29 – The Samaritan Woman; John 4:4-26

John 4:4 And He had to pass through Samaria. 5 So He *came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; 6 and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about [a]the sixth hour.

7 There *came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus *said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Therefore the Samaritan woman *said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 She *said to Him, “[b]Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

15 The woman *said to Him, “[c]Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” 16 He *said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus *said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” 19 The woman *said to Him, “[d]Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” 21 Jesus *said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 God is [e]spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman *said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” 26 Jesus *said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

Footnotes

a. John 4:6 Perhaps 6 p.m. Roman time or noon Jewish time

b. John 4:11 Or Lord

c. John 4:15 Or Lord

d. John 4:19 Or Lord

e. John 4:24 Or Spirit

Commentary

In the last study, we learned that Herod had relocated a lot of Jews to Samaria, contributing to a mixed population there. In fact, Jews had occupied the territory known as Samaria during several points in history, as evidenced by the setting of this passage, the site of Jacob’s well. This story in the New Testament is reminiscent of the story of Jacob’s mother Rebekah in Genesis chapter 24. As Abraham became older, he wanted to ensure his son Isaac would marry a Hebrew woman, rather than intermarrying with the local Canaanites, so he sent his most trusted servant to the land Abraham and Sarah had left. The servant prayed to God to show him which woman was to be Isaac’s wife, and he asked for a specific sign: a woman who would offer a drink to him and his camels. These were not the type of wells we picture in our minds, with a handy bucket on a rotating arm. Each person had to bring their own vessel with which to draw water, and they could only get as much water as they could carry back on foot, or possibly with a work animal. It might not have been too much to ask for someone to give you a drink, since it would have meant sending their vessel down just one more time. However, for someone to proactively offer to water multiple camels, it would have meant many, many, many hauls of water, since each camel can drink up to 53 gallons of water in 3 minutes (http://wtamu.edu/~cbaird/sq/2013/09/18/how-much-water-can-a-camel-store-in-its-hump/). However, Rebekah offered to do this very thing, a task which would have exhausted her physically and which would have taken quite a long time. This was obviously a sign from God, and Rebekah went back with Abraham’s servant to become Isaac’s wife, and later, the mother of Esau and Jacob.

Below, in the Genesis scripture references for verse 5, you’ll find Jacob purchased the land in Canaanite territory, which would be the setting for this meeting with Jesus, and later willed it to Joseph. When Joseph died, it became the land of his descendants, which may be why the Samaritan woman refers to Jacob as the father of her people. However, after the fall of Israel, the Jews who remained in Palestine intermarried with the other races there, making it unlikely this woman is fully Jewish. Through those mixed marriages, the Samaritans began to incorporate idol worship into their religious practices, and “when the Jews of Judah returned from the Babylonian captivity, they met resistance from the Samaritans as they tried to rebuild the temple, Jerusalem, and the rest of their society” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1867). This ethnic and religious perversion was the very thing Abraham was so desperate to prevent for Isaac’s line when he insisted his servant get a wife for Isaac from their homeland.

True to cultural expectation, this woman is not only ethnically different, but she did not keep the Jewish laws, despite the fact that she appears to know the prophecies regarding the Messiah. Jewish guidelines were very specific about marriage, and she is not so far removed from the knowledge of these principles that she doesn’t recognize the sin Jesus is pointing out when he details her marital history. “Note the contrast between chapter 3 and chapter 4. In the former, Christ deals with a man; in the latter, He deals with a woman. In the former, He deals with a Jew; in the latter, a Samaritan. In the former, He deals with a moral person; in the latter, an immoral person. Yet, He saves both” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1303).

To further set the scene, verse 6 above tells us the time of day, probably about 6 pm, and as evidence of Jesus’ humanity, the author calls out Jesus’ weariness from a long day of travel (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1303). Is that why His disciples left Him to rest while they went to get food, or was it simply a matter of the teacher/disciple relationship that they would take responsibility for various errands, especially in a place like Samaria? At any rate, Jesus is alone when the woman approaches. For just a moment, I want to focus on her humanity, as well. She was alone in a remote place outside the town, and she comes upon a man, by whose appearance she can tell He likely bears her ill will (read: He’s Jewish, and she assumes He hates her). Despite probably having seen Him from some distance away, she continues to approach the well and put herself to the hazard out of her basic human need for water to satisfy herself and her family, but she must have been utterly terrified. I can’t tell you the panic I’ve felt in similar situations in my life. I’ve often pondered why she would have responded so quickly and favorably to Jesus’ riddles, but in light of how relieved she must have been that He did not harm her, let alone that He would speak to her with any civility, she would likely have been very receptive to anything He might have had to say.

Based on the dialogue that follows, I doubt Jesus ever really needed her to draw Him some water (a concept further reinforced by the fact that He later declines the food the disciples bring Him, as well); He needed a conversation starter that wouldn’t totally put her off. Nevertheless, she is astounded that He speaks to her at all. I’m fascinated by the author’s own footnote here “(For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans)”. When I first read this passage, I was intrigued by the idea that John would have had to call out the fact that Jews did not like Samaritans; surely all Jews would have been familiar with that concept already. The gospel of John is believed to have been written late in John’s life, sometime in the 90’s. The author used both Jewish and Greek and appears to have been writing to the largest possible audience. If John was appealing to a Greek audience as well as Jews, perhaps he was considering Gentiles when he made the note. I wanted to point that out, in case anyone else had a similar thought process to mine.

Back to the conversation, as soon as the woman speaks to Jesus, He immediately rebuts with a mysterious statement about living water. The well where He rested was about 100 feet deep, so the woman is understandably confused, since Jesus has no way of retrieving water. Beyond the obvious physical obstacles, though, she also recognizes that He would have to have some supernatural ability to impart life to water. Is He greater than her famed forefather? What does it mean for water to be “living”, anyway? Based on Jesus’ description, it sounds as though the water is self-propagating, creating new water from itself constantly. “Jacob’s Well is known for its soft, or light, water that is supplied in two ways – through underground sources that make it a true well and by percolated surface water, which makes it a cistern. This may have prompted Jesus’ remark about living water in v. 14” (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 3 pg. 388). As crazy as she probably thought it sounded for Jesus to give her water that would eternally quench her thirst, remember that this woman was so physically desperate for water that she approached a well where a dangerous-looking man was loitering. The idea of never being that desperate for water again was appealing enough for her to continue to ask questions.

In order to help her see that He wasn’t talking about physical thirst, Jesus appears to change the subject, but only as a lead-in to His miraculous revelation about her sin. By asking her to call her husband, he is able to remind her that she has been married 5 times and is now co-habitating with a boyfriend, or “living in sin”, as we like to call it in the South. Now her perception of her new acquaintance Jesus has gone from dangerous to crazy to inspired. He helps her see not only what living water means, but that, based on her sin, she has a desperate need for it, just as she needed physical water.

She still seems confused about one point, though, which is how she is supposed to properly worship God; does she stay there or go to Jerusalem? She also may be testing Jesus to see what He will say. Samaritans insisted the place where their forefathers worshiped, Mount Gerizim, was the proper place for worship. After all, it was good enough for their God-fearing forefathers. This was at odds with much of the Jewish Pentateuch, even though the Samaritan religious observance was largely based in Judaism (i.e. waiting for the Messiah). The Samaritans seemed to simply disregard the parts of the Jewish teachings that focused on Jerusalem as God’s holy city. The disagreement over whether true worship should take place in Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim was another major factor in the social and religious distance between Jews and Samaritans (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 5 pg. 246).

The woman’s question, whatever its purpose, is the perfect catalyst for Jesus to explain that, while salvation may ultimately come from the Jewish race, the location of worship will not be important, but rather the heart behind it and the correctness of the theology. The Samaritans had created their own religion (worshiping what they did not know), whereas the Jewish people followed divine guidelines for worship (worshiping what they know), so the “truth” of worship is critically important (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1305). You can’t write your own rules; they are already written, whether or not you choose to acknowledge them. Just as in American law, if I am ignorant of a law, or if I just don’t agree with it, that won’t stop me from getting arrested for breaking it. Likewise, much of our judicial controversy surrounds the “spirit of the law”. There are people who try to find loopholes in the syntax of every written edict, but those people demonstrate a lack of concern for the spirit of the law, and their legalism diminishes the civility that law is meant to maintain. Worshiping God is much the same. If you have an honest desire to worship God and abide by the principles of Christian faith, as detailed in the Bible, you can worship in spirit and in truth. If you would rather find loopholes, write your own religion, or get away with everything not explicitly stated in the text of the law, you may have missed the point.

Finally, the woman, still slightly confused by Jesus’ statements about worship (or perhaps still unwilling to resign to the idea that Mount Gerizim isn’t the preferred place for worship), declares that the only person who can probably clear it all up for her will be the Messiah Himself. Although it would have been a dangerous thing in Jewish territory to self-identify as the Messiah, Jesus deems this remote location in Samaria safe enough to admit to the woman the He is the Messiah for whom her people have waited. Think of the gamut of emotions she has gone through during the course of this interaction. She first thinks He is dangerous, then possibly crazy, then an enlightened prophet, and now the Messiah Himself (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1305). Naturally, as we will see in the next passage, she’ll want to tell people what a wild thing just happened to her, and people will come to believe through her testimony. Think about all the things about which we evangelize in today’s society: a new nail polish color, a sale at our favorite shoe store, the best-ever protein bar, a new car… and quite often, people believe us and try it for themselves. So what makes our gospel testimony so different? Not only are we less likely to share it, but we also think people will be less likely to believe in the product. Why is that?

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/07/18/challenge-of-a-harvest/

Scripture References

Verse 4

Luke 9:52 He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.

Luke 22:7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed.

Verse 5

Genesis 33:19 And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver.

Genesis 48:22 And to you, as one who is above your brothers, I give the ridge of land that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”

Joshua 24:32 Also, the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver. So it became an inheritance for Joseph’s descendants.

1 Kings 13:32 for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass.”

Luke 9:52 He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.

John 4:39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”

Verse 7

Genesis 24:17 So the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me have a little water from your jar.”

