Jesus' Farewell in John 15-16-17

"Rise let us go from here"...... are the words Jesus spoke at the end of John 14. 

Rise....

Rise, do not let the world drag you down....

let us go from here......

Remember friends, this world is not our own......

 I am the True Vine

 God's vineyard is a common Old Testament imagery for Israel. Read through Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Psalm and Ezekiel and you will find countless mention of the vineyard.

  I will sing for the one I love
    a song about his vineyard:
My loved one had a vineyard
    on a fertile hillside.

He dug it up and cleared it of stones
    and planted it with the choicest vines.
He built a watchtower in it
    and cut out a winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
    but it yielded only bad fruit.

Isaiah 5:1-2

 God carefully cultivated His vineyard and in due time expected good fruits from it. Prophets after prophets warned the people of Israel about the impending doom of the fall and captivity. Israel was already captive of its own desires and selfish ambition and turned a deaf ear to the warnings. God's hand of protection was removed from them.

"I am the true vine and my father is the vinedresser." John 15:1

John here is not suggesting a replacement theology. WE are not the new vine, WE are not the new Israel.

JESUS IS THE NEW VINE.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the good fruits the vine will bear.

 What does this mean for us? Does it mean that we are good to go once we are "Christians"? In God's economy there is no fire insurance.

Jesus cam so that the Father may be glorified. We have a choice to to go along with the plan and glorify God through Jesus or be thrown into the fire.....

I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life...

NOBODY comes to the Father but through me.

 Can grape grow and live outside of the vine?
If we are the grapes we can only live if still attached to the vine.

"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." John 15:7

Ladies, we have been faithful in reading and studying the word and I encourage you to on going. Never give up. The stakes are too high!

Any gardener knows that for a plant to flourish you have to prune it. I learned this year that in order for tomatoes to redden faster you need to prune all the leaves around the fruit.

 Pruning will be a constant in your Christian walk. It is necessary for growth and to produce better fruits.
Is it worth it?

 YES YES YES

 "You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." John 15:14-15

Jesus calls us friends.

Friends

Can you wrap your mind around this? The God who created everything calls us friends. Do not let this thought just pass by. Let this dwell in you. Let this be a constant light throughout the day.

The vine metaphor is one of a very close-knit relationship God has restored with us through his son. A very intimate relationship that will grow if we stick through the process.

Love is the glue that holds it all together.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."  John 15:13

Spoken hours before being arrested...beaten...crucified.....

Here is where so much does not compute with me.

Jesus loves me
I love Jesus
We are one.

He died for each and every one of us and yet the world hates him.
When we choose to be of this world and live in this world and enjoy this world, we hate him.

I would NEVER say that I hate Jesus, yet I live in this world and I am attracted by many things in this world.

Life with Jesus seems too hard and costly at times. Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 4:9-13

For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment. (Emphasis mine)

 We like to be popular and being a follower of Jesus is rarely popular. We raise children in opposite world, our marriages are in opposite world. Opposite, old fashioned, archaic......

Those choices do not make us popular but the truth is that once you know, you can never go back. Once you have tasted from the bread of life and drank from the living water you can never go back. This process takes time but it is well worth it. After all your life depends on it.

John 17 is Jesus' farewell. It is also called the High Priestly Prayer. It can be divided in three parts:

• verses 1 through 8 Jesus prays for himself
• verses 9 through 19 Jesus prays for his disciples
• verses 20 through 26 Jesus is praying for you

You

Underline this passage, highlight it, write it down on a notecard.

Jesus is praying for you.

Meditate on this today, tomorrow.
 Make this prayer personal and insert your name where indicated

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for [insert your name] who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May [insert your name] also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given [insert your name] the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved [insert your name] even as you have loved me.
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and [insert your name] know that you have sent me. I have made you known to [insert your name], and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in [insert your name] and that I myself may be in [insert your name].”

John Week 11 Homework Copy 2

Prayer help: Be a committed Disciple

Jesus had four levels of followers. 

