The Voice of the Son of God

Lesson #86

With this lesson we begin our study of John 5:25 – 29, which looks at two resurrections. Click on the link and read carefully our text and see what points stand out for you. As I read the ESV translation I notice there are four sentences expressing four thoughts which we will cover in four lessons. In this lesson we will focus on the three parts of verse 25: “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live” (ESV). We see that there is a special hour when something is going to happen; in that hour there will be a voice with an important message; those who hear the message will live.

In the beginning it was Jesus who spoke the universe into existence “and he upholds (or sustains) the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3 ESV). It is appointed for all to die and then to face judgment (Hebrews 9:27). The dead, who are a part of his universe, hear the voice of the Son of God, are these who are appointed to die. Everyone, without exception, will hear the voice of the Son of God. When the Day of Judgment comes it will be clear that the Son of God did speak, but what was said was ignored. Those who heard and responded will not come into judgment.

Those who hear the voice and respond in faith, coming to Jesus, will live. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9 ESV). “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36 NASB). “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12 ESV). Jesus, the Son of God, speaks to everyone and each will choose. Most will choose by ignoring and will remain in their sin, but those who respond in faith will live.

When is this hour that is coming and is now here? As a teen I heard the voice of the Son of God and I felt compelled to come to Jesus by faith and receive the gift of eternal life. I am confident, and have the assurance of the indwelling Holy Spirit, that I will again hear his voice as he raises me from the dead. A close childhood friend of mine has yet to respond to the first voice and if there is no response, he will one day hear the voice in his call to judgment. For each person there is an hour, a window of destiny. During that hour it is only Jesus who has the authority to speak and be heard. It is he who stands above his creation; who provided the means of salvation; who has the authority to call people to salvation.

Prayer

Father, preparing this lesson has brought to mind a conversation my friend and I had in church one day before either of us was saved. We were talking about our behavior and I expressed a concern about mine. He expressed no such sensitivity. Father, my sensitivity continued to grow to the point of salvation and his did not. It seemed that in me fertile soil had been prepared to receive the word of life and in him there was no such soil. Father, I am convinced that those you choose for salvation you prepare the heart to hear the voice of Jesus calling. Father, thank you for extending mercy to me and Lord, in mercy your gift of eternal life.

Scripture Tension

Lesson #85

In this lesson we will cover John 5:22 – 24 and deal with the tension found between verses 19 and 22. In verse 19, “The Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing” (ESV); in verse 22, “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son” (ESV). It seems that in verse 22 Jesus does something that he does not see his Father doing. In John 3:17 we learned that God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save it. We need to consider what is not being said here. Based on verse 19 it can’t mean that Jesus doesn’t see the Father judging and goes ahead and judges anyway. We know from John 3:36 that God does judge because his wrath remains on the one who does not obey the Son.

Again a perfect union is seen here, but this time the standard is on the Son because of his unique involvement on the basis of judgment. This judgment is relative to the work Jesus accomplished on the cross. How a person is judged is based on that person’s relationship with Jesus. Lack of belief allows God’s wrath to remain on the person; belief removes it. All enter life under the wrath of God, but based on their relationship to Jesus can be removed from. Both Father and Son are involved in Judgment, but the critical point is the relationship with Jesus. This is pointed out in verse 23: “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him” (ESV). Judgment remains on the person who fails to honor the Son. Judgment is determined on whether a person honors Jesus for who he really is. In that sense all judgment is given to the Son. As we study this it becomes clear that the Father and the Son are in perfect step with each other.

Verse 24 concludes this thought very well: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (ESV). Anyone who truly hears the gospel and comes to Jesus in belief will experience something awesome. That person will not come into judgment because the wrath that the person entered life with is removed through the work Jesus did on the cross. As a result that person passes from spiritual death on to eternal life.

Jesus heals the man beside the pool to get his attention so that a conversation could be had about his holiness; “Go and sin no more.” In the process of doing this Jesus makes it clear that he is not working alone, but in total union with his Father thus making himself equal with the Father. The two are inseparable in work and are inseparable in honor. Failure to honor the Son results in failure to honor the Father. This makes Jesus unique. He is the key that unlocks our passage to heaven. There is no other!

