What does unceasing prayer look like? How might we strive for this practically?
How does prayer help connect knowledge and wisdom to action and faithfulness?
Why is thankfulness essential in prayer and how might it prevent us from becoming inwardly focused?
Why does Paul’s description of salvation in Colossians 1:13-14 help fuel gratitude in all situations?
What is the driving motivation for Paul’s prayer?
According to this passage, what is Paul’s source of joy?
What role does praying this way for other people play in Christian discipleship?
How have you seen prayer for other people shape your heart and your actions towards them?
What are some of the signs of grace that Paul is thankful for? How might this help you pray?
What does Paul mean when he tells the Thessalonians that they will be counted worthy to enter the kingdom?
In verse 6 Paul prays from God’s character and uses it to encourage the Thessalonians. What aspect of God’s character does Paul mention and how might that encourage us today?
What might be helpful about Paul concluding his prayer with a vision of the future, when Jesus returns and is glorified in his people?
Who in your life can you pray in this way for?
The last scene that is depicted in the Gospel of John is Jesus interacting in a specific way with Peter. In this section, we see Jesus ask Peter three consecutive times “do you love me?” and Peter respond with intensifying emotion with each response, culminating in an emphatic confession of Jesus’ omniscience. This final interaction gives both a resolution and also opens the door to the future by alluding to the work that Peter and John will continue doing after Jesus ascends.
Jesus asks Peter the same question three times “do you love me?” to resolve the betrayal of Jesus by Peter prior to his crucifixion. Peter, one of the closes disciples to Jesus and one of the boldest throughout Jesus’ life, was unable to follow Jesus to the cross and abandoned him and denied knowing him even at the slightest threat. There would be no other way to understand this other than a loss of faith, and a major rift in the relationship between Peter and Jesus. Jesus does not bring this up to rub it in Peter’s face, but rather to fully and completely heal the wounds and the guilt that Peter would have felt as a result. Jesus does not pretend that it didn’t happen, nor does he recap the entire situation. Instead he pushes Peter into his new reality and also fully and completely forgives him. Jesus helps establish Peter as full of faith by having him emphasize his love for Jesus and also to confess his dependence on Jesus knowing all things. Peter had tried being strong for Jesus in the past and he failed, now we see Peter who has learned to depend on Jesus who is strong.
Jesus also commissions Peter based on his confession of love. Jesus gives Peter the work of an under shepherd to feed his sheep and tend his lambs. This opens up the door to the future that lies ahead for Peter. Peter is now called to follow Christ and to live as Jesus lived. This will mean forsaking his own desires and serving the Lord by serving and leading the Lord’s people. Ultimately, as John foreshadows later, Peter would follow Jesus all the way to death. The call to follow Jesus comes after Jesus grounds Peter’s love for Christ in the knowledge that Jesus has of Peter (and of all things).
What can we learn from Jesus about how to resolve conflict and pursue peace with people who have wronged us?
How does Peter’s history of betrayal come out in his third response to Jesus’ question?
What is different for Peter? Why is he able to follow Jesus now but he wasn’t before?
What are some ways that Jesus is calling you to follow him?
After Jesus raises from the dead, he appears to his disciples. However, there is one disciple who was not there at the initial appearance of Jesus. When Thomas is initially told that Jesus is alive, he responds with disbelief. He wants proof. This is something that most of us can identify with. Especially with seemingly impossible information, we want to see proof with our own eyes, we don’t want to believe something just on face value.
Thomas persists in his unbelief for 8 days until Jesus appears to him and the rest of the disciples again. Jesus does so in dramatic fashion by appearing in the midst of the disciples even though the door remained locked. It was a way of communicating to Thomas just how powerful Jesus was and that there was no basis for his doubt. Thomas would have been with Jesus during the majority of his earthly ministry and would have witnessed countless miracles. Why would it have been so hard for him to believe what his friends had said about Jesus being alive?
With a great deal of tenderness and humility, Jesus reassures Thomas in just the way that Thomas requested. Thomas responds with one of the clearest affirmations of the deity of Christ when he responds by saying, “My Lord and my God!”. Thomas’ faith is restored and he is finally able to see Jesus for who he is. Jesus responds by affirming Thomas’ belief, and also giving a great promise to those who believe without seeing. Thomas’ belief in Jesus would have been completely solidified at his seeing Jesus. His faith had become sight. Jesus promises blessing and the same fellowship for all of those who have even the weakest of faith and without seeing.
John concludes chapter 20 by summarizing the book as a book of signs that is recorded in order to bring about faith. The greatest sign is that of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection and the result of that sign is illustrated by Thomas. We are to know that Jesus is God because he rose from the dead. Our response to having all of this revealed to us in John’s Gospel is to believe in the same resurrected Christ that Thomas touched and who promised that we would be blessed in believing.
Why is the death and resurrection of Jesus highlighted as the ultimate sign by John’s Gospel?
In what ways are you similar to Thomas? What makes the resurrection hard to believe?
Thomas had trouble believing the word of the disciples. We often struggle to believe God’s word… what is hard to believe about the Bible?
