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Hebrews 13

LIVING A POSITIVE CHRISTIAN LIFE
A. Instructions for body life.

1. (1-3) Express brotherly love.

Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them; those who are mistreated; since you yourselves are in the body also.

a. Let brotherly love continue: The writer to the Hebrews uses the ancient Greek word philadelphia here. He assumes that there is brotherly love among Christians. He simply asks that it would continue among them.

i. In the ancient Greek language the New Testament was written in, there were four words at hand that we might translate love. Eros was one word for love. It described, as we might guess from the word itself, erotic love. It refers to sexual love. Storge was a second word for love. It refers to family love, the kind of love there is between a parent and child, or between family members in general. Agape is another word for love. It is the most powerful word for love in the New Testament, and is often used to describe God's love towards us. It is a love that loves without changing. It is a self-giving love that gives without demanding or expecting re-payment. It is love so great that it can be given to the unlovable or unappealing. It is love that loves even when it is rejected. Agape love gives and loves because it wants to; it does not demand or expect repayment from the love given - it gives because it loves, it does not love in order to receive. Agape love isn't aboutfeelings, it is about decisions.

ii. But the word for love used in Hebrews 13:1 is philadelphia, coming from the root philia. This ancient Greek word speaks of a brotherly friendship and affection. It is the love of deep friendship and partnership. There should always be plenty of this kind of love among Christians, and it shouldcontinue.

b. Do not forget to entertain strangers: Hospitality is an important virtue, and often it is commanded of Christians and leaders (Romans 12:10-13;1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:7-8; 1 Peter 4:9). In the ancient world, "motels," where they did exist, were notorious for immorality. It was important for traveling Christians to find open homes from other Christians. This was simply a practical way to let brotherly love continue.

i. Because of the free offer of hospitality, Christians had to watch out for people just masquerading as Christians so they could leech off the generosity of God's people. As time went on, Christian leaders taught their people how to recognize these kind of deceivers.

ii. The Didache was an early church "ministry manual," written perhaps somewhere between 90 and 110 A.D. It has this to say about how to tell if a false prophet is abusing the hospitality of those in the church:

Let every apostle that comes to you be received as the Lord. But he shall not remain except one day; but if there be need, also the next; but if he remains three days, he is a false prophet. And when the apostle goes away, let him take nothing but bread … but if he asks for money, he is a false prophet. And every prophet that speaks in the Spirit you shall neither try nor judge; for every sin shall be forgiven, but this one sin shall not be forgiven. But not everyone that speaks in the Spirit is a prophet; but only if he holds the ways of the Lord. Therefore from their ways shall the false prophet and the true prophet be known. (From The Ante-Nicean Fathers, Volume 7, page 380).

c. Strangers: The point is that we do this for other Christians who are strangersto us. If you invite your best friends over for lunch, that is wonderful - but it doesn't fulfill this command. A wonderful way to fulfill this command is to meet and befriend strangers at church, and to entertain them with hospitality.

i. The ancient Greek word for hospitality (used in passages likeRomans 12:13) is literally translated, "love for strangers." Brotherly lovemeans love for all our brothers and sisters in Jesus, not just those who are currently our friends.

d. For by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels: When we are hospitable to others, we really welcome Jesus (Matthew 25:35), and perhaps angels. Abraham (Genesis 18:1-22) and Lot (Genesis 19:1-3) are examples of those who unwittingly entertained angels.

e. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them: Prisoners here probably has first reference to those imprisoned for the sake of the Gospel. But it can also be extended to all that are in prison. This is just another way to let brotherly love continue.

2. (4) Honor marital love.

Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

a. The bed undefiled: The Bible strictly condemns sex outside of the marriage commitment (fornicators and adulterers God will judge). But the Bible celebrates sexual love within the commitment of marriage, as in The Song of Solomon.

i. "Fornication and adultery are not synonymous in the New Testament: adultery implies unfaithfulness by either party to the marriage vow, while the word translated "fornication" covers a wide range of sexual irregularities." (Bruce)

b. Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled: Perhaps through a past of sexual sin, many people have a difficult time really believing that the marriage bed is undefiled. Guilt and sexual hang-ups are appropriate to extra-marital sex, but not in marital sex. But this is where the guilt and sexual hang-ups often exist, and where they most frequently cause trouble.

i. The enemy of our souls wants to do everything he can to encourage sexoutside of the marriage bed, and he wants to do everything he can to discourage sex inside the marriage bed. We need to recognize this strategy and not give it a foothold among us.

c. Though God allows real freedom in the variety of sexual expression in marriage, all must be done with a concern for the other's needs and in love (1 Corinthians 7:2-5 and Ephesians 5:21-33).

3. (5-6) Learn contentment over covetousness.

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

a. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content: Covetousnessis the opposite of contentment. Often covetousness and greed are excused or even admired in today's culture, and are simply called "ambition."

b. Paul had the right idea in Philippians 4:11-13: Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Contentment has much more to do with what you are on the inside rather than what you have.

i. Someone asked millionaire Bernard Baruch, "How much money does it take for a rich man to be satisfied?" Baruch answered, "Just a million more than he has."

c. So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper." Real contentment comes only when we trust in God to meet our needs and to be our security. It is amazing that we are often more likely to put security and find contentment in things far less reliable and secure than God Himself!

4. (7) Follow your leaders.

Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.

a. Remember those who rule over you: We are told to recognize and follow godly leadership in the body of Christ, leadership that is shown to be legitimate by faithfulness to the word of God and by godly conduct.

i. Paul advised Timothy along the same lines: Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. (1 Timothy 4:16)

b. Such leaders should be recognized (remember those) and followed. Just as much as a church needs godly leaders, it also needs godly followers.

B. Instructions in worship.

1. (8) The enduring principle: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

a. Jesus Christ is the same: The unchanging nature (which theologians callimmutability) of Jesus Christ could be inferred from His deity, even if it were not explicitly stated. God doesn't change over the ages, so neither does Jesus, who is God.

b. His unchanging nature provides a measure for all Christian conduct, particularly in the word and in worship. We should not expect something completely "new" as if it were from a "new Jesus." The nature of Jesus as it is revealed in the Bible is the same nature of Jesus that should be seen in the church today.

2. (9-14) Following the rejected Jesus.

Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.

a. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines: There has never been a shortage of various and strange doctrines in the church. The ones specifically in mind here seem to deal with a return to Mosaic ceremonies and laws that were fulfilled in Jesus.

b. For it is good that the heart be established by grace: Our hearts will only be established by grace. We are established by an understanding and appropriation of God's undeserved approval of us, and not by an assumed approval gained through keeping a list of rules (not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them).

c. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat: These Jewish Christians had probably been branded as illegitimate by other Jews because they did not continue the Levitical system. But the writer to the Hebrews insists that we have an altar, and it is an altar that those who insist on clinging to the Levitical system have no right to.

i. Essentially, our altar is the cross - the centerpiece of the Christian gospel and understanding (1 Corinthians 1:18-24; 2:1-5).

d. Jesus … suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach: If our Savior was rejected and His sacrifice (performed at the cross, our altar) was branded illegitimate, what better do we expect? Identifying with Jesus often means bearing His reproach, the very thing many are quite unwilling to do.

i. Outside the camp: The camp referred to is institutional Judaism, which had rejected Jesus and Christianity. Though these Christians from Jewish backgrounds had been raised to consider everything outside the camp as unclean and evil, they must follow Jesus there.

e. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come: The difficult job of bearing His reproach is easier when we remember that the city or society we are cast out of is only temporary. We seek, and belong to, the permanent city yet to come.

3. (15-16) Our sacrifice.

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

a. Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God: Because we do have an altar (the cross) and we do have a High Priest (Jesus), we should always offer sacrifices. But they are not the bloody sacrifices of the old covenant, but the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips.

i. The writer to the Hebrews spells out several essentials for proper praise.

- Praise that pleases God is offered by Him, that is, by Jesus Christ, on the ground of His righteousness and pleasing God.
- Praise that pleases God is offered continually, so that we are always praising Him.
- Praise that pleases God is a sacrifice of praise, in that it may be costly or inconvenient.
- Praise that pleases God is the fruit of our lips, more than just thoughts directed towards God. It is spoken out unto the Lord, either is prose or in song. "What proceeds from the lips is regarded as fruit, which reveals the character of its source, as the fruit of a tree reveals the nature of the tree." (Guthrie)
b. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased: Praise is not the only sacrifice that pleases God. We also perform sacrifice that pleases God when we do good and share. Praise and worship are important, but the Christian's obligation do not end there.

4. (17) Follow your leaders.

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

a. Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive: We are to be submissive to the leaders God has given us (assuming they have the character mentioned in Hebrews 13:7). We are simply told to obey those who rule over us. When speaking on the authority of God's Word, leaders do have a right to tell us how to live and walk after God.

i. Sadly, many have taken the idea of submission to leaders in the church much too far; the "Shepherding Movement" was a clear example of this kind of abuse (which many seem to welcome, wanting someone else to be responsible for their lives). "A teacher should teach us to submit to God, not to himself." (Chuck Smith)

b. As those who must give account: Why should we obey and submit to our leaders? Because God has put them in a place of responsibility and accountability over us. Of course, this does not relieve individual responsibility, but it puts an additional accountability and responsibility to leaders.

c. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you: Cooperative conduct is not only a joy to leaders, but it is profitable for the whole body. It is for our own sake that we should obey andsubmit to God-appointed leaders.

C. Concluding remarks.

1. (18-19) A request for prayer.

Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.

a. Pray for us: The writer to the Hebrews considered it important that others pray for him. We all need and should welcome the prayers of others.

i. In the grammar of the ancient Greek language, pray is in the present imperative verb tense. It looks for continuous activity and implies that they had already been praying for him.

b. That I may be restored to you the sooner: There were obstacles preventing the writer from being reunited with his readers. He knew that prayer could remove those obstacles.

i. I especially urge you to do this: As far as the writer to the Hebrews is concerned, their prayers will determine if and when he is reunited with them. This shows how seriously he regarded their prayers for him.

2. (20-21) A blessing is pronounced.

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

a. This is a blessing in the style of the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:22-27: The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

b. In this blessing, God is first recognized in His attributes: peace, power (brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead), loving care (that great Shepherd), and ever giving love (the blood of the everlasting covenant).

i. The idea of the everlasting covenant has been taken to express thecovenant that existed before the foundation of the world between the Persons of the Godhead, working together for the salvation of man. Other passages which may speak to this everlasting covenant areRevelation 13:8, Ephesians 1:4, and 2 Timothy 1:9.

ii. Some, however, simply take the everlasting covenant as another name for the New Covenant.

c. Then, the desire for blessing is expressed: complete in every good work, God's working in you, and all through Jesus Christ.

3. (22-25) Conclusion to the letter to the Hebrews.

And I appeal to you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words. Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly. Greet all those who rule over you, and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you. Grace be with you all. Amen.

a. Bear with the word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words: The writer to the Hebrews reminds us of his purpose. His desire was to write a word of exhortation, that would encourage discouraged Christians, both then and now.

i. In Acts 13:15, the phrase word of exhortation is used to refer to a sermon. Perhaps the writer to the Hebrews means in Hebrews 13:22 that he has given his readers a written sermon.

b. Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly: These final words give us a few tantalizing hints of the writer's identity. But these words only tells us that the writer knew Timothy, and that he planned to visit his readers soon. It also tells us that his readers were based in Italy (Those from Italy greet you), probably in the city of Rome.

c. Grace be with you all: This is a fitting end for a book that documents the passing of the Old Covenant and the institution of the New Covenant. Grace be with you all indeed, under what God has given through the superior Savior, Jesus Christ! Amen
 
This seems to fit with the spirit of the previous book.

Romans 14

HELPING A WEAKER BROTHER
A. Don't judge each other in doubtful things.

1. (1-2) Receiving the weaker brother.

Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

a. We must receive (accept) the one who is weak in the faith; but we are not to receive them for the sake of carrying on a debate with them regardingdoubtful things.

i. Receive the one who is weak in the faith: These are words to take seriously. Paul warns us to not make spiritual maturity a requirement for fellowship. We should distinguish between someone who is weak and someone who is rebellious.

ii. There are many reasons why a Christian might be weak.

- They may be a babe in Christ (babies are weak)
- They may be sick or diseased (by legalism)
- They may be malnourished (by lack of good teaching)
- They may lack exercise (needing exhortation)
b. Eats only vegetables: As an example of a doubtful thing, Paul looks at those who refuse to eat meat for a spiritual reason. Perhaps they refused it because they feared it was meat sacrificed to a pagan god (as in 1 Corinthians 8). Perhaps they refused the meat because it wasn't kosher, and they stuck to Jewish dietary regulations and traditions.

i. Because some Christian saw nothing wrong in this meat and others saw much wrong in it, this was a burning issue among believers in Paul's day. While the issue of not eating meat for spiritual reasons is no longer directly relevant to most Christians today, there are plenty of issues where some believers believe one way and others believe differently.

c. He who is weak eats only vegetables: In Paul's mind, the weak brother is the stricter one. It wasn't that they were weaker in their Christian life because of what they ate or didn't eat, but they were weaker because of their legalistic attitudes and lack of love towards others.

i. Undoubtedly these weak ones did not see themselves as weaker. It's likely they thought they were the strong ones, and the meat-eaters were the weak ones. Legalism has a way of making us think that we are strong and those who don't keep the rules the way we do are weak.

2. (3-4) Judging our brother is inappropriate because we are not their masters.

Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

a. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat: It would be easy for a Christian who felt free to eat meat to despise those who did not feel free as hopeless legalists. It would also be easy for those who did not eat such meat tojudge those who did - but God has received those Christians who eat meat.

b. Who are you to judge another's servant? Paul reminds us that it isn't our place to pass judgment on any fellow Christian. They stand or fall before their own Master, God - and God is able to make those "meat eaters" stand.

i. There is a lot of useless, harmful division among Christians over silly, bigoted things. Paul isn't telling these Christians to erase their differences; he tells them to rise above them as Christian brothers and sisters.

3. (5-6) Judging our brother is inappropriate because these are matters of conscience.

One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.

a. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike: By bringing in the aspect of observing certain days, Paul lets us know that he is talking more about principles than specific issues. What he says has application to more than just eating meat.

b. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind: In such issues, Paul is willing to leave it up to the conscience of the individual. But whatever we do, we must be able to do it to the Lord, not using "conscience" as an excuse for obviously sinful behavior.

4. (7-9) We live and die to the Lord.

For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

a. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself: We must understand that from beginning to end our life is connected to other lives. Paul reminds the Roman Christians that "No man is an island."

b. Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's: From beginning to end, our lives are to be dedicated to God. Therefore, whatever we do, we do it to the Lord - because Jesus is our Lord (that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living).

5. (10-12) Judging our brother is inappropriate because we will all face judgment before Jesus.

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

a. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? Probably, the use of both judge and show contempt is meant to have application to both the "strict" and the "free" individuals. In either case, the attitude is wrong because we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

i. The strict Christian found it easy to judge his brother, writing him off as an unspiritual meat-eater-compromiser. The free Christian found it easy toshow contempt against his brother, regarding him as a uptight-legalistic-goody-good. Essentially, Paul's answer is "Stop worrying about your brother. You have enough to answer for before Jesus."

ii. The judgment seat of Christ: "This is the bema seat, equivalent to the judge's seat in the Olympic Games. After each game, the winners came before the judge's seat to receive crowns for first, second and third places. Likewise, the Christian's works will be tested by fire, and he'll be rewarded for those which remain … The judgment seat of Christ is only concerned with a Christian's rewards and position in the kingdom, not with his salvation." (Smith)

b. Every knee shall bow: The quotation from Isaiah 45:23 emphasizes the fact that all will have to appear before God in humility, and give account of himself before God. If this is the case, we should let God deal with our brother.

6. (13) Summary: don't make it an issue of judging, but don't use your liberty to stumble another brother.

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.

a. Let us not judge one another: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus helped us to understand what this means - it means judging others according to a standard that we would not want to have applied to our self.

i. This does not take away the need and the responsibility for admonishment (Romans 15:14) or rebuke (2 Timothy 4:2). When we admonish or rebuke, we do it over clear Scriptural principles, not over doubtful things. We may offer advice to others about doubtful things, but should never judge them.

b. Not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way: We might stumble or cause our brother to fall in two ways. We can discourage or beat them down through our legalism against them, or we can do it by enticing them to sin through an unwise use of our liberty.

B. Don't stumble each other over doubtful things.

1. (14-15) Destroying a brother makes a privilege wrong.

I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.

a. I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself: Paul knew that there was nothing intrinsically unclean about meat that was not kosher or sacrificed to an idol. Yet there was nothing that could justify the destruction of a Christian brother over food.

i. Trapp on I know and am convinced: "Many, on the contrary, are persuaded before they know; and such will not be persuaded to know."

b. The issue now is not my personal liberty; it is walking in love towards a brother that Jesus loves and died for.

c. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died: If Jesus was willing to give up His life for the sake of that brother, I can certainly give up my steak dinner!

2. (16-18) Pursuing the higher call of the Kingdom of God.

Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

a. Do not let your good be spoken of as evil: Our liberty in Jesus and freedom from the law is good, but not if we use it to destroy another brother in Christ. If we do that, then it could rightly be spoken of as evil.

b. If we place food and drink before righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, then we are hopelessly out of touch with God's priorities and His heart.

c. Serving God with a heart for His righteousness and peace and joy is the kind of service that is acceptable in His sight, and will be approved by men.

3. (19-21) Use your liberty to build each other up, not to tear each other down.

Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.

a. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food: If eating or drinking something will stumble another brother, then we are not free to do so. Even if we have the personal liberty, we do not have the liberty to stumble, offend, or weaken a brother.

b. All things indeed are pure: Paul will concede the point that there is nothing impure in the food itself; but he likewise insists that there is nothing pure in causing a brother to stumble.

c. Nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak: However, we shouldn't think that Paul would permit this kind of heart to cater to someone's legalism. Paul speaks about the stumbling of a sincere heart, not catering to the whims of someone's legalism.

i. For example, when some Christians from a Jewish background were offended that Gentile believers were not circumcised, Paul didn't cater to their legalistic demands.

4. (22-23) The concluding principle of faith.

Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

a. Do you have faith? If you have [strong] faith, and feel liberty to partake of certain things, praise God! But have your strong faith before God, not before a brother who will stumble.

b. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves: Not every Christian knows this happiness. There are things God may challenge us to give up, but we go on approving them in our life - thus we condemn ourselves. It may not be that they thing itself is clearly good or bad, but it is enough that God has spoken to us about this matter.

i. Each of us must ask: "God what is there in my life hindering a closer walk with You? I want to know the happiness that comes from not condemning myself by what I approve in my life." This takes faith, because we often cling to hindering things because we think they make us happy. Real happiness is found being closer and closer to Jesus, and by not being condemned by what we approve.

c. Whatever is not from faith is sin: Paul concludes with another principle by which we can judge "gray areas" - if we can't do it in faith, then it is sin.

i. This is a wonderful check on our tendency to justify ourselves in the things we permit. If we are troubled by something, it likely isn't of faith and likely is sin for us.
 
Introducing Lamentations
Lamentations is a book that grips our emotions, not just our intellect. It is a personal account of the author's mourning over the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and the exile of the Jewish people to Babylon. But it is more than a book of grieving; it offers hope in the midst of suffering.

The title Lamentations is the translation of a Greek word that means "to cry aloud," aptly summarizing the content. This book has a different structure from other Bible books. It is composed of five melancholy poems (one per chapter) with a limping meter that was used for funeral dirges. In the Hebrew, the second line of two parallel lines is one beat short of the first one, thus producing a limp in the meter. In addition, four of the poems are written as acrostics. In chapters 1, 2 and 4 each verse starts with a word that begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, progressing in order. In chapter 3 three verses go with each letter.

These poems focus on the events described in 2 Kings 25 when the Babylonian army invaded Jerusalem and razed the city, carrying away most of the population. They also provide a sequel to the book of Jeremiah that warns about the coming invasion and fall of the city. Because of the similarity in events described, some commentators believe that Jeremiah was the author. However, since it is anonymous, we cannot be sure.

But Lamentations is more than one man's reaction to the loss of his home. It gives us a biblical approach to suffering. The author teaches us that we can't deal with suffering by ignoring it, pretending it doesn't exist, trying to get out of it, or minimizing its pain. Instead, we have to go through it, remembering that God is with us in it.
 
The Book of Lamentations

The book of Lamentations is a funeral dirge over the desolation of Jerusalem. It is read each year in the synagogues as the Jews commemorate the destruction of Solomon's Temple in 586 B.C. Jeremiah wrote the Lamentations as he wept bitterly over the city he had desperately tried to save.

LAMENTATIONS 1: THE DESOLATION OF JERUSALEM
v.1 Jerusalem, once great among the nations, now sits in silence and rubble.

v.2 Those in whom Jerusalem once trusted have become her enemies.

v.5 Jerusalem's affliction was brought upon her because of the multitude of her transgressions.

v.8 The blame was placed upon Jerusalem for her calamities. It's unjust to blame God for our calamities.

v.10 A stranger or a heathen was not allowed to enter the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies.

v.11 The people had given all their money and treasures for bread.

v.16 "For these things I weep." Thus, the "lamentations" of Jeremiah.

v.18 We can always be certain of the righteousness of God in judgment (Revelation 16:5-7).

v.19 The people died of starvation while searching for food.

LAMENTATIONS 2: JEREMIAH LAMENTS OVER JERUSALEM'S MISERY
v.1-14 Jeremiah reflects on the awesome scene of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army.

v.15 Jerusalem's beauty had departed.

v.17 God was faithful to His warnings.

v.18-19 These verses are a call to intercessory prayer. The people had not been desperate enough to seek God with their whole heart (James 5:16).

LAMENTATIONS 3: JEREMIAH SHARES IN HIS NATION'S AFFLICTION
v.1-19 Jeremiah related his depth of despair and hopelessness over his calamities. Hopelessness always leads to depression.

v.19 Jeremiah was at one of the lowest points of his life.

v.20 There is a dramatic change as Jeremiah adjusts his thinking.

v.21 We can think ourselves into hopelessness and despair, or by the renewing of our mind we can come into a whole new state of consciousness of God to attain victory and hope (Ephesians 4:23; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Isaiah 26:3).

v.22-23 The fact that I wake up each morning is proof of God's mercy, compassion, and faithfulness (1 Corinthians 13:8).

v.24 The Lord is all I need.

v.30 This is a prophecy of Jesus Christ.

v.32 The forsaking of the people by God will not last forever.

v.33 It doesn't please God to have to afflict us. Anytime we rebel against God we make it hard on ourselves. Because God is faithful and loves us, He will chasten us (Jonah 2:8;Hebrews 12:6).

v.38 Evil and good don't proceed from God's mouth as they do from the mouth of man (James 1:18, 3:9-11).

v.39-42 These verses are a call to selfjudgment and confession.

v.52-65 This is a description of Jeremiah's prison experience.

v.66 In the New Testament, Jesus teaches us to bless those who curse us (Matthew 5:44).

LAMENTATIONS 4: HORRORS OF THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM
v.3 The ostrich forsakes her eggs in the sand.

v.21-22 Edom will also be recompensed.

LAMENTATIONS 5: A PITIFUL COMPLAINT OF ZION IN PRAYER
v.21 Turn your heart back to God (Revelation 2:4-5).

v.22 The book closes with a sad note of rejection. This whole black period of history could have been avoided if the people had only harkened to the voice of God. God was faithful, and that which He declared He would do, He did.
 
Ephesians 1

GOD'S ULTIMATE PLAN
A. Introduction to Paul's letter to the Ephesians.

1. The character and themes of Paul's letter to the Ephesians.

a. Paul's letter to the Ephesians is different compared to many of the other New Testament letters he wrote. Like Romans, Ephesians was not written so much to address problems in a particular church; more so, it was written to explain some of the great themes and doctrines of Christianity.

i. The elevated themes of Ephesians make it highly praised and prized by commentators. Ephesians has been called "the Queen of the Epistles," "the quintessence of Paulinism," "the divinest composition of man" and even "the Waterloo of commentators." Some say that Ephesians reads "like a commentary on the Pauline letters" and probably it has been best termed "the crown of Paulinism." (Bruce)

ii. "It sums up in large measure the leading themes of the Pauline writings … But it does more than that; it carries the thought of the earlier letters forward to a new stage." (Bruce)

iii. "Among the Epistles bearing the name of St. Paul there is none greater than this, nor any with a character more entirely its own … There is a peculiar and sustained loftiness in its teaching which has deeply impressed the greatest minds and has earned for it the title of the 'Epistle of the Ascension." (Salmond)

iv. "If Romans is the purest expression of the gospel (as Luther said), then Ephesians is the most sublime and majestic expression of the gospel." (Lloyd-Jones) Lloyd-Jones also said of Ephesians: "It is difficult to speak of it in a controlled manner because of its greatness and because of its sublimity."

v. "The Epistle to the Ephesians is a complete Body of Divinity. In the first chapter you have the doctrines of the gospel; in the next, you have the experience of the Christians; and before the Epistle is finished, you have the precepts of the Christian faith. Whosoever would see Christianity in one treatise, let him 'read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest' the Epistle to the Ephesians." (Spurgeon)

vi. Moule quotes Chrysostom: "This Epistle is full to the brim of thoughts and doctrines sublime and momentous. For the things which scarcely anywhere else he utters, here he makes manifest."

b. If the Letter to the Romans focuses more on God's work in the individual Christian, Ephesians includes the great themes of God's work in the church, the community of believers.

i. Karl Marx wrote about a new man and a new society, but he saw man and society both in almost purely economic terms, and offered only economic answers. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul also saw the new man and a new society, but he saw it all accomplished by the work of Jesus.

c. Ephesians has many similarities with Paul's letter to the Colossians. Since Paul wrote both of them from his Roman imprisonment, his mind may have been working on the same themes when he wrote each letter.

i. "He wrote to the Colossians to meet a particular situation and danger in the church at Colossae. Then with his mind still working over the theme of the greatness and glory of Christ, but moving on to consider the place of the Church in the purpose of God, he wrote Ephesians, this time without the limitation of any polemical aims." (Foulkes)

ii. In looking at the great, majestic themes of Ephesians, it is important remember that Paul wrote this letter from prison!

d. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10: But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. Ephesians is the fulfillment of this. It reveals the things God has prepared for those who love Him.

2. (1-2) Paul's greeting to the Ephesians.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

a. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ: The opening of the letter is brief, without the more detailed greetings from Paul often found in his other letters.

b. To the saints who are in Ephesus: In a few ancient manuscripts there is a blank space instead of the words in Ephesus. Based partly on this, some believe that this letter was actually a circular letter written not to any one congregation, but meant to be passed on to many different congregations in different cities.

i. There is little doubt this letter was intended for Ephesus, and Ephesus was an important city to Paul. "Here was his well-known Ephesus. Here for the space of three complete years - a unique length of stationary work for him - he had lived and laboured, not as the apostolic missionary only but as the apostolic pastor. Here he had taken that critical and momentous step, the 'separation' of the disciples from the Synagogue to a distinct place of teaching and no doubt of worship, 'the school of one Tyrannus,' the lecture-hall, we may suppose, of a friendly professor in what we may call the Ephesian University. Here he had laboured, watched, and wept, for both the community and individuals." (Moule)

ii. At the same time, we can gather that the letter was also intended in a more general sense - to circulate among Christians as a great statement of God's eternal plan, worked out in the church and in individual Christian lives. If there is a blank space in a manuscript where others read in Ephesus, it is certainly because we are to put our city in that blank space.

c. Grace to you and peace from God our Father: This greeting is typical of Paul. The apostle knew the essential place of grace and peace from God in the life of the believer, and He knew that receiving God's grace comes before a walk in peace with Him.

B. The work of the Triune God on behalf of the believer.

In ancient Greek (the language Paul originally wrote in), Ephesians 1:3 through 1:14 form one long sentence. As an opera has an overture, setting the tone for all the melodies that will follow, so Ephesians 1:3-14 sets the tone for the rest of Ephesians.

1. (3-6) The work of God the Father.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.

a. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: Paul called for a blessing upon the Father (in the sense of recognizing His glory and honor and goodness), because the Father has already blessed the believer with every spiritual blessing (who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing).

i. Moule wrote that the idea behind blessed is, "Praised with worshipping love."

b. Who has blessed us: This blessing is ours. God's resources are there for us always. This speaks of an attitude of certainty and assurance.

i. "We are not sitting here, and groaning, and crying, and fretting, and worrying, and questioning our own salvation. He has blessed us; and therefore we will bless him. If you think little of what God has done for you, you will do very little for him; but if you have a great notion of his great mercy to you, you will be greatly grateful to you gracious God." (Spurgeon)

ii. The "us" includes both Jews and Gentiles in the church at Ephesus and beyond. It was important to point out that these blessings are for both Jewish and Gentile believers. First century Jews had a strong sense of being blessed, called and predestined - Paul shows that these things are now given to Christians, be they Jew or Gentile.

c. With every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ: This describes both the kind of blessings and the location of those blessings. These are spiritual blessings, which are far better than material blessings. These blessings are ours in the heavenly places in Christ, they are higher, better, and more secure than earthly blessings.

i. "Our thanks are due to God for all temporal blessings; they are more than we deserve. But our thanks ought to go to God in thunders of hallelujahs for spiritual blessings. A new heart is better than a new coat. To feed on Christ is better than to have the best earthly food. To be an heir of God is better than being the heir of the greatest nobleman. To have God for our portion is blessed, infinitely more blessed than to own broad acres of land. God hath blessed us with spiritual blessings. These are the rarest, the richest, the most enduring of all blessings; they are priceless in value." (Spurgeon)

ii. If we have no appreciation for spiritual blessing, then we live at the level ofanimals. Animals live only to eat, sleep, entertain themselves, and to reproduce. We are made in the image of God and He has something much higher for us, yet many choose to live at the level of animals. God wants us know every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

iii. We also note that this includes every spiritual blessing.

- This means that every blessing we receive, we receive in Christ.
- This means that God wants to bless us with every blessing available to us.
d. Just as He chose us in Him: Our possession of every spiritual blessing is as certain as our being chosen by Him, and chosen before the foundation of the world.

i. We dare not diminish what Paul writes here. Believers are chosen by God, and they are chosen before they have done anything or have been anything for God. "It is the infinite Free-Will of God, (even more sacred than the free-will of man;) a purpose and a plan older than the oceans and the skies." (Moule) The great light of this truth casts some shadows - namely, in trying to reconcile human responsibility with divine sovereignty. But the purpose of light is not to cast shadows but to guide our steps. The light of God's selection gives us assurance to the permanence of His plan and His love towards us.

ii. The reasons for God's choosing are not capricious, nor are they random. Though they are past our finding out, we know that they are altogether wise and good, but the reasons are all in Him, not in us. His choosing isaccording to the good pleasure of His will (Ephesians 1:5).

iii. We are chosen in Him. "For if we are chosen in Christ, it is outside ourselves. It is not from the sight of our deserving, but because our heavenly Father has engrafted us, through the blessing of adoption, into the Body of Christ. In short, the name of Christ excludes all merit, and everything which men have of themselves." (Calvin)

e. That we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: We are chosen not only for salvation, but also for holiness. Any understanding of God's sovereign choosing that diminishes our personal responsibility for personal holiness and sanctification falls far short of the whole counsel of God.

i. "The words [holy and without blame] are a metaphor taken from theperfect and immaculate sacrifices which the law required the people to bring to the altar of God." (Clarke)

ii. We cannot forget the words in love. Holiness and blamelessness are nothing without love. "But as love is the fulfilling of the law, and love thefountain whence their salvation flowed, therefore love must fill their hearts towards God and each other." (Clarke)

f. Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself: This is the Father's destiny for His chosen - that they would enjoy adoption as sons. God's unfolding plan for us not only includes salvation and personal transformation, but also a warm, confident relationship with the Father.

i. In Roman law, "When the adoption was complete it was complete indeed. The person who had been adopted had all the rights of a legitimate son in his new family and completely lost all rights in his old family. In the eyes of the law he was a new person. So new was he that even all debts and obligations connected with his previous family were abolished as if they had never existed." (Barclay)

ii. Gaebelein takes the thought even further: "Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are not adopted into the family of God; they are born into the family. The Greek has only one word 'Sonplace.' We are placed into the position of Sons."

iii. This high position in the family of God gives us something in Jesus that Adam never had. "When people ask us the speculative question why God went ahead with the creation when he knew that it would be followed by the fall, one answer we can tentatively give is that he destined us for a higher dignity than even creation would bestow on us." (Stott)

g. To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved: The relational aspect is emphasized again as Paul describes the status of accepted (charito, "highly favored" or "full of grace" as inLuke 1:28) that is granted to every believer because of God's grace.

i. Jesus was completely accepted by the Father. All His character, all His words, all His work was acceptable to God the Father. And now we areaccepted in the Beloved.

ii. Paul realized this plan gave glory to the grace of God. "By the giving of the LAW, God's justice and holiness were rendered most glorious; by the giving of the GOSPEL, his grace and mercy are made equally glorious." (Clarke) God's plan in the gospel is often rejected because it glorifies God and His grace, not the effort or achievement of man.

iii. "So that He may receive from His adoring creatures the 'praise' due to His 'glory,' His own manifested CHARACTER, manifested in this form of entrancing beauty, His 'grace.' " (Moule)

iv. Bruce on the idea of being accepted by God on the standing of grace: "God's grace has extended to his people and enfolded them: he has 'be-graced' them, says Paul (using a verb derived from the Greek word for 'grace')."

v. Chrysostom, speaking of the work by which God makes us accepted in the Beloved: "It is as if one were to take a leper and change him into a lovely youth."

2. (7-8) The work of God the Son.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

a. In Him we have redemption through His blood: The Him is the Beloved ofEphesians 1:6. In Him we have redemption and nowhere else. There is no possible redemption outside of Jesus and His redeeming blood.

i. Redemption always implies a price being paid for the freedom that is purchased. It uses the ancient Greek word lootruo, which means, "to liberate on the receipt of a ransom." (Gaebelein) Here the price is His blood, showing that the blessing from the Father and the Son comes not only from a divine decree, but it also comes according to His righteousness and holiness. He cannot bless in opposition to His righteousness and holiness.

ii. Jesus does not redeem us by His sinless life or His moral example, but only by His death in our place - by His blood. "Observe, it is not redemption through his power, it is through his blood. It is not redemption through his love, it is through his blood." (Spurgeon)

iii. We should not take a superstitious or mystical view of "the blood." It was not Jesus' physical blood that saved anyone, but His real and total payment for the sins of man in His whole person on the cross. This is what the New Testament means when it talks about "the blood."

b. According to the riches of His grace: The redemption and forgiveness given to us comes according to the measure of the riches of His grace. It is not a "small" redemption or forgiveness won by Jesus on the cross. It is immense.

c. Which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence: Many think it is unwise of God to lavish such redemption and forgiveness on guilty sinners. But it is in all wisdom and prudence that He has given this to us.

3. (9-12) The mystery of His will.

Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth; in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

a. Having made known to us the mystery of His will: Part of what belongs to us under the riches of His grace is the knowledge of the mystery of His will, God's great plan and purpose which was once hidden but is now revealed to us in Jesus. Through the Apostle Paul, God calls us to consider the greatness of God's great plan for the ages and our place in that plan.

i. "In the New Testament sense a mystery is something which is hidden to the heathen but clear to the Christian." (Barclay)

ii. The idea behind the word dispensation also reflects a plan or a strategy. "The plan which the master of a family, or his steward, has established for the management of the family … it signifies, also, a plan for the management of any sort of business." (Clarke)

b. That … He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth; in Him: God's ultimate plan is to bring together - to ultimately resolve - all things in Christ, either through Jesus as a Savior or Jesus as a Judge; this will happen in the fullness of the times.

i. The word for gather together has the idea of "to unite" or "to sum up." It was used for the process of adding up a column of figures and putting the sum up at the top. Paul's idea is that God will make all things "add up" at the end, and right now He is in the process of coming to that final sum.

ii. This shows that God wants to unify all things in our lives under Him. "It is a heresy of our times to divide life into sacred and secular." (Foulkes)

iii. This is the great resolution and deliverance that even the creation groans for (Romans 8:18-22), the day when every wrong will be righted and every matter resolved according to God's holy love and justice.

iv. Bruce on the fullness of the times: "When the time is ripe for the consummation of his purpose, in his providential overruling of the course of the world, that consummation will be realized."

c. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance: For believers, Jesus is not a judge, but the One in whom we have an inheritance. Believers are predestined for this according to the counsel of His will - again, the reasons for His choosing reside in Him, not in us.

d. Being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will: We see three aspects of God's plan working together. It begins with His purpose, then the counsel of His will, and finally results in His work. God makes His plan carefully according to an eternal purpose, taking counsel within the Godhead, and then He works with all wisdom.

i. "Our God is a God who not only wills; He works; and He works according to His will … The word counsel stands for deliberate planning and arranging, in which the ways and means of carrying out the will are considered and provided for." (Morgan)

ii. By the counsel of His will: "God doth all by counsel, and ever hath a reason of his will, which though we see not for present, we shall at last day. Meanwhile submit." (Trapp)

e. That we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory: God's purpose in all this is so that those who have trusted Christ will exist to the praise of His glory. The goal of God's ultimate plan is to glorify Him.

f. We who first trusted in Christ: This speaks of Jewish believers. The wordsyou also in Ephesians 1:13 speak of Gentile believers. God's great plan has a place for both Jew and Gentile, and brings them both together in Jesus.

4. (13-14) The work of the Holy Spirit.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

a. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth: God's sovereign choice works, but it does not exclude human cooperation. These ones who were so sovereignly chosen were also the ones who trusted, heard the word of truth, and believed.

b. You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise: Also essential in God's work is the sealing work of the Holy Spirit. His presence in our lives acts as a seal which indicates ownership, and which is a guarantee of our inheritance.

i. "The seal is therefore the Holy Spirit Himself, and His presence in the believer denotes ownership and security. The sealing with the Spirit is not an emotional feeling or some mysterious inward experience." (Gaebelein)

ii. The word guarantee ("down payment") is used only in the New Testament of the Holy Spirit. He is our only down payment of coming glory; nothing else is provided - or needed.

c. Having believed, you were sealed: The sealing does not come before we believe, and those who demand some assurance from God before they will believe treat God as if His word could not be trusted.

i. "For sealing there are needed the softened wax; the imprint of the beloved face; the steady pressure. Would that the Spirit might impress the face of our dear Lord on our softened hearts, that they may keep it for evermore!" (Meyer)

d. Until the redemption of the purchased possession: We have thisguarantee until we are "completely purchased" by God through resurrection and glorification - again, all to the praise of His glory.

C. Paul prays in light of God's ultimate plan and the work of the Triune God.

1. (15-16) Paul's statement of prayer and declaration of thanksgiving.

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:

a. After I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints: When Paul heard of the faith and love of the Ephesians, he could do nothing else but give thanks for them. This was because their faith and lovewere evidence of their participation in this great work of God.

i. Faith and love do not earn us participation in this great work of God. They are evidence of our participation in God's plan.

b. Love for all the saints: Significantly, Paul gave thanks not for their love for God, but for their love for all the saints. The real evidence of God's work in us is not the love we claim to have for Him, but our love for His people that others can see (1 John 4:20, John 13:14 and John 13:34-35).

c. Making mention of you in my prayers: Paul not only gave thanks for God's work among the Ephesians; he also prayed that it would continue with greater strength, as the prayer in Ephesians 1:17-23 makes clear.

i. Paul shows us here that preachers must do more than preach to their audience - they must also pray for them. "Whether a minister shall do more good to others by his prayers or preaching, I will not determine, but he shall certainly by his prayers reap more comfort to himself." (Trapp)

ii. Paul often prayed making mention of others in prayer. When he prayed he mentioned the Christians in Rome (Romans 1:9), the Christians in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 1:2), and Philemon (Philemon 1:4).

2. (17) Paul prays that they would know God.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

a. May give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation: Paul prayed that the Father would grant the Ephesians the spirit of wisdom and that He would give them revelation. But these are not so they may see into the lives of others, have the ability to predict events, or do what we commonly think of as "prophet stuff." He wanted them to have the spirit of wisdom and revelation simply so that they would have a better knowledge of Him (God).

b. In the knowledge of Him: Our Christian life must be centered around this purpose - to know God as He is in truth, as revealed by His Word; and to correct our false, idolatrous ideas of who God is.

c. The knowledge of Him: It is important for us to have an accurate knowledge and understanding of who we are. Yet it is far more important (and beneficial) for us to know and understand who God is.

i. A famous writer named Alexander Pope wrote, "Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; the proper study of mankind is man." Charles Spurgeon responded to this famous statement: "It has been said by someone that 'the proper study of mankind is man.' I will not oppose the idea, but I believe it is equally true that the proper study of God's elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father."

ii. "For philosophy comes to man with the message, Know thyself; the Gospel meets him with the far more glorious and fruitful watchword, Know thy God." (Alford)

3. (18-19a) Paul prays that they would understand everything God gave them in Jesus Christ.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe,

a. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened: If the Ephesians will know all God has given them in Jesus, it will take a supernatural work. It will require that the eyes of your understanding be enlightened by God.

i. Paul uses a great expression when he speaks of the eyes of your heart(heart is more literal than understanding). Too many Christian hearts have no eyes (places where they gain real knowledge and understanding), and too many Christian eyes have no heart - God wants both to be combined in us.

ii. "The word 'heart' in Scripture signifies the very core and centre of life, where the intelligence has its post of observation, where the stores of experience are laid up, and the thoughts have their fountain." (Alford)

b. What is the he hope of His calling: Paul wanted them to know this. Few things give us a more secure and enduring hope in life than simply knowing that God has called us and has a specific calling for us to fulfill.

i. The hope of His calling has its perspective on the future. The believer has a glorious future of resurrection, eternal life, freedom from sin, perfected justification, glorious elevation above the angels themselves.

c. What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints: Paul wanted them to know the greatness of God's inheritance in His people. We usually think only of our inheritance in God, but Paul wanted the Ephesians to understand that they are so precious to God that He considered them His owninheritance.

i. Several commentators believe that Paul also spoke of God's inheritance in His people back in Ephesians 1:11. But that is certainly his idea here, with Paul probably drawing his idea from Deuteronomy 32:8-9: When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance.

ii. Knowing our spiritual poverty, we wonder how can God find anyinheritance in the saints. Yet God can make riches out of poor men and women because He invests so much in them. He has invests riches of love, riches of wisdom, riches of suffering, riches of glory. These things accrue to a rich inheritance in the saints.

d. The exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe: Paul wanted them to know how great the power of God is towards us who believe. Christians should know they serve and love a God of living power who shows His strength on behalf of His people.

i. Many Christians do not know this power - or they only know it from a distance. God wants resurrection life to be real in the life of the believer. "The very same power which raised Christ is waiting to raise the drunkard from his drunkenness, to raise the thief from his dishonesty, to raise the Pharisee from his self-righteousness, to raise the Sadducee from his unbelief." (Spurgeon)

ii. This ends the "request" portion of Paul's prayer. The following section explains more of this mighty power and what it did. Paul asked these things because they were important to ask for. We could say that the prayer ofEphesians 1:17-19 is essentially a request that the promises ofEphesians 1:3-14 be found as real in the lives of the Ephesian Christians.

iii. "Perhaps the first and best response is the Amen of holy silence … These sentences were written first and supremely to be believed, received, and - in a worshipping and serving life - lived out." (Moule)

iv. In the same way, your prayers for the spiritual growth and enlightenment of others are important. If Paul believed it was important to pray these things for the Ephesian Christians, it is important for us to pray them for others - and ourselves.

4. (19b-21) A description of the great power of God that Paul wants the Ephesians to know.

