Full Transcript for Voices from Heaven

Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:56.879 And that's okay. 00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:04.480 In fact, that's actually great because it tells us a lot of things that we would like to know about Jesus and helps us flesh out our full image of Jesus. 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:12.160 And I want to just say again, most of the work in John is, most of the work of Jesus in John is done in Judea. 00:05:12.319 --> 00:05:18.720 And of course, maybe the way to frame all of this is to just point you to the purpose statement for the Gospel of John. 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:21.120 And that's found in John chapter 20. 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:27.600 Everything rotates on this passage, John chapter 20, verses 30 and 31. 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:31.120 John tells us straight up exactly what he's doing. 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:43.759 Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. 00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:49.920 The purpose of this is to cause people to believe in Jesus. 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:52.240 We need to hold on to that with both hands. 00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:58.879 It's easy to wander away from that because there are so many points of curiosity, so many things about John's gospel that are different. 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:03.839 Maybe we get lost in trying to compare it to the synoptics and figure out where this event goes on the timeline. 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:05.680 We need to be careful about that. 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:10.240 This is about building faith in Jesus. 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:13.120 And that begins with John 1.1. 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:17.040 In the beginning was the word, and the word is with God, and the word was God. 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:20.959 The key to the gospel of John is that Jesus is the word. 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:24.639 This is the only place that idea is applied to Jesus. 00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:31.360 You might want to read Proverbs chapter 8, especially verses 27 to 30 for some Jewish background there. 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:36.560 I think really this is best understood to mean the Word of God. 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:39.600 Jesus is the embodiment of God's message. 00:06:39.759 --> 00:06:41.680 He's more than a letter from God. 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:44.480 He came to live out the word of God. 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:47.600 Words are what gives expression to inner thoughts. 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:50.560 We can't know what someone's thinking until they tell us. 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:56.480 So Jesus is the culmination, the fullest expression of God's thoughts. 00:06:56.800 --> 00:06:59.279 He reveals God to us. 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:03.199 And in fact, only God can reveal God. 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:06.800 So John works that down through this prologue. 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:08.959 Note verse 4: in him was life. 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:12.720 Life is a huge emphasis in the Gospel of John. 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:15.519 And so we get down to verse 12. 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:17.199 You need to receive him. 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:22.800 And if you believe in him, verse 12, then you give the right to become a child of God. 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:28.800 Believing activates the things that you need to do, then in obedience to become a Christian. 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:34.319 Please notice, believing doesn't make you a follower of Jesus, it's the starting point. 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:39.920 Then Jesus, there, then Jesus is said, verse 14, to become flesh. 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:42.000 The word became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:46.560 We have seen his glory, glories of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:51.279 So if you have tension and uncertainty, let's have a little coffee here. 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:54.480 Who is this powerful being? 00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:55.839 Who is the word? 00:07:56.319 --> 00:07:59.360 Now we know Jesus is the word. 00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:05.920 And then the rest of this chapter just builds on the testimony of people who are saying, hey, look, it's Jesus. 00:08:06.079 --> 00:08:07.199 Jesus is the Messiah. 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:09.120 Jesus is the one from God. 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:12.000 And you get four successive days here. 00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:16.079 John likes time notations, and you get a lot of time notations. 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:21.199 John testifies to Jesus, says some things about the Lamb of God. 00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:26.000 And that's, I need to ask John about that. 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:29.279 Remember, John is never named in this gospel. 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:30.800 John the Apostle is not. 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:33.759 So when you're reading of John, you're reading of John the Baptist. 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:36.720 And I would like to know, John the Baptist, which lamb did you mean? 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:45.840 Is that the Passover lamb, the scapegoat lamb, the lamb of Genesis 22 that Abraham was going to sacrifice instead, that he does sacrifice instead of Isaac? 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:47.360 Is this a sin offering? 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:48.320 Hard to know. 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:51.120 I'm going to go with Isaiah 53, 7's lamb. 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:55.039 It's the same word for lamb as in the Septuagint version of Isaiah 53. 00:08:55.200 --> 00:08:57.600 John appeals to Isaiah 53 elsewhere. 00:08:57.840 --> 00:08:59.919 I'll go Isaiah 53 here. 00:09:00.080 --> 00:09:07.279 This is the suffering servant, and this is the identification of Jesus as the Messiah of Isaiah. 00:09:07.600 --> 00:09:16.080 Then the next day, notice uh verse 29 the next day, verse 35 the next day, and then verse 43, the next day. 00:09:16.320 --> 00:09:22.720 So the rest of this book here begins to develop people following Jesus, called to follow Jesus. 00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:28.960