How does the interaction with the disciples and Thomas help us in trying to share Jesus with our neighbors?
After the sham trial that Jesus is put through, Pilate begins to have second thoughts. He orders Jesus to be whipped in an effort to appease the Sanhedrin without crucifying Jesus. The soldiers begin mocking Jesus in a way that relates to the charge that he was “King of the Jews” by placing a crown of thorns on his head and a purple robe around his bloodied body. The hardness of human hearts is on full display and the contrast of Jesus’ silent endurance of these horrors has a large impact on Pilate, who senses that something is different about Jesus because of the way he is enduring suffering.
Pilate then has another dialogue with Jesus and tries to gain clarity about who exactly he is. Pilate has heard from the Jewish officials that the real reason that they want him put to death is that he claimed to be the Son of God. Pilate seems to have his fears confirmed as he becomes afraid at this saying. Something about Jesus being the Son of God resonated with him in such a way as he wants to have another conversation with Jesus. Pilate asks him where he is from in order to try and establish some type of biographical information about Jesus. When Jesus does not answer this question, Pilate reminds Jesus that he has authority over his life and he has the ability to set Jesus free.
Jesus then speaks and answers both of Pilate’s implied questions. Jesus reveals that it is he who has authority and that any authority that Pilate has is given by Jesus. This answers the question, but in a counter-intuitive way for Pilate. This is another way of Jesus telling Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world, but that his authority is absolute. Perhaps most importantly, Jesus establishes that he is not a powerless victim, but he is a willing sacrifice.
The fervor of the crowds reaches a climax as they clamor for Jesus’ crucifixion. This seen is the most haunting and depraved picture of the power and destruction of sin. The very people who Jesus had come to redeem, to lead out of captivity to sin and into the freedom of the sons of God, it is those people who vehemently cry out for Jesus’ gory death. Pilate again pronounces Jesus’ innocence and removes himself from the scene, which immediately precedes Jesus’ death by crucifixion.
What are your thoughts about Jesus’ interactions with Pilate?
Why is it important that Jesus is not having his life taken from him, but that he is laying it down of his own accord?
What does the crowd shouting for Jesus’ crucifixion tell us about human nature?
Why does Jesus willingly give himself up to be crucified?
Jesus is betrayed and arrested and the High Priest and Jewish leaders are looking for a way to bring Jesus to death without inciting the wrath of the crowd or usurping their authority in a Roman territory. Pilate is the answer as they bring Jesus before Pilate under the charges that Jesus was claiming himself to be a King of the Jews. This would have been troublesome for Pilate because on one hand Jesus had developed a reputation in the area and quite a following and from all accounts he had not done anything to stir up revolution. However, to claim to be King of the Jews would have been a direct challenge to Caesar and would merit death under Roman authority.
When Pilate asks Jesus the question “Are you king of the Jews?” there is a great deal of irony that is apparent to the readers. This is because we have already learned that Jesus is the eternal Word of God, creator of the universe, and by whom all authority was established, and through whom all authority derives its power. The absurdity of Pilate asking Jesus this question is meant to be understood by the readers and it shows just how misunderstood Jesus was and just how blind people were to who he is.
After getting into a back and forth with Jesus, Pilate finishing his line of questioning with the hypothetical question, “what is truth?”. This question comes after Jesus telling him that he came to bear witness about the truth, and he is the way the truth and the life. Despite finding no guilt in Jesus, Pilate is still stuck in limbo because the crowds clearly want Jesus dead. He finally tries to abdicate his responsibility by giving the crowd the choice between Jesus and an insurrectionist/robber Barabbas. The crowd determined that Barabbas the guilty should go free and Jesus the innocent one should die.
Why do you think Jesus does not seek to defend himself to Pilate?
What is the significance of the questions that Pilate asks Jesus?
What are some ways that Jesus is perfectly innocent in unique ways, both throughout his whole life and also in this particular situation?
Why are the crowds seeking to have Jesus killed?
How does the Passover custom that Pilate references in verse 39 connect what Jesus is doing to the history of redemption for Israel?
The context of this passage is in the middle of Jesus praying what is known as “The High Priestly Prayer”. This is a famous prayer that Jesus gives as the final act that Jesus does in the book of John before he is betrayed and turned over to Pilate. In this context, we are to discern that this prayer is at the very core of what Jesus desires and is of upmost importance to him. In this prayer rich trinitarian theology comes out as we see the Son of God in dialogue with God the Father through God the Spirit.
Jesus’ words are poetic and wonderful as they weave through the various relational harmony of the trinity and then to our utter amazement, he begins to weave his people into that same harmony. Jesus desires his people to be one, even as he is one with the Father. Jesus desires that the people will be empowered by the Spirit to continue to love and serve the world just as he has as a way of glorifying God and loving the Father.
In verse 20, Jesus turns his attention to the disciples of the future. The first thing that he prays for us is that we would be one just like the Son and the Father are one. Intimately connected with the oneness that Jesus desires for the people is the relational closeness and warmth that he expresses with language of indwelling. Jesus was in the Father and the Father was in Jesus, and in the same way Jesus asks that we would be in God and he would be in us. This indwelling produces a glory that is from God that is given to us by Christ. Our unity is an expression of the glory of God and must be cherished as such! This glory has immediate expression and it also has future expression. Jesus desires for his people to be glorified just like he is glorified. He asks the Father to persevere all of his disciples so that they will make it to the same destination that Jesus has.