1 Kings 17:10 So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, so that I may drink.”

Verse 8

John 2:2 and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

John 4:27 Just then, His disciples returned and were astonished that He was speaking with a woman. But no one asked Him, “What do You want from her?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”

John 4:39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”

Verse 9

Ezra 4:3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of the families of Israel replied, “You have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

Ezra 4:11 (This is the text of the letter they sent to him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men west of the Euphrates:

Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.

Luke 9:52 He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.

Luke 9:53 But the people there refused to welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem.

John 8:48 The Jews answered Him, “Are we not right to say that You are a Samaritan and You have a demon?”

Acts 10:28 He said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.

Acts 10:32 Therefore send to Joppa for Simon, who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’

Verse 10

Song of Solomon 4:15 You are a garden spring, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon.

Isaiah 12:3 With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation,

Jeremiah 2:13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

John 7:37 On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.

John 7:38 Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.'”

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Hebrews 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'”

Revelation 21:6 And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.

Revelation 22:1 Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.

Verse 11

Jeremiah 2:13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

John 7:37 On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.

Acts 10:14 “No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'”

Revelation 21:6 And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.

Revelation 22:1 Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.

Verse 12

John 8:53 Are You greater than our father Abraham? He died, as did the prophets. Who do You claim to be?”

Verse 14

Isaiah 55:1 “Come, all of you who thirst, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk, without money and without cost!

Isaiah 58:11 The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Jeremiah 2:13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Jeremiah 31:25 for I will refresh the weary soul and replenish all who are weak.”

Ezekiel 47:9 Wherever the river flows, there will be swarms of living creatures and a great number of fish, because it flows there and makes the waters fresh; so wherever the river flows, everything will flourish.

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 25:46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

John 4:36 Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together.

John 6:27 Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

John 6:35 Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.

John 7:37 On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.

John 7:38 Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.'”

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'”

Verse 15

John 6:34 “Sir,” they said, “give us this bread at all times.”

John 6:35 Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.

Verse 17

John 4:29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

Verse 19

Deuteronomy 18:15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.

Matthew 21:11 The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Luke 7:16 A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they glorified God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said. “God has visited His people!”

Luke 7:39 When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him–for she is a sinner!”

Luke 24:19 “What things?” He asked. “The events involving Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet, powerful in speech and action before God and all the people.

John 6:14 When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

John 7:40 On hearing these words, some of the people said, “This is truly the Prophet.”

John 9:17 So once again they asked the man who had been blind, “What do you say about Him, since it was your eyes He opened?” “He is a prophet,” the man replied.

1 Corinthians 14:25 and the secrets of his heart will be made clear. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!”

Verse 20

Genesis 33:20 There he set up an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.

Deuteronomy 11:29 When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.

Joshua 8:33 All Israel, foreigners and citizens alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded earlier to bless the people of Israel.

Isaiah 66:1 This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be?

Luke 9:53 But the people there refused to welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem.

Verse 21

Isaiah 66:1 This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be?

Malachi 1:11 “For My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Hosts.

John 5:25 Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

John 5:28 Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice

John 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.

John 16:32 “Look, an hour is coming and has already come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

1 Timothy 2:8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or dissension.

Revelation 21:22 But I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

Verse 22

2 Kings 17:28 Thus one of the priests they had carried away came and lived in Bethel, and he began to teach them how they should worship the LORD.

Isaiah 2:3 And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Acts 3:26 When God raised up His servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

Acts 17:23 For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with the inscription: To an unknown God. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you.

Romans 3:1 What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?

Romans 9:4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the Law, the temple worship, and the promises.

Romans 11:18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.

Verse 23

John 5:25 Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

John 5:28 Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice

John 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.

John 16:32 “Look, an hour is coming and has already come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

Philippians 3:3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

Verse 24

Psalm 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth.

Philippians 3:3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

Verse 25

Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

Daniel 9:25 Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.

Matthew 1:16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Matthew 27:17 So when the crowd had assembled, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”

Matthew 27:22 “What then should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify Him!”

Luke 2:11 Today in the City of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!

John 1:41 He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ).

Verse 26

Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

Daniel 9:25 Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.

Matthew 1:16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Matthew 27:17 So when the crowd had assembled, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”

Matthew 27:22 “What then should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify Him!”

Luke 2:11 Today in the City of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!

John 1:41 He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ).

28 – John Imprisoned and Jesus Leaves Judea; Matthew 4:12, Mark 1:14, Luke 3:18-20; 4:14, John 4:1-3

Matthew 4:12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee;

Mark 1:14 Now after John had been [a]taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, [b]preaching the gospel of God,

Luke 3:18 So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. 19 But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, 20 Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.

Luke 4:14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.

John 4:1 Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), 3 He left Judea and went away again into Galilee.

Footnotes

a. Mark 1:14 Lit delivered up

b. Mark 1:14 Or proclaiming

Commentary

I listed these passages in the order in which they appear in the Bible, but I have a couple of chronological notes: the accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke skip from the temptation into Jesus’ departure to Galilee. That’s why Luke 4:14 says Jesus was traveling in the power of the Spirit, as a transition from the Spirit’s leadership in the wilderness. Also of note is Luke 3:18; John’s ministry was ongoing, and although Jesus was increasing, John had not yet decreased in fame. In fact, John was still so well-known that he had the ear of Herod, and his reproaches angered the king.

I know we have already studied the Herodian dynasty in a previous post, but I thought it might be worth reviewing some of the details here. Herod the Great was the ruler at the time of Jesus’ birth, and he is the king who ordered the baby boys of Bethlehem to be slaughtered. The male Herodian heirs who grew to adulthood were seven sons by five wives. You may remember that he ordered the execution of three sons (Antipater, Aristobulus, and Alexander) and one of his wives (Mariamne), so that would have left four eligible heirs, Philip (son of Mariamne of Simon), Antipas, Archelaus, and Philip (son of Cleopatra of Jerusalem). Before being executed, Herod’s oldest son, Antipater, had poisoned Herod’s opinion of the elder Philip. The territory at the time of Herod’s passing was therefore only divided three ways, leaving Antipas, Archelaus, and the younger Philip to rule various portions of Herod the Great’s kingdom. However, the elder Philip still holds a place in history as the first husband of Herodias (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible Vol 3 pg. 132-133).

Herodias’ father was the late Aristobulus, whose name you may remember as being one of the sons executed by Herod the Great. That means, as the daughter of Philip’s half-brother Aristobulus, Herodias would have been Philip’s niece. Herod Antipas, to whom John refers in Luke 3:19, visited his half-brother Philip around A.D. 29 and fell in love with his niece/sister-in-law, and she, being ambitious, agreed to leave Philip and marry Antipas, as long as Antipas would agree to divorce his first wife, Aretas, whom he had married for political advantage in A.D. 14. So, if you’re counting offenses against which John the Baptist might have preached, Antipas has so far stolen a wife from his brother, has an incestuous relationship with his divorcee niece, and has divorced his first wife, on whom he cheated. John’s speech, shortly following the marriage of Antipas and Herodias, specifically condemns the offense of marrying one’s brother’s wife, a practice which is forbidden in Mosaic law (Lev 18:16; 20:21), except in cases when there were no heirs at the time of the brother’s death (Deut 25:5; Mark 12:19). However, not only did Philip have heirs, he was still alive! Even though John was right to speak out against this wickedness, Antipas, having dispensed with his conscience long before, could not have been expected to repent. Not only did he refuse to renounce his behavior, but he added to his sins by imprisoning John.

The imprisonment of John is one of the reasons cited for Jesus’ exit from Judea, and the other is that the Pharisees had heard Jesus’ ministry was growing beyond John’s. Bear in mind, however, the language may not indicate a causal relationship between these events and Jesus’ exit. Even though we might interpret Matthew 4:12 to mean, “When Jesus heard John had been taken into custody, it caused Him to retreat into Galilee,” the actual text only implies these two things took place around the same time. That said, both John’s incarceration and the Pharisees’ attention may have had bearing on Jesus’ decision to leave. Herod ordered John to be thrown in prison, and perhaps simultaneously the Pharisees began to train their eyes on Jesus. Remember that John had called the Pharisees a brood of vipers, so they must have been elated to see him relieved of his freedom. Recognizing Jesus’ ministry had the same potential, their efforts would have been redirected to discredit Him and see that He met the same end as John. Even though Jesus was willing to suffer as part of His mission, He knew He could reach many more people as a free man, so getting thrown in prison was a thing to be avoided.

Because of Jesus’ roots in Galilee, He may have been judged a political outlaw, even before He began to teach against the Pharisees. Galilee was a district in the northern part of Palestine and remained under the rule of the Herods during the first half of the first century. Herod resettled many Jews from Judea to cities in Samaria and Galilee, and this resulted in a heavily mixed population (Samaria was already the home of a mixed race, as we will see in the next study), further exacerbated by trade routes and prosperous fishing and agriculture industries. The word Galilee means “circuit”, “district”, or “cylinder”, prompting some elitist Jews to deride the mixed population by calling it “Galilee [circle] of the Gentiles [nations]” (Is. 9:1; Matt. 4:15) (Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1710). “Economic independence, political toleration, and religious freedom made the region a seedbed for revolutionaries against Rome. In fact, “Galilean” came to be used in a derogatory way in New Testament times to indicate revolutionaries and bandits” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1711). This is just personal speculation, but this prejudice might have been part of the reason political rulers, such as the Pharisees, took notice of Jesus so quickly and expressed concern that His ministry might undermine their position. Jesus was predestined to be a revolutionary, if not in a way they had predicted.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/07/12/the-samaritan-woman/

Scripture References

Matt 4:12

Matthew 11:2 Meanwhile, John heard in prison about the works of Christ, and he sent two of his disciples

Matthew 14:3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,

Luke 23:5 But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people all over Judea with His teaching. He began in Galilee and has come all the way here.”

John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, “Follow Me.”

John 2:11 Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

John 3:24 (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)

Mark 1:14

Matthew 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Matthew 9:35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness.

