Category: Gospel of John

You can click HERE  to read the passage.

One of the questions that I have been pondering this week is this: Why does the account of Jesus walking on the water recorded in John NOT include some of the details that are included in Matthew and Mark? For instance…

• In both Matthew and Mark, when the disciples see something approaching them on the water they cry out thinking that it is ghost. This is not mentioned in John.
• In Matthew, after Jesus calms the disciples down, Peter asks Jesus to “tell me to come to you on the water” – and he gets out of the boat and starts walking.This also is not mentioned in John.
• In Matthew, after Jesus climbed in the boat and the wind died down, it is recorded that “those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Not in John.
• In Mark, after the wind died down, it says “They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.” Again, not in John.

It seems like John has a very stripped down version of what happened. My curious mind makes me wonder why?

What John does say, that the other gospels do not record, is that those who had been on the other side of the lake when Jesus fed the 5000 went “in search of Jesus” when they realized He was no longer in the area. If I were to give this gospel a name other than The Gospel According to John, I would probably call it “In Search of Jesus.” This is what is happening everywhere in this gospel. We saw it in chapter 1 with Andrew and Philip. We saw it in chapter 3 with Nicodemus. We saw it in chapter 4 with the woman at the well and the townspeople; and then later with royal official. We even saw it in chapter 5 with the Jews who were searching for Him to persecute Him. We saw it at the beginning of chapter 6 when the crowds showed up while Jesus was hanging out with His disciples. And we see it at the end of this pericope.

There is a sense in which all of our spiritual journeys can be called a search. But the great news of Christianity that separates it from all other faiths is that God is the One who searched us out first. He loved us, He wooed us, He called us – therefore our search is really just a response to the search that started with Him.

“Father, thank You  for searching for me even when I was not searching for You. And for compelling me by Your amazing grace and magnanimous love to seek you out – knowing that You were waiting to be found.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 6:25-70

 

You can read the passage by clicking HERE.

The feeding of the 5000 is a pretty familiar story. In fact it is the only miracle that is recorded by all 4 of the gospel writers. But I have found myself pondering it in a different way than I have often thought it. There was one particular verse that caught my attention that I had never really thought about before.

As an editorial comment to Jesus’ question to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” John writes, “He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do.”

Philip answered this exactly the way I think I would have answered the question. I would have looked at all the people and done a quick calculation in my head of what the grocery bill would look like and responded to Jesus’ very analytically, ” First of all, we only have enough in our till to get us through one more day. Second, there is not a grocery store anywhere close to where we are – especially one with enough food in stock to feed all these people. Third, do you have any idea how much time it would take to make a store run and then get everybody fed. Fourth, I don’t think it is our responsibility to feed everybody. One meal is not going do much for them but it would bankrupt us.”

Come to think about it, this is my response to just about everything that Jesus asks of me – essentially I tell Jesus that it can’t be done. I think about everything analytically and in terms of what I can do, rather than supernaturally and in terms of what God can do. I severely limit God!

What if I started thinking out of the box? What if I started praying and asking God to do a work in me and through me that is beyond my own natural abilities? What if my prayers for our church started sounding insane because they were so ridiculously out of reach from a human perspective.

Perhaps God is using this passage to test me like He tested Philip. And perhaps God is using this passage to test you as well.

Just ponderin’!

“Father, by Your Spirit would You help me to see beyond the natural and what I can do in everything, to see the supernatural and what You can do. Change my prayers! Change me!”

Next Week’s Passage: John 6:16-24

 

 

You can click HERE to read the passage.

In chapter 3 (Nicodemus) and in chapter 4 (the Samaritan woman) Jesus had conversations with people who were eager to listen to what He had to say. In this passage in chapter 5, Jesus is talking to people who really aren’t interested in anything that He has to say. They have already made their minds up about Him. They don’t want to be confused with the facts – even if the facts are supported by one of their heroes (Moses). So how do you have a gospel conversation with someone like this. Here are a few thoughts gleamed from this passage…

Don’t get long winded – Be brief in what you say. Everything that Jesus said here took less than 4 minutes to say (yes, I timed it). You can’t argue anyone into the kingdom of God by talking at length. Let your words be few.

Try to share the gospel succinctly – You don’t have to preach for 30 minutes to share the gospel. You don’t have to go through the 4 steps of salvation to share the gospel. You don’t have to walk people down the Romans Road to share the gospel. Jesus shared what it takes to be saved in one sentence. Notice verse 24 – “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” He gave them that gospel nugget to chew on and did not feel compelled to add 3 alliterated points, a poem, and a story to get make it clear.