The first stage is the “COME AND SEE” phase. In the beginning of his ministry, people were told to come and see Jesus. John The Baptist proclaimed, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. When asked where he was staying, Jesus told some men, “Come, and you will see.” Philip told Nathanael to “Come and see” this good man who came from Nazareth. (John 1:29,35,39,46)  The woman at the well said to the people of her town, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.” (John 4:29)

    I would liken this to a person who has witnessed Christ working in someone else’s life. Perhaps they grew up going to church, have a Christian friend, or watched a Billy Graham crusade on TV… something has introduced them to the existence of Christ, but as yet they know little about him and do not know him personally at all. Nevertheless, they are curious and want to know more.

    Once a person has seen Christ, he invites them to FOLLOW him. (John 1:43, Matt4:18-22) Having already seen something of what Jesus was about, some men wanted to know more, so when he called they dropped everything to follow him. There is a huge step that takes place here, from just knowing about Christ, listening to his words, to actually going along with him. Notice that for these men it meant a sacrifice. They left their nets, their boats, their parents and at least in Peter’s case a wife. This is a shift from a superficial belief to a sacrificial commitment.

    Despite the sacrifice involved, though, this is still not a full committal to Christ, but rather a learning phase. The disciples went with Jesus, they spent time with him, they listened to his message and learned what he was about. But there comes a time in every believer’s life that s/he must fully commit to BE WITH Christ. Many of the people who followed Jesus early in his ministry were really just after a free ride.

We see this especially in John 6 where Jesus feeds the five thousand and they are reluctant to let him get away. They say that Moses provided Manna, and they want a similar sign from Jesus. But he rebukes them as working for food that spoils. He then tells them that he is the Bread of Life, that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood. Many are offended by this and leave off following him. John tells us here that many disciples left Jesus. These were not the enthralled “come and see” onlookers, but people who had left things behind to follow him. Yet when he asked too much of them, they left.

After this exodus, Jesus asks the 12 if they will leave him as well. But Peter says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” So there is a recognition among these believers that Jesus offers us something more than the temporal, and that it is worth seeking, worth any sacrifice.
   
Interestingly, even now there is a follower left who is not fully committed to Jesus. Christ proclaims, “Have I not chosen you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (John 6:70)   
  

 There is a shift here in the teaching of Christ to a focus on his deity and his work on the cross. His “I AM” statements are begun. There is a great deal of controversy over his claims. And he talks more and more of his coming death and resurrection. As the fated day approaches, Jesus has some intimate time with the apostles. It is here that we see the final phase of following Jesus. He challenges the 12 to “ABIDE IN ME”. Jesus is the vine, his followers are the branches. Their very sustenance and life are to come from him. Without him, they will dry up and be burned. (John 15) The believer who makes it this far is fully committed, engaged and willing to endure anything for the sake of the savior. (John 16:33) They are no longer of the world but they have a mission IN the world, that of spreading the gospel. (John 17:14,18-26; 20:31)

    Where are you in this journey?

Are you the curious onlooker?

The interested follower who sees the gift and wants a free ride?

God, give me this; Lord bless me in that?

Have you become the committed believer who is learning everything you can, enduring ridicule and trial for his sake?

Or have you reached the level of committed disciple, abiding in Jesus, seeking to imitate him and MAKE disciples as he commanded in Matthew 28:19-20?

 
Note: I feel obligated to give credit where credit is due. The idea for this outline came to me as I perused the contents of a book I found on Amazon called The Complete Book of Discipleship : On Being and Making Followers of Christ by Bill Hull. I have not read the book, so I have no idea what Mr. Hull says about the four phases (Come and See, Come and Follow Me, Come and Be with Me, Remain in Me) but I give credit lest someone accuse me of plagiarism.

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life John 13-14

In our study so far we have seen Jesus interact with a multitude of people, performing all kinds of miracles. John calls them signs and he specifically mentioned 7 of them.

Here is an entry from The Tyndale's Bible Dictionary about the significance of the number 7.