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God,

Luke 3:18

Luke 3:17 His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn. But He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Acts 20:2 After traveling through that area and speaking many words of encouragement, he arrived in Greece,

Romans 12:8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Luke 3:19

Matthew 14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus

Matthew 14:3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,

Matthew 14:6 On Herod’s birthday, however, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod

Mark 6:17 For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married.

Luke 3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

Luke 3:20

John 3:24 (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)

Luke 4:14

Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Matthew 9:26 And the news about this spread throughout that region.

Matthew 9:31 But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout the land.

Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Luke 4:37 And the news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding region.

John 4:1

Luke 7:13 When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, “Do not weep.”

Luke 7:19 So John called two of his disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”

John 3:22 After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.

John 3:26 So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about–He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

John 4:2

John 2:2 and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

John 3:22 After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.

John 3:26 So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about–He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

John 4:3

Luke 17:11 While Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.

John 2:11 Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

John 3:22 After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.

John 4:47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.

John 7:1 After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him.

Commentary

Is 9:1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

Matt 4:15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

Lev 18:16 Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would dishonor your brother.

Lev 20:21 If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.

Deut 25:5 If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.

Mark 12:19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.

27 – John’s Last Testimony; John 3:22-36

John 3:22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized— 24 for John had not yet been thrown into prison.

25 Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew about purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.” 27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves [a]are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the [b]Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

31 “He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33 He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; [c]for He gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not [d]obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Footnotes

a. John 3:28 Lit testify for me

b. John 3:28 I.e. Messiah

c. John 3:34 Lit because He does not give the Spirit by measure

d. John 3:36 Or believe

Commentary

This passage opens with the phrase “after these things,” so just as a refresher, Jesus most recently spoke to Nicodemus (presumably in Jerusalem after Passover), and now He is on to Judea, where He begins a ministry of baptism on His way to Samaria (which is where he goes in the following passage).

John the Baptist is still baptizing, also, and he still has disciples who have stayed with him, rather than following Jesus. In fact, we will be introduced to other loyal disciples of John the Baptist later on, which is interesting to me, given the dialogue that follows here. Despite the fact these men acknowledge in verse 26 that John had testified to the deity of Jesus, they still seem to express a little jealousy over the fact that nameless-person-who-was-with-you-at-the-Jordan’s ministry is detracting from John’s (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1302).

The cities of Salim and Aenon are only mentioned once in the Bible, but based on the location of modern day Salim (which has a nearby city named Ainon), Jesus had set up pretty near to John’s camp, in Judea (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 1 pg. 67). It is not surprising that people who would have been baptized by John were instead detouring to where Jesus was. John wisely responds that the purpose of his ministry is fulfilled if Jesus’ ministry increases because God’s design for him was always to divert attention from himself and onto Jesus. There is a deep satisfaction in knowing he has done his job well, and he is therefore able to “rejoice with those who rejoice”.

The metaphor of bridegroom and best man goes even deeper than we see on the surface. In the culture at that time, the best man was usually the one responsible for planning the wedding, or being the emcee, and many times he even brought the bride to the bridegroom. There’s a really great 2-sermon series on John 3:22-36, which expands on this and other topics I’ve been studying over the past couple of weeks https://lovepensacola.org/church-sermons/gospel-of-john-message-series/last-testimony-series-john-322-36/. You may notice the pastor talks about the disciples baptizing, instead of Jesus, even though verse 22 says, “He was spending time with [His disciples] and baptizing.” The next passage in John holds the answer to this. John 4:1-2 “Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were)…”

In verse 32, John makes reference to the exact same thing Jesus cited to Nicodemus in the last passage; despite Jesus’ authority to testify to Heavenly occurrences and principles, people have not believed Him. However, those few who have believed Jesus have “set their seal” (in other words certified or attested) that God is true, based on the fact the words Jesus speaks are God’s own, as well as the evidence that Jesus is full of the Spirit and that God has given all things into His hand (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1303). In the sermons I linked above, Pastor Wallnofer mentions that a seal was often used by the largely illiterate people of Jesus’ day, as a signature or contract binder. The contract, in this case, makes Jesus the Lord of their lives, thereby acknowledging He was really sent from God, and, by extension, that God is real and all-powerful. The terms of the contract include eternal life for the human party, while a breach of contract (i.e. disobedience or ignorance) results in the wrath of God. Because of the eternal consequences of this concept, it was the thing John the Baptist longed to convey above all, which is certainly a compelling reason why it is his last recorded teaching. May we also have such urgency to see those around us believe and be saved.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/06/28/john-imprisoned-and-jesus-leaves-judea/

Scripture References

Verse 22

John 2:2 and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

John 4:1 When Jesus realized that the Pharisees were aware that He was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John

John 4:2 (although it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples),

John 4:3 He left Judea and returned to Galilee.

Verse 23

Matthew 3:6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

Verse 24

Matthew 4:12 When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee.

Matthew 14:3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,

Mark 6:17 For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married.

Luke 3:20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.

Verse 25

John 2:6 Now six stone water jars had been set there for the Jewish rites of purification. Each could hold from twenty to thirty gallons.

Hebrews 6:2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Verse 26

Matthew 23:7 the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.

Matthew 23:8 But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.

John 1:7 He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe.

John 1:28 All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John 3:2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”

John 4:1 When Jesus realized that the Pharisees were aware that He was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John

John 4:2 (although it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples),

John 4:31 Meanwhile, the disciples urged Him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

John 5:33 You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth.

Verse 27

John 6:65 Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.”

John 10:41 Many came to Him and said, “Although John never performed a sign, everything he said about this man was true.”

1 Corinthians 4:7 For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

Hebrews 5:4 No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.

Verse 28

John 1:20 He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”

John 1:23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet: “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.'”

Verse 29

Song of Solomon 5:1 I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. The Friends Eat, O friends, and drink; drink freely, O beloved.

Matthew 9:15 Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

Matthew 25:1 At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

John 15:11 I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

John 16:24 Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

John 17:13 But now I am coming to You, and I am saying these things while I am in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them.

Philippians 2:2 then make my joy complete by being of one mind, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose.

1 John 1:4 We write these things so that our joy may be complete.

2 John 1:12 I have many things to write you, but I would prefer not to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come and speak with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.

Verse 31

Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

John 3:13 No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven–the Son of Man.

John 8:23 Then He told them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

1 Corinthians 15:47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.

1 John 4:5 They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them.

Verse 32

Matthew 7:8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

John 3:11 Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.

John 18:37 “Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.”

Verse 33

John 6:27 Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

John 8:26 “I have much to say about you and much to judge. But the One who sent Me is truthful, and what I have heard from Him, I tell the world.”

Romans 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.

Romans 15:28 So after I have completed this service and safely delivered this bounty to them, I will set off to Spain by way of you.

1 Corinthians 9:2 Even if I am not an apostle to others, surely I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

2 Corinthians 1:22 placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.

Ephesians 1:13 And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth–the gospel of your salvation–you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”

1 John 1:10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.

1 John 5:10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him; whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about His Son.

Revelation 7:3 “Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.”

Verse 34

Matthew 12:18 “Here is My servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.

Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,

John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

Acts 1:2 until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen.

Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.

Verse 35

Daniel 7:14 And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, so that every people, nation, and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Matthew 11:27 All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

Luke 10:22 All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

John 5:20 The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these.

John 13:3 Jesus knew that the Father had delivered all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was returning to God.

John 15:9 As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love.

John 17:2 For You granted Him authority over all humanity, so that He may give eternal life to all those You have given Him.

Verse 36

Matthew 25:46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 4:36 Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together.

John 6:47 Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life.

John 6:50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die.

John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

John 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your forefathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

Acts 14:2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

Hebrews 3:18 And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed?

Hebrews 3:19 So we see that it was because of their unbelief that they were unable to enter.

1 John 5:11 And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

1 John 5:12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Commentary

Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Nicodemus Interviews Jesus, John 3:1-21

John 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these [a]signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born [b]again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born [c]again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12 If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. 14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever [d]believes will in Him have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His [e]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the [f]only begotten Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Footnotes
a. John 3:2 Or attesting miracles
b. John 3:3 Or from above
c. John 3:7 Or from above
d. John 3:15 Or believes in Him will have eternal life
e. John 3:16 Or unique, only one of His kind
f. John 3:18 Or unique, only one of His kind

Commentary
To get into this study, let’s first start with the setting. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, and there must be a reason this is specifically mentioned. First, the nighttime setting gave Nicodemus a chance to have Jesus’ undivided attention, since there were no other crowds around. Also, based on other passages throughout the New Testament, I would say it was unpopular among the religious elite to show regard for Jesus, and Nicodemus didn’t want to be spotted. The phrase “we know” seems to imply Nicodemus was a member of a group of religious leaders who were convinced Jesus was sent from God, and the other members of the group may also have encouraged him to maintain anonymity for their sake.

Several times throughout this passage, Jesus replies to Nicodemus in a way that doesn’t seem to directly address Nicodemus’ question or statement. This first occurs in verse 3. The original word for “again” in verse 3 can also connote “from above”, so this passage could be translated, “unless a person is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1302). Jesus elaborates on the concept of new life by saying man must be “born of water and of the Spirit. There are three interpretations as to the meaning of water: it refers to the washing of the water of God’s Word (1 Pet 1:23); it refers to baptism; or it refers to physical birth. The latter of the three seems to be the most logical,” especially given that Jesus goes on to explain that flesh produces flesh, while the Spirit produces the spiritual (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1302). The reason Jesus jumps into this concept, rather than acknowledging Nicodemus’ statement (that Jesus must have been sent from God), is not entirely clear. It could be ancient literary style that skips over actions or dialogue that aren’t relevant to the author’s objective, or it could be a cultural play on words that doesn’t translate well. Or that Jesus had such urgency to convey His principle message during His brief audience with Nicodemus that He just dove right in. It was, after all, a very important message for Nicodemus to hear. As a Pharisee, Nicodemus would have believed his salvation came from being a physical descendant of Abraham (The Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 4 pg. 435). Jesus needed to explain to him that his physical genealogy was irrelevant to his salvation.