And the tense and 43 of follow me is keep on following me. 00:09:29.279 --> 00:09:32.159 It's a call to discipleship. 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:38.639 Now that's a brief look at one of the most amazing chapters in the entire Bible, but that gets us started. 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:42.000 The reading for Monday is John 1. 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:43.840 Welcome to Tuesday. 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:47.919 It is Tuesday, and today is Teddy Roosevelt's birthday. 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:50.960 On October 27, 1858, my favorite president was born. 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:53.600 Teddy Roosevelt, happy birthday to TR. 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:57.360 More importantly than that, we are reading in John chapter 2 today. 00:09:57.519 --> 00:10:01.360 John chapter 2 is the reading for Tuesday. 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:05.600 And I should say a couple things here that are helpful to us as we're working along. 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:07.039 I do want you to pay attention. 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:08.720 Look at John 2.21. 00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:12.000 But he was, yes, yes, I'm jumping you ahead in the Bible reading. 00:10:12.080 --> 00:10:12.559 Don't panic. 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:14.799 John 2, I'll come back to the rest of it. 00:10:15.039 --> 00:10:18.240 John 2.21, but he was speaking about the temple of his body. 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:29.840 John includes a large number of these parenthetical statements or little footnotes where John explains something that's happening or why it happened or what is going on. 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:31.360 Pay attention to those. 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:33.519 They'll help you in the text. 00:10:33.759 --> 00:10:36.799 So this begins with the wedding at Cana, John 2, verse 1. 00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:38.159 Told you I'd get back to it. 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:40.799 On the third day, see, we're connecting. 00:10:40.879 --> 00:10:43.279 Remember John 1.43 the next day. 00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:45.360 Now John 2.1 on the third day. 00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:48.000 Now Jesus is at Cana in Galilee. 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:49.600 I need to say something here. 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:58.159 This passage gets run out a lot in the conversation about social drinking, recreational use of alcohol in the Christian, and that needs to stop. 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:01.039 Jesus most certainly did not make alcoholic wine here. 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:04.799 So a number of indicators in the text about that, if you want to study that further. 00:11:05.039 --> 00:11:19.279 But bottom line here, Jesus is not making gallons and gallons and gallons of an alcoholic beverage because if somebody becomes drunk off that alcoholic beverage and everybody admits drunkenness is a sin, then Jesus is an accessory to that. 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:21.759 Jesus led someone into sin. 00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:22.960 That's just unthinkable. 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:25.200 So don't get lost here. 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:27.759 I preached on this text last summer. 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:35.360 I was

in a summer series and I was asked to preach on something that is very surprising about Jesus, something very unexpected about Jesus. 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:37.519 And I think this is a very unexpected miracle. 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:39.840 It's a miracle that Jesus did not plan to do. 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:44.559 It is a miracle that Jesus is kind of, well, he's kind of forced to do it by his mom. 00:11:44.879 --> 00:11:50.000 And if if you can force Jesus to do anything, his mom says, Hey, you got to help us out here. 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:51.840 And Jesus does. 00:11:52.000 --> 00:12:03.919 And then maybe the most unexpected thing about this is it's an unknown miracle because only Jesus' disciples, Jesus' mother, and the servants who carried the water, they're the only ones who know what happened. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:06.639 Jesus does not stand up and say, I did it, I did it. 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:08.720 Okay, everybody, there's enough wine now. 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:13.759 And it was a huge embarrassment to run out of wine at a banquet like this. 00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:16.720 So Jesus really does kind of save the day. 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:22.240 But that said, I'm not sure I'd put this down as the most important miracle that Jesus ever did. 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:25.360 This doesn't rank up there with the raising of Lazarus from the dead. 