Week 9 – Jesus Chooses Us

  b. Verses 23-25 

Jesus spent some time in Jerusalem focusing on the people.  He healed the sick, and comforted the sorrowing, but He did not stand up and say that He was the Messiah.  During this time, Jesus was enormously popular and could have easily taken advantage of this fact.  Jesus already knew that people would accept him, but He also knew that many would fall away when He told them what He had to do and the changes that people had to make in their own lives.   

Why didn’t Jesus seize the moment?  Jesus was not living for the temporal world.  He was thinking eternally.  He knew that it didn’t matter in the long run and He was there for a purpose.  He just wanted to love people and help them while he was in Jerusalem.   If he had claimed to be the Messiah by actually saying it and proving it by some even greater sign, then He could have set off a celebration and word would have spread throughout Israel and the world.  It would have been a pointless distraction and would have prolonged or prevented Jesus from accomplishing His actual task of dying on the cross as a payment for all sin.  God placed the responsibility on Jesus.  Jesus could have chosen not to go through with it.  Jesus could have established Himself as King of the world and chosen not to die for our sins, but He didn’t.  Just like we have a choice to accept Him or not, Jesus also had a choice.   

Jesus knew that some people were not believers for the long haul and they just were there for the spectacle.  Jesus never asked anyone to believe in Him unless they fully understood what that would mean.  Also, Jesus did not need to prove to Himself the hearts of men, he already knew their hearts.   

I think that Jesus could have taken advantage of His popularity and still found a way to accomplish His task in the end.  Why didn’t He?  He really reveals his heart.  Jesus has a heart for us and He would rather spend time helping and ministering to people than being hailed as an earthly king or something.  In other words, He isn’t in it for the fame; He’s in it for us.  

Question:  Have you ever had someone give up something in order to help you, like Jesus gave up the glory of the moment to be able to be close to the people and minister to them?  Have you given up something to help someone else?  What did it reveal to you about God and His heart for you?

Good Study Tool

Check out this site.  It allows you to see multiple translations at the same time.  http://onlineparallelbible.com/

Week 8 – The Reaction

b. Verses 18-22 

Jesus cleansing the temple was something that the Jews immediately reacted to.  It seems obvious that they would.  The temple was something that was more important to them than just about anything else.  This act solidified the belief of the disciples and it got the attention of the Jewish religious leaders.    

The disciples recalled the Psalm that the messiah would be consumed with zeal for the house of the Lord.  This act was something that they recognized as a statement by Jesus of “Look everyone.  I am the Messiah!”  Although we don’t see Him actually saying it here, He was saying it with this act.   

The Jewish leaders obviously were interested in who it was that was messing up the temple during the most important celebration of the year (and the most profitable).  They demanded to know by what authority Jesus did this.  They actually asked for a sign.  This isn’t a question you ask someone unless you think that they might be God or a messiah.  Jesus already had somewhat of a reputation and then he performs such a bold act right in the middle of Jerusalem, they knew better than to just arrest Him and throw Him in jail.  Everyone recognized that Jesus was making a claim to be the messiah and they asked Him to prove it.   

What did Jesus say?  He said that if they would destroy this temple, He would rebuild it in three days.  It was somewhat of a challenge to the Jewish leaders.  What did He mean?  Well, He was certainly referring to Himself.  His disciples remembered what He said after He was raised from the dead.  Also, he was referring to the temple and what it stood for.  Jesus told the woman at the well that the day was coming when men would worship God, not in Mount Gerizim, nor in Jerusalum, but in spirit and truth (John 4:21).  This is part of His message that day, that the importance of the physical structures and empty rituals were going away and He was ushering in a new covenant.  When Jesus was crucified, the temple curtain that was what separated men from God in the temple was torn from top to bottom.   

This was a little hard for the Jews to swallow, since they treasured their temple and had waited a long time to get it built the way it stood.  The important concept to grab from these verses is that we have no way to God, but through Jesus.  No temple, no ritual, no tax, no anything that we can do without Jesus.  He came to show us the way, the truth, and the life and we have to recognize that.  We are here without a way to God, except for Jesus.  Jesus shows us a lot in this one act. Most importantly that He came to be the way for us and that the true temple is in each of us through Him. 

Question:  Have you ever asked for a sign from God?  Have you ever received a sign from God?  Has God ever shown you in some way that what you are most proud of has become a hindrance in your life (like the temple for the Jews)?

Week 7 – Jesus Clears the Temple

b. Verses 12-17
Jesus makes a whip of cords and goes through the temple clearing out all the money changers and animals, etc… Jesus shows us his anger and how it can be applied to bring about a cleansing. Sometimes we feel like anger is a bad emotion and we need to learn to suppress it. Jesus shows us how anger can be a good emotion when it is used for the Lord’s purposes.

This event is also detailed in the other three Gospels put either this same event or another clearing of the Temple toward the end of Jesus’ ministry. The explanations are: 1. He did this twice; 2. John is right and the others are wrong; 3. John died before he could get this Gospel in final form and someone misplaced this passage; 4. John placed it here and wasn’t interested about placing it in the correct place. This last possibility makes sense from one stand point. The author was careful about addressing certain issues in the beginning of his gospel. This could have been placed here immediately after Jesus’ first miracle to show how Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy and is the Messiah and Son of God.

Why did Jesus become so angry? It was outright extortion of God’s children that drove him to do what He did. He did it out of compassion for His children. This occurred during Passover and during that time Jewish pilgrims came from all over the world to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. It is estimated that as many as two and a half million Jews traveled to the temple to celebrate the Passover. Part of the celebration was a tax and a sacrifice. The tax was a couple of day’s wages at the time and the sacrifice had to be an animal that was without flaw. Where the extortion came in was the only currency accepted for the tax was a Jewish shekel. These pilgrims that had brought with them other currency had to change their money and get Jewish shekels and they were charged as much as another day’s wage for the exchange. Also, the inspection of the animals that were purchased outside of the temple (which were much cheaper) would almost always result in a rejection. This meant that the only animals that were accepted as flawless were those purchased inside the temple. Again, these were much more expensive than those purchased outside. Jesus was filled with anger at the thievery taking place in the temple by those in charge of doing the work of the Lord.