In Scripture, seven symbolizes completeness or perfection. On the seventh day God rested from his labors and creation is finished (Gn 2:2). Pharaoh in his dream saw seven cattle coming from the Nile (41:2). Samson’s sacred Nazirite locks were braided in seven plaits (Jgs 16:13). Seven devils left Mary of Magdala, signifying the totality of her previous possession by Satan (Lk 8:2); "seven other devils" will enter the purified but vacant life of a person (Mt 12:45). However, on the positive side, there were the seven spirits of God (Rv 3:1). In the seventh year the Hebrew slave was to be freed (Ex 21:2), having completed his time of captivity and service. Every seventh year was a sabbatical year (Lv 25:4). Seven times seven reiterates the sense of completeness. In the Year of Jubilee (at the completion of 7 x 7 years = the 50th year), all land is freed and returns to the original owners (Lv 25:10). Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, is seven times seven days after Passover. "Seventy," which is literally "sevens" in Hebrew, strengthens the concept of perfection. There are 70 elders (Ex 24:1) in Israel. Israel was exiled to Babylon for 70 years (Jer 25:12) to complete its punishment. "Seventy times seven" (Mt 18:22) reiterates this still further. The Lord was not giving Peter a mathematical number of times that he should forgive another person, but rather was insisting on limitless forgiveness for a brother’s sin.

The seven signs were:

1. Changing the water into wine (CH 2)
2. Cleansing the temple (CH 2)
3. Healing of the nobleman's son (CH 4)
4. Healing of the lame man (CH 5)
5. Feeding the multitude with 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread (CH 6)
6. Healing of the blind man (CH 9)
7. Raising of Lazarus (CH 11)

 Along with the 7 signs John mentions 7 I AM statements. The significance of those statements goes to prove the deity of Jesus. I AM means YAHWEH. When Moses asked God in Exodus what he was to call Him, God answered

God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14

So far we have seen 5 I AM statements which were:

1. I AM the bread of life (CH 6)
2. I AM the light of the world (CH 8)
3. I AM the gate (CH 10)
4. I AM the good Shepherd (CH 10)
5. I AM the resurrection and the life (CH 11)

If you go back to your notes and reading, you will quickly noticed that the statements are linked with a sign.

Bread of life = feeding the mutitude

Light of the world = healing the blind man

Resurrection = Lazarus

 In John 14 Jesus makes a new bold statement

I AM the way

the truth

the life

We are in the Passion week. The time is near for Jesus to be betrayed and suffer the punishment for our sins. He is now spending time with his disciples (the ones that were still believing) and imparting in them some important wisdom. Jesus, their teacher, friend, mentor, the son of God takes off his outer garments and washes their feet, showing them THE WAY.

I am sure that you could have heard a fly drop. The whole situation was shocking, embarrassing, surreal. Foot washing, a ritual that dates back to Abraham (see Genesis 18), was to be performed by the lowest servant. For Jesus to wash their feet was similar to the disciples to the Queen of England coming to your house to clean your toilets. Unthinkable.

But there is a lesson here - a two fold lesson.

Repentance of sins

The way means to be cleansed from sin. When you have been cleansed you belong to Christ. This cleansing is not a simple outward cleansing but an inward one. Jesus DID wash Judas' feet. He lowered himself to wash the feet of the person who was going to betray him in a few hours.

Let me say this again:

He lowered himself to wash the feet of the person who was going to betray him in a few hours.

Let this sink in. The way means being clean, having a relationship with Jesus and NEVER assuming that you are too good to serve those who do not believe. Jesus knew that Judas was unclean, yet he still served him. Jesus did physically wash Judas but Judas was not clean because he did not accept Jesus. A person can be baptized every single Sunday and go to church every day of the week and still be unclean if they do not accept Jesus. It means accepting Jesus even when it does not look like we think it should look like. Remember: they expected a king and instead saw someone washing feet and about to die like a lowlife criminal.

 After Judas left, Jesus goes on and talk about the truth. The truth is very simple and at the same time very complicated. The disciples did not realize that Judas was about to betray Jesus. The impact of what he is about to tell them will have much much more impact after the arrest.

We, on the other hand, are reading this lesson knowing what has happened, knowing the heart of men (and women) who days after hailing Jesus will be shouting "crucify Him". We are the ones fortunate enough to live in a time and a place where reading the Bible is easy, free and strongly encouraged. We are lucky enough to have the freedom to proclaim that we love Jesus.

truth or dare: do we?