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:27.440 Okay, he saved a party. 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:39.279 And yeah, it this isn't exactly earth-changing, but it does certainly show Jesus' concern for people and Jesus' care for people and for his mother. 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:42.240 By the way, Mary is never named in this gospel. 00:12:42.559 --> 00:12:52.240 And there is no evidence to support this commonly said thing that Jesus and his disciples were unexpected guests, and so they showed up, and that's why they ran out of wine. 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:56.159 And I should close the loop on that wine-alcoholic thing. 00:12:56.320 --> 00:13:03.440 Remember, in the Bible and in New Testament times, the word for wine can be used of unfermented grape juice and for an alcoholic beverage. 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:04.080 It does not. 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:06.399 Now, in our world, wine means an alcoholic beverage. 00:13:06.559 --> 00:13:08.559 It's not so in the Bible times. 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:11.200 Probably the most important thing to see here is verse 11. 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:12.879 This is the first of his signs. 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:16.159 It's not a magic trick, it's not just something kind of interesting and strange. 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:22.720 Jesus' favorite word for miracles is signs, or John's favorite word for miracles, I should say, is signs. 00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:30.559 They are signs that point to something that say something that help us better understand Jesus. 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:33.600 Then Jesus cleanses the temple. 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:39.200 This material in John 2, beginning in verse 13, Jesus goes up to Jerusalem. 00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:42.960 John takes a lot of pains to track Jewish feasts. 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:48.080 There are three Passovers mentioned in John's gospel, and perhaps even a fourth. 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:51.200 This feast would be in March or in April. 00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:57.679 And when you go to the temple, you can't give to the temple treasury in foreign currency. 00:13:57.919 --> 00:13:59.679 You have to exchange it. 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:05.039 So there would be plenty of room for people to profit off of that, the exchange ratio. 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:21.200 Dean and I just went overseas, and there's lots of discussion in the various travel blogs and YouTubers about where to get foreign currency, because if you change in the wrong place, one of those little kiosks in the airport, for example, they can kill you on the conversion rate. 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:22.639 You end up losing a lot of money. 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:24.399 Well, that's going on here, isn't it? 00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:26.480 That's what's happening here in John chapter 2. 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:30.480 Well, okay, they're not changing in the kiosk in the airport there, but you understand what I'm saying. 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:35.039 And then there would be plenty of profit to be made from selling official sacrificial animals. 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:38.080 And the Sadducees are the ones that are in charge of this. 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:41.440 And Jesus here says, this is a problem. 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:44.879 And the problem would be where it's located. 00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:49.600 In the temple, there's this huge plaza that's the court of the Gentiles. 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:52.320 The temple complex takes up about 30 acres. 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:55.360 And that's the only place Gentiles could be. 00:14:55.519 --> 00:15:03.679 And so all these animals and banking and all the carrying on, that's going to get in the way of a Gentile who's come to the temple to pray. 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:06.799 Jesus says, that's a problem. 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:08.480 That's a problem. 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:14.399 These things may even be helpful to people who traveled a long ways and they need to convert their currency. 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:20.399 And maybe having said some things about leveraging the exchange rate, Jesus doesn't say here, hey, you're overcharging. 00:15:20.559 --> 00:15:22.639 Jesus just says, this isn't the place for it. 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:24.799 This isn't the place for it. 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:31.360 Makes you think about churches today that are just whole hog into the food fun and games business. 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:33.600 That's not bad. 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:37.440 There's a place for that, but the church building's not the place for that. 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:39.200 That's not what we come there for. 00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:42.480 And it makes me think about Jesus coming today. 00:15:42.639 -->