As Jesus continues to teach Nicodemus, He reminds him that the people following Jesus are sharing with others about things they have personally seen or experienced in the flesh. Religious leaders find themselves disbelieving this hard evidence, so Jesus poses a rhetorical question about how the leaders think they will come to understand and believe heavenly spiritual matters if they can’t bring themselves to acknowledge earthly spiritual occurrences. As Christ is the only link between the two (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1302), He performs earthly proofs in order to create an unimpeachable witness to the heavenly truths about which He teaches.

Jesus’ next reference, to the serpent in Numbers 21, has some interesting layers of meaning. Original sin caused the punishment of both man and serpents, specifically, and part of the curse is that they will have an ongoing struggle with one another throughout history. Then in Moses’ day, God gave the Israelites a chance to preserve themselves from the physical death of the serpent’s bite. Later, when Jesus came to Earth, God gave man a chance to preserve himself from inevitable spiritual death due to the serpent’s original deceit. Read the passage from Numbers in the scripture reference section below, and consider the parallels. “God commanded Moses to make a brass serpent, so that when the sick looked to that serpent, they would be healed. The Son of Man must be lifted up (on the cross) so that man bitten by the serpent of sin might have life eternal” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1302). This is just another of the thousand ways the Bible points to Jesus and credits His ministry and legitimacy.

Jesus elaborates on this point in the most widely memorized verse in the Bible, John 3:16. People often follow by memorizing verse 17, but we almost always forget verse 16 begins with the conjunction “for”, which grammatically ties both 16 and 17 to the idea first stated in verses 14 and 15 (that the Son of Man must be lifted up, like the brass serpent, to save). Followed by verses 18 and 19, Jesus’ point to Nicodemus is that he needs to reevaluate his Jewish belief that the Messiah would come to condemn the Gentiles (Amos 5:18-20). Rather, Jesus came to save and redeem anyone in the entire world who chooses to believe in Him, and condemnation is reserved only for those who do not believe (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1302). This passage is meant to reset deeply held beliefs, redrawing the lines of salvation, not between descendants of Abraham and Gentiles, Haves and Have-Nots, or pious and sinners, but between believers and rejecters. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

As I work through the study of the gospel, I often find myself picturing the way this all sounds to a non-believer, or how Jesus must have sounded to people when He emerged from anonymity to declare that people needed to believe in Him. I think about how many crazy people have convinced others to put their faith in them in recent years, and how all the rest of us are baffled that their followers could have been so duped. So what’s the difference between Jesus and false messiahs? A few things come to mind. Firstly, Jesus did not ask people to physically harm themselves, or coerce women into becoming His wives to bear His children, and none of His other teaching resulted in a personal earthly advantage to Him. Even fame, which some may consider a reward or advantage, resulted, in Jesus’ case, in increasing threats to His life until His eventual execution in the most inhumane manner. Also, those who demonstrated interest in following Him risked the same persecution, which is why Nicodemus met with Him in the night and, even after being convinced, only hesitantly defends Jesus later in the gospel accounts. There is a lot of other evidence to support Jesus’ legitimacy, but, as it pertains to this study, I’ll leave it at that for now.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/06/20/johns-last-testimony/

Scripture References
For those of you who use the scripture reference section, you might notice it got a LOT longer this time. That is not only due to the fact that this particular passage has a lot of cross references, but also that I started using a different resource to copy and paste them. Rather than manually copying down all the cross references from my New American Standard Bible, I decided to copy and paste all the references from the verses on biblehub.com, which has many, many more scriptures listed than my Bible does. Since there are so many more, I sub-divided the list with headings for each verse, so you could see which verses cross-reference which concepts. I omitted any cross-reference verses which fall within the same passage we are studying.

Verse 1

John 7:50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier, and who himself was one of them, asked,

John 19:39 Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

Luke 23:13 Then Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people,

John 7:26 Yet here He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying anything to Him. Have the rulers truly recognized that this is the Christ?

John 7:48 “Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him?

Verse 2

1 Kings 17:24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is truth.”

Jeremiah 38:16 But King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah secretly, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has given us this life, I will not kill you or hand you over to these men who are seeking your life.”

Matthew 23:7 the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.

Matthew 23:8 But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.

John 2:11 Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

John 3:26 So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about–He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

John 4:31 Meanwhile, the disciples urged Him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

John 6:2 A large crowd followed Him because they saw the signs He had performed on the sick.

John 9:33 If this man were not from God, He could do no such thing.”

John 10:38 But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works themselves, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.”

John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works.

Acts 2:22 Men of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.

Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.

Verse 3

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Matthew 19:24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 21:31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.

Mark 9:47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,

Mark 10:14 But When Jesus saw this, He was indignant and told them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.

1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

1 John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

1 John 3:9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

1 John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him.

1 John 5:4 because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.

Verse 5

Ezekiel 36:25 I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Matthew 19:24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 21:31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.

Mark 9:47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,

Mark 10:14 But When Jesus saw this, He was indignant and told them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

John 1:13 children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.

1 Corinthians 15:50 Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Ephesians 5:26 to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,

Titus 3:5 He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Verse 6

John 1:13 children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.

Romans 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

1 Corinthians 15:50 Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable

Verse 8

Psalm 135:7 He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings the wind from His storehouses.

Ecclesiastes 1:6 Blowing southward, then turning northward, round and round the wind swirls, ever returning on its course.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

Ezekiel 37:9 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell it that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!'”

Verse 10

Luke 2:46 Finally, after three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

Luke 5:17 One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. People had come from Jerusalem and from every village of Galilee and Judea, and the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick.

Acts 5:34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a short time.

Verse 11

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.

John 3:32 He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.

John 7:16 “My teaching is not My own,” Jesus replied. “It comes from Him who sent Me.

John 8:26 “I have much to say about you and much to judge. But the One who sent Me is truthful, and what I have heard from Him, I tell the world.”

John 8:28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me.

John 12:49 I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it.

John 14:24 Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is from the Father who sent Me.

Verse 13

Deuteronomy 30:12 It is not in heaven, that you would need to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?”

Proverbs 30:4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son–surely you know!

Matthew 8:20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

John 3:31 The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all.

John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.

John 6:42 They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?'”

John 6:62 Then what will happen if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?

Acts 2:34 For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,

Romans 10:6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down)

Ephesians 4:9 What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descended to the lower parts of the earth?

Verse 14

Numbers 21:8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.”

Numbers 21:9 So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze serpent, he would recover.

Isaiah 11:10 On that day the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.

Matthew 8:20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

John 8:28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me.

John 12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

John 12:34 The crowd replied, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever. So how can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

John 18:32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to indicate the kind of death He was going to die.

Verse 15

Numbers 21:9 So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze serpent, he would recover.

Isaiah 11:10 On that day the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.

Matthew 25:46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

John 6:27 Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

John 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.

1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.

1 John 5:11 And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

1 John 5:12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Verse 16

Genesis 22:2 “Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

John 6:40 For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.

Romans 5:8 But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?

Ephesians 2:4 But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

2 Thessalonians 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who by grace has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope,

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

1 John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

1 John 4:9 This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.

1 John 4:10 And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,

Verse 17

John 3:34 For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

John 5:36 But I have testimony more substantial than that of John. For the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish–the very works I am doing–testify about Me that the Father has sent Me.

John 5:38 nor does His word abide in you, because you do not believe the One He sent.

John 6:29 Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”

John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.

John 6:57 Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

John 7:29 but I know Him, because I am from Him and He sent Me.”

John 8:11 “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”

John 8:15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.

John 10:36 then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?

John 11:42 I knew that You always hear Me, but I say this for the benefit of the people standing here, so they may believe that You sent Me.”

John 12:47 As for anyone who hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world.

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

John 17:8 For I have given them the words You gave Me, and they have received them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.

John 17:18 As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world.

John 17:21 that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

John 17:23 I in them and You in Me–that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.

John 17:25 Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, I know You, and they know that You sent Me.

John 20:21 Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.”

1 John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

Verse 18

Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

John 1:12 But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God–

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.

Hebrews 3:19 So we see that it was because of their unbelief that they were unable to enter.

1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us.

1 John 4:9 This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.

1 John 5:10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him; whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about His Son.

Verse 19

Proverbs 2:13 from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,

Jeremiah 9:6 You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD.

John 1:4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.

John 1:5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil.

John 8:12 Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 9:5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

John 9:39 Then Jesus declared, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.”

John 12:31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out.

John 12:46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.

Verse 20

Job 24:16 In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light.

Proverbs 2:13 from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,

Jeremiah 9:6 You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD.

Ephesians 5:11 Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

Ephesians 5:13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself.

Verse 21

John 7:17 If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own.

1 John 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

Commentary

1 Pet 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

Amos 5:18-20 Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord, For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light; 19 As when a man flees from a lion And a bear meets him, Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall And a snake bites him. 20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it?

Romans 3:23-24 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

Early Response to Jesus’s Miracles; John 2:23-25

John 2:23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

Commentary

This is one of the shorter passages I’ve looked at lately, and it’s refreshing to be able to dive a little deeper into each phrase, particularly since verses 24 and 25 have such depth of content. The language is a little challenging to decipher, but there are a couple of other translations that made these verses a little easier to absorb. The Contemporary English version says, “But Jesus knew what was in their hearts, and he would not let them have power over him. No one had to tell him what people were like. He already knew.” The New Living Translation says, “But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.” The point of verses 24 and 25 is to say that the people who were believing had not accepted Jesus “with saving faith, but rather they accepted Him as a powerful miracle worker” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1301). He neither needed nor wanted the testimony of people who misunderstood who He was and what His ministry was about. These people were simply entertained by magic tricks. If Jesus had allowed these first audiences to be His apostles or to shape His ministry in any way, it would have effectively given them responsibility for His legacy, which would have grossly undermined His true purpose. He didn’t come to be a show-off; He came to save the world from sin.

