf. Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34; 19:41), but it also delivered a warning (cf. Matthew 23:38-39; Luke 13:35; 19:42-44). Speaking of His impending death, Jesus cautioned His hearers that it would be only for a little while longer that the Light, a reference to Himself as the Light of the World (cf. v. 46; 1:4-9; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9:5), would be among them. Paul described Christ as “the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God” shining in the darkness (2 Corinthians 4:6). Soon He would be gone, and the people to whom He came would be plunged back into darkness (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:14-16).
Verses 37-41 “37 But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? (Isaiah 53:1) And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them” (Isaiah 6:10). 41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.
It seems incredible that the Jews, including these to who Jesus was presently speaking, especially their religious leaders, could have missed the obvious implications of His miracles. This of course highlights the power of sin (John 3:19-20) and Satan (John 8:44; 2 Cor. 4:4), both of which, blinds people to the truth. This attest to the truth that in order to see (understand) spiritual things a person must be reborn spiritually. He or she must be born again, from above (See John 3:1-8, 1st Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1-10). Spiritual enlightenment and salvation required/requires a regenerated heart, a work of the Holy Spirit.
Israel’s unbelief and rejection of Jesus Christ was not, of course, outside of God’s plan. Long ago God said through His prophet, that He would make the heart of the people dull, make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed” (Isaiah 6:10). Israel’s rejection of Christ was by God’s sovereign design in order that the Gentiles might also join in them in salvation (See Romans. 9-11). In His sovereign grace, God has brought good out of that rejection. As Paul wrote in Roman’s 11:11, it was “by [Israel’s] transgression [that] salvation has come to the Gentiles.”
God’s sovereign, judicial hardening of Israel did not negate the culpability of those who refused to believe in Christ. As Leon Morris notes, “When John quotes ‘he hath blinded their eyes…’ he does not mean that the blinding takes place without the will, or against the will of these people…. These men chose evil. It was their own deliberate choice, their own fault.
Verses 42-43 42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Some of the rulers however did believe Jesus, but because they feared being put out of the synagogue, they did not openly confess Him. They feared men’s opinions and loved men’s praise… more than God’s praise.
Verses 44-50 Recognizing this Jesus responded, saying; “44 He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him–the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”
His words were meant to assure them that faith in Him was the same as having faith in Father God. Remember, they were at that time without the Spirit of God, the anchor of faith.

The Gospel of John / Chapters 13-18:11
Jesus Last Hours with His disciples before His Arrest

Beginning in chapter 13 John leaves off writing about Jesus public ministry and begins writing about Jesus’ last hours with His disciples. The setting of chapters 13-17 is in an upper room in Jerusalem where Jesus had gathered them together for a meal and fellowship. Knowing that this would be the last time He would fellowship with them before He would be crucified He wanted to encourage them to continue in love of one another and to not lose heart knowing the fear that would grip them when He would be taken from their midst and be killed.

John writes in verses 13:1-11: “1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” 8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”

How is John’s Gospel different than the Gospels of Matthew and Luke?

John did not mention, as did Matthew and Luke, that after the meal was finished Jesus broke bread and passed it among the disciples symbolically identifying it with His body that would soon be broken on behalf of the world. Nor did he mention that Jesus took a container of wine passing it among the disciples symbolically declaring that it was representative of His blood that He would soon shed on behalf of the world. John merely wrote: “And supper being ended Jesus washed the disciples feet.”

What would have been odd about Jesus washing the feet of the apostles?

The disciples would have previously washed their own faces and hands in anticipation of the meal, but the washing of their feet would have been left for a household servant to do. The dusty and dirty conditions of the region necessitated the need for foot-washing. It is a little odd that their feet wouldn’t have been washed prior to the meal, but that aside, Jesus used the opportunity to demonstrate to them what should be their practice of true love for one another. That they should develop an attitude of servanthood among themselves. Although the disciples most likely would have been happy to wash Jesus’ feet, they could not conceive of washing each other’s feet. This was because in the society of the time foot-washing was reserved for the lowliest of menial servants. Peers did not wash one another’s feet, except very rarely and as a mark of great love.

Remember, Luke records that Jesus addressed this issue (of arrogance) when a dispute had arisen among the disciples about who would be greatest in the kingdom of heaven. We read of this from Luke 22:24-26: “24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. 25 And He said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.’” The apostles were to have a lowly attitude.
When Jesus moved to wash their feet, they were shocked. But, through this action Jesus taught the lesson of selfless service that would be exemplified supremely by His death on the Cross. Expanding on the example of love that He just gave them (His washing their feet) Jesus said: “33 Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
Verses 13:12-17 “12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

These who had gathered in the upper room, had dined and had close fellowship with Jesus, viewed Him as a friend, but also as being superior, He was their teacher and He was their Lord a.k.a. master. Yet even though He was esteemed as holding these lofty positions He had washed their feet. Now He told them that He had done this as an example of love and of servitude, and that they were to do no less in a demonstration of love for, and servitude of one another. He then said, your knowing this that is great, but the greater blessings is in the doing, actually living out love and servitude toward one another. (Do you, do I, have that attitude?)

Verses 13:18-19 “18 I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ 19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.”
Jesus concluded the exhortation to his disciples with the words ‘Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. This suggest that blessing was in store for the obedient disciple (This can be true of us also). But sadly this was not true of them all. So he added, I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. He knew that one of them, Judas Iscariot, would betray him (cf. 6:70-71; 12:4; 13:2, 21-27) and saw it as a fulfilment of the Scriptures: He said “But this is to fulfill the scripture: ‘He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.’ The quotation is from Psalm 41:9, where the psalmist calls upon God to have mercy upon him in his sickness because his enemies are gloating over his misfortune, and even his close friend whom he trusted and with whom he shared bread has turned against him. (Many statements of the Psalmist looked past themselves to Jesus, and Jesus here, made application off David’s words to Himself).
In Middle Eastern culture of that day, and continuing today, it is particularly reprehensible for those who accept hospitality and the intimacy of a shared meal to then turn against their hosts. As Jesus faced imminent death, He felt like the psalmist, because a close friend, one of the Twelve, was going to turn against him and betray him. But while this was deeply disappointing for Jesus, it came as no surprise: it was ‘to fulfill the scripture’.
Why did Jesus say, “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He (vs. 19).”
By telling his disciples He was soon to be betrayed, Jesus was not sharing his distress with them, but was showing concern for them: Being forewarned of these events, He hoped their faith might not fail when they occurred. The forewarning however did not prevent them from falling into despair. Reflecting on Luke’s account of the two disciples who were on the road to Emmaus we get a glimpse of a temporary mood of despair (Luke 24:19-21) and can make application to the apostles to whom Jesus was talking.
Consider; After His resurrection Jesus appeared to two disciples who were on the road to Emmaus who in despair were talking about the events of the past few days. Jesus hearing them, asked what they were despairingly talking about and in response to His question, they referring to Jesus, whom they did not yet recognize, said: ‘He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.’ Clearly, their belief that Jesus was the Christ had been shaken. However, as they talked Jesus opened their eyes to understand all that was written about Him in the Scriptures, and then their faith was restored (Luke 24:45-47). This would have been the same attitude of the apostles of our text. However, after Jesus was resurrected, they would understand and be committed followers.
Verse 13:20 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
The words of verse 20 seem out of place but when considered along with the complete narrative it becomes clear. Jesus had assembled His disciples together on the night of His arrest wanting to encourage and instruct them one last time before His death. He shared a meal with them (the Passover meal), instituted a memorial concerning His sacrifice, had demonstrated how they were to consider and conduct themselves after He would leave them, and that if they were obedient to that charge they would be blessed. He told them that one of them would betray Him and now He prophetically said to them “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” This, was in one sense, a promise of a unique tie between them, Himself, and Father God. And, if people would receive those whom Jesus would send (the apostles themselves) they would be accepting Jesus also; and those who accepted Jesus in that way would be accepting the one who sent him, God the Father.
Verse 13:21 “When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”
Referring back to Jesus’ statements in the previous section, the evangelist says, “After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit. This is the third occasion on which Jesus was ‘troubled’. The first occasion was when he met Mary following the death of Lazarus and saw her caught up in faithless weeping (11:33, 38), and the second was when, being aware the time of his crucifixion was drawing near, He shank from the prospect of the cross (12:27). On this third occasion Jesus was ‘troubled in spirit’ as He faced betrayal by one of his own disciples, and He testified, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.’
What does this say about Jesus?
Being human, Jesus was troubled over Judas’ soon betrayal of His love and friendship. Friendship is an emotion of the human makeup; this shows the humanity of Jesus. Being divine, Jesus knew in advance that it would happen. Jesus sensed the spiritual hardness and deadness which sin had produced in Judas. Though Judas’ betrayal was exceedingly disturbing to Jesus in His humanity, it did not take Jesus by surprise. He announced it beforehand. Thus, we see both the humanity of Jesus and yet, His deity.
Verses 13:22-29 “22 Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. 23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. 25 Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ 26 Jesus answered, ‘It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.’ And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly.’ 28 But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. 29 For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, ‘Buy those things we need for the feast,’ or that he should give something to the poor.
The apostles stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them, He meant. They understood clearly what He meant, but it was unthinkable that one of them would betray Him. John writes that one of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved (John, himself), was reclining next to him.
When people reclined on cushions around a triclinium (U-shaped table) leaning on their left elbows, the head of the person on the right would be close to the other person’s chest.

Hearing that one of them was going to betray Jesus, Peter asked John, who was reclining closest to Jesus, to ask Jesus who it was who would betray Him, it was unthinkable. So, leaning back toward Jesus, John asked him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon.
It is difficult to understand why John, receiving this information, took no action (such as telling Peter and the other apostles) to prevent the betrayal. Perhaps it was because Jesus himself did nothing to prevent it but instead told Judas to get on with it (v. 27).
As soon as Judas took the bread, the morsel, Satan entered into him. Judas received the morsel, but not the love with which it was offered, and at this time ‘Satan entered into him’. Earlier in this chapter John wrote that ‘the devil had already prompted Judas … to betray Jesus’ (v. 2), and now Satan entered him.
Judas, being hardened by His own selfish desires, opened himself up to being indwelt by Satan and from this point on he was not acting on his own. This makes us think of the Antichrist written about in Daniel 7:8 and in Revelation 13:1-8. He too will appear on the scene seeking to fill his own desires but will be taken over by Satan and will do unimaginable, terrible things.
Being overtaken and indwelt by Satan is a terrible thing. He is the personification of evil. One only needs to recall what happened in Genesis 6. In that chapter legions of demons, under Satan’s control left their habitation, and cohabitated with human beings (the daughters of men) and their offspring became so evil that God destroyed all of humanity except 8 persons (Noah, his wife, his 3 sons, and their wives). Or, of Hitler who murdered 6 million plus Jews as a means of purging the world of them. Hitler began as a German youth with the same aspirations as other German youth, but somewhere along the line he began focusing on ungodly desires opening himself up to the suggestions of Satan and eventual indwelling. Today in our own time, because of evil desires, many of the world’s populace have opened themselves up to Satanic influence and indwelling. Abortion on demand, Homosexuality, and the non-respect of life is the practice of the day. Who knows where Satan’s influence and control will end? Those who reject God open themselves up to things that they have no concept of. They don’t start out that way, but that is how many will end up.
Once again verses 28-29 28 But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. 29 For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, ‘Buy those things we need for the feast,’ or that he should give something to the poor.
Apparently, Jesus’ words identifying the betrayer was heard only by John, but when Jesus said to Judas “What you do, do quickly do (vs.27b)”, they all heard, but no-one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him (vs.28). Then John tells us since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor (v.29).
In truth, what motivated Judas?
Even though it wasn’t evident at the time to the other apostles, Judas’ was motivated by greed, not the needs of the apostles or others they might be ministering to. We read from (John 12:2-8) that Judas, the treasurer of this little band of apostles objected when Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with expensive perfume. He considered it a waste of money, saying that it should have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. But he did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief (12:6). Even before his heart was hardened toward Jesus (and them), he was already guilty of embezzlement. When they saw Judas leave the room, the disciples, thought he was being sent out as treasurer either to buy something for the feast or to give something to the poor.
Verses 13:31-32 “30 Having received the piece of bread, he (Judas) then went out immediately. And it was night. 31 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 32 If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.”
After Judas had gone out, Jesus began to prepare the remaining 11 apostles for His departure. He had talked about this many times with them before, but with the cross only hours away He talked with them about it one final time. Although our Bibles take five chapters (13-17) to record Jesus conversation with them, it occurred on the night of His arrest.
This night and the next morning would be the time that Jesus the Son, and God the Father, would be glorified, climaxed 3 days later when Jesus would rise from the dead. Victory over Satan would be won (Genesis 3:15), and sin (man’s rebellion against God) would be paid for (Romans 5:8-21). The words God… and glorify Him immediately (vs.32b)” looked ahead to His Resurrection and Ascension.

Verses 13:33-35 “33 Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Referring again to his imminent departure, Jesus said to the apostles, Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer (Vs. 33). The time was short. Judas had gone out to betray Him and events were moving quickly, and would soon culminate in His arrest, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. Then Jesus added, “You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’” (Vs 33). Earlier, Jesus had told the Jews, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come” (John 7:33-34; cf. 8:21) and now He was telling the apostles about His departure and that at that time they could not follow Him..
Having told the Apostles that he would soon be departing Jesus gave them a new command. He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (Vs. 34). And then gave the intended outcome for the command; “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This is the first of two instances (13:34; 15:12) in which Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another, but only on this occasion did He refer to it as a ‘new’ command. In the Old Testament the Israelites were commanded to love their neighbor as they loved themselves (Leviticus 19:18), but Jesus said to the apostles, As I have loved you, so you must love one another. This raised the measure of love considerably. The measure of love for their neighbors was not to be their measure of love for one another, Jesus’ love for them was to be the measure. His love for them led him to lay down his life for them. Now He said they should love one another in the same way. Jesus’ love command was ‘new’ because it demanded a new kind of love, a love like his own.
Jesus highlighted the importance of the disciples’ love for one another by adding to his command the explanation “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Vs.35). This was not the reason they should love one another but was rather the outcome of their love. People would be able to recognize them as Jesus’ followers by their mutual love. Knowing the truth about Jesus is vital, but so also is believer’s love for one another. This love is not sentimental, but real self-sacrificing love by which they place other believers’ needs above their own. Love-less-ness among believers nullifies their witness to the world and reveals them as hypocrites. (What about you, what about me?)