Finally, Jesus closes his prayer by grounding his prayer in the love of God and in the love that God has for us in Christ. This contrasts with “the world” which does not love God and does not know God and as a result will not love his disciples. Jesus, anticipates the persecution that will take place for his people, but focuses not on protecting the physical wellbeing of his people, but on protecting the unity of his people in love. Just as we know and love God, we will know and love God together because it is Jesus’ love that he has loved us with.
Why does Jesus care so much about the unity of his people?
How does true knowledge of God protect and preserve unity? How does this relate to love?
How do the persons of the trinity work together to answer the prayer of Jesus for his disciples?
How have you seen the love of God for his Son also in your life?
John 11:4 is a key to understanding what is happening in this section of the Gospel of John. Jesus informs the disciples that Lazarus will not die but that his illness will be used to display the glory of God. The rest of the passage unfolds the details of how that happens. Some of the points of tension that are introduced into this event include: the continuing persecution of the pharisees against Jesus and the forces of death that are pursuing Lazarus.
In real time, it would have been easy to mistake Jesus’ confidence for blatant and harmful detachment. Jesus’ seems unconcerned with both the reality of persecution and the threat of death that the pharisees posed to him as well as the reality of Lazarus’ death. However, this again reminds us of a theme in the Gospel of John, although Jesus is a real human person, he is not an ordinary human person. He is able to do things that no one else can do, and his confidence and trust of the Father is unshakable even in the midst of the most trying circumstances.
Verse 25 is one of the most famous verses in the Bible as Jesus proclaims himself to be the resurrection and the life and the way of eternal life. The rest of the passage is an illustration of this point. Although Lazarus was dead, Jesus proves that he is the resurrection and the life and that these were not just empty words. This is a dramatic example of the purpose that John has in writing the book. This miracle, or sign, is penultimate in that it is a perfect illustration of exactly what Jesus has come to do and how believing in him leads to eternal life. Jesus has come into the world to create life out of death, to heal and restore, and to be the only way of salvation that leads to resurrection and defeat of death.
By what authority does Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead?
How does this miracle/sign illuminate the work that Jesus does for all those who believe in him?
What can we learn about faith in the midst of adverse circumstances from Jesus in this passage?
How have you experienced resurrection life after believing in Jesus?
As the momentum of Jesus ministry continues to build and the reality of “the hour” drawing closer becomes more clear, there seems to be some deep confusion about who Jesus is and what he is doing. Despite the fact that he has healed the paralyzed and the blind. Despite the fact that he has looked into the very hearts of people he talks to, and despite the fact that he has done multiple miracles that only God could do, there is still a ton of confusion about who he is from the “disciples” that are following him.
As if to reassure us, Jesus takes some time to reassure those who are truly his disciples with this teaching on assurance. We know that we belong to him, the Messiah, the one who has come to save the world from sin and death, because we hear his voice. It is only those who hear Jesus’ voice who can be his sheep. And when you are one of Jesus’ sheep, there is nothing that can rip you from his care.
By using the metaphor of Shepherd and sheep, Jesus is connecting his audience to a rich basis in Old Testament scriptures that describe the Sheep-shepherd metaphor. In Ezekiel 34, the prophet provides a detailed description of the failed shepherds of Israel and the need for God to become Israel’s shepherd in order to gather in his flock. In Psalm 23, we learn that for David it is the LORD who is his shepherd, and as a result all of Israel has the LORD as shepherd. Here Jesus reveals himself to be the shepherd. Again, this points to his divine nature as he is Yahweh. Jesus also describes himself as the door through which the sheep come and go, and through which the shepherd will lead the sheep. In doing this, Jesus is showing us the dynamic nature of who he is as both shepherd and door. He continues for us as Shepherd through his sending the Spirit to be present with us and his continued intercession for us at the right hand of the Father. He is the door through which the sheep enter pasture because he provides the only way to salvation and fellowship with God.
For all of us who have heard the voice of Christ in the Scriptures, we can know that we are God’s sheep. And we also know that he is the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to find the one lost sheep because each of Jesus’ sheep is of great value to him. We are in his care and we continue to be reminded of that as we obey his voice as revealed in his word.
Describe your experience with “false shepherds” who come to steal, and kill, and destroy. How does Jesus as the true shepherd give abundant life where they fail?
How do we hear the voice of Jesus today? How do obeying God’s word and hearing God’s word relate?
Why is it important that Jesus lays down his own life willingly and no one takes it from him?
What does it feel like to know that you are one of Jesus’ sheep?
John 9 has three main sections: verses 1-12 describe Jesus healing a man who was born blind, verses 13-34 describe the investigation that the Pharisees undertake in an attempt to discredit and condemn Jesus, and verses 35-41 describe Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees.
