Archives for November 2024

OVERVIEW:

Christ and the Jewish leaders (5:1-47); Christ and the multitudes (6:1-71); the conflict over Moses (7:1-8:11).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we saw in yesterday’s comments, John clearly identifies in chapter 20, verse 30 and 31, that the purpose of this Gospel was to reveal the signs Christ gave during His earthly ministry to prove His deity, so that the gift of life, both eternal and abundant (John 10:10), can be ours.

It is important to know that the first three Gospels have been referred to historically as the “Synoptic Gospels.” The word “synoptic” comes from a Greek word meaning “to see together”. These three books, as we have seen, cover the same basic material. Over 90 percent of the material covered in John’s Gospel, however, is not covered in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. While these first three Gospels deal primarily with the “events” in the life of Christ, John deals primarily with the “meaning” of these events. Perhaps the clearest example is the feeding of the 5000. While all four gospels record the event, only John follows the miracle with the sermon of Christ being the “Bread of Life” (John 6), which provides the explanation of the miracle.

But not only does John emphasize the MEANING of the events in the life of Christ, He also emphasizes the PERSON of Christ. John records key sermons that Jesus preached in which He identified WHO He is, and WHAT He came to the earth to do. It is significant that in John’s coverage of these sermons, John records the seven “I AM” declarations of Christ. “I AM” is significant in the fact that it was the name Jehovah God used to reveal who He was to Moses in Exodus 3:14. As we have noted on previous occasions, seven in the Bible is the number of “perfection” and/or “completion”. Remember, John’s purpose in this Gospel is to reveal that Christ is “perfectly” and “completely” God! (20:30-31)

1. I AM the Bread of Life. (6:35, 41 ,48, 51)
2. I AM the Light of the World. (8:12; 9:5)
3. I AM the Door of the Sheep. (10:7, 9)
4. I AM the Good Shepherd. (10:11, 14)
5. I AM the Resurrection and the Life. (11:25)
6. I AM the Way, the Truth, the Life. (14:6)
7. I AM the True Vine. (15:1, 5)

Be sure to note that there are other occasions in John’s Gospel when Jesus refers to Himself as the “I Am” in reference to His deity (4:26; 8:28, 58; 13:19; 18:5, 6, 8), but the seven listed above are unique in that they are not only descriptive of His deity, but of how He, as God, provides life. (20:30-31)

Another very distinct, unique, and interesting quality of John’s Gospel is that of the many miracles Christ performed, John chose (under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, of course) to record seven. In keeping with his purpose in everything that he recorded in this Gospel (20:31), these seven were specifically chosen to reveal that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”. Not only, however, were these miracles specifically chosen, but they are revealed in a very specific order because they form a “perfect” and “complete” picture of salvation.

• The first three show the MEANS of salvation:

1. Water into wine (2:1-11) – Salvation is by the WORD of GOD.
2. Healing the nobleman’s son (4:46-54) – Salvation is by FAITH.
3. Healing the paralyzed man (5:1-9) – Salvation is by GRACE.

• The fourth miracle stands by itself to teach that dedicated disciples must give the Bread of Life to lost sinners.

• Feeding the 5000 (6:1-14) – Salvation is brought to the world by HUMAN MEANS.

• The last three show the RESULTS of salvation:

• Calming the storm (6:15-21) – Salvation brings PEACE.
• Healing the blind man (9:1-7) – Salvation brings LIGHT.
• Raising of Lazarus (11:38-45) – Salvation brings LIFE.

It is also significant to note that each of these seven miracles introduce the discourse that followed. For example: the discourse with Nicodemus was the direct result of the miracles that Nicodemus had witnessed. (3:2) The healing of the paralyzed man (5:1-9) led to the discourse in 5:10-47. The feeding of the 5000 was the backdrop of the discourse concerning the Bread of Life in 6:1-59. The healing of the blind man in 9:34, that led to him being cast out, is what led to the discourse concerning Christ being the Good Shepherd Who never casts out anyone (10:1-41).