The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay talks about the displeasure of God with empty sacrifices and says that this was part of what drove Jesus to cleanse the Temple. He not only hated the extortion, but hated the empty sacrifices for the sake of tradition and not from the heart. He mentions several verses in the Old Testament where the prophets talk about God growing tired of empty offerings and sacrifices, but I thought about God as a Father and how that would feel. If my kids only gave me hugs and kisses out of habit or because they were supposed to before they went to bed but there was no feeling – it would be devastating. That is how God feels about empty worship. His loves His children and wants us to return that love.

Another interesting thing about this story is that in Mark, Jesus says “My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer”. This in interesting because the area where the money changers had set up shop is the Court of the Gentiles. This is the area where Gentiles were allowed to enter and pray. There was so much going on in this area that no one could get any prayer done. It is also interesting how Jesus emphasizes here that the Lord’s house is for all nations and cleanses the area specifically used by the Gentiles.

How is it that one man could single handedly clear all of this from the Temple? He must have had an awesome presence. I can’t imagine that I could go in somewhere with a whip and really clear a place out. Someone would grab me and call the cops. How is it that Jesus was able to do this and the people scattered so quickly?

The disciples immediately thought of Psalms 69:9, which referring to the Messiah says, that He will be burning with zeal for the house of the Lord. This was immediately obvious to the disciples, but it was also obvious to the Jews that wanted to know by what authority Jesus did what he did. They knew that this act was one that would be done by the Messiah.

Question: What is in our “Temple” that keeps us from being able to worship God in a way that is meaningful to us and to God? How can we “cleanse” our temple and reestablish the natural reverence that we should have in His presence?

Week 6 - Miracle at Cana

I. Chapter 2
a. Verses 1-11
Jesus performs his first miracle in these verses. He has revealed Himself to His disciples and given them a glimpse of what He is about. This miracle is unique to the Gospel of John and is filled with little insights into Jesus’ character. Cana was a small village that was visible from Nazareth, which partly explains why Mary and Jesus were invited to the feast.

A Jewish wedding was something in those days that took several days. By custom, the actual wedding ceremony took place on a Wednesday night (this means that Jesus actually met Andrew and John on the Sabbath), but the feast and celebration would last much longer. The couple was paraded all around town and would spend their first week of marriage hosting guests. They would wear crowns and would be treated as king and queen for a week. It was a huge occasion in a time where poverty and hard work were the norm. It was something everyone in town participated in and enjoyed.

Mary was apparently in a position of responsibility of some kind or at least in the inner circle of those that were responsible for preparing for the feast. She was in the know about the wine before it became common knowledge among the guests. It is in this situation that she turned to Jesus for help.

It is also apparent that Joseph (Jesus’ earthly Dad) was not present at the feast and it is believed that this is because he was already dead. It is also believed that Jesus had taken responsibility for His Mother and siblings. Jesus was only able to leave home and begin his ministry after the siblings were able to take care of themselves. Mary turned to Jesus because she was already in a habit of turning to Him and she knew that He would know what to do. She didn’t know what He would do, but that if she turned to Him for help, He would be able to take care of the situation. The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay mentions a legend that tells of the time when Jesus was a baby, that when people were troubled in Nazareth, that they would go and “look upon Mary’s child” and would find themselves feeling better. I think it was Mary’s habit to look to Jesus for help. It’s interesting that she doesn’t ask Him to do anything; she just tells Him the wine is gone.

First, he addresses His mother. It kind of seems a little harsh to us, but if we read it with the occasion in mind it was a kind exchange between Jesus and Mary. I can picture him smiling as he asks His mother why she is asking Him about the wine, when He already knows what she has in mind. Jesus says to her “Dear Woman, why do you involve me?” This is the same way He addresses her when He is on the cross (John 19:26). The situation with the wine was something that concerned Mary and not Jesus. She was the one involved in the preparations and He was just a guest. He also says, “My time has not yet come”, meaning He wasn’t sure that this was the time for him to reveal Himself in such a way to His disciples. Maybe He had been thinking about it or waiting on God to reveal the time to Him, but he wasn’t sure it would be when His mother asked Him to do something. It seems very human to me – maybe he was a little self conscious (maybe not). I imagine that Jesus may have done things like this throughout His life, but in a private way. In the end, he did take care of the situation that concerned His mother. He also helped prevent the embarrassment of the bridegroom.

I picture him telling the servants under his breath to fill the jars. They go and do it, not really knowing why, but most likely anticipating something unusual is about to happen. When they return, he again says quietly to them to draw it out and give it to the master of the banquet. By this time the disciples had been watching what was going on and took notice. I don’t think anyone that knew said anything at the time, since it wasn’t their place, but they didn’t forget.

This reveals a lot about Jesus. First of all, he was comfortable and welcome at a joyous occasion. When you look at other religious figure (take the Pope for example) they bring with them a gloom so to speak over a party. Also, Jesus cares about people and our trivial concerns. It isn’t really the end of the world to run out of wine. It may be embarrassing, but they would live through it. Jesus does this out of compassion for those that were celebrating. He didn’t perform this miracle at a huge gathering or where there were royalty, but did it at a place that was relatively humble.

The significance of the act itself tells a story. The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay mentions the number of jars was important, as well as, the amount of water in each. First, six jars is a number that signifies being incomplete. These represent the Law of Moses. Jesus took the imperfect Law and made it perfect. Next, each vessel held about 20-30 gallons, which adds up to a lot of wine (around 180 gallons). This signifies the superabundance of grace we have in Christ.

Question: In what way has Jesus met a small need of yours? What can we learn from Mary and her relationship with Jesus?