The Love that Jesus was talking about is measured by the words of the apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians: “1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails” (1st Corinthians 13:1-8a). True love of another puts that one’s needs above personable benefit.

Verses 13:36-38 “36 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.” 37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.” 38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.”
Jesus did not answer Peter’s question about ‘where’ He was going but told him that he could not follow Him there now, but would do so later. It was not yet time for Peter to follow Jesus into the Father’s presence. Also, the rigors of suffering and death through which Jesus would make His way to the Father were not something Peter was yet able to bear at this time, but later he would do so (21:18-19).
But at this time (the time of our text) Peter asked, ‘Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ Peter thought Jesus was saying to him that he did not have the commitment necessary to follow him as he faced what lay ahead. Peter, however, felt he was ready to lay down his life for Jesus (cf. Matt. 26:35; Mark 14:31; Luke 22:33), but clearly he did not understand what that would mean. He was certainly ready to take up arms to defend his master, as he would do in the olive grove, wielding his sword against the servant of the high priest (18:10-11). But to follow Jesus in the way of suffering without resistance proved to be more than he could then bear.
Knowing that Peter would not be able live up to his profession at this stage, Jesus answered, ‘Will you really lay down your life for me?’ These must have been hard words for Peter to hear, but worse was to follow: ‘I tell you the truth, before the cock crows, you will disown me three times!’ It was already night when Judas went out to betray Jesus, and now Peter was told before that night had run its course (‘before the cock crows’) he would disown Jesus three times (these denials are recorded in 18:17, 25, 26-27).[
This should cause each of us to pause and consider our own commitment. Do you, do I, deny Jesus in any way?

The Gospel of John / Chapters 13-18:11
Jesus Last Hours with His Disciples
Before His Arrest – Continued

The apostles were completely bewildered and discouraged, they believed that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah that would lead them back to national prominence and out from under Gentile dominance. They had set aside their former way of life and had followed Him for the past for 3 years expecting that soon He would mount the throne of David and rule as king. How elated they must have been earlier that day when He rode into Jerusalem on the fold of a donkey accepting the accolades of the people as they shouted “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel! ” (John 12:13). They believed this was the fulfilment of Zechariah 9:9-10 “9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.’
But now Jesus said He was going away (7:34; 8:21; 12:8, 35; 13:33),
That He would die (12:32-33),
That one of the Twelve was a traitor (13:21),
That Peter would disown Him three times (13:38),
That Satan was at work against all of them (Luke 22:31-32),
And, that all the disciples, including themselves, would fall away (Matt. 26:31).
The cumulative weight of these revelations must have greatly depressed them. They wondered; how could these things be? What about them? They had set aside everything and had followed Him, which had set the Sanhedrin (the Jewish religious and political authorities) against them, as well as Rome, and now He said He would be leaving them.
Knowing they were struggling with these things, Jesus said: “1 Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.’ 5 Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’ 6 Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.’ 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
To comfort the disciples, Jesus gave them several exhortations along with promises. By a firm trust in God the Father and Jesus the Son, they could relieve their soul-sorrow and fear and be sus-tained in their coming tests. When Jesus said, Trust in God; trust also in Me, He was probably giving commands, not making statements. The persecutions they would certainly face, even death should not be a terror to them. He assured them that He was leaving to prepare a place for them in heaven, the Father’s house. This of course meant that their separation from Him would not be permanent. In fact, He said: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (vs.3).

Jesus’ promise wasn’t only about His bringing them too Himself in resurrection if they were to die, but was also a promise of catching up those of them who would be alive when He would return for believers (The Rapture, not His 2nd second coming). While this promise is to all believers it was meant as an encouragement to these men of our text (the apostles).

Paul addressed this in his second letter to the Thessalonians, consider: “13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words” (2nd Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Jesus went on to say: “And where I go you know, and the way you know” (14:4). Throughout His ministry, Jesus had been showing them the way, but as Thomas indicated (John 14:5) they did not fully understand.
14: 6 Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Thomas’ statement: “We don’t know where You are going and his question – So how can we know the way?” Vs. 5) reflected the perplexity of the Eleven (cf. Peter’s similar question; 13:36). They would remain puzzled until His death and resurrection and until the advent of the Spirit. They had all the information, but they could not put it together.
Jesus’ words, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life” (Vs 6) , are the sixth of Jesus’ seven “I am” statements in the Gospel of John (6:48; 8:12; 10:9, 11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1). Jesus is the “Way” because He is the “Truth” and the “Life.” As the Father is Truth and Life, Jesus is the embodiment of God so people can come to the Father (cf. 1:4, 14, 18; 11:25).
By His words, No one comes to the Father except through Me, Jesus stressed that salvation, contrary to what many people think, is not obtainable through many ways. Only one way exists (cf. Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5). Jesus is the only access to the Father because He is the only One from the Father (cf. John 1:1-2, 51; 3:13).
Verses 7-8 “7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
Because Jesus was one with the Father and embodied the truth and the life of the Father, He could say to his disciples, “If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.” He implied that his disciples did not yet really understand who He was. If they did, they would realize they knew the Father as well. Jesus explained, “From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Even though they hadn’t yet fully comprehended that to see Him they had seen the Father, Jesus prophetically implied that after His ascension into heaven, in reflection of His life, they would see the oneness of He and the Father.
The first sentence in verse 7 may either be a promise (“If you really knew Me, you will know My Father as well”) or a rebuke. The Lord seems to be rebuking them for a failure to understand His person and mission (cf. 8:19). The following dialogue (14:8-9) indicates a failure on the disciples’ part. From now on, you do know Him is a promise, which looks beyond the Cross and the Resurrection (cf. 20:28, “My Lord and my God”).
Verses 8-11 “8 Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ 9 Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, Show us the Father? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.’”
Philip expressed a universal desire of mankind: to see God (cf. Exodus. 33:18 – Moses said. Show me glory). Philip was probably longing for a theophany or some visible display of God’s glory.
We are not much different, all us Christians have a yearning and desire to see God, that is a natural curiosity and desire. But God did show Himself in Jesus. As we study Him (via the Scriptures) we see God. Also, we have been given His Spirit to indwell us who shows the Father to us, not in the physical sense but by impression into our minds which leads us to see God by faith.
Verses 14:10-11 “10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”
Jesus said that His union with the Father was/is expressed in a three-fold way.
1) His character testified that He was in the Father and the Father was in Him (cf. v. 20)
2) His words were in the power of His father (cf. 7:16; 12:49-50; 14:24);
3) And because of the signs (miracles) He did throughout His ministry. Only God could restore sight to a person who had been blind from birth, speak healing into persons who were miles away, cleanse leapers by a touch, and restore life to the dead
Verses 14:12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”
Having urged his disciples to believe in him on the basis of his works, Jesus made a remarkable statement: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

How are we to understand this?
The astonishing promise to the apostles was the because they believed in Christ they would do greater works than He had done. The greater works to which Jesus referred were not greater in power than those He performed, but greater in extent. The apostles would indeed perform miraculous works, as Jesus had (cf. Acts 5:12-16; Heb. 2:3-4). But physical miracles were not primarily what Jesus had in mind, since the apostles did not do more powerful miracles than He had. When the Lord spoke of His followers performing greater works, He was referring to the extent of the spiritual miracle of salvation. Jesus never preached outside of Palestine, yet His followers would spread the gospel throughout the world. Jesus had only a limited outreach to Gentiles (cf. Mark 7:26ff.), but the apostles (particularly Peter and later Paul) would reach the Gentile world with the gospel. The number of believers in Christ would also grow far beyond the hundreds (Acts 1:15; 1 Cor. 15:6) that were numbered during His lifetime.
Verses 14:13-14 “13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

From these two verses we learn that being able to do more and greater works than Jesus was being intrinsically linked to Him. He was their power source, so to speak. He would send His Spirit to indwell and empower them (vs. 16). And they would be doing His work longer, both individually and corporately, than He had. His physical ministry had a duration of about 3 years, but their ministry would go on for several years more. Also, the area of their ministry would be much greater.

What would be necessary for the accomplishment of doing greater things?

Verses 14:15-16 give the answer: “15 If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

They were to keep His commandments and they were not to rely upon their own abilities but depend on His Spirit, the Holy Spirit. Shortly He would say to them: “1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:1-5).
More on this passage when we arrive there but for now, it is only recorded to show that even though the apostles would do greater (more) works that Jesus, it would not be due to their own power.

Verses 14:18-21 “18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
What did Jesus mean when He said, I will come to you? (Vs. 18-19).
Jesus showing His love and commitment to them promised the disciples that He would not leave them as orphans. The reference to His leaving is a veiled reference to His death, and graphically expresses the sense of loss the disciples would experience. As foreboding as that loss seemed, it would only be temporary, as the Lord’s promise I will come to you indicates. The primary reference is to His resurrection, after which they would see Him again (cf. John 20:19-29; Acts 1:3; 1 Cor. 15:3-8). But because of His union with the Holy Spirit in the Godhead, Jesus would also abide with them through His Spirit, who would be poured out at Pentecost (cf. 16:16; Matt. 28:20; Rom. 8:9; Phil. 1:19; 1 Peter 1:11; 1 John 4:13).
Verse 19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more,—only a few hours remained until the crucifixion—Jesus would be dead, and the unbelieving world would no longer see Him. The unbelieving world would not see Him physically after His resurrection (since He apparently appeared only to His disciples [cf. 1 Cor. 15:1-11]) nor would they have any capacity to know Christ’s presence through the indwelling Holy Spirit since they are spiritually dead [Eph. 2:1] and “devoid of the Spirit” [Jude 19].
In contrast to the unbelieving world, the Lord promised His disciples, “you will see Me; because I live you will live also. ” As witnesses to the resurrected Savior, the disciples would be given visible proof that they too would one day be raised (See 1 Cor. 15:20-21, 35-58). Moreover, being spiritually alive because of Christ’s resurrection and the indwelling of the Spirit, they were able to perceive Jesus’ presence in this life (cf. Heb. 13:5-6). This is true of all believers. They/we have the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit that Jesus lives.
Jesus claimed to be in union with the Spirit and with the Father. In that day (after the resurrection and the coming of the Spirit), He said, you will know that I am in My Father. The apostles and the first disciples would soon come to understand the truth that baffled them at the present (cf. 14:8-9). Though no human mind can fully understand that union, being hidden in the mysterious depths of the Trinity (cf. Job 11:7; Rom. 11:33), all believers come to recognize its reality.
Then Jesus made a profound promise. Not only would the disciples know that He is in the Father, but also, as He went on to tell them, you will understand that you are in Me, and I in you.
Jesus thus reassured His worried disciples that His death would not end their relationship with Him. Their union with Him was indissoluble, as is true for all believers. Nothing can separate His own from His presence or His love (Rom. 8:38-39).
Through the indwelling of the Spirit, believers are united with Jesus. Several New Testament metaphors depict the nature of that union. Jesus is the vine and believers are the branches (John 15:5); they are the body of which He is the head (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:15-16; 5:23; Col. 1:18; 2:19); they are stones in the spiritual house of which He is the cornerstone (Eph. 2:20-22; 1 Peter 2:4-6); they are the bride and He is the groom (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:22-24; Rev. 19:7). (That union, of course, is not one of essence; believers do not become part of the Godhead.)
Not only are believers in Christ; He also abides in them (cf. John 6:5; 14:20,23; 15:4-5; 17:23,26).”If Christ is in you,” Paul wrote, “though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness” (Rom. 8:10). “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith,” the apostle challenged the Corinthians, “examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5). In Galatians 2:20 he noted, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Paul prayed for the Ephesians that “Christ [might] dwell in [their] hearts through faith” (Eph. 3:17) and reminded the Colossians of “the riches of the glory of this mystery… which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).
Verses 14:21-24 “‘21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.’22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, ‘Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?’ 23 Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.’”
Jesus was being candid with the apostles, He said that the keeping of His commandments was proof of one’s love for Him, that only those who would obey His commandments would be in union with Him and the Father. This is borne out by Judas’ (a.k.a. Thaddaeus-Lebbaeus) question and Jesus’ answer.

The question “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” (Vs. 22a)

The Answer “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him”(Vs. 23).
Continuing, Jesus said to Judas: “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me” (Vs.24).

Jesus then reminded Judas that what He was saying originated with his Father (God). He had said these very same words to Judas and the other apostles back in chapter 12 verse 49: Note, “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.”
And He said something similar earlier in this chapter. Consider verses 10, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”

Remember, beginning with chapter 13 Jesus was lovingly sharing His last hours with the apostles, preparing them for His soon departure and His death, assuring them that He would return to them, something they didn’t fully comprehend at that time. For one last time, Jesus was assuring the apostles that what He was saying to them was from His Father.
Verses 14:25-31 “25 These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
Jesus promised them that He would not leave them alone, His Father (God) would send them the Helper (The Holy Spirit) and He would indwell them and abide with them forever.

Studies in the Gospel of John
Chapter 15:1-10 the Vine and the Branches

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
This fifteenth chapter is a part of the Upper Room Discourse, although our Lord probably did not speak it in the Upper Room. At least the assumption is that He did not, because the last statement in chapter 14 is, “Arise, let us go hence.” Somewhere between the Upper Room and the Garden of Gethsemane our Lord spoke the words found in chapters 15 and 16, then prayed the prayer, recorded in chapter 17, as He entered the garden.
By this time Judas Iscariot, had revealed himself to be a traitor and had left to sell out the Lord to the Jewish authorities and set in motion the events leading to Jesus’ arrest and murder (13:26-30). His departure weighed heavily on Jesus knowing that it was a necessity for the remaining eleven to understand that for them to be spiritually fruitful they needed to be connected to Him, that is, they needed to abide in Him. If they had left the upper room, they were on their way to the garden of Gethsemane, to get there they would have walked past the Temple gates which had been forged in Greece, floated across the Hellespont, then brought to Jerusalem, and placed in Herod’s temple. The gates were made of bronze and wrought into them, was a golden vine. Also, to get to the garden of Gethsemane they most likely had to walk through a vineyard that was along the way. Jesus, seeing the vines either on the gates of the temple or the of the vineyard took the opportunity to draw their attention to the vines and made an application to Himself . As He talked, the apostles, being Jewish, would have made a symbolic connection of the vine referring to Israel. Their minds would have been drawn to such passages as Psalm 80:8-9; Isaiah 5:1,7; Jeremiah 2:21; or maybe Hosea. 10:1. A reading of those passages will clearly show that the vine was a picture of Israel.