Prayer

Father, as I ponder over these last two lessons, I am struck by the relationship between you and your Son. You have such love for your Son and he is in total submission to you. By this I am reminded of the Lord’s sacrificial love for me and the need for me to honor and submit to him. I am further reminded that as a husband I am to sacrificially love my wife and she is to respect and submit to me. In these three cases I see it is love that creates the bond of unity. Father, forgive me for falling so far short of the example expressed by Jesus.

Total Submission

Lesson #84

We saw in the last lesson that the Jews were seeking to kill Jesus because he was breaking the Sabbath and because he was referring to God as his Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus doesn’t let up but responds with, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will” (John 5:19 – 21 ESV).

I have read these verses many times in the past, but never stopped to really think of what was being said. Repeating “truly” implies what follows is very important. Looking at the three translations I usually work from we find that the Son “can do nothing of his own accord” (ESV); “can do nothing of his own initiative” (NET); “can do nothing of Himself” (NASB). Jesus doesn’t decide to act independent of his Father. When I was growing up on my dad’s dairy farm, I didn’t do anything on my own without first receiving directions from my dad. I had to act in accordance with the will of my dad. By the nature of the union between Jesus and his Father, he did nothing he was not commanded to do and that which he did he sees the Father doing. The connection between them is so strong that whatever the Father does, the Son does and whenever the Father acts, Jesus acts. This working together; this union between them is based on the Father’s love for his Son. It is a love that shares all and includes Jesus in everything. It is that love which glues them together to act as one. In saying this Jesus was clearly saying he was one with the Father and thus he was God.

Jesus has turned water into wine, healed the official’s son and now this man. God performed miracles in the Old Testament and so Jesus is not doing anything on his own. Jesus continues by saying that even greater works will done. As his Father, God in the Old Testament raised the dead and thus don’t be surprised that the Son can and will give life to whom he will.

Consider your union with Jesus. How independent are you in what you do or is there a union of obedience to his commands based on love? This union is to be as close as two oxen yoked together pulling a load.

Prayer

Father, what a lesson this is in singleness of purpose. To see this union of purpose in love between you and your Son is an example to me of how I am to relate to you as your child. I confess that I have much to learn before I realize that perfect submission I will experience in heaven. Forgive my self-centeredness and encourage me to greater submission as revealed in this lesson.

Jesus Is Equal with God

Lesson #83

In this lesson we will look at only John 5:18: “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God” (ESV). Two reasons are given in this verse why the Jews were seeking to kill Jesus; first, according to the Jews Jesus was working when performing miracles and thus he was breaking the Sabbath; second, calling God his Father the Jews believed Jesus was making himself equal with God, which was blasphemy and punishable by death.

In John 5:17. Jesus made it very clear that both he and his Father were working together, as we will see in our next lesson, but doing what. At the end of the work of creation, “God rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (Genesis 2:3 ESV). At this point everything was perfect “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31 ESV). Then “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”” (Genesis 2:15 – 17 ESV). We know what happened. Eve took some of the forbidden fruit and took a bite and she gave some to Adam and he also ate and then their eyes were opened to what had happened (Genesis 3:1 – 7). Because of sin, creation was corrupted and at that point the Father and Son began the work of restoration and continue to this day. That work of restoration is the work referred to in John 5:17.

The Jews saw Jesus as simply a man with unusual abilities, but they were not willing to accept the fact that he was the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Christ. In John 10:30, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (ESV). The Jews picked up stones to stone him and Jesus asked why. The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:33 ESV). The Jews could not accept this and most people today can’t either. As a believer we know that Jesus is God (John 1:1, 14). In fact we are children of God and call him “Father”. Maybe that is a reason why the world hates us and persecutes us because we refer to God as our Father.

Prayer

Father, it brings me such joy to know you as my Father. Thank you for adopting me into your family by causing me to be born again. Lord, thank you for your sacrifice that made this possible. Thank you for the living hope I have of being fully restored to the image of God.

A Call to Holiness

Lesson #82

In our last lesson we were looking at the two issues found in John 5:13 – 14; first, “Why did Jesus quickly disappear into the crowd after healing the man without further conversation with him about spiritual matters?” and second “Why did he later find the man and speak to him about his sin?” We addressed the first issue and in this lesson we will look at the second.