Challenge their mind especially when their hearts are far from God – Jesus said some things in the few minutes that He had their attention that I have no doubt made them think.  His comment about the Son of Man in verse 27 and and his comment about their study of the Scriptures in verse 39 are two examples.

Appeal to people that have credibility in their eyes – In verse 45, Jesus appeals to Moses, whom the Pharisees think hung the moon. They live and breathe on his every word. They study his works, memorize his words, and seek to live by what he says. We have people like that in our day who unbelievers put great stock in. Use the words of these very people to help get your viewpoint across. Of course this means that you will have to do a little homework to find out how they can be used to give credibility to your message. But even unbelievers, atheists, and heretics can often help to make your point.

Understand that you can’t save anybody – It is not your job to save people. That is God’s job. Your commission is to share the good news with boldness, humility, patience, and wisdom and leave the results up to God. Note verse 21.

“Father, would You use me to plant seeds of the gospel in the lives of people who are far away from You, knowing that You are the One who has to make the seeds grow into faith that give people LIFE.”

Next Week’s Passage – John 6:1-15

You can click HERE to read the passage.

So Jesus is walking by the pool at Bethesda where there are  a number of people with disabilities – people who are hoping for a miracle to happen so that they can be restored to health. He happens upon an invalid, stops, and asks the man a question, “Do you want to get well?”

Two things strike me about this passage.

1) The man does not answer Jesus’ question. It is a yes or no question but Jesus does not get a yes or no response. Instead, it seems to me, the man starts blaming the reason why he has not been healed on other people and the lack of help that he has been given. He sees other people always getting the breaks and has adopted a “woe is me” kind of attitude toward life. I see people like this all the time – they blame others for their problems, or expect the government to take care of them as if they are entitled to a better life. They whine when they see other people get all the breaks or worse, they turn to a life of crime and steal what they feel they deserve. This man was not at all deserving of what Jesus did for him.

2) So why this man? Why not the guy next to him that also needed healing? I don’t have an answer to that question. But I do know that I am a lot like the invalid. I too was in need of healing. I too was very undeserving. I too have a tendency to whine and want what others have. And yet God picked me. He poured out His grace and mercy and kindness upon me. He did for me what I could not do for myself. He restored my life and gave me a reason to live that goes beyond just having a leg to stand on. And for that I am very grateful.

“Father, I am very grateful that You chose me even though I was very undeserving. And I know You want to use me for Your purposes. Would You remind me daily that my life belongs to You and that it is only in You that I will find joy and contentment and hope for each new day.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 5:16-47

You can read the passage by clicking HERE.

There are a lot of lives that are changed in the passages in this chapter. The  woman at the well,  many of the Samaritans, the royal official, the official’s son,  the official’s household. And it seems to me that there are three things that God used in a powerful way to help bring about life change.

The Word of God – The woman at the well and the royal official were both changed as a result of a conversation with Jesus. The Word of God is powerful. This is why the preaching and teaching of God’s Word is so important. It is important that teachers and preachers take their role as instruments seriously and do the work necessary to present God’s Word with grace and truth and power. And it is important for believers to regularly listen to God’s Word with humility and hunger.

An intriguing invitation – In verse 29, the woman gives a simple invitation to the people in her town to “Come, see!” No doubt this intrigued them because they  could tell how excited she was. She generally tried to steer clear of people but in this case she could not help but tell others what she had found. I wonder if people sense an excitement from us when we invite them to church to come and see what God is up to. Are we genuinely excited about what God is doing in our lives? If we are not excited then we can’t expect others to be excited about wanting to “come and see.”

The testimony of a changed life – People can argue whether Jesus is the Son of God. They can argue whether he has been raised from the dead. They can argue if the Bible in the inerrant Word of God. The can argue about God’s existence. But they can’t argue or dismiss a life that has been radically changed. One of the reasons that the church has been so ineffectual is that it is filled with people who confess that Jesus is Lord but live as if He is not. If you have been changed, people will notice. If you are growing in your relationship with God, people will notice. Your testimony is powerful. The question is whether it is powerful in a good way or a bad way. Whether it is drawing being to God or pushing them away.

Father, would You continue to use Your Word to change me. Give me a hunger and a humility as I listen and learn. And then would You use the testimony of my life to influence and impact others with the gospel.

Next Week’s Passage: John 5:1-15

You can read the passage by clicking HERE.