Jesus tells them "“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

A new command

Love one another

by this........

Jesus LOVES. Period. Jesus loves the Judases of this world. He loves the sinners. He loves the lost. He loves the outcasts. He loves until it hurts. He loves and died.

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Do you?

 Jesus is the life. How can you have life?

 “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—" John 14:15-16

Love is a choice. Love is THE choice we need to make every single day. Love is really the ONLY choice we should consider.

Love is not always easy. It is a choice.

But Jesus is right there. This is a simple math equation

Jesus loves me = I love Jesus + I love others

I love Jesus + I love others = I obey His commandments

I obey His commandments + Jesus loves me = Holy Spirit

Romans 8:4-7 instructs us to live by the Spirit which is the opposite of living by the flesh. When we choose to live by the flesh, we let ourselves be controlled by our own selfish desires and also by standards put forth by the world. Those standards rarely conform to the teaching of Jesus.  In order to have life we have to live by the Spirit.

The Spirit lives in us when we love Jesus, obey His commands and love others. This can only happen when our hearts belong entirely to Jesus. The Israelite were set aside by the ritual of circumcision. We Christians also need to perform a circumcision. Circumcision of the heart to remove the foreskin aka hardness.

Take time time today, this week to ponder the following verses and ask yourself what is making the foreskin of your hear? Bitterness? Jealousy? Anger? Depression?

Pray over these verses and remove the foreskin, let your heart be freely all for Jesus. Allow the Holy Spirit to be your helper. Allow Jesus to fill you with life.

You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Acts 7:51

Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. Deuteronomy 10:16

Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
    circumcise your hearts,
    you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire
    because of the evil you have done—
    burn with no one to quench it. Jeremiah 4:4

Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? Ezekiel 18:31

Great peace have those who love your law,
    and nothing can make them stumble.
I wait for your salvation, Lord,
    and I follow your commands.  Psalm 119:165-166

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18

John week 10 homework .pdf

John 7:1-10:41 Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles

Leviticus 23 mentions all the feast of the Lord. The main ones are the Sabbath, Passover, Feast of the first fruits, Feast of Weeks, Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).

The Feast of Tabernacle is a seven day holiday instituted in the Torah. It takes place right after Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah is a fairly gloomy time as it is a time of repentance. For 10 days the Jews present offering to God and repent. Yom Kippur is a day of Atonement. Righteousness finally restored.

Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) on the other hand is a happy celebration. It is known as the week of rejoicing.

"My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast for my time has not yet fully come." John 7:7-8 (emphasis mine)

Jesus is telling his brothers that he is not going.

Why?

Let’s step into the time machine and go back to the Israelites in the desert at the foot of Mount Sinai (cf Exodus 20-32).

View from Mount Sinai

Moses is about to go up the mountain and is about to receive the 10 Commandments. The Israelites were to wait at the foot of Mount Sinai. Moses’ last words to them were

“Be ready on the third day, do not go near a woman.” Exodus 19:15

Moses was on Mount Sinai for much more than 3 days and the Israelites were getting antsy. So they decided to make a golden calf, worship to it and party.

When Moses came down the mountain and saw the debacle, he saw red and throw the tablets down. Thus being the first person to break all 10 commandments. :)

Moses ask for God’s forgiveness and go up the mountain again. The Israelites were to wait and repent. The first Rosh Hashanah and the first Yom Kippur. After this they started building the Tabernacle that would hold the Ark of the Covenant.

So the feast of Tabernacles represents restored fellowship with the Lord, God’s presence among His redeemed people.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" John 1:14 (emphasis mine)

dwell

dwel/

verb

gerund or present participle: dwelling

1.

formal

live in or at a specified place.

"groups of gypsies still dwell in these caves"

synonyms:

reside, live, be settled, be housed, lodge, stay; informalput up; formalabide, be domiciled

To dwell means that you are here to stay. When God restored His fellowship with the Israelites it was after a time of repentance. John had hinted before that there had been a serious spiritual decline in Israel. Jesus knew (knows) what was in the heart of men (John2:24).

Falsehood is the heart of men. Jesus was not there publicly at first because his true presence would not be recognized. Sins were not atoned for.