Jesus heals the man who was born blind and the fact that he was born blind and did not become blind is emphasized by John. The importance of this is that it illustrates the disconnect between personal sin and personal suffering that exists in a fallen world and how Jesus ministry begins to undo that broken relationship. The disciples of Jesus were quick to attribute a particular sin of the parents of the blind man as a reason that this man is blind. This is a mistake that echoes the book of Job and the friends of Job as they are searching for a direct cause and effect of personal sin and suffering. However, Jesus’ explanation is that there is no correlation between the particular sins of this man or his parents and this man’s blindness, but rather, God had purposes to work through this man’s suffering. This idea is further developed in Romans 8:20-21. Ultimately, the sign that is described here is an illustration of Jesus’ authority over the created world, shows his power to re-create even using dust to restore what was created by dust in Genesis 1-2, and also provides an example of a physical reality that Jesus applies to the spiritual reality as well. He makes the blind see both physically and Spiritually.
The pharisees attempts to condemn Jesus are reminiscent of chapter 5 and John wants us to see the futility of the attacks and charges Brough against Jesus. The best charge that the pharisees can muster is that Jesus “broke” the Sabbath. However, as he has consistently displayed, by healing on the Sabbath, Jesus is re-establishing the true meaning of the Sabbath and is bringing creation into the Sabbath rest that he rules over. Despite the overwhelming evidence of Jesus’ healing this man (something that has not been done before ever) the Pharisees continue to harden themselves against Jesus.
Jesus further pronounces judgment on the pharisees when he describes the nature of their problem. Using the metaphor of physical sight, Jesus explains to the Pharisees that those who are convinced that they already see have no need of healing, but it is the blind that Jesus will give sight. Jesus then explains the Spiritual nature of his words as he ends the conversation in this chapter by confirming to the pharisees that it is because they believe that they can see that their guilt remains.
How does John 9 help us understand the relationship between sin and suffering?
In what ways should we as Jesus’ disciples participate in works that resemble healing the blind?
What do you imagine to be some of the reasons that the pharisees continue to look for reasons to condemn Jesus? Do you relate to any of those reasons?
Why is recognizing that you are“spiritually” blind a necessary condition for faith in Jesus?
Jesus continues to patiently reveal who he is to those who are following him, referred to by John as disciples. To be a disciple is similar to being an apprentice in our culture. It implies an intensive immersion with the purpose of learning. So, for Jesus to go to great lengths to ensure that his “disciples” know exactly who he is and what he is calling them to do was an essential part in discerning those who were true disciples, who truly wanted to learn from Jesus and know him as he truly is, not as who they wanted him to be.
In this section, Jesus lays down a fundamental mark of being his disciple: abiding in his word. This word is a revelation of truth, and the truth that Jesus reveals makes those who hear it and abide in it free. The implication that Jesus focuses in on is that his disciples need to be set free, implying that they are slaves. For many of his so-called disciples, this was highly offensive because it harkened back to the time when Israel was enslaved by Egypt. This is why the claim to be Abraham’s children is so important to them, it is a claim to already be the heirs of the promises of God including being set free from bondage and inheriting the promise land.
Jesus uses this bondage metaphor not as a way of speaking about any external reality, but of diagnosing the internal condition of the hearts of his disciples. Jesus comes for those who are slaves, to set them free. For many of those who were “following Jesus” this was the point where they could no longer abide in his word. In fact, this became so offensive to them that they picked up stones to stone him with. This shows us the power of the desire of the human heart to be our own savior. We want something that we can “control” to dictate our inheritance or our standing with God. But Jesus tells them that it is only those who honor the son who will be made co-heirs with Christ.
This section ends with the scandalous proclamation of Jesus divine nature revealed as Yahweh, the divine name given to Moses. When Jesus says, “before Abraham was, I am”, he is making a clear and obvious claim that he is God. This claim was what put many of these so-called disciples over the edge. They were unable to abide in Christ’s word because it undermined the confidence that they had put in the flesh, in being physical sons of Abraham. However, it is not the physical sons of Abraham who are truly disciples, but the spiritual sons of Abraham whom by faith become sons through trusting and abiding in Jesus.
How does thinking about being a disciple as an apprenticeship help you to understand what it means to be Jesus’ disciple?
Why is “abiding in his word” such an important mark of those who are truly disciples?
Many of the so-called disciples became offended at the authority with which Jesus spoke. How does Jesus’ authority connect with your life and how do you respond to it?
What are some practical ways that we abide in Jesus’ word?
What is it like to be God’s apprentice?
Jesus provides this bold proclamation of who he is and what he does towards the end of the Jewish feast of booths or tabernacles. This was a feast that commemorated and celebrated Israel’s deliverance from Egypt through the Red Sea and remembered the way that the LORD provided for them in the desert. As a result, a major part of the celebration was a ceremonial water pouring to remember the water that the LORD provided to Israel from the rock.
