I’ve shown in my previous study that the text tells us how God had communicated with mankind throughout the ages. He spoke to him in dreams and visions, through the things he created and through our own consciences. The clearest manner of divine communication, however, is through the written word of God. Through it, we not only have a history of the way God communicated to men and how men responded, but we have a picture of God in the flesh via the life of Christ (John 1:1, 14). Thus, we are able to understand what God is like, and in him we have an example of how we should live out our lives (John 13:15; 1Peter 2:21; 1John 2:6). Nevertheless, God has given man free will. We are not automatons who must behave according to our instructions. We are able to disobey and understand the consequences of such behavior. We have been in the state of rebellion against God since Genesis 3. From that time onward we’ve been cast out of God’s presence and are no longer able to perceive him, either his Person or what he tells us. Nevertheless, we have been brought near through Christ (Ephesians 2:16-19), but the decision to choose to walk with him is still ours. Read the rest of this entry »
In the context of mankind being the image of God, what should that look like? Is there a divinely intended hierarchy in male/female relationships? Is there a hierarchy in God? Is the Father the existential Leader and the Son in eternal submission? What does the New Covenant text tell us about God and Jesus? After all, if mankind was created to be an image of God on earth, we need to understand what that would look like, if it were actually lived out. Doesn’t this sound logical? Who would tell a man to do something and not explain what something actually is or what it should look like, when the man was finished doing something? Read the rest of this entry »
We are told that after eight days, Jesus once again appeared to the Twelve (John 20:26). Most scholars believe this means eight days after the resurrection, which places his visit on the following Sunday. But, this isn’t true! The Passover was an eight-day festival commemorating the Jews’ coming out of bondage. Jesus, the Passover Lamb, was crucified on the first day of that festival, so the eighth day would have been Wednesday, eight days after Jesus was crucified. Leaven, a type of sin, had to be removed from each home on the first day, but as circumstance would have it, men really aren’t that good at being perfectly obedient. Read the rest of this entry »
After Pilate thought to use pity as a tool to gain popular support for his effort to release Jesus and put down the chief priests’ demand for his execution, which was rapidly formulating into an insurrection, the Jewish authorities expressed no appearance of conceding, but cried out all the more: “Crucify him!” and apparently the people echoed their demands, but why? How could the very same folks who praised Jesus and eagerly embraced him as their Messiah only a few days prior to this, suddenly remove their support in favor of Jesus’ enemies? Read the rest of this entry »
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Seven times in the next four verses “a little while” is mentioned in the text. Jesus speaks of it four times, and the disciples are recorded as wondering about it three times (John 16:16-19). What is this little while that Jesus spoke of? Well, actually it refers to two different periods of time. The first little while refers to the few hours between the time they were all in the upper room to the time Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane and taken to the high priest. We might include the time that they beheld him as he hung on the cross, but he was completely out of their sight in less than a day. This represented the little while “and you will not see me.” The second little while occurred after Jesus rose from the dead, when he showed himself to the disciples in the upper room (John 20:19-23), and these things occurred, namely that he was going away (via the crucifixion) and he would return (via the resurrection), because he was returning to the Father (John 16:16; cp. Luke 24:50-51 and Acts 1:1-9). Read the rest of this entry »
The whole evening after their meal together, Jesus had been speaking to his disciples about these things, but what he had in mind varied, according to the context. For example, after he had washed his disciples’ feet (Judas Iscariot being still present) Jesus said he, their master or rabbi (teacher), had given them an example to follow (John 13:14-15), and if the servant isn’t greater than his master (teacher), then they should follow his example (John 13:16), and they’d be blessed in doing these things (John 13:17). A little later, these things pertained to a time when he would be in them, but he was telling them these things, while yet with them (John 14:18-25). Read the rest of this entry »
Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another (John 15:17), which points back to verse-12… “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.” This is placed in the context of what Jesus just told his disciples: “You have not chosen me…” (John 15:16). They (none of us) would never have chosen Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior of the world. The Messiah, whom Jesus offered himself as, was completely foreign to what was expected. He simply wasn’t received by his own people (John 1:11), and the world was completely ignorant of him (John 1:10). But, those who would receive him as the Messiah would be known as the sons or children of God (John 1:12). But, what does this have to do with loving one another (John 15:17)? Read the rest of this entry »
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” (Galatians 5:22-23). Yet, such fruit must not be considered fulfilled in theological agreement, but in the practice of good works. For example, Paul told Titus to remind the brethren to learn to devote themselves to good works, in an effort to supply whatever others need, and in so doing the believer won’t be unfruitful (Titus 3:14). Therefore, the fruit of the Spirit is made manifest in good works, and walking by the Spirit of Christ (Galatians 5:25) involves abiding in and living by the Life of the Vine. Read the rest of this entry »