As we did for each of the other gospels, the following will provide an overall analysis of the Gospel of John:

1. Information About the Author.
2. His name: John.
3. His name means “Jehovah (The Lord) is a gracious giver”.
4. He is referred to in scripture as the disciple whom Jesus loves. (John 21:20-24)
5. His father’s name is Zebedee. (Matthew 4:21)
6. He has a brother named James. (Matthew 4:21)
7. He was intolerant of others. (Luke 9:49-56)
8. He is one of the two “sons of thunder”. (Mark 3:17)
9. His initial ministry was limited to Jews. (Galatians 2:9)
10. He was exiled to an island called Patmos. (Revelation 1:9)
11. He also wrote the Books of 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd John, and Revelation.

2. Facts About This Gospel.

• Approximate date of writing: 85-90 A.D.
• Written from Ephesus
• Dates of recorded events: 26 A.D. – 33 A.D.
• Theme: Deity of Christ
• Christ is seen as the Son of God
• Key verse: John 20:31
• Key word: Believe (99 times)
• Chapters: 21; Verses: 879; Words: 19,973

3. Features Of This Gospel.

• This is the Gospel that identifies Christ as the Son of God more than any other.
• This is the Gospel that has the least number of events recorded.
• This Gospel contains 15 fulfilled prophecies.

4. Simple Outline of This Gospel—Three Witnesses:

• Witness #1 – The Witness of Jesus’ Words and Works. (Chapters 1-12)
• Witness #2 – The Witness to His Witnesses. (Chapters 13-17)
• Witness #3 – The Witness to the World. (Chapters 18-21)

OVERVIEW:

Christ is the Word (1:1-3, 14); Christ is the Light (1:4-13); Christ is the Son of God (1:15-18, 30-34, 49); Christ is the Messiah (1:19-28, 35-42); Christ is the Lamb of God (1:29, 35-36); Christ is the King of Israel (1:43-49); Christ is the Son of Man (1:50- 51); Christ and the disciples (1:9-2:12); Christ and the Jews (2:13- 3:36); Christ and the Samaritans (4:1-54).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

We have come to the fourth and final of the Gospels, the Gospel of John. One of the obvious questions that surfaces in every generation of believers is, why are there four Gospels and not just one? Certainly, the easiest answer is the simple fact that God wanted it that way! That’s good enough for me, but perhaps we can site three very basic reasons why God wanted it that way:

1. The Practical Reason.

If you were a police officer investigating an accident at an intersection and had found four people who had witnessed the accident from the four different corners of the scene, it would provide you with all the information you would need to prove conclusively what had actually taken place. The four Gospel accounts allow us to do likewise.

2. The Presentational Reason.

As we have seen, each Gospel is written to a particular audience with a very particular way of presenting who Jesus Christ is. We saw that Matthew was written to the Jews to present Jesus Christ as the King of the Jews. Mark was written to the Gentiles (perhaps more specifically, the Romans) to present Jesus Christ as the Servant of the Lord. Luke was written to the Greeks to present Jesus Christ as the Son of Man. John is written to the world to present Jesus Christ as the Son of God. It is interesting to note that the word “world” is found 59 times in this book (almost one-fourth of the times it is found in the entire Bible!) John wants every tribe, tongue, people and nation of the world to hear and understand that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, God in human flesh, and is the source and meaning of life. In fact, when John comes to the end of his Gospel he declares that very calculated two-fold purpose: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye MIGHT BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ (i.e. the “anointed,” the Messiah), the Son of God (i.e. God in a human body); and that believing ye MIGHT HAVE LIFE through his name.” (20:30-31)

In presenting this Gospel to the world, keep in mind that the greatest barrier to “world communication” is not geography… it’s not money… it’s not even politics (the world is quickly moving to a one-world government!) The greatest barrier has always been and is LANGUAGE! So, take just a second to look up these verses to see what this Gospel, that seeks to present Christ to the world, is so intent on: 1:38, 41-42; 5:2; 9:7; 19:19-20. John wants every culture in the world to understand exactly what is being said, so they will BELIEVE Jesus Christ is God, and RECEIVE the life He offers.