Given what Jesus had said previously about Him being one with the Father and they being one with Himself and the Father, we can easily see the connection He was making. In the discourse of John 15:1-8.

In that discourse He began by saying: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine-dresser” (15:1).

Looking up the word “true” in the Greek we find that it is the word “alethinos” which has as its meaning “genuine”.

John had used this same word previously in his gospel. He wrote that John the Baptist was a reflecting light but Jesus Christ was/is the true Light. He alluded to fact that Moses gave bread in the wilderness, but Jesus Christ is the true Bread.

Remember, the apostles looked at things with a Jewish eye, their thought patterns were governed by their Old Testament thinking. In this conversation, Jesus was telling them that the nation Israel was not the genuine vine and that their identification with the Jewish nation and the Jewish religion was not the essential thing to their spiritual health. He said to them: “I am the genuine vine.”

Why would He say that?

Their life source was not to be found in the Law of Moses but in Him. This by the way is similar to what we of the church are to understand, our true life source is not our religion, but is Jesus Christ.

Going on Jesus said “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (15:2). This verse may cause us consternation if Jesus hadn’t said to the apostles (and us indirectly)“You are already clean (You already have been made righteous) because of the word which I have spoken to you.” Their righteousness was not a work of their own, but the work of Triune God. God the Father had called them to salvation, Jesus (the Son of God) had paid the price of their salvation, and God the Holy Spirit, had regenerated them to newness of Spirit life enabling them to believe in and commit to Him (Jesus). It is the same with every Believer.

So when Jesus said “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He (God the Father) takes away” He was not talking about their salvation, or of them remaining saved.

So what was He saying?

There are two possibilities, He was either talking hypothetically to teach them about the importance of staying dependent upon Him, or, He was referring to two different kinds of branches, true branches (true believers) and sucker branches (non-believers). Both sucker branches and non-believers look genuine, but the proof is in what they do not produce, fruit. Judas Iscariot is an example of this, he looked like a genuine apostle but proved to be a non-believer and produced no fruit.

Fruit in the believer’s life is the desire of the Vine-dresser (God) and is mentioned 7 times in the passage, three times in verse 2, and once each in verses 4, 5, 8 and 16. Fruit therefore is important to the believer’s life; to the believer’s life as well as in the believer’s life.
But what is fruit? Some think fruit is soul winning but there is no justice for that consideration in the passage. Isaiah 5:1-7 tells us that the fruit God desired of Israel was obedience, righteousness, and justice, and in Paul’s letter to the Galatians we find that fruit is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Said another way, Fruit is spiritual maturity, spiritual growth.
This brings us to another point, in the Galatian passage it is the God the Holy Spirit who produces the fruit and in our text of John 15:1-8 it is Jesus the Vine that produces the fruit, the branches bear the fruit. In horticulture, sap (the life giving substance), runs from the stock of the vine to the branches and fruit appears, spiritually it is the same, the power (life) of Jesus runs from Him to the Christian and fruit appears. Fruitfulness is the result of the Son’s life being reproduced in a disciple. The disciple’s part is to abide.
What does it mean to abide?
The word abide is the Greek word “menō” has a meaning of to stay in a given place, state of being, relationship or expectancy. It also means to continue, to dwell, to endure, to continue to be present and remain.
What is the absolute necessity of abiding in Christ?

Jesus gives us the answer in 4b. He said: The horticultural branch cannot bear fruit of itself, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

What happens to a horticultural branch if it is only a sucker, a branch that looks like it is of the vine but is not? What happens to a person who only looks like a follower of Christ, but us not?
The vinedresser cuts it off and does away with it. This is also true in the spiritual realm; If a person only looks like a Christian but is not truly a Christian at some point in time he/she will cut off and discarded. Consider 15:6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ” (Remember Judas Iscariot).
How, in horticulture does a vinedresser judge whether or not a branch is a true branch, or if it is a sucker?
If fruit isn’t being produced through the branch it is evident that the branch has no life in it. He knows that the vine stock is healthy and viable, but when the life source (sap) produced in itself gets to the branch it is stopped so the problem is not in the stock but in the branch.
What about a person who only claims to be a Believer, but in reality, is not?
Like the horticulture vine grower who prunes his vines, God prunes His spiritual vines as He observes to see if fruit is being produced. If no fruit is being produced He knows that the problem is not of the vine-stock , not of Himself, but with the branch. the professed, but not true follower. There is certainly life in Himself so if the professed follower is not producing fruit it is evident that the professed follower is not really a follower, he is a not a believer.
What if some fruit is being produced but not in great quantity?
The Horticultural vinedresser walks through his vineyard pruning away the unproductive branches the vinedresser thus preserves the vitality of the vine and the assuredness of fruit.
God does the same among His professed people. He is actively engaged pruning away those who only appear to be His people, but are not. From verse 2: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He (God the Father) takes away” and from verse 6: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned”
Is the fruit produced in every Believer an equal amount?
No, there are different levels of fruit bearing. In verse 2 we read of fruit and more fruit, and much fruit in verses 5 and 8. In hor-ticulture the more sap (life giving ingredients) the branch receives, the more fruit it will produce. Likewise, the Christian who abides closer to the root-stock of the vine will put forth more fruit.
What does it mean to abide more closely?
He who spends more time in God’s Word (the Bible), talks with God more (in prayer) and fellowships with other Godly minded persons will produce more than those who spend lessor time in those things.
15:7-8 “7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
As a Christian abides in Christ, and dwells on Him, he or she will begin to think as Jesus thinks and in prayer, they will ask God for things that glorify the Godhead. In response to their prayers God will grant their request. God will produce fruit through such persons and thus be glorified.
Effective prayer is based on faith in Christ and on His words remaining in believers. Christ’s words condition and control such a believer’s mind so that his prayers conform to the Father’s will. Since his prayer is in accord with God’s will, the results are certain—it will be given you (cf. 1 John 5:14-15). Fulfilled prayers bring glory to the Father because, like Jesus, His disciples are doing the heavenly Father’s will.
15:9-10 “9 As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
A true believer is motivated by the wonder of Jesus’ love, which is patterned after the Father’s love in its quality and extent. Remain in My love might seem to be mystical but Jesus makes it very concrete. Obedience to the Father’s commands is the same for a disciple as it was for the Son (cf. 14:15, 21, 23; 1 John 2:3; 3:22, 24; 5:3). Active dependence and loving obedience are the proper paths for all of God’s children and in them fruit, more fruit and much fruit is produced.

Studies in the Gospel of John
Chapter 15: 11-17A New Relationship
The Opposition and Hatred of the World 15:18-27

11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

Verse 11a: “These things I have spoken to you” What things was Jesus referring to?

To all the things that Jesus had spoken of that afternoon and early evening, but especially His discourse on the vine and the branches.

What was the reason that Jesus spoke of those things?

Verse 11b gives the answer; “that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full”

Knowing that in just a few hours His people (the Jews) would turn on Him demanding His life at the hands of the Roman authorities, that He would be facing terrible abuse at the hands of the Romans and then be crucified; what joy could Jesus possibly have?

Possibly several things:

1) The joy of knowing He had remained obedient to His Father’s will throughout His earthly experience (see Matthew 4:1-11).
2) The Joy of knowing that those He had chosen (excluding Judas Iscariot) proved to be true followers having been made clean by the word He had given them (See John 17:6-12).
3) The joy of knowing that the giving of His life would procure their salvation and all those who would come to Him through-out the centuries. (See John 11:50; Romans 5:1-11)
4) The joy of knowing that after giving His life He would be resurrected and would return to His Father in heaven (See John 7:33; 10:17-18).

Then Jesus gave them a commandment, what was it?

Verses 12-13 “12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. “They were to love one another as He had loved them loved you.”

According to these verses what was to be the measurement of their love?

The apostles were to love one another just as Jesus had loved them, sacrificially, even to the point of laying down their lives for one another. Jesus was totally committed to His Father and the Christian (we) must be totally committed to the Him also if we expect to have the joy of the Lord. Paul writes that this joy is found by walking in the spirit (which is the same as abiding in Jesus). Consider Galatians 5:16-24→

“16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

There can be no true joy for the apostle or for the Christian who is not committed to following Jesus. (See Luke 16:13; Ephesians 4:14).
The purpose of Jesus’ indwelling them via His Spirit was to give His apostles and all Christians an abundant life, not a joyless existence (John 10:10). Jesus command that the apostles (and all Christians) keep Jesus commands and abide in His love (15:10) therefore were not to be burdensome but was the source of their/or joy.
How was Jesus considering them?
Verses 14-15 “14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
A servant (lit., “slave”) does not have a close relationship with his master, as friends do. Normally, a slave does what he is told without understanding his master’s mind or business. Since Jesus had opened Himself to His disciples, the title “slave a.k.a. servant” no longer fit the relationship between them and Jesus.
The apostle Paul would write of himself as being “a servant [lit., slave] of God” [Romans 1:1], but he had a different idea in mind. He meant he willingly and humbly served and obeyed God
What did Jesus remind the apostles of?

Verse 16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”
Jesus reminded them that contrary to the common practice of disciples picking a teacher, Jesus had chosen them.
For what purpose did Jesus say that He had chosen them?
The purpose of His choosing was so that they would produce lasting fruit. He chose them for a mission and in their pursuit of that mission, when asked in His name, His Father would aide them in the accomplishment. He would answer them and provide whatever the necessity would be. Several times Jesus had inferred this; cf. 14:13-14; 15:7 16:23-24, 26).
The apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians (Ephesians 1:1-9). attributed this same calling and appointment to himself and those who were traveling with him i.e., Silas (Acts 15:36-40 Timothy (Acts 16:1-3) and perhaps others.

This calling and appointment by the way is applicable to all born- again Christians, we are to be torch bearers, each in our own generation. The letter to the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3 verifies this truth.
Because the Apostles were no longer considered servants, but friends of Jesus, how would the world consider them?

Verses 15:18-21 “18 If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.”
Jesus warned that friendship with Him would bring unredeemed man’s hatred upon them. The world (Unredeemed man) in John’s Gospel is the system of organized society hostile to God, which is under Satan’s power (John 14:30).

The Opposition and Hatred of the World
15:18-27

Often today, many wonder why there is increasing hostility toward the church, even here in America, a supposed Christian nation. But we believers should remember that Jesus was hated from His birth to His death on the cross. It should not be surprising then that the world is becoming more and more violent toward us. The apostle Peter in that first century of the church warned of this same thing. He wrote: Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you (1st Peter 4:12). Those Christians had been scattered throughout Asia Minor (1st Peter 1:1) because of Rome’s hostility toward them. Today we read of the many atrocities against Christians around the world and as stated above, even here in the United States Christians are being persecuted because of their friendship with God a.k.a., Jesus.
Why this hatred?
Verse 19 gives the answer: “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
The fundamental reason for the world’s hatred of a Christian lies in their differences (cf. 1 Peter 4:4; Rom. 12:2). A believer, having left the kingdom of darkness and having been transferred into the kingdom of God’s Son (Col. 1:13), has a different joy, purpose, hope, and love. He now has certainty, truth, and a standard for life. Christians have been chosen (cf. John 15:16) out of the world system by Christ and they now belong to Him. Since they do not belong to the world… the world hates them.
The greatest contrast between Christians and the world of unregenerate man is found Galatians 5:17-23 →
“17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

And Jesus tells us the reason why unregenerate man hates us Christians, Consider → “19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:19-20).
Us Christians have been spiritually regenerated, and, in that regeneration, we live to honor and serve God. The unregenerate however, in contrast, live in spiritual darkness and desires only to satisfy the desires of his fallen natures.
Verses 20-21 Going on, Jesus said this to the apostles (and indirectly us); 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master (13:16).’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
Jesus said to the apostles that by emulating Him they would share in His sufferings; they would be persecuted as He had been persecuted. The root cause of the world’s hatred against them would be their likeness of Him. The world of unregenerate man hated Jesus because He would not live like them. He lived righteously and this convicted them of their sin. No man likes to be confronted with their sin and Jesus life exposed their sin.
Unregenerate man persecuted Jesus because they did not know (have a relationship) with the One who had sent Him and because they did not know the One who had Him, they would also persecute those (the apostles) who identified with Jesus. History shows that this carried beyond the apostles to all true followers of Christ.
Verses 15:22-25 “22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.”
Jesus came as the Revelation of God. If Jesus had not come, their sin would not be so great. But because He had come and lived a sinless life and had confronted them with their sin they did not have an excuse.The statement,“they would not be guilty of sin” (15: 24) must not be taken absolutely as verse 3:19 clearly states. The better understanding is that before Jesus’ coming, people might have pleaded ignorance as an excuse for sin (cf. Acts 17:30). But now that the Light had come, those who willfully reject it have no excuse. The revelation in Jesus and by Jesus is so tied to the Father that to hate Jesus is to hate God (cf. John 15:24b). And this hatred flowed over the apostles to whom Jesus was talking and all followers of Christ.
Jesus’ miracles so proved that He was God that the Jews of Jesus day should have recognized Him, confessed their sin, and repented of it. But the nation rejected Jesus’ message, and the message of the apostles. Because of their sin they loved darkness rather than light (3:19). Sin is basically irrational. Their hatred of Jesus, and likewise the apostles was without any rational cause. The world’s hatred of Jesus and the apostles transcends them to all true followers of Jesus.
Even though the apostles should expect persecution they would not face it by themselves.

What did Jesus Promise?

Verses 26-27 gives the answer. “26 But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
Jesus encouraged His disciples by the promise that His Spirit, the Holy Spirit would be with them, and, as we shall soon read, He would indwell them. Jesus work in the world was to promote His Father, and not Himself, so the apostles would witness that Jesus was the Messiah and that He was God in the flesh.
The Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), knowing of the apostles human frailty had determined before They created the world that after Jesus had accomplished His work and ascended back into heaven the Holy Spirit would be dispatched to aid the followers of Christ. This included the apostles, and it includes all believers.

Studies in the Gospel of John
Chapter 16 Jesus Intimacy with the Apostles continued

Having shared a last meal with the apostles and informing them that He would soon be leaving them He promised that He would not leave them alone but would send another comforter, the Holy Spirit. He said of the Holy Spirit; “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning” (15:26-27). This was said in the emphatic voice, that is, it was said with surety, as sure as if it had already happened.

What two things did Jesus say would happen following His departure?

1) He would send another Comforter to them, the Holy Spirit.

2) They would be His witnesses to the world.