Interestingly enough John7:11 states that the Jews were seeking him.

Are you a seeker?

 "About the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching." John 7:14

Specific passages of the Torah are read throughout the year. So there would be specific readings for the feast of Tabernacles. Halfway through the feast the reading would have been on Exodus 33-34.
Exodus 33-34 is about the second time Moses went up the mountain and brought back the commandments. It is about righteousness being restored and fellowship with God. It is about building the Tabernacle and God's presence dwelling among them. Jesus is reading about himself, dwelling among His people and restoring relationships. How beautiful is that?!?!

Some wanted to kill him but most were asking

Can this be the Christ?

The Feast of Tabernacles has a prophetic fulfillment. Zechariah 14:16-17 states that every nation will come to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts at the Feast of Tabernacles. Ezekiel 37:26-27 states that at that time God's dwelling place with be with them and that He will pitch His tent forever.

"During the seven days of Sukkot a sacrificial pouring out of water (called a "water libation") was performed at the Temple (Sukkah 51a-b). In a ceremony called nisuch ha-mayim, the High Priest would lead a procession to the pool of Shiloach (Siloam) where he would fill a golden pitcher with water and then return to the courtyard of the Temple." Hebrews4christians.com

Jeremiah 2:13 is a warning from God to His people as He is telling them that they have sinned against Him by forsaking Him, "the fountain of living waters." On the last day of the feast Jesus stands up and shout "If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink." John 7:38.

All who are thirsty........ It is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. Water is a mean of purification, cleansing and refreshment. During his encounter with the Samaritan woman, Jesus told her that  the water He gives will become a spring of eternal life.

Where do you get refreshed? Facebook? TV? Magazine? Or the Word of God? We make up all kind of excuses (me included) as for why we do not have the time to read the Bible and why we do not have anything to share about the passage because it was too long. We do not have the luxury to allow ourselves such excuses. We HAVE to spend time in His word and be truly refreshed.

After the water ceremony four giant Menorahs were lit.

The whole temple would be lit and become this beacon of light in Jerusalem.

Again Jesus spoke to them saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Jesus 8:12 (emphasis mine)

 Jesus IS the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus is I AM. Jesus IS all that we need.

The next sign he performs goes to prove all of that.
John 9 talks about the blind man. Many things can be drawn from that passages but here we will focus on the first part, the healing part.
Jesus spits on mud, puts it on the man's eyes and tells him to wash it in the pool of Siloam.

The pool of Siloam is the same one that the Priest would draw water from for the water ceremony during the feast of Tabernacles.

All who are thirsty.....

This pool is fed by a stream called the Gihon spring. This spring is mentioned in the book of Genesis as one of the spring flowing from the garden. The same spring was flowing at the bottom of the mountain where Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice him.
So the blind man went to the pool of Siloam and cam back seeing. (John 9:7)

I AM the light of the world.

Why did John write this gospel? He tells us in John 20:31 "but these things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name."

John very carefully picked 7 signs and 7 I AM statements. Make sure to write those down and ask yourself what they mean to you. We have shown here that Jesus IS the feast of Tabernacles. We will later on show that he is the Passover and Pentecost. We will hopefully prove that he is everything, that in Him all things were made. John 1

Do you believe?

John Week 7 Homework Copy

John 5:1-6:71 Healing on the Sabbath and the first I AM statement

So far Jesus is pretty popular. He speaks with authority and many come to listen to his teachings. He heals many and flocks of people follow him. But Jesus did not come to be popular. He was on a mission by the Father. He speaks with authority and the origin of this authority rubs people the wrong way.

John 5:1 "there was a feast of the Jews"........ 

The Jews have many feast, all ordained by God throughout the year. If you want to know more about them read Leviticus 23.

 All those feast are feasts of the Lord but here John calls it a feast of the Jews suggesting a decline in spirituality and lack of proper focus.

 By the pool of Bethesda laid a multitude of invalids. They were all waiting for the water to be stirred. It is said that an angel would come down and stir the water. The first person to go in the pool would be healed. One man that was there waiting, had been there for 38 years. 38 YEARS. Waiting, praying, hoping, at this point resigned to his fate.