According to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

a. According to the working of His mighty power: The power that works in us is the mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead. With this mighty poweravailable to us, there never needs to be a "power shortage" in the Christian life.

i. "If the death of Christ is the supreme demonstration of the love of God … the resurrection of Christ is the supreme demonstration of his power." (Bruce)

b. And seated Him at His right hand: It is the mighty power that raised Jesus to heaven after His resurrection, raising Him above all demonic foes and every potential enemy of all time - this same power is at work in Christians.

i. "The right hand is the place of friendship, honour, confidence, and authority." (Clarke)

c. Far above all principality and power and might and dominion: From other passages in Ephesians (Ephesians 3:10 and 6:12) we know that this refers to angelic beings, both loyal and lethal. We don't completely understand the ranks of the angelic realm, but we do know that Jesus is raised above them. "We know that the king is above all, though we cannot name all the officers of his court. So we know that Christ is above all, though we are not able to name all His subjects." (Alford)

i. "Think of the paradox. The Apostle is speaking of a Personage of history, of recent, almost contemporary, history … He had worked with His hands, He had walked from place to place like other men, and man could no doubt accurately describe His look and manner when He talked … He is now 'seated at the right hand of' Almighty God, on His very throne." (Moule)

5. (22-23) Where this great power has placed Jesus.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

a. He put all things under His feet: This great resurrection power placed Jesus above all things. Now all things are under His feet. It set Jesus as the head over all things, including the church.

i. "He says that Christ in his exaltation over the universe is God's gift to the church." (Wood)

b. The church, which is His body: If Jesus is the head, then the community of Christians make up His body. The idea of the fullness of Him here is probably connected to the manner in which Jesus fills His church with His presence and blessings.

i. "Yes, this is here given as the final glory of the infinitely exalted Christ. Angels and archangels are subject to Him. But believing men are joined to Him, with a union such that He and they, by this same messenger of His, are called elsewhere (1 Corinthians 12:12) one 'Christ.' " (Moule)

ii. "That is, of Christ, who having voluntarily subjected himself to be our Head, accounts not himself complete without his members. In which respect we have the honour of making Christ perfect as the members do the body." (Trapp)
 
Ephesians 2

GOD'S WAY OF RECONCILIATION
A. The need for reconciliation.

1. (1) Christians are alive from the dead.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

a. And you He made alive: The words He made alive are in italics, which indicates that they are added to the text but implied from the context. Paul wrote to believers who were made alive by God's work.

i. Paul ended the last chapter by considering that the ultimate example of God's power was the resurrection of Jesus. Now Paul considers what the implications of Jesus' resurrection power are for our life.

b. Who were dead in trespasses and sins: Though Christians are now alive, they must never forget where they came from. They were dead in trespasses and sins.

i. There are many kinds of life: vegetable life, animal life, mental life, moral life, and spiritual life. A being might be alive in one sense but dead in another. To be spiritually dead does not mean that we are physically dead, socially dead, or psychologically dead. Yet it is a real death, a dead death nonetheless. "The most vital part of man's personality - the spirit - is dead to the most important factor in life - God." (Wood) "Not in a moral sense, nor a mental sense, but in a spiritual sense, poor humanity is dead, and so the word of God again and again most positively describes it." (Spurgeon)

ii. This touches on one of the most controversial areas in theology - in what manner, and to what extent, is a person dead before conversion? Must a person be converted before they can believe, or can there be a prior work of God to instill faith that is still short of conversion? Those who argue that man must be regenerated before he can believe like to say that a dead man cannot believe. This takes this particular description further than intended, to say that unredeemed man is exactly like a dead man, because a dead man also cannot sin.

iii. We err if we think that dead in trespasses and sins says everythingabout man's lost condition. It is an err because the Bible uses many different pictures to describe the state of the unsaved man, saying he is:

- Blind (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
- A slave to sin (Romans 6:17)
- A lover of darkness (John 3:19-20)
- Sick (Mark 2:17)
- Lost (Luke 15)
- An alien, a stranger, a foreigner (Ephesians 2:12, 2:19)
- A child of wrath (Ephesians 2:3)
- Under the power of darkness (Colossians 1:13)
iv. Therefore, in some ways the unregenerate man is dead; in other ways he is not. Therefore, it is valid to appeal to all men to believe. We need not look for evidence of regeneration before we tell men to believe and be saved. As the Puritan John Trapp wrote, "Howbeit, the natural man, though he be theologically dead, yet is ethically alive, being to be wrought upon by arguments; hence Hosea 11:4, "I drew them by the cords of a man," that is, by reason and motives of love, befitting the nature of a man. So the Spirit and Word work upon us still as men by rational motives, setting before us life and good, death and evil."

v. "A rock which is in nobody's way may stand where it is. He that believes in Jesus is born again. These two things are equally true: there must be a work of the Spirit within, yet he that believeth in the Lord Jesus hath everlasting life." (Spurgeon)

c. In trespasses and sins: The idea behind the word trespasses is that we have crossed a line, challenging God's boundaries. The idea behind the wordsins is that we have missed a mark, the perfect standards of God.

i. Trespasses speaks of man as a rebel, sins speaks of man as a failure. "Before God we are both rebels and failures." (Stott)

2. (2-3) The life of death.

In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

a. In which you once walked: At one time we lived in trespasses and sins,according to the course of this world, which is orchestrated by Satan. Satan (the prince of the power of the air) is still very much active among those in rebellion against God - the sons of disobedience.

b. You once walked: The self that once walked is the old man, now crucified with Jesus at the time of conversion. The sin nature inherited from Adam influences the old man, but the world system and Satan do also.

i. Once walked means it should be different for those what are made alive by Jesus Christ. A dead man feels comfortable in his coffin; but if he were to be made alive again, he would instantly feel suffocated and uncomfortable. There would be a strong urge to escape the coffin and leave it behind. In the same way, when were spiritually dead we felt comfortable in trespasses and sins; but having come to new life we feel we must escape that coffin and leave it behind.

c. Who now works in the sons of disobedience: In sin we respond to Satan's "guidance." The same ancient Greek verb is used in Ephesians 2:2 for the work of Satan in unbelievers as is used in Ephesians 3:20 for the power of God that works in believers.

d. The prince of the power of the air: This unique title for Satan speaks of his authority (prince) and his realm (the air, a way of referring to Satan's "environment").

i. "The domain of the air, in fact, is another way of indicating the heavenly realm, which, according to Ephesians 6:12, is the abode of those principalities and powers, world-rulers of this darkness and spiritual forces of wickedness against which the people of Christ wage war." (Bruce)

ii. Satan is not the ultimate ruler, but he is a prince in the sense that "Evil men set him up for their sovereign, and are wholly at his beck and obedience." (Trapp)

e. We all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh: We once we among the sons of disobedience, proven by our conduct. We embraced the lusts of the flesh, which are primarily perversions of the legitimate desires of human nature.

i. "The converts are to be reminded what they have been delivered from, as well as what they have been lifted into. They must be led to look down again into the pit, into the grave, from which grace called them out and set them free." (Moule)

f. And were by nature children of wrath: Because of our surrender to the old man, the world, and the devil, we were by nature children of wrath. We rightfully deserved God's wrath, and deserved it because of who we are by our heritage.

i. The Bible knows nothing of the idea that all men are "children of God," except in the sense that He is our common creator (Acts 17:28). Here Paul says that there is a "family" of wrath that has its children, and Jesus called the Pharisees "a family of snakes" (Matthew 3:7, 12:34, and 23:33) and said that their father was the Devil (John 8:44).

ii. We must take seriously the idea that the children of wrath rightlydeserve God's wrath. They are not "victims" at all. Instead, they are just targets of God's justice.

B. The process of personal reconciliation to God.

1. (4) God's motive in reconciliation.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

a. But God … because of His great love: With but and because, Paul explains God's reason behind reconciling man to Himself, and these reasons are found totally in God. The reasons are His rich mercy and His great love, which He focuses on us.

i. "As they were corrupt in their nature, and sinful in their practice, they could possess no merit, nor have any claim upon God; and it required muchmercy to remove so much misery, and to pardon such transgressions." (Clarke)

b. With which He loved us: We might imagine a God of rich mercy and great love who did not focus that mercy and love upon us. But behind the good news of God's salvation offered in Jesus is the fact that this mercy and love isextended to us.

c. His great love with which He loved us: Some warp the idea of God's great mercy and love into something that justifies our pride. Some imagine that God loves us because we are so lovable. Instead, God's love is so great that it extends even to the unlovely - to the children of wrath mentioned in the previous verse.

i. Every reason for God's mercy and love is found in Him. We give Him noreason to love us, yet in the greatness of His love, He loves us with that great love anyway.

ii. Therefore, we must stop trying to make ourselves lovable to God, and simply receive His great love while recognizing that we are unworthy of it. This is the grace secret of the Christian life.

2. (5-7) The past, present and future of God's work of individual reconciliation.

Even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

a. When we were dead: This is when God started loving us. He did not wait until we were lovable. He loved us even when we were dead in trespasses, providing nothing lovable to Him.

i. This is the requirement for being saved. You must first be dead, dead to every attempt to justify yourself before God. He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me … has passed from death into life (John 5:24).

b. Made alive together with Christ: This is what God did to those dead in sin. He shared in our death that we could share in His resurrection life. The old man is crucified and we are new creations in Jesus with the old things passing away and all things becoming new.

i. By grace you have been saved: Paul is compelled to add here that this is the work of God's grace, in no way involving man's merit. Our salvation - our rescue - from spiritual death is God's work done for the undeserving.

c. Sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus: This is the present position of the Christian. We have a new place for living, a new arena of existence - we are not those who dwell on the earth (as Revelation often calls them), but our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).

i. We don't sit in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus, or at least not yet. Instead, we sit in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Since our life and identity is in Christ, as He sits in heavenly places, so do we.

ii. "And now we sit in heavenly places - we have a right to the kingdom of God, anticipate this glory, and are indescribably happy in the possession of this salvation, and in our fellowship with Christ Jesus." (Clarke)

d. In the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace: In the future, God will continue to show the exceeding riches of His grace to us. God will never stop dealing with us on the basis of grace, and will forever continue to unfold its riches to us through eternity.

i. He might show: "The original implies, that the exhibition is for His own purpose, for his own glory." (Alford) This work in us reflects infinitely more on the glory of God than on our own glory, and God will use His work in the Church to display His glory throughout the ages.

ii. "From this verse it is clear that Paul fully expected the gospel of the grace of God to be preached in the ages to come. He had no notion of a temporary gospel to develop into a better, but he was assured that the same gospel would be preached to the end of the dispensation. Nor this alone; for as I take it, he looked to the perpetuity of the gospel, not only through the ages which have already elapsed since the first advent of our blessed Lord, but throughout the ages after he shall have come a second time. Eternity itself will not improve upon the gospel." (Spurgeon)

iii. "When all the saints shall be gathered home they shall still talk and speak of the wonders of Jehovah's love in Christ Jesus, and in the golden streets they shall stand up and tell what the Lord has done for them to listening crowds of angels, and principalities, and powers." (Spurgeon)

iv. The riches of His grace: "So is it with the grace of God: he has as much grace as you want, and he has a great deal more than that. The Lord has as much grace as a whole universe will require, but he has vastly more. He overflows: all the demands that can ever be made on the grace of' God will never impoverish him, or even diminish his store of mercy; there will remain an incalculably precious mine of mercy as fall as when he first began to bless the sons of men." (Spurgeon)

v. One way to see the greatness of the grace of God is to see how He begsman to receive it. When we offer a gift to someone and they refuse it, we are likely to allow them to refuse and leave them alone. God does not do this with us; even when we refuse His mercy He reaches into His storehouse of grace and persists with us, begging us to receive the free gift.

3. (8-10) A summing up of God's work of individual reconciliation.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

a. For by grace you have been saved: Paul cannot speak of this glorious work God does without reminding us that it is a gift of grace, given to the undeserving. We are not even saved by our faith (though faith itself is not a work), but bygrace through faith.

i. We can think of water flowing through a hose. The water is the important part, but it is communicated through the hose. The hose does not quench your thirst; the water does. But the hose brings water to the place you can benefit from it.

ii. "The precise form of words here stresses two things. As consistently emphasized by Paul, it is entirely of His grace, His free, undeserved favour to mankind. Then also this salvation is presented as an accomplished fact." (Foulkes)

b. And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: The work of salvation is God's gift. Paul's grammar here indicates that the words apply to the gift ofsalvation mentioned in Ephesians 2:4-8, and not directly to the faith mentioned in this verse.

i. Clarke emphatically states that the original Greek is clear in noting that when it says it is the gift of God, the it referred to is salvation, not faith.The great Greek scholar Dean Alford also clearly pointed out that the this not of yourselves referred to salvation, not to faith in this passage.

ii. Yet, even our faith is a gift of God. We cannot believe in Jesus unless God does a prior work in us, for we are blinded by our own deadness and by the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4).

iii. "But it may be asked: Is not faith the gift of God? Yes, as to the grace by which it is produced; but the grace or power to believe, and the act of believing, are two different things. Without the grace or power to believe no man ever did or can believe; but with that power the act of faith is a man's own. God never believes for any man, no more than he repents for him; the penitent, through this grace enabling him, believes for himself." (Clarke)

iv. This shows us the essential place of prayer in evangelism. Since God initiates salvation, we should begin our evangelism with asking God to do the initiating, and granting the ability to believe to those we want to see saved.

c. Not of works, lest anyone should boast: God did it not of works simply so that no one could boast. If salvation was the accomplishment of man in any way, we could boast about it. But under God's plan of salvation, God alone receives the glory.

i. "I thought Napoleon did a good thing, when, on the day of his coronation, he took his crown, and put it on his own head. Why should he not take the symbol that was his due? And if you get to heaven, one half by grace and one half by works, you will say, 'Atonement profited me a little, but integrity profited me much more.'" (Spurgeon)

d. For we are His workmanship: God saves us not merely to save us from the wrath we rightly deserve, but also to make something beautiful of us. We are His workmanship, which translates the ancient Greek word poiema. The idea is that we are His beautiful poem. The Jerusalem Bible translates workmanship as "work of art."

i. God's love is a transforming love. It meets us right where we are at, but when we receive this love it always takes us where we should be going. The love of God that saves my soul will also change my life.

ii. We are His workmanship, His creation - something new He has made of us in Jesus Christ. "The spiritual life cannot come to us by development from our old nature. I have heard a great deal about evolution and development, but I am afraid that if any one of us were to be developed to our utmost, apart from the grace of God, we should come out worse than before the development began." (Spurgeon)

iii. "Our new life is as truly created out of nothing as were the first heavens, and the first earth. This ought to be particularly noticed, for there are some who think that the grace of God improves the old nature into the new. It does nothing of the sort." (Spurgeon)

e. Created in Christ Jesus for good works: That beautiful thing God is making of us is active in good works. These are just as much a part of God's predestined plan as anything else is. These good works are valid evidence that someone is walking as one of God's chosen.

i. "Works play no part at all in securing salvation. But afterwards Christians will prove their faith by their works. Here Paul shows himself at one with James." (Wood)

C. The reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles in Jesus.

1. (11-12) The need for the reconciliation of Gentile and Jew.

Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh; who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands; that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

a. You, once Gentiles in the flesh: God's work of reconciliation is not only between God and the individual, though it must begin there. It is also between groups of people that are at odds, such as Jews and Gentiles were in the days of Paul.

b. Who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision: Gentiles were in a desperate place, being aliens, strangers, having no hopeand being without God. This shows that they were not only spiritually dead, but they also did not have the access to God that the Jews enjoyed.

i. Before coming to Jesus, Gentiles were "Christless, stateless, friendless, hopeless and Godless." (Stott quoting Hendriksen)

ii. Having no hope: "The absence of hope in the face of death is amply attested in the literature and epigraphy of the Gaeco-Roman world of that day." (Bruce)

iii. Without God in the world: Some people believe in God, but they believe He lives in heaven and has nothing to do with this world. In that way, a person can still believe in God and be without God in the world.

c. Without Christ: These are terrible words, and the implications of them sum of the woeful condition of the lost man or woman. To be without Christ means to be:

- Without spiritual blessings
- Without light
- Without peace
- Without rest
- Without safety
- Without hope
- Without a Prophet, Priest, or King
i. "Without Christ! If this be the description of some of you, we need not talk to you about the fires of hell; let this be enough to startle you, that you are in such a desperate state as to be without Christ. Oh! What terrible evils lie clustering thick within these two words!" (Spurgeon)

d. Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel: This likely includes separated Jews as well as Gentiles. "For there were also Israelites who were outside the commonwealth, not only as foreigners but as lax Jews, and lost their part in the covenants, not as foreigners, but as unworthy." (Alford)

2. (13) Gentiles brought near to God.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

a. But now in Christ Jesus: Those Gentiles who are now in Christ Jesus are no longer far off. They are made near to the things of God, and the blood of Christ accomplishes this, by His sacrificial death.

i. This coming near happens only by the blood of Christ. Gentiles who are not in Christ Jesus are just as far off as they ever were. This reconciliation only happens in Jesus.

ii. It is important the Paul connects the ideas of the great love of Jesus and His sacrificial death. Many people think that preaching Christ crucified is all about a bloody, gory Jesus. But the point of Christ crucified is not gore, but love. Preaching Christ crucified means we preach Jesus full of love - sacrificial, giving, saving love.

b. By the blood of Christ: Many people suggest different ways to come near to God. Some think you can come by keeping the law, or by belonging to a group (such as Israel or even the church). But the only way to be brought near to God is by the blood of Christ. What Jesus did on the cross, suffering as a guilty sinner in the place of guilty sinners, brings us near to God.

3. (14-16) Jew and Gentile brought together in the Church.

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new manfrom the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

a. For He Himself is our peace: Jesus Himself is our peace; He hasn't simplymade peace between God and man and Jew and Gentile; He is our peace.

b. Who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation: The work of Jesus on the cross is the common ground of salvation for both Jew and Gentile. Therefore there is no longer any dividing wall between Jew and Gentile. Jesus broke that wall down.

i. In the temple, in between the court of the Gentiles and the court of the women, there was a physical barrier, an actual wall of separation between Jew and Gentile.

ii. Paul was, at the time of this writing, under house arrest in Rome, awaiting trial because he was falsely accused by the Jews of taking a Gentile into the temple past the literal wall of separation dividing Jew and Gentile. Paul makes it clear that in Jesus, the wall is gone.

iii. The wall of separation is gone because the common Lordship is greater than any previous division. If the Lordship of Jesus Christ is not greater than any difference you have with others - be it political, racial, economic, language, geography or whatever, then you have not fully understood what it means to be under the Lordship of Jesus.

c. Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances: The source of contention between Jew and Gentile was the fact that the Gentiles did not keep the law. But since Jesus fulfilled the law on our behalf, and since He bore the penalty for our failure to keep the law, we are reconciled through His work on the cross - putting to death the source of contention.

i. "The enmity of which the apostle speaks was reciprocal among the Jewsand Gentiles. The former detested the Gentiles, and could hardly allow them the denomination of men; the latter had the Jews in the most sovereign contempt, because of the peculiarity of their religious rites and ceremonies, which were different from those of all the other nations of the earth." (Clarke)

ii. "And the separation was intensified and emphasized by those institutions which were, in part, designed to isolate Israel from the world, until the fit time for the wider blessing. And He 'annulled' them by fulfilling them, in His sacrificial work; thus at once reconciling man to God and man to man." (Moule)

iii. The law as a source of righteousness is no longer an issue. That source of enmity between Jew and Gentile is dead.

d. That He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross : Gentiles and Jews are brought together into one body, the Church, where our unity in Jesus is far greater than our previous differences.

i. So as to create in Himself one new man from the two: Early Christians called themselves a "third race" or a "new race." Early Christians recognized that they were not Jews, not Gentiles, but one new man embracing all who are in Jesus.

ii. "As Chrysostom explained, it is not that Christ has brought one up to the level of the other, but that he has produced a greater: 'as if one should melt down one statue of silver and another of lead, and the two together should come out gold.'" (Wood)

e. Through the cross: We see the emphasis Paul places on the work of Jesus on the cross. He repeats the idea several times: made near by the blood … having abolished in His flesh the enmity … in one body through the cross. This unity did just happen, it was the hard-fought accomplishment of Jesus.

i. This means that Jesus' prayer in John 17 (that they all may be one) wasn't "just" a prayer. It was a prayer Jesus prayed knowing that His work of the cross would accomplish and a prayer He was willing to pray knowing Hisagony would be used to answer.

ii. This bringing together of Jew and Gentile in Jesus is a partial fulfillment of God's eternal purpose as stated in Ephesians 1:10: that … He might gather together in one all things in Christ. God uses the bringing together Jew and Gentile into the Church as a preview of His ultimate work of summing up all things into Jesus Christ. Since He can do this, He can also do that.

4. (17-18) How Jews and Gentiles are brought together.

And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

a. He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near: As they respond to the same gospel, the same peace that ispreached to those afar off (Gentiles) and those near (Jews).

b. Through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father: They enjoy the same access to God, access that comes by one Spirit to the Father. Not only are Jews and Gentiles saved by the same gospel, but they also have the same essential walk with God and access to Him. One group does not have a greater access than the other does.

i. "Access is probably the best translation of prosagoge, though it could be 'introduction.' In oriental courts there was a prosagoges who brought a person into the presence of the king." (Foulkes)

ii. When conflict arises among Christian groups of different backgrounds, you can be sure that they forget that they were saved by the same gospel and that they have the same access to God. One or both groups usually feel they have superior access to God.

iii. "This text is a plain proof of the holy Trinity. Jews and Gentiles are to be presented unto God the FATHER; the SPIRIT of God works in their hearts, and prepares them for this presentation; and JESUS CHRIST himselfintroduces them." (Clarke)

5. (19-22) A picture of God's work of reconciliation, both individual and among groups.

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

a. You are no longer strangers and foreigners: Paul refers to Christians of Gentile background. They should not regard themselves as "second-class citizens" in God's kingdom in any regard. They are not only full citizens, but also full and equal members of God's household.

b. Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets: Because we are one body and have the same access to God, it also follows that we are all built upon a common foundation. That foundation is the original apostles and prophets, and their enduring revelation, recorded in the New Testament. May no one ever lay any other foundation.

i. Though Chrysostom, Jerome, Calvin and others saw the prophetsmentioned as Old Testament prophets, it is better to see them as New Testament prophets, perhaps New Testament authors who were not strictly members of the core apostolic group.

ii. "Those who ranked next to the Apostles in the government of the church … They were not in every case distinct from the Apostles: the apostleship probably always including the gift of prophecy: so that all the Apostles themselves might likewise have been prophets." (Alford)

iii. In this sense of laying a foundation of supremely authoritative revelation for all God's people, there are no more apostles or prophets today. The foundation is already set. In a lesser sense there may be apostles and prophets today, but not in the sense Paul means here.

c. Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone: This corner stone"literally means at the tip of the angle. It refers to the capstone or binding stone that holds the whole structure together … often the royal name was inscribed on it. In the East it was considered to be even more important than the foundation." (Wood)

i. Salmond on corner stone: "It denotes the stone placed at the extreme corner, so as to bind the other stones in the building together - the most important stone in the structure, the one on which its stability depended."

ii. "That structure and cohesion may have for its scaffolding the sacred order of the Church in her visible aspect. But the cement is not of these things; it is wholly divine; it is the Spirit, possessing each saint for God, and binding them all together by articulating them all to their Head." (Moule)

d. In whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord: As we keep to our common foundation, the whole buildingof God's people grows together in a beautiful way, as a holy temple where God dwells in beauty and glory.

i. This tells us that the Church is a building, perfectly designed by the Great Architect. It is not a haphazard pile of stones, randomly dumped in a field. God arranges the Church for His own glory and purposes.

ii. This tells us that the Church is a dwelling place, a place where God lives. It is never to be an empty house that is virtually a museum, with no oneliving inside. The Church is to be both the living place of God and His people.

iii. This tells us that the Church is a temple, holy and set apart to God. We serve there as priests, offering the spiritual sacrifices of our lips and hearts, our praises to God (Hebrews 13:15).

e. You also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit: When Solomon's temple was built, the stones were prepared at a place far from the temple building site. They said that you couldn't hear the sound of a hammer or axe or other iron tools at the site (1 Kings 6:7). In the same way, God prepares us first, and then He fits us into His building.

i. "The Father makes choice of this house, the Son purchaseth it, the Holy Ghost taketh possession of it." (Trapp)

ii. "And the everlasting FATHER will perfectly reveal Himself, to all the watchers of all the regions of the eternal world, not anyhow but thus - in His glorified Church, in the Race, the Nature, once wrecked and ruined, but rebuilt into this splendour by His grace." (Moule)

iii. Adam Clarke explained how God's work in the Church gave glory to the wisdom, power, and love of God. See all this, we should praise God for His glorious Church.

- There is nothing as noble as the Church, seeing that it is the temple of God.
- There is nothing so worthy of reverence, seeing God that dwells in it.
- There is nothing so ancient, since the patriarchs and prophets worked to building it.
- There is nothing so solid, since Jesus Christ is the foundation of it.
- There is nothing so high, since it reaches as high as to the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
- There is nothing so perfect and well proportioned, since the Holy Spirit is the architect.
- There is nothing more beautiful, because it is adorned with building stones of every age, every place, every people; from the highest kings to the lowest peasants; with the most brilliant scientists and the simplest believers.
- There is nothing more spacious, since it is spread over the whole earth, and takes in all who have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
- There is nothing so Divine, since it is a living building, animated andinhabited by the Holy Spirit.
 
Ephesians 3

THE REVEALING OF GOD'S MYSTERY
A. God's mystery and man's place in it revealed.

1. (1-5) Preface to the revelation of the mystery.

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles; if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:

a. I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles: During his Roman imprisonment Paul was under house arrest. In the day he was free to move around the house with the supervision of soldiers, but every night he was chained to a soldier to make sure he did not escape before his trial before Caesar. But he saw himself as the prisoner of Jesus Christ. He knew that Jesus was the Lord of his life, not the Roman government, so if he was a prisoner, he was Jesus' prisoner.

i. In the same way, we don't work for a boss; we work for Jesus. We aren't parents for children; we are parents for Jesus. The same principle applies to any area of life.

b. For you Gentiles: The entire reason he was under arrest, awaiting trial was because of his missionary efforts on behalf of the Gentiles.

i. Paul suffered for the very truth he would explain to the Ephesians, and this did not make him back down one bit.

ii. The last thing Paul wanted was people to feel sorry for him because he was imprisoned. He wanted his readers to realize that it is a benefit for them that he was a prisoner.

c. If indeed you have heard: This suggests Paul knew his particular calling to the Gentile world was well known among Gentile Christians.

d. You have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you: The word dispensation speaks of the "implemented strategy" of God's plan in the church. "Here as in Ephesians 1:9, however, it is to be interpreted rather as the implementation of a strategy." (Wood)

i. "By the dispensation of the grace of God we may understand, either theapostolic office and gifts granted to St. Paul, for the purpose of preaching the Gospel among the Gentiles … or the knowledge which God gave him of that gracious and Divine plan which he had formed for the conversion of the Gentiles." (Clarke)

e. How that by revelation: Paul wanted them to know, "I'm not making this up. This isn't my invention. God gave me the revelation and I am only His messenger of this truth." It cost Paul a lot to hold on to this mystery, so he probably would not have made it up himself.

i. It is indeed amazing that God would take a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee, and a persecutor of the church to be the main minister of the mystery, the mystery of the work of the gospel in bringing Jew and Gentile together into one new body.

f. He made known to me the mystery: The principle Paul will describe is amystery, yet it is known. However, it would never be known if God did not make it known.

i. "In English a 'mystery' is something dark, obscure, secret, puzzling. What is 'mysterious' is inexplicable, even incomprehensible. The Greek wordmysterion is different, however. Although still a 'secret', it is no longer closely guarded but open … More simply, mysterion is a truth hitherto hidden from human knowledge or understanding but now disclosed by the revelation of God." (Stott)

g. He made known to me the mystery: Paul did not hesitate to claim that the mystery he will reveal was given to him by revelation. But it was not given toonly him by revelation. It was also given specifically to Peter by revelation (Acts 11:1-18), and it is consistent with prophecy in the Old Testament (such asIsaiah 49:6) and the specific words of Jesus (Acts 1:8).

i. However, it seems that God used Paul to declare specifically how Jews and Gentiles would be joined together in one Body of Christ. This was something hinted at through others, but only specifically detailed through Paul's revelation. Paul trusted that his readers would understand what God revealed to him.

h. Was not made known to the sons of men, as it now has been revealed: The nature of the union of Jews and Gentiles into this new body is the aspect that was not made known. In the Old Testament, the salvation of Gentiles in the Messiah is prophesied, the coming together of Jew and Gentile into the Church is never spoken of.

2. (6-7) The mystery described.

That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

a. That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body: This describes the mystery itself - that believing Jews and believing Gentiles are joined together into one Body of Christ, into one Church, and no longer separated before God as such.

b. Partakers of His promise in Christ: The truth of this mystery means that Gentiles are now full partakers of His promise. This was a privilege no longer reserved only for the believing Jewish person.

c. Through the gospel: This could only happen through the gospel, where all men have an equal standing in Jesus. This is the same gospel Paul is a servant of, because of the gift of grace given to him by the working of God's power.

i. Paul says he is a minister, but that is a title of service, not exaltation. In classical literature of ancient Greece, the minister (diakonos) "is a table waiter who is always at the bidding of his customers." (Wood)

3. (8-9) Paul's presentation of the mystery.

To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;

a. To me, who am less than the least of all the saints: Paul marveled at thegrace given to him, by which he was called to preach the gospel that makes the mystery a reality. When we consider Paul's personal history, we see that his calling really was all of grace.

i. "But while Paul was thus thankful for his office, his success in it greatly humbled him. The fuller a vessel becomes the deeper it sinks in the water. A plenitude of grace is a cure for pride." (Spurgeon)

ii. "Preachers ought to grow in grace, for their very calling places them at a great advantage, since they are bound to search the Scriptures, and to be much in prayer. It is a choice mercy to be permitted to preach the gospel. I wish some of you would be ambitious of it, for earnest preachers are wanted." (Spurgeon)

b. That I should preach: The ancient Greek word translated "preach" literally means "to announce good news." Paul's preaching was simply the announcement of the good news of what God has done in Jesus.

c. The unsearchable riches of Christ: They mystery is like great riches for the Gentiles. They can now come before God in a standing they could only dream of before.

i. Paul tried to figure out the greatness of God's grace, and started tracking it out as one might track out the shore of a lake. But he soon discovered that it wasn't a lake at all, but an ocean, an immeasurable sea. God's riches are unsearchable; we will never know them completely.

ii. Unsearchable riches also tells us this is something good. "The doctrines of the gospel are a golden throne upon which Jesus sits, as king-not a hard, cold stone rolled at the door of the sepulcher in which Christ is hidden." (Spurgeon)

iii. "I am bold to tell you that my Master's riches of grace are so unsearchable, that he delights to forgive and forget enormous sin; the bigger the sin the more glory to his grace. If you are over head and ears in debt, he is rich enough to discharge your liabilities. If you are at the very gates of hell, he is able to pluck you from the jaws of destruction." (Spurgeon)

d. To make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery: Having been entrusted with such riches, Paul's passion was to make this gospel known to all people. He wants everybody to see and share in the fellowship of this mystery - which is a mystery precisely because it was unknown and unknowable until God revealed it.

e. Fellowship of the mystery: We should carefully consider what this phrase means. It demonstrates that these are not only facts to know but also a life to live, united in Jesus with other believers, without any separation such as existed between Jew and Gentile.

f. Which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God: This great truth - the fellowship of the mystery - was hidden before it was revealed after the finished work of Jesus on the cross. This reinforces the idea that there is genuinely something new in the New Covenant, and that it is wrong to consider Israel simply the Old Testament Church and the Church the New Testament Israel.

i. "This statement settles the question once for all concerning the existence of the church, the body of Christ, in and during the Old Testament dispensations. Yet it is one of the most widespread views that the church existed from the beginning of creation and the words of promise contained in the Old Testament prophetic Word are the promises of the church, and its glorious future on the earth, in reigning over the nations." (Gaebelein)

3. (10-12) The purpose of the mystery.

To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

a. That now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known: God is a Being of infinite wisdom and glory, and He wants His creatures to know His great and manifold wisdom. One purpose in His great plan of the ages is to reveal this wisdom.

i. Understanding the character of God, we can say that this is not for aselfish or self-glorying motive, in the way we think of the proud man showing his brains and accomplishments to everyone. God does this for the glory of His creatures, because the glory of the creature is directly connected to the glory of the Creator.

ii. This wisdom is manifold. The ancient Greek word polupoikilos, has the ideas of intricacy, complexity, and great beauty. "That hath abundance of curious variety in it, such as is seen in the best pictures or textures." (Trapp)

iii. It also must be made known. Dean Alford points out that the wordsmight be made known are emphatic, strongly contrasting the idea ofhidden in Ephesians 3:9.

b. Might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers: This explains how God will reveal His wisdom, and to whom He reveals it. He will reveal it by His work in the church, and He will reveal it to angelic beings (principalities and powers).

i. Of course, God also wants to reveal this wisdom to the church. But in the big picture, God doesn't use the angels to reveal His wisdom to the saints, but He does use the saints to reveal His wisdom to the angelic beings, both faithful and fallen angels. This reminds us that we are called for something far greater than our own individual salvation and sanctification. We are called to be the means by which God teaches the universe a lesson, and a beautiful lesson.

ii. We are surrounded by invisible spiritual beings, and they intently look upon us. Here, Paul draws back the invisible curtain that hides these beings just as Elisha prayed at Dothan, LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. (2 Kings 6:17) These angelic beings see us perfectly and know us far better than we know them.

iii. "What then have they to learn from us? Ah, they have to learn something which makes them watch us with wonder and with awe. They see in us indeed all our weakness, and all our sin. But they see a nature which, wrecked by itself, was yet made in the image of their God and ours. And they see this God at work upon that wreck to produce results not only wonderful in themselves but doubly wonderful because of the conditions." (Moule)

iv. "In his immortality, never touched by one drop of our cold river, it is instructive to him beyond all our thought to see his God triumphing over pain and death in some sufferer in the fire of martyrdom, or in the torture of cancer, or in the shipwreck, or just in the silent awe of any form of our departure from the body … They see these fallen and mortal beings, this Community of the lost and saved, not only bearing and doing for God here on earth, but spiritually present with Him in the Holy of Holies above." (Moule)

v. Sometimes Christians get the crazy idea that God saved them and works in their life because they are somehow such great people. The angels see right through this. We might believe that it is because of us; the angels know better. We may think our lives are small and insignificant; the angels know better. We may doubt our high standing, seating in heavenly places; the angels see this spiritual reality with eyes wide open.

vi. "It is as if a great drama is being enacted. History is the theatre, the world is the stage, and the church members in every land are the actors. God himself has written the play, and he directs and produces it. Act by act, scene by scene, the story continues to unfold. But who are the audience? They are the cosmic intelligences, the principalities and powers in the heavenly places." (Stott)

vii. "The Angels are instructed in God's wisdom … by the fact of the great spiritual body, constituted in Christ, which the contemplate, and which is to them the theatre of the glory of God." (Alford) "The history of the Christian church becomes a graduate school for angels." (Stott, quoting Mackay)

c. To the principalities and powers in the heavenly places: This means that angelic beings are interested and instructed by the lives of Christians. This is why the conduct of the church is so important: because angelic and demonic beings are looking on, and God's intent is to teach them through us. Several passages refer to this:

- For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. (1 Corinthians 11:10)

- The things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven; things which angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:12)

- I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality.(1 Timothy 5:21)

i. We should take this responsibility seriously, for angels are given the responsibility to carry souls to heaven at death (Luke 16:22) and are the reapers of the final harvest (Matthew 13:39-43).

ii. "And, lastly, what think some of you, would angels say of your walk and conversation? Well, I suppose you don't care much about them, and yet you should. For who but angels will be the reapers at the last, and who but they shall be the convoy to our spirits across the last dark stream? Who but they shall carry our spirit like that of Lazarus into the Father's bosom? Surely we should not despise them." (Spurgeon)

iii. "O be not, ye converts, ignorant of the word of God; be not oblivious of the operations of God in your own souls! The angels desire to look into these things. Do you look into them?" (Spurgeon)

iv. A popular interpretation today sees the principalities and powers as modern political states and economic structures. The idea is that the church primarily is a witness to them, and should redeem governments and social structures through its witness. But Paul specifically wrote that theseprincipalities and powers are in the heavenly places, not in earthly places.

d. According to the eternal purpose which He accomplished: The mystery reveals and furthers God's eternal purpose in Jesus, previously described inEphesians 1:10 - that in the fullness of the times, God will gather together (essentially, to sum up or resolve) all things in Jesus.

i. The mystery of the unified Body of Christ is according to that purpose. It is a preview of what Jesus will ultimately do in the fulfillment of summing up all things in Himself.

ii. "The church thus appears to be God's pilot scheme for the reconciled universe of the future, the mystery of God's will to be administered in the fullness of the times when the things in heaven and the things on earth are brought together in Christ." (Bruce)

e. Which He accomplished: There is a sense in which Paul can say that this eternal purpose is already accomplished. Its fulfillment is a certainty (as shown by the initial work of bringing Jew and Gentile together in Jesus), so he can speak of it as already finished.

f. Through faith in Him: The fact of this unity is shown by the truth that we (Jew and Gentile collectively) have the identical boldness, access and confidencebefore God - because it has nothing to do with national or ethnic identity, only with faith in Him (Jesus).

i. The word for boldness has the idea of "freedom of speech." We have the freedom to express ourselves before God, without fear or shame. "The Greek word 'parresia' translated by 'boldness' means really 'free speech' - that is, the speaking of all. It is the blessed privilege of prayer." (Gaebelein)

ii. Divisions in the church have not always been between Jew and Gentile. The Reformers spoke out against the division between "clergy" and "laity" and the teaching of the priesthood of all believers insisted that all had the same access to God.

4. (13) Paul's current personal participation in the mystery.

Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

a. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart: Though under arrest for the sake of the gospel, Paul asks his readers to not lose heart. Paul didn't want them to be discouraged for his sake, because Paul was still being used in the service of God's eternal plan.

b. My tribulations for you: Paul wrote the Letter to the Ephesians from prison, and it is useful to remember why Paul was in prison. He lived his whole life with the passion to bring salvation to his own people, the Jews (Romans 9:1-3). On a strategic visit to Jerusalem he had the opportunity to preach to a vast crowd on or near the temple mount (Acts 21:39-22:22), but the opportunity ended in disaster because the Jewish crowd could not stand the idea of the good news of the Messiah being extended to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21-22). The ensuing riot put Paul in a legal dilemma, from which he used his right as a Roman citizen and appealed to Caesar. Now Paul was imprisoned in Rome, waiting for his trial before Caesar - and there because he knew God wanted Gentiles to share in the good news of the Messiah, and he wasn't afraid to preach that truth.

c. Which is your glory: Paul was being used, and probably in a greater way than he ever imagined. This Roman imprisonment produced the letters of Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon. They all certainly have a place in God's eternal plan.

i. In the same manner, each of us has a place in the service of God's eternal plan. Knowing this and working towards it is a great guard against losing heart in the midst of tribulation.

B. Paul prays in light of the mystery.

1. (14-15) Introduction to the prayer.

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

a. For this reason: The basis of Paul's prayer was his knowledge of God's purpose. This means he confidently prayed according to God's will. We can't pray effectively if we do not have insight into God's purpose and will.

b. I bow my knees: Paul prayed in the posture of bowing his knees. This position of utmost humility was in contrast to the more normal posture of prayer in that culture, to pray standing with hands raised up.

i. The humility comes when he considers God's great eternal plan, his place in that plan, and how God's work is unstoppable even when Paul is imprisoned.

ii. Solomon prayed on his knees (1 Kings 8:54). Ezra prayed on his knees (Ezra 9:5). The Psalmist called us to kneel (Psalm 95:6). Daniel prayed on his knees (Daniel 6:10). People came to Jesus kneeling (Matthew 17:14,Matthew 20:20, and Mark 1:40). Stephen prayed on his knees (Acts 7:60). Peter prayed on his knees (Acts 9:40). Paul prayed on his knees (Acts 20:36), and other early Christians prayed on their knees (Acts 21:5). Most importantly, Jesus prayed on His knees (Luke 22:41). The Bible has enough prayer not on the knees to show us that it isn't required, but it also has enough prayer on the knees to show us that it is good.

iii. Adam Clarke saw a connection between Solomon's kneeling prayer at the dedication of the temple and Paul's kneeling prayer here. "Many parts of this prayer bear a strict resemblance to that offered by Solomon when dedicating the temple … The apostle was now dedicating the Christian Church."

c. To the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: Paul directed his prayer to theFather, who is presented as the "planner" among the members of the Trinity. Prayer is usually directed to the Father, through the Son, by the empowering and direction of the Holy Spirit.

d. From whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named: In remembering that all God's family is called after His name, Paul showed that his mind was rather taken with this idea of the essential unity of the Body of Christ. God is Father of both Jew and Gentile.

i. Charles Spurgeon preached a touching sermon titled, Saints in Heaven and Earth One Family. In it he developed the idea that we are one with our brothers and sisters in heaven, and how this enriches our hope of heaven.

ii. Some commentators think Paul refers to heavenly families in the sense of families of angels. "May not the holy Angels be bound up in spiritual families, though they marry not nor are given in marriage?" (Alford)

2. (16-19) Paul prays again for the Ephesians.

That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height; to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

a. To be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man: Paul asked that they would be strengthened with might, and that the strength would be according to the riches of His glory (a most generous measure). He also prayed that the strength would come through the Holy Spirit and that it would be put into their inner man.

i. There is an inner man just as real as our physical body. We all understand the importance of strength in our physical body, but many are exceedingly weak in the inner man.

ii. According to the riches of His glory: "It would be a disgrace to a kingor a nobleman to give no more than a tradesman or a peasant. God acts up to the dignity of his infinite perfections; he gives according to the riches of his glory." (Clarke)

b. That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith: Paul asked that Jesus would live in these believers, even as Jesus promised in John 14:23: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

i. Two ancient Greek words convey the idea "to live in." One has the idea of living in a place as a stranger, and the other has the idea of settling down in a place to make it your permanent home. Dwell uses the ancient Greek word for a permanent home. Jesus wants to settle down in your heart, not just visit as a stranger.

ii. "Coming to them in a sense, in a respect, so deep and great, as to constitute a practically new arrival, and remaining where He so arrives not as a Guest, precariously detained, but as a Master resident in His proper home." (Moule)

iii. The glory of the indwelling Jesus is something for us to know, and to know by faith. It is there for us, but must be taken hold of through faith. "You have your Bible, and you have your knees; use them." (Carr John Glynn, godfather to H. C. G. Moule)

iv. Why do we need spiritual strength to let Christ dwell within us? It is because there is something in us that resists the influence of the indwelling Jesus. That something can be conquered as the Spirit of God gives us the victory of faith.

v. Through faith has the idea, "through your faith." This is how Christ dwells in our heart. "The Indwelling is, from one side, the sovereign gift of God. From the other, it is a matter for the simplest and most personal reception by man. And then, the form of that reception is just this - faith; reliance, submissive trust; not animated action, not exalted aspiration, but acceptance." (Moule)

c. Being rooted and grounded in love: Paul asked that all this would take place as they were rooted and grounded in love. The meaning seems to be that they should be rooted and grounded in their love for one another, more than being rooted and grounded in their love for God and the knowledge of that love.

i. "Two expressions are used: 'rooted,' like a living tree which lays hold upon the soil, twists itself round the rocks, and cannot be upturned: 'grounded,' like a building which has been settled, as a whole, and will never show any cracks or flaws in the future through failures in the foundation." (Spurgeon)

d. May be able to comprehend with all the saints: Paul asked that they might be able to understand together, in community every dimension of the love of Jesus. Paul wanted them to know it by experience and not just in words.

i. "In this measurement may you and I be skilled. If we know nothing of mathematics, may we be well-tutored scholars in this spiritual geometry, and be able to comprehend the breadths and lengths of Jesu's precious love." (Spurgeon)

e. What is the width and length and depth and height: This means that the love of Jesus has dimensions and that it can be measured.

i. "Alas, to a great many religious people the love of Jesus is not a solid substantial thing at all -it is a beautiful fiction, a sentimental belief, a formal theory, but to Paul it was a real, substantial, measurable fact; he had considered it this way, and that way, and the other way, and it was evidently real to him, whatever it might be to others." (Spurgeon)

ii. The love of Jesus has width. You can see how wide a river is by noticing how much it covers over. God's river of love is so wide that it covers over my sin, and it covers over every circumstance of my life, so that all things work together for good. When I doubt His forgiveness or His providence, I am narrowing the mighty river of God's love. His love is as wide as the world:For God so loved the world (John 3:16)

iii. "Some of them seem to be so taken up with the height and length that they deny the breadth, and you would think from hearing them preach that Christ came into the world to save half-a-dozen, and that they were five of them … Out on their narrowness! There will be more in heaven than we expect to see there by a long way; and there will be some there with whom we had very little comfortable fellowship on earth who had fellowship with Christ, and who are therefore taken to dwell with him for ever." (Spurgeon)

iv. The love of Jesus has length. When considering the length of God's love, ask yourself "When did the love of God start towards me? How long will it continue?" These truths measure the length of God's love. Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3)

v. The love of Jesus has depth. Philippians 2:7-8 tell us how deep the love of Jesus goes: but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. You can't go lower than the death of the cross, and that is how deep the love of Jesus is for us.

vi. The love of Jesus has height. To see the height of God's love, ask yourself, "How high does it lift me?" It lifts me to heavenly places where I am seated with Christ. He has faised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6).

vii. Can we really comprehend the width and length and depth and height of God's love? To come to any understanding of the dimensions of God's love, we must come to the cross. The cross pointed in four ways, essentially in every direction, because …

- God's love is wide enough to include every person.
- God's love is long enough to last through all eternity.
- God's love is deep enough to reach the worst sinner.
- God's love is high enough to take us to heaven.
f. To know the love of Christ: Paul wrote of something we can know. This isn't speculation, guesswork, emotions, or feelings. This is something to know.

i. "One of these philosophers kindly says that religion is a matter of belief; not of knowledge. This is clean in opposition to all the teaching of Scripture." (Spurgeon)

g. That you may be filled with all the fullness of God: Paul asked God to fill these Christians unto all the fullness of God. The word unto is a better translation than the word with. Paul wanted Christians to experience life in Jesus Christ, the fullness of God (Colossians 2:9), and to be filled to their capacity with Jesus, even as God is filled to His own capacity with His own character and attributes.

i. "Among all the great sayings in this prayer, this is the greatest. To be FILLED with God is a great thing; to be filled with the FULLNESS of God is still greater; but to be filled with ALL the fullness of God utterly bewilders the sense and confounds the understanding." (Clarke)

3. (20-21) A glorious doxology.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

a. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think: As Paul came to this great height (what can there be higher than the fullness of God?), it is logical to ask how this can ever be. How can something so far above us ever become reality? It can only happen because God is able to do far beyond what we ask or think.

i. This doxology does not only belong to the prayer that precedes it, but also to every glorious privilege and blessing spoken of the first three chapters. Who is able to bring such things to pass? Only God can do this, because He can do far beyond our ability to think or ask.

ii. Paul says that God is able to do above all that we ask or think. The weincludes Paul and the other apostles - and they certainly knew that Jesus could do great things.