While this passage makes it clear that seeing a miracle doesn’t make one a true believer, it certainly doesn’t hurt to see evidence of Jesus’ supernatural quality, and we don’t always see Jesus condemn those who are converted when they experience miracles. Miracles “are to excite admiration, accredit a prophet, or in some way impress God’s glory on the beholder” (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 4 pg. 246). As such, I thought this might be an appropriate time to look further into the evidence for Jesus’ life and miracles. I found this article, which explains why anyone who accepts that Jesus lived, should be able to accept that He performed bona fide miracles https://www.magiscenter.com/how-historians-know-that-jesus-really-did-perform-miracles/, and also this one, which supports the same theory https://www.namb.net/apologetics-blog/the-credibility-of-jesus-miracles/. Let me again issue the caveat that I have not fully vetted the entire volume of material on either of these websites, but the articles I shared have merit and are worth reading. If you go down a rabbit hole and start looking at other material from these sources, please pray for discernment.

To call out a specific point, one of the articles mentions the Criterion of Embarrassment, as evidence for the historicity of an account. In terms of miracles in general, the Bible acknowledges in many passages throughout the Old and New Testaments that God’s divine hand is not the only agent of miracles. There are miracles attributed to dark forces, as well. “During the life of Moses the magicians were able to duplicate some of his miracles. Deuteronomy 13:1-2 warns against the miracles of false prophets, even when their prophecies prove true. The NT as well teaches the possibility and the actuality of miracles by evil powers. Matthew 24:24 reads, ‘For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect’” (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 4 pg. 243). To attribute miracle-working power to beings other than God is not apologetically appealing, but it does speak to the real existence of miracles that defy natural law, events which are effected by agencies unknown to science.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/06/14/nicodemus-interviews-jesus/

Scripture References

Jn 2:13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Jn 2:11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
Ac 1:24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen
Ac 15:8 And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us;
Mt 9:4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?
Jn 1:42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
Jn 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”
Jn 6:61 But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble?
Jn 6:64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.
Jn 13:11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

First Passover – Cleansing the Temple: John 2:13-22

John 2:13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a [a]place of business.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us [b]as your authority for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this [c]temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this [d]temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the [e]temple of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

Footnotes

a. John 2:16 Lit house

b. John 2:18 Lit that You do these

c. John 2:19 Or sanctuary

d. John 2:20 Or sanctuary

e. John 2:21 Or sanctuary

Commentary

Quick correction: I mentioned in the video that I didn’t know what type of animals were for sale in the temple, but the passage is pretty clear – oxen, sheep, and doves. Please forgive my brain lapse.

As we learned in a previous study, the Jewish law required every male, 12 and older, to attend Passover. When the scriptures say Jesus went “up” to Jerusalem for this purpose, the direction indicates the elevation of the city, rather than the path he followed to get there. It was common among Jews to refer to Jerusalem as “up”, no matter which direction they traveled (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1301).

The state in which Jesus found the temple was a result of the Sanhedrin’s allowance of merchants to sell sacrificial animals on the temple grounds, as well as permitting foreign currency to be exchanged for the Jewish money that was required for the temple tax (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1301). In case you’ve never exchanged foreign currency, there’s generally a transaction fee, and these guys were in a position to charge about as much as they wanted. However, the vendors’ function was not impractical. Of course, not all Jewish families were farmers, so they would have had to purchase animals in order to proffer sacrifices. Additionally, they would have needed exact change in small coins, in order not to be cheated; hence, part of the function of the money changers was to make small change, as well. However, the problem(s) Jesus had with their practice was their proximity to the place of worship, or that they were overcharging, or both (Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. 4 pg. 270).

The cacophony of sacrificial animals, with the dialogue of various transactions taking place must have been a total distraction for anyone who actually came to the temple for true worship and reflection. The whole transactional environment demonstrated the greed of the religious leaders, the laziness and unpreparedness of the worshippers (who could have purchased sacrificial animals or changed money before they arrived at the temple), and the hollow rituals that had replaced honest repentance. All this enraged Jesus to the point that he fashioned a whip and drove man and beast from the temple grounds. Consider for a moment if Jesus were to come into your church, snatch some cords from the window blinds, and start whipping your barista or bookstore clerk. What a scene, right? If He hadn’t wanted to become a public figure at the time of the wedding in Cana, He certainly became memorable to the public with this act a few days later. In fact, one of His statements in the temple was so memorable that it seems to be one of the only things His mocking accusers remember as He is being crucified. See the passages in the scripture references from Matthew and Mark, below.

On top of that, He overturns tables and scatters money all over the place, only after which do we find out why He’s doing any of it. As He tells the last of the vendors to leave with their wares, He opens everyone’s eyes to the fact that the temple has been turned into a place of business. This isn’t the last time He makes a scene like this, either. As we’ll see in later passages, the next time He unleashes on the temple merchants, He says the temple has become a den of thieves. Since the “den of thieves” is the one we remember more often, I just want to point out that this first time, Jesus’ condemnation is exclusively related to creating a business environment in a place which was intended for worship. This should be a sobering reminder to today’s churches.

So why was the temple so close to Jesus’ heart? The temple, in its various forms has played a significant role in God’s relationship to His people, and even prophecies which are yet to be fulfilled contain many allusions to the temple. There are some really interesting prophetical facts and insights in this message https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MkTvCOzx3I and some pictures of the temple and grounds here https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/what-did-the-temple-look-like-in-jesus-time/.

Following this statement by Jesus, the disciples recall Psalm 69:9, where it says, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” If you read the rest of Psalm 69:9 in the scripture reference section below, it finishes the thought by saying, “the reproaches of those who have reproached You have fallen on Me.” This is exactly what happens next when the Jews, who had allowed these insults to God in the temple, reproach Jesus by demanding a sign of His authority. Never mind that He’s right and shouldn’t need any position of authority for the leaders to be able to concede the righteousness of His actions. Even the disciples, with no formal religious training, can see the relevance of the various scriptures in the Old Testament to this event. The cleansing itself was a sign foretold in Malachi 3:1-3 (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1301), so there’s your sign. An earlier passage in Malachi bears particular relevance to this situation, as well, given Jesus’ reference to God as a father, “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ (Mal 1:6). In short, the priests should have known better.

In verse 20, we learn the temple took 46 years to build. In fact, the construction was still ongoing at the time of this statement. After Solomon’s temple was destroyed, temple construction started again with Nehemiah, but it was not fully completed. King Herod, desiring to create goodwill with the Jews, later pledged to build a great temple, which would recall the splendor of Solomon. The priests were disinclined to allow it because they thought Herod would either take the opportunity to destroy the existing temple altogether, or that he would build something profane. However, Herod’s promise was in earnest, and construction began in 19 B.C. The priests still had misgivings about the project, so Herod also financed carpentry and masonry training for the priests, so the portion of the temple known as the Most Holy Place would only be crafted by priestly hands. After a few construction snafus on the part of the priests, the structure was completed in A.D. 64, only to be completely destroyed by the Roman army in A.D. 70 (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1864-1865).

Of course, the temple to which Jesus referred in verse 19 was His own body, which would be resurrected from the dead three days after His death. Even His disciples wouldn’t fully understand this principle until they recalled this statement after His resurrection. There are so many of these references in John, where he points out that the disciples realized something only after Jesus’ death and resurrection. I hope to be able to recall them all, as well, when we get to the end of the gospel story and study the resurrection. Deeper than that, though, is the idea that the Jewish temple was a place erected for the sacrifice of animals for the atonement of sin, as well as the intervention of priests on behalf of the people. Neither of these things would ever be necessary again, after the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus’ body and the gift of direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. “Consequently, the destruction of His body also meant the destruction of the Temple” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1301). However, the new temple is the body of the Christian, where the Holy Spirit dwells. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/06/04/early-response-to-jesus-miracles/

Scripture References

Dt 16:1 Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 You shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to establish His name. 3 You shall not eat leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), so that you may remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. 4 For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory, and none of the flesh which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall remain overnight until morning. 5 You are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your towns which the Lord your God is giving you; 6 but at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt.

Jn 5:1 After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem

Jn 6:4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.

Jn 11:55 Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves.

Lk 2:41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.

Jn 2:23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.

Mt 21:12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13 And He *said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.” 14 And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.

Mk 11:15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves;

Mk 11:17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robbers’ den.”

Lk 19:45 Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘And My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a robbers’ den.”

Mal 3:1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.

Lk 2:49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”

Jn 2:2 and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.

Ps 69:9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

Jn 1:19 This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

Mt 12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

Mt 26:61 and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’”

Mt 27:40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

Mk 14:59 Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent.

Mk 15:29 Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,

Ac 6:14 for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.”

Ezr 5:16 Then that Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem; and from then until now it has been under construction and it is not yet completed.’

1 Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

Lk 24:8 And they remembered His words,

Jn 12:16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him

Jn 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Ps 16:10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay

Lk 24:26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

Jn 20:9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead

Ac 13:33 that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten You.’

Miracle at Cana, John 2:1-12

John 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus *said to her, “Woman, [a]what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother *said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” 6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing [b]twenty or thirty gallons each. 7 Jesus *said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He *said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the [c]headwaiter.” So they took it to him. 9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter *called the bridegroom, 10 and *said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have [d]drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This beginning of His [e]signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.

Footnotes

a. John 2:4 Lit what to Me and to you (a Hebrew idiom)

b. John 2:6 Lit two or three measures

c. John 2:8 Or steward

d. John 2:10 Or have become drunk

e. John 2:11 Or attesting miracles; i.e. one which points to the supernatural power of God in redeeming grace

Commentary

The passage begins with “on the third day”, which, in today’s terms would be two days after the previous passage referenced in John (which was Jesus’ interaction with Nathanael). It is also the seventh day in John’s timeline of Jesus’ ministry thus far, which is significant because of the theme of the number seven throughout the Bible, and John’s gospel in particular. The setting is now Cana, and Jesus’ mother is there, again demonstrating how close this town must have been to Nazareth. In fact, scholars hold that Cana was just about eight miles north of Nazareth (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1300). I’m including a map with some of the prevailing inferences made my most scholars, regarding the position of Bethsaida, Cana, and the other towns that have been mentioned in the early ministry of Jesus.