What does this show us?
It shows God’s Omniscience and His omnipotence. God knows (in advance) all things and He is in control of all things. He knew what Jesus’ apostles would face after Jesus had ascended into heaven and knowing human frailty, He had from eternity past determined to not leave them alone. He Himself would not only be with them but would indwell them via the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said to them (the apostles): “18 If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.”

And now in Chapter 16 He continued: “1 These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. 3 And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. 4 But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. 5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.”
These things refers to what Jesus had just said in 15:18-27 and now continuing He adds “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble” (verse 1).
Be made to stumble has the idea of setting a trap. The hatred of the world was such that it would seek to trap and destroy the disciples in an effort to prevent their witness to Jesus as Messiah and Son of God. Jesus did not want them to be caught unaware (v. 4).
16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
This makes us think of the Paul before becoming a Christian. At that time he was known as Saul (Acts 8:1, 22:4-5; Galatians 1:13-17). He was not the only one, his brethren, the Jews, in their bondage to the Law, persecuted them until their (the apostles) deaths. This of course has become the lot of the church. Through- out its history it’s members (Christian’s) have been persecuted, and many killed.
16:3 And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.
The Jews knew about God, but they did not know Him. Paul, the converted Saul, wrote of them; “1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:1-3).
16:4 “But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”
It was not necessary in the beginning of His ministry for Jesus to speak of these things to the apostles, because He was with them, as their comforter but now they need to be prepared for what lay ahead for them.
16:5-6 “5 But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.”
Being consumed with the thought of Jesus leaving them and what might lay ahead for them none of them asked Him where He was going. This would have been a natural human response, isn’t there times when we are so consumed with one situation or another, that we forget to ask, Jesus where are you?
16:7-11 “7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

Why was it necessary for the apostles that Jesus go away?

Spiritual strength comes from faith, not sight. As long as Jesus was with them the apostles would have continued to lean on Him. They were to learn to listen to and depend on the unseen Spirit of God.

Besides aiding the apostles (16:13-15) what would the Holy Spirit do in the world, among the unredeemed?

When He arrived (vss.8-11) He would convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
The word “convict” as used here has the meaning of convincing. When the Holy Spirit arrived, He would convince lost man of their sin, of God’s righteousness and of God’s judgment of their sin.
Convict (convince) the world of sin (vs. 9).
The singular indicates that a specific sin is in view, i.e., that of not believing in Jesus as Messiah and Son of God. This is the only sin, ultimately, that damns people to hell Though all men are depraved, cursed by their violation of God’s law and sinful by nature, what ultimately damns them to hell is their unwillingness to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
Convict (convince) the world of righteousness (vs. 10). The Holy Spirit’s was sent to shatter the pretensions of self-righteousness (hypocrisy), exposing the darkness of the heart While Jesus was on the earth, He performed this task especially toward the shallowness and emptiness of Judaism that had degenerated into legalistic modes without life-giving reality With Jesus gone to the Father, the Holy Spirit was to continue this convicting role.
Convict (convince) the world of Judgment (vs. 11). In every person there is the sense of impending judgment. Persons have been blinded to the source of that judgment but none the less, the sense of it is within
16:12-16 “12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
Jesus said that He had much more to say to them, but that He was leaving that to the Holy Spirit. He said that at this time they were not able to bear all the would be spoken by Him. He would guide them into all truth. He would convey to them the exact truth that would come from Father God and Himself, Jesus, the glorified Son. He would tell them of what was yet to come, and He would glorify Jesus.
16:16-19 “16 A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.” 17 Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’? 18 They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.” 19 Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’?
Jesus’ instruction of His disciples shifted at this point from the Spirit’s future work to what the immediate future would hold for them. Someday Jesus would reappear, but sorrow, pain, and spiritual failure would be the apostles’ lot first. Then, however, joy, prayer, and peace would be their portion.
The words in a little while were bewildering to the apostles (and also possibly to the initial readers of John’s Gospel). Also the prediction, you will see Me, was not immediately understood. Was Jesus referring to (a) enlightenment of the Holy Spirit or (b) to His Second Advent or (c) to His brief, 40-day ministry between His resurrection and His Ascension? The last interpretation fits this passage best.
The disciples were confused about the time interval. The words they kept asking (Gr. imperf. tense) indicate that considerable dialogue took place among the disciples without their arriving at an answer. They could not reconcile Jesus’ statements because He said: (a) In a short time they would not see Him, (b) they would see Him, and (c) He was going to the Father. Only His death, resurrection, post-resurrection ministry, and Ascension would make it all clear.

16:19-24 “19 Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? 20 Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. 21 A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. 23 And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Jesus understood the apostle’s confusion but did not clarify His teaching; He knew it would all come into focus with the passage of time and with the aid of the Spirit’s teaching ministry. They would experience grief, but this would turn to joy and rejoicing. His death would be bitter agony for them, but the world would be happy over it. However, the very event, the death of the Messiah, which would cause them to weep and mourn would bring them gladness: your grief will turn to joy. His resurrection and the Spirit’s work of interpretation would enable them to know that He had to die so that they could have forgiveness of sins. Later the church would rejoice in His death (cf. 1 Cor. 1:23; 2:2).
Jesus illustrated the truth of pain replaced by joy by the pain of childbirth followed by the joy of new life when a child is born. The disciples were entering the process of pain (your time of grief), but the light of joy was just ahead. When they saw Him after His resurrection, their joy erupted—joy that never ended for them and joy that is now experienced by the church. They came to understand the necessity of His sacrifice, and we (the church) have been enlightened to this same necessity. He died to sin once but now lives forever (cf. Rom. 6:9-10; Luke 24:33-52; Heb. 7:24-25) hence their joy and ours..
The forthcoming events brought about changed relations. Since Jesus would not be with them physically (in that day means after His Ascension), they would not be able to ask Him questions. But the Holy Spirit would help them (vv. 13-15).
From this time forward they would be His ambassadors and therefore had the right to ask the Father for whatever they needed to accomplish His will. The words in My name are not a magical formula which enable the user to get his will done; instead those words tied the requests to the work of the Son in doing the Father’s will (cf. “in My name” in 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:24, 26). Up to this point the disciples had not prayed in the name of Jesus. Now they are to do this since Jesus’ death and the Spirit’s coming would enable them to enter into God’s new program of the Church Age. Answered prayer brings complete joy (cf. 15:11; 16:22) because God is at work in them.
16:25-27 “25 These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.”
Though Jesus was a Master Teacher and taught His disciples for three years by example and word, yet their perception of His revelation of the Father remained limited (14:9; cf. 2:22; 6:60; 13:7, 15-17). Veiled utterances (His speaking figuratively) would give way to plain speech. In His post-resurrection teaching (cf. Acts 1:3) the Son spoke plainly about the Father (cf. John 14:25-26). After the Spirit entered them, they would have intimacy with the Father and clarity of understanding. The disciples would have direct personal access to the Father by the name of, that is, through Jesus (cf. “in My name” in 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:24). Jesus would no longer need to pray on their behalf since they could ask for themselves. This truth does not negate the promise of Christ’s intercessory work in overcoming a believer’s sin (cf. Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2) but the apostles would be in a personal love-and-faith relationship with the Father. Only children have this privilege of access to their Father (Rom. 5:2). This same relationship has become the experience of the church.
16:28-30 “28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.” 29 His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! 30 Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”

Jesus then summarized His mission in one sentence: His Incarnation (I came from the Father), His humiliation (and entered the world), and His resurrection, Ascension, and exaltation (now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father).
The apostle’s response to the Lord’s teaching was that now they understood and believed. But how strong was that belief? Remember they were still natural men. The Spirit did not yet indwell them.

16:31-32 “31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?
32 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.”

Though the disciples were honest and sincere in their affirmations of faith (v. 30), Jesus knew their limitations far better than they did (cf. 2:24-25). The words You believe at last! could also be translated “Do you now believe?” This seems to capture the thought better. They did believe but it was not complete faith or strong faith until after the death and resurrection of Jesus and the advent of the Spirit. You will be scattered is a fulfillment of Zechariah’s words which spoke of the Shepherd (the Messiah) smitten by decree of the Lord Almighty, which resulted in the scattering of the sheep (Zech 13:7). In spite of the disciples’ loyalty, faith, and love, they soon failed Him miserably. His prediction, You will leave Me all alone, was fulfilled by all His disciples deserting Him (Matt. 26:56) when He was arrested and by Peter’s denial (John 18:17, 25-26). Yet the Father had not forsaken Him; I am not alone for My Father is with Me (cf. 8:29; Pss. 23:4; 73:25-26), though the Father did forsake Jesus when He was on the cross (Matt. 27:46).
16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Studies in the Gospel of John
Chapter 17
The Hour had come

In Chapters (13:31-16:33) John gave us an account of the time that Jesus spent with the apostles prior to His arrest and crucifixion. This had begun with Jesus washing their feet prior to sharing a meal with them in Bethany, the day before. He had done that to set an example of how they were to consider themselves and one another after His departure. He had assured them that they had been made clean but in order to bear fruit they needed to remain in Him. He had instituted a memorial service that they were to observe often, until He once again walked among them. And He forewarned that the world of unregenerate man would hate them and persecute of them. John writes in bringing that discourse to and end Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (16:33).

Now, as we come to chapter 17, we read that Jesus, still in the presence of the apostles, went to His father in prayer, praying:

“1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

6 I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. 9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.

11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

24 Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

What an impact this must have had on the apostles, what an impact this should have on all Christians. Jesus was about to suffer tremendous abuse and be executed by crucifixion ( (The Romans were cruel in meeting-out capital punishment) and yet He was praying for them, and all others, who would come to Him over the next many years.

They heard Him praying for Himself 17:1-5; for them, His disciples 17:6-19; for all who would become believers 17:20-24; and they heard Him pray that they (and all believers) would love one another with Godly love 17:25-26.
The Prayer 17:1-5

1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

Jesus Began His prayer by affirming that His time had come, that it was the appointed time of His sacrifice, the offering of His body for the atonement of man’s sin.

From the benefit of the completed Canon of Scripture we read:
1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. 5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure….9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” Hebrews 10:1-6….9-10).

John 10:1b Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.

What should we note from verses 1b…2-4?

Asking His Father to glorify Him was not a selfish request, for if we would continue our reading of the verse and verses 2-4 we would read “Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You” (1b)…. 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.

The Father had glorified Jesus many times during His ministry (in and by His many miracles), and His Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5) but here Jesus is requesting a present and future glorification. He prays “Glorify Your Son?” He prayed “5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

Jesus request for glorification included His father sustaining Him through His suffering, accepting His sacrifice for the payment of man’s sin, resurrecting Him, and restoring Him to His pristine glory. His, and His Father’s glorification would result from the securing of eternal life for those who would come to the Father gained through His sacrifice. This had been their intent even before their creation of the world (John 1:29-Revelation 13:8).

Eternal Life is identified by verse 3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” To know God is not just knowing about Him but knowing Him.
Said another way: The purpose of the His request was that the Father would be glorified by the Him, that God’s wisdom, power, and love might be known through Jesus.
What else does verse 5 inform us of?

That preincarnate Jesus existed before He took on human flesh. As the Father, God the Son has always existed, as has the Spirit of God. Remember the opening verse of our study? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1:1a).
And remember God’s proclamation of Genesis 1:26a” Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”
In this passage God speaks of Himself as a plurality. Not three separate Gods but one God in 3 distinctions. So yes, preincarnate Jesus experienced and shared God’s glory throughout eternity past. They shared glory in eternal heaven and now it was time to share that glory again. But now they would share it as God the Father, the Son of God (Jesus) and the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit). But now they would share glory in the salvation of fallen man.
17:6-10 “6 I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. 9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.”