- You can ask for every good thing you have ever experienced - God can do above that.
- You can think of or imagine things beyond your experience - God can doabove that.
- You can imagine good things that are beyond your ability to name - God can do above that.
iii. Spurgeon on the phrase exceedingly abundantly: "He has constructed here in the Greek an expression which is altogether his own. No language was powerful enough for the apostle, - I mean for the Holy Ghost speaking through the apostle, - for very often Paul has to coin words and phrases to shadow forth his meaning, and here is one, 'He is able to do exceeding abundantly,' so abundantly that it exceeds measure and description." (Spurgeon)

iv. "Therefore he is able to do all things, and able to do superabundantly above the greatest abundance." (Clarke)

b. According to the power that works in us: God is able to do this in our life now, not beginning with heaven. This power … works in us now.

i. The things Paul prayed for in the previous verses (spiritual strength, the indwelling Jesus, experiential knowledge of God's love, and the fullness of God) belong to us as children of God. However, they must be received by believing prayer and can be furthered in the lives of others by our prayers for them.

c. To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus: The only fitting response to this great God is to give Him glory - especially in the church, the company of His redeemed, and that He receive that glory throughout all ages, world without end - Amen!

i. When the church understands and walks in God's eternal purpose, God will be glorified and the church will fulfill its important duty of simply glorifying God.

ii. "But the apostle felt that he must not say, 'Unto him be glory in my soul.' He wished that, but his one soul afforded far too little space, and so he cried 'unto him, be glory in the church.' He calls upon all the people of God to praise the divine name." (Spurgeon)
 
Ephesians 4

LIVING TO GOD'S GLORY
A. A call for unity among God's people.

1. (1) The foundation for all exhortation.

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

a. Therefore: Paul spent three chapters spelling out in glorious detail all that God did for us, freely by His grace. Now he brings a call to live rightly, but onlyafter explaining what God did for us.

b. Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called: When we really understand how much God did for us, we will naturally want to serve and obey Him out of gratitude.

i. Understanding who we are is the foundation of this worthy walk. "Luther counsels men to answer all temptations of Satan with this only, Christianus sum, I am a Christian." (Trapp)

ii. The idea is clear. We don't walk worthy so that God will love us, butbecause He does love us. It is motivated out of gratitude, not out of a desire to earn merit.

iii. "Every believer is God's first-born; and so higher than the kings of the earth, Psalm 89:27. He must therefore carry himself accordingly, and not stain his high blood." (Trapp)

2. (2-3) The character of a worthy walk.

With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

a. With all lowliness and gentleness: A worthy walk before God will be marked by lowliness and gentleness, not a pushy desire to defend our own rights and advance our own agenda.

i. Before Christianity, the word lowliness always had a bad association to it. In the minds of many, it still does, but it is a glorious Christian virtue (Philippians 2:1-10). It means that we can be happy and content when we are not in control or steering things our way.

b. Longsuffering, bearing with one another: We need this so that the inevitable wrongs that occur between people in God's family will not work against God's purpose of bringing all things together in Jesus - illustrated through His current work in the church.

i. Chrysostom defined longsuffering as the spirit that has the power to take revenge, but never does. It is characteristic of a forgiving, generous heart.

c. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: This humble, forgiving attitude towards each other naturally fulfills this gift of the unity of the Spirit.

i. We must endeavor to keep this unity - we do not create it. God never commands us to create unity among believers. He has created it by His Spirit; our duty is to recognize it and keep it.

ii. This is a spiritual unity, not necessarily a structural or denominational unity. It is evident in the quick fellowship possible among Christians of different races, nationalities, languages, and economic classes.

iii. We can understand this unity of the Spirit by understanding what it is not. In a sermon on this text, Charles Spurgeon pointed out some of the things that the text does not say.

- It does not say, "To endeavor to maintain the unity of evil, the unity of superstition, or the unity of spiritual tyranny."
- It does not say, "Endeavoring to keep up your ecclesiastical arrangements for centralization."
- It does not say, "Endeavoring to keep the uniformity of the Spirit."
iv. Structural unity can even work against true unity of the Spirit. We can perhaps see a purpose God has in preventing a structural unity of the church right now, to keep misdirected efforts of the church (such as ambitions for political power) from fulfillment. "It is not a desirable thing that all Churches should melt into one another and become one; for the complete fusion of all Churches into one ecclesiastical corporation would inevitably produce another form of Popery, since history teaches us that large ecclesiastical bodies grow more or less corrupt as a matter of course. Huge spiritual corporations are, as a whole, the strongholds of tyranny and the refuges of abuse; and it is only a matter of time when they shall break to pieces." (Spurgeon)

v. "For the church fellowship in the Gentile and Jewish believers were united was no mere enrollment on a register of membership; it involved their union with Christ by faith and therefore their union with each other as fellow-members of his body." (Bruce)

vi. We are confident that this unity is found in Jesus Christ, by the Spirit of God. "We want unity in the truth of God through the Spirit of God. This let us seek after; let us live near to Christ, for this is the best way of promoting unity. Divisions in Churches never begin with those full of love to the Savior." (Spurgeon)

3. (4-6) The description of the unity of the Church.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

a. There is one body and one Spirit: We have unity because of what we share in common. In Jesus we share one body, one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one Father. Each of these common areas is greater than any potential difference.

b. One baptism: Some think that because Paul says there is one baptism that the idea of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a subsequent experience is invalid. But Paul only spoke here of the baptism by water which is the visible token of God's common work in every believer, and thus a basis of unity. There aren't separate baptisms for Jew and Gentile.

i. The concept of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is spoken of clearly inMatthew 3:11, Acts 1:5 and 11:16. This may be considered an initial (and sometimes dramatic) experience one has with the fullness of the Holy Spirit, a filling that God wants to continue through a person's Christian life.

B. The way God works unity: through spiritual gifts of leadership in the church.

1. (7-10) The giving of spiritual gifts to the church.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men." (Now this, "He ascended"; what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

a. Grace was given: We all have grace given to us according to the measureof Jesus' gift. This is basis for God's distribution of spiritual gifts through His church: grace, the free, unmerited giving of God. No one deserves or has earned spiritual gifts.

b. When He ascended on high: This giving happened (as described prophetically in Psalm 68:18) when Jesus ascended to heaven, evidence of His triumph over every foe (the leading of captivity captive).

i. Bruce on the picture from Psalm 68: "One may picture a military leader returning to Jerusalem at the head of his followers, after routing an enemy army and taking many prisoners."

ii. As Jesus said, It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.(John 16:7)

c. When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men: Paul does not quote the passage exactly as it appears in Psalm 68. Either he altered it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit or under similar inspiration he quotes from an ancient translation (called a Targum) that quotes the Psalm in this manner.

i. Psalm 68:18 reads: You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men. There is certainly enough room in the language of the original Hebrew to allow Paul's reading, even though it is unusual.

ii. "It is enough for me that the apostle, under the inspiration of God, applied the verse in this way; and whatever David might intend, and of whatever event he might have written, we see plainly that the sense in which the apostle uses it was the sense of the Spirit of God." (Clarke)

d. Now this, "He ascended"; what does it mean: In this, Paul demonstrates how the words He ascended in Psalm 68:18 have reference to the resurrection of Jesus, speaking first of His rising from the lower parts of the earth, and secondly of His ascension far above all the heavens.

i. Some think that the phrase lower parts of the earth refers to Jesus' preaching to the spirits in prison described in 1 Peter 3:19 and 4:6. While this aspect of Jesus' ministry in Hades following His work on the cross is true (and prophesied in Isaiah 61:1-2 and Luke 4:18), Paul did not necessarilyrefer to it here.

2. (11-12) The offices of spiritual leadership in the church and their purpose.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

a. He Himself: This means that Jesus established these offices. They are the work and appointment of Jesus, not men. Though pretenders may lay claim to them, the offices themselves are a Divine institution and not a human invention.

b. Gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers: Paul describes four offices (not five, as in the commonly yet erroneously termed "five-fold ministry).

i. Apostles, who are special ambassadors of God's work, though not in the same authoritative sense of the first century apostles. They were used to provide a foundation (preserved as the New Testament) as described inEphesians 2:20.

ii. Prophets, who speak forth words from God in total consistency with the foundation of the Old and New Testaments. Sometimes they speak in a predictive sense, but not necessarily so, and they are always subject to the discernment and judgment of the church leadership (1 Corinthians 14:29). As with the apostles, modern prophets do not speak in the same authoritative sense that the first century prophets brought God's foundational word (Ephesians 2:20).

iii. Evangelists, who are specifically gifted to preach the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

iv. Pastors and teachers (or, pastor-teachers; the ancient Greek clearly describes one office with two descriptive titles), who shepherd the flock of God primarily (though not exclusively) through teaching the Word of God. "Teaching is an essential part of the pastoral ministry; it is appropriate, therefore, that the two terms, pastors and teachers, should be joined together to denote one order of ministry." (Bruce)

v. These gifts are given at the discretion of Jesus, working through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:11). The importance of having "all four in operation" in any church body is up to Jesus who appoints the offices. The job of responsible church leadership is to not hinder or prevent such ministry, but never to "promote it into existence."

c. For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry: The purpose of these gifts of leadership is also clear. It is that saints (God's people) might beequipped for the work of ministry (service), so that the body of Christ would be built up (expanded and strengthened).

i. Equipping also has the idea of "to put right." It was used for setting broken bones, and for mending nets. These ministries work together to produce strong, mended, fit Christians.

ii. God's people do the real work of ministry. Leaders in the church have the first responsibility to equip people to serve and to direct their service as God leads.

iii. "The primary purpose of the Church isn't to convert sinners to Christianity, but to perfect (complete and mature) the saints for the ministry and edification of the Body." (Smith)

3. (13-16) The desired goal of God's work through church leadership and equipped saints.

Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ; from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

a. Till we all come to the unity of the faith: This is the first goal of God's work through the gifted offices and equipped saints. This is consistent with both the ultimate purpose of God (Ephesians 1:10) and the mystery of God revealed through Paul (Ephesians 3:6).

i. Again, by clearly stating that this is a unity of the faith, Paul does not command a structural or organizational unity, but a spiritual unity around a common faith.

b. And of the knowledge of the Son of God: When the gifted offices work right and the saints are properly equipped, there are increased maturity and greater intimacy in our experience of God.

c. To a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: The gifted offices and equipped saints bring the saints to maturity, according to the measure of Jesus Himself. As years pass by, we should not only grow old in Jesus, but more mature in Him as well, as both individuals and as a corporate body.

d. We should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine: The gifted offices and equipped saints result in stability, being firmly planted on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20).

i. Those who do not mature in this way are targets of deceivers, who are effective precisely because they operate with trickery and cunning craftiness - and they lie in wait to deceive. They are out there like land minds that the mature can avoid.

ii. The ancient Greek word for tossed to and fro is from the same words used to describe the stormy sea of Galilee in Luke 8:24 (raging of the water). We can wrongly value movement over growth; mere movement is being tossed to and fro, but God wants us to grow up in all things.

iii. By the trickery of men: "The words … refer to the arts used by gamesters, who employ false dice that will always throw up one kind of number, which is that by which those who play with them cannot win." (Clarke) Running after spiritual fads always leaves one a loser.

e. Speaking the truth in love: This speaks to not only how we are to relate to one another in God's family, but also to how leaders and saints are to deal with deceivers. We should deal with them in love, but never budging from the truth.

f. May grow up in all things into Him who is the head: Another way maturity is described is as the growing up into Jesus, who is the head. Again, this defines the direction of maturity. We never grow "independent" of Jesus, we grow upinto Him.

i. "A church that is only united in itself, but not united to Christ, is no living church at all. You may attain to the unity of the frost-bound earth in which men and women are frozen together with the cold proprieties of aristocracy, but it is not the unity of life." (Spurgeon)

ii. Clarke on grow up into him: "This is a continuance of a metaphor taken from the members of a human body receiving nourishment equally and growing up, each in its due proportion to other parts, and to the body in general."

g. According to the effective working by which every part does its share: The evidence of maturity - that the leaders and the saints are all doing their job - is this effective working. This means every part and joint provides what it can supply in a coordinated effort. When this happens, it naturally causes the growth of the body (both in size and strength), but especially growth for building itself up in love.

i. Some people think of the church as a pyramid, with the pastor at the top. Others think of the church as a bus driven by the pastor, who takes his passive passengers where they should go. But God wants us to see the church as a body, where every part does its share.

C. Putting off the old man, putting on the new man.

1. (17-19) The character of the old man.

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

a. Therefore: This makes the connection, not only with the glorious spiritual privileges laid out in Ephesians 1 through 3, but also with the high call of a unified, mature body as described in Ephesians 4:1-6. Because of this high calling, we should walk (conduct our life) in a different manner than the world around us does.

i. There is a constant tendency for Christians to display to the world that we really aren't so different after all. This is usually a misguided effort to gain the world's "respect" or approval. This must be resisted at all costs, because the goal in itself is both undesirable and unachievable.

ii. This principle of compromise can be illustrated by the exchange between a liberal scholar theologian and a Christian professor. The liberal agrees, "I'll call you a scholar if you'll call me a Christian." The trade isn't worth it.

b. No longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk: The Gentile walk is characterized by the futility of their mind. In the end, their thinking is futile because their understanding is darkened - because they are alienated from the life of God.

i. This is not to say that man, in his rebellion against God, is not capable of mighty intellectual achievements. But it is to say that all such achievements fall short of true wisdom, because the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

ii. Futility: "The thought is not that unregenerate minds are empty. It is that they are filled with things that lead to nothing." (Vaughan)

iii. As Christians, we have a proper way and place to walk. It is as if Jesus turned us around and put us in the right direction, and now we have to walkand progress in that direction.

c. Because of the blindness of their heart: Fundamentally, the ignoranceand lack of understanding of man is a heart problem. It is shown not only in a foolish denial of God, but also in their moral failures (licentiousness,uncleanness, greediness).

i. The Gentiles Paul speaks of were either atheists or they believed in gods who were themselves immoral. Therefore in their denial of the true God, they denied any standard of morality that they must answer to.

ii. Past feeling has the idea of one's skin becoming callous and no longer sensitive to pain. It is the logical result of the blindness of their heart.Blindness can also be understood here as hardening, and this ancient Greek word "is used medically to denote the callus formed when a bone has been fractured and reset. Such a callus is even harder than the bone itself." (Wood)

iii. Licentiousness is sin that flaunts itself, throwing off all restraint and having no sense of shame or fear; uncleanness is a broad word, mostly with reference to sexual impropriety.

iv. Barclay elaborates on the Greek word aselgeia, translatedlicentiousness: "The great characteristic of aselgeia is this - the bad man usually tries to hide his sin; but the man who has aselgeia in his soul does not care how much he shocks public opinion so long as he can gratify his desires." (Barclay)

2. (20-24) Putting on the new man.

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

a. Put off … the old man … put on the new man: This has the same idea of putting off or putting on a set of clothes. The idea is to "change into" a different kind of conduct.

i. Think of a prisoner who is released from prison, but still wears his prison clothes and acts like a prisoner, not a free man. The first thing you would tell that person is "put on some new clothes."

ii. Even as putting on different clothes will change the way you think about yourself and see yourself, even so putting on different conduct will start to change your attitudes. This means that we shouldn't wait to feel like the new man before we put on the new man.

iii. Fundamentally, Paul says that for the Christian, there must be a break with the past. Jesus isn't merely added to our old life; the old life dies and He becomes our new life.

b. You have not so learned Christ: The repetition of this idea shows that putting on the new man has a strong aspect of learning and education to it. You have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus … and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

i. Our Christian life must go beyond head knowledge, but it must absolutely include head knowledge and affect our whole manner of thinking. Not just in the sense of knowing facts, but the ability to set our minds on the right things. This is so fundamental to the Christian life that Christian growth can even be described as the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).

ii. The Ephesians learned Christ, not only learning about Jesus, but also learning Him. This means a living, abiding knowledge of Jesus will keep us from the kind of sinful conduct Paul speaks of. Just knowing about Jesus isn't enough to keep us pure.

iii. "So, if you want to know the Lord Jesus Christ, you must live with him. First he must himself speak to you, and afterwards you must abide in him. He must be the choice Companion of your morning hours, he must be with you throughout the day, and with him you must also close the night; and as often as you may wake during the night, you must say, 'When I awake, I am still with thee.' " (Spurgeon)

c. Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness: The new man is the new creation(2 Corinthians 5:17) created in us at conversion. It is the person created according to the image of Jesus Christ and instinctively righteous and holy. It is in contrast to the old man, who is the person inherited from Adam and instinctively rebels against God.

3. (25-32) The conduct of the new man.

Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

a. Therefore, putting away lying: The new man tells the truth. The motive for doing this is because we are members of one another, therefore there is no place for lying.

i. A body can only function properly if it tells itself the truth. If your hand touches something hot but your hand tells your brain that the thing is cool, your hand will be severely burned. That's why telling the truth is so important, because we are members of one another.

b. Be angry, and do not sin: The new man may get angry, but he does not sin. The new man knows how to let go of his wrath, thus giving no opportunity to the devil.

i. "Here it is suggested that anger can be prevented from degenerating into sin if a strict time limit is placed on it: do not let the sun set on your anger." (Bruce) "He that will be angry and not sin, let him be angry at nothing but sin." (Trapp)

ii. The devil's work is to accuse and divide the family of God, and to sow discord among them. When we harbor anger in our heart, we do the devil's work for him.

iii. The name devil literally means "slanderer." Paul may be saying that when we hold on to our anger, creating bitterness, we give place to the slanderer - either because we become one or because we provoke their slander.

c. Let him who stole steal no longer: The new man does not steal, but he works with his hands. He does this not only to provide for his own needs, but also to have something to give him who has need.

i. Let him labor: Labor is literally "to exert himself to the point of exhaustion." This is the kind of working heart God commands those who used to steal to have. Paul's idea is that we should work so that we can give. The purpose for getting becomes giving.

d. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth: The new man knows how to watch his tongue, speaking only what is good for necessary edification, desiring to impart grace to all who hear him.

i. Corrupt communication: "Not only obscene vulgarity but slanderous and contemptuous talk." (Bruce)

e. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God: The new man will not grieve the Holy Spirit, knowing that He is our seal both in the sense of identification and protection.

i. There are many ways to grieve the Holy Spirit. We can neglect holiness and grieve the Holy Spirit. We can think in purely materialistic terms and grieve the Holy Spirit. The Spirit exalts Jesus (John 15:26); when we fail to do the same, we grieve the Spirit.

ii. "I think I now see the Spirit of God grieving, when you are sitting down to read a novel and there is your Bible unread. Perhaps you take down some book of travels, and you forget that you have got a more precious book of travels in the Acts of the Apostles, and in the story of your blessed Lord and Master. You have no time for prayer, but the Spirit sees you very active about worldly things, and having many hours to spare for relaxation and amusement. And then he is grieved because he sees that you love worldly things better than you love him." (Spurgeon)

iii. "Although the word 'grieve' is a painful one, yet there is honey in the rock; for it is an inexpressibly delightful thought, that he who rules heaven and earth, and is the creator of all things, and the infinite and ever blessed God, condescends to enter into such infinite relationships with his people that his divine mind may be affected by their actions. What a marvel that Deity should be said to grieve over the faults of beings so utterly insignificant as we are!" (Spurgeon)

iv. "Sin everywhere must be displeasing to the Spirit of holiness, but sin in his own people is grievous to him in the highest degree. He will not hate his people, but he does hate their sins, and hates them all the more because they nestle in his children's bosoms. The Spirit would not be the Spirit of truth if he could approve of that which is false in us: he would not be pure if that which is impure in us did not grieve him." (Spurgeon)

v. The Holy Spirit's grief is not of a petty, oversensitive nature. "He is grieved with us mainly for our own sakes, for he knows what misery sin will cost us; he reads our sorrows in our sins … He grieves over us because he sees how much chastisement we incur, and how much communion we lose." (Spurgeon)

f. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you: The new man has control of his emotions (bitterness, wrath, angerand so forth). When such things do emerge, he is able to deal with them in a manner glorifying to God.

i. Aristotle defined bitterness as "the resentful spirit that refuses reconciliation."

ii. Wrath speaks of an outburst of the moment; anger speaks of a settled disposition. Both must be put away.

g. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another: The new man seeks to show the same kindness, tender heartedness and forgiveness to others that God shows him. If we treat others as God treats us, we fulfill every thing Paul told us to do in this chapter.

h. Just as God in Christ forgave you: Our forgiveness to others is patterned after the forgiveness of Jesus towards us. When we think of the amazing way God forgives us, it is shameful for us to withhold forgiveness from those who have wronged us.

- God holds back His anger a long time until He forgives. He bears with us long though we sorely provoke Him.
- God reaches out to bad people to woo them to Himself, and attempts reconciliation with bad people.
- God always makes the first move in forgiveness, trying to reconcile even though the guilty party is uninterested in forgiveness
- God forgives our sin knowing that we will sin again, often in exactly the same way.
- God's forgiveness is so complete and glorious that He grants adoption to those former offenders.
- God, in His forgiveness, bore all the penalty for the wrong we did against Him.
- God keeps reaching out to man for reconciliation even when man rejects Him again and again.
- God requires no probationary period to receive His forgiveness.
- God's forgiveness offers complete restoration and honor. He loves, adopts, honors, and associates those who once wronged Him.
- God puts His trust in us and invites us to work with Him as co-laborers when He forgives us
i. The older King James Version puts it like this: even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. This gives us an assurance of forgiveness - that it isfor Christ's sake. "God for Christ's sake hath forgiven thee. Get hold of that grand truth, and hold it, though all the devils in hell roar at thee. Grasp it as with a hand of steel; grip it as for life: 'God for Christ's sake hath forgiven me,' - may each one of us be able to say that. We shall not feel the divine sweetness and force of the text unless we can make a personal matter of it by the Holy Ghost." (Spurgeon)

ii. "If anyone here who is a Christian finds a difficulty in forgiveness, I am going to give him three words which will help him wonderfully. I would put them into the good man's mouth. I gave them to you just now, and prayed you to get the sweetness of them; here they are again! 'For Christ's sake.' Cannot you forgive an offender on that ground?" (Spurgeon)

iii. It isn't that we must forgive because Jesus will forgive us. We forgive because He has forgiven us. "It is the historical fact of Christ once for all putting away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, which is alluded to." (Moule)
 
Ephesians 5

LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
A. Forsaking the darkness.

1. (1-2) Walking in love.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

a. Therefore: Here, Paul concludes the thought from Ephesians 4, where he described how Christians should relate to one another.

b. Be imitators of God: The idea is simple - that we are to make God our example and model. We can't content ourselves comparing us among men. We must heed the idea of 1 Peter 1:15-16: as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

i. It does not say, "Think about God" or "Admire God" or "Adore God," though those are all important Christian duties. This is a call to practical action, going beyond our inner life with God.

ii. We could say this is a continuation of the same idea Paul mentioned inEphesians 4:13 regarding the extent of Christian growth: to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We could also say that this is a continuation of the idea from Ephesians 4:32, where we were commanded to be forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you. God's behavior towards us becomes our measure for our behavior towards one another.

iii. It is important to see that God is far more than our example. Many errors come into the church when Jesus is presented only as an example of behavior. We are not saved by the example of Jesus, but once saved His example is meaningful to us. God is more than our example, but He is alsoour example.

c. As dear children: Children are natural imitators. They often do just what they see their parents or other adults do. When we act according to our nature as children of God, we will imitate Him.

i. As we do imitate God, we become representatives of God, especially before those who have shut God out of their life. "What are we sent into the world for? Is it not that we may keep men in mind of God, whom they are most anxious to forget? If we are imitators of God, as dear children, they will be compelled to recollect that there is a God, for they will see his character reflected in ours. I have heard of an atheist who said he could get over every argument except the example of his godly mother: he could never answer that." (Spurgeon)

d. Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us: As in all things, Jesus is our example. As He has loved us and has given Himself for us, we are to display the same kind of self-giving love.

e. An offering and a sacrifice: Jesus' giving of Himself was obviously a sacrifice pleasing to the Father. We can also offer a pleasing sacrifice (a sweet-smelling aroma) as we give ourselves in love to others.

i. We often think we could lay down our life in a dramatic way to show our love for others. But God often calls us to lay down our lives little by little - in small coins instead of one large payment - but it is laying down our lives nonetheless.

ii. Adam Clarke on an offering: "An oblation, an eucharistic offering; the same as minchah, Leviticus 2:1 and following, which is explained to be an offering made unto the Lord, of fine flour, with oil and frankincense. It means, any offering by which gratitude was expressed for temporal blessings received from the bounty of God."

iii. Adam Clarke on a sacrifice: "A sin-offering, a victim for sin; the same aszebach, which almost universally means that sacrificial act in which the blood of an animal was poured out as an atonement for sin. These terms may be justly considered as including every kind of sacrifice, offering, andoblation made to God on any account."

2. (3-4) A contrast to walking in love: conduct not fitting for the Christian.

But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

a. Let it not even be named among you: Paul groups together these ideas of sexual sin and impropriety, indicating that none of these are fitting for saintsand should not even be named among God's people.

i. Paul uses a comprehensive list of sexual sins:

- Fornication (porneia), a broad word describing sexual sin
- Uncleanness, another broad word for "dirty" moral behavior, especially in a sexual sense
- Filthiness, which has much the same as uncleanness
- Coarse jesting, which has the idea of inappropriate, "dirty" sexual humor
ii. We must notice the theme of the moral appeal. It isn't "avoid these things so that you can be a saint." Rather, it is "you are a saint; now live in a manner fitting for a saint." The constant moral appeal of the New Testament is simply this: be who you are in Jesus.

b. As is fitting for saints: This emphasis on sexual sin was appropriate. The culture of Paul's day (and in the city of Ephesus especially) was given over to sexual immorality. The sort of behavior Paul says is not fitting for saints was pretty much completely approved by the culture. It's just the same way today.

c. Covetousness … foolish talking: Paul also included covetousness andfoolish talking in this list because of their close association with sexual sin. The desire to have something that doesn't belong to us and foolish speaking have led many people into sexual sin. But covetousness and foolish talking also have relevance beyond their relation to sexual sin.

i. Foolish talking is literally "an easy turn of speech." In the context, the idea is of the one who can turn every conversation into a joking comment on sexual matters, usually with a double-entendre.

d. But rather giving of thanks: Positively, the Christian is to give thanks for sex. We receive it thankfully as a gift, and we enjoy sex in a way that glorifies the Giver.

i. God's purpose in giving sex is not primarily for the gratification of the individual, but for the bonding together of husband and wife in a one-flesh relationship. Certain expressions of sexuality are sin not because God wants to deprive some aspect of enjoyment, but because they work against His primary purpose for sex.

3. (5-7) The consequences of conduct not fitting for Christians.

For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.

a. Has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God: The people mentioned in Ephesians 5:3 (the fornicator the unclean person and thecovetous man) have no inheritance in God's kingdom. If God's kingdom is alive in them, a transformation has occurred so that they cannot rest in the habitual practice of these things.

i. Paul's idea in this passage can be applied out of context in a condemning way. One might say, "Well, I've thought about committing fornication, so that means that I have fornicated in my heart and that means that I am as guilty as someone who has actually committed the act of fornication. Since I am as guilty as that one, and they have no inheritance in the kingdom of God, neither do I, because of my thoughts about fornication." But this is against the plain sense of God's word.

b. Covetous man, who is an idolater: Significantly, Paul says that thecovetous man is an idolater. Idolatry happens in much more subtle (and powerful) ways than bowing down before a statue.

c. Let no one deceive you with empty words: We cannot allow empty wordsto excuse or minimize the judgment due to the practice of these sins. It is certain that because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

d. Therefore do not be partakers with them: Paul assumes that Christians will not have their lives habitually marked by fornication, uncleanness or covetousness. But we should not even occasionally be partakers with themwho are.

4. (8-12) The passing from darkness to light.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

a. For you were once darkness: As Paul condemned those who practiced fornication, uncleanness or covetousness as the sons of disobedience(Ephesians 5:6), he also recognized that this was the exact darkness Christians emerged from. But now, having been enlightened, we are to walk as children of the light.

i. Again, the theme is repeated: you are children of light, so live likechildren of light.

ii. Paul doesn't only say that we were once in darkness. He says we were once darkness itself. Now, we are not only in the light, we are light in the Lord.

b. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth: In contrast to the walk in darkness and wrath is the fruit of the Spirit, more fully described in Galatians 5:22-23. Goodness, righteousness, and truth should mark us, because we have the Holy Spirit in our life.

c. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them: Instead of associating with ungodliness, we expose the unfruitful works of darkness. However, we do not do this for the purpose of merely talking about them (which is shameful), but for the purpose of educating ourselves enough to avoid them.

i. Christians must guard against a prurient interest in the works of darkness, even in times of testimony or research.

ii. Paul is careful to say that we should avoid the unfruitful works of darkness, not the people who are in darkness.

B. Walking in the light.

1. (13-14) The fact of the light's presence.

But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

a. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light: Even the things done in secret will be exposed. They will be made manifest by the light of God's searching judgment.

i. This is a reason for avoiding and exposing the unfruitful works of darkness as described in Ephesians 5:8-12. Since those unfruitful works are destined for exposure and their day will be over, it makes sense for Christians to avoid such unfruitful works.

b. Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead: Our participation in the light is shown by our resurrection with Jesus (He made us alive together with Christ,Ephesians 2:5). Paul quoted what was probably a "worship chorus" from the early church to illustrate this truth.

i. Remember that this exhortation to awake comes to Christians. A Christian may be asleep and not know it. If you are asleep, you probably do not know it. As soon as you become aware of your sleep, it is evidence that you are now awake.

ii. "This sleepiness in the Christian is exceedingly dangerous, too, because he can do a great deal while he is asleep that will make him look as if he were quite awake." (Spurgeon)

- We can speak when we are asleep
- We can hear when we are asleep
- We can walk when we are asleep
- We can sing when we are asleep
- We can think when we are asleep
iii. "The man who is asleep does not care what becomes of his neighbors; how can he while he is asleep? And oh! some of you Christians do not care whether souls are saved or damned … It is enough for them if they are comfortable. If they can attend a respectable place of worship and go with others to heaven, they are indifferent about everything else." (Spurgeon)

2. (15-17) Walking in the light means walking in wisdom.

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

a. See then that you walk circumspectly: Because this light was given to us, we should walk circumspectly - carefully, wisely, not as fools.

i. Adam Clarke thought that the phrase not as fools was connected to the practices of devotion to the ancient god Bacchus, worship with drinking and partying. "Do not become madmen. Here is a most evident allusion to theorgies of Bacchus, in which his votaries acted like madmen; running about, tossing their heads from shoulder to shoulder, appearing to be in every sense completely frantic."

b. Redeeming the time: There are two ancient Greek words used for time. One has the idea simply of day upon day and hour upon hour. The other has the idea of a definite portion of time, a time where something should happen. It is the different between time and the time. The idea here is of the time; it is a definite season of opportunity that Christians must redeem. This same word is translatedopportunity in Galatians 6:10.

i. Paul isn't telling us to make the most of every moment, even though that is good advice. He tells us to seize opportunity for the glory of Jesus. It isn't to make the most of time, but to make the most of the time.

ii. The idea behind redeeming the time is that you buy up opportunities like a shrewd businessman. You make the most of every opportunity for Jesus Christ.

c. Because the days are evil: This is another reason why it is important to walk wisely. Jesus spoke of a time when, many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.(Matthew 24:11-12) Surely we are in those times, because the days are evil.

i. In Massachusetts, a 15-year old was accused of murdering a college student during a mugging, then bragging to his two high school-age accomplices that the knife he used went all the way through the body. After the boy's first appearance before the court, his friends cried - not for the person who had been murdered, but because a high bail had been placed on their friend. Someone asked one of the friends what an appropriate punishment would be for a murderer. "Counseling", he replied. Another friend, a girl, said, "What's the big [bleeping] deal? People die all the time."The days are evil.

ii. Actor River Phoenix collapsed and died outside a fashionable L.A. hot spot, but his death hasn't slowed down the club scene at all. Cliff Cantor, a co-owner of the club Dragonfly said, "Nothing's changed. Look around. Nobody's talking about it. The people who go out and do drugs are doing them … Business as usual. The week started out on a really glum note. But it's really reassuring to see that people aren't going to wallow in remorse." One 20 year-old named Carol said: "People are pretty jaded about the whole thing. I mean, we're sad, you know? But what are you gonna do?" "Order another drink," quipped her male companion. The days are evil.

d. Understand what the will of the Lord is: This is what real wisdom is. It is the contrast to being unwise. Our main understanding of the will of the Lordcomes from a good knowledge of His word.

3. (18) Walking in the light means constant filling with the Holy Spirit.

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

a. And do not be drunk with wine: In contrast with the conduct of the world (being drunk with wine), we are to be filled with the Spirit. Paul's grammar clearly says, "be constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit."

b. Be filled with the Spirit: The filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event that we live off of the rest of our days. It is a constant filling, asking to be filled, and receiving the filling by faith.

i. There is a wonderful and significant first experience with the filling of the Holy Spirit, often thought of as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11,Acts 1:5 and 11:16). This is an experience valid and important for every believer.

ii. Much of the weakness, defeat and lethargy in our spiritual lives can be attributed to the fact that we are not constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit.

iii. The ancient Greek grammar for be filled also indicates two other important things. First, the verb is passive, so this is not a manufactured experience. Second, it is imperative, so this is not an optional experience.

c. Do not be drunk with wine: The carnal contrast to being filled with the Holy Spirit is being drunk. The Bible condemns drunkenness without reservation.

i. In which is dissipation: Paul says that drunkenness is dissipation. This means that drunkenness is a waste of resources that should be submitted to Jesus. John Trapp writes of drinking "all the three outs" - "That is, ale out of the pot, money out of the purse, and wit out of the head." (Trapp's commentary on Galatians 5:21)

ii. Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. (Proverbs 20:1); Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; at the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things. (Proverbs 23:29-33)

iii. We must not think that only the state of "falling down drunk" qualifies as sin. Being impaired in any way by drink is sin, as well as drinking with theintention of becoming impaired.

iv. "The danger of drunkenness lies not only in itself but in what it may induce." (Wood) Yearly, in the United States, alcohol is responsible for almost 100,000 deaths (25,000 by drunk drivers alone), 6 million non-fatal injuries, and more than $100 billion in economic losses such as unemployment and loss of productivity.

d. But be filled with the Spirit: Paul contrasts the effect of the Holy Spirit with the state of drunkenness. Alcohol is a depressant; it "loosens" people because it depresses their self-control, their wisdom, their balance and judgment. The Holy Spirit has an exactly opposite effect. He is a stimulant; He moves every aspect of our being to better and more perfect performance.

i. "We find it here imbedded amongst precepts laying down the great laws of self-control, and it comes just before the special directions which the Apostle gives for the quiet sanctities of the Christian home … But then, all the while, it is a thing supernatural. It is a state of man wholly unattainable by training, by reasoning, by human wish and will. It is nothing less than - God in command and control of man's whole life, flowing everywhere into it, that He may flow fully and freely out of it in effects around." (Moule)

4. (19-20) The Spirit-filled life is marked by worship and gratitude.

Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

a. Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord: When we are filled with the Spirit, we will have a desire to worship God, and to encourage others in their worship of God.

i. The connection with being filled with the Spirit and praise is significant. Those who are filled with the Spirit will naturally praise, and praise is a way that we are filled with the Spirit.

b. Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs: This variety suggests that God delights in creative, spontaneous worship. The most important place of us to have a melody unto God is in our heart. Many who can't sing well have the most beautiful melodies in their heart.

i. The emphasis is more on variety than on strict categories. "We can scarcely say what is the exact difference between these three expressions." (Clarke)

c. Giving thanks always for all things to God: The one who is filled with the Spirit will also be filled with thanksgiving. A complaining heart and the Holy Spirit just don't go together.

i. Paul recommends the same pattern for our thanksgiving as he practiced in prayer in Ephesians 3:14 - giving thanks to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

ii. "Every hour, yea, every moment has brought a favor upon its wings. Look downward and give thanks, for you are saved from hell; look on the right hand and give thanks, for you are enriched with gracious gifts; look on the left hand and give thanks, for you are shielded from deadly ills; look above you and give thanks, for heaven awaits you." (Spurgeon)

5. (21) The Spirit-filled life is marked by mutual submission.

Submitting to one another in the fear of God.

a. Submitting to one another in the fear of God: When we are filled with the Spirit, it will show by our mutual submission to each other; and the submission will be done in the fear of God, not the fear of man.

b. Submitting: The word submitting here literally means, "to be under in rank." It is a military word. It speaks of the way that an army is organized among levels of rank. You have Generals and Colonels and Majors and Captains and Sergeants and Privates. There are levels of rank, and you are obligated to respect those in higher rank.

i. We know that as a person, a Private can be smarter, more talented, and a better person than a General. But he is still under rank to the General. He isn't submitted to the General so much as a person as he is to the General as a General.

ii. The idea of submission doesn't have anything to do with someone being smarter or better or more talented. It has to do with a God-appointed order. "Anyone who has served in the armed forces knows that 'rank' has to do with order and authority, not with value or ability." (Wiersbe)

iii. We also see from this how important it is to be "under rank." In the military, they have a name for it when you no longer want to be "under rank." They call it "mutiny." "Just as an army would be in confusion if there were no levels of authority, so society would be in chaos without submission." (Wiersbe)

c. Submitting to one another: To understand what this means, we can first examine what it does not mean. It does not mean that there is no idea of "rank" in the body of Christ. We can see how someone might take that impression. "It says we should be submitting to one another. So I should be submitting to you and you should be submitting to me. No one has any more obligation to submit than anyone else."

i. We know this is what Paul does not mean because that would be a clear contradiction of other things that he wrote. For example, in1 Corinthians 5:1-5, Paul clearly tells the Corinthian Christians to submit to his authority and to do something. Can you imagine the Corinthian Christians answering back, "Well Paul, you wrote that we should besubmitting to one another. So we think you should submit to us here."

ii. Or, another example is Hebrews 13:17, which says Obey those who rule over you and be submissive. If Paul meant that there was no "rank" or "order of authority" among believers, then this command in Hebrews 13:17is meaningless.

iii. The idea of this military word is more easily applied when one rank is above another. But here, Paul isn't using it in that way. It is easily applied when you tell a bunch of Privates, "Submit to the Generals." But it is a little more difficult to get a hold of the meaning when you say to a group of Privates "Submit to one another." Paul isn't emphasizing the idea of rank, because he addresses all Christians. But there is something else important here.

iv. Paul means that we should take this "under rank" attitude of the military and apply it to our everyday dealing with each other. When a man joins the military, the first thing they do is strip away his individuality. He is now the member of a company or a battalion. He is no longer an individual. When you join the army, you essentially sign away your right to decide what you want to do with your life and your time. An army is filled with individuals, but they can never be individualistic. That is the first thing that a man is broken of when he joins the army.

v. "Let no man be so tenacious of his own will or his opinion in matters indifferent, as to disturb the peace of the Church; in all such matters give way to each other, and let love rule." (Clarke)

vi. In practical action submitting to one another implies the following, all in line with the idea of being a "team player":

- The Christian must not be thoughtless, but think of others.
- The Christian must not be individualistic, must not be self-assertive. "Self-assertion is the very antithesis of what the Apostle is saying."
- The Christian must never be self-seeking.
- We must have a "team attitude."
- We must be happy when someone else succeeds or does well.
- We must bear our own discomforts and trials with courage.
d. In the fear of God: This is an important point, because Paul repeats the idea all through the extended section speaking about submission:

- Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
- Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
- Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ.
i. The words in the fear of God describe what should be our motive forsubmitting to one another. We should submit to one other - see ourselves no longer in an individualistic way, but as a unit, as a company or a battalion - out of respect for God the Father and out of respect for Jesus Christ.

ii. The motive for submission is not social kindness. The motive for submission is not the law of God. The motive for submission is respect for Jesus Christ. If we respect Jesus, we then should submit to one another because we love Jesus. Paul uses the term fear in this passage, but it is afear - a respect - that is compatible with love. It is a fear of disappointing Jesus, a fear of grieving Him. That is totally compatible with love. When you really respect someone, you care about pleasing him or her, and you are afraid to disappoint that one.