As we look further into these two verses, we realize that the main purpose was not to heal the man, but to use his healing as an opportunity to have conversation with him about spiritual matters. Jesus begins that conversation by saying to the man, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you” (John 5:14 ESV). Jesus chooses a person who had a need that he was unable, on his own, to overcome. Jesus saw the need and chose to give a free gift of health, but there is something worse than being disabled for 38 years and that is enduring the wrath of God in Hell for an eternity for a life of sin.

Jesus demonstrated to this man that he has the power to provide health. In his conversation with the man after his healing he suggest that he also has power over sin to provide eternal life. In his conversation, Jesus moves the focus of the man’s need for health to the need to overcome the problem of sin. That is the same job that has been assigned to each one of us as believers. We are to intentionally create conversation with those in need of salvation to help them see their sin problem and how Jesus is the way to overcome it. Jesus later says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 ESV).

As I look back over this incident at the pool I notice there are a great number there that need healing, but Jesus chose only one. We are not told why he chose that one and not someone else or why he chose only him. Also this healing did not remove future suffering for the man. When we receive the gift of eternal life this does not remove our battle with sin or the suffering we will experience before death. Full healing for the believer will occur at the second coming of Jesus. As with this man, Jesus provides a foretaste of the complete healing he will provide at his second coming. This statement to this man to “Sin no more” is a call to holiness. We receive that same call when we are born again.

Jesus chooses to work on the Sabbath by performing miracles to draw attention to the fact that his Father also works on the Sabbath; “And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:16 – 17 ESV). This raises a question; “Why is the Father working?” Did not God rest after creation? So, what is he working on? We will look at this in our next lesson.

Prayer

Father, I am told to be holy as you are holy. This same command is given to the man that Jesus healed by saying, “Go and sin no more.” Lord, thank you for keeping me close to you by keeping me close to your word. Thank you for these studies because the word covered for these lessons are so spiritually nourishing. 

God Makes Choices

Lesson #81

We ended the last lesson at John 5:9 with the disabled man of 38 years being healed by Jesus and told to pick up his mat and start walking. The problem was it was the Sabbath and to be seen carrying his mat would surly cause a conflict with the Jews because that was not an acceptable thing, in their view, to do on such a day. Surely Jesus knew this would create conflict, but “Conflict in the ministry of Jesus is the furnace where the steel of his identity is forged. In the fires of conflict, his glory is made to shine” (John Pieper). Let us continue on with John 5:10 – 17 and see how this conflict develops and what we learn about Jesus from it.

“So the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and you are not permitted to carry your mat.”“ (John 5:10 NET). The conflict begin! The man who for 38 years lay by the pool, trying to be the first to enter its waters when it was stirred to receive healing, was healed by Jesus and is now in trouble with the Jews because he is in violation of one of the Jewish many rules; he was carrying his mat on the Sabbath. The man answers them by saying, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” (John 5:11 ESV). In an attempt to get himself out of trouble, he blames his behavior on the one who healed him. Wanting to know who to go after for giving such a command, the Jews asked the man, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” (John 5:12 ESV). This question creates a problem for the man because he didn’t know the name of the one who healed him.

At this point we need to use our imagination to fill in the details of what happened in the interval between not being able to give the Jews the name of the one who healed him to where Jesus found him in the temple. All we know is that “the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”” (John 5:13 – 14 ESV). There are two issues we need to look at in these two verses; first, “Why did Jesus quickly disappear into the crowd after healing the man without further conversation with him about spiritual matters?” and second “Why did he later find the man and speak to him about his sin?” We will finish this lesson by suggesting an answer to the first question and then leave the spiritual aspect of the second question for the next lesson?

Jesus had just performed a miracle in the midst of a crowd of people. He told the man he had just healed what to do and then disappeared before anyone else realized what had happened to prevent the turmoil that would surly result from many others wanting to be healed. Jesus had a specific mission in mind and it did not include a general healing of people, but was to focus on the sin aspect of this one man. Jesus chose this man to speak to his soul just as God chooses us out of the crowd of humanity to provide us with salvation. Salvation is by grace. It is a gift given by God just as this man was chosen by Jesus to be healed. The man did not seek to be healed by Jesus, but was simply a recipient of his grace.