3. The Peripheral Reason.

It is quite interesting to note what God reveals in scripture that are on the four corners of His throne. In Revelation 4:6-7, John writes, “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a LION, and the second beast like a CALF, and the third beast had a face as a MAN, and the fourth beast was like a flying EAGLE.” The connection of the four beasts of Revelation to the four Gospels seems more than apparent by the likeness of each beast to the content of each gospel, right down to the very order in which they are listed.

• 1^st Beast: Like a LION. As Matthew’s purpose was to reveal Christ as the King of the Jews, He is presented as the “Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5).

• 2^nd Beast: Like a CALF. As Mark’s purpose was to reveal Christ as the Servant of the Lord, He is presented as the One who MINISTERS in service and sacrifice.

• 3^rd Beast: Like a MAN. As Luke’s purpose was to reveal Christ as the Son of Man, He is presented as the perfect Man.

• 4^th Beast: Like an EAGLE. As John’s purpose was to reveal Christ as the Son of God, He is presented as the Word who descended from heaven like an eagle and was made flesh.

In keeping your bearings in the Gospel of John, it is important to realize that this Gospel is centered around the passover feasts. John takes us through three passovers in this book, which ultimately culminate with the crucifixion.

1. John 1:1-2:13 is the beginning of Christ’s ministry up to the first passover recorded in John’s account.

2. John 2:14-5:1 takes us up to the second passover feast.

3. John 5:2-6:4 takes us up “nigh” (near) to the third passover to the actual record of Jesus eating the passover feast with His disciples in 13:1-2, and we move into the night before His crucifixion.

Why is everything built around the passover? Well, keep in mind the things we saw in yesterday’s comments from Luke 22… Jesus is none other than the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb! (1^st Corinthians 5:7) That’s why John the Baptist said what he said concerning Christ in today’s reading: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (1:29) The passover was the commemoration of the most significant event in Jewish history: God’s deliverance from the slavery and oppression in Egypt under Pharaoh, its wicked king. How were they delivered? Through the blood of a spotless lamb! In this Gospel, John takes us to the final passover, and the shedding of the blood of THE spotless LAMB of God! This one-time historical event has been delivering people from the slavery of this world (Egypt – Ephesians 2:2) and its wicked king (Satan – 2^nd Timothy 2:26) for nearly 2000 years!

Let us allow God to use each of us to declare what John the Baptist declared in 1:29 to the lost people in our world today!

OVERVIEW:

The wicked plot of the religious leaders to kill Jesus and to contract Judas (22:1-6); Jesus’ last Passover (22:7-13); the converting of the Passover meal into His own supper (22:14-38); prayer in the garden (22:39-46); Jesus’ arrest (22:47-54); Peter’s denial (22:55-62); Jesus is mocked, blasphemed, and beaten (22:63-71); Jesus before Pilate (23:1-7); Jesus before Herod (23:8-10); Jesus returned to Pilate (23:11-24); Pilate releases Jesus to His accusers to be crucified (23:25-49); Jesus’ burial (23:50-56); Jesus’ resurrection (24:1-12); the ministry of the risen Christ (24:13-45); Jesus’ commission (24:46-49); Jesus’ ascension (24:50-53).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

The ground we will cover in today’s reading is ground that we have walked through in both Matthew and Mark’s Gospel. Though we have already read it two times in as many weeks, may God use it to minister to our hearts with a fresh sense of wonder and appreciation today. This is the manifestation of God’s love for us (1^st John 4:9), and the revelation of the Gospel (1^st Corinthians 15:1-4). In other words, as far as salvation is concerned, this is the heart of the Bible!

Because we have become at least somewhat familiar with this information, our comments today will be centered in chapter 22:7-20, as the Lord establishes the observance of communion, or what we sometimes refer to as the Lord’s Supper. First of all, keep in mind that this is the PASSOVER meal that our Lord is eating with His disciples. (Luke 22:7, 15) To understand the meaning of the Lord’s Supper, then, we must have an understanding of the PASSOVER, because it is actually the BREAD and CUP of the Passover meal that our Lord turns into His OWN supper.