The five disciples were invited to the wedding, but this is a little challenging to explain, considering how recently they had become acquainted with Jesus. How did they come to be invited to a wedding where Jesus’ mother was attending? There are a couple of possibilities. Either Jesus stopped through Nazareth on his way and accepted the invitation to include the disciples, or else Nathanael, who was from Cana, made the arrangements (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1300).

His mother must have seen Him be extremely wise and resourceful at home because her knee-jerk reaction was to assume He could help. John says (John 20:30) that Jesus performed many other signs and miracles which are not recorded in this book, so I think it’s reasonable to assume that Jesus’ mother had already witnessed the supernatural quality of Jesus’ life. John’s gospel does call this the first sign, but I do wonder if it was just the first public sign.

Culturally, Jesus’ mother felt the extreme awkwardness and angst the situation would have caused the family of the newlyweds. Wine was a symbol of life and abundance, and running out of it at any point during the week-long wedding celebration would not only have abbreviated the feasting, but would have put a stain on the expectation of life and abundance for the new couple (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1863). Some scholars even suspect there could have been legal ramifications because of the culture of reciprocity, where the guests would have expected to be treated in a similar fashion to the way they had treated guests at a feast of their own in the past.

How much wine was considered appropriate for a week long feast? Well, possibly more than what this family could afford. The wine would not have originally been held in the stone jars Jesus chose to use; these were meant to hold water for purification rituals. The NASB translation deviates from the traditional “measure” and uses gallon measurements, which is interesting, since other passages still contain references to traditional forms of measurement. I’m not sure why they chose to not only modernize, but Anglicize this particular volume (I would think the metric system is more widely used, globally, but then again, this is the New American Standard Bible). However, various sources believe the pots could have held anywhere from 7 to 30 gallons each, making the total volume between all 6 pots equivalent to approximately 100-180 gallons (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1300). Why did he choose to use the purification jars and why start with water? He could have made wine from nothing and just filled the original wine skins back up. There’s a pretty genius answer to that in this sermon https://christcovenant.org/sermons/water-into-wine/.

Take further note of the cultural differences. Jesus can disagree with His mother, without committing the sin of dishonoring her. Also, the fact that He calls her “woman” is not disrespectful, despite the fact that most of us would never dream of addressing our mothers that way today. However, this does seem to be a turning point in their relationship, where He becomes His own person, not dependent on or beholden to His mother. She has to later ask His disciples if she can see Him, and we don’t hear mention of her again until the crucifixion and the upper room in Acts.

What did Jesus mean when He said His time had not yet come, and why would He not have wanted to draw attention to Himself before His “time”? I have heard in the past that rabbis were not traditionally allowed to complete their apprenticeship and begin fully acting in the capacity of a leader until they reached the age of 30. This could be one reason Jesus said His time had not yet come. However, the more research I have done for this study, the more it seems theologians agree this reference to Jesus’ time was used in a similar manner to other references in John, when Jesus said His time had not come (7:6, 7:8, 7:30, 8:20). The time had not yet come for Jesus to reveal Himself as the Messiah and to suffer for His works and ministry. Also, similarly to when He later tells those He heals to keep it to themselves, He knows massive crowds could inhibit His mobility, making it impossible for Him to effectively reach other people in other geographies.

What is Mary’s response when He reminds her His time has not yet come? Her response could be interpreted as insistence, or of complete faith in Him, but some theologians interpret it as resignation to Jesus’ will by telling the wedding servants to assist, whatever His decision is. Jesus, whatever the case, seems persuaded to change His mind. This speaks to the nature of God, to which Christ Himself refers throughout His ministry: that humans, through persistent prayer and petition, can prevail upon God to intervene, as long as the outcome is not outside the scope of His will and “manifests His glory,” as in verse 11.

By performing this miracle, Jesus also implies it is not against the will of God to celebrate or drink wine; however, in other passages, the Bible does make it clear it is sinful to get drunk, or at the very least that inebriated people make poor choices which lead to sin. Take a look through the scriptures in the reference section below. The more important aspects of this sign are: Jesus showed He cares about things that are emotionally and socially important to us (not just matters of life and death), so we should bring ALL things to Him; His intervention in this case demonstrated grace and mercy and manifested His glory, reinforcing His disciples’ faith, and symbolically, if wine equaled life and abundance, Jesus’ wine was the best, literally and figuratively.

In the last verse, the scene changes again, to Capernaum, the home of James and John. Jesus’ family also goes there with Him. I wondered why they didn’t go home. As you can see from the map, Nazareth was south of Cana, and Capernaum was north. This was not on the way. However, when you consider what they all just witnessed, imagine how they all must have wanted to stay close to Him, either to see what He might do next, or even just to revel in the glory of how amazing it was. Have you ever had an epic night with your friends or family, and you wanted to hang out again the next day because you just didn’t want the fun to end? Jesus’ brothers must all have been slapping Him on the back and retelling the awesome story to each other again and again. We take for granted how crazy that first miracle must have been for everyone, but if you really put yourself in their shoes, you can see how surprising and wonderful it really was.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/05/31/first-temple-cleansing/

Scripture References

Jn 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Jn 1:35 Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,

Jn 1:43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.”

Jn 4:46 Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum.

Jn 21:2 Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.

Mt 12:46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.

Jn 1:40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter). 43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip*found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”

Jn 2:17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.”

Jn 2:22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken

Jn 3:22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.

Jn 4:2 (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were),

Jn 4:8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

Jn 4:27 At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?”

Jn 6:8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,

Jn 6:12 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.”

Jn 6:16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,

Jn 6:22 The next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone.

Jn 6:24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus.

Jn 6:60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble?

Jn 6:66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

Jn 7:3 Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing.

Jn 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

Jn 19:26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”

Mt 8:29 And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

Jn 7:6 So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.

Jn 7:8 Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.”

Jn 7:30 So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

Jn 8:20 These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

Mt 12:46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.

Mk 7:3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.)

Jn 3:25 Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew about purification.

Mt 24:49 and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards;

Lk 12:45 But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;

Ac 2:15 For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day;

1 Co 11:21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk.

Eph 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

1 Th 5:7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night

Rev 17:2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”

Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly.

Jn 2:23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.

Jn 3:2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

Jn 4:54 This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

Jn 6:2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.

Jn 6:14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Jn 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

Jn 6:30 So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?

Jn 7:31 But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?”

Jn 9:16 Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.

Jn 10:41 Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true.”

Jn 11:47 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.

Jn 12:18 For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign.

Jn 12:37 But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him.

Jn 20:30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;

Jn 1:43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.”

Jn 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Mt 4:13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.

Mt 12:46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.

Jesus’s First Converts, John 1:35-51

John 1:35 Again the next day John was standing [a]with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 And Jesus turned and saw them following, and *said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” 39 He *said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the [b]tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He *found first his own brother Simon and *said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means [c]Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of [d]John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated [e]Peter).

43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip *found Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip *said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael *said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He *said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Footnotes

a. John 1:35 Lit and

b. John 1:39 Perhaps 10 a.m. (Roman time)

c. John 1:41 Gr Anointed One

d. John 1:42 Gr Joannes

e. John 1:42 I.e. Rock or Stone

Commentary

The Nelson KJV Bible Commentary holds that the two disciples mentioned in verses 35-37 are Andrew, and John, the author of this gospel account (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1300). I appreciate the perspective this offers because it’s not always top of mind that I’m reading a first-hand account, especially since the authors all write in the third person. Another thing I’ve never given much thought to is the fact that Andrew is Simon Peter’s brother, and although Peter’s fame has eclipsed that of many other disciples, we can credit Andrew with recruiting him.

I’m interested by the number of times throughout the Bible when God gives people new names, and the renaming of Peter is notable among them. Upon meeting Simon, Jesus immediately tells him he is to be called by another name, a name which means “a stone”. Since we now have the context of the entire ministry of Jesus, we know Jesus later reveals the significance of this name when he says, “Upon this rock I will build my church”, but I wonder if the moniker seemed strange to Simon at the time, or since he already suspected Jesus of being the Messiah, if it was counted an honor to be given a new name by Christ. John’s account is the only one that uses the Aramaic “Cephas”, whereas the other gospels use Peter. Note also that Jesus gave Cephas a new name, but did not officially call Cephas to follow Him during this exchange. We don’t know how long the men stayed with Jesus at the time, but at some point they appear to have gone back to work fishing, since Jesus later calls them from their boats. In many ways, the accounts of the first commission of the twelve in Matthew and Luke make a lot more sense psychologically once you realize these men were already well-acquainted with Jesus before He told them to drop their nets and follow Him, at which point they seem to be constant companions of Jesus, never returning to their trade until after Jesus’ death (The Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 4 pg. 733).

By contrast, Jesus does appear to call Philip at their first meeting, whereupon he immediately goes to Nathanael to tell him they have found the Messiah in Jesus, son of Joseph. Philip was from Bethsaida and Nathanael from Cana, both towns in the region of Galilee (as is Nazareth), so it’s possible they were acquainted with Jesus personally or by reputation. However, it seems clear they were well-acquainted with the city of Nazareth, since Nathanael blurts out, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” I think this question speaks to Jesus’ assessment of Nathanael’s guileless character. It’s possible I’m projecting modern social convention onto the situation, but in Nathanael I picture the type of person who takes things at face value and who lacks the social grace to inhibit him from making practical observations out loud. To further develop the character of Nathanael, we see he accepts Jesus’ deity after a single proof, when Jesus tells him what he had been doing before Philip found him. While the others investigate Jesus based on the testimony of John the Baptist, the guileless Nathanael immediately has a personal experience and needs no more convincing. However, Jesus takes the opportunity to teach and persuade all who were present by assuring Nathanael there is more to come.

This statement in verse 51, though short, introduces some pretty deep theology. When Jesus talks about angels ascending and descending to and from Heaven, He is making reference to the “Jacob’s ladder” story in Genesis 28:12, when Jacob had a dream with visions of angels passing to and from Heaven. In the dream, God reminded Jacob of promises He had made to Jacob’s father and grandfather, and when Jacob woke up, he determined to mark the spot because he knew God’s presence had been there. In the OT, a place became holy (or “Bethel”) whenever God or His agents made an appearance there, and the Jews would often commemorate these places by erecting a temple or altar of some kind (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1862).