00:15:46.639 Some of these churches have elaborate coffee bars and all that going on. 00:15:46.799 --> 00:15:47.919 You know how much I love coffee? 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:49.440 Jesus overturning the coffee bars? 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:50.559 Yeah, I kind of think that's right. 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:51.679 I kind of think that's right. 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:55.679 Jesus is removing all barriers to worship. 00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:57.919 And then there's a crucial moment in verse 20. 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:00.559 The Jews said it's taken 46 years to build this temple. 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:02.240 Will you raise it up in three days? 00:16:02.480 --> 00:16:05.279 Watch for that kind of foolishness in the Gospel of John. 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:10.879 People who go over literal with what Jesus says, and as a result, they completely miss the point. 00:16:11.039 --> 00:16:11.919 They miss the point. 00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:17.919 When Jesus says, I'm going to rebuild this temple in three days, he can't possibly be speaking of a physical building. 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:20.080 So you need to think a little deeper. 00:16:20.320 --> 00:16:22.000 Think a little deeper. 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:24.159 That's what needs to happen here. 00:16:24.480 --> 00:16:30.159 And so maybe we when we get this verse 23, 24, 25 is kind of a little summary of Jesus in Jerusalem. 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:31.840 And people, some people are believing. 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:36.080 And so maybe we're tempted to say, hey, Jesus, set up shop and say, I'm the Messiah. 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:36.960 Here I am. 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:42.240 But I think Jesus knows that they don't know what being the Messiah is all about. 00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:45.039 And there needs to be more teaching behind that. 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:49.039 We could talk a little bit more about John 2, 23, 24, 25. 00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:52.320 In our Zoom call tonight, West Siders will work with John chapter 2. 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:55.679 For the rest of you, I'll see you on the podcast tomorrow, the reading for Tuesday. 00:16:56.159 --> 00:16:57.679 Reading for Tuesday, John chapter 2. 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:00.480 It's hump day. 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:01.519 It is hump day. 00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:02.559 Get on that camel. 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:03.440 It is Wednesday. 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:06.079 It is Wednesday, and we're reading John chapter 3. 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:09.759 John 3 is famous for the interview with Nicodemus. 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:13.680 And there is lots to ask about here, speculate about here. 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:14.960 We need to be careful about that. 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:18.960 For example, verse 2, what's Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night for? 00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:21.359 Is he ashamed to be seen speaking with Jesus? 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:23.599 Maybe there's too many crowds during the day. 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:26.160 Some have said rabbis commonly visited at night. 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:27.440 We don't know any of that. 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:32.720 It is clear, however, from what Nicodemus says that he's getting some of what's happening. 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:35.680 These signs, verse two, these signs. 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:37.680 No one could do that unless God is with him. 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:42.640 So the signs are pointing to something, but Nicodemus doesn't have all of that put together. 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:51.440 And so remember, for Nicodemus to see the kingdom would be the would be to participate in the kingdom. 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:54.000 And that would be a given for all Jews. 00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:58.640 No Jew is asking, How can I be part of the covenant people of God? 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:00.960 That's that's a no-brainer. 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:01.839 I'm a Jew. 00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:04.880 I am in the covenant people of God. 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:08.319 So this is a very startling conversation. 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:13.839 Jesus likes to begin conversations just right off the bat with something that really gets your attention. 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:18.559 And Jesus immediately says, unless you're born again, you're not in. 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:20.000 You're not part of the people of God. 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:22.640 Nicodem says, wait, wait, wait, wait, born again. 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:26.559 And John loves verse four to report stupid questions. 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:36.160 And that gives Jesus the opportunity to say some more things, like verse five, truly, truly I say unto you, unless one's born of water in the spirit, he can't enter the kingdom of God. 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:38.880 It is not two births here. 00:18:39.119 --> 00:18:41.039 It is a water spirit birth. 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:45.839 And those who know the language, it's a very technical construction, but it is one birth. 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:47.519 It's a water spirit birth. 00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:55.839 Some have tried to make that into two, that you're born of water, meaning your physical birth when a woman's water breaks, and then the spiritual birth. 00:18:56.000 --> 00:19:05.039 No, it's one birth, and it is the idea of being born again, which of course is all over the New Testament, just over and over again. 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:08.640 Peter uses it, Titus 3, verse 5. 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:12.720 Paul uses it, James uses it, Paul talks about it all the time. 00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:17.440 And what he's talking about here, of course, ultimately, what Jesus is pointing to is baptism. 00:19:17.599 --> 00:19:21.839 Baptism is that water spirit birth, born of water and the spirit. 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:25.519 We are born anew and we become a new creature in Christ. 00:19:25.759 --> 00:19:28.480 And I just need to say again, I think this is offensive. 00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:30.480 I think this is offensive to Nicodemus. 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:31.200 What do you mean? 00:19:31.359 --> 00:19:32.640 I