• A general understanding of the passover meal.

The Passover meal was a commemorative feast that reminded the JEWS of what God had done in DELIVERING them out of their bondage in EGYPT.

• The circumstances of the first passover (Exodus 12).

God’s people were being held in bondage in the dominant world power, EGYPT, and held captive by the will of its wicked king, PHARAOH. Day after day they labored as SLAVES under the domination of the taskmaster’s whip, as they trudged out their existence in EGYPT. God delivered them from Egypt by a series of plagues, the last of which was the curse of death upon the FIRSTBORN. The only way they could escape the death of the firstborn in their house was to kill a spotless lamb, and APPLY its BLOOD to the top beam and the two side posts of the door. When the angel of death passed through the city to execute judgment, he would “pass over” every house to which the blood of the lamb had been applied. God instituted the “passover” meal on that night, and commanded them to celebrate it each year so they would be continuously put in REMEMBRANCE of His delivering power that was manifest in bringing them out of the bondage of Egypt by the blood of the Lamb.

• The “big picture” of the passover.

We, too, were being held in bondage in the course of this WORLD (i.e. Egypt), and held captive by the will of its wicked king, SATAN. (Ephesians 2:2; 2^nd Timothy 2:26) Day after day, we labored as SLAVES under the domination of the taskmaster of SIN, as we trudged out our existence in the course of this WORLD. (Romans 6:14; Galatians 1:4) God delivered us from the curse of death upon our FIRST BIRTH, because we applied the BLOOD of the true “Passover Lamb,” the Lord Jesus Christ, to our lives. (1^st Corinthians 5:7) God instituted a meal that He has commanded us to observe so we will be continuously put in REMEMBRANCE of His delivering power that was manifest in bringing us out of the bondage of this world and sin through the BLOOD of the spotless lamb of God on the cross. (Luke 22:7-20; Matthew 26:17-28)

2. The biblical and historical understanding of the Lord’s Supper.

• The transformation of the bread and the cup of the passover.

• A new meaning of the bread.

“And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

• A new meaning of the cup.

“Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22:20) In other words, “From now on, don’t go back to the picture; go back to the reality.”

• The meaning of “eating the bread” and “drinking the cup”.

• There are two basic things that a person needs to come to grips with in order to be saved…

#1– Who Christ is. (i.e. We must believe that Jesus is God in human flesh.)

#2– What Christ did. (i.e. We must believe that Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross to atone for man’s sin.)

• Jesus’ metaphor of “eating the bread” and “drinking the cup” in John 6.

The religious leaders are appalled by Jesus’ claim to be God. Jesus is trying to get them to understand, that “If you never come to grips with who I am, and what I have come to do, you will never receive eternal life.”

• The connection of “eating the bread” and “drinking the cup” in the Lord’s Supper.

We are brought back to the very two things that saved us…

#1– That God opened our eyes to understand that Jesus Christ is, in fact, God in a human body.

#2– That we placed our faith in what Jesus Christ, as God, did through the shedding of His blood for the remission of our sin.

OVERVIEW:

Jesus as the Saviour Who seeks the lost (19:1-10); Jesus as the Master Who rewards the faithful (19:11-27); Jesus as the King Who offers peace (19:28-48); a question concerning John the Baptist (20:1-19); a question concerning Caesar (20:20-26); a question concerning Moses (20:27-40); a question concerning David (20:41-44); a warning concerning the Scribes (20:45- 47); a teaching concerning giving (21:1-4); the revealing of the first half of the Tribulation (21:5-19); the revealing of the middle of the Tribulation (21:20-24); the revealing of the last half of the Tribulation (21:25-28); the closing admonitions (21:29-36).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we move into chapter 19 in Luke’s Gospel, keep in mind that we are also moving into the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. He is getting closer and closer to Jerusalem where two groups of people passionately await His arrival. Some are passionately preparing to exalt a King, while others are passionately preparing to execute a fraud.