What is acknowledged in verse 6?
In verse 6a Jesus acknowledged that the apostles had been given to Him by His Father (cf. vv. 2, 9, 24). They had been separated out of the world by The Father’s sovereign choice, by His electing work. They had been chosen by His Father and given as a gift to Jesus. (cf. 6:37).
Were the eleven apostles the only persons chosen and given to Jesus?
No, consider Ephesians 1:1-6: “1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Paul, formally Saul, the persecutor of the church emphatically affirms that those who traveled with him, (Silas, Timothy, and Luke) had been chosen, elected before God had created the world.
Other passages affirm that many others had been chosen by God as a gift to Jesus. Consider Romans 8:33 – Colossians 3:12; – 1st Peter 1:2 -1st Peter 5:13 – 2nd Timothy 2:10 – Titus 1:1 and 2nd John 1:13.
1st Peter 5:13 and 2nd John 1:13 pointedly have the collective church in mind, both the church of John and Peters day, and the church down through these many centuries.
Does this not mean that you, and I, if we are truly born-again Christians have been chosen, have been elected by God? Yes, it does.
The apostles were not perfect, but because of God’s work in their life they had the right commitment. Their faith in Jesus was a trust in His union with the Father (17:8). Their faith in Jesus was manifested in their obedience to His words.
What was the proof of their having been chosen by God? The proof of their election was that they had kept God’s word. Jesus said, “They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word” (6b).
What then is the proof of our salvation, is it not the same thing?
In verses 10:7-8 Jesus acknowledged the source of their convic-tion. We read: “7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.” The source of all persons who come to saving faith and are able to commit themselves to Jesus is God Himself.
17:9-10 “9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.”
Remember, Jesus was praying this prayer in the presence of the apostles, how this must have encouraged them! They heard Jesus praying for them, affirming that God (Jesus’ Father) had given them to Him. He purposely made a distinction between them and the world of unsaved persons, saying; “9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.”
Jesus had told His disciples many times that He would someday leave them and now the time had come. After leaving the city of Ephraim in Galilee Jesus determined to spend His last days with the apostles. During this last week Jesus had been lovingly assuring them of His love for them and even though He would no longer walk with them in the flesh but never-the-less He would be with them. Now, knowing that He would soon (within hours) be arrested and taken from them bows before the Father, praying for them. Can you imagine this moving seen? As we shall soon read, His prayer for them would not have an immediate impact but in just a few days, they would remember, and His prayer and His words of that prayer would change them forever. So His words “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me” would soon overwhelm them. Should this not also be true of us? Scripture tells us that Jesus in heaven sets at the right hand of His Father making intercession for us, not intercession for the world but intercession for us.
17:11-13 “11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.”
Jesus would soon depart to the Father and leave His disciples in the world. They had to stay in the world to carry out God’s plan in spreading the good news of redemption and in planting the church. Since the apostles would be in the world, Jesus prayed for their protection. The hostility against God which fell on Jesus would now fall on the tiny band of apostles, and subsequently on many of Jesus’ followers. Jesus, in calling on His Father, pointed up God’s distinction from sinful creatures. This holiness is the basis for believers’ separation from the world. He would protect them from the sin and enmity of the world by the power of His name (cf. Prov. 18:10).
Perhaps one of the reasons Jesus prayed this prayer in their presence, and not off alone somewhere, was to bond them more tightly together. It was to promote the unity of the believers, patterned after the unity of the Father and the Son: so that they may be one as We are One (cf. vv. 21-22).
Why did Jesus pray for their unity and preservation?
Strength is found in unity, not individualism. Jesus prayed that they would be unified in their will and purpose. His prayer that they be one, as He and His Father were one.
The unity here seems to be that of will and purpose. By being protected from the world they would be unified in their desires to serve and glorify the Son.
17:12-14 The apostles heard Jesus pray ““12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”
As the Good Shepherd, Jesus took care of the flock entrusted to Him by the Father. But Judas was an exception. He is here called the one doomed to destruction (lit., “the son of perdition”). Judas was never a sheep and his true character was finally manifested (cf. 13:11; 1 John 2:19). He was a “dead branch” (cf. comments on John 15:2, 6). Judas did what he wanted (he sold Jesus). Yet he was an unwitting tool of Satan (13:2, 27). Even people’s volitionally free acts fit into God’s sovereign plan (cf. Acts 2:23; 4:28). Thus Judas’ betrayal of Jesus fulfilled (i.e., filled up in a larger sense) the words in Psalm 41:9 about David’s betrayal by his friend.
The words of comfort spoken by Jesus (I say these things) to the apostles were of great benefit to them. Following His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension they would recall His words and experience the full measure of His joy. They would have joy because they would then know that all He had said to them was true. That He had conquered death and the evil one and brought eternal life to them.
17:15-19 “15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.”
God’s plan was not to remove the apostles from danger and opposition, or take them out of the world, but to preserve them in the midst of conflict. Though Jesus would soon be taken out of the world, the apostles were to remain in it. Like Daniel in Babylon (Daniel 1-2; 4-6) and the saints in Caesar’s household (Philippians 4:22), God intended that the apostles be witnesses about Him and to the truth in the midst of satanic falsehood. Satan, the evil one (cf. Matthew. 5:37; 1 John 5:19), as head of the world system, would seek to do everything possible to destroy the apostles. This of course is true of him concerning all believers, (1st Peter 5:8) he walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Just as Jesus did not belong to the satanic world system, so the apostles did not. They belonged to the heavenly kingdom because they had been made clean (just) by the word (John 15:3) and because of being reborn spiritually. Jesus prayed for His Father’s protection over them (17:11) now His second petition for them was for their sanctification.
What does sanctify mean?
Sanctify means “set apart for special use.” A believer is to be distinct from the world’s sin, its values, and its goals.
Thought / How does this apply to you? How does this apply to me?
We are not just saved to make us right with God, to keep us away from eternal separation from God and judgment but for service. Consider Ephesians 2:8-10 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
When we just sit idly by and do not involve ourselves in work God has designated to us, are we not violating what He has called us to and are we not missing a tremendous blessing? The blessing of knowing that we have fulfilled His mandate for us

The means of His sanctifying them was God’s truth and that truth had been communicated by Him and from hence forward would continue sanctifying by the Word. As the message about Jesus was heard, believed, and understood, the apostle’s hearts and minds would be captured, so to speak. This would result in their thinking, and in changes in their living. The same is true of believers today. As Believers appropriate God’s Word to their lives, they are sanctified—set apart for God and changes continue in their living in order to honor God. God’s message set the apostles apart from the world, and it sets us apart so that they and we would/will do His will, not Satan’s.
Jesus is the model for every believer. He was in the world, but He was not of the world He was sent… into the world on a mission by His Father. So believers are sent… into the world on a mission by Him, to make the Father known. Inasmuch as Jesus’ prayer for the disciples was not limited to the immediate apostles (cf. 17:20), this passage is similar to the Great Commission (Matthew. 28:18-20). Each Christian should view himself as a missionary whose task is to communicate God’s truth to others.
For the benefit of the apostles and every disciple, Jesus sanctified Himself.
In what sense did Jesus need to sanctify Himself? Was He not already set apart to God and distinct from the world?
Yes, but this sanctification refers to His being separated and dedicated to His death, not the life He lived among them.
What was the purpose of His death?
Certainly the purpose of His setting Himself apart by His death was for their redemption and salvation but in this context (of chapter 17) it was that they too would be truly sanctified (set apart). The purpose of their sanctification was to separate them from the world to God and His program.
Was being set apart (be sanctified) to be the experience of just the apostles or was it meant for all Believers?
Verses 20-23 Gives the answer. “20 I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”
Jesus prayer was also for future believers who would come to Him through the message of the apostles, spoken and written. In the Church Age all Christians have come to Christ directly or indirectly through the apostles’ witness. Jesus knew His mission would succeed. He would die and be raised, He would send forth the Spirit, the apostles would preach, people would be converted, and the church would be formed. As each high priest of Israel bore the names of the tribes before the presence of God in the tabernacle and the temple (cf. Exodus 28:9-12, 21-29), so now Jesus, the great High Priest, would carry future believers into the holy presence of His heavenly Father (cf. Heb. 4:14-5:12; 7:24-8:2).
What else did Jesus ask of His Father, in this prayer?
Jesus also requested unity for future believers. But take note; He was not praying for an ecumenical movement among denominations. Admittedly the divided church is in many ways a scandal. The cure, however, is not institutional union. Jesus was not praying for the unity of a single, worldwide, ecumenical church in which doctrinal heresy would be maintained along with orthodoxy. Instead, He was praying for a unity of love, a unity of obedience to God and His Word, and a united commitment to His will. There are great differences between uniformity, union, and unity.
All believers belong to the one body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13) and their spiritual unity is to be manifest in the way they live. The unity Christ prayed for, and desires for His church is the same kind of unity the Son has with the Father: “just as You are in Me and I am in You (cf. John 10:38; 17:11, 23.” The Father did His works through the Son and the Son always did what pleased the Father (5:30; 8:29). This spiritual unity is to be patterned in the church. Without union with Jesus and the Father (they… in Us), Christians can do nothing (15:5). The goal of their lives is to do the Father’s will.
Jesus’ desire was that the apostles (and all believers) union with Him, bonded together as one body, would/will result in many of the of the world coming to know the Father, and He whom the Father had sent. That He was their Lord and Savior.
The glory which Christ gave the church (17:22-23) may refer to the glory of the Cross (cf. vv. 1-5). As the church received and pondered the significance of Jesus’ atoning work, it would be united in God’s purposes and redemptive plan. Again the union of Christians (that they may be one) is likened to the unity the Son has with the Father (as We are One; cf. vv. 11, 21). This union is further linked by Christ’s indwelling of believers (I in them).
The goal of the unity of believers with each other and with God is twofold: (a) that the world will believe in the Son’s divine mission (know that You sent Me), and (b) that the world will sense that God’s love for believers is deep, intimate, and lasting as is His love for His unique Son (cf. v. 26).

17:24-26 “24 Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
Jesus was soon to be in heaven and asked His Father that His apostles would be with Him there. He prayed that they would behold His glory. It wasn’t that Jesus was in doubt that they would be with Him as He earlier had emphatically told them that they would be with Him in heaven (See John 14:1-3). He asked this for their benefit. The whole prayer was for their benefit, as an encouragement to them. They would soon face a hostile world that would hunt and persecute them. All of them would suffer martyrdom except John who would be exiled to the Isle of Patmos because of His love and faithfulness to Jesus.
The result of their faithfulness however would be being with Jesus for eternity (cf. John 14:3; Colossians 3:4; and 1 Thessalonians 4:17). Jesus’ request of His Father was that they (the apostles) would experience His glory, not only the glory showered on Him by His Father because of His sacrifice but the glory He had with the Father before the world had been created (John 17:5).
Jesus ended His prayer with these words: “25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

What an impact this prayer had on the apostles. They soon would set the world on fire by spreading the good news, declaring that man could be made right with God by believing in and committing to Jesus. That man could be in His presence forever.

Studies in the Gospel of John
Chapter 18:1-18 / The Arrest of Jesus

1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.

What doesn’t John tell us?

John doesn’t tell us of the anguish that Jesus was enduring at this time. He knew that very shortly (within just a few hours) He would be arrested and shortly thereafter He would be severely beaten and put to death by crucifixion, a terrible death. But it wasn’t only those things that caused Him such anguish, He knew that His dear friends would turn away from Him as would His heavenly Father. Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us of that aguish.

From the Gospel of Matthew we read that after their time together in the upper room had wound down, they sang a hymn and went forth to the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:30).
Picking up with Matthews account we read from 26:36-46:
36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” 39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
40 Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

What does Mark Add?

Mark tells us that Jesus knew that His apostles would be offended and would be scattered when He would be arrested and taken to trial (Mark 14:27).

Then turning to Luke’s gospel we read: “39 Coming out (from the upper room), He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. 40 When He came to the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’ 41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,
42 saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.’ 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
45 When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.” (Luke 22:39-46).

In that Scripture tells us that Jesus was God, it is hard for us to grasp that He was also human. Yes, Jesus always existed as God but, He left heaven and took upon Himself humanity, and in His humanity, He had inhibitions, anxieties and emotions as all other humans. What human being would want to face and endure what Jesus knew He must endure? What anguish must Jesus been facing at this hour! Like any human being, facing these things caused Him to perspire profusely. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground. Yet in His humanity He knew that it was a necessity that He suffer these things. He prayed: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42).

As a Human, what did Jesus know?

In His humanity Jesus knew that He was God in the flesh and that there was a purpose in His becoming human. He knew that He had become a human for the purpose of dying. It had been the plan of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) from before they had created the world that God would become human and die for lost mankind. John in the book of Revelation tells us that Jesus (the Lamb of God) had been slain from the foundation (the beginning) of the world. As God there was no resistance to what His purpose was, but as human, He was greatly distressed by what He was facing.
It wasn’t that what He was facing in the Garden was taking Him by surprise as earlier Jesus had said to a gathering of His disciples “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour” (John 12:27). And, In other passages, passages such as Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; and Luke 24:6-7, 26) Jesus had repeatedly told His disciples of the crucial importance of His death. But all such passages do not diminish the anguish that Jesus was facing that night.

John 18:2-3 “2 And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His disciples. 3 Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.”

As we recall, Judas was controlled by greed. Controlled to extent that he was willing to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16). It wasn’t that such greed had overtaken him suddenly, but this was his character. Satan of course walks about like a roaring lion (1st Peter 5:8) seeking whom he may devour and in Judas he found a willing subject. He had gone to the chief priests concocting a plan by which they might seize Jesus. He, knowing the habits of Jesus and where He would be this night had gone to the high priests and he had afforded him with a large contingent of priests, Pharisees, and soldiers. As Jesus concluded His prayers these all showed up at the entrance to the garden seeking Him.
The high priests and the Pharisees sought to arrest Jesus because He was a disrupter of their authority over the people. The soldiers thought to arrest Jesus because the Roman authorities had been convinced by the High Priest and the Jewish leadership (the Sanhedrin) that Jesus was an insurrectionist who was claiming to be some kind of king. Jesus’ long predicted hour, had come.
18:4-11 “4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, ‘Whom are you seeking?’ 5 They answered Him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am He.’ And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. 6 Now when He said to them, ‘I am He,’ they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Then He asked them again, ‘Whom are you seeking?’ And they said, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ 8 Jesus answered, ‘I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,’ 9 that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, ‘Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none.’ 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. 11 So Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?’”
Again, as mentioned before, the appearing of the large contingent of Jewish leadership, Pharisees, and soldiers did not take Jesus by surprise, He had come into the world as a sacrifice and the hour had come for His sufferings. Taking control of the situation He asked those in charge who they were seeking and when they answered, Jesus of Nazareth, He replied, “I Am”. Our Bibles say that Jesus said “I Am He” but according to various commentators “He” is an added word. In saying “I Am” Jesus was once again declaring Himself to be God. This actual rendering of what He said “I Am” is confirmed by what followed. Upon hearing Jesus answer, those who had asked, fell backward and down. “I Am” of course was the name God had assigned to Himself when Moses had approached the burning bush back in Exodus 3:1-14.

The Roman soldiers would not have been overwhelmed by His declaration but certainly the Jews, especially the Pharisees would have understood what Jesus was saying.

From verses 8 and 9 it is further confirmed that Jesus was in full control of the situation. He said to those who sought Him “8 if you seek Me, let these go their way, 9 that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, ‘Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none.” What He said was not a request, but a command.

The High Priest had sent the under-priest and the Pharisees to not only arrest Jesus, but also the apostles. They would have done this to wipe out all those who were supposedly seeking to undermine their authority and the Roman senate wanted to put an end to all insurrection. The best way to accomplish this was to arrest and at least, imprison the leaders of that insurrection.

Further, we seek Jesus demonstrating His control of the situation by what happened next” “10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. 11 So Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?’”
Peter’s intent was not to just cut off Malchus’ ear but his head. He was attempting, either single handedly, or by the incitement of the other apostles, to prevent Jesus (and their) arrest. But Jesus stepped between them and told Peter to put up his sword. Then He rebuked Peter by saying “Shall I not drink of the cup My Father has given me?”
Thus, this band of people had come to take Jesus, but Jesus willingly went with them, to accomplish the will of His Father, He was to be the propitiation for man’s sin.
18:12-18 “12 Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. 13 And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year. 14 Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.
15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. 16 But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. 17 Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.
Studies in the Gospel of John
Chapter 18:19-40
Jesus, The Jews, and Rome on Trial

From John 18:12-14 we read that after the detachment of troops, their captain, and the officers of the Jews had arrested Jesus they bound Him and led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year. We are not told why He was taken to Annas first, perhaps it was because of his age or perhaps it was because they held the office jointly as Luke 3:2 tells us. If this be correct Annas would have held the office over the religious matters of the Jews and Caiaphas governmentally.
Turning to the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we are given and order of the procedures of that night.
Matthew 26:57 states that Jesus was taken to the house of Caiaphas the High Priest of Israel, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. Matthew 27:1 adds that, the next morning, the priests held another meeting.
Mark 14:53 states that Jesus was taken that night “to the high priest” (without naming the priest), where all the chief priests and the elders gathered, and Mark 15:1 adds that another consultation was held among the priests the next morning.
Luke 22:54 states that Jesus was taken to “the high priest’s house”, where he was mocked and beaten that night. It is added in 22:66 that, “as soon as it was day”, the chief priests and scribes gathered together and led Jesus away into their council.