For Jesus to stand up and proclaim himself as the source of water that quenches all thirst was a claim to be greater than Moses. The thirst that Moses quenched was temporary because the people were thirsty again. Jesus claims here that he will be an everlasting source of life to all of those who come to him and drink. This claim provokes several different responses from the crowds. One of the responses that we see is that it provoked the pharisees to look for any possible technicality to disqualify Jesus from being who he claimed to be. This was very clearly a messianic claim and the pharisees knew enough to know that the prophecy was that the messiah would come from Bethlehem, not Galilee. Their arrogance in assuming that Jesus couldn’t have possibly “come from” Galilee made them completely overlook the more obvious ways that Jesus was fulfilling messianic prophecy by healing the lame, feeding the poor, and making the blind see.
Another response that this provoked from the crowds was an increased curiosity. Nicodemus again appears on the scene and seems to imply in his conversation with the Pharisees that he wants to more closely examine who Jesus is.
Finally, the intended response that Jesus desires is for all those who are thirsty to come and drink. This is an extension of the metaphorical language that Jesus has been using as he is teaching about who he is and how people should respond to him. Drinking represents a complete dependence for life that Jesus wants from his people. Instead of pretending to not need Jesus, or being curious about what he is saying, Jesus wants us to come to him in dependence.
The result of trusting in Christ is the promise of the Spirit. John tells us in verse 39 that Jesus was alluding to the Spirit indwelling all of those who come to Jesus in this way. We are given a powerful picture of what it looks like to have all of your needs and desires met by Christ, it creates a spring of water welling up out of you. When you have trusted in Christ, you become life-givers to the world. Through the proclamation of the Gospel and the heart of Christ for the world, and the power of the Spirit, Jesus’ people will be bringers of life. This is the natural outflow of trusting Christ for all of your “thirst”.
How does the context of the feast of booths add to the depth of what Jesus is saying?
What does Jesus mean when he says “come to me and drink”?
How might Spiritual pride have prevented the pharisees from accepting Jesus as the messiah? How does spiritual pride get in the way for us?
How does the Spirit make you a “river of living water”?
What are some ways that you can depend on the Spirit more than you depend on other people?
In this passage, Jesus addresses the crowds that have gathered as a result of the various “signs” that he has performed. There was a large crowd following Jesus at this point and Jesus knew that there was a mixture of motivations for people who were following him. Some were following Jesus out of curiosity, some were following Jesus because they were hoping to receive an earthly blessing from him, and some were following Jesus because he had words of eternal life.
In order to understand this passage, it is important to place it in the larger context of John writing down the signs that Jesus did during his life so that people might believe that he was the Son of God and have eternal life. This was also Jesus’ aim during his ministry. He was not motivated by creating a buzz or in drawing a large crowd of people who were curious or interested in Jesus. Rather, he was consumed by a desire to speak life to all of the people who had been given to him by the Father. In John 6:37 we see the confidence that Jesus has in the efficacy of his ministry: “All that the Father give me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” This promise is a precious gem to all who believe in Christ. We are enabled and empowered to come to Jesus because we are first given (from eternity) by the Father, and all who Jesus receives he keeps. There is an eternal certainty in our faith in Christ. It is not dependent on anything we do but only by the perfect and wise will of God, Father, Son, and Spirit.
After Jesus has explained what he means by “eating” and “drinking” of him, there are many “disciples” who fail to understand the radical dependence that they are being called into. Indeed, this becomes a “hard saying, who can listen to it?” These “disciples” clearly thought they had other options. This metaphorical language was too “hard” for them because they didn’t really need Jesus. This is in contrast to Peter’s answer, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
This contrast between true belief and false belief hinges on the will of God, and the perseverance of the believer. False belief falls away and does not follow Jesus. True belief perseveres, and though it might fall and fail, in the end God graciously sustains it and Jesus does not cast them out. This is illustrated beautifully in the life of Peter, who though he makes this confession here, fails as Jesus’ need for him is greatest, and is finally embraced by the resurrected Christ.
What are some ways that we can discern true belief in Jesus from false belief in Jesus?
How does Jesus’ words about all those who are given by the Father, and only those, comfort you? How does it challenge a man-centered version of salvation?
Meditate on John 6:37. What specific situations in your life does this verse speak to with power and grace?
Why do you think Jesus decided to give this teaching at this point in his ministry?
How does the metaphor of eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking Jesus’ blood help us understand true faith?
As Jesus is moving into Jerusalem he begins to gain momentum in revealing himself as the Son of God. There is a pattern emerging of Jesus doing “signs” and then teaching about who he is as people begin to ask questions. Important context for this account of Jesus healing on the sabbath is to remember what the sabbath is and how the Pharisees had missed the point of the law in such a major way that they were unable to recognize how Jesus was acting more in line with the sabbath than they were. For the pharisees the sabbath had become another work by which they thought they were going to earn God’s favor and merit the coming of the Messiah. As a result, the pharisees created a number of rules for how to best keep the sabbath and equated breaking one of those rules with breaking the sabbath. One such rule was that a person could not pick up their own bed on the sabbath.
But, in Genesis 1-2 we see a different picture of the sabbath. The sabbath was built off of the final day of the creation account when God rested from his work. The work that God was resting in was the work of creation as he had made it and deemed it good. It was a way that God communicated to us that he wanted us to enjoy and rest in his finished work for one day out of the week and devote that day to worshipping him as an act of rest. However, this rest was drastically altered because of the fall and the entrance of sin into creation. As a result, rest became something that we naturally resist. In a fallen state, people naturally resist the rest that God provides because they are distrustful of God by default.