need to be born again. 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:34.799 Proselites were baptized. 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:36.160 They need to be born anew. 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:39.759 In fact, there's a rabbinical writing that says he is like a newborn child. 00:19:39.920 --> 00:19:41.359 Nicodemus is not a proselyte. 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:42.240 He's not Gentile. 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:43.680 He's not the San Eden Council. 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:44.559 This guy's a Jew. 00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:45.200 What do you mean? 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:45.920 What do you mean? 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:48.880 And so Nicodemus just says, this is crazy. 00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:52.079 I I verse nine, what are you talking about? 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:59.279 And Jesus uses some things here about the wind and about the spirit, and that we don't know all the things of the work of God. 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:05.279 But then in verse 10, as one scholar writes, Jesus said to Nicodemus, I have tried to make things simple. 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:09.519 I've used simple human pictures taken from everyday life, and you have not understood. 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:14.720 How can you ever expect to understand deeper things if the simple things are beyond you? 00:20:15.039 --> 00:20:17.519 So Jesus is pushing Nicodemus. 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:20.960 Jesus is pushing him and pushing him very hard. 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:28.400 Then beginning in verse 16, we have that probably most famous verse in the entire Bible from God so loved the world. 00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:33.519 And I would want you to make a note here in your Bible that these are not the words of Jesus. 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:35.279 Jesus did not say this. 00:20:35.599 --> 00:20:37.519 John says this about Jesus. 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:41.039 And I can I'm pretty confident of that. 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:43.839 Let me get a little more coffee here of my confidence. 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:47.359 Coffee, confidence in a mug. 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:52.799 This is most certainly the words of John, because Jesus would say, My father, not God has sent. 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:57.279 And it's all in the past tense, gave, light has come, in love, darkness, all that business. 00:20:57.359 --> 00:20:59.839 And Jesus never refers to himself as the only son. 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:01.759 John is the one that does that. 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:12.000 So what you get in 16 to 21 is really John's reflections on what it means to believe on Jesus and have eternal life, to have eternal life in Christ. 00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:17.119 And the chapter concludes then with John the Baptist exalting Jesus, 22 to 36. 00:21:17.519 --> 00:21:25.519 And notice verse 24, there's another John parenthetical expression, another insertion by John. 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:29.519 And John clearly expects his readers have read the other gospels. 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:35.279 He knows the readers have they know the story of John the Baptist, they know what happened there. 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:40.079 I'm not telling you that story because you know that story, I'm telling you some other things that go on. 00:21:40.319 --> 00:21:46.720 And I do think, verse 29, probably the toughest joy to have is joy when someone else does well. 00:21:47.279 --> 00:21:49.680 And I am so impressed with John the Baptist. 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:55.440 He can play the toughest instrument in the orchestra, second violin. 00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:56.960 That's hard, isn't it? 00:21:57.119 --> 00:21:58.240 You know what I mean by that? 00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:59.119 It's hard. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:00.480 It's hard. 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:07.759 And John has every temptation to step forward and say, it's me, it's me, it's me, I'm the Messiah, follow after me, everybody chase after me. 00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:09.680 That's a great temptation. 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:12.559 And John never succumbs to that. 00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:18.960 He says, I'm pointing to him, and I'm not him, and you need to follow Jesus. 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:21.440 That to me is extremely important. 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:24.480 Verse 36, then, whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. 00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:26.720 Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life. 00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:35.039 In the New Testament, the word believe often is synonymous with our word allegiance or loyalty, and you flat out see it there. 