Under the Old Covenant Israel was considered to be the vine. We understand this to be so, because in a prayer addressed to the Shepherd of Israel (Psalm 80:1), it is said Israel was a vine the Lord brought out of Egypt and planted in a place, where the heathen were cast out (Psalm 80:8). Room was given the vine to grow and its branches filled the land (Psalm 80:9). The hills were covered, and her branches extended to the Mediterranean, and its roots reached to the Euphrates (Psalm 80:10-11). To dwell under the vine and fig tree symbolized peace and prosperity (1Kings 4:25). However, Israel had become an apostate vine, yielding fruit, but not to God (Hosea 10:1). Therefore, Jesus drew from this parabolic understanding and referred to himself as the True Vine (John 15:1)! But, what did he mean? Read the rest of this entry »
While yet in the upper room, and before they left for Gethsemane (cp. John 14:31), Jesus continued speaking with his disciples, who continued to trust that he was the Messiah. Judas, remember, had left to carry out his plan of betrayal (John 13:21-30). According to my most recent studies, we learned that these men in the upper room with Jesus were struggling in their faith. All they had ever believed about the coming of the Messiah had been challenged recently by Jesus, himself. Yet, they continued to trust the he was, indeed, the one they looked for. Nevertheless, at this time in chapter fourteen of John’s Gospel, Jesus’ challenge went even deeper than testing their trust in him as the Messiah. At this time in the upper room, more clearly than ever before, Jesus presented himself to them as God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14; cp. John 14:10-11)! Read the rest of this entry »
In the Gospel of John, when Jesus speaks of his Father, his words are much more personal than when he speaks of his Father in the Synoptics. Indeed, Jesus speaks of the Father much more often in John’s narrative than in any of the Synoptics, nearly three times as often as he speaks of him in Matthew, which comes second in frequency. Moreover, when he uses the phrase: my Father, he does it nearly twice as often in John as he does in all the Synoptics combined. While the critics conclude the Synoptics don’t say God is literally Jesus’ Father, John leaves no doubt. In fact, Jesus’ enemies sought to slay him on several occasions, because they understood him to claim God as his own, personal Father. Read the rest of this entry »
Perhaps one of the most surprising developments that occurred that evening was when Jesus predicted Peter’s denial (John 13:36). How many of us, I wonder, actually consider what we do, and in terms of service to the Lord. What I mean is, do we really understand whether what we do for Jesus actually comes from God or does it come from man? Certainly, the Pharisees believed what they did, all the ceremonial washings etc. served God, but Jesus said they denied God (Matthew 15:1-9; Mark 7:5-13), in that his word was set aside so they could serve him according to their traditions. Notice that they thought they served God, but they set aside serving him according to his word, so they could serve him according to what they thought was appropriate. Read the rest of this entry »
John doesn’t mention anything about Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, except to record what immediately occurred afterward, while they were still in the upper room. The Synoptics don’t mention much else, except to document the passing of the bread and wine around the table, which was done at least twice, once before the meal began (Luke 22:14-20), and the second while the meal was in progress (Matthew 26:26-29). Moreover, the Synoptics record that Jesus announced he would be betrayed by one of the Twelve. He mentioned his betrayal, while they were eating, probably twice, but John’s Gospel records Jesus saying he’d be betrayed by one of them at least one time after the dinner was finished (John 12:18, 21). It is important, when studying what occurred in Jesus’ ministry to consider not only what one witness emphasizes in his own narrative, but what all four record. John is the only one of the four that documents Jesus’ long discussions with his disciples after the meal, and only here do we find Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. Read the rest of this entry »
These are the final words the Gospel narrator has Jesus say to the public. Scholars don’t agree as to where they fit, or when they were said. Some even believe they are the narrator’s words but more or less accurately sum up what Jesus had said. The two best positions, I believe, are that they really belong with Jesus’ departure in verse-36 but are separated from Jesus’ other final words by the Gospel narrator’s commentary on how Jesus affected his hearers. The other position held by scholars that I believe also has merit is that these are Jesus’ words (John 12:44-50), but they were spoken at various times during his ministry, and the Gospel narrator chose them to sum up what Jesus preached publicly. They characterize believers (John 12:44-45), sum up the end of unbelievers (John 12:45-47) and impart the tenet around which both believers and unbelievers revolve (John 12:48-50).[1]Read the rest of this entry »
In John 12:27 Jesus admits to being troubled within himself, over what was happening and what would happen to him. The question is, what does Jesus say about this feeling he has? Scholars are really divided over how this verse should be translated. The KJV has it: “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour” (John 12:27). The first phrase shows Jesus is anxious and the second is a question: “What shall I say?” Some scholars want to make the third phrase also into the question: “Father, save me from this hour?” While others do not. What was Jesus really saying? Read the rest of this entry »
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Save Me Out of Death
In John 12:27 Jesus admits to being troubled within himself, over what was happening and what would happen to him. The question is, what does Jesus say about this feeling he has? Scholars are really divided over how this verse should be translated. The KJV has it: “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour” (John 12:27). The first phrase shows Jesus is anxious and the second is a question: “What shall I say?” Some scholars want to make the third phrase also into the question: “Father, save me from this hour?” While others do not. What was Jesus really saying? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Eddie on August 3, 2023 in Gospel of John
Tags: afraid, Church, commentaries, husband, Jesus, Messiah, pathetic Jesus, Resurrection, scholars, wife