In the Old Testament, the sabbath day occurred at the end of the week (Saturday). This symbolized the pattern that God had created and the place in “redemptive history” that God’s people were in before Christ. They were still in a period that was working up to rest. God was working redemption for a time and bringing rest on the seventh day. We learn in the book of Hebrews, that Jesus is the perfect rest, he is the living and breathing seventh day. We remember this symbolically by placing the Lord’s Day (Sunday) at the beginning of our work week. This demonstrates that we work out of a place of resting in the finished work of Jesus and our work does not earn that rest.
Jesus’ interactions with the man he heals and the pharisees who accuse him of breaking the sabbath take on a tragically comical tone. The law and the oppressive religious rule of the pharisees had become so oppressive that the joy of having a man who had been invalid for 38 years suddenly healed was completely robbed and choked out by the fear that it didn’t happen in the right way according to the pharisees. They were giving Jesus grief about the manmade laws about the law while completely overlooking the harmony that Jesus had created between the sabbath day and a man’s natural ability to move being restored. Jesus had shown them the sabbath day on the sabbath day by healing this man, but both the man and the pharisees could not see the grace and mercy in front of them because of pride and fear.
What are the Pharisees concerned about when they see the healed man walking? Why was his “breaking” the sabbath more important than the miracle of his healing?
In what ways do you act like the pharisees? When have you been more worried about someone else’s behavior not meeting a standard than celebrating God’s work in their life?
How does pride blind the pharisees to who Jesus is?
Why do you think the healed man sells Jesus out to the pharisees? How might fear factor into that?
What do we learn about who Jesus is in verses 18-29? How does what Jesus reveals about himself provide a definitive answer to both the pharisees and the man who was healed?
After beginning his public ministry, Jesus immediately faces opposition from the Pharisees. As a result, Jesus leaves Judea and is headed toward Galilee and decides to pass through Samaria on his way. This was somewhat uncommon for a Jewish person to travel through Samaria as there was bad history between Jewish people and Samaritans. However, this was the most direct route and Jesus is making a profound statement to the Pharisees by going through Samaria and ministering to the woman at the well.
This is also placed next to Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus very intentionally. The contrast between Nicodemus and the woman of Samaria could not be more profound. We know who Nicodemus is and he is a man of importance and great significance. Yet he responds somewhat tepidly to his encounter with Jesus. The woman of Samaria is almost anonymous, we don’t know her name and she doesn’t seem to have any great importance, yet she responds to the encounter with Jesus almost immediately.
Jesus approaches every situation with great intentionality. In doing something as ordinary as getting a drink of water, he sees the need of every person he encounters and offers himself to this woman at the well. Jesus is at once challenging and disarming, he displays a beautiful example of speaking the truth in love and getting to the heart of another person’s longings.
Jesus chooses to use the imagery of water deliberately not just because he is thirsty, but because it has a rich Old Testament history. Isaiah 55 and Jeremiah 2:13 are in the background of the language that John is using to describe this encounter, and ironically, this was a portion of Scripture that the Samaritans did not regard as God’s Word. At the same time, the concept of the LORD providing water to his people is a part of the shared heritage of Jewish people and Samaritans due to the wilderness wonderings recounted in Numbers 20:10-13.
The meaning of this encounter is very clear: Jesus is the Messiah who brings eternal life for all who “drink” from the “water” that he offers. Jesus satisfies every longing of our soul and is completely and totally sufficient for eternal and complete salvation. Another message that is communicated clearly in this passage is the ministry of reconciliation that Jesus is embarking on. Both Jew and Samaritan will now worship in Spirit and Truth rather than the divided worship that was taking place with the Jews worshipping in the Temple on Mount Moriah and the Samaritans worshipping at Mount Gerizim. Instead of these two different Mounts, Jesus made the radical claim that he brought the two together and worship was now in Spirit and Truth.
What stands out to you about how Jesus approaches the woman of Samaria?
What is different between this encounter and the encounter with Nicodemus?
Why does Jesus ask the woman to call her husband? How does he tie in the woman’s life context to who he is and what he is offering her?
What might be some reasons for the woman’s very strong response to Jesus versus Nicodemus’ more lukewarm response?
How does your own sin reveal places in your life that still have longings (thirst) that Jesus has not quenched? How have you experienced Jesus satisfying the longings in your life?
The public ministry of Jesus is being noticed. At the end of chapter 2 we read, “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.” (John 2:23). The signs and miracles of Jesus were creating a buzz. For some, they produced faith, for others fear. However, most remained curious. The curiosity of Nicodemus moved him to approach Jesus under the safety of night. Even so, Nicodemus was unprepared for the exchange that took place. Jesus engages Nicodemus in a conversation that leads to the most famous verse in the Bible (John 3:16).