When Jesus tells Nathanael that angels will ascend and descend upon Him, He is revealing a whole new concept of a sacred place, the temple of a person, or the human body. The further implication we can take from this truth is that we, when the Holy Spirit indwells us, become sacred places, as does any place we go and carry the Holy Spirit within us. There is no such thing as a secular or “God-forsaken place”, as long as a Christian is there. Think about workplaces, inner cities, developing nations. Just a few verses before this, we saw the reference to Nazareth, a town reviled for its ungodly behavior. Jesus did not need to come from a place that was holy before He got there; He is the one who carries holiness within Him (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1862).

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/05/24/miracle-at-cana/

Scripture References

Jn 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Mt 23:7 and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. 8 But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.

Mt 4:18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Mk 1:16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.

Lk 5:2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. 4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; 7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

Da 9:25 So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

Jn 4:25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.”

Mt 16:17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Jn 21:15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.

1 Co 1:12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.”

1 Co 3:22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you,

1 Co 9:5 Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?

1 Co 15:5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

Gal 1:18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.

Gal 2:9 and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

Gal 2:11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.

Gal 1:14 and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions

Mt 16:18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Mt 4:12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee;

Jn 1:28 These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Jn 2:11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

Mt 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

Jn 6:5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?”

Jn 6:7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”

Jn 12:21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus.

Jn 14:8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Mt 8:22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”

Mt 11:21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Jn 21:2 Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.

Lk 24:27 Then beginning with Moses and [b]with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures

Mt 2:23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Lk 2:48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I]have been anxiously looking for You.”

Lk 3:23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,

Lk 4:22 And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

Jn 6:42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?”

Jn 7:41 Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” Still others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He?

Jn 7:52 They answered him, “You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.”

Ro 9:4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises,

Jn 1:34 I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

Mt 2:2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

Mt 27:42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him

Mk 15:32 Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

Jn 12:13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.”

Eze 1:1 Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

Mt 3:16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him

Lk 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,

Ac 7:56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Ac 10:11 and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,

Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

Ge 28:12 He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

Mt 8:20 Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness, Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13

Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He [a]then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,

‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and

‘On their hands they will bear You up,

So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “[b]On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and [c]worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and [d]serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Mark 1:12 Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. 13 And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him

Luke 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around [a]by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of [b]the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and [c]its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore if You [d]worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written,

‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’

11 and, ‘On their hands they will bear You up,

So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Footnotes (Matthew)

a. Matthew 4:2 Lit later became; or afterward became

b. Matthew 4:7 Lit Again

c. Matthew 4:9 Lit prostrate Yourself

d. Matthew 4:10 Or fulfill religious duty to Him

Footnotes (Luke)

a. Luke 4:1 Or under the influence of; lit in

b. Luke 4:5 Lit the inhabited earth

c. Luke 4:6 Lit their (referring to the kingdoms in v 5)

d. Luke 4:7 Or bow down before

Commentary

This is another one of those times when I wonder how a particular story came to be told by the gospel writers. The only witnesses were Jesus and Satan, so Jesus would have had to recount the story to at least one other person, in order for it to be passed on. The Word in Life Study Bible calls out that the book of Matthew paints eight portraits of what it means to be like Jesus. This temptation demonstrates the fourth; “to be like Jesus means to admit our vulnerability to temptation. Matthew’s inclusion of the temptation is remarkable. It shows that the sinless Lord of the universe was tempted, just as we are (Heb 4:15-16). If we want to be like Jesus, we must accept that temptation is real – as is the possibility of overcoming temptation. But we need to be open about our struggles. In doing so we honor God, recognize the power of sin, and encourage others to do likewise” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1623). Surely, Jesus recognized this opportunity to share His experience with His followers as an important teaching moment, when He could humbly acknowledge that He had been tempted and encourage His disciples to overcome temptation, as He did. “Many people, confusing temptation with sin, are troubled at the thought that Jesus could be tempted. It must be recognized that temptations are appeals to legitimate needs and desires. The error is in suggesting that these desires should be fulfilled in a way contrary to God’s will” (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia, Vol 5 pg. 671).

The account of the wilderness is in three of the gospels, whereas the gospel of John goes directly from John the Baptist’s testimony, to Jesus recruiting His first followers ‘the next day’. Despite what may at first seem to be a conflict, the reason the accounts do not contradict one another is that the story of Jesus’ baptism in the book of John is a testimony after-the-fact by John the Baptist. While I included the verses earlier in my study because they thematically coincided with events that were happening in the other gospels, it is more likely that the entire passage from John 1:19-34, where John the Baptist is questioned by the council sent by the Pharisees and testifies to having seen the Spirit alight on Jesus, all were spoken by John the Baptist as Jesus was returning from the wilderness.

The wilderness in these passages refers to an area northwest of Jericho, “the elevation of the Judean wilderness. The historical setting of the temptation, which was directed against Jesus’ human nature, indicates that His was a literal experience which He really conquered, not merely a mental victory over His own thoughts” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1169). The choice of the desert as a venue for Jesus’ fasting and temptation was significant because ancient beliefs held that there were a lot of spirits wandering there, in an ongoing spiritual warfare. “In fact, some of the early church fathers went into desert caves as a way to engage in spiritual warfare and develop spiritual disciplines” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1775). Additionally, it recalls the various trials and sins of God’s people in the wilderness.

Satan then transports Jesus’ human form to the pinnacle of the temple, which is “normally taken to mean the place where the southern and eastern walls of the city and temple area met. This place even today stands several hundred feet above the depths of the Kidron Valley below it” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1270). Finally, Satan transports Jesus to the top of a high mountain, the location of which is unidentified. However, the account is given as factual, rather than in Jesus’ mind, so we can assume this is a real physical location (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1170).

As we see the Holy Spirit filling and leading Jesus, we get further insight into the uniqueness of these two beings, as well as Jesus’ earthly dependence on the Holy Spirit. The Spirit orchestrates this test for Jesus in order to reveal both the extent of Jesus’ self-humiliation, as well as His qualification as a human free from sin. Jesus, being God, was in fact incapable of sin, but this does not stop Satan from attacking Him, anyway (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1269-1270). In my NAS Bible, Luke 4:5 references Matthew 24:14, which is a real insight into the character of God. Satan promised Jesus power over those regions, but God’s plan was to give Him power over all those kingdoms, anyway. Once He overcame the temptation of the Devil, He was able to get more than the Devil could have offered Him, including victory over the Devil himself.

Also, we see the person of Satan presented as a factual being, offering something no mortal man could have been expected to decline (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1169). While I have always understood the purpose of this passage to demonstrate that Jesus was tempted to sin, just as humans are, I always assumed it was pretty easy for Him. I am not particularly motivated by the things the Devil was offering to Jesus, and it’s hard for me to appreciate exactly how tempting that would have been. However, my perspective has changed slightly since becoming a parent. I always tell people who don’t have kids that a person doesn’t know what they’re capable of thinking or who they’re capable of being until they haven’t slept for three months. You might know what it’s like to be tired because you haven’t slept for 48 hours to finish a project, but you can’t ever know what it’s like to be ‘new parent’ tired until you’ve actually done it. It’s not just that the sleeplessness makes you crave sleep, but that the sleeplessness makes you emotionally unstable, lacking impulse control in every facet of your life. I imagine fasting for 40 days is much the same. I know what it’s like to be ‘hangry’ because I haven’t eaten for most of a day, but I can’t possibly know how close I would be to the edge of reason after 40 days. Luke 4:2 also implies that the temptation had been ongoing for the entire 40 days, so Jesus may have been worn out, not only from the lack of sustenance, but also from the constant badgering.

Regarding that period of 40 days, it’s interesting how frequently God uses the same time frames or numbers. Jesus was in the desert and fasted for 40 days, as was Moses when he received the 10 commandments (Ex 34:28). Elijah also fasted in the desert 40 days (1 Ki 19:8). Although I found some conflicting reports, the number 40 appears about 150 times in the Bible (give or take a few, depending on what resources you look at), and it is usually associated with some period of trial or spiritual purification. Once you start looking into Bible numerology, you can find some pretty wacky stuff, but I did want to offer a pretty straightforward reference with a few other significant examples of the number 40 (https://amazingbibletimeline.com/blog/q11_number_40/).

At the end of the passage in Luke, it says the Devil left Jesus until an opportune time. This implies that Satan continued to attack Jesus throughout His earthly life, so I make this note to see if we can perceive the attacks of Satan in other settings over the course of the gospel accounts, but also so we can perceive “opportune times” in our own lives when we might be more susceptible to the schemes of the Tempter (https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/opportune-times-d-greg-ebie-sermon-on-jesus-temptation-53084?page=1&wc=800).

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/05/16/22-jesus-first-converts/

Scripture References

Mk 1:12 Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. 13 And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him

Lk 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” 5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” 9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’ 11 and, ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jas 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

Ex 34:28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

1 Ki 19:8 So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

1 Th 3:5 For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.

Mt 14:33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

Mt 26:63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”

Mk 3:11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!”

Mk 5:7 and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!”

Lk 1:35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

Lk 4:41 Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.

Jn 1:34 I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

Jn 1:49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”

Ac 9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

Dt 8:3 He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

Ne 11:1 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine-tenths remained in the other cities.

Ne 11:18 All the Levites in the holy city were 284.

Da 9:24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.

Mt 27:53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

Ps 91:11-12 For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone.

Dt 6:16 You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.

Mt 16:26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

1 Jn 2:15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

1 Co 10:20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

Dt 6:13 You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.

Dt 10:20 You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name.

Mt 26:53 Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

Lk 22:43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.

Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

Mt 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Lk 3:3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

Mt 24:14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

1 Jn 5:19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Jesus is Baptized and John Testifies, Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, John 1:9-13, 15-18, 29-34

Matthew 3:13 Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15 But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. 16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and [a]he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and [b]lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is [c]My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Mark 1:9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens [a]opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; 11 and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Luke 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

John 1:9 There was the true Light [a]which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His [b]own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were [c]born, not of [d]blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me [a]has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” 16 For of His fullness [b]we have all received, and [c]grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth [d]were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who [a]has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ 31 I did not recognize [b]Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing [c]in water.” 32 John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not recognize [d]Him, but He who sent me to baptize [e]in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes [f]in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

Footnotes:

a. Matthew 3:16 Or He

b. Matthew 3:16 Lit coming upon Him

c. Matthew 3:17 Or My Son, the Beloved

Footnotes:

a. Mark 1:10 Or being parted

Footnotes:

a. John 1:9 Or which enlightens every person coming into the world

b. John 1:11 Or own things, possessions, domain

c. John 1:13 Or begotten

d. John 1:13 Lit bloods

Footnotes:

a. John 1:15 Lit has become before me

b. John 1:16 Lit we all received

c. John 1:16 Lit grace for grace

d. John 1:17 Lit came to be

Footnotes:

a. John 1:30 Lit has become before me

b. John 1:31 I.e. as the Messiah

c. John 1:31 The Gr here can be translated in, with or by

d. John 1:33 I.e. as the Messiah

e. John 1:33 The Gr here can be translated in, with or by

f. John 1:33 The Gr here can be translated in, with or by

Commentary

My study this week covers several passages because the account of this event is in all four gospels. Since this is one of the first points at which all the accounts converge, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the historical legitimacy of the gospel accounts. I encourage you to take a look at this comprehensive article about the reliability of the gospel authors and subsequent translations https://evidenceandanswers.org/article/historical-reliability-of-the-gospels/. For the purpose of this post, I wanted to call out that, while the testimonies must agree on major points in order to be considered accurate, if they all contained the exact same details, it would undermine the authors’ credibility insomuch as it would indicate collusion (https://www.gotquestions.org/four-Gospels.html).

In addition to the baptism account, I included some of the earlier passages in John because they demonstrate the fact that the world would not recognize Jesus, and thus would necessitate the testimony of John the Baptist. (Later in the post, I also cover another shade of meaning to the word “recognize”, which will further explain that passage.) These verses also complement the event which introduces Jesus as a public figure, the Messiah who has come to save us and give us access into the family of God if we will recognize Him, receive Him, and believe in His name.

In the passage from Matthew, we note that John the Baptist attempted to hinder Jesus from baptism (the literal translation of the Greek = ‘was hindering’ https://biblehub.com/text/matthew/3-14.htm). John does this for two reasons; baptism was an outward expression of an inward decision to repent, and Jesus, being sinless, could not ‘turn from’ the path which he had already been traveling. Also, as John states, he felt himself unworthy of the opportunity and responsibility. Jesus encourages John to passively allow the ritual because it is important to Jesus that He demonstrate all the rites of a faithful Jew and also inaugurate “His public ministry as the Messiah” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1169).

As Jesus comes up from the water, the Spirit of God descends upon His shoulder, and the voice of the Father speaks from Heaven. This is one of the few times in the Bible when all three persons of the trinity are active at once, and it is significant in particular because the Father publicly voices His approval of the Son (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1238). The form taken by the Holy Spirit is a dove, which is significant for a number of reasons. “The dove was a symbol of innocence and purity (cf. Mt 10:16) and served as an ideal symbolic representation for the Holy Spirit since it is a totally defenseless animal” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1169). Also, as we see in the passage from John, John the Baptist was told that he would see the Spirit descend on the Messiah, and that’s how he would be certain of His deity. This idea of the Spirit alighting on the Messiah also recalls Isaiah 11:2, which I’ve pasted below in the scripture reference section. Based on the fact that John already recognized a holiness in Jesus, which caused him to hinder Jesus from being baptized, this sign of the dove seems to cement an idea John already had about who Jesus was.

The passage from John indicates that John the Baptist had not recognized Jesus until the dove alighted on him, but the literal translation of the Greek word is ‘knew’ (https://biblehub.com/text/john/1-33.htm), which to me could indicate that John was not completely certain, or did not ‘know’, until he saw the Spirit descend as he had been told he would. In terms of the translators’ choice of the word ‘recognize’, this application could be more like a formal acknowledgement, as in “The United States promptly recognized Israel” (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/recognize). This idea is corroborated by the fact that John 1:10 says the world did not “know” Him. “The verb used here (Gr gnosko) means to acknowledge or recognize. The world rejected Him” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1298).

Because I just picked up something else interesting, I also want to explore the being of the Holy Spirit. My family just got back from a vacation to Colonial Williamsburg, where one of the presentations was made by a Shawnee Indian. He discussed many aspects of Shawnee culture, including hunting, war, language, and religion. As he described the religion they observe, he said they believe in one God, their creator, who has three parts. They believe humans bear the image of their creator and that humans have three parts, also: spirit, flesh, and energy/animation. When they die, they believe that all their three parts will return to the place from which they came; the spirit will return to Heaven to be with their creator, their flesh will return to dust, and their energy/animation will return to the underworld to be recycled. While not every aspect of this belief system coincides with Judeo-Christian beliefs, I was really surprised at the similarities. When I was talking to my husband about it, he said of course it makes sense because we all came from the original line of Adam and Noah, so all people knew the truth at one time; it has just become twisted or perverted in different ways over time and with cultural changes.

When I dove back into my study after I returned home, I looked again at the Pictorial Encyclopedia passage about the Holy Spirit, and here’s what I read in the opening lines, which explain the Old Testament depiction of the Holy Spirit. “By analogy, the word was applied to the breath of man, and since human breath is at once the evidence of animal vitality and the vehicle of thought and passion, the word means both the principle of animation and the distinctive spiritual principle in man (Gen 6:17; Job 17:1; Ezek 37:6). The OT writers also believed that man was made in the divine image, that he had received his vital breath from God, and at death, when he breathed his last, gave his spirit back to God. Thus God is described as having a…Spirit, the source of that breath of life by which all living creatures are animated, and the Giver of those unique qualities that make man like Himself” (Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 3 pg. 183). Again, the similarities in religions developed across the globe from one another is astounding.

I was talking about it with a friend, who also happened to be in Williamsburg at the same time (small world!), and she wondered how much the Shawnee religion may have been influenced by early European settlers. That idea may not be without merit, and I did a little reading on the Shawnee religious traditions. I found some articles that said the Shawnee were always very religious and retained their own religion in spite of European influence and other articles that indicate there may have been some Christian influence, after all. Most articles agree that, in what we recognize as Shawnee religion today, there is a supreme deity, and then a subordinate Great Spirit, who was the agent of creation and who will one day bring the good people of the world to be with her and punish the wicked who remain. They all agree that the Great Spirit is a female in Shawnee tradition. There are some articles that also refer to a third subordinate deity, as well as an evil counterpart who lives in the underworld. In addition, several sites said that many Shawnee have converted to Christianity today (http://www.bigorrin.org/archive123.htm).

Back to the idea of baptism and the Holy Spirit, if our modern definition of baptism is that another person has to submerge a new believer in the water and resurrect him, what does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit? Although the baptism of water and of the Holy Spirit happened simultaneously with Jesus, John the Baptist made it very clear to his followers that he was merely baptizing in water, and that the Messiah would offer another kind of baptism altogether. At Pentecost the disciples were baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5) in the upper room, and in Acts 11:16, we see that Cornelius’ family was baptized with the Holy Spirit in their home. Neither of these took place simultaneously with water baptism. However, when Jesus commanded His disciples in Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” He seems to imply that we now manifest both water and Spirit baptisms at once. Part of the origin of the word baptize is from the Greek Christian word baptein, which meant “to dip, steep, dye, color” (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/baptize). So if water baptism is a symbolic outer cleansing, perhaps baptism of the Holy Spirit is that metamorphosis of the essential quality of a person, the same irreversible process by which water becomes tea, or vinegar becomes Easter egg dye. We become a “new creation”.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/05/10/temptation-in-the-wilderness/

Scripture References

Mk 1:9-11 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; 11 and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Lk 3:21-22 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Jn 1:31-34 did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” 32 John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

Mt 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee,

Ps 40:7 Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8 I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.”

Jn 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.

Jn 8:29 And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

Ac 7:56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Ps 2:7 I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.

Is 42:1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.

Mt 12:18 “Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

Mt 17:5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”

Mk 9:7 Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!”

Lk 9:35 Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!”

Jn 12:28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

Mt 3:13 Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15 But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. 16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Mt 2:23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Lk 2:51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Mt 14:23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

Lk 5:16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Lk 9:18 And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?”

Lk 9:28 Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming

2 Pe 1:17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”—

1 Jn 2:8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining

1 Co 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

Heb 1:2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

Jn 11:52 and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

Gal 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Jn 1:7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him

Jn 3:18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

1 Jn 3:23 This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.

1 Jn 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Jn 3:5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Jas 1:18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

1 Pe 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

1 Jn 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.

1 Jn 3:9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Eph 1:23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Eph 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Eph 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Col 1:19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

Col 2:9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

Jn 7:19 “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”

Jn 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Ro 5:21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ro 6:14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Jn 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Jn 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Jn 18:37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

Ex 33:20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”

Jn 6:46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.

Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

1 Ti 6:16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

1 Jn 4:12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

Jn 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

1 Jn 4:9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him

Lk 16:22 Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.

Jn 13:23 There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.

Jn 3:11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.

Is 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

Jn 1:36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

Ac 8:32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth.

1 Pe 1:19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

Rev 5:6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.

Rev 5:8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Rev 5:12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

Rev 6:1 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.”

Mt 1:21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

1 Jn 3:5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.

Mt 3:11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Jn 1:27 It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

Jn 1:15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’”

Mk 1:8 I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Lk 3:16 John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you [a]with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Ac 1:5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Mt 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

Jn 1:49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”

Mt 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.

Is 11:2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Gen 6:17 Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.

Job 17:1 “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, The grave is ready for me.

Ezek 37:6 I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Acts 1:5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Acts 11:16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized [a]with the Holy Spirit.’