What do we learn from the four gospels about the trial itself?
We learn that Jesus speaks little and gives very infrequent and indirect answers to the questions of the priests.
John 18:22 tells us that when the high priest did not get the answer he wanted from Jesus about His disciples, an officer to slap him.
In Matthew 26:62, the lack of response from Jesus prompts the high priest to ask him: “Answerest thou nothing?”
In the Gospel accounts, the men that hold Jesus at the high priest’s house mock, blindfold, insult and beat him, at times slapping him and asking him to guess who had hit him that time.
Mark 14:55–59 states that the chief priests had sought witness against Jesus to put him to death but did not find any, so they arranged false witnesses against him, but their witnesses did not agree together.
Mark 14:61 states that the high priest then asked Jesus: “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am”, at which point the high priest tore his own robe in anger and accused Jesus of blasphemy. In Matthew 26:63, the high priest asks: “Tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus responds “You have said it”, prompting the High Priest to tear his own robe, breaking Mosaic Law (Leviticus 21:10).
In Luke 22:67, Jesus is asked: “If thou art the Christ, tell us. But he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe”. And in Luke 22:70, when asked “Are you then the Son of God?”, Jesus answers “You say that I am”, affirming the title Son of God. At that point, the priests say, “What further need have we of witness? for we ourselves have heard from his own mouth”, and they decide to condemn Jesus.
Thereafter, in Pilate’s Court, the Jewish elders ask Pontius Pilate to judge and condemn Jesus, accusing him of claiming to be the King of the Jews. Such a claim would be considered treason-ous, being a direct challenge to the Roman authorities.

Now, with this as background we read from the narrative of John 18:12-13….19-24….28-40

“12 Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. 13 And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year?” ….

“19 The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, ‘I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. 21 Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.’ 22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, ‘Do You answer the high priest like that?’ 23 Jesus answered him, ‘If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?’ 24 Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest”…..

“28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. 29 Pilate then went out to them and said, ‘What accusation do you bring against this Man?’ 30 They answered and said to him, ‘If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.’ 31 Then Pilate said to them, ‘You take Him and judge Him according to your law.’ Therefore the Jews said to him, ‘It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,’ 32 that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die. 33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’
34 Jesus answered him, ‘Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?’ 35 Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?’ 36 Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’ 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’
38 Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’ And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, ‘I find no fault in Him at all. 39 But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?’40 Then they all cried again, saying, ‘Not this Man, but Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas was a robber.
Even though Jesus was on trial, all the participants were them-selves on trial. They were all complicit in accusing Jesus falsely, of contributing to Him untrue things, of abusing Him, of mocking Him, and complicit in sentencing Him to death.
It was not as if they had not been exposed to the truth nor exposed to the miraculous things that Jesus had done in their midst. Things that can be summarized by Jesus answer to a question sent to Him by John the Baptist. Consider John’s question and Jesus answer:
“2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ 4 Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me’” (Matthew 11:2-6).
Also, remember, Jesus did not do these things in secret, but for all to see. He himself said to His antagonizes (the unbelieving Jews): “37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
Those of our present text (John 18:19-40) the Priests, the Ruling council (the Sanhedrin) and the common Jew certainly was aware of all that Jesus had done in their midst. Perhaps many of the Roman authorities had heard about Jesus and what He had been doing during the last 3 years. Yet, they judged Jesus and finding no guilt in Him found Him guilty and ended up murdering Him.
Unknowingly however, they themselves were on trial. They had the heart of an unredeemed person and in abusing Jesus by inuendo, lies, torture and His murder they were found guilty.
But is the world of our day any different? Has not many of the unredeemed heard the message with their physical ear yet deny that Jesus was God in the flesh. All the world is guilty before God and must judge themselves honestly, for if they would, they would not be judged. But what Jesus said to Nicodemus about fallen man is true; “19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:19-20).
In the rejection of Jesus by the unredeemed of our day they are just as guilty as those of our text, those who judged, condemned, and murdered Jesus. Rejecting truth and denying the authority of God over one’s life opens to all sorts of evil things. The apostle Paul wrote of what such rejection and denial leads to in his letter to the Romans, consider:
“21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man–and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

This helps explain the attitude of those of Jesus day who rejected and denied Him. They ended up taking His life. This helps explain why there is so much evil in the world of our day. Remember, where God is not, evil is.

Do you remember what the heading of this part of our study is?

“The Jews and Rome on Trial” Yes Jesus was on trial, but the Jews and Rome were also on trial. Jesus had walked among the Jews with undeniable proofs that He was God in the flesh, yet they did not believe or accept Him. At His trial, the Romans would not believe His testimony, deciding instead to appease the Jews who wanted Him dead.

Who else denied and abandoned Jesus?

All four gospel writers write that Peter denied Jesus (See Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:55-62; and John 18:15-18….25-27). John writes that the only apostle who stayed with Jesus as He hung on the cross was himself (See John 19:25-26). All the other apostles went into seclusion hiding themselves out of the sight of the Jewish authorities (See John 20:19). Only Jesus mother, His aunt and Mary Magdalene stayed near to Jesus while He was in agony on the cross.

The apostles were the men that were to carry the message of the cross to the world, yet they had abandoned Jesus, in His hour of need.

Given their fear how would this be accomplished? We will find the answer in John 20:22 and Acts 1:8; 2:1-4.

Having considered then that when Jesus went on trial, the Jews and the Romans also went on trial, but in a higher court, we now read the text of Jesus’ trial (John 18:19-19:15).

“18:19 The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. 21 Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.”
22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Do You answer the high priest like that?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?” 24 Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

25 Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” 27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.

28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. 29 Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.”

31 Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” 32 that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.

33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all. 39 “But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.
19: 1 So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3 Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands. 4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”
5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!” 6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”
7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?”11 Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.” 13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” 16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.”

Studies in the Gospel of John
Chapter 18:19-40
Jesus, The Jews, and Rome on Trial Continued

Have considered Jesus’ trial and the trial of the Jews and the Romans (howbeit their trial was an unseen trial, held by a higher court) and having read the transcript of the combined trial (John 18:19-19:15) we shall now consider what is revealed in that text.

Verses 18:19-23 “19 The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, ‘I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. 21 Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.’ 22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, ‘Do You answer the high priest like that?’ 23 Jesus answered him, ‘If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?’ 24 Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Annas, the high priest, began his interrogation of Jesus by asking Him about His followers, and then, His doctrine. We should not think that either question was asked with civility, Annas had authorized the priests to arrest Jesus and had requested the Roman authorities make the arrest. If it would have been just a cordial questioning Annas would have earlier sent word to Jesus that he wanted to have an audience (a discussion) with Him instead of having Him arrested. But, for nearly three years, because Jesus had gained popularity with the Jews and was drawing many to Himself, Annas and the priests feared their control over the people was slipping away. Jesus’ doctrine ran afoul of their of manipulation. It was by that Law that they held the Jewish popu-lation under their control.

The Jewish leadership, including Annas and the priests were hypocrites, in public they appeared to hold to the Laws strictness but lived different in private. Jesus had earlier said of them “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). Also, they added traditions for their own benefit to control the people. Consider Matthew 15:1-9:

“1Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, ‘2Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.’ 3He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God— 6then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men ’” (Matthew 15:1-9).
John Walvoord commenting on this passage writes:
Matthew 15:1-9 (Mark 7:1-13). News of Jesus’ teaching and His mighty acts had spread throughout the land. The officials in Jerusalem were aware of all Jesus was doing, for a delegation arrived in Galilee from Jerusalem to interrogate Jesus over a matter of Jewish tradition. Their attack was directed against Jesus’ disciples, who were accused of failing to observe the elders’ tradition of the ceremonial washing of hands before eating. This tradition (Rabbinic, not Mosaic) was an elaborate washing ritual involving not only one’s hands but also cups, pitchers, and kettles (Mark 7:3-4).
Jesus immediately took the offensive against the religious leaders and asked why they continued to break the direct command of God. He cited the fifth commandment concerning honoring one’s father and mother (Matt. 15:4; Ex. 20:12). The Jews considered honoring of parents so important that anyone who cursed his parents was to be put to death (Ex. 21:17; Lev. 20:9).
Jesus showed how these religious leaders had in effect nullified this commandment (Matt. 15:6). They could simply affirm that a particular item had been a gift devoted to God. Then the item could not be used by an individual but was kept separate. This was simply a clever way of keeping things from passing to one’s parents. The person would of course continue to keep those things in his own home where they had been supposedly set aside for God. Such action was condemned by Jesus as being hypocritical (v. 7), for while it appeared to be spiritual, it actually was done to keep one’s possessions for himself. Thus this failure to help one’s parents deliberately violated the fifth commandment of the Decalogue. Such action had been described by Isaiah centuries before (Isa. 29:13). Their religion had become a matter of action and man-made rules. Their hearts were far from God and consequently their worship was in vain (matēn, “fruitless, futile,” an adjective used only here [Matt. 15:9] and in the parallel passage, Mark 7:7; it is a variation of the more common adjective mataios, “without results, futile”). 15:10-20 (Mark 7:14-23). Jesus then turned and warned the crowd against the religious leaders’ teachings. He said a man is not defiled by what goes into his mouth, but rather his defiled condition is evidenced by what comes out of his mouth. The Pharisees were wrong in thinking their washings kept them spiritually clean.
The disciples reported to Jesus that the Pharisees were offended (cf. Matt. 13:21, 57) by what He had just said, sensing that His words were directed against them.
Jesus of course knew what the intention of Annas and the priests was? After He was eliminated, they would go after His followers, His disciples. Any information that Jesus gave them would most likely lead to their arrest and possible death.
So, what was Jesus’ answer to Annas question Concerning His disciples and Doctrine?
Jesus responded that He was not the head of some cult or organization. He had an inner circle of disciples (His Apostles), but the character of His teaching was not private. He said forthrightly that He taught in the open and in public places (in synagogues or at the temple). The people knew what He taught so if there was a question concerning what He taught, answers were readily available. Their whole purpose however was to trick Him or catch Him in a trap by which they might justify what they intended to do, to put Him to death.
At this point one of Annas’ assistants struck Jesus in the face. Many commentators believe that this was an attempt to silence any future self-defense by Jesus. They wanted a subdued defendant. But Jesus’ wasn’t to be subdued, He answered ‘If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?’ Jesus and they knew the Levitical Law and their minds would have immediately went to the section that said It was improper to try to induce self-accusation, and it was wrong to hit an un-convicted person. At this point Annas sent Jesus bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Sending Jesus to Caiaphas the high priest ended Jesus preliminary hearing.
What was the apostles doing during this hearing?
Nine of the apostles had fled and hid themselves, fearing arrest themselves (See John 16:32) Only John and Peter stayed close. As far as Peter is concerned, we read from verses 18:25-27:

“25 Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, ‘You are not also one of His disciples, are you?’ He denied it and said, ‘I am not!’ 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, ‘Did I not see you in the garden with Him?’ 27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.” Jesus had earlier said that Peter would do this (see Luke 22:34).

As to John, He followed the succession of trials (3) from a distance throughout the night and was present the next morning at Jesus’ crucifixion.

The procession of the trial, Verses 28:28-19:15

28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. 29 Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.” 31 Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” 32 that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.
33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?”
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all. 39 “But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” ‘40 Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Verse 18:28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.

Being early morning (about 2 A.M.) Pilate was roused from his sleep and when it was made known to him what was transpiring at the gates of the Palace, he went out to meet them. The Jews could not enter the residence of a Gentile lest they should be defiled so Pilate went out to them. He had been appointed by Caesar (A.D. 26) to govern over Judea and immediately recognized a potential problem.

18:29-32 “Pilate then went out to them and said, ‘What accusation do you bring against this Man?’ 30 They answered and said to him, ‘If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.’31 Then Pilate said to them, ‘You take Him and judge Him according to your law.’ Therefore the Jews said to him, ‘It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,’32 that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die. (See John 3:14).

This was a problem for Pilate, so far, they had only accused Jesus of being an evil doer, which could have meant several things, but Pilate interpreted it to be a Jewish religious matter. But the High Priests and the Sanhedrin demanded His death which could only be resultant of a more serious charge, a charge that would be in violation of Roman law.

At first they seem to have expected that Pilate would have carried out their wishes without further inquiry and therefore merely described our Lord as a disturber of the public peace; but as the Roman procurator had too much respect for justice, or at least understood his business too well, to consent to such a condemnation, they were obliged to devise a new charge and therefore interpreted the Lord’s claims in a political sense, accusing Him of assuming the royal title, perverting the nation, and forbidding the payment of tribute to Rome (See Luke 23:3).

18:33-40 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’
34 Jesus answered him, ‘Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?’ 35 Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?’

36 Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’ 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”

And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, ‘I find no fault in Him at all. 39 But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?’ 40 Then they all cried again, saying, Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.
It is evident that Pilate was distracted between two conflicting feelings—a fear of offending the Jews and a conscious conviction that Jesus was innocent. Moreover, this last feeling was strengthened by his own hatred of the Jews, whose religious scruples had caused him frequent trouble, and by a growing respect for the calm dignity and meekness of the sufferer. First, he examined the Lord privately and asked Him whether He was a king. At the close of the interview he came out to the Jews and declared the prisoner innocent. To this they replied that His teaching had stirred up all the people from Galilee to Jerusalem.
The mention of Galilee suggested to Pilate a new way of escaping from his dilemma by sending on the case to Herod Antipas; but Herod, though pacified by this act of courtesy, declined to enter into the matter. (See Luke 23:6-11). So Pilate realized that he would have to make the decision, either spare Jesus’ Life or condemn Him to death.
19:1-15 “1So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3 Then they said, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ And they struck Him with their hands.

4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, ‘Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.’ 5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, ‘Behold the Man!’

6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, ‘Crucify Him, crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.’ 7 The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.’8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid,
9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, ‘Where are You from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then Pilate said to Him, ‘Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?’ 11 Jesus answered, ‘You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.’

12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, ‘If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.’ 13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha (Ga-bba-tha).