Prayer

Father, I was simply a child confined in the orphanage of sin, but with such love you visited the orphanage and you chose me and you caused me to be born again. You passed over many others, but for some reason you extended mercy to me and by your grace you saved me. I had nothing to offer you because I was dead in my sin, but you made me alive in Christ for which I do not cease to give thank.

Healing the Man at the Pool

Lesson #80

With this lesson we begin chapter 5. We will look at the section defined by John 5:1 – 9. After the time spent with the Samaritans, Jesus went up to Jerusalem to attend the feast of the Jews (John 5:1). “Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool called Bethzatha in Aramaic, which has five covered walkways” (John 5:2 NET). Here at this pool is the next divine appointment for Jesus. As I prepare these lessons and see Jesus going from place to place to encounter people I can’t help but think of how this works in my life. I felt strongly led to go to China and over an eight year period I had the opportunity of teaching Bible in churches and a seminary and had conversations with many Chinese students about the Christian faith. I also think of his leading to go to Tajikistan, India and Mongolia to learn about different cultures. I think of the VOM conference that the Lord used to touch my life and various online courses. I believe that Jesus is setting an example for us to be in tune with God to be where he wants us to be, doing the work he has assigned to us to do. For many this may be our next door neighbor or a person God brings across our path.

Lying in those walkways was a great number of sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people (John 5:3) “[waiting for the moving of the waters; ⁴ for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.]” (John 5:3b – 4 NASB). The text in brackets is not found in the original manuscripts and seems to have been added at a later time to give clearer meaning to what follows. Some translations, like NASB, put the text in brackets and others, like ESV include it as a footnote.

“Now a man was there who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and when he realized that the man had been disabled a long time already, he said to him, “Do you want to become well?”” (John 5:5 – 6 NET). How do you think you would answer if you were the person Jesus was speaking to? Would you respond with, “Yes Lord; please make me well” or would you complain as the man did saying, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get into the water, someone else goes down there before me” (John 5:7 NET). How would you feel if you were offering someone what they wanted for 38 years and they responded with a complaint instead of accepting the offer with gratitude? “In everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NJKV), which leaves no room for complaint.

In spite of this ungrateful response, “Jesus said to him, “Stand up! Pick up your mat and walk.”” (John 5:8 NET). This man was healed, not because he asked to be healed, but because Jesus choose to go to this man and heal him. I am convinced that in the same manner, God chooses who he is going to save and to those he chooses will respond as did this man; “Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and started walking. (Now that day was a Sabbath.)” (John 5:9 NET). When the Father causes us to be born again, we start walking in our new life and that day becomes the beginning of our Sabbath as we learn in Hebrews chapter 4.

Because Jesus healed this man on the Sabbath a problem is created and will be considered in the next lesson.

Prayer

Father, thank you for choosing me for salvation and causing me to be born again. Father, I pray that I will be more effective in making the most of the divine appointments you set up for me.

The Question of Belief

Lesson #79

With this lesson we will cover the last section of chapter 4 defined by John 4:46 – 54. “So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death” (John 4:46 -47 ESV). What follows next is not what one would expect. You would expect Jesus to go with the official and heal his son, but he did not. Instead, Jesus lashes out to the people there saying, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe” (John 4:48 ESV). This indictment enforces and makes reference to a comment Jesus previously made in which he “testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.”

What about the official; is he not asking for a miracle; does he really believe or not? Stop and think for a while about what is happening here. It appears that unbelievers come to God with a need, like a health need, and tell him to fix it; while believers are more concerned about how the health problem will be used by God to help them grow into greater Christ-likeness. There is always a tension between physical comfort and spiritual growth that comes from suffering. That is why the kingdom of the beloved Son is growing so rapidly in other countries. It is a question of who are we looking out for. Is our goal to honor Jesus or live for ourselves?