Nicodemus is a Pharisee. Pharisees (an influential Jewish sect) took the Bible very seriously. Their error was believing that strict adherence to the law would eventually bring about the Messiah who would deliver Israel from Gentile (Roman) oppression. He is also part of the Sanhedrin (a ruling council that functioned somewhat like the supreme court of Israel).
Nicodemus approaches Jesus at night which may show his desire for secrecy. The darkness highlights the overall sense of confusion that Nicodemus experiences when Jesus explains the Kingdom of God to him.
Jesus pivots the conversation very directly to the Kingdom of God.
Jesus uses vivid imagery (being born again, water, spirit) to explain the concept of spiritual regeneration.
Jesus uses Israel’s judgement and salvation episode with the fiery serpent in (Numbers 21:4-9) to explain the coming Cross he would bear.
Jesus gets to the heart of the matter quickly with Nicodemus. Instead of engaging in banter, he steers the conversation towards the Kingdom of God. Jesus tells Nicodemus twice that new birth is required to both see and enter the Kingdom of God. This was shocking. Weren’t Jews as children of Abraham already in God’s Kingdom? Why would they need to be born again? Jesus makes it clear that salvation is a work of the Spirit, not a function of lineage.
The “water and Spirit” were most likely referring to God’s promise to give Israel a new heart: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:25–26).
The passage wraps up with the most famous passage in the Bible, John 3:16. God’s love is revealed in His sending of the Son. God’s love is the foundation of all that Jesus accomplished. Like the serpent that was “lifted up” in the wilderness, Jesus was lifted up on a Cross that all who place their trust in him might have eternal life. It’s not adherence to the law that will save Nicodemus, but freedom from the law through faith in Jesus. Being “Born again” is evidenced by heart-level obedience and love of God.
What does Jesus mean when he says, “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Why was this so hard for Nicodemus to understand?
Why is it hard for you to understand?What does it feel like to be born again?
How does Jesus use the fiery serpent episode (Numbers 21:4-9) to help Nicodemus understand salvation?
Does God love you because Jesus died for you - or did Jesus die for you because God loves you?
Context
This passage starts on the seventh day of Jesus public ministry as described by John. John the Baptist had already announced that Jesus was “the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” and it is in the context of a wedding that we see the first sign of what it means that Jesus is the lamb of God. The context of this first sign is at a wedding. While we do not necessarily know many details about the wedding, the text shows us that Mary has some vested interest in the bridegroom and that Jesus is there as a guest but not with any official function. While it may at first seem like random chance that Jesus’ first miracle takes place at a wedding on the seventh day of the beginning of his ministry, the author very intentionally draws our attention to these details in order add depth to our understanding of what is happening.
Observations
The setting is intentionally on the seventh day at a wedding
Jesus’ dialogue with Mary shows that he is no ordinary son, and also that he loves and respects his mother
Wine plays a prominent role in both the ceremony of the wedding and how we should understand this text
Jesus is contrasted with the bridegroom
The sign of turning water to wine manifested Jesus’ glory and stirred belief in his disciples
Meaning
Jesus attending a wedding and choosing to perform his first sign at a wedding is significant for John. This is a demonstration of Jesus’ value of marriage as a God-instituted good for humanity. The fact that it takes place on the seventh day of his ministry (third day after the previous four described in John 1:29; 35; 43) is a subtle signal for the type of wedding that Jesus is primarily concerned with. In an answer to his own question that he asks Mary: “Woman, what does this have to do with me?” Jesus answers by foreshadowing an eternal and everlasting wedding supper of the lamb that he had come to secure. This was “the hour” that Jesus had come for, and his activity at this wedding prefigures what will take place in the future. The seventh day is representative of the perfect rest that God instituted after his work of creation was concluded. It symbolizes the rest that Jesus had come to secure for his bride.
What are we to make of the prominence that wine plays in Jesus’ first miracle? Wine is a dynamic object in that it can be many things in different contexts. Wine can be sour, wine can be sweet. Wine can bring joy, wine can bring curse. Wine is also a symbol that Jesus himself uses to represent his blood. This makes use of the full range of the meaning of wine. Jesus’ blood was bitter for him, but joyous to us. Jesus’ blood is a symbol both for the cup of the wrath of God poured out in judgment, and a cup of blessing that sustains us. Jesus drinks the sour wine that he is offered by the Roman soldiers while on the cross, and we drink the wine of the New Covenant that is poured out for our salvation.
The contrast of Jesus with the bridegroom is subtle but intentional. The bridegroom was responsible for making provisions for all of his wedding guests and to run out of wine would have been a great embarrassment. The bridegroom in this story is insufficient to provide for his bride. Jesus intercedes in a way that shows himself to be the better bridegroom. His wine is so much better than even the best wine that the “earthly” bridegroom provided that it confounds the guests. Where the earthly bridegroom is insufficient, the eternal bridegroom, Jesus, is over-abundant.
This initial sign began the long process of revealing the glory of Jesus to his disciples. This sign stirred belief in them. His disciples rightly were more amazed with Jesus than they were with the wine, because they knew the one who had made the wine.
How does Jesus’ interaction with Mary show that he is not an ordinary son?