14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’
15 But they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him! Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.
He announced to them that the accused had done nothing worthy of death; but, at the same time, in hopes of pacifying the Sanhedrin, he proposed to scourge Him before he released Him. But as the accusers were resolved to have His blood, they rejected this concession, and therefore Pilate had recourse to a fresh expedient. It was the custom for the Roman governor to grant every year, in honor of the Passover, pardon to one condemned criminal. Pilate therefore offered the people their choice between two—the murderer Barabbas and the prophet whom a few days before they had hailed as the Messiah. To receive their decision he ascended the Bema, a portable tribunal placed on the Gabbatha, a mosaic pavement in front of the palace. As soon as he was seated, he received a message from his wife, who had “suffered greatly in a dream because of Jesus” (Matt. 27:19), urging him not to condemn the Just One. But he had no alternative, as the mob, urged by the priests, chose Barabbas for pardon and clamored for the death of Jesus. Insurrection seemed imminent, and Pilate yielded. Before issuing the fatal order, he washed his hands before the multitude, as a sign that he was innocent of the crime, in imitation, probably, of the ceremony enjoined in Deut. 21. As it produced no effect, Pilate ordered his soldiers to inflict the scourging preparatory to execution; but the sight of unjust suffering so patiently borne seems again to have troubled his conscience and prompted a new effort in favor of the victim. But the priests only renewed their clamors for His death, and, fearing that the political charge of treason might be considered insufficient, returned to their first accusation of blasphemy. They quoted the law of Moses (Lev. 24:16), which punished blasphemy with stoning, declared that He must die, “because He made Himself out to be the Son of God” (John 19:7). But this title augmented Pilate’s superstitious fears, already aroused by his wife’s dream; he feared that Jesus might be one of the heroes or demigods of his own mythology. He took Him again into the palace and inquired anxiously into His descent (“Where are You from?”) and His claims (John 19:9). The result of this interview was one last effort to save Jesus by a fresh appeal to the multitude; but now arose the formidable cry, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar” (19:12); and Pilate, to whom political success was as the breath of life, again ascended the tribunal and finally pronounced the desired condemnation.

Studies of the Book of John – Chapter 19:16-42
The Crucifixion of Jesus

Having found no guilt in Jesus of any crime against Rome Pilate sought to have Him released, but Annas, the priests and the Sanhedrin pressed the issue, they wanted Jesus dead They had brought Him to Pilate for that very reason (18:31). They knew the backlash they would face from much of the Jewish populace if “they” killed Jesus. Doing all of this in the middle of the night under the veil of darkness was proof of this, among other things this was a violation of their laws….Also, the Jews method of administering capital punishment was by stoning, but it had been determined before creation that Jesus’ death was to be by crucifixion. Jesus Himself told Nicodemus (and us) that He must be lifted up as was the bronze serpent in the wilderness (See John 3:14 – Numbers 21:5-9) this meant that Jesus was to be crucified.

With this in mind then, we once again turn to out text of John 19:16-42.

Commencing with verse 14, we read: Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” 16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away. 17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.

John does not elaborate on the two thieves but Luke, in his record gives the following information:

“23:32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death…….39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ 40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong. ‘42 Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ 43 And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise’” (Luke 23:32……23:39-43).

One of the thieves was unrepentant but the other recognized his sin, was repentant, asked Jesus for mercy and was granted said mercy. Even in great pain Jesus showed mercy to him and granted him admittance into the kingdom of God upon his death. We are not told why all four gospel writers mentioned the two thieves nor why Luke gave added details about them but we must always keep in mind, the gospels are a mosaic, each giving certain information that makes the record of Jesus life complete. We do learn that even in such agony Jesus fixation was not on Himself but on others. We will see this shortly when John tells us that before dying Jesus placed His mother into the hands of His beloved disciple, John. We also see from Luke’s account about these two thieves that Jesus was truly God, He granted the 2nd thief entrance into the Kingdom of God.

We are not told how the second thief had come to his conclusion about Jesus but assuredly it was a convicting and convincing of the Holy Spirit (see John 16:7-11).

The Day of Preparation of course was the day that began Passover week, meaning that it was Friday. Saturday, the first day of the week had been designated by God to be the Sabbath (the day of rest and national worship and everything pertaining to those things). No work was to be done on the Sabbath thus Friday was designated as preparation day. The preparation day of our text reflects back to the day when the Jews were to slay a lamb in preparation of what was to occur the night preceding their deliverance from Egyptian bondage.

Returning to our text

19:14 Pilate brought Jesus out and declared of Him, “Behold your King!” “15a But they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!’ To which He replied, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”
In one final sarcastic statement, Pilate taunted the Jews again, saying to them, “Behold, your King!” This was his way of mocking them, suggesting that this beaten, bloody, supposedly helpless man was all the king they deserved. Enraged, they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Either in continued mockery, or perhaps seeking one final time to escape his dilemma, Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” In a chilling act of appalling hypocrisy the chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Though said with blatant duplicity the irony was that there was truth in their statement; having rejected their messianic King, they were left with only Caesar as their king. In yet one more bitter irony those who had falsely accused Jesus of blasphemy committed an act of blasphemy of their own, since God alone was Israel’s true King (cf. Judg. 8:23; 1 Sam. 8:7; Ps. 149:2; Isa. 33:22).
All options exhausted, Pilate acknowledged defeat and handed Jesus over to them to be crucified. John is not saying that the Jews took physical custody of Jesus; Roman soldiers would perform the actual crucifixion, rather, the sense is that Pilate “delivered Jesus to their [the Jews’] will” (Luke 23:25).
By this time Jesus was so wearied and had been beaten so severely that He would not last long on the cross, as proved out, a few hours. From many commentators we read that some people hung on their cross for days before dying. but Jesus lasted only hours. We know that He was so weakened that He fell under the weight of His cross as He dragged it up the hill on the way to Golgotha.

Considering His crucifixion we turn to Psalm 22.

Psalm 22 was a Psalm of David and it tells of his afflictions. But it looks past David to his descendant, Jesus. Remember, all Scripture writings were influenced by the Holy Spirit (2nd Timothy 3:16) and David, when singing this Psalm sings of himself then sings prophetically about the sufferings of Jesus. He began singing of his afflictions and persecutions then voices things that could only be applicable to Jesus, and then returns to his own afflictions again. Verses 12-18 could only have been applicable to Jesus. We read: “12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. 13 They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. 16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; 17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.
This accurate description of crucifixion is remarkable when we consider that crucifixion was unknown when this psalm was ssung. The Roman Empire was not even in existence, and it was Rome that instituted crucifixion. Yet here is a picture of a man dying by crucifixion!
David, prophetically singing of Jesus, sang “I am poured out like water” — the excessive perspiration of a dying man out in that sun. Then sings “All my bones are out of joint” — the horrible thing about crucifixion is that when a man began to lose blood, his strength ebbed from him, and all his bones slipped out of joint. We can only imagine the pain that Jesus suffered, but there was more. David sang that Jesus died with a broken heart, saying “My heart is like wax.” Many doctors have said that a ruptured heart would have produced what John meticulously recorded. ” But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water” (John 19:34).
Continuing, David prophetically speaking of Jesus sang : My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death (Ps. 22:15). This looked prophetically to Jesus hanging on the cross, perspiration pouring from Him suffering the agony of thirst causing Him to cry out “I thirst.”
Then still prophetically speaking of Jesus David sang of those who crucified Jesus, singing: For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet (Ps. 22:16).
“Dog” was the name for Gentiles. The piercing of His hands and feet is an accurate description of crucifixion.
Psalm 22:17-18 “I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” (Ps. 22:17-18).
Not only Did Jesus suffer the pain of the beatings and floggings, but He also suffered the humiliation of nakedness. They had taken His garments and was gambling for them.
Returning to our text of John 19 we see how these verses 12-18 of Psalm 22 were fulfilled to the letter, by Jesus. He went through it all, crucified naked, so that we could be clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and be able to stand before God throughout the endless ages of eternity.
John 19:19-22 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

Pilate sarcastically had a sign made and placed above the head of Jesus which read “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS”. The chief priests (Caiaphas and Annas) argued against it but did not prevail. Pilate said what he had written would remain until after Jesus’ death.

Even though Jesus had answered Pilates question “are you a king” it is doubtful that Pilate believed that He was. Caiaphas and Annas did not believe it either (or possibly did not want to believe it), but someday they will know as truth that Jesus was/is a king. Revelation 19:16 tells the world that someday Jesus will return to earth from heaven and on His vesture will be written “King of Kings, Lord of Lord.” There will be no question of it at that time.

John 19:23-24 “23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.

As hard hearted as they were when they nailed Jesus to the cross and lifted Him up the hearts of the Roman soldiers were not softened by His agony and sufferings but continued squabbling over His clothes. They continued casting lots for them.

19:25-27 Before ending his account of Jesus’ crucifixion John adds: 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” Even in the agony of such a horrific death Jesus made provision for His mother and charged John with fulfilling that provision.

19:28-42 28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day),

the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.
39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.
40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.
41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

Because the Sabbath was quickly approaching (see the box at the bottom of this page) the Jews requested that the legs of all three malefactors be broken. Breaking the legs of a person who was being crucified expedited death as said person would not be able to push up with his legs which would compromise breathing and he would suffocate quickly. When they came to Jesus however, he was already dead thus it was not necessary to break His legs. To assure himself that Jesus was dead one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ heart with a spear.

What was John’s intention of writing that Jesus’ legs were not broken and that a solider pierced His heart with a spear?

Remember John’s gospel was somewhat different than the other 3 gospels in that John presented Jesus as deity and God’s sacrificial Lamb for the atonement of sin. In the Old Testament God prescribed that a Lamb be sacrificed as a sin offering to atone for Israel’s sin, and of that offering there was certain require-ments. One such requirement was that not one bone was to be broken. (See Exodus 12: 46; Numbers 9:12; Psalms 34:20).

And John was led to include in his account that Jesus’ side was pierced which was a fulfilment of a prophecy of Zecariah. (See Zechariah 12:10).

John’s reason in tying Jesus sacrifice with the requirement laid out by God concerning the sin offering and the fulfilment of prophecy was to affirm to his readers that he wrote about Jesus, had merit.

When it had been ascertained that all three (the two thieves and Jesus) were dead, Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple of Jesus asked Pilate for the body of Jesus and when permission was granted he and Nicodemus who had sought a secret audience with Jesus (John, chapter 3) came and took the body away.

Information:

The Sabbath began/begins at nightfall on Friday and lasted/lasts until nightfall on Saturday. In practical terms the Sabbath started/starts a few minutes before sunset on Friday and ran/runs until an hour after sunset on Saturday, so it lasted/lasts about 25 hours.

The Entombment of Jesus

19:38-42 “38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

Joseph: was a wealthy man who came from Arimathea in Judea. He was a good and righteous man who managed to be both a member of the Council (the Sanhedrin) and a secret supporter of Jesus – which is why he did not join in the Council’s actions against Jesus.
Matthew 27:57 described him simply as a rich man and disciple of Jesus, but according to Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea was “a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God”; and Luke 23:50–56 adds that he “had not consented to their decision and action”.
Nicodemus: was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. He came to Jesus one night seeking truth. Later he stood against the council who had decided to begin moving against Jesus (John 7:50-51).

From the Gospel of Matthew we read that the tomb in which they laid Jesus was Joseph’s own tomb (Matthew 7:57-60).

John: Chapter 20
John’s Record of Jesus’ Resurrection
And His various Appearances

20:1-10 “1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” 3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
20:1-2. The first day of the week (Sunday) Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, John, Joses and Salome, (See Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10 ) and perhaps other women accompanied her as she went to the tomb to further anoint Jesus’ body. Discovering that Jesus body was not in the tomb these Mary Magdalene and some of these women went to Peter and John and told them what they had discovered.