Week 5 - Gathering Disciples

a. Verses 35-39 “The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

Again we see John the Baptist pointing out Jesus as the Christ. This time it is to his disciples. He actually does this at the expense of losing two disciples. The two quickly leave John and follow Jesus. John was unable to keep from pointing others to Jesus once he knew who he was.

The interchange between Jesus and the two disciples is meaningful. Here we have two men who are interested in at least following some distance behind Jesus, but were either to shy or uncertain of how to approach him. Jesus does something that He does for us – he met them half way. Jesus took the first step – he was the first to speak and invite them into a dialogue. If our hearts are ready, Jesus is quick to meet us where ever we are. I don’t know if you would say the disciples took the first step, but they were at least willing and ready to meet him.

The disciples asked where he was staying. They weren’t satisfied with just asking him some question in particular, but were interesting in spending time with Him and getting to know Him. I think that the author may be one of the two disciples, since he quotes the exact time of day this occurred.

Question: Where has Jesus met you?

b. Verses 40-42 “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which when translated, is Peter).”

Andrew went directly to someone he knew to tell him the good news. We have found the Messiah. The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay talks about Andrew. Andrew is an example of how important it is to just plant seeds. We may not feel like we make any difference in anyone’s life, but when you look at what that little seed grows into, the fruit is obvious. Andrew is frequently referred to as Peter’s brother. He is not one of the inner circle of disciples, but he is the one who brought Peter to Jesus. What an important guy – the guy that brought PETER to see Jesus. Peter is the rock on which Jesus built his church. Peter is the guy who preached the first sermon after the Pentecost and when you think about it, we are here as followers of Jesus because of Andrew.

There are two other examples in scripture of Andrew bringing others to see Jesus. He was one of those guys who wasn’t the superstar, but got results. We wouldn’t have the miracle of Jesus feeding the multitude without Andrew bringing the boy to Jesus. Andrew brought some Greeks to see Jesus later in the Gospel of John. I guess he was the first missionary.

When Peter first stood in front of Jesus, Jesus gave him a good look over. The word the author used is emblepein, which is an intent concentrated gaze. Jesus looked not only at a rough, cursing fisherman (which Peter was), he saw that he had it in him to be a foundation on which the church could be built. In this way, Jesus can look at us and see not only what we are presently, but what we can be and what He intends for us to be.

Question: Has Jesus shown you a glimpse of what you are to become? Do you feel like you have been given a new name in Christ?

c. Verses 43-51 “The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Phillip he said to him, “Follow me.” Phillip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Phillip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Phillip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Isrealite, in whom there is nothing false.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Phillip called you.” Then Nathanael declared “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Isreal.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Jesus finds Phillip, in a town along the way and says simply “Follow me.” He did and also went to find someone right away and brought him to Jesus. This is a natural reaction when someone is excited about something. They want to show everybody while they are still excited. With Jesus, it is something that we have always longed for and were built to long for. It is natural for us to share this “pearl of great price” that we have found.

Simple testimony is the best. We really don’t need to know lots of scripture to win others to Christ; we just need to bring them to Him. In other words, it is the story of the cross and how it impacts our own life that is likely to win others to Christ, not our superior arguments or vast knowledge. He starts out talking about Moses and the prophets, but that isn’t really anything that impresses Nathanael. Phillip doesn’t argue with Nathanael, he just says “Come and see.”

Jesus does the same look over that he did with Peter and the result is the same. Nathanael’s name is not mentioned in the other gospels. It is presumed that he is the same person called Bartholomew in the other Gospels. The fig tree is also somewhat symbolic to Jews at the time and is a symbol of peace. Jesus speaks to Nathanael’s heart when he says that he saw him under the fig tree. It was as much about his inner longings as it was about his actual physical location.

Question: When is the last time you felt like Jesus was your treasure.

Week 4 - Follow Up

The discussion today was great. We talked about the boldness of John the Baptist and how that would look in our own lives today. This discussion led to a discussion of evangelism and whether we really believe that someone must accept Jesus as Lord or face eternity seperated from God (go to hell would be another way to put it). This is a harsh subject that can be difficult to discuss, especially when we all have loved ones and friends that haven't or won't accept Jesus. The question was asked, "Is that something that is really in the Bible, in black and white?" I shared Jesus' words that "No one comes to the Father, but by me." (John 14:6). After class I really felt that this subject needed some more discussion. Please post your comments on the blog. I really think we need to all study this and try to get it right. It is one of those fundamental things that everything else is built on. If we don't get this part right, then anything we build on top won't really matter. God does warn us about being lukewarm (Rev 3:16).

Is it really that cut and dry? There are many examples in scripture that say that is it. It does seem pretty harsh to say that good people will be left behind or worse, unless they are "born again" (John 3:3-4). The kids this morning were learning about Noah and the ark. I thought about that story and it seems like a beautiful story about animals, a boat, and a rainbow, but there is much more there. The story takes a turn when God closes Noah and his family in the ark assuring their safety while assuring the destruction of those outside the ark (Gen 7:16). We are no different than Noah. We are told to get in the ark and trust in God. Everyone else will be dealt with as God sees fit.

John 3:16 says that whoever believes shall have eternal life, but leaves no such allowance for those that don't. This is where the choice comes into play - we serve as our own judge and can choose our own fate. There are countless stories in the Bible about some being prepared and the rest left out. It should be our first and best effort to be one included and to bring as many with us as possible. The parable of the ten virgins is a perfect example of a story that Jesus used to demonstrate this to us (read Matt 25:1-13). Those virgins that were prepared were invited in, but those that weren't ready were left outside. It seems like they could easily be let in when they got there, but that isn't how the story goes.

I think that the story of the wise servant (Matt 24:45-51) is a pretty vivid example. Read how the story ends with the wicked servant being sent to the place where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth".

I certainly don't like to focus on the result of rejecting Jesus, but it seems like it isn't pleasant and is a choice that leads to death. I can find no place in scripture that this is sugar coated at all. Please share some other scripture that you find about this subject. I would really love to hear some other input. I will try my best to have next Sundays material posted by tomorrow.