Since the official was in the crowd he was also rebuked by Jesus, but he speaks out and said, “Sir, come down before my child dies” (John 4:49 ESV). Will the official respond to the spoken word or is he in need of a “sign or wonder” for him to believe? Jesus was going to find out by saying to him, “Go; your son will live.”  The official demonstrates belief in the words Jesus spoke and “went on his way” (John 4:50 ESV). He didn’t even insist that Jesus go with him; he simply left knowing in his heart that the words Jesus spoke were sovereign.

“As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household” (John 4:51 – 53 ESV). When the official heard that his son was recovering his faith became sight and hearing what Jesus had said and the results, all his household also believed.

John closes this section by saying, “This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee” (John 4:54 ESV). The first sign was turning water into wine at the wedding.

Prayer

Father, as I study for these lessons I realize how little understanding the western Christian has of Jesus. The more I study the more nourishment I receive and such great treasures I find. I am beginning to better understand why people in other countries are willing to risk imprisonment and even their lives to have a copy of the Bible. I pray that it means enough to me to be so willing.

On the Move Again

Lesson #78

The focus of this lesson will be the short transition paragraph of John 4:43 – 45. After a very successful two day faith building mission in Samaria, Jesus decides to go to Galilee. The people of Samaria were considered to be outcast by the Jews, but Jesus without performing any signs or wonders was able, with simply the spoken word, convince the people to accept him as their Messiah; “Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, “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.””  (John 4:41 – 42 NASB). This response among the Samaritans was so much stronger than anything Jesus had experienced among his own Jewish people.

“After the two days he departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast” (John 4:43 - 45 ESV). As one reads verses 43 through 45 you kind of stumble over verse 44. After a successful two days with the Samaritans, Jesus goes to Galilee where he is welcomed, but between 43 and 45 we learn Jesus is not honored there. How can his hometown people welcome him and at the same time dishonor him?

It appears that Jesus is intentionally going to a people who welcome him because of his ability to perform signs and wonders, but they dishonor him because they do not understand him and as a result they do not honor him for who he is; the Messiah, the Savior of the world. What Jesus is doing here is exactly the opposite of what most western Christians would do. Based upon our worship of the idols of comfort and safety, we would not go to witness to a people who misunderstand us and reject us because it could result in our being imprisoned, tortured and even death. Little do we understand that God is building the church, the kingdom of God on the blood of saints. Jesus goes back to these Jewish people to continue to explain who he is and why he came and they will torture and kill him, but on his blood our salvation is secured. Consider where in the world the church is growing. It is where people intentionally stay and face persecution. They are on the front lines and they are making advancements for the kingdom of God. An example of this follows:

We will pick up at this point in our next lesson and see what happens next.

Prayer

Father, thank you for what you taught me when I taught in the underground school in Asia, for what I learned at the VOM conference on persecution last summer, and what I am learning from my study of persecution in other countries. Thank you for how this has brought many verses alive for me. In a way I miss being persecuted because I don’t have firsthand experience with the promises of some of these verses on suffering.

One Event: Sowing and Reaping

Lesson #77

In the physical world in which we live there is a time lapse between sowing our fields and reaping the harvest. According to Amos, “the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when the plowman will catch up to the reaper and the one who stomps the grapes will overtake the planter” (Amos 9:13 NET). That time has come because Jesus said, “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor” (John 4:35 – 38 NASB).

In the physical world there is a distinct time for sowing and reaping, but in the spiritual realm these events can occur at the same time. One can be sowing seeds as another reaps and the time between sowing and reaping may vary for different people. Because of Jesus, sowing and reaping has blended into a single event; as I sow I can rejoice because at the same time you are reaping from what someone else has sown. Together we labor at sowing and reaping; rejoicing over what God is doing.

Jesus adds more to the topic of the last lesson and this one when he said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18 – 20 ESV). Here is a command for us to obey and when we do we are sowing and reaping and by obeying we are being nourished. We are also “receiving wages and [are] gathering fruit for life eternal” (John 4:36). Consider the rejoicing and nourishment you are missing out on by not being obedient to the Great Commission. Think also of lost wages and missing fruit you won’t have to enjoy for eternity.