The pool of Bethesda

Jesus walks straight to him. Jesus, the Word that became flesh, the son of God, I AM on earth is walking straight to this man who has been praying for 38 years to be healed and probably lost hope. Be encouraged by that. Pray, ask, keep on praying, keep on asking. Even when you lose hope God answers.

Jesus heals this man physically but more importantly he heals him spiritually. See verse 5:14

Beautiful story of grace, mercy, love, redemption except that it happened on the Sabbath. Because of this the Jews were persecuting Jesus. And Jesus answered

"My father is working until now, and I am working."

 The Jews had what they needed to persecute him and kill him. He was claiming to be equal with God!!! Blasphemy! Or is it?

What is the Sabbath?

The Sabbath is said to be be the best known and least understood of all Jewish holidays.

Where does it come from? 

"So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation." Genesis 2:3

"Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien may be refreshed." Exodus 23:4

"Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places." Leviticus 23:3

  

No work shall be done. What is work? The Hebrew work for work is Melachah. It generally refer to the kind of work that is creative, or that exercises control or dominion over your environment. Rabbis have then found 39 categories of forbidden work.  

So did Jesus break the Sabbath? A crime to be punished by death (see Exodus 35:2). What Jesus did was answer a man's prayer. Does God not answer prayer on the Sabbath? In my heart of heart I know that He does.

"Truly truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing." John 5:19

 But the Jews got him on a technicality and they will persecute Him until they can crucify Him.

This is the turning point of the Gospel of John. Gloves are off. Jesus speaks the truth and the truth hurts and disturbs. 

In John 6 Jesus makes his first I AM statement. I AM the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger. "This is the bread that came form heaven, not like the bread the fathers are and died." John 6:58. He is referring here to manna, a coriander seed like bread that God provided daily for the Israelites while they were in the desert (See Exodus 16). Jesus makes here some very radical statements like "For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink." John 6:55

 Are we talking about the Walking Dead, season 4, Jerusalem edition?

We know that He is referring to the communion and the last supper. We know because we stand on the other side of the resurrection. We know because we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts helping us understand. We know but they did not. They did not understand that Jesus was talking about spiritual food (our daily bread, the Word). This was hard sayings and many were grumbling.

"Do you take offense at this?" 

 Some teachings are hard and makes us grumble. Homework might get harder as we will be dealing with longer reading and tougher teaching.

Do you take offense at this?

There will be times when the teaching will stir you and make you uncomfortable and you will want to close the book and walk away.

And Jesus will be asking you

Do you take offense at this?

"The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life?"

Do you want life?

Take his words, ponder on his teaching, follow his commandments. And when you hear him ask you "do you take offense at this?" be like Peter and reply "to whom shall I go you have the words of eternal life."

  Amen.

   

Hoework Week 6

Thoughts from John 3

Nicodemus meets with Jesus: John 3:1-21

John 3 opens with Nicodemus coming by night to meet with Jesus. Who was Nicodemus?  We see that he is a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews. In verse 10 it says he was "Israel's teacher".  In John 7:50 we learn he was part of the Sanhedrin. Over all, Nicodemus was a very influential leader of the time. He was a righteous Jew who was zealous for the law and a religious teacher to the Jewish nation. Nicodemus saw God's hand on Jesus and sought him out to question who He was. Nicodemus was proficient & faithful in the Hebrew Old Testament laws yet his heart was not right with God. As they conversed, he could not comprehend the plan for eternal life that Jesus presented.  In defense of Nicodemus, the concepts Jesus was teaching would have been somewhat incomprehensible (especially that side of the cross) to human logic. In fact human logic can get in the way! God's ways our higher than ours and Jesus came to teach the truth, show the way, and to be the way. The Truth would set Nicodemus free!

Jesus begins the conversation with Nicodemus as "teacher" laying out God's plan:

~ You must be born again.

This phrase can also be translated "born from above" or "born anew". One must experience a spiritual birth. A spiritual awakening.   "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God." John 1:12-13

 ~You must be born of Water and Spirit

Water - represents cleansing, purifying, repentance from sin.