Interesting Article

I read this and thought that it was good enough to share with the class: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178219865054585.html

Week 4 - Chapter 1:19-34

a. Verses 19-28 “Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.” They asked him “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” Are you the Prophet?” He answered “No.” Finally they said “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied “I am the voice of the one crying in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.” Now some of the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” “I baptize with water,” John replied, but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Here is where the narrative of Jesus’ ministry begins. The first 18 verses deal with the larger concepts of Jesus and the author clearly intends to show that Jesus is the Word (logos) of God, which means that He is the creative power, reason, and Son of God. While the first part of the book is somewhat theological and philosophical in nature, the rest of the book is the narrative and story of Jesus’ life. The author is very careful to insert a timeline in the narrative in a way no other gospel does. The first week is actually detailed day by day (day six is omitted) in the first two chapters.

These passages are about John the Baptist, who is actually related to Jesus. I am not sure exactly how they are related, but Luke 1:36 clearly states that Mary and Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist) are related. In fact, the angel that appeared to Mary told her that Elizabeth would have a child, even though she was said to be barren. I don’t know how important this fact is, but it is interesting to know.

The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay states that if we read John carefully from this point to verse 2:11, we get a clear picture of the first week of Jesus’ ministry. This was a big week. The Pharisees took notice and felt that they needed to go out to the desert and visit John the Baptist and see what everyone was buzzing about. The priests (John the Baptist was a priest, since he was a descendent of Aaron), the Pharisees, and the Sanhedrin all sent some folks to talk to John. This was partly due to the fact that he was something of a celebrity at the time and many people were going to see him. He actually had a large following that believed that he was the Christ. He clearly disputes this idea here.

The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay says that the Gospel of John is two things. First, it is the story of God in Jesus Christ and second it is about the rejection of Jesus. An interesting thing about this gospel is that the Greek word for Jews (loudaioi ) occurs over seventy times and each the context is in opposition to Jesus. This gospel is as much about the rejection of Jesus as anything. Another way to put it is that is a story about love pitted against rejection and warning.

John the Baptist was what we should all be. He pointed to the Lord and helped others get their houses in order to receive Him. Those that listened to John either rejected his message, took it on board, or thought that John was something more than he claimed to be. His humble clothes and his desire to be forgotten only brought attention to him. He was quick to direct attention to Jesus.

This is interesting about baptism. In the Jewish faith, the allowance for baptism was reserved for those coming into Judaism from other faiths and was not for Israelites at all. In other words, an Israelite already belonged to God and baptism was not needed. John was baptizing everyone – Jews and I am sure some Gentiles. This was different and had the Pharisees wondering why and by what authority he was doing it.

The statement about the location (Bethany on the other side of the Jordan) is important, since there were actually two cities or areas named Bethany. From an archeological and geographic standpoint, this is very important. The Bethany mentioned elsewhere in the Bible is actually located a few miles from Jerusalem. The actual location of this Bethany is not known, except that it is on the other side of the Jordan. I expect that it was a rather desolate location, since it is known that John the Baptist lived in the desert.

Question: Have you ever given your testimony to someone? Have you ever had your faith questioned by someone with an agenda? What about someone who was just curious? Also, how does your life point others to Jesus?

b. Verses 29-31 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Isreal.”

This is day number two in the ministry of Jesus. The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay mentions that by this time, Jesus had been baptized and tempted by the devil. This was when He went to work.

First, John the Baptist calls Jesus the “Lamb of God”. This is a reference to the “sacrificial lamb”. It is also a reference to the Passover and the blood of a lamb that was spread over the doorways of the Jews so that their first born children would be spared. Another more obscure reference was that the lamb was a symbol of a conqueror (Judas Maccabaeus, Samuel, David and Solomon are all referred to as the honored lamb). All of these references are perfect as a title to describe what Jesus means to us. His act of sacrifice as an attonement for our sin, His blood that spares us from death, and His victory over sin and death are all wrapped up in this reference.

The “sins of the world” is a broader statement than just the “sins of Israel’. John states here that Jesus has come for everyone and He is here to take away our sins. That in itself is a bold statement at the time. John goes on to say that he did not know Jesus was the Christ before he was baptized, but after he witnessed the Holy Spirit come down on Jesus, he was willing to point out Jesus and claim that Jesus was actually the Christ. That was a very bold statement. It was actually something that could be considered blasphemy and could have resulted in John being put to death. This statement wasn’t what caused John’s death, but it was very bold. John also reiterates his intent in ministry was to help other get ready to receive Jesus.

Question: If you were to act as boldly as John the Baptist, what would that look like in your life?

c. Verses 32-34 “Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one that sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down on and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.

The baptism of Jesus convinced John the Baptist without a shadow of a doubt that he had met the Christ. At this time, the Pentecost had not yet occurred and people’s idea of the Holy Spirit was a Jewish understanding (although I don’t think it is that different). The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay mentions that the Jewish idea of the Spirit of God brought three things to those who received it. First, it brought the truth of God. Second, it brought the power to recognize the truth when they saw it. Last, it brought the ability and courage to preach that truth to men. This Spirit came into Jesus during his baptism in a little bit different way than it had before. It came and it remained on him. This remaining is important. Jesus had received the mind and power of God.

John the Baptist had a pretty clear understanding at this point about what Jesus was there to do. He did not seem to think that Jesus was there to lead Israel in battle and overcome their enemies on earth, which was common idea of what the Messiah would do at the time. John says he is here to baptize with the Holy Spirit and take away the sins of the world.

What does it really mean that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit? The act of baptizing is to completely soak something. Jesus can completely soak us in the Holy Spirit, where is dripping off. Completely permeated and saturated. John the Baptist baptism did two things (1) it cleansed; (2) it dedicated. This is different than what we receive from a baptism of the Holy Spirit. From Jesus’ baptism we receive (1) knowledge – our purpose in life and the will of God are clear; (2) strength – the strength to use the knowledge and to follow our purpose through to completion; and (3) purification – the baptism is also a baptism of fire that burn away our impurities and self and leaves us new and pure.