What a powerful example Jesus gives to us by his conversation with the woman at the well who then goes to the city and shares her experience with them and they who hear her come to hear more from Jesus. How active are you in this sowing reaping event? If you are not you should consider your loss based upon what we have learned here.

Prayer

Father, I pray for more divine appointments with people so as to be more effective in the sowing reaping event. The joy and nourishment I have experienced creates a thirst and a hunger for more. Father, I pray that I would be more like Jesus was in this example with the woman at the well in sharing my faith. I pray that my life would be to your honor and glory.

The Food Jesus Has

Lesson #76

Thinking about these three paragraphs of John 4:27 – 42 as a sandwich, we have covered paragraph 1 and 3 and are now ready to look at paragraph 2, the filling. We pick up the story at the point where the disciples had returned from getting something to eat and were surprised to find Jesus talking to this forbidden, in their minds, Samaritan woman. They said nothing about the conversation Jesus had with the woman, but instead urged him to eat. Jesus answers them by saying, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about” (John 4:32 NET). This response really puzzles them and they say to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” (John 4:33 ESV). Jesus responds with words that mean nothing to them. “[He] said to them “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” ” (John 4:34 ESV).

There appears to be two kinds of food in view here. There is the food that the disciples went to get that is needed to provide physical strength and life, but there seems to be food that provides spiritual benefit. Jesus related that food to doing God’s will. Jesus was human and he needed physical food to nourish his body, but Jesus was also God and by doing his Father’s will he was strengthened. Jesus as God gets his source of power from within himself. We do not have this source of power before being born again. After our spiritual birth, Jesus dwells within us and is our source of spiritual food. We show our love for Jesus by obeying him (1 John 2:5) and as we do we abide more deeply in him and draw upon his source of strength to bear much fruit (John 15:5). Jesus defined his flesh to be food and his blood to be drink (John 6:54 - 56). His flesh and blood is linked to the word (John 1:14) and as we partake of the Word we are in a sense eating his flesh and drinking his blood and we are taking in spiritual nourishment and life that allows us to bear much fruit to his glory.

The will of the Father is for Jesus to give eternal life because he is the source of eternal life and when he gives life that becomes a source of strength for him. Jesus is strengthened by giving what he is the source of. We are fed and strengthened by being a conduit through which he gives what he has to give to those who need it. The woman at the well needed eternal life and so did the people who came from the city. Giving eternal life to those who believed was the food he was talking about to the disciples.

Prayer

Father, such deep spiritual insight comes from thinking deeply about a passage like this one. I am also reminded of the link between coming and believing and eating and drinking. I long to learn more about this when we get to chapter 6. Thank you for giving me understanding for this lesson.

The City People Respond

Lesson #75

In this lesson we will skip over paragraph 2 and focus on the contents of paragraph 3, defined by John 4:39 – 42. This woman, who is downcast and rejected, comes to the well at noon to avoid others, is drawn into conversation by Jesus. What she hears causes her to believe that Jesus may be the Messiah. In her excited state she rises to the occasion and goes to the city to tell about this Jesus she met at the well. Her words and the change in her demeanor caused many of the city people to believe in Jesus and as a result they came to him and asked him to stay with them so they could hear and learn more. Jesus stayed there for two days and as a result many more believed in his word.

Notice the progression of faith. Jesus speaks to the woman and she goes to the city and declares that she may have found the Messiah. As a result many from the city believed and with others they came to Jesus. As they listened to Jesus, many more believed that he was indeed the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Jesus takes a trip to Samaria, a place the Jews avoided, and meets a woman the Jews would avoid at all cost and stimulates her faith to the point that she goes back to the city and witnesses to those who despise her and as a result they come to Jesus. We need to be careful and not show partiality when it comes to who we share our faith with.

When the woman went back to the city there was some doubt in her heart about Jesus being the Messiah, but her faith was strong enough to encourage the city people to go and check out Jesus. They did and their faith became stronger than the faith of the woman and they believed he was the Messiah, the Savior of the world. This raises a question about what Jesus may have told them that caused their faith to grow as it did. In our next lesson we will consider that.