This is the story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well in Samaria. It is helpful to know a little of the history between the Jews and the Samaritans to understand this passage. D. A. Carson, in his commentary on The Gospel of John says this:

After the Assyrians captured Samaria [the capital of the Northern kingdom of Israel] in 722–21 BC, they deported all the Israelites of substance and settled the land with foreigners, who intermarried with the surviving Israelites and adhered to some form of their ancient religion (2 Kings 17–18). After the exile [of the Southern kingdom in Babylon], Jews, returning to their homeland . . . viewed the Samaritans not only as the children of political rebels but as racial half-breeds whose religion was tainted by various unacceptable elements. . . . About 400 BC the Samaritans erected a rival temple on Mount Gerizim.

It was not unusual for Jews to avoid passing through Samaria altogether. It made for a longer journey from Galilee to Jerusalem but it kept the Jews from contact with those “half-breeds” of Samaria.

I see a lot of intentionality on the part of Jesus in this passage. Intentionality is a good thing.

Perhaps the most interesting word in this passage for me is found in verse 4… “And he (Jesus) had to pass through Samaria.” The fact of the matter was that Jesus did NOT have to pass through Samaria. He could have gone around as many Jews tended to do. It is as if Jesus deliberately went through Samaria looking for an opportunity to have a gospel conversation.

And what happens in this passage reeks of scandal. Not only did Jesus intentionally go through Samaria but He intentionally engaged a woman in conversation. This was just not done by upright Jews. And not just any woman but a sinful woman. (vs 7-12)

He intentionally introduced spiritual things into a mundane conversation. (vs 13-15) And he intentionally brought up the taboo subject of her sinful lifestyle. (vs 16-18)

He intentionally challenged her beliefs that had been based on tradition (vs 19-24)

And finally He chose to intentionally reveal, for the first time, to a woman of ill-repute, that He was indeed the long awaited promised Messiah. (vs 25-26)

There are many lessons in this passage for me. Probably the one that stands out the most is that I need to be much more intentional about looking for opportunities to have gospel centered conversations. It is very easy for me to stay where I am comfortable and not venture into Samaria where I might meet “sinners.”

Father, would You create in me such a love for people who are far away from You that I am compelled to go to places that I am uncomfortable. And give me the courage to do so.

Next Week’s Passage: John 4:27-54

You can click HERE to read the passage.

Shoshben.

Now there’s a word that you don’t hear everyday. In fact, I would guess it is a word that you’ve never heard before. The shoshben, in Hebrew weddings, was the friend of the bridegroom. This is how John the Baptist referred to himself in verse 29. He would be somewhat like the best man in our culture, though with much more responsibility.

After doing a little research here is my understanding of the typical wedding customs in Jewish circles at the time of Jesus. It may help to give insight into some of the imagery in this passage (as well as others in the New Testament):

• The first major step in a Jewish marriage was betrothal. Betrothal involved the establishment of a marriage covenant. By Jesus’ time it was usual for such a covenant to be established as the result of the prospective bridegroom taking the initiative.
• The prospective bridegroom would travel from his father’s house to the home of the prospective bride. There he would negotiate with the father of the young woman to determine the price (mohar) that he must pay to purchase his bride.
• Once the bridegroom paid the purchase price, the marriage covenant was thereby established, and the young man and woman were regarded to be husband and wife.
• From that moment on the bride was declared to be consecrated or sanctified, set apart exclusively for her bridegroom.
• As a symbol of the covenant relationship that had been established, the groom and bride would drink from a cup of wine over which a betrothal benediction had been pronounced.
• With the covenant in place, the groom would leave the home of the bride and return to his father’s house “to prepare a place” for her. His job was to build a room in which he and his bride would live in his father’s house. He would not see his bride until this was complete.
• At the end of this period of separation the groom would come to take his bride to live with him. The taking of the bride usually took place at night. The groom,the shoshben, and other male escorts would leave the groom’s father’s house and conduct a torch light procession to the home of the bride.
• Although the bride was expecting her groom to come for her, she did not know the exact time of his coming.  As a result, the groom’s arrival would be preceded by a shout and often the blowing of the shofar (ram’s horn). This shout would forewarn the bride to be prepared for the coming of the groom.
• After the groom received his bride, together with her female attendants, the  wedding party would return from the bride’s home to the groom’s father’s house. Upon arrival  the wedding party would find that the wedding guests had assembled already.
• Shortly after arrival the bride and groom would be escorted by the other members of the wedding party to the bridal chamber (huppah). Prior to entering the chamber the bride remained veiled so that no one could see her face.
• While the groomsmen and bridesmaids would wait outside, the bride and groom would enter the bridal chamber alone. There in the privacy of that place they would enter into physical union for the first time, thereby consummating the marriage.
• The shoshben  stood outside waiting for the groom to tell him that the marriage had been consummated.
• Once consummated, the shoshben then announced to all the good news that the marriage was on and that the party could begin. Then all the friends really started celebrating for the seven days that the couple were honeymooning.   When the couple emerged there would be much congratulations and the Marriage Supper could begin.