Question: When have you seen the Holy Spirit in action? Have you ever witnessed a miracle? If so, what did you do with that experience (how did it affect your life)?

Week 2 Follow Up

Great discussion today, everyone! We got all the way through verse 3. We decided to do verses 4-11 next week and 12-18 in two weeks. One follow up item was about the promises of God. I found a link to a good list, which is broken out by book. You can see it at: http://tinyurl.com/6mkypn. Also, we had a few comments posted on the blog prior to today and they were a great addition to the discussion. Keep them coming!!

Study of John - Week 2

September 7, 2008

Get ready, folks! The beginning of John is DEEP. I will try to keep us above water!!

I. Chapter 1
a. Verses 1-18: These verses are the philosophical basis for the introduction of Jesus to the Gentiles. The foundation on which everything else is built. I truly think that these are some of the most powerful verses in the Bible. They say so much. In fact, they really get to the core of who God is, who Jesus is, who we are, how we were made, and how we relate to each other. They say much more than I realized when I began to prepare for this. There are some deep ideas here, but stick with me and we’ll get through it. The purpose John had in writing this book is in John 20:31 – so that we may hear and believe and have life in Jesus’ name.

i. Verse 1-2: “In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God;” In the beginning – this phrase is also found in Genesis 1, which is also the phrase that begins the Bible. It is interesting that this goes even further back than Genesis. Prior to the creation of the heavens and the earth. The author is demonstrating that Jesus has been here from the beginning and through Him we can have a new beginning. It also ties Jesus to the beginning of all creation. Jesus (refer to verse 14-18) was here before time began with God. In other Words, God’s Word was not created, but existed before creation. The word “Word” here is Logos in Greek, which refers to “word, thought, concept, and the expression thereof” and in the Greek world was used to refer to “creative control and the ideas of reason” (Ryrie Study Bible, Moody). This was the Greek’s own word and John used it intentionally to declare to them that Jesus was the “Logos” that they constantly debated in their philosophical circles. Another way to state this is that Jesus is the Word personified.

The Word was God – God’s Word, His actual thought – existed prior to creation. His thought has creative power and becomes reality. Again, Jesus is the personification of this thought. The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay lists a few passages in the Old Testament that also demonstrate this idea: Proverbs 3:18-20; Proverbs 4:5-13; and most importantly Proverbs 8:22-36. These verses talk about wisdom and equate it to thought and its creative power. Also, these verses establish that the creation of wisdom was prior to the rest of creation. This wisdom is His “Word”. His Word is eternal and not part of the creation, which was brought forth in time and space. Jesus and God are identical, yet distinct. I know that is hard to wrap your mind around, but let’s move on.

QUESTION: How would you define reality? Do you think that reality has anything to do with our relationship with God? Is reality purely a matter of what you perceive? Is reality relative or different for each person or is always the same? How does this impact your daily life?

ii. Verse 3: “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” The creative force of the Universe – God’s Word (Jesus). All things that were ever created were made through Jesus. Jesus is this power and it does not exist without Him. The basic building blocks of reality, absolute truth, life, the physical and spiritual world do not exist but by Jesus. He says Himself later “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father, but by Me.”, John 14:6. This statement of Jesus is meant to equate Himself with God. He has come to redeem that which has been His from the beginning.

The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay mentions that the author included this idea partly because of the prevalence of Gnosticism at that time, which held the idea that the god of the Old Testament (evil God) created the world and was hostile to the god of the New Testament (good God), who was the father of Jesus. The author is refuting this idea, while demonstrating the unchanging nature of God quite beautifully. If Jesus is God and he existed in the beginning (before time), then the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament are the same and He has not changed and will not ever change. That is something that we can truly place our faith in and rely on.

As I thought about this, I compared God’s unchanging nature to something physical that I know is unchanging –gravity (maybe it changes some here on earth, I don’t really know but it seemed like a good example). I thought about how I personally put my trust everyday in the law of gravity (I am sure you do too - so what right?). I know that gravity is true and it will continue to be true, so I go about taking advantage of this law. I apply this law to my advantage every day. In other words, I don’t plan my day around the possibility that gravity may fail and I need to be tied down at all times so I don’t float off into space. Not taking advantage of this law would be a real waste of time and energy. The same concept applies to the laws and promises of God. God is the same before, now, and always and He has given us physical and spiritual truths and revealed them to us in numerous ways to help us understand how He set things up for us. These are laws – not like a rule that we must obey or we will be punished – but truths about life and how He set up this world in which we live that we can always rely on. We can either take advantage of these laws (it’s what God intends for us to do) or we can “kick against the goads” like Paul did before He met Jesus on the road to Damascus. These laws and truths he reveals to us are His nature.

QUESTION: How would you change your life if you listed out the promises of God and went about your life with total confidence that they were automatic and something that you could totally depend?

iii. Verse 4: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” First of all, we are part of His creation. He is the source of life. This life that has always existed in Him, He has placed in us. The life that sustains Him, also sustains us. The life that sustains Him is the light of our life.

The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay mentions that the author uses light and life repeatedly throughout the Gospel of John. This light is that which is within us through faith in Jesus. As the song goes “This little of mine, I’m gonna let is shine”. This little light is part of and connected to almighty God, the power of all creation, the source of truth, the strength that can start and stop hurricanes and tornadoes, the creator of the vastness of the universe and the delicate petals of a flower and any other awe inspiring thing that you can think of. The cool thing about that is this light is in us and it is not diluted in us. This little light in us has the potency of God, because it is our connection to Him and His strength, power, greatness, love, peace, wisdom, etc…. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 that nothing would be impossible for us, if we only have faith (mustard seed and moving mountains). He is in us and we can tap into that awesomeness and the only requirement is faith. The beauty of this is that the more we seek Him and we decrease, the more His power increases in our lives. Read Mark 11:22-26.