Prayer

Father, this lesson points out how important it is to share our faith with those you put before us. I have learned as I wrestle with this that these people may not be attractive to me and may even desire to take my life. I think of the many who have been lead to salvation through the act of forgiveness or even in their love for the one who was taking their life. Father, I understand that being an effective witness may require me to step away from comfort and security that has silenced Christians in the western culture. Empower me to be more effective as your witness.

A Woman with a Mission

A special link to a post I made on Gay marriage.

Lesson #74

In the last lesson we reviewed the three paragraphs that make up the section defined by John 4:27 – 42. Further review of those paragraphs suggest that the words given to the disciples by Jesus in paragraph 2 provides us with a deeper understanding of what is happening with the woman and the people of the city of Sychar. We will focus first on the woman and the people from the city then we will use paragraph 2 to enhance our understanding.

Just as the disciples returned with food they went to get, the woman left her water pot and went back to the city and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (John 4:29 ESV). This woman who was so despised and rejected as human trash, comes to the forefront with boldness and raises their curiosity to the point where they had to go and see this Jesus that she was raving about.

During the time the woman went to the city and returned with the city people, Jesus was left alone with his disciples who marveled (ESV), or were shocked (NET), or amazed (NASB) that he had been speaking with a woman, but for some reason they didn’t ask him about what he was seeking from her or why he was talking with her. This is a point we shouldn’t overlook.

For thousands of years women have been mistreated and considered inferior to men. The attitude is they exist to serve man, to provide, in most cultures, male children and provide pleasure. In most cases they are consider disposable items if they don’t meet the expectations of “their owner”. A source from which an understanding of this can be obtained is the movie “Veil of Tears” (click to see a gripping film trailer). The movie shows the plight of women in India.

As we continue our study of John we will see again and again where Jesus comes alongside the despised, rejected and abused and restores their value and dignity. Wherever Christianity goes there is great benefit for women. This you will see if you were to watch the film referenced above. Jesus has the power to restore woman to their rightful position in society. This is a lesson the disciples will need to learn.

Prayer

Lord, thank you that abused women can find refuge, love and value through a relationship with you. How exciting it is to read and hear reports of what abused women can endure and even accomplish through your love and encouragement. It is difficult to comprehend what heaven will be like when all suffering from sin is removed and we are completely conformed into your image.

An Interesting Sandwich

Lesson #73

At times it is difficult to break down a section of verses to use for a short Bible lesson like these. As I read John 4:27 – 42, I noticed an unusual presentation of material arranged in three paragraphs. As I read those paragraphs I couldn’t help but think of a sandwich because of their content. The first paragraph, defined by John 4:27 – 30, describes the woman going to the town to tell of her encounter with Jesus at the well. She describes him as a very unusual person that she thinks might be the Messiah, the Christ. Based on this information from her they decided to go see Jesus and hear for themselves.

In the next paragraph, defined by John 4:31 – 38, you would expect John to continue by explaining what happened when the city people arrived, but he didn’t. He waited until the third paragraph to describe that event. Like sandwich filling between paragraph 1 and paragraph 3 is this paragraph that describes the conversation Jesus had with the disciples when they returned before the city people arrived. Jesus talks about food to eat that they don’t know about. He connects this food with doing his will. Jesus also talks about sowing seeds from which a harvest will be obtained. Why is this paragraph placed between the woman going to tell the city people what she experienced and them coming to see for themselves? Are the topics of this paragraph needed to understand more deeply what is happening spiritually with the woman and the city people?

The third paragraph, defined by john 4:39 – 42, describes what happens when the city people arrive and hear what Jesus has to say to them. What they heard prompted them to ask Jesus to stay longer and share more with them. As he does there is a surprising spiritual awakening in the city, which makes a connection back to the seed sowing and the harvest of paragraph 2.

In future lessons we will look closely at these three paragraphs to understand them and see how they are connected to each other.

Prayer

Father, as I drove from Dallas to western New York this past weekend, I had the opportunity to think deeply about the difference between what the world has to offer and what God has to offer. The difference is like comparing life and death and all that the Bible associates with each. Father, I find that time spent developing these lessons allows me the opportunity to see the benefit of belonging to Jesus Christ. I am so burdened for what Christians are missing in life by leaving the Bible and pursuing the empty claims of the world.