20:3-10 “3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.”
Their report was so enthusiastic that Peter and John ran to the tomb to see if what they had reported was true. Even though Jesus had said on numerous occasions that He would rise from the dead John writes that as of yet they hadn’t understood from the Scriptures that Jesus had to rise from the dead (the Scriptures being Psalms. 16:10-11; 110:1, 4; Isa. 53:11-12).
Jesus Himself had said to them, or had said in their presence, that He would rise from the dead (See John 2:19; Mark 14:58), yet for some reason they hadn’t grasped the significance of what the Scriptures said or what He Himself had told them. When He was alive, they had seen Him raise people from the dead, but now He Himself was dead. How could He do anything let alone raise Himself from the dead?
John MacArthur writes: Though they were initially skeptical of Mary’s and the other women’s reports of the empty tomb (Luke 24:11), eventually Peter and the other disciple (John, who characteristically did not name himself) went… to the tomb. The two started out running together, but John ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first. There, he halted outside and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. Fear, either of the unknown, or that something terrible had happened to the Lord’s body as Mary feared, prevented him from entering. Simon Peter, however, had no such fears. Impetuous as always, he came, following John, and promptly entered the tomb.
What he saw was startling. Jesus’ body was nowhere to be seen, but the linen wrappings in which He had been buried were lying there. Unlike Lazarus, who needed help getting out of his grave clothes after his resurrection (11:44), Jesus’ glorified resurrection body simply passed through the linen wrappings, as it would soon pass through a door to enter a locked room (20:19, 26). Even the facecloth which had been on His head, was not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. This seemingly minor detail shows that the tomb was left in a neat, orderly condition. In contrast, grave robbers would hardly have taken time to roll up the facecloth, and in their haste, they would have scattered the grave clothes all over the tomb. More likely still, they would not have removed them at all, since it would have been easier to transport the body if it were still wrapped. Nor would thieves likely have left the wrappings, containing expensive spices, behind. The presence of the grave clothes also shows that the story the Jewish leaders concocted, that the disciples stole Christ’s body (Matt. 28:11-15), was false. If they had stolen the body, why would the disciples dishonor it by tearing off the grave clothes and spices that covered it?
John then also entered the tomb, and he saw and believed that Jesus had indeed risen. The empty tomb, the undisturbed grave clothes, and the neatly rolled up facecloth were enough for John—even though he and Peter did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead (cf. Ps. 16:10). Whether Peter also believed at this time is not clear, though Luke 24:12 may suggest that he did not (the phrase “marveling at what had happened” [NASB] could also be translated, “wondering what had happened”). Whether in belief or bewilderment, the disciples (Peter and John) went away again to their own homes, but Mary remained.
20:11-18 “11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then they said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.’ 14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, ‘Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’ 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.”
After Peter and John returned to their homes Mary Magdalene, who had followed Peter and John back to the tomb, stayed and at the entrance and was weeping. As she was weeping, she stooped down and peering into the tomb she saw what she thought was two men, one at the head and one at the foot of the stone slab where Jesus’ body had been laid. Seeing her they asked, woman why are you weeping? She replied, they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have taken Him. Having said this she turned and saw Jesus standing behind her whom said to her, why are you weeping, who are you seeking? She, not recognizing Him, thinking that He was the Gardner (The Care-Taker), said to him if you have taken the body of my Lord away tell me what you have done with His body and I will take Him away. But Jesus said to her “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’
Jesus’ resurrection body was more glorious than before and certainly did not match her vivid memories of Him, especially the battered, bruised, bloody corpse she had seen on the cross.
There have been several suggestions for her failure to recognize the Lord. She was sure that He was dead, so the last thing she expected was to see Him alive. Further, her eyes may have been blurred from tears. Moreover she, like the others, was prevented from recognizing Him until He chose to reveal Himself to her (cf. 21:4; Luke 24:16).
Repeating the question asked by the angels, Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? then added, “Whom are you seeking?” Reflecting her continued confusion, she, assuming Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” In her single-minded devotion, Mary simply wanted to ensure that Jesus’ body had a proper burial—even if it meant moving His body by herself.
Overcome with a profound mix of joy and relief, Mary fell at His feet. Like the other women had done (Matt. 28:9), she clung to Jesus, prompting Him to say to her, Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Having found Him again was beyond her wildest hopes, she did not want to lose Him. Her physical grasp symbolized her desire to secure His presence permanently. But He would be physically present for only a brief time, forty days (Acts 1:3), after which He would ascend to the Father.
John records that Mary, recognizing Jesus, referred to Him as Rabboni, not merely Rabbi. Both words mean teacher but Rabboni carries with it the thought of an elevated teacher, a highly respected teacher. Using this word Mary was expressing deep devotion to Jesus. A devotion that caused Mary to “cling” to Jesus physically and emotionally, not wanting to let Him ever depart again.
But Jesus said to her; “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father” (NKJB).
Some translations have the word touch instead of cling which renders the verse “Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father.”
There are at least two plausible explanations. Some Bible scholars believe that Jesus went up to heaven presenting His blood at the throne of God between His encounter with Mary Magdalene, and later that evening, His encounter with the disciples, especially Thomas when He told Thomas to touch Him.
Another view is that Mary Magdalene’s “clinging” refers more to a spiritual and symbolic clinging than an actual physical clinging. If we take the latter position (and some might subscribe to both), we would believe that Jesus was pointing out to Mary that the relationship Jesus would have with His people, including her following His resurrection, was about to change. It would involve the soon coming of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus’ disciples following His ascension to Heaven.
In verse 20:17 Jesus said to Mary, “Do not cling to Me (touch Me) , for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’”
20:18 “18 Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.”
The Lord sent Mary to the apostles to tell them of His impending ascension: “Go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” For the first time the disciples, who had been referred to as slaves or friends (15:15), are called Christ’s brethren. It was through His work of redemption on the cross that this new relationship with Him was made possible.
1)They had been made clean by the word that He had given them over the past 3 years (John 15:3).
2) They had been made righteous by His sacrifice and the shedding of His blood (Romans 4:5-9; 8:14-17; 1st Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 1:14).
3) And, they had been made children (sons) of God (Galatians 4:4-7; Ephesians 1:5).
This new relationship was couched in the words ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God (John 20:17b).
Excitedly, Mary Magdalene went, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her. Predictably, they responded with the same dubiousness with which they had greeted the testimony of the other women who had been at the tomb. Luke reports that they considered the report as “nonsense” and they “would not believe them” (24:11). Perhaps this is why God had orchestrated that other women accompany Mary to the tomb that first Sunday Morning after Jesus crucifixion, as affirming testimonies.
20:19-23 Their doubts were soon to be erased: “19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
20:19-21. As Jesus was being arrested the disciples had almost been arrested and now 10 of them were in Jerusalem cowering from the Jews in some place or another. They remained under the fear of death at the hands of the Jews (i.e., the Jewish authorities), so they met in secret at night, with fear, behind locked doors. This would change drastically seven weeks later, on the day of Pentecost. As they mingled and talked about what had happen and what they should do next Jesus passed through the door, (as indicated by the fact that when the doors were locked). He came and stood among them (cf. v. 26).
This showed the glory of His new resurrection body, able to pass through solid objects, but His body retained its form and continuity (cf. v. 27).
His first words, Peace be with you! was a conventional greeting similar to šālôm in Hebrew. But the words were now invested with a deeper and fuller meaning (cf. 14:27; 16:33; Rom. 5:1; Phil. 4:7). The peace He was addressing them with was a bequeathing of supernatural peace because as Like tells us, when they saw Him appear out of nowhere (so to speak) they were frightened. But when He showed them His hands and His feet they recognized that it was Jesus, the one they thought was dead, they were overjoyed (Luke 24:37-44). What a change from their fear and despondency!
20:22-23 “22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”
Jesus then recommissioned the disciples as His apostles: He was sending them as His representatives, as the Father had sent Him (cf. 17:18). They were sent with His authority to preach, teach, and do miraculous signs (Matt. 28:16-20; Luke 24:47-49). For their new commission they needed spiritual power. So He breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. The image and wording of breathing on them recalls God’s creative work in making Adam (Gen. 2:7). Now this post-Resurrection “breathing” was a new kind of creative work for they would soon become new creations (Eph. 2:8-10). This reception of the Spirit was in anticipation of the day of Pentecost and should be understood as a partial limited gift of knowledge, understanding, and empower-ment until Pentecost, 50 days later.
Having given them the Holy Spirit as His indwelling agent Jesus commissioned them to go and preach the gospel. Jesus gave the *10 apostles, and by extension, the church) the privilege of announcing heaven’s terms on how a person can receive forgiveness. If one believes in Jesus, then a Christian has the right to announce his forgiveness. If a person rejects Jesus’ sacrifice, then a Christian can announce that that person is not forgiven.

MacArthur writes: As part of their witness to Him, the disciples would have His authority delegated to them. “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them,” Jesus told them, but “if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
Did Jesus mean that the apostles had the authority to forgive sins?
No; only God can forgive sins (Mark 2:7). One can look far and wide throughout the New Testament to find any recorded instances of the apostles (or anyone else) absolving people of their sins.
What then did Jesus mean by saying “”If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them, but if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained?”
What Christ meant is that they, the apostles to whom Jesus was addressing, and all genuine Christians, can declare that those who genuinely repent and believe the gospel will have their sins forgiven by God. On the other hand, they can warn that those who reject Jesus Christ that they will die in their sins (8:24; Heb. 10:26-27). Thus the power that Jesus gave the 10 apostles (and all born again believes) was/is of declaring the word of God.
This was not new information to the disciples, since the Lord had spoken very similar words long before in Caesarea Philippi: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19).
Here, in our present text Jesus spoke of the delegated authority of believers. He told the 10 apostles, on whom He breathed His that they had the authority to declare who is bound in sin and who is loosed from sin. They were given the “keys of the kingdom,” the realm of salvation, because they have the gospel truth that saves (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18-25). They could declare a sinner forgiven or unforgiven based on how that sinner responded to the gospel of salvation. The wonder of it is, all Christians have been given those keys.
20:24-31 “24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.
Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
In his Gospel, John has traced the development of unbelief, which culminated in Jesus’ enemies crucifying Him. Conversely, John also traced the disciples’ development of faith, which was now climaxed in Thomas. The disciples were affirming Jesus’ resurrection to Thomas. But he remained unconvinced. He wanted bodily proof of Jesus’ risen state. The reappearance of Jesus a week later provided the opportunity Thomas wanted. Again… Jesus miraculously entered a room with locked doors (cf. v. 19). He asked Thomas to touch Him (cf. “showed” in v. 20) and to stop doubting and believe. This was a forthright challenge to a personal commitment.
This is also a challenge to the church in general, as it is also a challenge to us individually. The church and we individually are being challenged to live a life of commitment because of the facts of the gospel. Even though we do not see Jesus in His physical form we see Him through the eyes of faith and belief. This is gendered by the Holy Spirit.
20:30-31 John adds: “30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
In these verses John gives his purpose for writing His account of Jesus life. His whole purpose was to bring his readers to saving faith.

Studies in the Gospel of John
Chapter 21 / The Conclusion

John has given evidence throughout his account of Jesus’ life that without doubt, Jesus was divine, the Son of the living God. As we look into his conclusion n we should recall how he began his account. He wrote:

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men….14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-4, 14).
Throughout his account John writes that Jesus’ divinity was proven by the signs (the miracles) that He did during His 3 year ministry among them. He had restored sight to the blind, had cause the lame to walk again, had cleansed lepers, had restored hearing to the deaf, and had restored life to the dead. (see Matthew 11:2-5a).

As we come to our study today, Jesus had been crucified, buried, resurrected and had appeared to many, on different occasions. To Mary Magdalene and many other women who had been devoted to Jesus during His 3 year ministry, the disciples and over 500 other brethren, and later by the apostle Paul (see 1st Corinthians 15:6-8).

Thus, we turn to John’s conclusion.
John 21:1-14 “1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We are going with you also.’ They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.
4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Children, have you any food?’ They answered Him, ‘No.’ 6 And He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish.
9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.’
11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. 12 Jesus said to them, ‘Come and eat breakfast.’ Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, ‘Who are You?’–knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
14 This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

John MacArthur writes – The phrase after these things refers to an unspecified time after the events recorded in chapter 20. The disciples had left Jerusalem and made their way north to Galilee, as Jesus had commanded them (Matt. 28:10,16; Mark 14:28; 16:7). Apparently all eleven did not travel together in one group, since this incident involved only seven of them. The twice-repeated statement that Jesus manifested Himself… to the disciples emphasizes the truth that after His resurrection He was not recognizable unless He revealed Himself (cf. 20:14).
The – MacArthur New Testament Commentary – (John 21:1-2)

The seven apostles involved in this incident were Simon Peter (here, as always, listed first, indicating his general leadership of the apostles) and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, along with two others of His disciples (most likely Andrew and Philip, who had close ties to Peter and the sons of Zebedee [cf. 1:40,44], and who always appear elsewhere in connection with the apostles named in this passage).
Even though Jesus had given them the Holy Spirit and had com-missioned them as His witnesses after he would ascend into heaven (John 20:22-23) they seemingly were without direction. They had gathered at the Sea of Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee) and were considering their next move. Peter, probably in impatience, said he was going fishing. The other six decided to join him and getting into a boat launched out into the sea.
They fished all night and caught nothing but someone standing on the shore suggested that they cast their net on the right side of the boat and they would find success. They did not recognize Jesus, but they followed His command and their net was filled with fish. John, identified as the apostle who Jesus loved, recognized that the person on the shore was Jesus. He said to Peter “it is the Lord” and Peter following his impulsive nature, jumped into the water making his way to the shore but the other apostles brought the boat to land. Upon lading the boat they saw a fire of coals and fish laid upon it and bread as an accompaniment. Jesus said to them, come and eat and that none of them asked Him who He was because they knew it was the Lord (20:12).
John writes that “This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead” (21:14). The reason he added these words was further authentication that his record was true and accurate. He had already given the reason of his record (20:30-31).
Thoughts: A surface reading of this instance does not reveal God’s intent of His purpose of inspiring John to write what, and as he did. God’s intent was to get these 7 men (and others as they read the account) to understand their (our) dependency on the Lord. Recall for instance John 15:1-8: “1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
These seven may not have immediately seen the connection between what Jesus had just done, holding back the fish until they had exhausted all self-effort then moving the fish in; and being fruitful ambassadors. Both were based upon a dependency on and a commitment to Jesus. A commitment based on a love for Him and God the Father. But, the point was driven home in the following exchange between the Lord and Peter.
21:15-17: “15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’
16 He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ 17 He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed My sheep.
During the 3 years that Jesus had ministered to the disciples He taught them the principle of love. True love is followed by commitment and, this was Jesus message to Peter and the other six. Even though Peter would be an under-shepherd to the other disciples. yet the principle of what Jesus said was for them all.
MacArthur writes: The true gospel call to follow Jesus Christ is a call to self-denial. It is not a man-centered call to self-fulfillment; there is no “Christianity lite.” The gospel calls sinners to submit fully to Jesus Christ, to find their lives by losing them, to gain their lives by abandoning them, to live life to the fullest by emptying themselves. Our Lord’s message, frankly, was not user friendly; it was not so much comforting as threatening. He did not make salvation easy, but hard; Christ’s preaching, while motivated by love and compassion, filled with grace and mercy, and offering forgiveness, peace, and joy now and forever, was still demanding in the extreme. Jesus was never guilty of making things easy for sinners, and thereby contributing to a false confidence, a false assurance of salvation. “No one,” He declared, “after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). He warned that those who would follow Him must be willing to die to themselves, and He stressed the importance of counting the cost of commitment to Him:
If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. (Luke 14:26-33)
In Matthew 7:13-14 the Lord exhorted, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Jesus does not offer sinners a superficial makeover to satisfy their desire for self-improvement; He calls them to submit to a complete takeover of their lives for His glory—with eternal benefits.
As noted in the previous chapter of this volume, chapter 21 forms an appendix or epilogue to John’s gospel, bringing closure to it by resolving some questions left unanswered at the end of chapter 20. The first fourteen verses dealt with the disciples’ question of whether Jesus would still provide for them now that He was ascending to the Father. He would still meet their needs, as He illustrated with the incident of the fish, and by providing them breakfast. That settles a huge concern—divine care.
The remainder of the chapter focuses mainly on another concern—Jesus’ restoration of Peter, the leader of the apostles so critical to the gospel ministry after Christ’s ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit. He was God’s choice to be the most significant voice for the gospel to the Jews in the beginning days of the church. As such, he is the main figure in the opening chapters of Acts (2-12), and the other apostles needed to continue to follow his leadership. In the process of tying things up with Peter, believers can see an example of the essential means to being a committed Christian: by loving Christ more than everything else, by being willing to sacrifice everything for Christ, and by following Christ. The – MacArthur New Testament Commentary – John 21:
Jesus reassured Peter that no matter his lapses in the past he would remain strong and faithful until death would take him.
20:18-19 “18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.’ 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’”
21:20:25 “20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, ‘Lord, who is the one who betrays You?’ 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, ‘But Lord, what about this man?’ 22 Jesus said to him, ‘If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.’ 23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, ‘If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?’24 This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. 25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.’”
So ends John’s account about the life that Jesus lived among them, that He lived it in demonstration of divinity, He was God in the flesh. Being sinless from birth to death He qualified as God’s sacrifice for the atonement of man’s sin.
Because everything that he wrote about the past three years was true so everything that was promised by Jesus concerning the future was also true.
Thanks for going through this study with me.
Steve

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