The author also mentions life. This is life as designed by the creator. The abundant, everlasting life that is only possible when you get in touch with the source – Jesus. Living is something other than merely existing. Life as intended is about abundance. Abundance isn’t about constant struggle or striving, there is always plenty. We aren’t talking about a creator who has just enough to get by and His creation reflects that. Abundance is all around us in nature. Look at all of excess in the natural world that we consider normal.

We can exist in this world and can even learn how to thrive here in certain aspects of our lives without achieving this abundant life. A man can learn how to take advantage of the Law of Prosperity and accumulate a massive fortune. God created the truths that anyone (even atheists) can put to work for himself, if we recognize these truths and apply them effectively. These laws are good and when applied will result in God’s intent, such as abundant wealth or health or any other blessing. In other words, God is happy for us to achieve great wealth, health, etc…, but that isn’t all there is to life and we all know it in our hearts. If a man has achieved great wealth, but does not know Jesus, he isn’t even really alive in eternal terms. When you think about eternity in mathematical terms our lifespan here on earth is zero when compared to infinity. A man can exist apart from Jesus, but he cannot even know or understand what true life is. He is not truly blessed and he doesn’t have true abundance, since these are only achieved through Christ Jesus.

If we put our lives on a scale of 0 to infinity, with 0 being completely undesirable and infinity being eternal bliss, there is a point somewhere along the line that we would not choose to have ever lived at all and some point along the line where we would feel our wildest dreams have come true. It sounds pretty drastic, but that is the choice we have in life – zero or infinity and nowhere in between is really an option. The narrow way or the wide easy way, it really is that simple (Matt 7:13-14). I love this: The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay mentions the word aionios, which is repeatedly used in the Bible to describe God and it means eternal. In the true meaning of the word, only God is eternal. It would follow that an eternal life is God’s life. That is what Jesus offers us – the life that God lives. You can bet that is a pretty swell life.

QUESTION: Has there ever been an event in your life which enabled you to better understand God and His plans for you? Have you ever prayed for something or did something in faith and received an answer or miracle and you knew that it was God? How would a miracle change the way you lived your life?

iv. Verse 5: “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” To me, this verse beautifully illustrates how God works and reveals Himself to us with simple things. Proverbs 2:12-14 talks about the darkness that is mentioned here by the author. We can see in nature how light cannot be extinguished by darkness. When I was a teenager, I was able to tour a cave in Carlsbad that was not on the normal route and was only open to guided tours. At the halfway point, the Park Ranger had us all turn off our flashlights and let our eyes adjust for a few seconds. It was complete darkness and the darkest place I have ever been in my life. In fact, you could not see your hand in front of your eyes (literally). He then turned around and lit a single candle (he had to turn around to protect our eyes). The single flame from the candle lit the enormous chamber that we were in. The chamber was roughly 100-yds by 70-yards and the ceiling was about 30-40 feet high. In this deep darkness, a single flame was enough to light it completely. In other words, all of the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the smallest flame. Jesus is the light of the world and no matter how much darkness is in the world, it cannot defeat the light.

The darkness cannot understand the light. This is a very important concept. The understanding of the things of God is given to us, not something that we have in ourselves apart from God. God grants understanding to those he chooses (those that are His children). 1 John 5:20 says “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true.” The world (or anyone who rejects God and Jesus) does not understand the light and is therefore hostile to it. It is a condition of the heart and God knows our hearts. Proverbs 2:1-6 says “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” The reward is shown here, but those that reject the understanding and wisdom that God can give do not receive it and therefore cannot understand the ways and truth of God. Proverbs 2:9 “Then you will understand what is right and just and fair – every good path.” Jesus Himself says in Matthew 11:25 “I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, but revealed them to little children.”

QUESTION: Where have you heard or seen something that was presented as if was good and everyone should do it, but you knew that it was full of darkness. How did you deal with it?

v. Verses 6-9 “There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” John the Baptist got an early start and “lept in his mother’s womb” when his mother heard Mary’s greeting while she was still pregnant with Jesus (see Luke 1:41). This guy was on fire for God even before he was born. His role is simply to be a witness. The follow on verses in John the Baptist talk about how he denies that he is the Christ or even a great prophet. The author also does not in any way diminish John the Baptist’s role, but actually shows how important he actually was.

The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay says that the author put in these verses at least partly because of a small number of people at that time that only recognized the baptism of John the Baptist (see Acts 19:1-7). I think that it is very interesting how the author addressed so many different groups and major concepts in such a short few paragraphs. First, specific things related to introducing the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles and now language specific to the groups who only recognized John the Baptist. Although it has these specific groups and issues of that time in mind, it is still very meaningful and applicable today.

I thought about this group that thought more of John the Baptist than he claimed to be himself and how that applies to us today. I am sure you have heard of people or churches where some personality in the church (or outside the church) become the focal point and took people’s eyes off of Christ. People tend to gravitate toward things that they can actually see, so we have to be careful and remember that faith in what we cannot see is what is important.

Verse 9 shows how the light is available to everyone. It is also referred to a little differently as the “true light”. The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay says that the Greek for this word is alethinos, which means real or genuine. I think this is very important because we must recognize that there can be truth in things, even those that are hostile to God. The “true” light is Christ, even if there is light in other things. For example, there are many beautiful ideas in Buddhism, things that are full of truth, but ultimately Buddhism falls short of the glory of God. To walk in the “true” light, you must walk with Jesus Christ.

The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay also mentions four concepts that are demonstrated by this verse - His coming dissipated the shadows of doubt, despair, darkness of death, and was available to every man. Jesus was able to demonstrate in front of their eyes the character of God. He took away despair by not only showing them the way, but giving them the power necessary to walk in the light. He brought an end to the fear of death. Lastly, this light was brought to all men, Jews and Gentile alike.