C. The Spirit-filled life, submission, and responsibility in marriage.

"The danger is that we should think of marriage amongst Christians as essentially the same as it is with everybody else, the only difference being that these two people happen to be Christians whereas the others are not. Now if that is still our conception of marriage then we have considered this great paragraph entirely in vain. Christian marriage, the Christian view of marriage, is something that is essentially different from all views." (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

1. (22) Walking in the light means wives submit to their husbands.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

a. Wives: Paul addressed wives and their responsibility in the Christian marriage first. This isn't because they are the bigger problem or because they need special attention. The reason is that the apostle was particularly concerned about this question of submission. That was the principle that he introduced inEphesians 5:21. This aspect of submission has a particular application to wives in a Christian marriage.

i. The same logic continues on in the text in Ephesians 6. Children are addressed before parents because Paul was primarily concerned about submission. Slaves are addressed before their masters because the apostle was primarily concerned about submission.

ii. There is no question that the apostle is continuing the thought fromEphesians 5:21, submitting to one another in the fear of God. In many of the best ancient Greek manuscripts, Ephesians 5:22 doesn't even have the word submit. It simply reads wives, to your own husbands. The topic is submission and Paul focused on a particularly important realm of submission - the Christian marriage, from the wife unto the husband.

iii. It is as if Paul said this: "I commanded you to submit to one another in a very general way. Now, if you do it in a general way, how much more so should wives do it to their own husbands in this special relationship of marriage."

b. Wives, submit: To submit means that you recognize someone has legitimate authority over you. It means you recognize that there is an order of authority, and that you are part of a unit, a team. You as an individual are not more important that the working of the unit or the team.

i. When we submit to God, we recognize God's authority and act accordingly. When we submit to the police, we recognize the authority of the police and act accordingly. When we submit to our employer, we recognize the authority of our employer and act accordingly.

ii. Submission does not mean inferiority. As well, submission does not mean silence. Submission means "sub-mission." There is a mission for the Christian marriage, and that mission is obeying and glorifying God. The wife says, "I'm going to put myself under that mission. That mission is more important than my individual desires. I'm not putting myself below my husband, I'm putting myself below the mission God has for our marriage, for my life."

c. To your own husbands: This defines the sphere of a wife's submission. The Bible never commands a general submission of women unto men in society. This order is commanded only in the spheres of the home and in the church. God has not commanded in His word that men have exclusive authority in the areas of politics, business, education, and so on.

d. As to the Lord: This is a crucial phrase. It colors everything else we understand about this passage. There have been two main "wrong" interpretations of this phrase, each favoring a certain "position."

i. The wrong interpretation that the interpretation that "favors" the husband says that as to the Lord means that a wife should submit to her husband as if he were God himself. The idea is "you submit to God in absolutely everything with question, so you must submit to your husband in the same absolute way." This thinks that as to the Lord defines the extent of submission.

ii. This is wrong. It is true that the wife owes the husband a great deal of respect. Peter sets this across when he praises Sarah, the wife of Abraham, as an example of a godly wife, when she called Abraham "Lord." That doesn't mean "Lord" in the sense of God, but "Lord" in the sense of "master." That is a lot of respect. But still, it doesn't go as far as to say "You submit completely to God, so you must submit to your husband the same way." Simply put, in no place does the Scripture say that a person should submit to another in that way. There are limits to the submission your employer can expect of you. There are limits to the submission the government can expect of you. There are limits to the submission parents can expect of children. In no place does the Scripture teach an unqualified, without exception, submission - except to God and God alone. To violate this is to commit the sin of idolatry.

iii. The wrong interpretation that "favors" the wife says that as to the Lordmeans "I'll submit to him as long as he does what the Lord wants." Then the wife often thinks it is her job to decide what the Lord wants. This interpretation thinks that as to the Lord defines the limit of submission.

iv. This is wrong. It is true that there are limits to a wife's submission, which we will specifically discuss in a few moments. But when the wife approachesas to the Lord in this way, then it degenerates into a case of "I'll submit to my husband when I agree with him. I'll submit to him when he makes the right decisions and carries them out the right way. When he makes a wrong decision, he isn't in the Lord, so I shouldn't submit to him then." That is not submission at all. Except for those who are just plan cantankerous and argumentative, everyone submits to others when they are in agreement. It is only when there is a disagreement that submission is tested.

e. As to the Lord does not define the extent of a wife's submission. It does not define the limit of a wife's submission. It defines the motive of a wife's submission.

i. "It means: 'Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands because it is a part of your duty to the Lord, because it is an expression of your submission to the Lord.' Or, 'Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands; do it in this way, do it as a part of your submission to the Lord.' In other words, you are not doing it only for the husband, you are doing it primarily for the Lord Himself … You are doing it for Christ's sake, you are doing it because you know that He exhorts you to do it, because it is well-pleasing in His sight that you should be doing it. It is part of your Christian behaviour, it is a part of your discipleship." (Lloyd-Jones)

ii. "For the Lord's sake who commanded it, so that ye cannot be subject to him without being subject to them." (Clarke)

iii. As to the Lord means …

- A wife's submission to her husband is part of her Christian life.
- When a wife doesn't obey this word to submit to your own husband as to the Lord, she isn't only falling short as a wife. She is falling short as a follower of Jesus Christ.
- This is completely out of the realm of "my nature" or "my personality."
- This is a different way to live, setting us apart from our culture.
- This has nothing to do with a husband's intelligence, giftedness, or capability. It has to do with honoring the Lord Jesus Christ.
- This has nothing to do with whether or not the husband is "right" on a particular issue. It has to do with Jesus being right.
- This means that a woman should take great care in how she chooses her husband. Remember, ladies: this is what God requires of you in marriage. This is His expectation of you. Instead of looking for an attractive man, instead of looking for a wealthy man, instead of looking for a romantic man, you better first look for a man you can respect. G. Campbell Morgan recalls the story of the older Christian woman who had never married, and she explained "I never met a man who could master me." She had the right idea.
- If you want to please Jesus, if you want to honor Him, then submit to your own husband as to the Lord.
iv. "There can be no more compelling motive for any action than this; and every Christian wife who is concerned above everything else to please the Lord Jesus Christ, will find no difficulty in this paragraph; indeed it will be her greatest delight to do what the Apostle tells us here." (Lloyd-Jones)

2. (23-24) Reasons for a Christian wife's submission.

For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

a. For: The command given in Ephesians 5:22 is difficult. God knows this, so He also includes reasons for His command. He wants us to understand the principle behind the command, and to understand that God isn't simply making up rules.

i. The first reason for a Christian wife's submission to her husband is found in Ephesians 5:22, in the words as to the Lord. This means that the motive of her submission must be obedience and respect to Jesus, instead of obedience and respect to her husband.

b. For the husband is the head of the wife: Paul states here the second reason for a wife's submission. It is because the husband is the head of the wife. In its full sense head has the idea of headship and authority. It means to have the appropriate responsibility to lead, and the matching accountability. It is right and appropriate to submit to someone who is our head.

i. When you look at the Biblical idea of headship in other passages such as1 Corinthians 11 and 1 Timothy 3, the emphasis is put constantly upon the fact that the man was created first and not the woman. So there is a natural priority for man. The Scriptures also emphasize the fact that that woman was made out of the man, taken out of the man to show a connection to him, and that she was meant to be a 'help' for man, a help for man that was 'meet' for him.

ii. "Notice that the Apostles lay great stress upon it. Man was created first. But not only that; man was also made the lord of creation. It was to man that this authority was given over the brute animal creation; it was man who was called upon to give them names. Here are indications that man was put into a position of leadership, lordship, and authority and power. He takes the decisions, he gives the rulings. That is the fundamental teaching with regard to this whole matter." (Lloyd-Jones)

iii. 1 Corinthians 11:7-10 applies the same principle to the issue of leadership in the church: For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. (1 Corinthians 11:7-10)

iv. This passage makes the point clearly and strongly. God created Adam first, and gave Him responsibility over Eve. This happened before the fall. Therefore, this passage makes it clear that before and after the fall, God ordained there be different roles between husband and wife. The difference in roles between husband and wife are not the result of the fall, and are not erased by our new life in Jesus.

v. "What he is saying is that the woman is different, that she is the complement of the man. What he does prohibit is that woman should seek to be manly, that is, that a woman should seek to behave as a man, or that a woman should seek to usurp the place, the position, and the power which have been given to man by God Himself. That is all he is saying. It is not slavery; he is exhorting his readers to realize what God has ordained." (Lloyd-Jones)

vi. "When a woman gets married she gives up her name, she takes the name of her husband. That is biblical, and also the custom of the whole world. That teaches us the relationship between the husband and the wife. It is not the husband who changes his name, but the wife." (Lloyd-Jones)

c. As also Christ is head of the church … Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands: Paul presents here a third reason for a Christian wife's submission to her husband. She should submit because the relationship of the husband and wife is a model of the union between Jesus and the Church.

i. This point is simple and clear. We have a model for the marriage relationship: the relationship between Jesus and the church. In that relationship, the headship of Jesus Christ is unquestioned. So also is the husband the head of the "team" that is the one-flesh relationship of husband and wife.

ii. Perhaps the Christian wife doesn't want a "head." Perhaps she doesn't want a "leader" of the team between husband and wife. If that is the case, the wife does not understand a Biblical marriage, and will always be working against it in one way or another. It is the same dynamic as a Christian saying he doesn't want Jesus to be his "head."

d. And He is the Savior of the body: We can understand how the husband is head of the wife in the same way that Christ is head of the church. Sometimes it is difficult to see how the husband is the Savior of the body in the way that Jesus is the Savior of the body, that is, of the Church.

i. Lloyd-Jones exposes the problem: "They ask, Can you say that the husband is the saviour of his wife as Christ is the Saviour of the church? That, they say, is nonsense. Christ, we know, died for the church. He saves us by His atoning death and by His resurrection; but you cannot say that about any other relationship. It is quite unique."

ii. Lloyd-Jones thinks Paul used the wider understanding of the wordSavior, which can simply mean preserver. 1 Timothy 4:10 speaks of Jesus being the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. How can Jesus be the Savior of all men? In the sense that He preserves all men andblesses all men with good things from heaven above. It is in this way that husbands are to be their wife's savior. Paul essentially repeats the same idea in Ephesians 5:28-29: So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

iii. "What, then, is the doctrine? It is clearly this. The wife is the one who is kept, preserved, guarded, shielded, provided for by the husband. That is the relationship - as Christ nourishes and cherishes the church, so the husband nourishes and cherishes the wife - and the wife should realize that that is her position in this relationship." (Lloyd-Jones)

e. Of the body: The picture of the body shows how essential a Christian wife's submission is. "The wife must not act before the husband. All the teaching indicates that he is the head, that he ultimately controls. So she not only does not act independently of him, she does not act before him … it is equally true to say that she must not delay action, she must not stall action, she must not refuse to act. Go back to the analogy of the body. Think of somebody who has had a 'stroke' … the arm is not healthy, it resists movement." (Lloyd-Jones)

i. "We can sum it up thus: The teaching is that the initiative and the leadership are ultimately the husband's, but the action must always be co-ordinated. That is the meaning of this picture - co-ordinated action but leadership in the head. There is no sense of inferiority suggested by this. The wife is not inferior to her husband; she is different." (Lloyd-Jones)

f. Therefore: We see in this passage three reasons for a wife's submission to her husband:

- It is part of her obedience to Jesus (as to the Lord).
- It is appropriate to the order of creation (the husband is the head of the wife).
- It is appropriate because of the model of the relationship between Jesus and the Church (as also Christ is head of the church … as the church is subject to Christ).
i. The first reason is compelling enough, but in itself it doesn't close the issue. If all we had was as to the Lord, it might be fair enough to ask, "Aren't men to live as to the Lord also? Shouldn't men submit to their wives in obedience to Jesus in the same way?" Then you wouldn't have a real "head" of the home. You would not have one of the two really in charge, really in ultimate responsibility. And this is the goal some marriages shoot for. "No one is really in charge. We're equal partners. I'll submit to you sometimes and you submit to me other times. We'll just let Jesus be our head, and work out each situation as it comes along, and see who will submit to whom."

ii. To say it simply, that isn't a Biblical marriage relationship. It ignores the essential order of creation, and it ignores the model of the relationship between Jesus and the Church. This leads us to carefully notice something in general about submission. The principle of submission in presented in many different ways in the New Testament.

- Jesus submitted to His parents (Luke 2:51).
- Demons submitted to the disciples (Luke 10:17).
- Citizens should submit to government authority (Romans 13:1 and 5,Titus 3:1, 1 Peter 2:13).
- The universe will submit to Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:27 andEphesians 1:22).
- Unseen spiritual beings submit to Jesus (1 Peter 3:22).
- Christians should submit to church leaders (1 Corinthians 16:15-16 andHebrews 13:17).
- Wives should submit to husbands (Colossians 3:18, Titus 2:5,1 Peter 3:5, Ephesians 5:22-24).
- The church should submit to Jesus (Ephesians 5:24).
- Servants should submit to masters (Titus 2:9 and 1 Peter 2:18).
- Christians should submit to God (Hebrews 12:9 and James 4:7).
iii. None of these relations are reversed. For example, masters are never told to submit to servants, Jesus is never told to submit to the church, and so forth. The consistent use of the idea of submission in the Scriptures illustrates basically a "one-way" submission to one who is in a position of authority.

iv. If Paul stopped at Ephesians 5:24, it would be easy for a Christian wife to feel that all the obligations were on her. Thankfully, he continues, and shows what obligations the Christian husband has in marriage. But the Christian wife still has her obligations.

- Both husband and wife are called to die to self - submission is the way the wife does it.
- Both husband and wife are called to sacrifice - submission is the way the wife does it.
- Both husband and wife are called to see their marriage as a model of Jesus' relationship with the church - submission is the wife honors that model.
- Both husband and wife are called to honor the order of creation - submission is the way the wife fulfills her place in that order.
- Both husband and wife are called to be motivated by the love and the command of Jesus - submission is the way the wife does that.
g. To their own husbands in everything: Paul says that the wife should be subject to the husbands in everything. Does he really mean everything? This needs to be understood in same way we understand submission in other spheres. For example, when Paul says in Romans 13 that the Christian must submit to the state, we understand there are exceptions. So, what are the exceptions to everything?

i. When the husband asks the wife to sin, she is free from her obligation to submit. This applies in a place of clearly Biblical sin - such as signing a fraudulent tax return. It also applies in matters of true Christian conscience. But we must be very careful to distinguish between true Christian conscience and mere opinion. But the wife does not have to submit to a request to commit sin.

ii. When the husband is medically incapacitated, or insane, she is free from her obligation to submit. A wife does not have to submit to the requests a husband makes when he is insane or medically incapacitated.

iii. When the husband is physically abusive, and endangers the safety of the wife or children, the wife is free from her obligation to submit. She does not have to submit to his violence.

iv. When the husband breaks the marriage bond by adultery. Obviously, a wife does not have to submit to her husband's adultery, and just accept it. The Bible says she has the right to "come out from under his rank" in such cases. "If the husband has been guilty of adultery the wife is no longer bound to give him obedience in everything. She can divorce him, she is allowed to do so by the Scripture. She is entitled to do so because adultery breaks the unity, breaks the relationship. They are now separate and no longer one. He has broken the unity, he has gone out of it. So we must not interpret this Scripture as teaching that the wife is this irrevocably, inevitably bound to an adulterous husband for the rest of her life. She may choose to be - that is for her to decide. All I am saying is, that this Scripture does not command it." (Lloyd-Jones)

3. (25a) The simple command to Christian husbands: love your wife.

Husbands, love your wives,

a. Husbands, love your wives: Paul's words to Christian husbands safeguards his previous words to wives. Though wives are to submit to their husbands, it never excuses husbands acting as tyrants over their wives.

i. According to 2 Timothy 1:7, God has given us the spirit of power - but also of love. Power, in their Christian life, is always to be exercised in love. "It is not naked power, it is not the power of a dictator or a little tyrant, it is not the idea of a man who arrogates to himself certain rights, and tramples upon his wife's feelings and so on, and sits in the home as a dictator … No husband is entitled to say that he is the head of the wife unless he loves his wife … So the reign of the husband is to be a reign and a rule of love; it is a leadership of love." (Lloyd-Jones)

b. Love your wives: Paul used the ancient Greek word agape. The ancient Greeks had four different words we translate love. It is important to understand the difference between the words, and why the apostle Paul chose the Greek word agape here.

i. Eros was one word for love. It described, as we might guess from the word itself, erotic love. It refers to love driven by desire.

ii. Storge was the second word for love. It refers to family love, the kind of love there is between a parent and child, or between family members in general. It is love driven by blood.

iii. Philia is the third word for love. It speaks of a brotherly friendship and affection. It is the love of deep friendship and partnership. It might be described as the highest love of which man, without God's help, is capable of. It is fondness, or love driven by common interests and affection.

iv. Agape is the fourth word for love. Eros, storge, and philia each speak about love that is felt. These describe "instinctive" love, love that comes spontaneously from the heart. Paul assumes that eros (desire) and phileo(fondness) are present. Christians should not act as if these things do not matter in the marriage relationship. They do matter. But Paul's real point is to address a higher kind of love, agape love. Agape describes a different kind of love. It is a love more of decision than of the spontaneous heart. It is as much a matter of the mind than the heart, because it chooses to love the undeserving.

v. "Agape has to do with the mind: it is not simply an emotion which rises unbidden in our hearts; it is a principle by which we deliberately live." (Barclay) Agape really doesn't have much to do with feelings - it has to do with decisions.

vi. Strictly speaking, agape can't be defined as "God's love," because men are said to agape sin and the world (John 3:19, 1 John 2:15). But it can be defined as a sacrificial, giving, absorbing, love. The word has little to do with emotion; it has much to do with self-denial for the sake of another.

- It is a love that loves without changing.
- It is a self-giving love that gives without demanding or expecting re-payment.
- It is love so great that it can be given to the unlovable or unappealing.
- It is love that loves even when it is rejected.
- Agape love gives and loves because it wants to; it does not demand or expect repayment from the love given. It gives because it loves, it does not love in order to receive.
vii. We can read this passage and think that Paul is saying "husbands, be kind to your wives." Or "husbands, be nice to your wives." There is no doubt that for many marriages, this would be a huge improvement. But that isn't what Paul writes about. What he really means is, "husbands, continually practice self-denial for the sake of your wives."

4. (25b-27) The standard and example of a Christian husband's love.

Just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

a. Just as Christ also loved the church: Jesus' attitude towards the church is a pattern for the Christian husband's love to his wife. This shows that the loveless marriage doesn't please God. It doesn't fulfill His purpose. This is love given to the undeserving. This is love given first. This is love that may be rejected, but still loves.

i. "It is possible that some husbands might say, 'How can I love such a wife as I have?' It might be a supposable case that some Christian was unequally yoked together with an unbeliever, and found himself for ever bound with a fetter to one possessed of a morose disposition, of a froward temper, of a bitter spirit. He might therefore say, 'Surely I am excused from loving in such a case as this. It cannot be expected that I should love that which is in itself so unlovely.' But mark, beloved, the wisdom of the apostle. He silences that excuse, which may possibly have occurred to his mind while writing the passage, by taking the example of the Savior, who loved, not because there was loveliness in his Church, but in order to make her lovely." (Spurgeon)

b. Just as Christ also loved the church: We might say that Paul is teaching two things at once here. He teaches about the nature of the relationship between husband and wife, and he teaches about the relationship between Christ and His Church. Each illustrates important principles about the other.

i. It demonstrates the Jesus loves his church with a special love. Jesus loves the world, and died for the world; but just as a husband can have a general love for everyone, he must also have a special love for his bride.

ii. "I ask you to notice what is not always the case with regard to the husband and the wife, that the Lord Jesus loves his church unselfishly; that is to say, he never loved her for what she has, but what she is; nay, I must go further than that, and say that he loved her, not so much for what she is, but what he makes her as the object of his love. He loves her not for what comes to him from her, or with her, but for what he is able to bestow upon her. His is the strongest love that ever was." (Spurgeon)

iii. Using the love of an ideal husband as a pattern, we could say that Jesus has a constant love for His people, an enduring love for His people, and a hearty love for His people.

c. And gave Himself for her: Jesus' action towards the church is a pattern. This helps us define what agape love is all about: it is self-sacrificing love. How should a husband love his wife? As Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. What did that involve? Perhaps the best statement concerning that matter is inPhilippians 2:5-8, where it shows that the focus of Jesus was on the church. It was for the church that He did what He did, not for Himself.

i. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

ii. Husbands may say, "I though God said I was the head of the home." You are the head. "I thought my wife was supposed to submit to me." She is supposed to submit to you. "Then why do I have to lay down my life and sacrifice? Why do I have to humble myself, and give away my high-minded reputation, and be servant? I thought I was in charge!" There is only one answer to this husband: You understand "headship" and "submission" in a very worldly way. You don't understand it in a godly way.

- Worldly headship: "I am your head, so you take your orders from me and must do whatever I want."
- Godly headship: "I am your head, so I must care for you and serve you."
- Worldly submission: "You must submit to me, so here are the things I want you to do for me."
- Godly submission: "You must submit to me, so I am accountable before God for you. I must care for you and serve you."
iii. This is not the height of romantic love as the world knows it. This isn't love based on looks, image, the ability to be suave and cutting-edge cool. This is love expressed through sacrifice.

d. That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word: When Jesus gave Himself for the church on the cross, it also provided cleansing from every stain sin makes. Since the work of Jesus on the cross comes to us through the Word of God and the preached word, it can be said that we are washed of water by the word.

i. When Paul says the washing of water by the word, he uses the ancient Greek word rhema. "It is true that rhema is not quite the same as logos, but carries with it the definite sense of the spoken word … it may have the sense of that truth as proclaimed, the preached Word or Gospel." (Salmond) There is something cleansing about being under the teaching of the Word.

ii. "I do not believe that baptism is intended here, nor even referred to. I know that the most of commentators say it is. I do not think it. It strikes me that one word explains the whole. Christ sanctifies and cleanses us by the washing of water, but what sort of water? By the Word. The water which washes away sin, which cleanses and purifies the soul, is the Word." (Charles Spurgeon, a confirmed Baptist)

iii. This speaks of Jesus' work for the church. Obviously, a husband cannot spiritual cleanse his wife the same way Jesus cleanses the church. But a husband can take an active, caring interest in his wife's spiritual health. As the priest of the home, he helps her keep "clean" before the Lord.

e. That He might present her to Himself a glorious church: This means that Jesus shares His prospects, His future with His bride. A Christian husband should share his prospects and future with his wife. And as a wife will share in the husband's future, so we will share in the glorious future of our Lord.

i. "Since the Church is not fit for Christ by nature, he resolved to make her so by grace. He could not he in communion with sin. Therefore it must be purged away. Perfect holiness was absolutely necessary in one who was to be the bride of Christ. He purposes to work that in her, and to make her meet to he his spouse eternally. The great means by which he attempts to do this, is, 'he gave himself for her.' " (Spurgeon)

ii. "The Lord will not have a sluttish Church, and therefore he came not by blood only, but by water also, that clean water of his Spirit, whereby he washeth away the swinish nature of his saints, so that they desire no more to wallow in the mire." (Trapp)

f. Not having spot or wrinkle: The idea isn't that the bride is in this state beforethe "wedding day," but on the wedding day. "That is what is meant by the phrase 'glorious church'. She will be in a state of glory."

i. "The Holy Ghost seems to exhaust language to describe this purity. He says, 'Without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing!' She shall have nothing like a spot, nothing that can he construed into a wrinkle; she shall be fair, and the world shall be compelled to acknowledge that she is." (Spurgeon)

ii. "When He presents her to Himself, with all the principalities and powers and the serried ranks for all the potentates of heaven looking on at this marvelous thing, and scrutinizing and examining her, there will not be a single blemish, there will not be a spot upon her. The most careful examination will not be able to detect the slightest speck of unworthiness or of sin." (Lloyd-Jones)

iii. "How should we be feeling? We should feel exactly as any woman who becomes engaged to be married feels. We should be looking forward to the great day, and longing for it, and living for it." (Lloyd-Jones)

5. (28-29) The application of the principles to the duty of a Christian husband.

So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

a. So husbands: In Ephesians 5:22-24, Paul gave three reasons for a Christian wife's submission to her husband. In addressing the Christian husbands, Paul also gave three reasons to love their wife:

i. First, they should love their wife this way because this is what love is. Paul indicates this in Ephesians 5:25: Husbands, love your wives.

ii. Second, they should love their wife this way because the relationship between husband and wife has a pattern: the relationship of Jesus and His church. Paul indicates this in Ephesians 5:25-29: Just as Christ also loved the church … So husbands ought to love their own wives … just as the Lord does the church.

iii. The third reason is found in Ephesians 5:28-32. The Christian husband must love his wife this way because you are one with her, just as Jesus is one with the church.

b. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies: The single word as is very important. Paul does not say, "So ought men to love their wives in the same way as they love their bodies." That would be an improvement in many cases, but that is not the meaning. The meaning is, "So ought men to love their wives because they are their own bodies."

i. A man loves his wife as his body - that is what he is saying. A man must love his wife as his body, as a part of himself. As Eve was a part of Adam, taken out of his side, so the wife is to the man, because she is a part of him.

ii. "The Apostle puts it in this form in order that a husband may see that he cannot detach himself from his wife. You cannot detach yourself from your body, so you cannot detach yourself from your wife. She is a part of you, says the Apostle, so remember that always. (Lloyd-Jones)

iii. "The husband must realize that his wife is a part of himself. He will not feel this instinctively; he has to be taught it; and the Bible in all its parts teaches it. In other words, the husband must understand that he and his wife are not two: they are one." (Lloyd-Jones)

iv. This means for that success in the marriage relationship, we must thinkand understand. The world relies upon "love" and feelings to make marriage work, and never really makes a person think and understand about marriage.

c. He who loves his wife loves himself: Simply said, when you love your wife,you benefit yourself. Perhaps it is better to put it in the negative: when you neglect your wife, you neglect yourself, and it will come back to hurt you.

i. We all know what it is like to neglect something - like a noise or a maintenance issue on an automobile - and it comes back to hurt you. Husbands, it is even more true regarding your wife, because she is part of you.

ii. "On the practical level, therefore, the whole of the husband's thinking must include his wife also. He must never think of himself in isolation or detachment. The moment he does so he has broken the most fundamental principle of marriage. In a sense, the moment a man thinks of himself in isolation he has broken the marriage. And he has no right to do that! There is a sense in which he cannot do it, because the wife is a part of himself. But if it happens he is certain to inflict grievous damage on his wife; and it is damage in which he himself will be involved because she is a part of him." (Lloyd-Jones)

d. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it: Any man in his right mind is going to take care of his own flesh, even if it is just in the sense of feeding and clothing and caring for his own body. He knows that if he doesn't, he is going to suffer for it. In the same way, once we know the Biblical fact of this unity, if we are in our right minds we will nourish and cherish our wives, because she is part of us.

e. Just as the Lord does the church: The principle of oneness also is dominant in the relationship between Jesus and His people.

- There is oneness of life: We share the same vital resurrection life that resides in Jesus Himself.
- There is oneness of service: We are privileged to be co-workers with our Lord.
- There is oneness of feeling: Jesus feels a unique sympathy with us, and we feel a unique sympathy with Him.
- There is oneness of mutual necessity: We cannot exist without Him and He cannot exist without us, in the sense that a redeemer is not a redeemer without any redeemed; a savior is not a savior without any saved
- There is oneness of nature: The same genetic code links us with our Savior, and we are partakers of the divine nature
- There is oneness of possession: We share in the riches of His glory both now and in the age to come
- There is oneness of present condition: When our Savior is lifted high, so are His people with Him.
- There is oneness of future destiny: We will be glorified with Him.
6. (30-32) The mystical union between Jesus and the church, and its relation to marriage.

For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

a. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones: Paul here brings the analogy back in a circle. First, the relationship between Jesus and the church spoke to us about the husband-wife relationship. Now the marriage relationship speaks to us about the relationship between Jesus and His people.

i. With the same intimacy, love, and sharing that an ideal husband and wife share, Jesus wants to live with His people.

b. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh: Paul quoted this essential passage from Genesis 2:24. Relevant to marriage, it shows that just as the first man and the first woman were one - she was taken from him, and then brought back to him - so it could be said of every married man today that he is joined to his wife. God did the joining. Husbands can resent it, they can resist it, they can ignore it, but it doesn't change the fact.

i. It shows a fundamental principle for promoting oneness in marriage: there must be a leaving (former associations) and a cleaving (joining together as one).

c. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church: It would be easy to think that the Genesis 2:24 passage (also quoted by Jesus inMatthew 19:5) only speaks about marriage. Paul wants us to know that it also speaks about the relationship between Christ and the church.

i. This is true in regard to the pattern of the first man and the first woman. "Woman was made at the beginning as the result of an operation which God performed upon man. How does the church come into being? As the result of an operation which God performed on the Second Man, His only begotten, beloved Son on Calvary's hill. A deep sleep fell upon Adam. A deep sleep fell upon the Son of God, He gave up the ghost, He expired, and there in that operation the church was taken out. As the woman was taken out of Adam, so the church is taken out of Christ. The woman was taken out of the side of Adam; and it is from the Lord's bleeding, wounded side that the church comes." (Lloyd-Jones)

ii. It is also true in regard to the pattern of marriage in general.

- It shows us that Jesus wants more than just an external, surface relationship.
- It shows us that Jesus wants us to be one with Him.
- It shows us that there is a sense in which Jesus is incomplete without us. Adam was incomplete without Eve; we can say that Eve makes up the "fullness" of Adam, makes up that which was lacking in him. And that is exactly what the church does for Jesus; Ephesians 1:23 says of the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
iii. It shows the common connection of unity and oneness in the two relationships. "Unity, mark you for that is the essence of the marriage-bond. We are one with Christ, who made himself one with his people." (Spurgeon)

7. (33) A summary comment to husbands and wives.

Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

a. Nevertheless: Paul really taught on two things at once. He teaches about marriage, but he also teaches about God's pattern for marriage - the relationship between Jesus and His people. So in Ephesians 5:31 and 32 he has focused on the relationship between Jesus and His people, and is getting really excited about it. But then he remembers that his original topic was marriage, so that is why he comes in with the nevertheless in Ephesians 5:33.

i. This is Paul's way of saying, "I know I got off the topic a little bit. So let's come back to the matter of marriage, and I'll sum it up for you.Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."

b. Let each one of you: This means that everyone is included. We can say this about all the teaching on marriage. It is easy to say, "Well, I'm just not that sort of person, so I'll never do very well." Husbands do it, saying, "I'm just not very loving." Wives do it, saying, "I'm just not the submissive sort." But no matter what our natural disposition is, we have a target to shoot for, and let each one of you in particular means we all should set our eyes on the target the Bible shows us.

c. So love his own wife as himself: Paul again stresses the unity that a husband must recognize and let shape his thinking and his actions.

i. "Unity is the central principle in marriage; and it is because so many people in this modern world have never had any conception of what is involved in marriage, from the standpoint of unity, that they are riding so loosely to it and breaking their vows and pledges, so much so that divorce has become one of the major problems in our age. They have never caught sight of this unity; they are still thinking in terms of their individuality, and so you have two people asserting their rights, and therefore you get clashes and discord and separation. The answer to all that, says Paul, is to understand this great principle of unity." (Lloyd-Jones)

ii. "He is given the position of dignity and of leadership and of headship; and if he understands what it means he will never abuse it, he will never misuse it, by being harsh or dictatorial or unkind or unfair. To be guilty of such behaviour is a denial of the marriage principle, and means that there is an absence of the Spirit." (Lloyd-Jones)

d. Let the wife see: Paul is calling the wife to pay special attention here. This may be a point where many wives might excuse themselves for one reason or another, but Paul emphasizes, "Let the wife see."

e. Let the wife see that she respects her husband: This word respects is the same word often used of the reverential fear and awe the disciples had toward Jesus. Can we say that the wife should respect the husband so highly, that it points in the direction of a reverential awe?

i. "The Apostle used a very striking word here. It is rightly translated in the Authorized Version as 'reverence'; but the word really means 'fear'. 'And the wife see that she fears her husband'. But we must remember that there are different types of fear … he speaks of 'reverential' fear. What it really means is 'deference', 'with reverential obedience'." (Lloyd-Jones)

ii. "The wife is to treat her husband with deference; in other words, she is to recognize this biblical and Christian view of marriage, she is the regard the husband as her head, the head of this new unit. They are both one, but there is a head to the unit, as there is a head to our body, as Christ is the Head of the church." (Lloyd-Jones)

f. Let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband: If Paul's message in this great passage could be boiled down to two principles which must govern our thinking and our actions as married people, those two are:

- Husbands: Understand that you and your wife are one, are a unity.
- Wives: Understand that your unity has a head - your husband.
i. Wives are quick to embrace and understand the husband's principle, and they want that to be the governing principle of the marriage.

ii. Husbands are quick to embrace and understand the wife's principle, and they want that to be the governing principle of the marriage.

iii. But we must let our principle govern us. When you have a husband thinking, "I'm one with my wife, and I must think and act that way," and a wife thinking "My husband is the head of our oneness, and I need to respect and defer to him as the head," then you will have a healthy, Biblical marriage.

iv. "The supreme thing always is to consider our Lord Jesus Christ. If a husband and wife are together considering Him, you need have no worry about their relationship to each other." (Lloyd-Jones)
 
Ephesians 6

WALKING IN THE LIGHT AND FIGHTING THE DARKNESS
A. The Spirit-filled life and two other special areas of submission.

1. (1-3) The Spirit-filled life and the parent-child relationship.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."

a. Children, obey your parents: The command is simple. Children are to obeytheir parents. This not only means that children have the responsibility to obey, but parents have the responsibility to teach their children obedience - one of the most important jobs for a parent.

i. We don't need to teach our children how to disobey, because they have each inherited an inclination to sin from Adam - but obedience must be taught.

ii. It is essential that a parent teach the child obedience, so that the child will grow up knowing how to obey God even when he doesn't understand everything or doesn't want to.

iii. This is what all a parent's discipline for a child must come to. Disobedience must be punished, so that obedience can be learned.

b. In the Lord, for this is right: The apostle gives us two reasons for the child to obey the parent. First, they are to obey in the Lord. This means that their obedience is part of their Christian obedience, in a similar way to the wife's command to submit to her husband as to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22). The second reason is because it is simply right for a child to obey their parent.

i. What it means to honor our father and mother may change as we grow into adulthood, but the principle always endures. The adult child does not owe the parent obedience, but they do owe the parent honor.

ii. "When the bonds of family life break up, when respect for parents fails, the community becomes decadent and will not live long." (Foulkes)

c. The first commandment with a promise: Paul reinforced this idea with a reference to Deuteronomy 5:16, where God promised to bless the obedient child.

i. Christians have normally divided the Ten Commandments into the first four (directed towards God) and the last six (directed towards their fellow man). But the Jews divided the commandments in two sets of five, seeing the law to honor your father and mother more as a duty towards God than a duty towards man.

2. (4) How parents walk in the light: not provoking their children to wrath.

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

a. Do not provoke your children to wrath: Parents certainly have the opportunity to provoke their children to wrath, through an unkind, over-critical attitude that torments the child instead of training them. But Christian parents should never be like that.

i. "The gospel introduced a fresh element into parental responsibility by insisting that the feelings of the child must be taken into consideration. In a society where the father's authority (patria potestas) was absolute, this represented a revolutionary concept." (Wood)

b. Provoke your children to wrath: This harsh kind of parenting Paul speaks against gives an unnecessary justification to a child's natural rebellion.

i. "When you are disciplining a child, you should have first controlled yourself … What right have you to say to your child that he needs discipline when you obviously need it yourself?" (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

c. Bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord: This does not mean merely scolding your children in the sense of admonition. It means totrain and admonish. Encouragement and rebuke must be combined with training and teaching.

i. This is a responsibility for fathers. They must not neglect their responsibility to teach and be a spiritual example for their children. It is not a responsibility that should be left to the mother or the Sunday School.

ii. Training is the same word translated chastening in Hebrews 12:5-11. It has the idea of training through corrective discipline. Admonition has more of the idea of "teaching" - both are necessary, though it may be significant that training comes first.

iii. Significantly, both training and admonition are used to describe the purpose of the Scriptures (1 Timothy 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 10:11). Parents are to raise their children on the word of God.

d. Bring them up: This ancient Greek word was originally used of bodily nourishment as in Ephesians 5:29. But the word came to be used for the nurture of body, mind and soul. The form here suggests "development by care and pains" or as Calvin translated, "Let them be fondly cherished."

3. (5-8) How employees walk in the light: working as servants of Jesus.

Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

a. Bondservants, be obedient … as to Christ: As to Christ changes our whole perspective as workers. It reminds us that our work can and should be done as if we were working for Jesus - because we are!

i. "The Gospel found slavery in the world; and in many regions, particularly the Roman and the Greek, it was a very bad form of slavery. The Gospel began at once to undermine it, with its mighty principles of the equality of all souls in the mystery and dignity of manhood, and of the equal work of redeeming love wrought for all souls by the supreme Master. But its plan was - not to batter, but to undermine.... So while the Gospel in one respect left slavery alone, it doomed it in another." (Moule)

b. Not with eyeservice: We are not to work with eyeservice (working only when the boss is looking) or as men-pleasers (those who only care about pleasing man), but with good will (a good attitude, not complaining) doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.

i. As to the Lord means that all our work is really done unto the Lord, not unto man. "Grace makes us the servants of God while still we are the servants of men: it enables us to do the business of heaven while we are attending to the business of earth: it sanctifies the common duties of life by showing us how to perform them in the light of heaven." (Spurgeon)

c. Doing the will of God: In Greek culture, manual work was despised and the goal of being successful was getting to the point where you never had to do any work. This isn't how it is in God's kingdom, where hard work and manual labor are honorable.

i. It should be said of every Christian that they are a hard worker and give their boss a full day's work for their pay; to do anything less is to steal from your boss.

d. He will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free: Paul relates a final reason for working hard for the Lord. God will return to us in the measure that we have worked hard for others; God will not allow our hard work to go without reward.

i. This connects to an interesting principle. When people are born again, their life changes and they become harder workers and less wasteful, and they are blessed thereby and become prosperous. But after becoming prosperous, we often allow our hearts to grow far from God, then god disciplines us with hard times, and then we repent - and then the cycle starts again. This is not a necessary cycle, but it is a common one.

4. (9) How employers walk in the light: treating their workers well.

And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

a. You, masters, do the same things to them: Masters are told to do the same things to them (their employees). The same things are hard and honest work that employers are to do on behalf of their employees.

i. "So the Gospel leaves its message of absolutely equal obligation, in Jesus Christ, upon the slave and upon the slave owner. The principle will do its work. There is no word of Revolution." (Moule)

b. Giving up threatening: Employers are also to give up threatening and other forms of harsh treatment. They do this knowing that they are employees of their Master in heaven - and He judges without regard to wealth or position.

B. Fighting against the darkness.

William Gurnall, a pastor, published his book The Christian in Complete Armour, an exposition of Ephesians 6:10-20. He subtitled the work The saint's war against the Devil, wherein a discovery is made of that grand enemy of God and his people, in his policies, power, seat of his empire, wickedness, and chief design he hath against the saints; a magazine opened, form whence the Christian is furnished with spiritual arms for the battle, helped on with his armour, and taught the use of his weapon; together with the happy issue of the whole war. In his dedication, he describes his book as a "mite" and a "little present" but it comprises three volumes, 261 chapters, and 1,472 pages - all on these eleven verses.

1. (10) The call to stand against the devil.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

a. Finally: This comes at the end of the letter - a letter that Paul has carefully established our place in Jesus, and then the basics of the Christian walk. This is his last section dealing with that walk.

- In light of all that God has done for you.
- In light of the glorious standing you have as a child of God.
- In light of His great plan of the ages that God has made you part of.
- In light of the plan for Christian maturity and growth He gives to you.
- In light of the conduct God calls every believer to live.
- In light of the filling of the Spirit and our walk in the Spirit.
- In light of all this, there is a battle to fight in the Christian life.
b. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might: Literally, Paul wrotestrengthen yourselves in the Lord. He probably took the idea from1 Samuel 30:6, where it is said that David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

i. The detailed teaching of spiritual warfare in this passage presents two essential components. First, you must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Then, you must put on the whole armor of God. The two are essential, and much teaching on Christian combat neglects the first. If you take a weak man who can barely stand, and put the best armor on him he will still be an ineffective soldier. He will be easily beaten. So equipping for Christian combat must begin with be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

ii. Before a soldier is given a gun or shown how to fire a missile, he goes through basic training. One great purpose for basic training is the build up the recruit's physical strength. It is as if the army says, "Soldier, we are going to give you the best weapons and armor possible. But first we have to make sure that you are strong, and that you can use what we give you."

c. And in the power of His might: This shows how to get this strength. This does not happen just by saying the words. It is not an incantation or a spell. You can't just walk around saying, "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" over and over and it will happen. Christianity isn't one of those self-help formulas where you go around saying, "Every day, and in every way, I am getting better and better." Those kind of mental games can accomplish something, but it certainly wasn't what Paul meant here.

i. Might is inherent power or force. A muscular man's big muscles display his might, even if he doesn't use them. It is the reserve of strength.

ii. Power is the exercise of might. When the muscular man uses his might to bend an iron bar, he uses his power. It means that the reserve of strength is actually in operation.

iii. God has vast reservoirs of might that can be realized as power in our Christian life. But His might does not work in me as I sit passively. His might works in me as I rely on it, and step out to do the work. I can rely on it and do no work. I can do work without relying on it. But both of these fall short. I must rely on His might and then do the work.

iv. It is not:

- I do everything and God does nothing.
- I do nothing and God does everything.
- I do all I can and God helps with what I can't.
Each of those approaches falls short. The key is for me to by faith rely on His might - and rely on it more and more - and then do the work.

v. In his great series of sermons on this text, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones listed many ways in which he believes Christians wasted their strength. It was as if they had received some of the available might of God, but it simply leaked away like water in a bucket full of holes. These are some of the things Lloyd-Jones thought sapped the strength of the Christian:

- Committing to too many spiritual works or things
- Too much conversation
- Arguments, debates, wrangling
- Laziness
- Too much time in the wrong company
- Too much foolish talk and joking
- Love of money and career
- A desire for respectability and image
- An unequal yoking with an unbeliever
- Ungodly entertainment
- A wrong attitude toward or doubting the Word of God
vi. "We have to walk on a knife-edge in these matters; you must not become extreme on side or the other. But you have to be watchful. And, of course, you can always tell by examining yourself whether your strength is increasing or declining." (Lloyd-Jones)

2. (11) The command for the whole armor of God.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

a. Put on the whole armor of God: The armor of God will be explained for fully in the next passage; but the emphasis is on the whole armor of God. God gives the believer a full set of equipment, and He sends us out into battle with everything we need at our disposal.

i. This ancient Greek word for armor is used in only one other place in the New Testament. In Luke11:21-22, Jesus speaks of the strong man who isfully armed, but is stripped of all his armor when a stronger one comes and defeats him. We know that Jesus disarmed all principalities and powers (Colossians 2:15).

ii. This armor is of God both is the sense that it is from Him, and in the sense that it is His actual armor. In the Old Testament, it is the LORD who wears the armor (Isaiah 59:17). He now shares that armor with us - no wonder we are more than conquerors! (Romans 8:37)

b. That you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil: We express the strength we have in God by standing against the wiles of the devil. Satan's schemes against us come to nothing when we stand against them in the power of God.

i. Stott quoting Simpson: "The tactics of intimidation and insinuation alternate in Satan's plan of campaign. He plays both the bully and the beguiler. Force and fraud form his chief offensive against the camp of the saints."

3. (12) The fact of spiritual warfare.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

a. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers: Paul does not call the believer to enter intospiritual warfare. He simply announces it as a fact: we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but (we do wrestle) against principalities and so forth. Youare in a spiritual battle. If you are ignorant or ignore that fact, you probably aren't winning the battle.

b. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood: The fact that our real battle is not against flesh and blood is lost on many Christians, who put all their efforts in that direction. Paul's idea here is much the same as in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4:For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.

i. Foulkes says a more literal translation is, Not for us is the wrestling against flesh and blood.

c. Principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places: Paul used a variety of terms to refer to our spiritual enemies. We should regard them as being on many different levels and of many different ranks, yet they all have one goal: to knock the Christian down from their place of standing.

i. Ephesians 6:11 tells us that all of our warfare is combating the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). At the end of the day it is completely irrelevant if the particular opponent we face is a principality, a power, or a ruler of the darkness of this age. Collectively, they are all members of spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. They are all part of a spiritual army that is organized and established into ranks - and under the headship of Satan, the devil, who comes against us with his wiles.

ii. We learn more about these principalities and powers from other passages in the New Testament.

- Romans 8:38 tells us that principalities cannot keep us from God's love. Therefore, there is a limit to their power.

- Ephesians 1:20-21 tells us that Jesus is in enthroned in heaven, far above all principalities and powers. Colossians 1:16 tells us that Jesus created principalities and powers. Colossians 2:10 tells us that Jesus is head over all principality and power. Therefore, Jesus is not the opposite of Satan or principalities.

- Ephesians 3:10-11 tells us that the church makes known the wisdom of God to principalities and powers. 1 Corinthians 15:24 tells us thatprincipalities and powers have an end; one day their purpose will be fulfilled and God will no longer let them work. Therefore, God has apurpose in allowing their work.

- Colossians 2:15 tells us that Jesus disarmed principalitiesandpowers at the cross. Therefore, our victory is rooted in what Jesus did, not in what we do. It isn't that there is no doing on our part - but our doing is the appropriation and application of what Jesus did.

iii. Some interpret the nature of principalities and powers in purely naturalistic terms. Markus Barth wrote, "We conclude that by principalities and powers Paul means the world of axioms and principles of politics and religion, of economics and society, of morals and biology, of history and culture." But this contradicts what Paul says about our battle not being against flesh and blood.