What is the significance of Jesus performing the first miracle of his ministry at a wedding? How does it foreshadow the purpose of his ministry?
What are some ways that wine is used in this story? What does it allude to that happens later in Jesus’ ministry? Where are some other places that the Bible talks about wine?
How has Jesus shown himself to be the “better and eternal bridegroom” in your life? How does Jesus provide over-abundantly where other things are insufficient?
How does this sign manifest Jesus’ glory?
John 1:1-18 is referred to as the prologue of the Gospel of John. There are two characters that are introduced, the most important being the eternal word of God, Jesus the Christ. The other character introduced in this prologue is John the Baptist. This is a unique element of the Gospel of John as it focuses on these two characters in the opening words. There is Jesus, the Word, and there is John the Baptist, the witness. This is a key component of John’s Gospel, it is primarily a revelation of God to people. The purpose of this revelation is for people to trust in Jesus and to have life in him.
The Word is a description of Christ that is unique to John. By calling Jesus the Word of God, with God, and God, John is highlighting the pre-existence of Jesus as the eternal Son of God. Turning to Genesis 1:1-3 and reading those first three verses of the Bible with this description from John, we are able to perceive the work of the Trinity in creation in a fuller way because of John’s Gospel. We see God existing as hovering Spirit, as Speaker, and as the spoken creative Word. The Word that God speaks to create is God. The act of creation serves as a “proof” that Jesus is life, and gives life. His very nature is life-giver. The life that Jesus gives serves as light that shines in the darkness and is resilient to all attempts of the darkness to quench it.
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us”. This is one of the most magnificent sentences in human language. The Creator of the cosmos, infinite, omniscient, omnipotent, perfect, took on the nature of a human. The word that we translate as “dwelt” also means “tabernacle”. This is intentional on John’s part to make a comparison between the tabernacle and temple of the Old Testament and the living and breathing presence of God that arrives in Christ. God is present in a better way in Christ than he was in the Tabernacle. “There is a place where God does still meet with man and hold fellowship with him. That place is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, ‘in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.’ The manhood of Christ is become to us the anti-type of that tent in the center of the camp! God is in Christ Jesus! Christ Jesus is God! And in his blessed Person, God dwells in the midst of us as in a tent.” (Spurgeon, Sermon #1862, Volume 31).
John finishes the prologue by showing us the implications of the reality of Jesus as the Eternal Son of God in flesh. He tells us that the invisible God has been made visible! When we look on Jesus we see God, and we see the very purpose of God living in creation. He has come to give us life and to give it abundantly. It is through this revelation Jesus the God-Man Messiah that all Old Testament prophecy is fulfilled, and God’s purposes of redemption and restoration begin to unfold in time.
Is believing that Jesus is God an essential part of Christianity? Why?
How does the story of Israel in the Old Testament help us to understand why Jesus’ arrival was so anticipated?
What stands out to you about John’s description of Jesus in the prologue?
What does Jesus “dwelling” among us tell us about God’s heart?
How does reading John 1:1-18 make you want to respond?
The purpose of the Gospel of John is stated in John 20:30-31, "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 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.” The Gospel according to John is an account of the ministry and teaching of Jesus that is both similar to the other Gospel accounts in Scripture and also has a unique style and presentation. This, in part, is attributable to the author of the Gospel of John who is mostly likely the Apostle John, the author of 1-3 John and Revelation. John structures the events of this book in a tight framework containing two halves. The first 12 chapters of the Gospel of John deal primarily with the signs that Jesus was performing and are always written in such a way that we would believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Chapters 13-21 record the events of the passion (the events leading up to and after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus) again written in such a way that a call to believe in Jesus as Messiah is always present.
The Gospel of John is perhaps best known for the presentation of the divinity of Christ. This is certainly a prevalent theme throughout the Gospel and John seems to go through great efforts of demonstrating that Jesus is God. He does this specifically by use of Old Testament allusions and noting the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in such a way as to draw a straight parallel between the work of God and the work of Jesus. It is the same work because Jesus is God.
Another theme is that of Christ as bringer of life. From the very beginning, John emphasizes life and shows Jesus as the creator, sustainer, and miracle worker who brings and gives life. Life is associated with belief explicitly, as John calls his readers to believe in order that they might have life. The description of spiritual birth develops a rich metaphor that shows us that salvation is a new birth.
Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy is another key aspect of John’s Gospel. John’s audience includes both Jews and Gentiles, but he assumes a working knowledge of the Old Testament with how he presents the person and work of Jesus. Michael Kruger points out that this theme makes three primary points:
The importance of the Old Testament.
The temporary nature of Israel’s infrastructure.
Christ prefigured in the Old Testament.
The Gospel of John has been described as being deep enough that the most seasoned and mature Christian can never exhaust it while also being incredibly digestible and understandable for the newest of believers. It has been used as a primary tool of discipleship in the church for the last two thousand years presenting a mixture of showing Jesus to be God and focusing on the divinity of Christ while also giving us an intimate look at the beautiful humanity of Christ from one of his most beloved friends. Reading and meditating on this Gospel will give you a desire to worship Jesus as Lord and to know him better as your friend.