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

You can click HERE to read the passage.

I’ve always been intrigued by the conversation that Jesus had with Nathanael. In just a few minutes Jesus turned a skeptic into an ardent follower. How did He do this? Here are a few thoughts…

He chose words that provoked curiosity and questions (vs 47-48) – Jesus didn’t seem to be big on small talk. He generally cut to the chase pretty quick. We can presume that Jesus knew that Nathanael was not only skeptical but somewhat belligerent towards him. And who could blame him. Nathanael was passionate about what he believed. He had probably experienced a lot of disappointment as other Messiah wannabes came and went. And now, seemingly, the wool had been pulled over the eyes of his friend Philip. Interestingly, Jesus did nothing to try to build a case for Himself. He made no claims on His own behalf. Rather, He made a statement that changed Nathanael’s stream of thinking. He said something about Nathanael instead of something about Himself. And what He said engaged Nathanael and opened up, rather than shutting down,  conversation.

When we have gospel conversations with people are they “seasoned with salt”? Do people want to dialogue with us about faith issues because we demonstrate genuine interest in them and what they believe – as opposed to just trying to make a point. We need to work hard at choosing words that provoke curiosity and deeper conversation.

He was a student of people (vs 48-49) – Unbeknownst to Nathanael Jesus had been studying him. There are some interesting verses in the Older Testament, that I suspect both Jesus and Nathanael were familiar with:

“Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.  See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree, declares the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 3:8-10)

Sitting under the fig tree is tied very closely in this passage to a Messianic prophecy (see also Micah 4:4).  Jesus had his eye own Nathanael before Nathanael was ever introduced to Jesus. He knew the longings of Nathanael’s heart – his longing for the true Messiah to come and rescue, to come and redeem, to come and restore His people to freedom. Jesus’ simple observation cut straight to the core of Nathanael’s being, pierced his heart, and transformed his life. From this point on he would never be the same again.

If we were to study people closely we would find that everyone has this same longing. An ache in their heart for rescue, redemption, and restoration. Most people medicate this ache in the wrong ways – like taking cold medicine when the problem is a broken bone. Our mission, as bearers of the gospel, is to point people to Jesus as the only true and lasting remedy for the sickness of their soul.

He offered hope (vs 50-51) – In verse 51 Jesus gives a clear allusion to Genesis 28:12 and the story of Jacob’s dream. Again, this is a story Nathanael would know by heart. In the story, God makes this promise to Jacob (aka Israel): “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will never leave you until I have done what I have promised.” The promise of this hope to Jacob would not have been missed by Nathanael. As a “true Israelite” and as one who was holding on to this promise from God, Nathanael saw in Jesus the fulfillment of hope.

People need hope! When people have hope it is amazing what can be accomplished. It is when people are hopeless that they live lives of desperation – and the result is often abusive and criminal lifestyles. We are to be hopegivers because we have been given a great and glorious hope in Jesus.

Next Week’s Passage: John 2:1-11