4. (13) The proper response to the fact of spiritual warfare.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

a. Therefore take up the whole armor of God: Paul introduced the idea of the whole armor of God back in Ephesians 6:11. In the following passage he details the specific items related to the armor of God. In this verse, he simply states what the main purpose of spiritual warfare and the armor of God is.

b. That you may be able: Without the strength of God and the protection of spiritual armor, it is impossible to stand against the attacks of spiritual enemies.

c. That you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand: This describes what we use the strength of God and the armor of God.

i. Many Christians have a wrong idea about spiritual warfare. They picture the Christian army as assaulting the kingdom of hell, and on patrol against demons and spiritual enemies. Much of this is based on a misunderstanding of Matthew 16:18: And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

ii. It's easy to see how a first reading of this passage gives the picture of the church as an assaulting army, bombarding the gates of Hell, and plundering Hell and conquering it. The problem is that this understanding is completely inconsistent with the rest of the Scriptures. Nowhere do we read of the church assaulting or conquering Hell in this way.

iii. Instead, we should understand what is meant by the phrase "the gates of Hades." In the ancient world, the city council, judges, and city leadership gathered together at the gates of the city. It was the place where the city life was planned, organized, strategized. It's in this sense that Jesus speaks ofthe gates of Hades. He means that no satanic strategy, no plot from Hell will ultimately succeed against the church.

iv. Instead of picturing the army of the church seeking out and attacking some kind of demonic fortress, we are to have the idea that Jesus illustrated in His ministry. Jesus didn't patrol around, looking for demons to conquer. That would almost be allowing demons to set the agenda for His ministry. Instead, Jesus knew what God the Father wanted Him to do, He set about doing it, and He dealt with satanic opposition when it arose. When satanic opposition raised itself, Jesus stood against it and was not moved.

v. So the idea is that God has given us a call, a mission, a course to fulfill. Satan will do his best to stop it. When he attacks and intimidates, we are tostand. It is plain that this is Paul's emphasis in Ephesians 6:11 and 6:13. We love an energetic church that advances the Kingdom of God so vigorously that it shakes the councils of hell, but we don't let principalities and powers set our agenda. We do the Lord's work and stand against every hint of spiritual opposition.

vi. God gives the Christian a glorious standing to maintain by faith and spiritual warfare:

- We stand in grace (Romans 5:2).
- We stand in the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1).
- We stand in courage and strength (1 Corinthians 16:13).
- We stand in faith (2 Corinthians 1:24).
- We stand in Christian liberty (Galatians 5:1).
- We stand in Christian unity (Philippians 1:27).
- We stand in the Lord (Philippians 4:1).
- We should stand perfect and complete in the will of God (Colossians 4:12).
vii. The same idea is repeated in 1 Peter 5: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

viii. All in all, there is a lot bound up in that little word, stand.

- It means that we are going to be attacked.
- It means that we must not be frightened.
- It means that we must not droop or slouch, being uncertain or half-hearted in the fight (no self-pity is allowed).
- It means that we are at our position and alert.
- It means that we do not give even a thought to retreat.
5. (14-15) The spiritual armor to have.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

a. Stand therefore: We can only stand when we are equipped with the armor God has given us in Jesus Christ. Each aspect of this symbolic armor answers to a specific dynamic within the Christian life that enables us to stand against spiritual attack.

i. Paul wrote this while in the custody of Roman soldiers. It was easy for him to look at the equipment of his guards and see how God has equipped the believer.

ii. The order in which the pieces of armor are described is the order in which the soldier would put them on.

b. Having girded your waist with truth: Truth is symbolically represented as a belt which both protects our abdomen and gathers up our garments so that we can fight effectively.

i. Strictly, the belt is not part of the armor, but before the armor can be put on, the garments underneath must be gathered together.

ii. "The soldier might be furnished with every other part of his equipment, and yet, wanting the girdle, would neither be fully accoutered nor securely armed. His belt … was no mere adornment of the soldier, but an essential part of his equipment … it was of especial use in keeping other parts in place, and in securing the proper soldierly attitude and freedom of movement." (Salmond)

iii. When a man sat down and was relaxed, he took off his belt. Putting on the belt prepares you for action, it frees your movements, and it put him in a battle frame of mind. The same idea is communicated by Jesus inLuke 12:35-36.

iv. The belt of truth puts on the Biblical beliefs of the Christians as a whole - what other passages call the faith. Many people believe that the church will never go forward until it takes off this belt of truth, but that is completely wrong. This is armor to have - it is a foundation you live upon all the time, your understanding of and confidence in the basic doctrines of the faith.

c. Having put on the breastplate of righteousness: Righteousness is represented as a breastplate which provides essential protection for the most vital organs. We can no sooner battle against spiritual enemies in our ownrighteousness than a soldier can effectively fight without his breastplate.

i. This is not our own earned righteousness, not a feeling of righteousness, but a righteousness received by faith in Jesus. It gives us a general sense of confidence, an awareness of our standing and position.

ii. "Thank God for experiences, but do not rely on them. You do not put on the 'breastplate of experiences', you put on the breastplate of 'righteousness.'" (Lloyd-Jones)

iii. We are sometimes tempted to say to the devil "Look at all I've done for the Lord." But that is shaky ground, though sometimes it feels good. It is shaky because the feeling and experiences and doing is so changeable. God's righteousness isn't. The breastplate of righteousness is your best defense against the sense of spiritual depression and gloom that comes against your gut.

d. Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace: Thepreparation of the gospel is represented as the protective shoes (or sandals) worn by Roman soldiers. No one can fight effectively or effectively go about their business without this equipment.

i. Preparation is a word meaning "a prepared foundation." The gospel provides the footing for everything we do. However powerful the rest of your body is, if you are wounded in your feet you are easy prey for the enemy.

ii. On the shoes: "Josephus described them as 'shoes thickly studded with sharp nails' … so as to ensure a good grip. the military successes both of Alexander the Great and of Julius Caesar were due in large measure to their armies' being well shod and thus able to undertake long marches at incredible speed over rough terrain." (Wood)

iii. Paul has Isaiah 52:7 in mind when he refers to having shod your feet:How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

iv. The idea of preparation is really readiness - we must be mobile, flexible, ready with the truth. This is a place to have in the Christian life, to live in constant readiness and flexibility.

6. (16-18) The spiritual armor to take.

Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

a. Above all: This really has the idea of "in addition to the previous," and it applies to each of the three pieces of armor that follow. It isn't the idea, "this piece of armor is more important than any of the other."

b. Taking the shield of faith: Ephesians 6:13-14 tells us of armor to have. Some of the armor we must wear all the time, and have as a standing foundation. Therefore having comes first. We must be rooted in belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the "combat boots" of the gospel

i. Now we come to the armor to take. These aspects of the armor we take up from situation to situation, as the moment demands. Think about those "demanding moments" in spiritual warfare"

- A flood of depression or discouragement, feeling like a black cloud.
- When a relatively insignificant thing gets blown way out of proportion.
- An opportunity to speak with someone about what Jesus did for you.
- Opposition against a sense that God wants you to do something, to follow through on something.
- A sense of panic and helplessness.
ii. In those critical moments, we need to

- Take the shield of faith.
- Take the helmet of salvation.
- Take the sword of God's Word.
c. Taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one: Faith is represented as a shield, protecting us from the fiery darts of the wicked one, those persistent efforts of demonic foes to weaken us through fear and unbelief.

i. The shield Paul describes is not the small round one, but the large, oblong shield that could protect the whole body. In ancient warfare, thesefiery darts were launched in great number at the beginning of an attack. The idea was not only to injure the enemy, but to shoot at him at all sides with a massive number of darts, and thus confuse and panic the enemy.

ii. "Even when such a missile was caught by the shield and did not penetrate to the body, says Livy, it caused panic, because it was thrown when well alight and its motion through the air made it blaze most fiercely, so that the soldier was tempted to get rid of his burning shield and expose himself to the enemy's spear-thrusts. But the shield of faith not only catches the incendiary devices by extinguishes them." (Bruce)

iii. Thoughts, feelings, imaginations, fears, lies - all of these can be hurled at us by Satan as fiery darts. Faith turns them back.

d. And take the helmet of salvation: In the ancient world, this was a leather cap studded with metal for extra strength. Often some kind of plume or decoration was added, perhaps to identify the solider to his regiment. Salvationis pictured as this kind of helmet, protecting essential material. A soldier would be foolish to go into battle without his helmet.

i. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 speaks of the helmet of salvation in connection to the hope of salvation. The helmet of salvation protects us against discouragement, against the desire to give up, giving us hope not only in knowing that we are saved, but that we will be saved. It is the assurance that God will triumph.

ii. One of Satan's most effective weapons against us is discouragement. When we are properly equipped with the helmet of salvation, it's hard to stay discouraged.

e. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: The idea is that theSpirit provides a sword for you, and that sword is the word of God. To effectively use the Sword of the Spirit, we can't regard the Bible as book of magic charms or tie one around our neck the way that garlic is said to drive away vampires.

i. To effectively use the sword, we must regard it as the word of God -which is the word of God. If we are not confident in the inspiration of Scripture, that the sword really came from the Spirit, then we will not use it effectively at all.

ii. But we must also take the sword of the Spirit in the sense of depending that He helps us to use it. Not only did the Spirit give us the Scriptures, but also He makes them alive to us, and equips us with the right thrust of the sword at the right time.

iii. Think of a soldier or a gladiator in training, practicing sword thrusts and moves and positions. Now, he must practice them ahead of time, and if he is a superior fighter, and has a great fighting instinct, at the time of battle he will instantly recall which thrust, which position suits the precise moment. He will never be able to use the thrust in the fight if he has not first practiced it, but he still needs to make the move at the moment.

iv. Therefore, effectively using the sword takes practice. The great example of this was Jesus combating the temptation of Satan in the wilderness. Luther was another example of this, when he came to any understanding ofPsalm 31:1: deliver me in Your righteousness. This helped him understand the real meaning of the just will live by faith.

7. (18-20) How to use spiritual strength and the armor of God.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints; and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

a. Praying always with all prayer: The idea is all kinds of prayer or prayer upon prayer. We should use every kind of prayer we can think of. Group prayer, individual prayer, silent prayer, shouting prayer, walking prayer, kneeling prayer, eloquent prayer, groaning prayer, constant prayer, fervent prayer - just pray.

i. We can say that it is through prayer that spiritual strength and the armor of God go to work. In theory, the prayerless Christian can be strong and wearing all the armor - but actually goes into battle through prayer.

ii. Often we just don't pray because we are simply overconfident in our own abilities. Winston Churchill said to Britain in the early days of World War II: "I must drop one word of caution, for next to cowardice and treachery, overconfidence leading to neglect and slothfulness, is the worst of wartime crimes."

b. For all the saints: We can battle spiritually not only on our own behalf, but also on the behalf of others. The soldier isn't only concerned for his or her own safety. They feel an instinct to protect and battle on behalf of others.

c. And for me, that utterance may be given to me: After bringing up the idea that spiritual warfare can be waged on behalf of others, Paul asks his readers to pray for him.

d. To boldly make known the mystery of the gospel: Paul could have asked prayer for many things, but he wanted them to pray for this. He probably has in mind his upcoming defense before Caesar.

i. We could imagine Paul asking for many things, such as relief from his imprisonment or other comforts. But his heart and mind are fixed on his responsibility as an ambassador of the gospel.

e. That utterance may be given to me: The idea behind utterance is clear speaking. Added to boldly, Paul asks for prayer that he might proclaim the gospel both clearly and with a fearless power. It is easy to neglect one or the other.

f. I am an ambassador in chains: Of course, the ancient Greek word forchains meant a prisoner's shackles. But it could also be used for the gold adornment worn around the neck and wrists of the wealthy and powerful. On special occasions, ambassadors wore such chains to show the riches, power, and dignity of the government they represented. Paul considers his prisoner's chains to actually be the glorious adornment of an ambassador of Jesus Christ.

C. Conclusion to the letter.

1. (21-22) The sending of Tychicus.

But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.

a. Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister: Tychicus was an associate of Paul's mentioned in other letters (Acts 20:4, Colossians 4:7,2 Timothy 4:12, Titus 3:12). He seems to have been often used by Paul as a messenger (that you may know our affairs).

b. That he may comfort your hearts: Paul wanted Tychicus to comfort the Ephesians (and everyone else who read the letter) about Paul's condition during his imprisonment in Rome.

2. (23-24) Final words.

Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

a. Peace to the brethren … Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus: Paul concludes the letter as he began it, with reference to grace andpeace, two essential cornerstones for the Christian life.

b. All those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity: In sincerity is literally "in uncorruptness." The idea may well be with an undying love. Our love for the Lord should be undying.

c. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity: Paul ends by pronouncing a blessing - his way of helping the Ephesians to walk inevery spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
 
John 1

THE WORD AND THE WITNESS
A. John: The fourth gospel.

1. Why are there four gospels? The ancient Christian writer Origen (185-254 A.D.) gave a good answer: there are not four gospels, but one four-fold gospel. Each gospel presents a different perspective on the life of Jesus, and we need all four to get the full picture.

a. John was probably the last gospel written, and written in view of what the previous three had already said. This is one reason why John is so different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

b. There are significant events in the ministry of Jesus that Matthew, Mark, and Luke include that John leaves out, including Jesus' birth, baptism, temptation in the wilderness, the Last Supper, the agony in Gethsemane, the Ascension, demonic confrontations, and parables.

c. The first three gospels center on Jesus' ministry in Galilee. John centers his gospel on what Jesus said and did in Jerusalem.

d. Each of the gospels emphasizes a different origin of Jesus.

i. Matthew shows Jesus came from Abraham through David, and demonstrates that He is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament (Matthew 1:1-17).

ii. Mark shows Jesus came from Nazareth, demonstrating that Jesus is a Servant (Mark 1:9).

iii. Luke shows Jesus came from Adam, demonstrating that Jesus is the Perfect Man (Luke 3:23-38).

iv. John shows Jesus came from heaven, demonstrating that Jesus is God.

e. However, it is wrong to think that the Gospel of John completes the story of Jesus. John makes it clear that the story of Jesus can never be completed (John 21:25).

2. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are knows as the three synoptic gospels. Synopticmeans "see-together" and the first three gospels present Jesus' life in pretty much the same format. The first three gospels focus more on what Jesus taught and did; John focuses more on who Jesus is.

a. John shows us who Jesus is by highlighting seven signs (miracles) of Jesus. Six of these miracles are not mentioned in the first three gospels.

b. John shows us who Jesus is by allowing Jesus to speak for Himself in seven dramatic I Am statements.

c. John shows us who Jesus is by calling forth witnesses who will testify about the identity of Jesus. Four of these witnesses speak in the first chapter alone.

3. John is a gospel written for a specific purpose: that we might believe. A key verse for understanding the Gospel of John is found at the end of the book: But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31).

a. The Gospel of John has even helped scholarly skeptics to believe. The oldest surviving fragment of the New Testament is a portion of John 18, found in Egypt and dating well before 150 a. d. indicating wide circulation by that early date.

4. The Gospel of John is a beloved gospel. It has been called "a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant may swim."

a. Commentator Charles Erdman says: "Its stories are so simple that even a child will love them, but its statements are so profound that no philosopher can fathom them."

b. So, if we give diligent attention to entertainment, sports, music, or the news, how much more should we give diligent attention "when a man is speaking from heaven, and utters a voice plainer than thunder?" (John Chrysostem)

B. Prologue to the Gospel of John.

This remarkable, profound portion is not merely a preface or an introduction. It is a summation of the entire book. The remainder of John's gospel will deal with the themes introduced here: the identity of the Word, life, light, regeneration, grace, truth, and the revelation of God the Father in Jesus the Son.

1. (1-2) The origin of the Word (Logos).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

a. In the beginning refers to the timeless eternity of Genesis 1:1: In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth. John essentially says, "When thebeginning began, the Word was already there. " That is, that the Wordpredates time or creation.

i. John makes it clear that the Word is not just the beginning, but the beginning of the beginning. He was there in the beginning, before anything was.

b. In the beginning was the Word: Word translated the ancient the Greek word Logos. The idea of the logos had deep and rich roots in both Jewish and Greek thinking.

i. Jewish rabbis often referred to God, especially in His more personal aspects, in terms of His word. They spoke of God Himself as "the word of God. " For example, ancient Hebrew editions of the Old Testament changeExodus 19:17 (Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God) to "Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet the word of God. " In the mind of the ancient Jews, the phrase "the word of God" could be used to refer to God Himself.

ii. The Greek philosophers saw the logos as the power which puts sense into the world, making the world orderly instead of chaotic. The logos was the power that set the world in perfect order and kept it going in perfect order. They saw the logos as the "Ultimate Reason" that controlled all things.

iii. Therefore, in this opening, John says to both Jews and Greeks: "For centuries you've been talking, thinking, and writing about the Word (thelogos). Now I will tell you who He is. " John meets both Jews and Greeks where they are at, and explains Jesus in terms they already understood.

c. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God: With this brilliant statement, John 1:1 sets forth one of the most basic foundations of our faith - the Trinity. We can follow John's logic:

- There is a Being known as the Word.
- This Being is God, because He is eternal (In the beginning)
- This Being is God, because He is plainly called God (the Word was God).
- At the same time, this Being does not encompass all that God is. God the Father is a distinct Person from the Word (the Word was with God).
i. So, the Father and the Son (the Son is known here as the Word) are equally God, yet distinct in their Person. The Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father. Yet they are equally God, with God the Holy Spirit making one God in three Persons.

d. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God: What about the Watchtower's New World Translation here? This Jehovah's Witness translation reads like this: "In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. " Their translation is used to deny the teaching that Jesus is God. Is it a correct translation?

i. The claim of the Watchtower defending their translation of John 1:1-2 is that because before the second time "God" is used in the passage, no article appears (it is written "God" and not "the God"). In answer to this approach to Greek grammar and translation, we can only refer to the multitude of other times in the New Testament where "God" appears without the article. If the Watchtower were honest and consistent, they would translate "God" as "god" every place it appears without the article. But it seems that this grammatical rule only applies when it suits the purpose of backing up the doctrinal beliefs of the Watchtower. The Greek text ofMatthew 5:9, 6:24, Luke 1:35 and 1:75, John 1:6, 1:12, 1:13, and 1:18,Romans 1:7 and 1:17, shows how the Watchtower translates the exact same grammar for "God" as "God" instead of "god" when it suits their purpose.

ii. In the main resource the Watchtower uses to establish their claim (The Kingdom Interlinear), the Watchtower quotes two well-known Greek authorities to make them appear to agree with their translation. But they both have been misquoted, and one of them, Dr. Mantey has even written the Watchtower, and demanded that his name be removed from the book! Another "scholar" whom the Watchtower refers to in their book The Word - Who Is He? According to John, is Johannes Greber. Greber was actually an occult-practicing spiritist, and not a scholar of Biblical Greek.

iii. What do real Greek scholars say about the Jehovah's Witness translation of John 1:1-2?

"A GROSSLY MISLEADING TRANSLATION. It is neither scholarly nor reasonable to translate John 1:1 'the Word was a god. ' But of all the scholars in the world, so far as we know, none have translated this verse as Jehovah's Witnesses have done. " (Dr. Julius R. Mantey)

"Much is made by Arian amateur grammarians of the omission of the definite article with 'God' in the phrase 'And the Word was God. ' Such an omission is common with nouns in a predicate construction. 'A god' would be totally indefensible. " (Dr. F. F. Bruce)

"I can assure you that the rendering which the Jehovah's Witnesses give John 1:1 is not held by any reputable Greek scholar. " (Dr. Charles L. Feinberg)

"The Jehovah's Witness people evidence an abysmal ingorance of the basic tenets of Greek grammar in their mistranslation of John 1:1. " (Dr. Paul L. Kaufman)

"The deliberate distortion of truth by this sect is seen in their New Testament translations. John 1:1 is translated: ' … the Word was a god,' a translation which is grammatically impossible. It is abundantly clear that a sect which can translate the New Testament like that is intellectually dishonest." (Dr. William Barclay)

e. He was in the beginning with God again makes the point that the Father is distinct from the Son, and the Son distinct from the Father. They are equally God, yet they are separate Persons.

2. (3-5) The work and nature of the Word.

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

a. Without Him nothing was made that was made: The Word created allcreated things. Therefore He Himself is an uncreated Being, as Paul says inColossians 1:16.

b. In Him was life: The Word is the source of all life. The ancient Greek word translated life is zoe, which means "the life principle," not bios, which is mere biological life. This life is the light of men, speaking of spiritual light as well as natural light. It isn't that the Word "contains" life and light; He is life and light.

i. Therefore, without Jesus, we are dead and in darkness. We are lost. Significantly, man has an inborn fear towards both death and darkness.

c. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it: Did not comprehend can also be translated did not overcome. The light can not lose against the darkness; the darkness will never overcome it.

3. (6-13) The revelation of the Word.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

a. There was a man sent from God: John the Baptist bears witness of the light,that all through him might believe.

b. The world did not know Him: How can it be? How can it be that God came to the same world He created, to the creatures made in His image, and the world did not know Him? It shows how deeply fallen human nature has rejected God.

c. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: Though some rejected this revelation, others received Him and thereby became children of God. They became children of God through a new birth, being born … of God.

i. As many as received Him: The idea of "receiving Jesus" is Biblically valid. We need to embrace and receive Him unto ourselves. As many as received Him is just another to say those who believe in His name.

d. Those who received Him are born of God, but not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Here, John reminds us of the nature of the new birth: it is God's sovereign gift to man, not man's achievement.

4. (14-18) The Word became flesh.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me. '" And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

a. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us: This is John's most startling statement so far. It would have amazed both Jewish and Greek thinking to hear that the Word became flesh.

i. The Greeks had a generally low view of God. To them, John says theWord became flesh. The ancient Greek gods such as Zeus and Hermes were simply super-men; they were not equal to the order and reason of the Logos. John tells the Greek thinkers, "The Logos you know made and ordered the universe became flesh."

ii. The Jews had a generally prohibitive view of God; to them, John says the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Jews had a hard time accepting that the great God revealed in the Old Testament could take on human form. John says to the Jewish thinkers, "the Word of God became flesh."

b. We beheld His glory: John testifies to this as an eyewitness, even as John the Baptist testified. John could say, "I saw His glory, the glory belonging to theonly begotten of the Father."

i. Though, the word beheld is stronger than the words "saw" or "looked. " John tells us that he and the other disciples carefully studied the glory of the Word made flesh.

c. John bore witness of Him and cried out: The one announced by John the Baptist - Jesus Christ - is the Word made flesh. He brings a different order than the one instituted by Moses (For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ).

i. It is an inexhaustible supply of grace (grace for grace) and truth, contrasting with an order of rigid laws and regulations given through Moses.

d. No one has seen God at any time: Jesus, the Word, is the perfect declaration of the unseen God. The Father and the Son belong to the same family, and Jesus has declared the nature of the unseen God to man. We don't have to wonder about the nature and personality of God. Jesus has declared it with both His teaching and His life.

C. The testimony of John the Baptist.

1. (19-28) John tells us who John the Baptist is.

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ. " And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not. " "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No. " Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord,"' as the prophet Isaiah said. " Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. " These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

a. John is emphatic: I am not the Christ. For John, it was unthinkable that attention would focus on himself, because he was not the Messiah. His job was to point to the Messiah.

b. Are you Elijah? It might be easy for the priests and Levites from Jerusalem to associate John with Elijah because of his personality and because of the promise in Malachi 4:5-6. If he is the forerunner of the Messiah, then is he Elijah?

i. In a sense, John was Elijah, ministering in his office and spirit (Matthew 11:13-14 and Mark 9:11-13).

c. Are you the Prophet? This refers to God's promise through Moses inDeuteronomy 18:15, promising a prophet to come. Based on this passage, they expected another Prophet to come.

d. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: John sees himself as the advance man of the great King. His baptism was a preparatory cleansing for the King. The idea is, "get cleaned up, get ready for a royal visit!"

i. The Jews in John's day practiced baptism. It was an outgrowth of ceremonial washings. But the Jews of that time typically reserved baptism for Gentiles who wanted to become Jews. So to submit to John's baptism, a Jew had to identify with the Gentiles. This was a genuine sign of repentance.

e. I baptize with water: John's baptism was negative. It cleansed, but it gave nothing to help someone keep clean. The work of Jesus and His baptism of the Holy Spirit would be both a negative and a positive baptism. Christian baptism illustrates both our death with Jesus and our rising to new life with Him.

f. Who sandal strap I am not worthy to loose: untying the strap of a sandal (before foot washing) was duty of the lowest slave in the house.

i. Among Rabbis and their disciples, there was a teacher-student relationship that had the potential for abuse. It was entirely possible that a Rabbi might expect unreasonable service from their disciples. One of the things which was considered "too low" for a Rabbi to expect from his disciples was the untying of the Rabbi's sandal strap. John says he isunworthy to do even this.

2. (29-34) John the Baptist tells us who Jesus is.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me. ' I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water. " And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. ' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

a. Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! At the very dawn of His ministry, Jesus is greeted with words that remind Him of his destiny: His sacrificial agony on the cross for the sin of mankind. The shadow of the cross was cast over the entire ministry of Jesus.

b. For He was before me: John the Baptist was actually born before Jesus - and John would know this (Luke 1). So, when John says He was before me, he refers to the eternal pre-existence of Jesus. John knew very well that Jesus was God.

c. Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit: God gave John the Baptist the sure sign to know the Messiah. He would be the one on Whom the Holy Spirit descended upon from heaven. John is a reliable witness regarding who Jesus is, because he has had confirming evidence from God.

d. I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God: John the Baptist gives his solemn testimony: this Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Son of Godin the sense shown in John 1:18: the One who perfectly declares the nature and personality of God the Father.

i. The gospel of John emphasizes John's role as a witness, not a baptizer. Witnesses give testimony as to what they have seen and experienced, in an effort to establish the truth. Beyond that, they are unreliable, and operate on hearsay.

ii. Witnesses are not neutral - they are committed to the truth of their testimony, or they are unreliable witnesses. John is a reliable witness, and knows who Jesus is because of what he has seen with his own eyes.

D. The testimony of the first disciples.

1. (35-39) Two of John's disciples begin to follow Jesus.

Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come and see. " They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

a. Behold, the Lamb of God! John already said this of Jesus in John 1:29. Did he say this every time he saw Jesus? It was a vivid reminder of Jesus' destiny at the cross.

b. And they followed Jesus: John did not care about gathering disciples after himself. He was perfectly satisfied to have these disciples leave his circle and follow Jesus. It fulfilled his ministry; it did not take away from it.

c. Come and see: Jesus invited John and Andrew to be a part of His life. Jesus didn't life a cloistered, ultra-private life. Jesus taught and discipled others by allowing them to live with Him.

d. Now it was about the tenth hour: This was such a memorable occasion for writer that he remembered the exact hour that he met Jesus. This is a subtle clue that one of the two disciples who came to Jesus from John was the apostle John himself.

2. (40-42) Andrew brings his brother, Simon Peter to Jesus.

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

a. He found his own brother: It is the nature of Christian experience that those who enjoy the experience desire to share their experience with others.

b. You shall be called Cephas: In giving Simon a new name (Cephas or Peter, meaning A Stone), Jesus tells Andrew's brother what kind of man he will be transformed into. At the time, and throughout the gospel, Peter may have looked like a "rock" on the outside, but was really anything but a rock. But before Jesus is done with Peter, he will be a stone of stability for Jesus Christ.

c. We have found the Messiah: This Andrew's testimony about who Jesus is. He knows that Jesus is the Messiah.

3. (43-44) Jesus calls Philip to follow Him.

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me. " Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

a. Follow Me: There is nothing dramatic recorded about the call of Philip. Jesus simply says "Follow Me," and Philip does.

4. (45-51) Nathaniel overcomes prejudice to follow Jesus.

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. " And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see. " Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" 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. " Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these. " And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

a. Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets wrote: This is Philip's testimony as a witness of Jesus Christ. He declares that He is the Messiah and Savior predicted in the Old Testament.

b. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? With this, Nathanael prejudices himself against Jesus. If Jesus comes from Nazareth, that is all Nathanael cares to know about Him!

c. Come and see: Instead of arguing against Nathanael's prejudice, Phillip simply invites him to meet Jesus for himself.

d. Under the fig tree, I saw you: It is possible Nathanael liked to pray and meditate on the things of the Lord under the shade of an actual fig tree. Butunder the fig tree was a phrase Rabbis used to describe meditation on the Scriptures. Nathanael was spending time with the Lord, meditating on the Scriptures, and Jesus tells him "I saw you" there.

e. Nathanael gives his testimony regarding Jesus: You are the Son of God, the King of Israel.

f. You shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man: Jesus promises Nathanael a greater sign than he has seen before. But what does He mean by the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man?

i. This probably connects with the dream of Jacob in Genesis 28:12, where Jacob saw a ladder from earth to heaven, and the angels ascending and descending upon it. Jesus says that He is the ladder, the link, between heaven and earth. When Nathanael comes to understand that Jesus is the mediator between God and man, it will be an even greater sign (you will see greater things than these).

ii. This seems like rather obscure reference, but it was extremely meaningful to Nathanael. Possibly, it was the very portion of Scripture Nathaniel meditated on under the fig tree.

g. Son of Man: The idea behind this phrase is not "the perfect man" or "the ideal man" or "the common man. " Instead, it is a reference to Daniel 7:13-14, where the King of Glory coming to judge the world is called the Son of Man.

i. Jesus used this title often because in His day, it was a Messianic title free from political and nationalistic sentiment. When a Jewish person of that time heard "King" or "Christ" they often thought of a political or military savior. Jesus emphasized another term, often calling Himself the Son of Man.

h. This section of John shows four ways of coming to Jesus:

- Andrew came to Jesus because of the preaching of John.
- Peter came to Jesus because of the witness of his brother.
- Phillip came to Jesus as a result of the direct call of Jesus.
- Nathaniel came to Jesus as he overcame personal prejudices by a personal encounter with Jesus.
i. This section shows us four different witnesses testifying to the identity of Jesus. How much more testimony does anyone need?

- John the Baptist testified that Jesus is eternal, that He is the man uniquely anointed with the Holy Spirit, that He is the Lamb of God, and that Jesus is the unique Son of God.
- Andrew testified that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ.
- Phillip testified that Jesus is the One prophesied in the Old Testament.
- Nathaniel testified that Jesus is the Son of God and the King of Israe
 
John 2

CONVERSION AND CLEANSING
A. Water into wine at a wedding.

1. (1-5) Jesus (politely) replies to His mother's request

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine. " Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come. " His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it. "

a. Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding: This is the first of many stories suggesting that Jesus was always welcome among those having a good time. Jesus didn't spoil the good time.

b. They ran out of wine: This was a major social faux pas. "To fail in providing adequately for the guests would involve social disgrace. In the closely knit communities of Jesus' day such an error would never be forgotten, and would haunt the newly married couple all their lives. " (Tenney)

i. Additionally, wine was a rabbinical symbol of joy. Therefore "to run out of wine would almost have been the equivalent of admitting that neither the guests nor the bride and groom were happy. " (Boice)

c. They have no wine: Why did Mary ask Jesus to do something? Mary was no doubt earnestly anticipating Jesus' day of demonstration, for it would be a day of vindication for her. Yet she would not force the issue, leaving the matter with Jesus.

d. Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? Jesus refers to His mother with a term of respect, but He does not call her "mother. " Jesus wanted to emphasize that there was a different relationship with her now.

e. Whatever He says to you, do it: The recorded words of Mary are few. However, it is good to pay attention to her words that are recorded, because they consistently glorify Jesus, not Mary herself. If only we would obey Mary's direction, whatever He says to you, do it.

i. To deliberately go through Mary to get to Jesus is to regard Jesus as hardhearted, and Mary as tenderhearted. This concept "is totally alien from the Bible. It comes from mother-son ideas prevalent in pagan religions. " (Barnhouse)

f. Some traditions say that this was John's wedding, and he left his bride at the altar after seeing this miracle. It's a pleasant, but an unlikely story.

i. Mormons take this idea an absurd step further declaring this is Jesus'wedding. Of course, this against the plain meaning of this passage and all of the gospel records of Jesus.

2. (6-12) Water is converted into wine.

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water. " And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast. " And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

a. Six waterpots of stone: Jesus began this miracle by using what was at hand. He could have supplied more wine any number of ways, but He started with what was there.

b. According to the manner of purification of the Jews: The waterpots are connected with the system of Law, because they were used in ceremonial purification.

c. Fill the waterpots with water: The servants under the direction of Jesus were in a unique place of blessing for this miracle. Jesus wanted the cooperation of men in this miracle. He could have filled the pots Himself, or just as easily created the liquid in the pots. But He knew that if the servants shared in the work, then they also shared in the blessing.

i. The servants did not do the miracle. Their efforts alone were completely insufficient. But because of their obedience to Jesus, they shared in the joy of the miracle.

ii. The servants were especially blessed because they obeyed without question, and to the fullest (they filled them up to the brim). This means that the miracle would be fulfilled in the greatest measure possible. If they were lazy and only filled the waterpots half full, there would have only been half as much wine.

d. Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast: This took faithon behalf of the servants. Imagine how angry the master of the feast would be if they brought him water to taste! Yet in faith, they obeyed the word of Jesus.

e. You have kept the good wine until now! When Jesus made wine, it wasgood wine. It doesn't mean that it had a particularly high alcohol content, but that it was well-made wine.

i. Some go to great lengths to show that what Jesus made here was really grape juice. While some find that line of thinking convincing, it is not the opinion of the author. Good wine is good wine, not good grape juice. It is true that wine in that day, as commonly served, had a much lower content of alcohol than modern wine. But it was still wine.

f. This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee: This beginning of signs in the Gospel of John is a miracle of conversion, from the old ways of law, ceremony and purification to the new life of Jesus.

i. How did Jesus actually do miracles? He did them in many different ways. Here, Jesus did not say a word or blink an eye. He merely exercised His will and the miracle was done.

ii. Moses turned water into blood, showing that the Law results in death (Exodus 7:17-21). But Jesus' first miracle turned water into wine, showing the gladness and joy of His new work. This acts out what John said inJohn 1:17: For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

iii. We could say that the water is like a relationship with God under the Old Covenant, and the wine is like a relationship with God under the New Covenant.

- The wine was after the water, the New Covenant is after the Old Covenant.
- The wine was from the water, the New Covenant is from the Old Covenant
- The wine was and better than the water; the New Covenant is betterthan the Old Covenant.
g. Manifested His glory: According to John 2:1, this miracle happened on the third day. John is hinting at the idea that Jesus shows forth His glory on the third day, and that His disciples believe in Him when they see His glory.

h. His disciples believed in Him: Of course they believed before, but now their belief was deepened and re-expressed. This is typical in our Christian lives. God does something great in our lives, and we believe in Him all over again.

B. The temple cleansed.

1. (13-17) Jesus drives out the moneychangers and sellers of expensive "approved" sacrificial animals.

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."

a. The Passover of the Jews was at hand: Jerusalem would be crowded with thousands of visitors coming at Passover. The temple mount would be particularly crowded, and Jesus saw many doing business in the outer courts of the temple.

b. When He had made a whip of cords: When Jesus drove those doing business out of the temple courts, He did not do it in a flash of anger. He carefully took the time to make a whip of cords, and thought carefully about what He would do.

c. He drove them all out … poured out the changers' money and overturned tables: Why did this offend Jesus so much? The outer courts of the temple were the only place where Gentiles could come and worship. This area (the court of the Gentiles) was made into house of merchandise.

i. Matthew, Mark, and Luke each describe another cleansing of the temple Jesus performed, towards the end of His earthly ministry. In both cases, thepresence of these merchants in the temple courts spoiled the only place Gentiles could pray. In addition, their dishonesty made their presence all the worse.

d. John began with a miracle of conversion (changing water into wine). Then he shows Jesus with a work of cleansing (the cleansing of the temple). This is always how Jesus works in His people: conversion, then cleansing.

2. (18-22) Jesus speaks of a new temple, and its destiny.

So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. " Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

a. What sign do You show to us, since You do these things? This wasn't necessarily a bad question. Anyone who drove out the merchants from the temple courts claimed the authority to do it. The Jews wanted to know if Jesus really had this authority. The problem is that they demanded a sign from Jesus to prove it.

b. Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up: Jesus speaks here of the temple of His body. He probably even gestured to Himself as He said this. Jesus knew that these religious leaders would attempt to destroy His body, but He also knew that they would not succeed.

i. The body of Jesus is still a temple (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5).

c. I will raise it up: Who raised Jesus from the dead? Jesus says that He will raise Himself, despite the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses and others. This was a claim no mere man could make, a claim repeated dramatically inJohn 10:18.

3. (23-25) Jesus does not entrust Himself to the adoring crowds.

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

a. Many believed in His name when they saw the signs: Jesus knew that this was thin, superficial belief. It wasn't based on anything other than an admiration of the spectacular. Knowing this, Jesus did not commit Himself to them.

i. "If belief is nothing more than admiration for the spectacular, it will create in multitudes applause; but the Son of God cannot commit Himself to that kind of faith. " (Morgan)

b. He knew what was in man: Yet Jesus still loved the multitudes, though he would not commit Himself to them. We can love people without entrusting ourselves to them. Even though God knows exactly what is in us, He still loves us powerfully.
 
John 3

THE NEW BIRTH
A. Nicodemus and the new birth.

1. (1-3) Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. " Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

a. Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: Nicodemus was one of those impressed by Jesus' signs (John 2:23), and a member of the ruling Sanhedrin. He was religious (of the Pharisees), educated (Nicodemus is a Greek name), and influential (a ruler). Nicodemus comes to Jesus as a representative of all men(John 2:23-25), and he represents what is high and best in men.

b. This man came to Jesus by night: Why did Nicodemus come by night? Perhaps he was timid, or perhaps he wanted an uninterrupted interview with Jesus.

c. No one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him: Is this statement of Nicodemus true? Can someone not from God do miraculous signs? The answer is "Yes," according to 2 Thessalonians 2:9 and Revelation 13:13-14.

d. Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God: Jesus' reply to Nicodemus shatters the Jewish assumption that their racial identity - their old birth - assured them a place in God's Kingdom. Jesus makes it plain that a man's first birth does not assure him of the kingdom - only being born againgives this assurance.

i. It was taught widely among the Jews at that time that since they descended from Abraham, they were automatically assured of heaven. In fact, some Rabbis taught that Abraham stood watch at the gate of hell, just to make sure that none of his descendants accidentally wandered in there.

ii. Most Jews of that time looked for the Messiah to bring in a new world, in which the Jews would be pre-eminent. But Jesus came to bring new life, in which He would be preeminent.

e. Born again: The ancient Greek word translated again (anothen) can be also translated "from above. " This is the sense in which John used this word inJohn 3:31 and in John 19:11 and 19:23. Either way, the meaning is essentially the same. To be born from above is to be born again.

2. (4) Nicodemus answers: How can this be?

Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

a. How can a man be born when he is old? Nicodemus' reply may not be out of ignorance, but from thinking that Jesus means "turning over a new leaf. " His question may be "How can you teach an old dog new tricks?" One way or another, Nicodemus clearly does not understand Jesus or the truth about the new birth.

b. In His description of new birth, Jesus recalls a familiar theme from Old Testament promises of the New Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:1-6,Jeremiah 23:1-8, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Jeremiah 32:37-41, Ezekiel 11:16-20,Ezekiel 36:16-28, Ezekiel 37:11-14, 37:21-28). These passages essentially make three promises in the New Covenant:

- The regathering of Israel.
- The cleansing and spiritual transformation of God's people.
- The reign of the Messiah over Israel and the whole world.
c. In Jesus' day, the common teaching among the Jewish people was that the first two aspects of the New Covenant had been fulfilled. They saw Israel regathered - at least in part - after the Babylonian exile. They saw strong spiritual movements like the Pharisees, which they believed fulfilled the promise of spiritual transformation. All they waited for was the reign of the Messiah.

i. That's why Jesus' statement about the new birth was so strange to Nicodemus. He thought that the Jewish people already had it; they certainly weren't looking for it. They only looked for a triumphant Messiah.

3. (5-8) Jesus explains the new birth.

Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again. ' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

a. Most assuredly … you must be born again: Jesus is emphatic in saying that man does not need reformation, but a radical conversion by the Spirit of God. We must be born of water and the Spirit.

b. What does it mean to be born of water? We know from John 3:10 that whatever being born of water is, it should have been familiar to Nicodemus from the Old Testament.

i. Some have thought born of water means to be baptized. Water here may represent baptism, but there is no real Old Testament foundation for this.

ii. Some have thought that born of water refers to our physical birth, since we come forth from a sack of water. This approach is more attractive, but doesn't it simply state the obvious? However, it does make a good parallel with the idea of that which is born of the flesh in John 3:6.

iii. Some have thought that born of water means to be born again by the Word of God. In other passages of Scripture, water represents the Word, as we are washed by the water of the word (Ephesians 5:26).

iv. Some have thought that born of water means to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, the living water of John 7:38-39.

v. Some have thought that born of water means to receive the water of cleansing prophesied in Ezekiel 36:25-28 as part of the New Covenant. This is the approach has the most weight (though it is a tough call), because of its firm connections to Old Testament prophecy - which Jesus says Nicodemus should have know to understand these things.

c. That which is born of the flesh is flesh: Without the new birth of the Spirit, all works of righteousness are tainted by the flesh. Yet, everything that a Spirit-led man does can be pleasing to God.

d. Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again": Again, Nicodemus did marvel at this statement, because he - like most all Jews of his time - believed they already had the inner transformation promised in the New Covenant. Jesus wants him to take hold of the fact that he does not have it, andmust be born again.

i. We should not forget whom Jesus said this to. Nicodemus was a religious leader and a Pharisee. By all outward appearance, he was alreadytransformed unto God. If Nicodemus must be born again, what about you and I?

e. The wind blows where it wishes: Jesus' idea to Nicodemus is "You don't understand everything about the wind, but you see its effects. That is just how it is with the birth of the Spirit. " Jesus wanted Nicodemus to know that he didn't have to understand everything about the new birth before he experienced it.

4. (9-13) Jesus responds to the question "how can these things be?"

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven."

a. How can these things be? Nicodemus is confused. He is so set in his thinking that the new birth has already happened to him and all of faithful Israel, that he has a hard time thinking out of that "box. " Jesus needs to keep explaining.

b. Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Jesus chides Nicodemus for not being aware of the need and the promise of the new birth, because these are plainly laid out in the Old Testament. Nicodemus knew these passages well, but believed that they had been fulfilled in regard to the new birth. But he should have known better!

c. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? A simple look at earthly things - like the illustrations Jesus used, and even a look at his own life - should have made Jesus' point plain to Nicodemus. If he can't see that he needs this spiritual transformation, what more can Jesus tell him?

d. No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven: Jesus "makes it clear that He can speak authoritatively about things in heaven, though no one else can. " (Morris)

5. (14-15) Jesus and the brazen serpent.

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

a. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness: How can the serpent ofNumbers 21:4-9 be a picture of the holy Jesus?

i. Serpents are often used as pictures of evil in the Bible (Genesis 3:1-5 andRevelation 12:9). However, Moses' serpent in Numbers 21 was made of bronze, and bronze is a metal associated with judgment in the Bible, because bronze must be made by passing through the "fires" of judgment.

ii. So, a bronze serpent does speak of sin, but of sin judged. In the same way Jesus, who knew no sin became sin for us on the cross, and our sin was judged in Him. A bronze serpent is a picture of sin judged and dealt with.

iii. We would have wanted to diminish our sense of sin, and put the image of a man up on the pole. Our image of man might represent "both good and bad" in man. But a serpent is more apparently sinful, and shows us our true nature and true need of salvation.

iv. In addition, if the serpent lay horizontally on the vertical pole, it is easy to see how this also was a visual representation of the cross. However, many traditions show the serpent being wrapped around the pole, and this is the source for the ancient figure of healing and medicine - a serpent, wrapped around a pole.

v. In the Numbers 21:4-9 account, the people were saved not by doinganything, but by simply looking to the bronze serpent. They had to trust that something as seemingly foolish as looking at such a thing would be sufficient to save them, and surely, some perished because they thought it too foolish to do such a thing.

vi. As it says in Isaiah 45:22: Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. We might be willing to do a hundred things to earn our salvation, but God commands us to only trust in Him - to look to Him.

b. Remember that even though Jesus bore our sins, He never became a sinner. Even His becoming sin for us was a holy, righteous, act of love. Jesus remained the Holy One throughout the entire ordeal of the cross.

c. Lifted up is a term later used to describe both Jesus' crucifixion (John 12:32) and His ascension (Acts 2:33). Both meanings are in view, His suffering andexaltation. Jesus was lifted up in both ways.

d. Should not perish but have eternal life: The idea behind eternal lifemeans much more than a long or never ending life. Eternal life does not mean that we live the life of fallen humanity, we just live it forever. Instead, eternal lifealso has the idea of a certain quality of life, of God's kind of life. It is the kind of life enjoyed in eternity.