00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:38.559 Whoever has loyalty and allegiance to the Son has eternal life. 00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:41.440 Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life. 00:22:41.599 --> 00:22:43.359 Whoever does not give their allegiance to the Son. 00:22:43.440 --> 00:22:43.759 Do you see it? 00:22:43.839 --> 00:22:44.160 Do you see it? 00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:44.799 Do you see it? 00:22:45.039 --> 00:22:50.880 So John 336 helps us better understand what faith means in the New Testament. 00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:54.160 The reading for Wednesday, John chapter 3. 00:22:54.960 --> 00:22:55.839 It is Thursday. 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:59.920 It is Thursday, and our reading today is John chapter 4. 00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:02.720 This is one of my favorite chapters in all of the Bible. 00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:07.039 I love this conversation with Jesus and the woman at the well in Samaria. 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:14.400 And a little background information helps us a lot as we're dealing with this because there is so much hostility between Jews and Samaritans. 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:22.559 John gives us one of these wonderful explanatory notes in verse 9, Jews have no dealings with Samaritans, and that's a giant understatement. 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:37.359 The reason for the hostility here is that problems with Samaritans go all the way back to the time of when the Assyrians, the time of the captivity, when the Assyrians took all the ten tribes into captivity and resettled people there. 00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:43.519 And of course, they didn't take 100% of the

Israelite people, they took some of those people, most of those people. 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:46.960 And so the folks that got resettled there, they all intermarry. 00:23:47.039 --> 00:23:50.079 And so now you've got people who are not of pure lineage. 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:51.599 And that's the issue. 00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:55.200 And it has led to all kinds of hostility down through the years. 00:23:55.359 --> 00:24:01.200 For example, the Samaritans offered to help rebuild the temple, but in Ezra chapter 4, they said no, thank you. 00:24:01.519 --> 00:24:11.200 And it just keeps going because during the time between the testaments, the Samaritans refused to worship at Jerusalem and they build their own temple on Mount Gerizim about 400 BC. 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:14.799 And in 128 BC, the Jews marched up there and burned that thing down. 00:24:14.880 --> 00:24:18.559 So that made everybody feel really, really good about each other. 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:19.519 I'm certain. 00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:41.920 In fact, when Dean and I were in Israel, we had always heard that the reason Jews, uh what Jews did as they traveled was they went down to the Jordan River and they went north up the Jordan Valley and then over to Galilee instead of going straight through the easier path through Samaria, be shorter, but they hated the Samaritans so much they'd go out of their way so they didn't have to deal with Samaritans. 00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:43.759 And that is true. 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:46.799 Um, and that is it they did all that. 00:24:46.880 --> 00:24:48.319 They certainly did that kind of thing. 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:58.880 But one of the things that we realized when we were in Samaria is that it's extremely hilly, very, very hilly, kind of like the rolling hills, maybe to the Smoky Mountains. 00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:05.279 And so it's not just that they didn't want to talk to the Samaritans, but it's harder to walk through that country. 00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:18.079 So Jesus makes a very conscious effort here to go through a part of the country that the apostles would not want to go through, both from a geography standpoint and from we don't want to talk to these people. 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:24.640 And the next thing you know, the disciples are in town buying some food, and Jesus is talking to this woman at the well. 00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:30.880 This is probably six o'clock in the evening or noon, verse six, depending upon how Paul's telling, how John is telling time. 00:25:31.039 --> 00:25:33.839 That's not always certain in John's gospel. 00:25:34.240 --> 00:25:39.519 But watch Jesus just transition quickly to spiritual things. 00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:44.960 And notice verse 10 that knowing the gift of God is connected to knowing who gave it. 00:25:45.039 --> 00:25:48.880 The gift of God here is eternal life, and only Jesus can bestow that. 00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:52.079 Living water, verse 10, living water was very important in this time. 00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:55.839 Standing water, you could grow bacteria and weird stuff in it and get sick. 00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:58.000 So you need living water that's running water. 00:25:58.160 --> 00:26:03.200 But living water here in verse 10 is the idea of eternal life. 00:26:03.359 --> 00:26:05.759 And living water is so prominent in the Old Testament. 00:26:05.839 --> 00:26:08.079 Jeremiah uses that, Zechariah 14 uses that. 00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:14.000 And so living water here is eternal life, and especially the relationship with God that leads to eternal life. 00:26:14.160 --> 00:26:16.960 And so we get the stupid question, verse 15. 00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:19.039 John loves to show us that kind of thing. 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:26.000 And then, of course, as soon as people find out you're a preacher, they start asking you very important questions like Did Adam and Eve have a belly button? 00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:32.640 So verse 19, she says, Oh, let's talk about some things that are deep theological matters and everybody's arguing about. 