Spirit - God's life giving Spirit" I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." Ezekiel 36:26-28

God Himself will cleanse and purify His people through the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ. God takes the heart of stone (spiritually dead heart) and replaces it with a new heart of life and flesh. This is the Spiritual new birth!  This is new Life!  God does it, we cannot. Jesus came to offer salvation and to provide the way!

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4

Jesus moves from teacher to the Son of Man revealing what must take place.

By this point in the conversation, Nicodemus is very confused and trying to comprehend what Jesus is telling him. There is a conversation shift. Jesus shifts from teacher to the Son of God from heaven who "came down" to make new birth possible. 

 ~So must the Son of Man be lifted up

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life."  John 3:14-15

Nicodemus would have known this part of history found in Numbers 21:4-9 - 

^"4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; ⁵ they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

⁶ Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. ⁷ The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” ⁹ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived."

...as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness...

...so must the Son of Man be lifted up...

Some fascinating symbolism to consider:

• Poisonous Venom/ SIN - The Israelites were poisoned when bit by snakes and death was the result of the bite. The whole world was poisoned when bitten by sin and death is the penalty of sin. (Romans 3:23/6:23) 
• God made a way - God told Moses to lift up a bronze serpent and all who looked upon the serpent were saved. God sent His son to be the perfect sacrifice paying the price for our sins  
• Faith - The dying Israelites heard the plan to look up to the bronze snake. Then by faith they looked up to save their physical lives. Mankind as a whole is dying due to sin. We must hear the plan and look to Christ in faith. By faith in Christ we go from spiritual eternal death to eternal life!
• The snake was a symbol of a curse - The snake on the pole is a symbol of a curse. When Jesus was "lifted up" (crucified), He took on our sins and became the curse of the law.

"For our sake God made Him who knew no sin to be sin..." 2 Corinthians 5:2  

"Christ redeemed us by the curse of the law by becoming a curse, for it is written: 'cursed is everyone who hung on a pole'" Galatians 3:13

JESUS the CHRIST explained to Nicodemus HOW to be BORN AGAIN!

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, whoever believes in Him shall not perish (die) but will have everlasting life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." John 3:16-21

This word for believe in the greek is a verb - Pisteu - and is more than an intellectual belief. It is placing trust and confidence in. With this belief one would take action that would bring evidence of the belief. If you believe - then you love, follow, and obey God's Word.  

In the book of James, James talks about evidence of faith "...Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." James 2:18b-19 

We also see evidence of faith by our love and the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:13-26)  

John says in 1 John 4:8 "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

In the book of John the word believe is written some 99 times. John's purpose in writing the book of John is written in 20:31 "but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,  the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

What do you believe?  

Have YOU been born again? 

This is the most important question one will face on this side of eternity for all eternity depends on it. 

"Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2b

Do not stop praying for your loved ones. Do not stop seeking His face for renewal & restoration. Keep pressing on and finish strong. He is for you. He is with you. He makes a way!

Concerning Nicodemus - we see evidence of a saving faith! In John 7:50 we see him defending the CHRIST and in John 19:39-40 we see Nicodemus identifying with CHRIST at the cross at taking his very body (with Joseph) to prepare for burial. Nicodemus saw the light and believed the Truth! 

"I must decrease" - John the Baptist: John 3:22-36

John 3 finishes with the "testimony" of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was constantly pointing everyone to Christ. He came to prepare the way for the Messiah. Now the mission and ministry of Jesus was in full swing. John the Baptist knew that "I must decrease, but He must increase". He was never confused about who he was. He was not the Christ. John the Baptist said he was not worthy to even hold the sandals of the CHRIST!  Soon after this, we see John the Baptist in-prisoned and beheaded. Jesus speaks of John the Baptist this way, "¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." Matthew 11:11

To the end -  John the Baptist was faithfully proclaiming the Messiah!

What about YOU?

Is it evident that you are one of His followers?

Do you exalt the name of Jesus in your daily life?

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love." 2 John 1:6

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, 

Thank you for sending Your Word and for loving us. Empower us - Your children - to walk in love. Forgive us our sins and help us to forgive others. Open our eyes to see spiritual things and give us courage to follow. Make us faithful and true. To Your name be the glory. Amen.