6. (16-21) God's gift of salvation and sin's condemnation.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

a. For God so loved the world: John 3:16 has long been celebrated as a powerful, succinct, declaration of the gospel. Of the 31,373 verses in the Bible, it may be the most popular single verse used in evangelism.

i. We learn the object of God's love: For God so loved the world. God did not wait for the world to turn to Him before He loved the world. He loved and gave His only begotten Son to the world when it was still the world!

ii. We learn the expression and the gift of God's love: He gave His only begotten Son. God's love didn't just feel for the plight of a fallen world. Goddid something about it, and He gave the most precious thing to give: His only begotten Son.

iii. We learn the recipient of God's love: Whoever believes in Him. God loves the world, but the world does not receive or benefit from that love until it believes in Jesus, the gift that the Father gave. Believes in means much more than intellectual awareness or agreement. It means to trust in, to rely on, and to cling to.

iv. We learn the intention of God's love: Should not perish. God's loveactually saves man from eternal destruction. God looks at fallen humanity, does not want it to perish, and so in His love He extends the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.

v. We learn the duration of God's love: Everlasting life. The love we receive among people may fade or turn, but God's love will never change. He will never stop loving His people, even unto the furthest distance of eternity.

b. The Seven Wonders of John 3:16.

God The Almighty Authority
So loved the world The Mightiest Motive
That He gave His only begotten Son The Greatest Gift
That whoever The Widest Welcome
Believes in Him The Easiest Escape
Should not perish The Divine Deliverance
But have everlasting life The Priceless Possession
c. What Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:7 (You must be born again) refuted the popular Jewish idea of the way to salvation. Now Jesus refutes the popular Jewish idea of the scope of salvation is refuted: for God so loved the world.

i. The Jews of that day rarely thought that God loved the world. They thought that God only loved. The universal offer of salvation and life in Jesus was absolutely revolutionary.

d. This is the condemnation: Jesus came to bring salvation, but those who reject that salvation condemn themselves. We never need to leave the reasonfor anyone's condemnation at God's door. The responsibility is theirs alone.

e. Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil: What keeps people from belief in Jesus and salvation? It is sin, or is it unbelief? Really it is both, because people will not believe because they love their sin.

i. This cuts right through many of the "intellectual" excuses or dishonest doubts some proclaim. Many opponents of Christianity have a vested interested in fighting against the truth of Jesus, because they love their sin and don't want to face it, or face a God who will judge their sin.

ii. When we think of the love of sin that sends people to hell, we often other think of notorious sin. But the simple demand to be lord of my own life is enough of a sin to deserve condemnation before God.

f. Everyone practicing evil hates the light: How do people hate the light of God's truth? Some express their hatred by actively fighting against it, and others express their hatred by ignoring God's truth - by saying to Jesus "You are not worth my time."

B. John the Baptist's final testimony about Jesus.

1. (22-30) John puts Jesus in the preeminent place.

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. For John had not yet been thrown into prison. Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification. 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!" John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him. ' 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. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease."

a. All are coming to Him! John's disciples seem alarmed, but it didn't bother John one bit. John would not allow envy or the fickle crowds make him forget his mission: to announce that the Messiah had come, and then to step back.

b. The friend of the bridegroom: John is the "best man" at the "wedding" between Jesus and Jesus' followers. In the Jewish wedding customs of that day, the friend of the bridegroom arranged many of the details of the wedding and brought the bride to the groom.

c. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled: John the Baptist lost his congregation - and he was happy about it! John was happy because he lost his congregation to Jesus.

d. He must increase, but I must decrease: This should be the motto of every Christian, especially leaders among God's people. Jesus should become greater and more visible, and the servant should become less and less visible.

2. (31-36) John's testimony about Jesus.

"He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

a. He who comes from above: John wants everyone to know where Jesus came from. Jesus is different from everyone else because He came from heaven. Not only is Jesus different, but He who comes from heaven is above all - Jesus is greater than everyone else.

b. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God: Jesus is a uniquely reliable revelation, because He has the Holy Spirit without measure, in contrast to the previous prophets.

c. He who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him: Because Jesus is the man from heaven, there is a heavy price to pay for rejecting Him. If you reject the Son, then you receive the wrath.

i. The wrath of God: "The word does not mean a sudden gust of passion or a burst of temper. Rather, it is the settled displeasure of God against sin. It is the divine allergy to moral evil, the reaction of righteousness to unrighteousness. " (Tenney)

d. The wrath of God abides: It abides in this world, because there is there is no "statute of limitations" on sin. It abides into the next world, because those who reject Jesus cannot offer a perfect sacrifice acceptable to God. The wrath of God abides until it is satisfied by receiving the perfect payment Jesus made on the cross.

3. We might say that John 3 is a "must read" chapter of the Bible. There are three prominent "musts" in John 3.

- The Sinner's must: you must be born again (John 3:7).
- The Savior's must: so must the Son of Man be lifted up (John 3:14).
- The Sovereign's must: He must increase (John 3:30).
- The Servant's must: I must decrease (John 3:3
 
John 4

A. The Samaritan woman.

1. (1-4) Jesus travels from Judea to Galilee, passing though Samaria.

Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria.

a. When the Lord knew … He left Judea: The time was not yet right for a confrontation in Jerusalem, so Jesus returned to Galilee.

b. He needed to go through Samaria: Although the road through Samaria was the shortest route to Galilee, pious Jews avoided it. They avoided it because there was a deep distrust and dislike between Jews and Samaritans.

i. When the southern kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Babylonians, they took almost every captive, exiling them to the Babylonian Empire. All they left behind were the lowest classes of society, because they didn't want "that type" in Babylonia. These that were left behind intermarried with other peoples who slowly came into the region, and the Samaritans emerged as an ethnic and religious group.

ii. Because the Samaritans had a historical connection to the people of Israel, their faith was a combination of law and ritual from the Law of Moses, and various superstitions. Most Jews in Jesus' time despised the Samaritans, even more than Gentiles - because they were, religiously speaking, "half-breeds" who had a eclectic, mongrel faith.

iii. Why must Jesus go through Samaria? Because there were people there who needed to hear Him.

2. (5-9) Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well.

So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink. " For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

a. Being wearied from His journey: John records Jesus' weariness. He genuinely submitted to our human limitations.

b. It was about the sixth hour: This woman came for water at an unusual hour and alone. Typically, women came for water earlier in the day and in groups. Perhaps there was a sudden need, or perhaps she was a social outcast.

c. Jesus said to her: By tradition, a rabbi would not speak with a woman in public, even his own wife. It was also very unusual for a Jewish person of that time to ask a favor or accept a drink from a Samaritan's cup. Jesus' request genuinely surprised the woman.

d. How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me: Immediately, the woman was impressed by the friendliness of Jesus. This was probably the first time she had ever heard a a kind greeting from a Jewish man.

3. (10-15) Jesus interests the woman in living water.

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. " The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. " The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

a. If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, "Give Me a drink": Jesus draws the woman into conversation, making her curious about the things of God (the gift of God), about who Jesus is (who it is who says to you), and about what He can give her (He would have given you living water).

b. Living water: In ancient times, they called spring water living water because it seemed "alive" as it bubbled up from the ground. At first glance, it might seem that Jesus tells this woman about a nearby active spring. But Jesus makes a play on words with the phrase "living water," because He means the spiritual water that quenches our spiritual thirst and gives life.

c. Are you greater than our father Jacob: It is hard to tell if the woman asks a sincere question, or if she is a cynical critic. All depends on the tone of her voice; but she does come to belief at the end.

4. (16-26) Jesus directs her from her sinful life to true worship.

Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here. " The woman answered and said, "I have no husband. " Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly. " The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship. " Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. " The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things. " Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He. "

a. You have had five husbands: Jesus used supernatural knowledge in ministering to this woman. We should all be guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit when we share with others.

b. And the one whom you now have is not your husband: Why did Jesus bring up such an embarrassing issue? Because the issue of her sinful life must be confronted. This woman had to decide what she loved more: her sin or the Messiah?

c. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain: In bringing this issue up, it seems that the woman is evading the issue with her reply. It is possible that this was a genuine source of confusion and a stumbling block to her, but it is more likely that this simply was an evasion.

i. If she offered an argument here, Jesus didn't take the bait. Jesus was more interested in winning a soul than in winning an argument.

d. You worship what you do not know: The Samaritans believed that Moses commissioned an altar on Mount Gerazim, the mountain of blessing - this was their justification of they system of worship on that mountain. But like all faith that try to combine elements of different religions, they worship what theydo not know.

e. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth: Jesus establishes the basis for true worship: it is not of places and trappings, but in spirit and in truth.

i. To worship in spirit means you are concerned with the spiritual realities, not outward sacrifices, cleansings and trappings.

ii. To worship in truth means you worship according to the whole council of God's word, especially in light of the New Testament revelation.

f. I who speak to you am He: Though this woman was a sinner, Jesus revealed Himself to her. Jesus reveals Himself to sinners.

5. (27-38) The woman tells her neighbors; Jesus teaches His disciples.

And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?" The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" Then they went out of the city and came to Him. In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat. " But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know. " Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Himanything to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps. ' I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."

a. My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me: Jesus was right. There is nothing more satisfying than doing the work of God.

b. Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! The disciples can now reap a harvest immediately, and they reap it from seeds they didn't sow.

i. Jesus sowed the seeds, and they had the opportunity to reap. Many times, this is how the work of God happens - one sows, and another reaps (1 Corinthians 3:6-8).

6. (39-42) Many Samaritans believe on the Savior of the world.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did. " So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

a. He told me all that I ever did: The woman was amazed not only that Jesus knew the facts of her life, but that He loved her knowing the facts of her life. We sometimes fear that if someone knew all that I ever did, they could not love us - but Jesus loved this woman.

b. We know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world: The people of this Samaritan village came to faith in Jesus as the Christ. John's implied question to the reader is, "So what do you think of Jesus?"

B. Healing of the nobleman's son: the second sign.

1. (43-48) Jesus comes to Galilee and is greeted by a request.

Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast. So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."

a. A prophet has no honor in his own country: Galilee was Jesus' country - where He grew up. Because these people felt so familiar with Jesus, they did not honor Him the way they should have. In this we recognize that they really were not familiar with Jesus; if they were, they would have honored Him all the more.

i. There is such a thing as a false familiarity with Jesus; a dangerous feeling that we know all about Him. Such a dangerous feeling leads to a lack ofhonor towards Jesus.

b. Having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast: It was customary for the Jews in Galilee to go to Jerusalem for the feasts (fulfillingExodus 23:14-17). This particular time they remembered all that Jesus had done in Jerusalem.

i. What did Jesus do that they remembered? His turning of the merchant's tables in the outer courts of the temple (John 2:13-17). Jesus predicted His own miraculous resurrection (John 2:18-22). Also, Jesus performed many other unspecified signs during this time in Jerusalem (John 2:23-25).

c. Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe: Jesus rebukes those who depend on signs and wonders before they will believe. It might seem that Jesus was harsh towards this man who wanted his son healed, but He encountered many in Galilee who were only interested in His miracles - He therefore questions this man accordingly.

i. Signs and wonders can lead a person towards belief in God, and can validate a heavenly messenger - but they can also have no effect on a person, and Satan can also use lying signs and wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9).

ii. Signs and wonders from God are obviously good things, but they should not form the foundation of our faith. We should not depend on them to "prove" God to us. In themselves, signs and wonders cannot change the heart; Israel saw incredible signs at Mount Sinai and even heard the very voice of God (Exodus 19:16-20:1), yet a short time later they worshipped a gold calf (Exodus 32:1-6).

2. (49-54) Jesus heals the nobleman's son.

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!" Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives. " So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!" Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. " So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives. " And he himself believed, and his whole household. This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

a. Sir, come down before my child dies! The nobleman's plea comes from deep need, but did he ask in light of what Jesus said in John 4:48? It is as if He perfectly understood what Jesus just said was not meant to discourage signs and wonders in themselves, but to discourage a carnal dependence on them.

i. He was a nobleman, a man of high standing and stature. How little all his standing and stature seemed to be when he was at his point of need. Sometimes Jesus brings us low so we will come to Him with this kind of deep need, and find that the ground is all level at the cross.

b. Go your way; your son lives: Jesus severely tested this man's faith, forcing him to believe in Jesus' word alone. But the man took Jesus at His word and departed (NIV). All Jesus gave him to trust in was His word, but real faith is simply that - taking Jesus at His word. What difference would it make in our lives if we really believed what Jesus says?

c. Your son lives: Why didn't Jesus use any dramatic effects in this healing? Many long to see dramatic effects in God's work; and sometimes God provides them. But to real faith, they are not necessary.

i. Many times, dramatic effects in healing spur weak and ignorant faith; a mature faith does not need them.

d. And he himself believed, and his whole household: The miraculous power of Jesus developed greater faith.

i. And he himself believed: Didn't this man believe before? Of course he did, but now his faith is deepened by his personal experience of God's power. His previous faith and God's work led to more faith. We can take God's past blessing as a promise of future blessing.

ii. It is essential that we believe God if we want to see His work done. There are definitely some people who are not healed or blessed simply because they lack faith.

e. And his whole household: The whole group was touched by this nobleman's faith and God's power working through it. It is wonderful that these Jews from the region of Galilee believe; but they would not unless Jesus performed signs, and they were slow to believe even then.

i. These Jewish Galileans pale in comparison to the despised Samaritans who believed on Jesus without a sign - they believed at His word (John 4:39-42).

ii. This is the second sign. All of them are given that we might believe (John 20:30-31), and it isn't hard to see how this miracle specifically builds our faith.
 
My pleasure, more than happy to share.


John 5

A HEALING AND A DISCOURSE
A. Jesus heals a man at the pool of Bethesda.

1. (1-4) The pool of Bethesda.

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.

a. A feast of the Jews: We don't know what feast this was, but it was probably one of the major three feasts in which attendance was required.

i. The debate centers on if this was Passover, Pentecost, or Purim. If it was a Passover, then we can date four Passovers in Jesus' ministry and we know it lasted about 3½ years.

b. A pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda: This pool has been excavated in the area just north of the temple mount, and found to have five porches, just as John says. It is also right next to a church from the crusader period that has fabulous acoustics.

c. For an angel went down … whoever stepped in first … was made well: Perhaps this hope of healing was real, and God honored a release of faith. Or, it may be that this was merely a hopeful legend; nevertheless, a great multitude of sick people believed it.

i. There are many unusual occasions healing in the Bible:

- The purified pot of stew (2 Kings 4:38-41)
- The healing of Naaman by washing in the Jordan River (2 Kings 5:10-14)
- The healing of the man who touched the bones of Elisha (2 Kings 13:20-21)
- Healing of those who have the shadow of Peter upon them (Acts 5:14-16)
- The healing of those who have Paul's handkerchiefs upon them (Acts 19:11-12)
ii. God can and does do things in unexpected ways. But something isn't necessarily from God simply because it is unexpected or unusual.

2. (5-6) Jesus questions a lame man.

Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"

a. Do you want to be made well? His question may seem rhetorical, but Jesus knew that not every sick person wants to be healed, and that some are so discouraged that they put away all hope. Jesus is dealing with a man who may have his heart withered as well as his legs. Jesus builds the faith of this man.

i. Do you want to be made well: Jesus asked this same kind question on three other occasions. He asked it when John and James asked, through their mother, to be "top guys" in Jesus' administration (Matthew 20:21,Mark 10:36); when two blind men cried out to be healed (Matthew 20:32,Mark 10:51, Luke 18:41); and when Jesus invited His disciples to come follow Him (John 1:38).

ii. This is an entirely fair question. So much of our petition and intercession before God is hampered because we have so little idea of what we really want.

b. It is reasonable to wonder if this man really wanted to be healed. One commentator points out: "An eastern beggar often loses a good living by being cured of his disease."

i. As bad as our current situation is, at least we are familiar with it. We know it. It won't surprise us. We can be more comfortable in our present misery than taking the steps we need to be free.

ii. For example, there are some women who on the one hand desperately want their husbands to be saved - yet on the other hand, they dread the idea because they know it would bring so many changes into their relationship.

iii. In 1993, it was reported that a small order of Franciscan nuns in Prague decided to subsidize their convent by opening the downstairs of their facility - formerly an underground detention center used by the Communists to imprison and torture their enemies - as a hotel. For $33 a night, you could stay in a former prison cell. The proprietors say they try to achieve a middle ground between comfort and authenticity in the "hotel. " Many people are really looking for just that - a comfortable prison cell.

3. (7-9) The man replies and Jesus heals him.

The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me. " Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk. " And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.

a. Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool: The man's answer is basically, "Yes, I want to be made well, but I don't see how this can happen."

i. Calvin speaks well of his response: "The sick man does what we nearly all do. He limits God's help to his own ideas and does not dare promise himself more that he conceives in his mind."

ii. J. B. Phillips wrote a famous book about this problem, titled Your God is too Small. For many of us, we create a small God in our heads, a God who is limited by whatever "box" we try to put God into.

b. Rise, take up your bed and walk: In this miracle, Jesus does it all. In this case, He could not say to this man what He said on some other occasions: your faith has made you whole (Matthew 9:22), because Jesus took the initiative. This shows us that the New Testament describes many different ways people may be healed.

i. The elders of the church can anoint someone with oil, pray for them, and they may be healed (James 5:14-16).

ii. God's people can lay hands on each other in prayer, ask God for healing, and people may be healed (Mark 16:17-18).

iii. God may grant someone a gift of healing - either that they are directly healed, or have the power to minister healing to another (1 Corinthians 12:9).

iv. God may grant healing in response to the faith of the person who desires to be healed (Matthew 9:22).

v. God may grant healing in response to the faith of another on behalf of the person who is healed (Mark 2:4-5, Matthew 8:13).

vi. God may heal through medical treatment (1 Timothy 5:23, James 5:14with Luke 10:34).

vii. But in this case, none of these methods involving human participation are used. Sometimes God just sovereignly heals. He takes the initiative, He does the work.

c. Why did Jesus choose this man to heal? Why did Jesus not heal the others there who were sick or crippled? God's ways in such matters are often past our finding out, but perhaps Jesus used a real man and a real healing to paint a picture for us. From the days of the early church, some Christians saw an allegorical purpose in this account. In the thinking of some Christians:

- The man represents Israel
- The five porches represent the law
- The 38 years represent the time of Israel's wilderness wanderings
- The waters represent baptism
i. In this thinking, the allegory might go like this: "All Israel waited for the Messiah, amidst the law. They were afflicted for thirty-eight years and could not enter the Promised Land. With the waters of baptism nearby, Jesus came and brought salvation to Israel."

ii. In early Christian art, a man emerging from baptism was often shown carrying a bed on his back.

B. The Sabbath controversy.

1. (10-13) The Jews ignore the miracle and take offense.

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed. " He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk. '" Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?" But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.

a. The Jews therefore said: Throughout his gospel, John uses the term "the Jews" in the sense of the Jewish leaders, not every Jew in Jerusalem.

b. It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed: Carrying abed (actually a sleeping-mat or a bedroll) was in fact a violation of the rabbis' interpretation of the commandment against doing work or business on the Sabbath. It was not a breaking of God's law of the Sabbath, but the human interpretation of God's law.

i. This devotion to the rabbis' interpretation of the Sabbath law still goes on today. An April, 1992 news item: Tenants let three apartments in an Orthodox neighborhood in Israel burn to the ground while they asked a rabbi whether a telephone call to the fire department on the Sabbath would violate Jewish law. Observant Jews are forbidden to use the phone on the Sabbath, because doing so would break an electrical current, which is considered a form of work. In the half-hour it took the rabbi to decide "yes," the fire spread to two neighboring apartments.

c. Who is the Man who said to you, "Take up your bed and walk"? The Jewish leaders didn't want to know who healed the crippled man. They wanted to know who told him to carry a bedroll on the Sabbath day.

2. (14-15) Jesus warns the healed man of a greater danger.

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you. " The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

a. Afterward Jesus found him: Jesus found him because He was concerned for his spiritual health (sin no more lest a worse thing come upon you), not just his physical health. Living a life of sin is worse, and will bring a worse result, than being crippled for thirty-eight years.

b. The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus: We might deride this man as a notorious tattletale, but his violation of the Sabbath tradition could be punished by excommunication or death.

3. (16-18) Jesus defends His Sabbath actions.

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working. " Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

a. And sought to kill Him: The anger and hatred of the Jews is hard to explain, apart from seeing that it has a real spiritual root. They don't like Jesus, and therefore they don't like God the Father (but also said that God was His Father).

i. The absolute devotion to the traditions of man surrounding the Sabbath can't be understated. For example, Deuteronomy 23:12-14 tells Israel to practice good sanitation when their armies are camped. Ancient rabbis applied the same principle to the city of Jerusalem, which they regarded as "the camp of the Lord. " When this was combined with Sabbath travel restrictions, it resulted in a prohibition against going to the bathroom on the Sabbath.

b. My Father has been working until now, and I have been working: In our terminology, Jesus would say: "My Father works on the Sabbath, and so do I. " By this Jesus makes it clear that He is equal to God the Father, and reminds us that God doesn't take holidays.

i. This answers the objection raised by a hostile (and ignorant) critic of Christianity. I saw this statement written in an anti-Christian tract: Just say "no!" to a god who claims to be all powerful, but then requires a nap after only six days of creating (Genesis 2:2). This objection betrays the lack of understanding on behalf of the writer. The Bible clearly says that God does not need sleep or rest (Psalm 121:3-4, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep). The rest of God on the seventh day was given for man's benefit, not God's, demonstrating a pattern of rest necessary for man's well being.

c. But also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God: This bold claim to deity was not missed by the enemies of Jesus. They knew clearly that when Jesus said that God was His Father in this unique way, He declared Himself equal with God.

i. Augustine wisely said of this passage: "Behold, the Jews understand what the Arians do not understand. " Today, Jehovah's Witnesses are among those that hold the doctrines of the Arians, denying the deity of Jesus.

C. Jesus explains His relationship to the Father.

1. (19-23) The works of the Son.

Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him."

a. The Son can do nothing of Himself: Jesus, God the Son, does nothing independently. He is fully submitted to the Father's will. But this submission comes by choice, not by coercion or by an inferior nature.

b. The Father loves the Son: The relationship between the First and Second members of the Trinity is not one of master and slave, or not of employer and employee, but of Father and Son, united by love.

c. Even so the Son gives life to whom He will: The Son has the same power as the Father, including the power to raise the dead.

d. But has committed all judgment to the Son: The Son has the same authority as the Father, including the authority to judge all. This is a prerogative of God only, and another demonstration of the deity of Jesus.

e. That all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father: This is a further claim to deity. If the Son were not God, then it would be wrong to honor the Son just as they honor the Father. It also means that if we do not honor the Son, we do not really honor the Father either.

i. "Jesus claims the same right to worship from men that the Father has. " (A. T. Robertson)

ii. There are many groups that pretend to honor God but they dishonor Jesus, who is the perfect revelation of God the Father. In this, they demonstrate that they do not honor God the Father at all.

3. (24-30) Jesus: power in submission.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."

a. He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life: Jesus lifts Himself far about the level of any mere man. Think of it: "Hear My word and have everlasting life. " This is either the babbling of an insane man or the words of God Himself. There is no neutral ground to be found here.

b. Life in Himself: None of us has life inherent in ourselves. Our life is derived from our parents, and the fragile environment around us. Jesus claimed that His life was derived from no one; it is inherent and uncreated. Theologians call this quality of self-existence aseity and recognize that God alone possesses it.

i. As Jesus explains His deity to the Jews in this chapter, it is evident that He did not claim identity with the Father as one person, but asserted His equality to God the Father and His relationship of love with the Father. Jesus and the Father are not the same, but they are equal, just as John 1:1demonstrates.

ii. In this, He counters both the "Jesus Only" doctrine which confuses the Father and the Son (anciently known as Sabellianism, and held today by groups like Oneness Pentecostals). He also counters the "Jesus is not God" doctrine (anciently known as Arianism, and held today by groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses).

c. Those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation: What a chilling thought! Even as those who embrace Jesus will need resurrection bodies to enjoy the glories of heaven, so those who reject Him will need resurrection bodies to endure the terrors of Hell.

d. My judgment is righteous: Jesus is qualified as a completely righteous judge, because His power is in submission: I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge.

D. The three-fold witness to who Jesus is.

1. (31-32) Self-testimony was not reliable in a court of law; but Jesus has far more than His own testimony regarding who He is.

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true."

a. If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true: This principle is established by Deuteronomy 19:15, which says by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. Jesus has just told the Jews that He is God, but His testimony alone is not enough.

b. There is another who bears witness of Me: In the following passage, Jesus calls forth three absolutely credible witnesses who will testify that He is equal to the Father. But these enemies of Jesus will reject these witnesses and their testimony.

2. (33-35) The witness of John the Baptist.

"You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light."

a. He was the bright and shining lamp: John was a true witness of Jesus, but the religious leaders did not receive the testimony of John the Baptist regarding the identity of Jesus.

3. (36) The witness of the works of Jesus.

"But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish; the very works that I do; bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me."

a. A greater witness than John's … the very works that I do: Every aspect of the works of Jesus testified to the deity of Jesus.

b. The very works that I do; bear witness of Me: The majority of the miraculous works of Jesus were simple acts of compassion and mercy, done for simple, needy people. In this, these works … bear witness to the heart of God. The Jews looked for a miraculous Messiah, but they did not look for One who would express His miraculous power in simple acts of compassion and mercy. They wanted a Messiah to use miraculous power to bring political deliverance to Israel.

i. Because Jesus' miraculous works didn't fit in with what they thought the Messiah would do, they didn't receive this witness of Jesus' works.

4. (37-38) The witness of the Father.

"And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe."

a. The Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me: When did God the Father testify to Jesus? In virtually every work and word of Jesus, God the Father testified to Jesus status as the Son of God. But specifically, the Father testified of the Son in Old Testament prophecy, and at the baptism of Jesus (Luke 3:22).

b. But you do not have His word abiding in you: They will not receive the testimony of the Father, because they do not have His word abiding in them. They can't hear God the Father audibly, or see Him, but they have His word. They are guilty because they do not abide in the word that God gave them.

5. (39) They reject the testimony of the Father through the Scriptures.

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me."

a. You search the Scriptures: It is the Scriptures (here used in the sense of the Old Testament) which speak of Jesus. Significantly, they searched the Scriptures, but they did not have His word abiding in them. We can know the Bible without having His word live in us.

6. (40-44) The reason for their unbelief.

"But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?"

a. But you are not willing to come to Me: They are not willing, and they arenot willing because they don't have God's love. They are concerned with man'shonor, not the honor that comes from God (do not seek the honor that comes from the only God).

b. That you do not have the love of God in you: We see that these reasons essentially have to do with the heart, not with the mind. People like this may hide behind intellectual excuses, but the bottom line is that they have a heart problem with Jesus, not a head problem.

c. If another comes in his own name, him you will receive: Here, Jesus prophesies the coming day when the Jewish people will, for a time, embrace the Antichrist who comes in his own name. Anytime a person rejects Jesus, it leaves them open to tremendous deception.

7. (45-47) They reject the testimony of the Father through Moses.

"Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you; Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

a. If you believed Moses, you would believe Me: These religious leaders rejected Jesus because they rejected God's word through Moses. Mosesaccuses them, because Moses wrote about Jesus and they won't receive the testimony of Moses.

b. For he wrote about Me: Where did Moses write about Jesus? In many pages, but here are a few:

i. The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear. (Deuteronomy 18:15)

ii. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live. " So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.(Numbers 21:8-9)

iii. Jesus was typified in the rock that gave Israel water in the wilderness (Numbers 20:8-12 and 1 Corinthians 10:4).

iv. The ministry of Jesus was shown in almost every aspect of the seven different kinds of offering that God commanded Israel to bring (Leviticus 1-7).

v. Jesus and His ministry were shown in the Tabernacle and its service. One place where the New Testament makes this connection is with the wordpropitiation in Romans 3:25, which speaks of the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant.

vi. The law of the bondservant speaks of Jesus (Exodus 21:5-6 andPsalm 40:6-8).

vii. No wonder Jesus could say Behold, I come; in the scroll of the Book it is written of Me (Psalm 40:7). He could teach a Bible study where beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:27)
 
John 6

THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN
A. Preparation for the miracle.

1. (1-4) A crowd gathers to Jesus near the Sea of Galilee.

After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.

a. Then a great multitude followed Him: In this miracle, Jesus went out to a deserted place to be alone (Luke 9:10), yet the crowds followed Him there. In spite of this imposition, Jesus still ministered to the multitude with great compassion.

b. They saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased:Luke 9:11 tells us that Jesus also taught this multitude, something that John doesn't specifically mention.

c. The Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near: John is the only one of the four gospel writers (all four describe this miracle) who tells us this took place near the time of the Passover. Perhaps this great multitude was made up of Galilean pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem.

i. Passover is associated with the Exodus and God's sustenance of Israel in the wilderness. Jesus will sustain this multitude in their small "wilderness" with bread from heaven - both literally and spiritually.

2. (5-7) Jesus asks Philip a question.

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."

a. Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat? Why did Jesus ask Philip this question? Maybe because he was from Bethsaida (John 1:44) and this is near where this miracle took place (Luke 9:10).

b. He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do: Jesus also lets His followers participate in the work of the Kingdom, even when He has things planned out.

c. Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient: Their problem is in two parts. First, they don't have the resources to feed the multitude. Second, even if they did have the money it would be impossible to purchase enough bread to feed them all.

d. Philip's knowledge of the situation was accurate and impressive (two hundred denarii is more than six month's wages), but his knowledge was useless in getting the problem solved.

i. Philip thought in terms of money; and how much money it would take to carry out God's work in a small way (every one of them may have a little). We often limit God the same way, looking for how God's work can be done in the smallest way.

3. (8-9) Andrew's help.

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"

a. Five barley loaves: Barley was always regarded as simple fare, more often fit for animals than for men. In the Talmud, there is a passage where one man says, "There is a fine crop of barley" and another man answers, "Tell it to the horses and donkeys."

b. What are they among so many? There isn't much to work with here, but God doesn't need much. "Small things are not always contemptible. It all depends on the hands in which they are. " (Taylor)

i. In fact, God doesn't need any help - but He often deliberately restrains His work until He has our participation.

B. The five thousand are fed.

1. (10) Jesus commands the group to sit down.

Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down. " Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

a. Make the people sit down: Jesus here takes authority as the Lord; as a loving shepherd, He makes His "sheep" to lie down on green pastures. He fulfillsPsalm 23:1-2: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

b. The men sat down, in number about five thousand: Jesus administered everything in an orderly way. Creation shows us that God is a God of order and organization.

2. (11) The five thousand are fed.

And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

a. Jesus took the loaves … He distributed them to the disciples: The miracle resided in the hands of Jesus, not in the distribution. Little is much in His hands.

b. Bread comes from grain, which has the power of multiplication and reproduction within itself. But when it is made into bread, the grain is crushed, making it "dead" - no one ever multiplied wheat by planting flour. But Jesus can bring life from death.

3. (12-13) Gathering up the fragments of the feast.

So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost. " Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

a. Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost: The disciples gathered the leftovers at the command of Jesus. Jesus is generous, but not wasteful.

b. Should the disciples have anticipated what Jesus could do, or should do in this situation? There was enough evidence both in the Old Testament and in what Jesus had already done to give them a confident expectation of what Jesus would do here.

i. Old Testament passages warn against doubting God's provision: Yes, they spoke against God: They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?"(Psalm 78:19) 2 Kings 4:38-34 is an example of God multiplying barley loaves, though this is on a much greater scale.

ii. Yet, Jesus used His disciples even though they did not understand - they got to participate in the miracle.

iii. Jesus demonstrated to them the giving character of God - the same character God desires to build within us. Proverbs 11:24 says, There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. This bread was multiplied as it was "scattered."

C. The reaction to the miracle.

1. (14) Jesus as the Prophet predicted by Moses.

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."

a. Truly this is the Prophet: The Prophet they expected was predicted by Moses: The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear. (Deuteronomy 18:15)

b. When they had seen the sign that Jesus did: The way Jesus provided bread in the wilderness reminded those men of Moses in the wilderness, and his promise of a coming Prophet. It is true that Moses provided bread in the wilderness; so does Jesus. But Jesus goes on to explain that He is far more than a new Moses.

2. (15) The people attempt to make Jesus their earthly king.

Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

a. They were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king: This miracle really impressed the crowd and fueled their revolutionary hopes. But Jesus refused to further His kingdom this way. Instead, He departed again to a mountain by Himself alone. Jesus was more interested in being with His Father in heaven than in hearing the applause of the crowd.

b. They wanted to make Jesus king because they thought He was the Messiah they wanted. The Jews expected that when the Messiah came, He would renew the giving of manna. This crowd was willing to support Jesus so long as He gave them what they wanted - bread.

c. Make Him king: This was a political title. The crowd was willing to support Jesus because they wanted to use Him to throw off the yoke of Roman oppression.

D. Jesus walks on the water.

1. (16-17) The disciples go out on the Sea of Galilee.

Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.

a. His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat: Matthew and Mark tell us that Jesus made His disciples get into the boat (Mark 6:45). He knew exactly what He was doing when He put them into this boat on the Sea of Galilee at this time.

b. It was already dark: Several of the disciples were fishermen, all accustomed to fishing on this very lake. It didn't bother them at all that they would be rowing across the lake at night

2. (18) The wind disrupts their efforts to cross the Sea.

Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.

a. Then the sea arose: The wind alone was bad enough, but the wind also whipped up the waters, making for troublesome seas.

b. In the first storm (Matthew 8:24), Jesus was present with them in the boat. But in this storm, He asks them to trust his unseen care and concern for them.

c. In Mark 6:48 we read that Jesus watched the disciples as they rowed across the lake. His eye was on them all the time.

3. (19) Jesus comes to His disciples, walking on the water.

So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.

a. When they had rowed about three or four miles: We don't sense the same fear in the disciples as with the first time Jesus calmed the seas. Here they seem simply frustrated, because they are doing what Jesus told them to do, but it is so hard, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

b. Their frustration is evident in their lack of progress. Matthew 14:25 tells us that this happened in the fourth watch of the night, sometime between three and six in the morning. So, they rowed hard for perhaps six to eight hours, and had only come a little more than half way across the lake (three or four miles).

i. We so often feel that when we are doing the work of Jesus, it should be easy. After all, isn't God helping us? But sometimes, God tells us to do something and allows it to be hard as we do it.

c. They saw Jesus walking on the sea … and they were afraid: Mark 6:49-50tells us the disciples were afraid because they thought Jesus, walking on the water, was a ghost or a spirit.

d. If anything, the disciples were not ready for any kind of supernatural help. The knew what Jesus commanded them to do, they set out to do it, but without any help from the Lord. So they are surprised, even afraid, to see supernatural help on the way.

i. This is a perfect picture of us when we try to do God's will, but do it our way without seeking and relying on God's help.

e. Jesus provided reminders for them of His supernatural help. Undoubtedly, they took with them at least some of the twelve baskets of leftover bread (John 6:13), yet they were still shocked when the supernatural help came.

4. (20) The calming words of Jesus.

But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."

a. It is I; do not be afraid: For Jesus, it was enough to announce His presence. He came to bring supernatural help and comfort to His people.

i. Jesus wouldn't turn a stone into bread to satisfy His own hunger, but he would multiply loaves and fishes to feed a hungry multitude. Jesus wouldn't cast Himself off the pinnacle of the temple to glorify Himself, but he would walk on the water to bring comfort to His disciples.

b. God's presence is all that we need, and we should expect it, though not in a way that we would necessarily expect.

c. We know from Matthew that after this, Peter asked Jesus if he could come out and walk on the water.

5. (21) Jesus brings them to their destination.

Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

a. Immediately the boat was at the land where they were going: Jesus, bringing His supernatural help, was able to miraculously overcome every obstacle that frustrated the disciples.

b. Jesus rescues the disciples from futility. Jesus wants us to work hard; but He never wants us to work in futility. On this occasion He came to rescue the disciples from futility, not from fear.

i. The disciples were in this uncomfortable place because Jesus told them to cross the lake. We will face trials when we set out to do what Jesus tells us to do. Jesus knows this. He understands it. We should never be deceived into thinking that if we were really right with God, everything in life would be easy.

ii. All the time the disciples struggled, Jesus watched over them. He watches over us at all times, and prays for us even when He seems distant. Jesus knew exactly what was going on, and He was monitoring their progress across the lake. He saw them straining at rowing, yet let them work at it for a good long time.

c. In this miracle, Jesus reassured us at the precise point where they needed to be reassured. The disciples had just seen Jesus turn down an offer to be king; they might have thought that this was why He came and why they were following Him!

i. Despite that disappointment, Jesus came to them full of majesty and power, reminding them that He is still quite in charge even though He won't receive a king's throne based on popular opinion.

E. Jesus, the bread of life.

1. (22-27) Jesus responds to their first question: Rabbi, when did You come here?

On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone; however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks; when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

a. You seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled: They asked Jesus why He came, but Jesus didn't answer that question. Instead, He tells them why they came - because they wanted more "wonder bread" from Jesus.

i. They admired Jesus only because of what He gave them materially. They were not moved by full hearts, but by full - or empty - stomachs.

b. God the Father has set His seal on Him: A seal was a mark of ownership and a guarantee of the contents. They should have confidence in Jesus because God the Father has "guaranteed" Him.

2. (28-29) Jesus answers their second question: What shall we do, that we may work the works of God.

Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."

a. What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? Those who questioned Jesus seemed sure that if only Jesus told them what to do, they could please God by their works of God. For these people, as with many people today, salvation is found in the right formula for performing works that will please God.

b. This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent: Jesus first and foremost commands us not to do, but to trust. If we want to do the work of God, it begins with trusting Jesus.

i. How would you feel about a child that obeyed you perfectly but did not trust or love you? God wants our obedience to Him to grow out of a relationship of loving trust.

c. If the work God wants us to do is to believe in Him whom He sent, does it mean that God is unconcerned about what we do for Him? No, faith is not a substitute for works. Faith is the foundation for works that really please God.

3. (30-33) Jesus answers their third question: What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?

Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat. '" Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

a. Our fathers ate the manna in the desert: Jesus' questioners are trying to manipulate Him into providing daily bread for them, just as Israel had from God during the Exodus. They even know how to quote Scripture ("He gave them bread from heaven to eat", Psalm 105:40).

b. My Father gives you the true bread from heaven: It is as if Jesus is saying, "What other work will I do? This is the work: to give you the word of God and salvation in and through Me. This is the spiritual bread you must feast on to have life."

c. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven: Jesus is trying to lift their minds above earthly things on to heavenly realities - to an understanding that He is needed for spiritual sustenance, just as bread is necessary for physical survival.

4. (34-40) Jesus answers their fourth request: Lord, give us this bread always.

Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always. " And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

a. Give us this bread always: When we are hungry, we feel as though food will answer all our problems. It's the same way with almost all other practical difficulties we find ourselves in. Just as Jesus tried to lift their understanding above their material, physical needs, so we need to have our minds lifted.

b. I am the bread of life: In Jesus' answer, He tries to lift up their eyes from bread and on to spiritual realities. They need to put their confidence in Jesus instead of in bread.

c. Jesus is worthy of their confidence, because:

- He perfectly satisfies our spiritual hunger (He who comes to Me shall never hunger)
- He receives all who come to Him (All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out)
- He isn't interested in His own agenda, but His Father's (not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me)
- He will keep those who come to Him safe (all He has given Me I should lose nothing)
- The destiny of those who believe in Him is eternal life (everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life)
5. (41-46) Jesus explains why they reject Him.

The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven. " And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God. ' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father."

a. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him: The Jews thought that they were all chosen by God by virtue of their old birth. Jesus makes it clear that God must draw them before they can come to God. Everyone who responds to the Father will respond to the Son.

b. We like to feel as though we are in charge and that we give ourselves to God. In truth, He calls and we come. This understanding of God's initiative in salvation should makes us more confident in evangelism, knowing that God is drawing people, and we can expect to see those whom the Father draws come to Him.

6. (47-59) The true bread from heaven.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. " The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Mangive us His flesh to eat?" Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever. " These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

a. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever: Jesus spoke in a figure of speech. The metaphor of eating and drinking was common in Jesus' day, and pointed to a taking within one's innermost being.

i. Some have taken these words more literally, and applied them to communion. From this, the Eastern Orthodox practices the custom of infant communion. They believe infants will not be saved unless they partake in communion.

b. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead: The spiritual bread Jesus offers is even greater than the manna Israel ate in the wilderness, because "eating" the bread from heaven Jesus offers brings eternal life.

c. He who eats this bread will live forever: Jesus offers us heavenly bread for eternal life, but we must eat it. Faith in Jesus is not compared with tasting oradmiring, but with eating. We must dig in! Jesus says that we must have Him within us, and we must partake of Him.

i. Seeing a loaf of bread on a plate will not satisfy our hunger. Knowing the ingredients in the bread will not satisfy our hunger. Taking pictures of the bread will not satisfy our hunger. Telling other people about the bread will not satisfy our hunger. Selling the bread will not satisfy our hunger. Playing catch with the bread will not satisfy our hunger. Nothing will satisfy our hunger and bring us life except actually eating the bread. He who eats this bread will live forever.

7. (60-66) Many disciples turn away.

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 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 would betray Him. And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father. " From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

a. This is a hard saying: This refers to that which is hard to accept, not to what is hard to understand. No doubt, they did find Jesus' words somewhat mysterious, but it was the parts they did understand that were really disturbing.

i. Jesus was demanding a complete allegiance to Him, and demanding that everything else - including literal bread - be put in second place.

b. Does this offend you? Jesus didn't preach just to please His audience. If that was His concern, He would have instantly taken back what was just said, seeing His audience was offended. Jesus didn't take it back. He challenged and confronted them even more.

c. What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? Jesus is saying, "If all this has offended you, what will you think when you see Me in glory, and have to answer to Me in judgment?" Better to be offended now and to get over it, than to be offended then.

d. It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing: This could well be the "theme statement" for this whole discourse of Jesus. He continually calls us to put our heart and focus, on spiritual realities, not fleshly things.

e. Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father: Jesus rebuked their own, carnal, fleshly motivation in following Him. If they do not seek Him by the Spirit instead of seeking Him as a walking bakery, then they have not come to Him at all.

i. Of those who come to God in the flesh, as these came to Jesus, it can be said that they do not come to God at all. Instead, they are coming to a false god, a "gimmie" god. They do not come as it has been granted to him by My Father.

f. From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more: Once Jesus effectively discouraged every fleshly motive for following Him, many stopped following.

i. If we could do the same thing - effectively discourage every fleshly motive for following Jesus - how many would stop following Him in our churches today?

ii. Instead, many churches encourage people to follow Jesus for fleshly motives, promoting Jesus as a "product" to "fix" our life - just like bread will fix your hunger. But those who come to Jesus under such a sales and marketing approach will either come to God in Spirit and in truth, or it will be revealed that it was never been granted to him by My Father to follow after Jesus.

8. (67-71) The disciples stand as examples of willingness to follow even if they don't understand it all.

Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. " Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

a. Do you also want to go away? What a scene! Scores of disciples after the flesh leave Jesus, and He asks the twelve if they will go also. He searches the motives of all that follow Him, including the twelve.

b. Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life: Peter does much in the gospels to make us sigh; but here, as he speaks for the twelve, he shines brightly. His focus is where it should be - that Jesus has the words of eternal life, not "You have the bread that fills our stomachs."

i. If we have not come to the place where we look to God and say, "Where else would I go?" even in hard or confusing times, then we have not come very far with Jesus.

ii. It also reminds us that following Jesus, though at times hard, is preferred above every alternative. Following Jesus is the hardest way to live - except for all the others.

c. He spoke of Judas: The simple, spiritual devotion of the disciples to Jesus makes Judas' apostasy that much more horrible.
 
John 7

AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
A. Jesus goes up to Jerusalem in secret.

1. (1-5) The contempt of the brothers of Jesus for Him.

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world. " For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

a. He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him: It was not a lack of courage that made Jesus stay in Galilee, but an awareness of the Father's perfect timing - and it was not time yet.

b. The Feast of Tabernacles was a joyful, weeklong celebration, when families camped out in "booths" to remember God's faithfulness to Israel during the wilderness wanderings.

c. Go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that you are doing … If you do these things, show Yourself to the world: Essentially, Jesus' brothers are telling Him to "take Your stuff to the big leagues. " They say, "If You really do have all this miracle power, why don't You go to Jerusalem and make Yourself really famous?"

i. The Living Bible gives a good sense of this: You can't be famous when you hide like this! If you're so great, prove it to the world!

d. His brothers therefore said to Him: The brothers of Jesus never seemed to be supportive of His ministry before His death and resurrection, (see alsoMark 3:21) but that changed after His resurrection (Acts 1:14).