Here is my takeaway. While I understand that the church is the bride of Christ, there is also a sense in which we are “shoshbens“, friends of the bridegroom. And it is our joy, our delight, our privilege,  to tell others the good news about Christ and His bride. We get to announce to anyone who will listen the glorious gospel of the risen Christ who has come to claim us as His own and take us to a place that even now He is preparing for us. And one day there will be a great party for those who are redeemed as we celebrate at the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.

“Father, would You so excite me about THAT DAY that I can’t help but tell the good news to anyone who is willing to listen on THIS DAY.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 4:1-26

You can click HERE to read the passage.

As I pondered this passage I was struck by the ease in which Jesus carried on a gospel conversation with Nicodemus. Here are a few things that I see in this passage that helped me think about how to have similar conversations with people that I meet.

Be available to people. Take advantage of divine appointments  (v.2) – This conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus was not planned. There is not even any indication that they had ever met before. And it happened at night, presumably after a long day when people generally were settling in for rest. Yet Jesus was available. He did not make Nick feel like he was interfering with His schedule. Sometimes you just never know. You never know when an opportunity will present itself. You never know when you will have a chance to be a gospel witness. Now is the time to get ready. Now is the time to pray that God will bring people across your path that need you to tell them about Jesus. You can’t have gospel conversations unless you take advantage of the opportunities that God gives you.

Use language that creates curiosity and provokes questions (v.3) – Jesus was very purposeful with what he said. He did not speak with worn out religious cliches. He used language that made people curious about what He was saying and got them involved in the conversation. Notice verses 4 and 9. Nicodemus is engaged. He is asking questions. He wants to know more. Many Christians shut down gospel conversations instead of opening them up because they say things that sound lame and uninviting. We need to work hard at making sure that our conversation is “always gracious,  seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6). You can usually tell if a person is interested in hearing what you have to say if they are asking questions. Give them a reason to carry on a conversation by making it sound interesting.

Challenge common assumptions. Make people think (vs. 5-13) – The common assumption for Nicodemus was that being a keeper of the Law would grant you access into the kingdom of God. Imagine his surprise when Jesus said that “unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” 2000+ years later people are still making the same assumption – that if they are just good enough, if they keep God’s commandments, then God will let them into heaven. As gospel bearers we need to help people think  and challenge them to consider that perhaps  the assumptions they have made all their lives are faulty. Asking good penetrating questions is a great way to do this. For instance, in this case, “how good is good enough to get you into heaven.” Or perhaps “Is it reasonable to assume that a holy God would allow sin into heaven.”. Asking questions also demonstrates that we are interested in what they think  and helps us to frame the conversation in a way that is particularly suited to the individual.

Use stories and object lessons to help clarify  (v. 14) – I’m sure that what Jesus was sharing was pretty incredulous to Nicodemus. To help make things a bit clearer Jesus appealed to a story in the Older Testament, one that Nick would have been very familiar with (see Numbers 21:4-9). Stories, illustrations, and object lessons are great ways to help clarify things that are difficult to understand. Using the familiar to explain the unfamiliar is something that good communicators work hard at doing. It is worth working hard to become good at sharing the gospel since the gospel is the greatest message anyone could ever hope to hear.

Offer people faith, hope, and love (vs.16-21) – Jesus offers Nicodemus all 3 of these as he winds down the conversation. The idea that God was a loving God would probably not have been the first thing that came to Nick’s mind – just as it is a new idea to people today who think of God more as judge and rule keeper. People need to know that God loves them because so many people have never experienced what real love is. People need to know that there is hope because so many people are living lives of hopelessness and despair. And people need something (or rather Someone) to believe in that will not disappoint because so many people have put their faith in people or jobs, or money and have been disappointed again and again. The gospel is great news because it offers faith, hope, and love.

“Father, would You make me aware of the opportunities that you put right in front of me. And would You teach me by Your Spirit to speak in ways that will make people want to know more about who You are and what you have done through Christ at the cross.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 3:22-35

You can click HERE to read the passage.