QUESTION: When in your life have you placed more importance on a blessing than on God? How can you get your focus back on God?

vi. Verses 10-11 “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not recognize him.” These verses address the fact that the Jews and the rest of the world did not accept him as the Christ. In Romans 1:19-20, Paul says that we are all without excuse since God has revealed Himself through his creation. The rock band Live has a song that says:

“I don't need no one to tell me about heaven
I look at my daughter, and I believe.I don't need no proof when it comes to God and truthI can see the sunset and I perceive”

We should all have this type of faith that is based on what I think we all really know to be true in our hearts. If we truly seek truth and search our own hearts it will be revealed to us no matter our circumstances. It is revealed in ourselves and in our world. We each have an inner longing for the eternal and this is no mistake.

The author uses “the world” to refer to those that refuse to acknowledge or to seek God and instead pursue the “ways of the world” as you may have heard it said. I think another term that could be interchanged with this today is society.

The other concept in these two verses is about Jesus coming to earth in bodily form. He specifically came to His people (the Jews) and His land (the Holy Land). These are a people that have been set apart by God and a place that was special. It was in this setting that he was rejected. God’s people had been prepared for the task of receiving Jesus for centuries and they refused when the time came. It is the ultimate demonstration of love and humility that He demonstrates by allowing Himself to be rejected and killed by His own for their own good.

QUESTION: How has God prepared you to receive Him? Have you refused or dragged your feet?

vii. Verses 12-13 “Yet to all who receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural decent, not of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” Not everyone rejected him and for those that “receive him” there is a reward. The best model of this is adoption. Actually, in Jewish law someone can disown their naturally born children for certain things, but once a child was adopted, there is no such allowance. Once you are adopted, it is for good - there is no going back. That is the confidence we can have in our adoption as children of God. All of us are children of God in the sense that we owe our existence to Him. This fact does not allow us to approach God and establish a relationship with Him. In fact, the Jews did not even think that this was possible. Moses, Abraham, Noah, Adam and the prophets were approached by God first. This was the pattern of close relationship with God. The rest of us relied on the law to keep us in good with God. When Jesus came in the flesh, it allowed people to actually see and talk with God. Although not everyone understood this at the time, it was God approaching everyone and offering a way to bridge the abyss between us and God and establish a personal relationship. This was done at the will of God, not by any effort on the part of us. Another interesting thing is that it is referred to as a right, not a privilege. It is something that we can depend or even demand – a promise of God. It is ours as long as we receive Jesus.

QUESTION: How would you live differently if you had an adoption certificate showing that you had been adopted by God and He would be coming to get you soon?

viii. Verse 14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The reason for the Gospel of John is right here in this verse. The Word (logos or the creative force - Jesus) was flesh, just like you and me. This was an entirely new concept to everyone in the world at that time. The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay mentions that the author uses the word “theasthai” in regard to seeing Jesus in this verse. This word means actual physical sight. This is not some spiritual understanding or spiritual sight, but the author is claiming here that the Word actually came to earth and was seen by human eyes. This idea flew in the face of Gnosticism, which held the idea that pure deity could not be joined with flesh, which was considered entirely evil. This idea so upset some people that there was a group in the Church that held that Jesus must have been a phantom because the flesh could never actually comingle with God.

The Ryrie Study Bible points out that Jesus has all the attributes of God (Phil 2:6) and all of the attributes common to all humanity. He was tempted, he had all of the emotions we all experience, and had desires like we all have (see Matt 4:1-11). Jesus had to give up or not use some of His Godly abilities and only rely on His relationship with the Father (see John 8:28). It had to be that way for Him to be an adequate savior. He had to be all human to suffer and die and He had to be God to conquer sin and death and to atone for the sins of the world. He will also live forever as the God-man in His resurrected body (Acts 1:11).

The Ryrie Study Bible mentions the fact that the author uses the words the “One and Only” to refer to the Word. This is to draw a distinction between someone who believes and is born as a child of God. This same wording is used elsewhere in the Bible to describe someone’s only son (Luke 7:12, Luke 8:42, and Heb 11:17).

QUESTION: Since Jesus was entirely human, do you think that we can do what Jesus did and live without sin? What about for a period of time? What about performing miracles?

ix. Verses 15-17 “John testifies concerning him. He cries out saying “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me’. From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.” John the Baptist placed himself below Jesus in importance. He is saying a couple of things here: first, in terms of eternity, Jesus has always existed; second, John is saying that his place in ministry has ended and Jesus’ has begun.

The next concept in these verses is the fullness of Christ. The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay says that we have all drawn on the fullness of Christ. The word fullness in Greek is pleroma and it means the “sum total” of all that is God. We can go to Jesus with any need and have that need met. If it is knowledge that you seek, He is the supreme revelation. If it is love, forgiveness, or courage, all of these can be found in their ultimate expression in Jesus.

The Law came through Moses, but grace comes through Jesus. It changed the way we are to live. Instead of obeying a set of laws, we are now free to seek Him in love as sons and daughters.

QUESTION: Where have you experienced the fullness of God? Do you feel free in Christ or do you feel like you are supposed to follow a set of rules in life?

x. Verse 18 “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” Jesus is unique in that what was previously unseen is now seen and declared to the world. Jesus brings God to us and made the invisible visible and the unreachable within reach. God is no longer a distant stranger, but is a loving Father. Notice how he uses God to refer to God the Father and Jesus in the same verse.

Question: Have you ever really thought of Jesus as being the same as God? How do you picture them being the same, yet distinct? Does this change your feeling about what Jesus did for you?

WOW! That is a LOT. For next week read: John 1:19-51. Lots of verses, but two main themes and it should be a little easier.

Introduction Follow-Up

Ok, Carrie brought up a question about the synoptic Gospels and what that meant, since John is not one of the synoptics. Well, I looked it up and Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the synoptics since they are very similar. They have most of the same stories, etc... and were written around the same time. I will try and do follow-ups more quickly next time.