As Jesus comes into Jericho in chapter 19, Luke’s account centers around a man whose name is Zacchaeus. His name means, “righteous one.” Actually, he was anything but righteous! He was the top-dog tax-collector (“chief among the publicans” – 19:2) in Jericho, which in and of itself was bad enough. For a Jew to have sold out to the Romans to extract taxes from fellow-Jews was despicable in this culture. They were viewed as ruthless, heart-less, conniving, lying, traitors—and those would have been their good qualities!

Evidently, Zacchaeus had made quite a reputation for himself! (See 19:7) It seems apparent that Zacchaeus was a guy sporting a major “short-man complex”, and found he could be “taller”, not by beating up bigger guys, but by making them submit to him as he gouged them out of money through their taxes. But, oh the difference one day can make in a person’s life! Just like Zacchaeus, when I lifted my head up off my pillow to begin my day on September 24, 1972, I had no idea what would take place in my life by the time my head would hit the pillow again, but in that one day, I was turned:

• From darkness to light. (Colossians 1:13; Acts 16:18a)
• From the power of Satan to the power of God. (2^nd Timothy 2:26; Acts 26:18b)
• From guilt to forgiveness. (Acts 16:18c)
• From serving sin to serving righteousness. (Romans 6:17-18)
• From separation from God to a relationship with Him. (Ephesians 2:1; Galatians 4:5-7)
• From spiritual death to spiritual life. (Ephesians 2:1; Romans 8:2)

In this account in history, this was that one day that would forever change Zacchaeus’ life! He hears word that Jesus is coming to town, and desperately wants to lay his eyes on this One for whom there had been so much hype. He goes out to catch a glimpse, but because of his short stature, he can’t see Him. He decides to run ahead and climb a tree, so he can at least see Him, and much to his surprise, as Jesus passes under the tree, not only does He see him, and not only does He speak to him, but He invites Himself over to Zacchaeus’ house! Can you imagine? Zacchaeus was stoked! (19:6) He received Jesus into His home as a guest, and in just a matter of minutes, Jesus had become its Master! Zacchaeus acknowledged Christ’s lordship, and was saved! (19:9)

Do note, in verses 8 and 9, that Jesus wasn’t saying that Zacchaeus was saved because of his pledge to give to the poor and to make right the wrong he had done by gouging people of their money. His willingness to do those things was just the visible PROOF of his salvation. Anyone can talk a big talk about their salvation, but when God has a man’s finances, it’s usually a pretty good indicator that He has all of him (Matthew 6:21), and visa-versa. In this one afternoon, Jesus caused this “sinner” (19:9) to live up to his name (“righteous one”), as he became a true “son of Abraham” (19:9) by faith. (Romans 4:12; Galatians 3:7)

It might be interesting to note that in reality, like Zacchaeus, we all have a “short-man complex” that only Jesus can help us overcome: “For all have sinned, and come SHORT of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). In our lost state we tried to make ourselves not appear to be so “short” through our religiousness, our good works, and our external righteousness, but it only made us “shorter.” (Romans 10:3; Isaiah 64:6) The good news about Zacchaeus, is that not only did everybody else know he was a sinner (19:7), but he knew it too, and was willing to deal with it! HE is the only one in the story who received “salvation!” (19:9) There is a strong possibility that the self-righteous, religious crowd who got so upset in verse 7, about Jesus hanging out with Zacchaeus, ultimately went to Hell. That scenario continues to repeat itself right up to this present hour.

A few other comments about today’s reading:

• 20:1-47 – Chapter 20 can be broken down by the four questions Jesus asks:
  • A question concerning John the Baptist. (20:1-19)
  • A question concerning Caesar. (20:20-26)
  • A question concerning Moses. (20:27-40)
  • A question concerning David. (20:41-44)
• 21:1-4 – Jesus isn’t impressed with the size of our gift, but the size of our sacrifice.
• 21:5-38 – The remainder of chapter 21 lines up with the things we covered in Matthew 24 and Mark 13.