2. (6-9) Jesus' reply: we are of different worlds.

Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come. " When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

a. I am not yet going up to the feast: Some compare this statement with what it says in John 7:10 (He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret) as if they caught Jesus in a lie. Schopenhauer, the German philosopher of pessimism, pompously said: "Jesus Christ of set purpose did utter a falsehood. " But Christians have observed for centuries that if Jesus said He would not gopublicly as to attract attention (as His brothers wanted), but that did not preclude Him from going up privately.

b. My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready: Because Jesus was completely submitted to the will of the Father, the timing of God the Father was important. But for Jesus' brothers, who were not submitted to God's will in the same way, any time was fine!

i. In Jesus' life as well as our own, the Father's timing is just as important as His will. Many stumble because they sense they know God's will, but they move ahead of His timing. This is a sure recipe for frustration.

3. (10-13) Jesus goes up to a Jerusalem that is abuzz with rumors concerning who He is.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?" And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people. " However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

a. Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary": Then as well as now, Jesus divides people. Those who heard Him and knew Him couldn't remain neutral. They decided one way or another regarding who Jesus was, either good or a deceiver.

B. Jesus answers objections and teaches.

1. (14-18) Objection: Jesus isn't educated; He is His own authority.

Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?" Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. "If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him."

a. Jesus went up into the temple and taught: Though Jesus avoided a grand entrance, He now teaches boldly. He never shrank back from proclaiming the truth.

b. How does this Man know letters, having never studied: The Jewish leaders knew that Jesus had not studied or been a disciple under a prominent rabbi (as Paul studied under Gamaliel, Acts 22:3).

c. My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me: Jesus doesn't point to His credentials, but to His doctrine. It is as if He says, "I don't have a seminary degree, but judge Me by My doctrine. " If the Jewish leaders listened carefully to the doctrine of Jesus, they would know that it was all rooted in the Old Testament Scriptures, and that it was from God.

d. My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me: Jesus was an eloquent, gifted teacher, but He was not self taught. He was God taught! His authority was not from any man, but from His Father.

2. (19-24) Objection: Jesus is a Sabbath breaker.

"Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?" The people answered and said, "You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?" Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

a. Why do you seek to kill Me? Because He healed a man on the Sabbath, the rulers wanted to kill Jesus (John 5:16). The multitude didn't know this, but the Jewish leaders did - though they denied it.

b. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken: If it is permitted (even commanded) to do a negative work (such as cutting away the flesh in circumcision) on the Sabbath, why not a work that brings wholeness?

c. Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment: If the rulers and the people would only do this, they would embrace Jesus instead of contesting and rejecting Him.

3. (25-29) Objection: if the Messiah will appear suddenly and unexpectedly, how can Jesus be the Messiah?

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from. " Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."

a. When the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from: The crowd, in their partial knowledge of the Old Testament, was convinced that the Messiah would come suddenly and spectacularly.

b. You both know Me, and you know where I am from: This first sentence of Jesus' reply may well have been sarcastic. They thought they knew where He was from, but they were unaware of His heavenly origin.

c. I am from Him, and He sent Me: The crowds may be confused about where the Messiah comes from, but Jesus knew exactly where He came from. Jesus was not a confused man, wondering if He was really the Son of God.

4. (30-36) The leaders try to seize Jesus because many believed in Him.

Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?" The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come. " Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

a. Because His hour had not yet come: Until the time was right, no one could lay a hand on Jesus. There would come a time when Jesus would say that His hour had come (John 12:23). Until that hour, Jesus was protected.

b. I shall be with you a little while longer: Jesus assures the officers that came to take Him that He will go away, but only at the appointed time - at His ascension.

c. Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks: Through His followers, Jesus did in fact go to the Dispersion and teach the Greeks - but the time for that was later.

d. What is this thing He said: Even though His words were misunderstood, they echoed in the mind of His hearers

5. (37-39) The great invitation: If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. " But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yetgiven, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

a. On the last day, that great day of the feast: At the Feast of Tabernacles, water was poured out daily at the altar to remind everyone of the water God miraculously provided for a thirsty Israel in the wilderness.

b. Let him come to Me: Jesus boldly calls people to Himself, claiming that He can satisfy the inner thirst in man.

c. Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water: The water of the Holy Spirit not only goes in, it also comes out. Not only does the believer receive blessing, but he becomes a blessing to others.

i. This is the contrast between two contemporary religious movements of Jesus' day. The Qumran sect had no outflow, becoming stagnant and dead. But Christianity emphasizes outflow, extending life and blessing to others.

d. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given: The word given here is added by translators. More literally it is "for it was not yet Spirit. " John tells us that it was not yet Pentecost and the days of the Spirit.

e. Because Jesus was not yet glorified: John speaks of Jesus' coming ordeal at the cross as being glorified, and that it must come before the power of Pentecost. Calvary is the necessary prelude to Pentecost, and the cross is seen as glory, not shame.

C. Who is Jesus?

1. (40-43) Jesus brings division among men.

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet. " Others said, "This is the Christ. " But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" So there was a division among the people because of Him.

a. This is the Prophet … This is the Christ: Some say one thing, others say something else about who Jesus is. But everyone had an opinion. One can not be confronted with Jesus and remain neutral; feigned neutrality is rejection, the same as open hostility.

b. Will the Christ come out of Galilee? Their rejection of Jesus was based on their ignorance. They didn't know Jesus really was born in Bethlehem.

c. So there was a division among the people because of Him: There is a real sense in which Jesus is a divider of men. Because we cannot be of two opinions about Jesus, some will be for Him and others will be against Him.

i. Jesus repeated this idea in Matthew 10:34-36: Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to "set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law"; and "a man's enemies will be those of his own household. "

2. (44-49) An attempted arrest.

Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."

a. Some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him: The arrest was unsuccessful, but it wasn't because the arresting officers were incompetent. It was because the time wasn't right yet.

b. Because the Pharisees hate Jesus, they despise anyone who embraces Him:Are you also deceived? Have any of [us] believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.

3. (50-52) Nicodemus' small stand for Jesus.

Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?" They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

a. Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing: Nicodemus tries to reason with the Jewish leaders, warning them of judging Jesus hastily.

b. Are you also from Galilee: Galileans were objects of Judean scorn, and the butt of Judean jokes. To the Jewish leaders from Judea, nothing good could come from Galilee.

c. Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee: In fact, a prophet had risen from Galilee. Jonah, who was a type of Jesus Christ came from Gath Hepher, which was three miles north of Nazareth in Lower Galilee (2 Kings 14:25).
 
John 8

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
A. An adulteress is brought before Jesus for judgement.

1. Textual questions on John 7:53 through 8:11.

a. From manuscript current evidence, it seems unlikely that this portion (7:53-8:11) was part of the original text of John's gospel, or at least in this place.

- The majority of ancient Greek manuscripts omit this section
- Many later manuscripts mark this section with asterisks
- One group of manuscripts inserts it after Luke 21:38
- A few have this section after John 21:24, and one has it afterJohn 7:36
i. All this shows that ancient scribes were ignorant of its exact position, but were anxious to retain it in the gospel records. They knew it belonged, but they didn't exactly know where.

b. Some ancient Christians (like Augustine and Ambrose) omitted this story, not so much because of the textual evidence, but because they thought it made Jesus appear to condone sexual immorality.

c. At the same time, the character of the story makes it seem obvious that it is genuine, and most scholars note that it is historical and factual. Early Christian writers mention this event as soon as the early second century (100 A.D.). We have every reason to believe that this actually happened, and that John really wrote this.

2. (7:53-8:6a) A woman is brought to Jesus, caught in the act of adultery.

And everyone went to his own house. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.

a. Brought to Him a woman caught in adultery: They set a trap for Jesus. If Jesus says, "Let her go," then it seems that He breaks the Mosaic Law. If he says, "Execute her for the crime of adultery," then Jesus seems harsh and He breaks Roman law, because the Romans had taken away the right of Jews to officially execute people for religious offenses.

b. Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned: Did they really execute people for adultery in Israel? It is true that adultery was a capital offense under Jewish law, but the rules for evidence in capital cases were extremely strict. The actual act had to be observed by multiple witnesses who agreed exactly in their testimony. So, as a practical matter, virtually no one was executed for adultery, since this is a private sin.

c. This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him: These wretched men used this woman as a weapon against Jesus.

i. They cared nothing for true righteousness, for it is evident that they set her up. They claim that this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act - yet they do not bring the guilty man before Jesus. It's possible that the man was one of their own number, and was simply setting the woman up as a pawn in their conflict with Jesus.

ii. They see clearly the sin in others, but are blind to the sin in themselves.

3. (6b) Jesus ignores them, as if He never heard them.

But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

a. As though He did not hear: Why did Jesus ignore them? Some think it was because He despised them; others say that He was embarrassed for the woman's sake. Still others say that He was horrified at what these men did to her.

b. Wrote on the ground with His finger: What did Jesus write? No one can know for certain. He may have listed their names or their sins; or simply doodled; He may have followed Roman judicial practice and wrote out His sentence before He pronounced it.

i. Or, He may have written out a passage like Exodus 23:1: Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.

4. (7-9) Jesus passes sentence upon the woman - and her accusers.

So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. " And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by theirconscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

a. In Jewish law, witnesses to the capital offense began the stoning. When Jesus said, He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first, He was really said, "All right, let's execute her. But let's do it right. One of the witnesses has to have a hand in her execution. So who among you is the one who witnessed this crime, but only brought to Me the woman, not the man?"

i. Jesus makes it plain - whoever the witness is, whoever the one who has the right to cast the first stone is, he is as guilty as the woman taken in adultery, because of his hypocrisy.

b. Went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last: Why did they leave in this order? Perhaps the oldest left first because they most easily understood that Jesus was talking about them.

i. Or, others think that Jesus was writing on the ground an account of their own sins, beginning from the oldest to the youngest, and this explains the order of their departure.

c. Being convicted by their conscience: The embarrassment was no longer His, but theirs. If anyone tries to embarrass Jesus, they will instead find themselves put to shame.

5. (10-11) Jesus challenges the woman to sin no more.

When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord. " And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

a. Has no one condemned you? With her accusers gone, there was no one left to condemn the woman, and Jesus Himself did not condemn her. In the same way, there is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus (Romans 8:1).

i. Some debate whether or not Jesus actually forgave the woman. It's probably a pointless angle to discuss, because Jesus certainly showed the woman mercy and He called her to repentance (go and sin no more).

b. Neither do I condemn you: If the law of Moses condemned the woman, what right did Jesus have to show her mercy? Was His display of mercy against the righteousness of God? Not at all - Jesus' mercy on the woman was righteous, because though she did in fact sin, she was only a pawn in a larger scheme against Jesus.

B. The light of the world.

1. (12) Jesus, the light of the world.

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

a. I am the light of the world: Light was an important symbol in the Feast of Tabernacles. During the feast, many emblems and ceremonies remembered the pillar of fire that gave light to Israel during the Exodus. Now, Jesus takes this important symbol and simply applies it to Himself: I am the light of the world.

b. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness: Jesus, being the light of the world, brings light to those who follow Him. If we are not abiding in Jesus, we are not in the light.

i. The other important picture of light in the Bible relates it to God's Word:Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105). Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me (Psalm 43:3).

ii. Since Jesus is the Word (John 1:1), it makes perfect sense that He is also the light.

2. (13-20) The identity of Jesus, according to the testimony of two witnesses.

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true. " Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I amwith the Father who sent Me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me. " Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. " These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

a. Your witness is not true: Jesus just proclaimed that He was the light of the world, but the Pharisees couldn't see it. When you can't see the light, it simply means that you are blind. A seeing man doesn't need someone to prove the light, he simply sees it.

b. Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true: Jesus would agree that under normal circumstances, a man's testimony regarding Himself could not be established as true. But Jesus points out the He is qualified to give testimony about Himself.

i. Jesus can testify about Himself because He, not they, has view of eternity:I know where I came from and where I am going.

ii. Jesus can testify about Himself because He, not they, judges righteously:You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.

iii. Jesus can testify about Himself because His testimony is fully supported by God the Father: My judgment is true; for I am not alone.

c. Jesus has more than only His testimony about Himself. He also had the testimony of God the Father in perfect agreement: I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.

d. Where is Your father? The Pharisees intended this as a deeply cutting insult to Jesus. They refer to His virgin birth, and to the rumors that it was not a miraculous conception, but an illicit one.

e. You know neither Me nor My Father: In referring to Jesus' parentage, the Pharisees thought they had some special "intelligence" or scandal on Him. They must have thought, "Watch how He reacts when we reveal what we know about Him. " But Jesus made it clear that they do not know anything about Him, or His Father.

3. (21-24) Two destinies: Jesus will go to glory, they (unless they turn) will die in their sins.

Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come. " So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?" And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I amHe, you will die in your sins."

a. I am going away … Where I go you cannot come: Jesus knew He was going to heaven. Because of their hatred against Him, Jesus could say that His accusers were not going to heaven. Where He was going, they could not follow.

i. If we follow Jesus on earth, we will follow Him to heaven. If we express no desire to follow Him on earth, what would make us think we will follow Him to heaven?

b. Will He kill Himself? This is another insult against Jesus. In Jewish teaching, the lowest levels of Hades were for those who committed suicide. Now, the Pharisees try to twist Jesus' words to imply that He will commit suicide and therefore be damned.

c. If you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins: People are born in sin (Psalm 51:5), and if we hold on to our sin, and do not deal with it, we will die in our sins. Since all sin must be dealt with, those who die in their sins will have to pay for their sins in hell. But if we have our sins dealt with now, on this side of death, by trusting in whom Jesus is and what He did to save us, we can avoid dying in our sins.

d. If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins: Jesus called them to believe that I am. The "He" is rightly in italics and added by the translators. The title "I am" is a claim to deity, and if the Pharisees will be saved from dying in their sins, they must believe in Jesus and in who He really is - God the Son.

i. "This expression is in the style of deity … The same Greek expression occurs in 6:20, 18:6, neither of which is difficult to understand. " (Morris)

4. (25-30) Jesus proclaims His dependence on and obedience to the Father.

Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him. " They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him. " As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.

a. Who are You? This question of the Pharisees comes from a combination of willful confusion and contempt. Though Jesus has told them over and over who He is, they will continue to ask until they get an answer they can use to condemn Him.

b. I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him: Jesus emphasizes the point again, that His words are from God the Father. So, if the Pharisees have a hard time with Jesus, they really have a hard time with God the Father.

c. When you lift up the Son of Man: The "lifting up" Jesus describes has nothing to do with "exalting" Jesus in any way; it has to do with "lifting up" Jesus off the ground on a cross. When Jesus is crucified, they will see the perfect obedience of the Son to the Father.

d. The Father has not left Me alone: The unity between the Father and the Son continues, and will continue. Despite the accusations of the Pharisees, Jesus is as close to His Father as ever.

e. I always to the things that please Him: Jesus is bold enough to say these words to His adversaries - essentially challenging His enemies to find some what the He does not please God the Father. And His enemies are silent! This is a remarkable testimony to the sinlessness of Jesus.

i. I always do those things that please Him: It is easy to say, "I always do the will of the Father" when you are only debating theological points. It is another thing entirely to "always do the will of the Father" when it means going to the cross. The cross will prove the obedience of Jesus.

f. As He spoke these words, many believed in Him: Jesus' message of His unity with the Father was so well received by some because His life was consistent with the message. Unlike the Pharisees, one could see that Jesus was close to God. The Pharisees cultivated an image of intimacy with God, but it was evident they were not.

5. (31-32) Jesus offers discipleship and freedom to those believing in Him.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

a. If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed: Jesus was not content to win a debate with these questioners. He wanted to bring them to salvation - and the only way that could happen is if they would abide in Hisword.

i. This too, is another statement reflecting the unity between the Father and the Son. He could call men to abide in His word! In the mouth of anyone other than Jesus, these words would be absurd.

b. If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed: If we will be Jesus' disciples, we must abide in His word. There is no other way. To be a follower of Jesus - the Word made flesh - is to abide (to live in, to dwell in, to make your home in) His word.

c. When we abide in His word, and are His disciples, then we shall know the truth, and the truth make you free. The freedom Jesus talks about doesn't come from just an academic pursuit of "truth" in general; but from abiding in His word and being His disciple.

i. There is nothing like the freedom we can have in Jesus. No money can buy it, no status can obtain it, no works can earn it, and nothing can match it. And tragically, how few Christians really walk in it! It can never be found except by abiding in God's word and being Jesus' disciple.

6. (33-36) Jesus answers their protest that they are already free.

They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

a. We … have never been in bondage to anyone: Free and always have been? What about Israel's bondage under Egypt, under Persia, under Syria, and now under Rome? "The power of self-deception in the unconverted man is infinite. " (Ryle)

b. Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin: Sin in this passage is in a verb tense indicating a habitual, continual action. The person in habitual sin is a slave of sin.

c. A slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever: Slavery to sin is the worst kind of slavery, because there is no escape from ourselves. A Son must set us free, and the Son of God sets us free and brings us into the household of God.

d. If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed: If we are set free from our slavery to sin - set free by a Son, and set free by abiding in Jesus' word and being His disciple - then we are free indeed, having a true freedom that contrasts to the "freedom" the Pharisees claimed in John 8:33.

i. An 82 year-old Christian woman from Hong Kong told of her life in China, but still used much of the vocabulary that the Communists used in describing their revolution - they called it "the liberation. " She was asked, "when you were back in China, were you free to gather together with other Christians to worship?" "Oh no," she answered. "Since the liberation no one is permitted to gather together for Christian services. " "But surely you were able to get together in small groups and discuss the Christian faith?" "No, we were not," the woman replied. "Since the liberation all such meeting are forbidden. " "Were you free to read the Bible?" "Since the liberation, no one is free to read the Bible."

ii. The point is clear: freedom does not consist in the word "freedom," or in words, but in relationship to Jesus Christ, through abiding in His Word, and being His disciple.

7. (37-41a) They prove themselves to be unlike their father Abraham.

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father. " They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father. " Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father."

a. Jesus will admit that they are Abraham's descendants - but Abraham is not their father in a spiritual sense. After all, when messengers from heaven came to Abraham, he received them (Genesis 18). But these men reject the one sent from heaven.

i. What, specifically, proves them to be unlike Abraham? My word has no place in you. Again, the emphasis is made on abiding in the word of Jesus, and doing so because we understand His unity with the Father.

b. I speak what I have seen with My Father: Jesus reminds them that what He does is consistent with His Father, and what they do is consistent with their father (you do what you have seen with your father). But who is their father? Jesus will shortly explain.

c. Abraham is our father: Jesus disagrees. He will agree they aredescendents of Abraham, but not children of Abraham because they seek to kill Jesus, when Abraham embraced Him. They are doing the deeds of your father.

i. Jesus' point is important. Our spiritual parentage is what determines our nature and our destiny. If we are born again, and have God as our Father, it will show in our nature and destiny. But if our father is Satan or Adam, it will also show in our nature and destiny - just as it shows in these adversaries of Jesus.

8. (41b-47) Jesus reveals the identity of their true father.

Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father; God. " Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

a. We were not born of fornication: Again, they try to insult the parentage of Jesus. The implication is, "We were not born of fornication, but we don't know about You, Jesus."

b. The issue comes back to spiritual parentage: You are of your father the devil. Because they are the spiritual children of the devil, they do the things he does - lie and murder.

c. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources: Jesus gives us some insight into the character of Satan. The lie is inherit to the devil's character, and he is the deceiver most dangerous of all - the deceiver that is deceived himself.

d. Which of you convicts Me of sin? Again, Jesus gives His enemies - who hate Him so badly they want to kill Him - an opportunity to declare some sin in Him - and they cannot! This is nother remarkable testimony to the sinlessness of Jesus Christ.

e. You do not hear, because you are not of God: Jesus presses home the point of spiritual parentage, which is evident by the way that people act, and will determine people's destiny.

9. (48-50) Jesus answers the charge that He is demon possessed.

Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges."

a. Do we not say rightly: The enemies of Jesus are frustrated, and exasperated. They have been unable to make Jesus look bad, and even more have believed on Him (John 8:30). So they launch their last volley: You are a Samaritan (one of the most despised races to the Jews) and have a demon (is demon possessed).

b. I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father: Jesus' desire to honor God and His personal humility disprove any charge of demonic possession. Since those who have Satan as their spiritual parent will have some of the characteristics of Satan, they will have an evident pride and self-seeking - things that are absent in Jesus.

10. (51-59) Jesus' unity with God the Father and Abraham's witness of it.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death. " Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death. ' Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?" Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad. " Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am. " Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

a. If anyone keeps My word he shall never see death: This is another remarkable claim that only makes sense if Jesus is God, and is one with God the Father. Jesus promises eternal life to those who keep His word.

b. Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead: This claim delights the Pharisees opposing Jesus; they believe they finally have Him! How can Jesus promise such life - shall never see death - when Abraham himself could never make such a promise! Does Jesus claim to be greater than Abraham was? Whom do You make Yourself out to be?

c. It is My Father who honors Me: Jesus does claim to be greater than Abraham - but it is not an honor He takes to Himself. Yet they do not recognize this honor, because they have not know Him.

d. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad: Not only is Jesus greater than Abraham, but Abraham himself acknowledged this! Jesus declaration of this brings back the accusation "How could you know Abraham rejoiced in You? Were You there?" To which Jesus replies, "Yes!"

e. Before Abraham was, I Am: this is the third time in this chapter Jesus uses the phrase I Am (John 8:24, 8:28), and here in John 8:58.

i. I Am: The ancient Greek phrase is ego emi, which is the same term used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament in Jesus' day to describe the Voice from the burning bush.

ii. In using the phrase I Am (John 8:24, 8:58, 13:19) Jesus used a clear divine title belonging to Yahweh alone (Exodus 3:13-14,Deuteronomy 32:39, Isaiah 43:10) and was interpreted as such by Jesus' listeners (John 8:58-59).

iii. "The phrase harbours within itself the most authentic, the most audacious, and the most profound affirmation by Jesus of who He was. " (Stauffer)

f. The best proof what Jesus meant by claiming to be the I Am is found by seeing the response of His listeners: They took up stones to throw at Him. They wanted to stone Him for blasphemy, for claiming to be God.

i. But it could not happen, even as it could not happen back at John 7:30, because His hour had not yet come.

g. The remarkable theme through this whole chapter is expressed strongly at the end: Jesus is in perfect unity with God the Father, because He Himself is God. Those who reject Jesus reject Him because their "spiritual parentage" is not of God.

i. Our spiritual parentage is of the utmost importance - and it is revealed by our response to Jesus. Who is your spiritual father? You prove it by your actions as well as claiming it by your words.
 
John 9

JESUS GIVES SIGHT TO A MAN BORN BLIND
A. The man is healed.

1. (1-2) The disciples ask a question.

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

a. Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? The disciples regarded this man as an unsolved riddle; but Jesus regarded him as a suffering person needing relief.

b. We often suspect that where there is a more than ordinary sufferer, there is a more than ordinary sinner; the disciples believed this to be so to the extent that they wondered if this man was a most remarkable sinner - one who personally sinned before he was born!

2. (3-5) Jesus responds to the question, without answering it.

Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day;the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

a. Neither this man nor his parents sinned: Jesus' response was "I'm not here to answer such questions, but to do the work of God in alleviating such suffering while I can."

i. This is an answer consistent with the spirit of the book of Job. Sometimes, God intentionally leaves us without knowledge regarding the source or reason behind pain.

b. It is possible that John 9:3 could be punctuated like this: "… nor his parents sinned. But that the works of God should be revealed in him, I must work …"

c. Why do such bad things happen? Generally, because we live in a fallen world, a world willing to serve Satan and sin.

d. While it is day: If we neglect our opportunities for service, they may be lost forever.

3. (6-7) The man is healed.

When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

a. He spat … and He anointed the eyes: In this miracle, Jesus took all the initiative. The blind man did not come to Jesus and ask to be healed, Jesus came to Him. Still, He expected the blind man to respond in faith (Go, wash in the pool of Siloam).

b. So he went and washed, and came back seeing: This was a completely unique miracle in the Scriptures. From Genesis to John, no prophet, priest, or apostle ever gave sight to blind eyes but Jesus did this type of healing more than any other miracle.

i. Since healing blind eyes is the work of the Lord, Yahweh, Jehovah, it shows that Jesus is God: The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. (Psalm 146:8)

ii. Opening the eyes of the blind was a specific work of the Messiah: The eyes of the blind shall be opened. (Isaiah 35:5)

c. Made clay with the saliva: Why did Jesus use clay and spit? Jesus often varied His methods of healing so they could never be "formularized. " As well, we can see that Jesus is using the dust of the ground and clay to do a work of creation in man, just like in Genesis.

d. Not many people would appreciate having mud made with spit rubbed in their eyes. Some would look at how Jesus did this miracle and object, saying that it was offensive, inadequate, or even harmful to rub mud made with spit in a man's eyes.

i. In the same way, some feel that the gospel is offensive. It is true that it offends man's pride and human wisdom, but it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.(1 Corinthians 1:21)

ii. In the same way, some feel that the gospel is inadequate. But have all the psychiatric and political and social programs in the world done more good that the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ?

iii. In the same way, some feel that the gospel is harmful, that the free offer of grace in Jesus will cause people to sin that grace may abound. But the gospel changes our life for the good and the pure, not unto wickedness.

B. The controversy surrounding the healing.

1. (8-12) The neighbors react to the healed man.

Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?" Some said, "This is he. " Others said, "He is like him. " He said, "I am he. " Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash. ' So I went and washed, and I received sight. " Then they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know."

a. Others said, "He is like him. " He said, "I am he": It seems too amazing to believe, but the man convinced them that he was in fact healed from congenital blindness.

b. A man called Jesus: At this point, the man knew very little about Jesus. He didn't know anything more about Jesus than His name, and that He healed him.

2. (13-16) The healed man is brought to the Pharisees.

They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see. " Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath. " Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them.

a. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes: Jesus took the initiative in this miracle, and could have done it on any day He chose. Then why did Jesus do this miracle on the Sabbath? Jesus did this to challenge the petty traditions of the religious leader, traditions that they elevated to the place of binding laws.

b. Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath": To the Pharisees, Jesus could not be from God because He did not line up with their traditions and prejudices.

3. (17-23) The Pharisees question the man's parents.

They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet. " But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself. " His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

a. He is a prophet: In John 9:11, all the man knew about Jesus was His name. Here, the healed man now proclaims that Jesus is a prophet. He grows in his understanding and proclamation about Jesus.

b. By what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know: The Pharisees couldn't even bring themselves to believe that the man who said he was born blind was actually born blind. Therefore, they questioned the man's parents and asked them if he was born blind and how he was healed. In their reply, the parents carefully avoid controversy, because of the threat of excommunication (the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue).

4. (24-34) The healed man holds his own when interrogated by the Pharisees, resulting in his excommunication.

So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner. " He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinneror not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see. " Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear itagain? Do you also want to become His disciples?" Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. "We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from. " The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing. " They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out.

a. Give God the glory: This command to the healed man may be an admonition to tell the truth (as in Joshua 7:19), or a command to deny any credit to Jesus in the healing.

b. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see: The man born blind doesn't know everything about Jesus, but he does know how Jesus has touched his life. This is an irrefutable argument. How can they argue against what Jesus did in this man's life?

i. "They take their stand on their preconceived ideas, he on the simple facts that he knows" (Morris)

ii. Relying on what we personally experience with Jesus is about the only way to deal with people who are so prejudiced. No one can effectively argue against "though I was blind, now I see."

c. Do you also want to become His disciples? The healed man both mocks their prejudiced rejection of Jesus, and proclaims himself to be a disciple of Jesus (do you also).

d. Why, this is a marvelous thing: The healed man says this about their unbelief, not about the miracle of Jesus. It as if he tells the Pharisees, "Your unbelief and ignorance in the face of the evidence is more of a miracle than my cure!"

e. We know that God does not hear sinners: Isaiah 1:15 and Psalm 66:18indicate that God does not hear the sinner. Therefore, the claim that "we know this man is a sinner" is false according to the Scriptures. The blind man is no theologian, but he offers a well-reasoned argument according to the Scriptures, but if falls on deaf ears.

f. And they cast him out: The excommunication of the blind man turned out to be a good thing, because it prevented him from trying to live in two worlds. Being "put out" of our old group is undeniably painful, but it is usually spiritually helpful.

5. (35-38) The healed man believes on Jesus.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you. " Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him.

a. When He had found him: The man whom Jesus healed was rejected by the religious community, but now Jesus made it a point to meet him and receive him. It hurts to be rejected by others, but it should be enough to be accepted by Jesus.

b. Do you believe in the Son of God? Jesus calls on the healed man him to fully believe, and he does. When the healed man declared his loyalty to Jesus by sticking by Him before the hostile Pharisees, he was rewarded when Jesus revealed more of Himself to him (You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you).

i. Jesus dealt with this man differently than most. He met his physical need first, then allowed him to endure persecution, then called him to a specific belief. Are we willing to allow Jesus to deal with people differently today?

c. And he worshipped Him: When the man worshipped Jesus, Jesus received the worship. This is something that no man or angel in the Bible does.

i. The healed man has an increasing awareness of who Jesus is.

- A man called Jesus (John 9:11)
- He is a prophet (John 9:17)
- A man from God (John 9:33)
- The Son of God, worthy of worship (John 9:38)
6. (39-41) Jesus distinguishes between the blind and the seeing.

And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind. " Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see. ' Therefore your sin remains.

a. That those who do not see may see: Those who admit their spiritual blindness can find sight in Jesus. But those who see may be made blind - that is, those who falsely claim to have spiritual sight will be made blind.

b. Are we blind also? The Pharisees sneer at Jesus, confident in their own spiritual sight - which was blindness, because they could not see the Son of God right in front of them.

c. If you were blind, you would have no sin: If the Pharisees would admit to their spiritual blindness, they could be forgiven and set free - but because they say "we see," their sin remains.

d. John 9 paints a picture of how Jesus heals blind souls.

- We are all spiritually blind from birth
- Jesus takes the initiative in healing us from blindness
- Jesus does a work of creation in us, not reformation
- In this work, Jesus calls us to be obedient to what He commands
- Jesus commands us to be washed in the water of baptism
- We become a mystery to our former associates, not even seeming to be the same person
- We display loyalty to Jesus when we are persecuted, boldly and plainly testifying of His work in our lives and confounding others
- We pass from little knowledge to greater knowledge, and this brings us to greater worship and adoration
- We never know the name of this man born blind. Jesus is the important One; a true disciple is content to remain anonymous if his Lord gets the glory
 
John 10

THE GOOD SHEPHERD
A. Contrast between the Good Shepherd and the false shepherds of Israel.

1. (1-2) Jesus is the true, legitimate shepherd, who enters in the way that is proper and prepared (by Old Testament prophecies).

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."

a. A thief and a robber: The Pharisees have shown that they are ungodly leaders of Israel by their excommunication of the man born blind. They avoided the proper entry to the kingdom of God (some other way), therefore they are suspect.

b. He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep: Shepherd was a common Old Testament picture of a leader of God's people, whether good or bad (Isaiah 56:11, Jeremiah 31:5).

2. (3-6) The sheep and their shepherd.

"To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. " Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

a. To him the doorkeeper opens: In towns, sheep from many flocks were kept for the night in a common sheepfold, overseen by one "doorkeeper" who regulated which shepherds brought and took which sheep.

b. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out: The shepherd calls the sheep by name, showing that the shepherd has a personal connection with the sheep. The shepherd leads them, instead of driving them, showing His loving care for the sheep.

c. For they know his voice: In the common sheepfolds of ancient times, the shepherd merely gave his distinctive call and his sheep came out from the others, following him out of the sheepfold. Sheep are experts at discerning their shepherd's voice.

i. During World War I, some Turkish soldiers tried to steal a flock of sheep from a hillside near Jerusalem. The shepherd, who had been sleeping, awoke to find his flock being driven off. He couldn't recapture them by force, so he called out to his flock with his distinctive call. The sheep listened, and returned to their rightful owner. The soldiers couldn't stop the sheep from returning to their shepherd's voice.

d. He brings out his own sheep: Here, Jesus speaks of calling his own sheep from the fold of Judaism. He will call out a remnant that will believe in Him (Romans 11:5).

3. (7-10) The true shepherd protects and promotes life; the false shepherds take away life.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

a. I am the door of the sheep: Is Jesus the door, or is He the one who has the right to enter through the door (John 10:2)? Both things are true of Jesus. When Jesus speaks of the door in this passage, He refers to a different type of sheepfold, one used out in the fields, not in the towns.

i. A "field" sheep pen was an enclosure for sheep with only one entrance. It might be a cave, a stone or mud-brick structure, and it might or might not have a roof.

b. I am the door: In a "field" sheepfold, the shepherd actually laid his body across the entrance, to keep the sheep in and to keep out the wolves. The shepherd was in fact the door.

c. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers: Thief implies deception and trickery; robber implies violence and destruction. These take away life but Jesus gives life and He gives it abundantly.

4. (11-15) The good shepherd will lay down his life for the flock.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."

a. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep: The bad shepherd thinks the flock exists for his benefit, but the good shepherd lives (and dies) for the good of the sheep.

- The good shepherd sacrifices for the sheep
- The good shepherd knows his sheep
- The good shepherd is known by the sheep
b. The faithful pastor will, as an under-shepherd, display the same characteristics as the Good Shepherd. He will sacrifice for the sheep, know the sheep, and be known by them. He will be a shepherd and not a hireling who does not care about the sheep.

i. The title pastor translates the same ancient Greek word used here forshepherd. It is a title that is only rightfully earned, not granted or assumed.

5. (16) Jesus speaks of other sheep.

"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."

a. Other sheep I have which are not of this fold: These "other sheep" are Gentile believers, not of the fold of Israel.

b. There is one flock and one shepherd; but Jesus calls His sheep from more than one fold (group of people).

c. There will be one flock: The early Christian Bible translator Jerome, when translating his influential Latin version mistakenly translated one fold instead ofone flock in this verse. His Latin Vulgate reading is the erroneous foundation for a doctrine of Roman Catholic exclusiveness.

6. (17-18) Jesus claims to have power over life and death.

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

a. Therefore My Father loves Me: Anyone can lay down his life; only Jesus can take His life up again. Because Jesus has the power to take up His own life, it is evidence of His unique relationship with His Father.

b. That I may take it again … I have power to take it again: In this sense, we can say that Jesus "raised Himself" from the dead. He had the power to lay down His life, and He had the power to take it up again.

i. It doesn't surprise us that Jehovah's Witnesses deny that Jesus could take His own life up again. But we are surprised to see Copeland, Hagin, Price and others teach that Jesus was a helpless victim in hell, saved only by the intervention of God the Father.

c. This command I have received from My Father: The death of Jesus was completely voluntary, but it was not an indirect suicide in any sense. It was part of a plan to submit to death and then to emerge from it victoriously alive, according to the command … received from God the Father.

7. (19-21) Jesus is accused of being demon-possessed and insane.

Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?" Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

a. He has a demon and is mad: Jesus made such radical claims about Himself that people divided over Him. Some believe He was whom He said He was. Others believed that anyone who claimed to be God as Jesus claimed must either have a demon or be mad.

b. William Barclay was right when wrote, "Either Jesus was a meglo-maniac madman, or he was the Son of God. " By what we know of Jesus, is if fair to say that He was a madman?

i. The words of Jesus were not the words of a madman; instead, they are supreme sanity.

ii. The deeds of Jesus aren't the deeds of a meglo-maniac; instead, they were utterly unselfish.

iii. The effect of Jesus isn't the effect of a madman; instead, He has changed millions for the good.

c. These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? Miraculous works like opening the eyes of the blind canbe a valid testimony, but only in concert with faithfulness to the word of God. These people were right in looking at both the works and the words of Jesus.

B. Jesus at the Feast of Dedication.

1. (22) The Feast of Dedication in wintertime.

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.

a. The Feast of Dedication: This feast (Hanukkah) celebrated the cleansing and re-dedication of the temple after three years of desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria (in 164 B.C., the time of the Maccabees).

2. (23-29) Jesus tells who He is and why they don't believe it.

And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly. " Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."

a. The works I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me: The works Jesus did said that He was from God, and that He was true to His word.

b. You do not believe, because you are not My sheep: Jesus carries on the same "spiritual parentage" theme seen in John 8. Their lack of belief betrays the fact that they are not the sheep of Jesus.

c. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand: We would expect that the Good Shepherd would take good care of His sheep. The sheep are safe and secure in hand of the Good Shepherd.

3. (30-33) Jesus declares His unity with the Father.

"I and My Father are one. " Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."

a. I an My Father are one: This is an important statement regarding the deity of Jesus and the nature of the godhead. I and My Father refutes the "Jesus Only" doctrine (anciently known as Sabelianism). Are one refutes the teaching that Jesus isn't God (anciently known as Arianism).

i. Opponents of the deity of Jesus say that the oneness Jesus had with the Father was only a unity of purpose and mission - even as a husband and wife or father and son may have a unity of purpose of mission, and still they are not the same person. This, however, misses the point. First, we never argue that the Bible teaches that the Father and the Son are the same Person - they are one God, but distinct in Person. Second, it misses the most obvious point: that even true unity of purpose and mission between a husband and wife or father and son exist only because they are each equally and totally human. You can't really speak of even a unity of purpose and mission between a human and a dog; isn't the distance between God and man even greater? Even if the unity described by Jesus was merely a unity of purpose and mission (and it is more than that), even that would only be possible if the Father and Son were equally and totally God.

b. The Jews took up stones again to stone Him: Some would lessen the power of I and the Father are one by saying it only refers to a unity of purpose and will. But how could a statement like that be considered blasphemy by the Jews who heard Jesus say these words?

i. The Jews of Jesus' day see clearly what the Jehovah's Witnesses and others seem to miss: that Jesus clearly claimed to be God (because You, being a Man, make Yourself God).

c. Jesus wanted us to be one as He and the Father are one (John 17:11, 17:21). Such oneness cannot exist without an equality of essence, and all believers have this equality (Galatians 3:26-28), even as the Father and Son have this equality.

4. (34-39) Jesus reasons with them on the basis of Scripture (quoting from Psalm 82) and His works.

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him. " Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

a. Is it not written in your law, "I said, 'You are gods'": The judges ofPsalm 82 were called "gods" because in their office they determined the fate of other men. Also, in Exodus 21:6 and 22:8-9, God calls earthly judges "gods."

b. If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came: Jesus is saying "If God gives these unjust judges the title 'gods' because of their office, why do you consider it blasphemy that I call Myself the 'Son of God' in light of the testimony of Me and My works?"

i. Jesus is not taking the statement "you are gods" in Psalm 82 and applying it to all humanity, or to all believers. The use of gods in Psalm 82was a metaphor - and Jesus is exposing both the ignorance and inconsistency of His accusers here.

5. (40-42) Many believe on Jesus.

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true. " And many believed in Him there.

a. And many believed in Him there: Despite the influence of the Pharisees who were blind (as shown in John 9) and were bad shepherds (as shown inJohn 10), many people still came to Jesus. God's work goes on, despite the opposition of man.
 
John 11

JESUS RAISES LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD
A. The death of Lazarus.

1. (1-3) A request is brought to Jesus.

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."

a. Mary … her sister Martha … brother Lazarus: Jesus had a close relationship with this family, and it was expected that if He miraculously met the needs of so many others, He would meet their need also.

b. Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick: They do not state their request, but they do not need to. Where there is a true bond of love, there is no need to request a favor; it is enough to make the need known.

2. (4-6) Jesus responds with a delay.

When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it. " Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

a. This sickness is not unto death: Lazarus was already dead when Jesus said this; but He knew the end result of this would be the glory of God, not death.

b. He stayed two more days: In John's gospel, there are three times when someone near and dear to Jesus makes a request of Him (the other two are His mother at Cana, and His brothers on their way to Jerusalem). In each of these three cases, Jesus responded in the same way.

i. He first refused to grant their request, then He fulfilled it after asserting that He does things according to the timing and will of God, not man.

ii. Through His actions, Jesus demonstrated that His delays were not denials. They would bring greater glory to God.

3. (7-10) Jesus courageously decides to go to Judea and Jerusalem.

Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again. " The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."

a. Let us go to Judea again: Jesus could have raised Lazarus from a distance. But Jesus was willing to go to Judea and minister to Lazarus and his family, even though it was dangerous to go there. Jesus walked in the confidence of someone who really trusts God.

b. Are there not twelve hours in the day? Jesus' disciples were shocked that He would return to the region of Judea when He was a wanted man there. But Jesus makes it clear that He still has work to do. The twelve hours probably refer to the time allotted by the Father for Jesus' earthly ministry.

c. If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble: During these hours no harm could come to Jesus and the disciples, but now they must work before thenight of Jesus' passion.

4. (11-15) Jesus tells them plainly of Lazarus' death.

These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up. " Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well. " However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him."

a. Lazarus is dead. And I am glad: Jesus could be glad, even in the death of a dear friend, because He was certain of the outcome.

5. (16) Thomas' bold faith.

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

a. Let us also go, that we may die with Him: Thomas expresses what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. He is willing to go with Jesus, even if it means dying with Him. Thomas may not have understood it at the time, but we can know today that if we die with Him we will surely be raised and be glorified with Him.

i. Thomas, like the other disciples, didn't understand all that Jesus said or meant. But what he did know was enough to make him willing to die with and for Jesus. "Here is a sufficient rule to walk by, whether our faith be dim or clear; namely, sheer loyalty. " (Loyd)

b. Thomas, who is called the Twin: Church tradition says that Thomas was called "The Twin" because he looked like Jesus, putting him at special risk. If any among the disciples of Jesus were potential targets of persecution, it would be the one who looked like Jesus.

B. Jesus meets with Martha and Mary.

1. (17-22) Martha greets Jesus as He comes to Bethany.

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."

a. He had already been in the tomb four days: Why did He wait four days? Jesus did this in light of the Jewish superstition of that day that said a soul staysnear the grave for three days, hoping to return to the body. Therefore, it was accepted that after four days there was absolutely no hope of resuscitation.

b. Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died: Martha plainly states her disappointment in Jesus' late arrival. Even if she doesn't show total confidence in Jesus at this point, her honesty with Jesus is refreshing.

c. Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You: Martha isn't confident that Jesus will raise her brother, rather she says that she still believes in Him despite the disappointment. Can we say the same thing?

2. (23-27) I am the resurrection and the life.

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again. " Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. " Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

a. I am the resurrection and the life: With this statement, Jesus overthrows everything thing we know about the law of entropy and the way things work in this world. For a long, long time, death has ruled over men like a tyrant. This is not the land of the living, but the land of the dying.

i. Humorists and philosophers have understood the basic fear of death, and the basic dilemma of death. "Neither in the hearts of men nor in the manners of society will there be a lasting peace until we outlaw death. " (Albert Camus) "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying." (Woody Allen)

b. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live: Jesus is the champion over death. While the ancients feared death, the Christian can only fear dying. The believer will never die, but simply make an instant transition from an old life to a new life.

i. Think about how grand the claim of Jesus is here. I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. Who but God could possibly say such things?

c. Do you believe this? Jesus challenges Martha not to debate or intellectual assent, but to belief.

3. (28-32) Mary's regret.

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you. " As soon as she heardthat, she arose quickly and came to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there. " Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."

a. Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died: Lazarus had two sisters, Mary and Martha. Martha has already spoken to Jesus regarding the death of Lazarus, but now Mary speaks for the first time. Her words are remarkably similar to what Martha told Jesus (John 11:21).

b. My brother would not have died: This is one of the places in the Bible where we wish we could hear the tone of voice and see the expressions on the face. This could be a noble statement of faith, saying that if Jesus were here they have no doubt at all that He would have healed Lazarus. On the other hand, it can be seen as a criticism of what seemed to be the tardiness of Jesus.

C. Lazarus is raised.

1. (33-38a) A deeply moved Jesus comes to the tomb.