Interestingly, this incident in the life if Jesus is recorded in all 4 of the gospels. In the other 3 (the synoptic gospels), the temple cleansing takes place soon after Jesus enters Jerusalem just prior to his crucifixion. In other words, at the end of His ministry. In the Gospel of John it is recorded as taking place at the beginning of His ministry. Why do you suppose that is? I’ll let you ponder that on your own – but I did think it was worth pointing out.

I have several random takeaways from this passage. I will pose them in the form of questions:

1. What do we do in our churches that prevent people who are seeking God from finding Him? (vs. 13-16) Jesus was really mad! Primarily because God’s house had been turned into a chaotic marketplace. Jewish pilgrims were coming to Jerusalem from all over – and instead of being able to make the required sacrifice, they were being fleeced by those more interested in making a quick shekel than in helping people find forgiveness and worship the One true God. It just makes me wonder what we might be doing that keep people from God. As well as what we aren’t doing that would encourage people to find Him.

2. Do I know God’s Word as thoroughly as I should? (v. 17) – I’m kind of amazed by the disciples reaction to what Jesus did. Whereas everybody else was outraged by His actions, the disciples weighed His actions against the Word of God. And they knew the Scriptures well enough that they were able to see “Messiah” written all over what He had done. It is always a good idea to interpret things that happen around us and to us in light if Scripture. But to do this means that we have to know the Word.

3. When Jesus looks at my heart what does He see? (s.23-25) – There were a lot of people that believed in Jesus because of the miracles they saw Him doing. But it was not the kind of persevering faith that would withstand persecution and difficulty. This is why Jesus did not “entrust Himself to them.” I have lived a fairly comfortable life. I have never experienced persecution for my faith. I have not even had to deal with a lot of difficulty and tragedy. I sometimes wonder how my faith would stand up if everything that I have was stripped away and I was forced to choose Jesus or death. I wonder what Jesus sees when He sees my heart.

Father, I’m very grateful for life and for the eternal life that you have given me in Christ. More and more would You instill within me a hunger and thirst for Your Word. And more and more would You root out the idols in my heart that keep me from following You wholeheartedly.

Next Week’s Passage: John 3:1-21

You can click HERE to read the passage.

Here are a few of my thoughts about this passage. I’d love to hear your thoughts – for those of you who are pondering along with me.

Jesus cares about people – Weddings were a BIG deal back in the day. Still are in fact. But even more so back then. In the small town of Cana this would have been THE social event of the year. People had been invited from all over the region. (Jesus and Mary were from Nazareth. His disciples were from Capernaum) Weddings lasted more than a few hours, as they do in our culture. The celebrations could go on for a week. And the bridegroom was responsible for the party, not the bride. It was his responsibility to make sure there was plenty of everything for all the guests to enjoy. It would be major embarrassment for the bridegroom if they ran out of wine to drink. But that is what happened here. Mary brings this to the attention of Jesus. And even though it is not His job to keep the wine stocked He does something about it anyway. Because He cared about the bridegroom and did not want him to look bad to his guests. In fact Jesus made him look really good.

Jesus took advantage of an opportunity that presented itself to “do something nice for someone” when he didn’t have to. And not only did it help the someone but it got people talking about Jesus. Sometimes when we do simple acts of kindness it will also get people talking about Jesus.

Jesus brings about radical transformation – There was a LOT of water at the wedding but no wine. The water was for ceremonial washings – which happened often. Why did Jesus tell the servants to “FILL the jars with water to the brim”? Because it was not unheard of for people to dilute the wine that they did have with water. So you ended up with watered down wine and served that as the party progressed. People did not notice so much because they were feeling the effects of the good wine served earlier. Jesus did not create a watered down version of wine. He created the real deal. He changed water to wine. He didn’t add wine to the water.

Jesus changes people. He takes a life and brings about LIFE. He is not an add on.  And yet many people in our churches are confused about this. They believe that you can keep your old life and add Jesus to it. A little bit of Jesus makes you spiritually correct. NOT! Jesus doesn’t work that way. He wants your whole life. Hence, the hymn says “I surrender ALL,” not “I surrender some.” He doesn’t just make a person better, He makes them different. If your life is not different, if there has not been a change – then quite possibly you have not been changed.

Father, would you open my eyes today to the opportunities I will have to demonstrate kindness in Your name. And would You continue your work of transforming me more and more into the likeness of Your Son.

Next Week’s Passage: John 2:12-25