00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:34.160 We'll just work on some of that. 00:26:34.319 --> 00:26:38.319 And Jesus comes right back to doing what's right and serving God. 00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:45.759 I think she's trying, verse 20, to distract Jesus from her marital problems, but Jesus is wanting to talk here about serving the Lord. 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:47.440 God is spirit, verse 24. 00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:50.480 Those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:52.319 You have to have the right object, God. 00:26:52.480 --> 00:27:01.039 You have to have the right heart, the spirit, the spirit of man is meant there, and the truth, the right mechanism, the right means of worshiping God. 00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:05.279 All of that has to be in place if worship is to be pleasing to the Lord. 00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:14.960 And verse 26 gives us a very unusual note in the life of Jesus, because this really is Jesus saying, I am the Messiah, and Jesus doesn't often say that kind of thing. 00:27:15.200 --> 00:27:23.759 So the giant contrast here is between the Samaritans who believe, verse 39, many Samaritans from the town believed in him, verse 41, many more believed. 00:27:24.079 --> 00:27:28.480 Samaritans believe they get it when Nicodemus the rabbi did not. 00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:29.359 How about that? 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:31.119 How about that? 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:34.079 And I do think there's a reference to John the Baptist in verse 38. 00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:38.480 The disciples come, they are a little slow, once again, verse 33. 00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:40.000 Did somebody bring him some groceries? 00:27:40.799 --> 00:27:41.920 Come on, guys. 00:27:42.240 --> 00:27:43.119 Come on, guys. 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:45.519 Think, pay attention to what's happening. 00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:52.720 Finally, this chapter then closes, 43 to the end of the chapter with some ministry in Galilee,

which is unusual in John's gospel. 00:27:52.799 --> 00:27:54.319 It's so Judean-centered. 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:57.920 Jesus does heal the nobleman's son in verse 46. 00:27:58.240 --> 00:28:04.720 And that does resemble the healing of the centurion servant in Matthew chapter 8, but these are not the same episode at all. 00:28:04.960 --> 00:28:08.720 And the point of the miracle, verse 50, is that Jesus is the giver of life. 00:28:08.880 --> 00:28:09.680 Look at verse 50. 00:28:09.839 --> 00:28:12.160 Jesus said to him, Go, your son will live. 00:28:12.559 --> 00:28:18.319 Could have said, Your son is healed, your son got better, your son will live, your son will live. 00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:22.880 The idea of Jesus the life giver gets picked up in chapter 5. 00:28:23.039 --> 00:28:24.880 So pay attention to 450. 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:30.960 Oftentimes there's a miracle in John's gospel, and then that miracle plugs into the teaching that follows. 00:28:31.119 --> 00:28:33.920 Reading for Thursday, John 4. 00:28:35.839 --> 00:28:36.880 It's Friday. 00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:38.240 It is Friday. 00:28:38.400 --> 00:28:39.839 Tomorrow is Halloween. 00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:43.279 I think I'll dress up as a cup of decaf coffee. 00:28:43.359 --> 00:28:44.640 That's pretty scary. 00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:47.039 Or maybe I'll go as Jerry Jones. 00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:49.680 That's probably the scariest thing cowboy fans can ever see. 00:28:49.920 --> 00:28:52.880 More importantly than that, we need to think about John 5. 00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:55.599 The reading for Friday is John chapter 5. 00:28:55.759 --> 00:29:00.960 If chapters 1 to 4 are the chapters of belief, then this begins the rejection section. 00:29:01.200 --> 00:29:04.079 Over and over again, John will say they did not believe. 00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:11.680 And the dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees, they just get hotter and hotter as John moves through this material. 00:29:11.920 --> 00:29:14.559 And that begins with this healing on the Sabbath. 00:29:14.799 --> 00:29:16.160 What is Jesus thinking? 00:29:16.400 --> 00:29:17.759 Healing on the Sabbath. 00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:21.599 There is, of course, a note here that everybody's going to ask me about. 00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:23.599 It's down at the bottom of the page. 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:31.759 Some manuscripts say something about waiting for the moving of the water, for an angel of the Lord went down at a certain season into the pool and stirred the water. 00:29:31.920 --> 00:29:36.720 And whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had. 00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:38.960 Is that part of the text? 00:29:39.119 --> 00:29:40.400 Is that really true? 00:29:40.559 --> 00:29:41.920 What's happening here? 00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:51.599 The first thing to notice here is that the reason it's footnoted is because there is really good evidence that this is not in the original work by John. 00:29:51.839 --> 00:29:53.759 The best manuscripts don't have it. 00:29:54.160 --> 00:29:59.119 P66, P75, the Cyanaticus, the Vaticanus, and others do not include it. 00:29:59.359 --> 00:30:03.039 The language and style here, furthermore, does not sound like John. 00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:05.440 And really, there's a doctrinal problem here. 00:30:05.599 --> 00:30:08.480 An angel stirring the water so that first comes, first serves. 00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:10.960 That sounds kind of like superstition. 00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:12.960 That doesn't seem like something God would be doing. 