Study of John - Week One

Introduction

I used various reference materials for the purpose of this study of John. Here they are:

The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel
The Daily Study Bible Series - The Gospel of John, William Barclay
Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Josh McDowell
Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
Ryrie Study Bible - NIV, Moody

I chose these books because they are chiefly concerned with the facts of the Bible and have been widely accepted in the Christian world. I am familiar with these books and they met the “gut check” test with me and I feel like the writers were in keeping with what is actually written in the Bible. In other words, I don’t think that they have taken any liberties and changed things or omitted things to suit some agenda. With that, the Bible is sufficient on its own and I will try to stick to it as much as possible. Since I am not a trained Bible scholar, these books help me with things that I might not be privy to, such as the Greek or Hebrew and references. They also give an additional viewpoint and commentary that we can draw from as a class.

I also thought that for anyone who is interested, we could blog throughout the week. I will post the study material there and have it available in class. If you miss a week of class, you can get it off of the blog. You can go to the blog at http://hopeclass-fumcgt.blogspot.com/. I will review the material on Sunday night and post any additional information that I can come up with on the blog, so that is fresh for each lesson. I will also post the reading schedule for the next week at the end of the post, so you can make sure you are in the right spot for Sunday morning. I will do my best, although I am not much of a blog expert or anything. Also, where I say “the author”, I am talking about John who is the writer of the Gospel of John and not some other author of one of the books mentioned.

I have added my own thoughts and interpretations – mostly how I feel that it applies to my life, how I can apply it to my life, and how it has impacted my life. I ask that you go through this class with the mind set of how it applies to you personally and not as some additional facts that you can store in your mind in case you ever need them. Please fact check any of this stuff. That is what we are supposed to do (see how the Bereans did it to Paul in Acts 17:11). Lastly, please feel free to correct me if I am wrong, challenge anything I say, and check things out for yourself. As you study, ask God to reveal Himself to you and He will.

August 24, 2008

I. About the Book
a. Who wrote it?
i. John was written by “The disciple whom Jesus loved”. It was either John the disciple or another John (the Elder). The Ryrie Study Bible says that John was a Palestinian Jew who was an eyewitness of the events of Jesus’ life based on: 1. His knowledge of Jewish customs (7:37-39; 18:28); 2. His knowledge of the land of Palestine (1:44, 46; 5:2); 3. The fact that he also includes details of an eyewitness (2:6; 13:26; 21:8, 11).

b. When was it written?
i. 60-70 AD. These dates have been determined by various facts, including the other Gospels, the Book of Acts and the date of the death of Paul, among other things. Christ died in the years 30-33 AD, so this book was well within the lifetime of the actual eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life (27-40 years). Much of the eyewitness accounts would have been hard to falsify with so many people (including hostile eyewitnesses) still alive that would have seen them and been able to refute any bogus claims.
ii. The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay says that compared to the other Gospels, John is most the work of the Holy Spirit. This is because it was the last written. I believe that the fact that John was not written the morning after Jesus appeared to the disciples and ascended into heaven is a fortunate thing for us. The reason is that there were most likely many things that John saw and heard that he did not understand the second they happened. God has a way of taking us along a journey in our spiritual walk and revealing things along the way, not all at the same time. John had worked through a great deal of issues by the time he wrote his book and was still learning. There were many things that the Holy Spirit had revealed to John by the time he wrote the book. Jesus said in John 16:12-13 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears and he will tell you what is to come.” I know that this has been true in my life. I have had times that God suddenly revealed something to me and at the same time I realized that it had been right in front of me for many years, I was just not able to see it before.

c. How reliable is the book based on historical evidence?
i. In The Case for Christ, Craig L. Blomberg says that compared to any other ancient historical writings, the Gospels were written so closely to the actual events that the gap in time is insignificant.

What this means is that there was not time for new legend to develop and make its way into the writings. In the Case For Christ, by Lee Strobel, the example of the biographies of Alexander the Great is used. They were written more than 400 years after his death and are considered to be generally reliable. There was also legendary material written later that is not historically reliable. So, within the first 500 years or so the story remained intact, but the legendary material was added in the centuries after this time period. With John being writing so close to the actual events, it is not accepted in scholarly circles that John contains any legendary or inflated material.

d. How does John compare to the other Gospels?
i. The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay says that it was also written with the intent of being a gospel to the Gentiles. This is very important in that the others were chiefly interested in conveying a message to other Jews. Jesus was of Jewish decent and spent his whole life in the area surrounding Judea. The Jews already understood the concept of a messiah and framed their view of Jesus and the gospel of Jesus with their understanding of the history of their people. The Greeks did not have this understanding of Jewish culture and history or where Jesus came from and John intended to write his gospel with this in mind. Christianity had reached Rome by 60 AD. The author decided to write a gospel that did not take non-Jews through Jewish ideas in order to present Jesus to them. In other words, this is Jesus for everyone, not just for the Jews.

ii. John has some more theological info than the other gospels. It is also highly spiritual. There are several stories relayed in John that are not in the other Gospels: The miracle of turning water into wine at Cana (2:1-11); Nicodemus coming to Jesus (3:1-15); the woman of Samaria (4); the raising of Lazarus (11); the way Jesus washed His disciples feet (13:1-17); Jesus’ teaching of the Holy Spirit in chapters 14-17. Only in John does Thomas speak, only John speaks of the crown of thorns, and there are many other examples.

Reading for Sept. 7: John 1:1-18

Additional Resource

Try this out when you are reading the chapters. You can go to http://www.biblemap.org/ and enter the book and chapter and it shows the locations mentioned in the text on google maps. Just click on the hyper-linked text and it will bring up the location on the map. Pretty cool.

The Gospel of John

I found this on YouTube and thought that it was cool.

Study of (just) John

Ok. I am a few weeks into preparing for this and found out that it is way to much to try to do John and Romans, so it is just John. I hope that's ok with ya'll, but it is to late to change it now anyway (with me leading anyway). :)

First Post - Getting Set Up

Hey guys! I hope that this works out to be beneficial to the class. We can give a try and see.

Chad