00:30:13.119 --> 00:30:21.440 Now, the evidence for it is there are some later Greek manuscripts that do have it, and it is cited in some other Christian writings outside of the Bible. 00:30:21.680 --> 00:30:23.680 Tertullian cites it. 00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:33.359 So maybe, maybe my guess is it reflects and reports the conventional thinking of the day, but I am not convinced that an angel did that. 00:30:33.519 --> 00:30:39.839 I think people thought an angel would do that, but I'm I don't see God working in that particular way. 00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:50.319 What we get out of this, though, is that Jesus does this sign, and instead of everybody saying, you're the Messiah, you're amazing, we're believing in you, what's the problem here? 00:30:50.559 --> 00:30:54.160 The problem, verse 18, is they seek to kill Jesus. 00:30:54.400 --> 00:31:00.640 And I think part of the problem here, verse 15, may be that the guy that Jesus healed ratted Jesus out. 00:31:00.880 --> 00:31:02.400 I'm not too impressed with that. 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:06.160 I think this guy is the one that gets Jesus into trouble. 00:31:06.400 --> 00:31:15.119 Well, Jesus then gets asked about his identity, who he is, what's he doing, what's going on, and we get the first long discourse by Jesus. 00:31:15.359 --> 00:31:20.240 And it highlights the idea of Son of Man and his ability to give life to the dead. 00:31:20.400 --> 00:31:28.160 Notice how that is connected to what just happened in John chapter 4, 49 and 50, where Jesus gave life to the dead. 00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:37.279 That's a common pattern in John's gospel: miracle teaching or teaching and then miracle, and the two are linked together so that we better understand them. 00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:42.799 And Jesus certainly does not claim to be independent of God, verse 19, but he is in submission to God. 00:31:42.880 --> 00:31:49.359 That doesn't make him less than God, but it makes him know his role and where he is. 00:31:49.680 --> 00:31:51.680 A woman is in submission to her husband. 00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:55.119 That doesn't make her less than human because she's in submission. 00:31:55.200 --> 00:31:57.200 She just needs to know her role. 00:31:57.440 --> 00:32:01.359 And Jesus cites the divine prerogatives, verse 21. 00:32:01.599 --> 00:32:04.000 Only the Father can give life and raise the dead. 00:32:04.160 --> 00:32:07.759 Verse 22, judgment only God

can judge. 00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:12.400 So Jesus says, verse 24, he can give life. 00:32:12.559 --> 00:32:17.680 And that again links to that healing, that raising in chapter four that we just read about. 00:32:17.920 --> 00:32:26.480 And as things begin to heat up more and more, Jesus cites witnesses, John the Baptist and God the Father, verses 30, 31, and 32. 00:32:26.960 --> 00:32:30.480 And then he begins to talk about why they don't believe. 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:34.400 Because you're not the spiritual people that you think you are. 00:32:34.559 --> 00:32:37.359 You've never heard the voice of Moses. 00:32:37.759 --> 00:32:40.000 The word doesn't abide in you. 00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:44.240 Verse 39, you're missing the point of reading the Bible. 00:32:44.400 --> 00:32:47.200 What a terrifying idea that is. 00:32:47.519 --> 00:32:54.160 And in fact, you think that the word can give you life, but the word doesn't give you life. 00:32:54.400 --> 00:32:55.599 God gives you life. 00:32:55.759 --> 00:33:00.160 You don't read the word of God to master the word, to know more things about the Bible. 00:33:00.319 --> 00:33:03.039 You read the Bible to know God. 00:33:03.440 --> 00:33:06.400 And so he says, verse 42, you don't love God. 00:33:06.640 --> 00:33:07.759 You don't love God. 00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:13.119 And of course, the love of God is part of the prayer known as the Shema that the Jews prayed every day. 00:33:13.359 --> 00:33:16.000 So Jesus says, you're missing it. 00:33:16.160 --> 00:33:18.640 You're not the people that you think you are. 00:33:18.880 --> 00:33:24.000 You need to go back to square one and work on your relationship with God. 00:33:24.240 --> 00:33:28.960 What a thing to say to people who are reading their Bible every day. 00:33:29.200 --> 00:33:30.319 How about that? 00:33:30.559 --> 00:33:44.160 We need to take these words to heart and make sure that we are, that we are seeking relationship with God, not just mastery of an old book so that we can show off to our religious friends. 00:33:44.319 --> 00:33:53.039 The Bible, of course, is much more than an old book, but we can turn it into that if we're not seeking relationship with the Lord. 00:33:53.519 --> 00:33:56.880 Reading for Friday, John chapter 5. 00:33:58.720 --> 00:33:59.599 Well, there you go. 00:33:59.680 --> 00:34:01.200 That concludes the podcast for the week. 00:34:01.279 --> 00:34:03.839 I appreciate you listening to the podcast. 00:34:03.920 --> 00:34:07.039 I get such good feedback from people who enjoy the podcast. 00:34:07.279 --> 00:34:12.559 Heard from a visitor just last week who said how much she appreciates the podcast. 00:34:12.800 --> 00:34:13.679 That means a lot. 00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:14.639 That just means a lot. 00:34:14.800 --> 00:34:20.559 I appreciate your encouragement as we read the Bible together, as we think about the sermon from Sunday together. 00:34:20.719 --> 00:34:22.000 I'm Mark Roberts. 00:34:22.079 --> 00:34:24.639 I want to go to heaven, and I want you to come too. 00:34:24.800 --> 00:34:28.480 I'll see you on Monday with a cup of coffee. 00:34:33.920 --> 00:34:39.920 Thanks for listening to the Westside Church of Christ podcast, Monday Morning Coffee with Mark. 00:34:40.159 --> 00:34:49.280 For more information about Westside, you can connect with us through our website, just Christians.com, and our Facebook page. 00:34:49.519 --> 00:34:51.840 Our music is from upbeat.io. 00:34:52.400 --> 00:35:00.239 That's Upbeat with two Ps, U-P-P-B-E-A-T, where creators can get free music. 00:35:00.400 --> 00:35:08.079 Please share our podcast with others, and we'll look forward to seeing you again with a cup of coffee, of course, on next Monday.