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see. " Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!" And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?" Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.

a. He groaned in the spirit and was troubled: Coming to the scene of Lazarus' tomb, Jesus intensely groaned in the spirit. In the ancient Greek, this literally means "to snort like a horse," implying anger and indignation.

i. It means that Jesus wasn't so much sad at the scene surrounding the tomb of Lazarus. It's more accurate to say that Jesus was angry. Jesus is angry and troubled at the ravages of the great enemy of man: death. He won't settle for this domination of death much longer.

ii. But, "Christ does not come to the sepulchre as an idle spectator, but like a wrestler preparing for the contest. Therefore no wonder that He groans again, for the violent tyranny of death which He had to overcome stands before His eyes. " (Calvin)

b. Jesus saw her weeping … Jesus wept: The contrast between the tears of Mary and Martha and the tears of Jesus is insightful. Weeping (the word used for Mary in John 11:33) is a word that describes loud wailing. Wept (the word to describe Jesus' expression of grief in John 11:35) is another word that indicates a quiet weeping. Jesus is greatly moved, but not out of control.

c. Jesus wept: This shows that Jesus is not unfeeling, nor stoic, but with strong feeling He prepares to strike a blow against death, the enemy of God and man. Jesus is a passionate enemy of death.

i. To the mind of the ancient Greek, the primary characteristic of God wasapatheia: the total inability to feel any emotion whatsoever. The Greeks believed in an isolated, passionless, and compassionless God. That isn't the God of the Bible. That isn't the God who is really there.

2. (38b-40) Jesus commands the stone to be removed.

It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone. " Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days. " Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

a. Take away the stone: Everybody thought this was a strange thing for Jesus to ask. After all, Martha knew Lord, by this time he stinketh (King James Version). People probably thought that Jesus was so taken with grief that He wanted one last look at His dear friend Lazarus.

b. By this time there is a stench: In any case, the condition of the body provides an irrefutable confirmation of Lazarus' dead state.

c. If you would believe you would see the glory of God: Jesus is fully capable of this miracle without the belief of the Martha or Mary. But if they wouldnot believe, then they would never see the glory of God. They could see the end results and be happy in that, but they would miss the glory of working together with God in the accomplishing of His plan.

3. (41-44) Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I saidthis, that they may believe that You sent Me. " Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

a. He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" Jesus simply calls forth; others whom God used to raise dead bodies in the Scriptures often used far more elaborate procedures

b. Lazarus, come forth! Jesus speaks to a dead body as if Lazarus lived, because He is God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did (Romans 4:17).

i. This is how Jesus can call forth the person dead and defeated in sin and deception to a new life in Him. He is still calling the dead forth from their tombs today!

c. And he who had died came out: Jesus fought death at Lazarus' tomb, and plundered the grave, serving it notice that shortly He would completely conquer it. This was "coming attraction" for what would happen at the empty tomb of Jesus.

d. His face was wrapped with a cloth: Lazarus was not resurrected, but resuscitated. He arose bound in grave-clothes, for he would need them again; Jesus left His grave-clothes behind in His tomb, never again having need of them.

e. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go. " Jesus did not miraculously whisk the grave-clothes off of Lazarus, but He asked attendants to do so. He did what only God could do, and looked for men's cooperation for the completion of Lazarus' deliverance.

D. Two reactions.

1. (45) The reaction of faith: many of the Jews … believed in Him.

Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.

a. Many of the Jews … had seen the things Jesus did, believe in him: This was undeniably an impressive work of God, and for many it helped them put their trust in who Jesus said He was by seeing what He did.

2. (46-57) The reaction of unbelief.

But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation. " And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish. " Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples. And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think; that He will not come to the feast?" Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.

a. Everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away our … place: Their fears revealed a complete misunderstanding of the motives of Jesus, who had no political ambition, whatsoever.

b. The Romans will come and take away both our place and nation: In ironic fact, this rejection of Jesus resulted in the political ruin and ultimate destruction of the nation.

c. It is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish: Caiaphas gives an unconscious and involuntary prophecy, but it is attributed to the office, not the man (being high priest that year he prophesied).

d. Then from that day on they plotted to put Him to death: Before, it was mostly lesser religious officials who wanted Jesus dead. But now, the men with real political power have decided to murder Jesus. The time is short until the end - or, the beginning, if you will.

e. Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews: Again, Jesus did not do this out of fear, but because His hour had not yet come (as inJohn 7:30). The hour had not yet come, but it was soon to come
 
John 12

THE HOUR HAS COME
A. A banquet at Bethany.

1. (1-3) Lazarus eats, Martha serves (without complaining), and Mary anoints the feet of Jesus.

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

a. There they made Him a supper: Less than a week before His crucifixion, Jesus attended a dinner in His honor at the home of Simon the Leper (Matthew 26:6 and Mark 14:3). His friends Martha, Lazarus, and Mary were also in attendance.

b. Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus: In the midst of the supper, Mary gave a remarkable gift to Jesus. It wasn't unusual to wash the feet of a guest, but it was unusual to use very costly oil of spikenard to do it, and remarkable to wipe the feet with her hair.

i. Mary's gift was remarkably humble. When a guest entered the home, usually the guest's feet were washed with water and the guest's head was anointed with a dab of oil or perfume. Here, Mary used this precious ointment and anointed the feet of Jesus. She considered her precious ointment only good enough for His feet.

ii. Mary's gift was remarkably extravagant. She used a lot (a pound) of avery costly oil of spikenard. Spices and ointments were often used as an investment because they occupied a small space, were portable, and were easily negotiable in the open market. Judas believed this oil was worth 300 denarii (John 12:5), which was worth a year's wages for a working man.

iii. Mary's gift was remarkably unselfconscious. Not only did she give the gift of the expensive oil, she also wiped His feet with her hair. This means that she let down her hair in public, something a Jewish woman would rarely (if ever) do.

iv. In all of this, Mary is a study of devotion to Jesus. "The life of Mary is painted for us, in three memorable pictures, in each of which she is at the feet of Jesus. " (Eerdman)

2. (4-8) Judas objects to Mary's rich gift.

Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

a. Judas Iscariot … who would betray Him: In a short time Judas would betray Jesus, and his betrayal is so much darker when contrasted with the light of Mary's devotion to Jesus. No doubt, Judas objected to Mary's gift because he was convicted by her simple and powerful display of love.

i. This is the only place in the New Testament where Judas is mentioned as doing something evil other than his betrayal of Jesus, and even this was done in secret. Judas successfully hid the darkness of his heart from everyone except Jesus.

ii. Judas teaches us that outward appearances can be deceptive. Many people have a religious facade that hides secret sin.

b. Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred, denarii: Judas had a sharp sense of financial values, but no appreciation of what God valued. He thought this was too much love and devotion to show to Jesus.

i. If we are extravagant in our love for Jesus, He will not criticize us; that is what Judas did. Are we like Mary, extravagant in our love for Jesus, or are we like Judas, criticizing others who are?

c. She has done this for the day of My burial: Mary knew something that the disciples didn't understand. She knew that Jesus was going to die, and so she was compelled to offer this extravagant gift of devotion to Jesus. Mary had more insight than others because she spent time at the feet of Jesus.

i. "This was the moment at which Jesus was symbolically set apart for burial by one who really understood what was happening. " (Boice)

3. (9-11) The plot to kill both Jesus and Lazarus.

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

a. The chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also: Thechief priestswere mostly Sadducees, and the Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection. Lazarus was a living example of life after death, and having him around was an embarrassment to their theological system. For them, there was only one solution to this embarrassing problem - to put Lazarus to death also.

b. On account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus: This made the problem of the chief priests worse. Lazarus was drawing people to Jesus and in the opinion of these religious leaders he had to be stopped.

B. The triumphal entry.

1. (12-16) The crowd greets Jesus as a coming King.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!" Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt. " His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him andthat they had done these things to Him.

a. Hosanna! "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!" This large, enthusiastic crowd greeted Jesus with words from the MessianicPsalm 118:25-26. The cry Hosanna! meant "save now," and on this day the crowd received Jesus as a triumphant Messiah.

b. The King of Israel: This shows that the crowd, in shouting "save now!" had in mind political salvation from the oppression of the Romans. But Jesus showed that His purpose was peace by riding a donkey, in fulfillment of prophecy (the cited passage in Zechariah 9:9).

c. Took branches of palm trees: Palm branches were a symbol of Jewish nationalism since the time of the Maccabees. This was a patriotic rally, and the crowds looked to Jesus as a political and national savior, but not a spiritual savior.

2. (17-19) The crowds come after Jesus, to the dismay of the leaders.

Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!"

a. For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign: The crowds adored Jesus because they believed that the raising of Lazarus from the dead established Jesus' credentials as a conquering Messiah.

i. "One who could summon a dead man back to life would certainly be able to deliver the holy city from the yoke of Caesar. " (Bruce)

b. Look, the world has gone after Him! The popularity of Jesus was offensive to His enemies. It made them feel that they were accomplishing nothing. It makes us happy to see the enemies of Jesus frustrated.

C. The hour has come.

1. (20-23) Greeks come to meet Jesus.

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus. " Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

a. Sir, we wish to see Jesus: Jesus previously said that the time was not ready (John 2:4 and 7:6). He took the seeking interest of Gentiles as the signal that now the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

i. The fact that His hour had not yet come had delivered Him from violence before (John 7:30, 8:20). Now that the hour has come, it is time for Jesus to make the final sacrifice.

ii. Jesus never really responded to the Greeks here, but He would on the other side of the cross. So that these Greeks, as well as others, could receive the new life He offered, then Jesus must die (be glorified) first.

b. The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified: Jesus didn't mean that He would be glorified in the eyes of men. That just happened at the triumphal entry. The glorification Jesus pointed to here was being glorified on the cross. Something the world could only see as disgraceful humiliation, Jesus saw as being glorified.

2. (24-26) Jesus explains why He is willing to face death.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

a. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies: Just as a seed will never become a plant unless it "dies" and is "buried" so the death and burial of Jesus is necessary to His glorification. Before there can be resurrection power and fruitfulness, there must be death.

b. Loves his live … hates his life: We are called to hate our life in the sense that we disregard it, but in the sense that we freely give it up for God. Our life is precious to us, but only because it is something we can give to Jesus.

i. Jesus focused our hatred of life when He said hates his life in this world. We are to disregard our life in this world, seeing instead that we are mere pilgrims and sojourners, with our home in heaven instead of earth (Hebrews 11:13-16).

c. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me: If we are Christians, we must follow Jesus in this path of others-centered and heaven-centered living.

i. This path will lead us to the way of the cross, but it will also take us to the resurrection glory of the empty tomb.

3. (27-28a) At the crucial hour, Jesus expresses His resolve.

"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name."

a. My soul is troubled: Jesus received this crucial hour, yet it troubled Him because He knew what the agonies of the cross would involve.

b. And what shall I say? "Father, save Me from this hour?" Knowing this was the crucial hour, Jesus could not ask to escape the hour, because for this purpose I came to this hour. The cross, which had cast a shadow over the entire life and ministry of Jesus, would now become a reality in the life of Jesus.

4. (28b-30) The Father testifies to Jesus in a voice from heaven.

Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify itagain. " Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him. " Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.

a. Then a voice came from heaven: This is the third audible Divine testimony to Jesus' status as the Son of God, after the Divine voice at His baptism and His transfiguration.

b. This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake: Jesus didn't need this confirmation, but it was for the benefit of the onlookers, especially the disciples.

5. (31-36) Jesus plainly proclaims His death.

"Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. " This He said, signifying by what death He would die. The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?" Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. " These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

a. Now is the judgment of this world: The world system was judged by its treatment of Jesus at the cross. The cross not only judged the world it also defeated Satan (now the ruler of this world will be cast out). The defeat of the world and Satan was God's victory and the victory of the people of God.

i. Colossians 2:14-15 vividly describes the defeat of Jesus at the cross:having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

b. If I am lifted up from the earth: The verb used for lifted up (the ancient Greek word hypsothenai) has a deliberate double meaning. It means both a literal elevation (as in being raised up on a cross) and exaltation (being raised in rank or honor).

i. We don't "lift up" Jesus with our praises in the sense He means here. Hewas lifted up on the cross, and we proclaim that fact to the world. We lift Jesus up by preaching Christ (1 Corinthians 1:23).

c. We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever: The people had been taught only the passages from the law (the Old Testament) which speak of the triumph of the Messiah. They were virtually unaware of the passages that speak of His suffering (such as Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53).

i. This crowd who greeted a political conqueror with such enthusiasm didn't want to consider His sacrificial death. It didn't fit in with their idea of what a Messiah should be.

d. A little while longer the light is with you … While you have the light, believe in the light: We must believe on Jesus while the light is there, because it won't last forever. God's Spirit will not always strive with man (Genesis 6:3), and we must answer His call while it rings to us.

6. (37-41) John explains their unbelief in light of Old Testament prophecy.

But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them. " These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.

a. Although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him: John is answering the question "if Jesus was so great, why didn't everybody believe on Him?" John reminds us that this was prophesied in these two quotations from Isaiah.

b. Therefore they could not believe: It is possible to harden your heart to the place where you can not believe. Therefore we must believe while there is light.

c. He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart: There comes a place where God will strengthen us in our decision, whether for Jesus or against Jesus. Ultimately, before God, we get what we want, and those who push Jesus away will not have to endure eternity with Him.

7. (42-43) Some of the rulers have a feeble belief in Jesus.

Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

a. They did not confess Him: Though some of the religious leaders believed in Him, they would not publicly proclaim it, because they were afraid to loose their position. This love of the praise of men is deadly, and keeps many from a life fully committed to God.

b. Lest they should be put out of the synagogue: Is it possible to be a secret follower of Jesus? Only temporarily; either the secrecy will cancel out the belief, or the belief will cancel out the secrecy.

8. (44-50) A final appeal to belief: Jesus makes a last, passionate appeal to the multitude.

Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him; the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."

a. Then Jesus cried out and said: These are the last words in John's gospel from Jesus to the public. In this last speech to the multitude, Jesus emphasized the themes of all His previous preaching in John.

b. He who sees Me sees Him who sent Me: Jesus stressed His unity with God the Father.

c. I have come as light into the world: Jesus stressed His own truthfulness, and the need man has to follow Jesus.

d. I do not judge Him: Jesus stressed His love and acceptance for the sinner; yet the word that I have spoken will judge Him - there are inescapable consequences for rejecting Jesus.

e. I have not spoken on My own authority: Jesus stressed His own submission to God the Father. His authority flowed from His submission to God the Father.
 
John 13

JESUS, THE LOVING SERVANT
A. Jesus washes the disciples' feet.

1. (1) Jesus and His disciples at a last meeting before His arrest.

Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

a. Now before the feast of the Passover: This gives us a time reference. Jesus is about to share a meal with His disciples, and scholars warmly debate if this meal was actually on the Passover, or if it was the Passover meal, but held a day before.

i. The chronology is an issue because in some passages, it seems that Jesus was crucified on the day of Passover. In other passages, it seems that Jesus was crucified the day after Passover. There are scores of potential solutions to the problem, but it's hard to say which one is the final answer.

ii. "The verbs for 'reclining' [John 13:23]… suggest that, although this meal fell 'before the (official) festival of the Passover' (verse 1) it was nevertheless treated by the participants as a Passover meal." (Bruce)

b. Jesus knew that His hour had come: Jesus lived His life in anticipation of this hour. He knew when it had not yet come (John 2:4). Up to this point, Jesus enjoyed a unique protection because His hour had not yet come (John 7:30,8:20). Now, Jesus knew that His hour had come. He spoke of this awareness in John 12:23-27 and even said that for this purpose I came to this hour.

i. Indeed, His hour had come. Jesus' public ministry is over. In close to 24 hours, Jesus will hang on the cross. This is the beginning of the end, and Jesus will use these last precious hours to minister to His disciples.

c. That He should depart this world to the Father: The cross is notspecifically mentioned in John 13:1, but casts a shadow over almost every word. We see the shadow of the cross over His hour had come. We see the shadow of the cross over loved them to the end. But we also see the shadow of the cross over depart this world. It is phrased softly, but there is an iron-hard reality underneath the soft cover. Jesus would only depart this world through the cross.

d. Having loved: Surely, Jesus had loved His disciples. He led them, taught them, cared for them, protected them. What Jesus had given them already was more than any other teacher or leader could give his followers.

e. Having loved His own: There is a love Jesus has for all people, and then there is a love for His own. It isn't so much that Jesus' love is different, but the dynamic of the love relationship is different. The love of Jesus for His own is greater, because it has a response, and love answers to love.

i. Jesus has done some things for all men. He has also done all things forsome men - His own who were in the world.

f. He loved them to the end: Jesus had loved His own. But He hadn't finished loving them. He would love them to the end. The idea behind the phrase to the end is "to the fullest extent, to the uttermost."

i. To the end means to the end of Jesus' earthly life. Though the disciples gave up on Him, He never gave up on them. Though they stopped thinking about Jesus, and were only thinking of themselves, He never stopped thinking of them. Whose problems were worse - Jesus' or the disciples'? Who was concerned more for the other? He loved them to the end.

ii. To the end means a love that will never end. Jesus will never stop lovingHis own. It isn't a love that comes and goes, that is here today and gone tomorrow.

iii. To the end means a love that reaches to the fullest extent. Some translations have "He loved them to the uttermost. " Jesus poured out the cup of His love to the bottom for us.

2. (2-5) Jesus washes the disciples' feet.

And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe themwith the towel with which He was girded.

a. Supper being ended: Some ancient manuscripts have "supper was now in progress" instead of supper being ended. This probably makes more sense, and the difference is of one letter in the ancient Greek language.

i. "'Supper was now in progress' is a preferable reading to the variant 'Supper having ended,' chiefly because the sequel (verses 12-30) makes it plain that supper had not ended. The point is that supper had already begun when Jesus rose from the table and began to wash the disciples' feet. " (Bruce)

b. The devil having already put it into the heart of Judas: Judas was led by the devil. Before this chapter is finished, John will show us the extent of Judas' depravity. Luke 22:3 describes how Satan entered Judas shortly before this.

i. It may well be that a better translation is the devil had already made up his mind that Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, should betray him. Satan was looking for a man to betray Jesus, and had probably been "cultivating" Judas for a long time. But now the choice was made. Judas was his man.

c. Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands: This wasn't something that Jesus came to know just at this hour. Several years before in His ministry, Jesus said The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. (John 3:35) But this means that at this particular time, and in this particular circumstance, it was important that Jesus knew the Father had given all things into His hands.

i. It was important because of the hour. Jesus is about to face the agony of crucifixion and the terror of standing in the place of guilty sinners before the righteous wrath of God the Father. At the same time, Jesus went into this situation as a victor, not as a victim. He could have backed out any time He wanted to, because the Father had given all things into His hands.

ii. It was important because of the circumstance. Jesus is about to lower Himself, literally stooping in humble service to His disciples. But as He serves in this humble way, He does not do it from weakness. He does it from a position of all authority, because the Father had given all things into His hands.

d. And that He had come from God and was going to God: Jesus didn't only know His authority, He also knew His relationship with God. He knew His identity, as one who had come from God, and as one who was going to God. Knowing His past with God the Father, and His future with God the Father, what else could He do but glorify Him in the present?

e. Began to wash the disciples' feet: At this moment of deep meaning, Jesus did something that must have almost seemed crazy. He began to do the job of the lowest servant in the household. He began to wash the disciples' feet.

i. At this critical moment, at this evening before the torture of the cross, Jesus doesn't think of Himself. He thinks about His disciples. Truly, this isloving them to the end. After all, Jesus' disciples treated Him badly - and were about to treat Him even worse, forsaking Him completely - yet He loved them.

ii. Jesus completely gave Himself to washing their feet. Look at how thorough He was in this work. First, He rose from supper. Then Jesus laid aside His garments, which had to remind Him of what waited in just a few hours, when He would be stripped of His garments and be crucified. Jesus then took a towel and girded Himself. Finally Jesus poured water into a basin. If Jesus wanted to just display the image of a servant, He would have had a servant or one of the disciples do all this preparation work. He then would have quickly wiped a damp cloth on a few dirty feet and consider the job done. That would give the image of servanthood and loving leadership, but Jesus gave Himself completely to this work.

iii. This was an extreme act of servanthood. According to the Jewish laws and traditions regarding the relationship between a teacher and his disciples, a teacher had no right to demand or expect that his disciples would wash his feet. How much more unthinkable was it that the Master would wash His disciple's feet?

iv. "He disrobed himself, though angels longed to cast the imperial purple about his shoulders. With all things in his hand, he yet took a towel and wiped the disciples' feet. " (Spurgeon)

f. And to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded: As Jesus went around the table, washing and drying the feet of His disciples, it was a dramatic scene. Luke 22:23 says that the disciples entered the room debating who was greatest. By what He did, Jesus illustrates true greatness.

i. It was customary that the lowest servant of the house would wash the feet of the guests as they came into the house, especially for a formal meal like this. For some reason, this didn't happen when Jesus and the disciples came into the room. So they ate their meal with dirty feet.

ii. This was more awkward than we might think. First, because of the sandals they wore and the roads they walked on, the feet would be dirty. Second, the disciples would eat a formal meal like this at a table known as atriclinium. This was a low (coffee-table height), U-shaped table. The guests would sit, and their status at the meal was reflected by how close they were seated to the host or leader of the meal. Because the table was low, they didn't sit on chairs. They leaned on pillows, with their feet behind them. This meant that dirty feet could be unpleasantly close to the table during the meal. So the unwashed feet were conspicuous.

iii. So why didn't any of the disciples do this first? Any of the disciples would have gladly washed Jesus' feet. But they could not wash His without having to be available to wash the others' feet, and that would have been an intolerable admission of inferiority among their fellow competitors for the top positions in the disciples' hierarchy. So no one's feet got washed!

g. In all of this, Jesus essentially acted out a parable for the disciples. Jesus knew better that actions speak louder than words. So when He wanted to teach the proud, arguing disciples about true humility, He didn't just say it - He showedit. And He showed it in a way that illustrated His whole work on behalf of His own.

- Jesus rose from supper, a place of rest and comfort
- Jesus rose from His throne in heaven, a place of rest and comfort
- Jesus laid aside His garments, taking off His covering
- Jesus laid aside His glory, taking off His heavenly covering
- Jesus took a towel and girded Himself, being ready to work
- Jesus took the form of a servant, and came ready to work
- Jesus poured water into a basin, ready to clean
- Jesus poured out His blood to cleanse us from the guilt and penalty of sin
- Jesus sat down again (John 13:12) after washing their feet
- Jesus sat down at the right hand of God the Father after cleansing us
i. We know this whole lesson did "stick" powerfully. Decades later, when Peter wrote to Christians about humility, he put it like this: Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility (1 Peter 5:5). More literally, Peter wrote: "wrap the apron of humility around yourself. " Surely, what Jesus did here stuck in his mind, and in his heart.

3. (6-11) Jesus overcomes Peter's objections and washes his feet.

Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?" Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this. " Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me. " Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you. " For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."

a. You shall never wash my feet! Knowing the layout of a typical table and Passover meal, we have reason to believe Peter was seated at the far end of the U-shaped table from Jesus. Probably, Jesus came to Peter last of all. Perhaps Peter thought, "All these guys missed the point by letting Jesus wash their feet. He wants us to protest, and proclaim that He is too great, and we are too unworthy, to have Him wash our feet!" So, Peter makes this dramatic statement.

i. At the same time, Peter clearly felt uncomfortable with having Jesus perform such a humble act of service for him. This example of the servant's heart of Jesus made Peter and the others look pretty proud by comparison.

b. If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me: If we do not accept the humble service of Jesus to cleanse us, we have no part with Him. Jesus does not wash our feet literally, as He did for the disciples. But He did humbly die on the cross to cleanse us, and we must receive it.

i. This foot washing is a powerful lesson in humility. But it is more than that. The deeper meaning here is that there is Jesus has no fellowship with those who have not been cleansed by Him.

c. Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!Peter, in his request to be fully washed, is still reluctant to let Jesus do as He wants. Peter wants to tell Jesus what to do. Jesus - though the servant of all - is still God's appointed leader. He won't allow Peter to monopolize this situation, and set things on a wrong course.

i. Sometimes we show a servant's heart by accepting the service of others for us. If we only serve, and refuse to be served, it can be a sign of deeply rooted and well-hidden pride. "Man's humility does not begin with the giving of service; it begins with the readiness to receive it. For there can be much pride and condescension in our giving of service. " (Temple)

4. (12-17) Jesus explains what He did, and calls His disciples to follow His example.

So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."

a. You also ought to wash one another's feet: Jesus plainly and powerfully says that this is the attitude that must mark His followers, especially the leadership of the church.

i. You also ought to wash one another's feet: Some try to fulfill this with foot washing ceremonies. Surely, if it is done with the right heart it can be a blessing, but Jesus wasn't talking about a ceremony here. "Every year they hold a theatrical feet-washing, and when they have discharged this empty and bare ceremony they think they have done their duty finely and are then free to despise their brethren. But more, when they have washed twelve men's feet they cruelly torture all Christ's members and thus spit in the face of Christ Himself. This ceremonial comedy is nothing but a shameful mockery of Christ. At any rate, Christ does not enjoin an annual ceremony here, but tells us to be ready all through our life to wash the feet of our brethren. " (Calvin, cited by Morris)

ii. If we are going to wash one another's feet, we should be careful of the temperature of the water. Sometimes we try to wash someone with our water too hot - we are too fervent and zealous. Sometimes our water is toocold - we are cold and distant in heart to them. The temperature needs to be in the middle. We should also remember that we can't dry-clean someone else's feet. Jesus washed us with the washing of water by the word(Ephesians 5:26), we should use the same "water" in ministering to others.

b. Wash one another's feet: We, like the disciples, would gladly wash the feet of Jesus. But He tells us to wash one another's feet. Anything we do for each another that washes away the grime of the world and the dust of defeat and discouragement is foot washing.

i. "In the world they criticize: this is the business of the public press, and it is very much the business of private circles. Hear how gossips say, 'Do you see that spot? What a terrible walks that man must have had this morning: look at his feet! He has been very much in the mire you can see, for there are the traces upon him. ' That is the world's way. Christ's way is very different. He says nothing, but takes the basin and begins to wash away the stain. Do not judge and condemn, but seek the restoration and the improvement of the erring. " (Spurgeon)

c. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them: The theory of being a servant isn't worth very much. But the practice of being a servant pleases God and fulfills our calling.

i. "If there is a position in the church where the worker will have to toil hard and get no thanks for it, take it, and be pleased with it. If you can perform a service, which few will ever seek to do themselves, or appreciate when performed by others, yet occupy it with holy delight. Covet humble work, and when you get it be content to continue in it. There is no great rush after the lowest places, you will rob no one by seeking them. " (Spurgeon)

B. Jesus sends Judas away after favoring him.

1. (18-21) Jesus reveals He will be betrayed by one of the twelve.

"I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me. ' Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. " When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."

a. Lifted his heel against me means "has given me a great fall" or "has taken cruel advantage of me. " To the eastern idea of hospitality, for one who eats bread with Me to lift up his heel against Me was great betrayal and treachery.

b. Jesus was troubled in spirit at this; He was not unfeeling or emotionally detached from the events surrounding His passion. He loved Judas, and was troubled for Judas' sake, not His own.

c. Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me: By revealing the traitor, Jesus shows that He is in control of these events; He is not being taken by surprise.

2. (22-30) Judas departs.

Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. Then, leaning back on Jesus' breast, he said to Him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it. " And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly. " But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, "Buy those things we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor. Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.

a. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke: Peter's question to John (the disciple whom Jesus loved) may have been prompted by a desire to take preventative action. Peter couldn't discreetly ask Jesus, so he asked John.

b. Leaning back on Jesus' breast, he said to Him: At a special or ceremonial meal like this they would lay on their stomachs around a U shaped table, leaning on their left elbow and eating with their right hand.

c. It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it: The giving of the dipped bread designated special honor, like a toast; it was a mark of courtesy and esteem.

i. Jesus showed great love to Judas, giving him the chance to repent. Had Judas repented, his past intention would have been secret before the disciples.

ii. Earlier at this dinner, the washing of feet displayed a degree of sacrificial love and service not seen before the cross. Now, the giving of the dipped bread to Judas showed the height of love for enemies, previous to the cross.

d. Judas departs - into the night. It may have been that the events earlier at the dinner made Judas decide that he didn't want anything to do with a foot-washing Messiah, with a Messiah who would perform such a humble act.

i. "His act, however, was more than an incidental act of treachery; he sold himself to the power of evil. " (Tenney)

ii. Judas is typical of many who reject Jesus, in that he had no lack of opportunity for repentance or he did not lack a good example. Judas simply shows man's sin nature.

C. A new commandment.

1. (31-32) Jesus saw the cross as supreme glorification, not supreme humiliation.

So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately."

a. It is emphasized in these two verses: glorified … glorified … glorified … glorify … glorify. Five references to glory in two verses! Jesus saw the cross in terms of glory, instead of humiliation.

2. (33) Jesus plainly reveals His soon departure.

"Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you."

a. I shall be with you a little while longer … Where I am going, you cannot come: This would have been like an earthquake to the disciples. They had literally left everything to follow Jesus, and expected to be high-ranking officials in His government when He took political control of Israel as Messiah. They have followed Him for three years, enduring a lot, and now He says, "I'm leaving you"?

b. Jesus will explain this dramatic statement and comfort the disciples concerning this all the way through the end of John 14.

3. (34-35) In light of the coming storm, Jesus tells of a new commandment.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

a. A new commandment: The specific ancient Greek work used here for newhere implies freshness, or the opposite of outworn, rather than recent or different. It isn't that this commandment was just invented, but it will be presented in a new, fresh way.

b. That you love one another: "Whereas the Old Testament demanded that men should love their neighbors as themselves, the New Law is that they should love the brethren better than themselves, and die for their friends. " (Hoskyns)

c. As I have loved you: The command to love wasn't new; but the extent of love just displayed by Jesus was new, as would be the display of the cross. Love was newly defined from His example.

d. By this all will know that you are My disciples: Love is the mark of the fellowship of true believers, and all other criteria are strictly secondary.

4. (36-38) Peter's denial of Jesus is predicted.

Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward. " Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake. " Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."

a. I will lay down my life for Your sake: Poor Peter! He would have died for Jesus right then but he later failed because his devotion was based on emotion.

i. Emotion in vital to the Christian walk, but it can't be its power or foundation.

ii. We see a different Peter when his walk is no longer built on emotion, but on the work of Jesus on the cross and the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

b. Till you have denied Me three times: Poor Peter! He would have died for Jesus but he could not stand being laughed at for Jesus' sake. To him, a servant-girl's tongue was sharper than an executioner's sword.
 
John 14

THE DEPARTING JESUS
A. The departing Jesus' relationship to the Father.

1. (1-4) Jesus assures a future reunion in His Father's house.

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know."

a. Let not your heart be troubled: Although He is leaving them bodily, it is not forever. Jesus is confident that He will meet Peter and the rest in His Father's house

b. Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me: Even though there was good reason why their hearts might be troubled, Jesus tells the disciples to challenge their troubled hearts with faith in the Father and the Son. They did not have to give into the emotions of fear and despair - they really could let not your hearts be troubled.

c. I go to prepare a place for you: You only prepare a place for someone if you are confident of their arrival. Jesus could only say this to the group after Judas had left. He would not go to prepare a place for Judas - at least not a place in His Father's house.

d. Many mansions: In light of the ancient Greek, "mansions" is better translated "dwelling places. " The noun mone (connected to the verb meno, "stay" or "remain") means "a place to stay. " But in light of God's character, it is better to translate it mansions. Whatever dwelling place God has for us in heaven, it will be as glorious as a mansion.

e. To receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also: The entire focus of heaven is being reunited with Jesus. Heaven is heaven not because of streets of gold, or pearly gates, or even the presence of angels. Heaven is heaven because Jesus is there.

i. Take comfort; even as He prepares a place for us, He prepares us for that place.

2. (5-6) Jesus is the exclusive way to the Father.

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

a. I am the way, the truth, and the life: In light of soon events, this declaration is a paradox. Jesus' way would be the cross; He would be convicted by blatantliars; His body would soon lie lifeless in a tomb. Because He took that way, He isthe way to God; because He did not contest the lies we can believe He is the truth; because He was willing to die He becomes the channel of resurrection -the life to us.

b. No one comes to the Father except through Me: Is Jesus the only way to God? An often-heard disagreement with Christianity is "Jesus and Christianity are fine, and it is great that you have a way to God. But I have my own way, and the Muslim has his, and the Buddhist has his. All roads lead to God if we are sincere in seeking Him."

i. If a Christian objects to such a statement, they are often met with the reply, "What right do you have to send me to Hell just because I don't believe in Jesus the way you do?"

ii. But the Bible tells us that Jesus is the only way to God. How can we say this? We begin with the basic truth that Jesus is at least a way to God. Was He a true or a false prophet? Was He at the very least an honest man? If Jesus is a true prophet - or at least an honest man - then what He said about Himself is true. Therefore, Jesus is the only way to God.

iii. Simply put, if Jesus is not the only way to God, then He is not any way to God. If there are many roads to God, then Jesus is not one of them, because He absolutely claimed there was only one road to God, and He Himself was that road. If Jesus is not the only way to God, then He was not a honest man; He was most certainly not a true prophet. He then would either be a madman or a lying devil. There is no middle ground available to us.

iv. Sometimes people object and say, "I believe Jesus was an honest man, and I believe He was a true prophet. But I don't actually believe He said those things about Himself in the gospels. I believe Christians added those things in later on all by themselves. " But there is no objective reason for a person to make a distinction between "Jesus really said this" or "Jesus really didn't say that. " We have no ancient texts showing us just the supposedly "true" sayings of Jesus. Any such distinction is based purely on subjective reasons - "I personally don't think Jesus would have said that, therefore He did not say that - later Christians just put those words in His mouth."

v. If it is all up to personal opinion - if we can determine what Jesus said or didn't say on our own whims - then we can just throw out the gospels period. It really is an all-or-nothing deal. Either we take the words of Jesus as recorded by these historically reliable and accurate documents, or we throw it out all together.

vi. To take it a step further, it is not enough to merely believe in Jesus. Shockingly, that isn't narrow enough! The Bible also tells us the atoning work of Jesus on the cross was the only way salvation could be accomplished. In the Garden of Gesthemene, the night before His death, Jesus prayed if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me (Matthew 26:39). Jesus asked the Father if there was any other way to accomplish the salvation of man other than His atoning work on the cross, other than Him drinking the "cup" representing the wrath of God poured out upon Him in our place, let it be so. But there was no other way.

vii. Even the demons could admit the truth that Jesus was the Son of God (Matthew 8:29); but they did not submit to Jesus or believe in His atoning work on their behalf.

viii. The idea that all religious beliefs are equally valid, and all that matters is that we be sincere in our beliefs is so absurd that people would only apply it to religion. If you thought you were a cow - sincerely, of course - and insisted that you should stay outside and eat the lawn, men in white coats would take you away. Why won't they allow you to be sincere in your beliefs? Because they objectively know you are wrong. Why do we apply the same muddled thinking to religion?

ix. But is Christianity bigoted? Certainly, there are some who claim to be Christians who are in fact bigots. But Biblical Christianity is the most pluralistic, tolerant, embracing of other cultures religion on earth. In fact, Christianity is rather pluralistic - it is the one religion to embrace other cultures, and has the most urgency to translate the Scriptures into other languages. A Christian can keep their native language and culture, and follow Jesus in the midst of it. An early criticism of Christianity was the observation that they would take anybody! Slave or free; rich or poor; man or woman; Greek or Barbarian. All were accepted, but on the common ground of the truth as revealed in Jesus Christ. To leave that common ground is spiritual suicide, for both now and eternity.

3. (7-11) Jesus again explains His unity with and dependence on the Father.

"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. " Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us. " Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves."

a. Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me: Jesus' gentle rebuke might well be spoken to many church-goers today. After all our time with Jesus, do we really know Jesus?

b. He who has seen Me has seen the Father: No image or material likeness could depict God, but a person could - the person of Jesus.

i. This forever finishes the idea some people have that there is a "bad God" in the Old Testament that Jesus somehow calmed down and made nice so we could be saved. If you want to know what God the Father is like, look at Jesus - the same love, compassion, mercy, and goodness which is evident in Jesus is evident in God the Father. Exodus 34:5-9, among other passages, shows this nature of God the Father in the Old Testament.

4. (12-14) When Jesus departs to the Father, His work will continue on earth.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

a. The works I do he will do: Jesus did not expect the disciples to disband after His departure, but to carry on the work in even greater magnitude.

b. Greater works than these he will do: This promise seems impossible; yet after Peter's first sermon there were more converted than are recorded during Jesus' entire ministry.

i. Greater is not "more sensational" but greater in magnitude. Jesus will leave behind a victorious, working church, not a cowering one.

c. Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do: In My name is not an Aladdin's lamp of prayer; it signifies both an endorsement (like a check) and a limitation (requests must be in accordance with the character of the name). We are coming to God in Jesus' name, not in our own.

d. That the Father may be glorified in the Son: True prayer in Jesus' name always has this goal. Since that was Jesus' passion, to pray in the name of Jesus means the prayer will have the same passion. Surely, this is prayer God will answer!

B. The departing Jesus gives the promise of the Holy Spirit.

1. (15-18) The promise to send the Helper.

"If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."

a. If you love Me, keep My commandments: This is a fair measure of our love for Jesus. It is easy to think of loving Jesus in merely sentimental or emotional terms. It is wonderful when our love for Jesus has sentiment and passion, but it must always be connected to keeping His commandments, or it isn't love at all.

b. I will pray the Father: God even works in us so we may love Him more perfectly.

i. John 14:16 is one of the verses in the Bible that shows the underlying theme of the Trinity. God the Son prays to God the Father that He might send God the Holy Spirit to us.

c. He will give you another Helper: Helper translates the ancient Greek word "parakletos. " This means "a person summoned to one's aid," and may refer to an advisor, a legal defender, a mediator, or an intercessor.

i. Another Helper: The word "another" is the ancient Greek word "allen," meaning "another of the same kind" not another of a different kind. Just as Jesus shows the nature of God the Father, so the Holy Spirit - being "another of the same kind" - will show the nature of Jesus.

ii. Essentially, the Holy Spirit is sent to empower and help the believer live the Christian life. The greater work described in John 14:12-14 is impossible without the empowering described in John 14:15-18.

d. That He may abide with you forever: Jesus will give the Holy Spirit that He(a person, not a thing) may abide in us permanently, not temporarily (as in the Old Testament).

e. Whom the world cannot receive: The world can not understand or receive the Spirit, because He is Holy and true.

f. I will come to you: Jesus again promises to come again (previously inJohn 14: 3). This was a broad promise fulfilled by His resurrection, by the sending of the Spirit, and especially by the promise of His bodily return to this earth.

2. (19-24) After His departure, Jesus will only be manifested to hearts that love Him and honor His word.

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. " Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."

a. You will know … he who loves Me … who has My commandments: Trusting, loving and obeying Jesus are all dependent on each other.

b. If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word: If we love Jesus, it will be shown in a genuine love for His word - and not a love that just admires His word, but obeys it - keeps His word.

3. (25-27) The departing Jesus leaves two gifts: the Holy Spirit and His peace.

"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 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 things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

a. The Helper … Peace I leave with you: Jesus had no fortune to bequeath His followers, but He gives them gifts that can't be bought - the presence of the Holy Spirit and the presence of peace.

i. How many a defeated lives would buy the power of the Holy Spirit if they could? How many distraught souls would buy the peace of Jesus? These can't be bought, but Jesus gives them as gifts to His people.

ii. "All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make for peace. " (Thomas a' Kempis)

b. Let not your heart be troubled: These gifts do not grant us exemption from the storms of life, but promise us the power and the peace to weather any storm.

4. (28-29) Jesus' departure to the Father is a happy thing.

"You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you. ' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe."

a. If you loved Me, you would rejoice: This was hard for the disciples to believe; but Jesus' departure really was best. It was best for Jesus, best for the disciples, and best for the world. Jesus wants the disciples to realize this, and so says, "If you loved Me, you would rejoice" at His return to God the Father.

b. My Father is greater than I: The Father is greater than the Son in position (particularly regarding the incarnation), not in essence or being. If Jesus were not God in essence, it would be absurd for Him to compare Himself to God in position. In what sense is it any kind of revelation for a mere man, or even an angel, to say, "God is greater than I"?

5. (30-31) Jesus goes forth willingly, not as one who is being overwhelmed by Satan.

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here."

a. The ruler of this world … has nothing in Me: What an amazing statement! Jesus declares that Satan has absolutely no hook, no foothold, no toehold of deception in Him. Satan isn't pushing Jesus to the cross. Jesus goes in loving obedience to God the Father, and out of love for fallen humanity.
 
John 15

John 15 - The Departing Jesus Teaches His Disciples about Life In Him
It must occur to all who read these discourses preserved by John how simple the text looks, and yet how transcendent is the thought when it is even dimly understood. John is sailing sky-high: are we? It is the strongest food in the Bible. (Trench)

A. Relating to Jesus when Jesus departs.

1. (1-3) Jesus as the true vine.

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

a. I am the true vine: This was a familiar symbol. God repeatedly used a vine as a symbol of His people in the Hebrew Scriptures (one example is Psalm 80:8-9). Yet it was often used in a negative sense (as in Isaiah 5:1-2, 7 and Jeremiah 2:21). Just in the previous week Jesus publicly taught about Israel being like a vineyard in the Parable of the Vineyard (Matthew 21:33-44).

i. Jesus spoke this to His disciples, probably as they stood in the upper room and prepared to leave. He used the picture of the vine because there were grapevines everywhere in ancient Israel. Also, there was a large golden vine set as a prominent decoration on the front of the temple communicating the idea that Israel was Gods vine. As well, The vine was a recognized symbol also of the Messiah. (Dods)

ii. In contrast, Jesus is the true vine. We must be rooted in Him (not in Israel) if we will bear fruit for God. In the New Covenant community, our first identification is in Jesus Christ Himself, not in Israel or even in the church as such.

ii. In contrast, Jesus is the true vine. We must be rooted in Him (not in Israel) if we will bear fruit for God. In the New Covenant community, our first identification is in Jesus Christ Himself, not in Israel or even in the church as such.

iii. Of the many pictures of the relationship between God and His people, the vine and branch picture emphasizes complete dependence and the need for constant connection. The branch depends on the vine even more than the sheep depends on the shepherd or the child depends on the father. As Jesus was about to depart from His disciples, this was important encouragement. He would remain united to them and they to Him as truly as branches are connected to the main vine.

b. And My Father is the vinedresser: In the Old Testament use of the vine as a picture of Israel, God the Father was also presented as the One who cultivated and managed the vine. God fulfills this role also for the believer under the New Covenant.

i. The New Covenant participant has relationship with both the Father and the Son; with both the vine itself and the vinedresser.

c. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away: The branches that are taken away were never properly abiding in the vine, demonstrated by the fact that they did not bear fruit.

i. There is an alternative understanding of this passage that bears some consideration. James Montgomery Boice (among others) believes that the ancient Greek verb airo, translated, takes away is more accurately translated lifts up. The idea is that the Father lifts up unproductive vines off of the ground (as was common in the ancient practices of vineyard care). Those caring for ancient grape vines made sure to lift them up off the ground that they might get more sun and bear fruit better.

ii. The verb translated cut off (aireo) means literally to lift up or to take away; the second, trims clean (kathaireo), a compound of the first, means to cleanse or to purify. (Tenney)

d. Every branch that bears fruit He prunes: This word for prunes is the same word translated cleanse in other places. The same word could apply to either pruning or cleansing in ancient Greek. The vinedresser cleans up the fruit-bearing vine so it will bear more fruit.

i. Left to itself a vine will produce a good deal of unproductive growth. For maximum fruitfulness extensive pruning is essential. (Morris)

ii. Dead wood is worse than fruitlessness, for dead wood can harbor disease and decayGod removes the dead wood from his church and disciplines the life of the believer so that it is directed into fruitful activity. (Tenney)

iii. And if it be painful to bleed, it is worse to wither. Better be pruned to grow than cut up to burn. (Trapp)

e. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you: The work of pruning, of cleansing, had already begun in the eleven disciples Jesus spoke to. They had heard and received much of His teaching and were in some sense already clean because of the word.

i. In saying you are already clean, Jesus repeated an idea from earlier in the evening: that there is an initial cleansing, and then a continuing cleansing (John 13:10).

ii. The word of God is a cleansing agent. It condemns sin, it inspires holiness, it promotes growth, and it reveals power for victory. Jesus continues to wash His people through the word (Ephesians 5:26).

iii. The means by which pruning or cleaning is done is by the Word of God. It condemns sin; it inspires holiness; it promotes growth. As Jesus applied the words God gave him to the lives of the disciples, they underwent a pruning process that removed evil from them and conditioned them for further service. (Tenney)

2. (4-5) The vital relationship between the branch and the vine.

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.


a. Abide in Me, and I in You: Jesus emphasized a mutual relationship. It isnt only that the disciple abides in the Master; the Master also abides in the disciple. Something of this close relationship is described in Song of Solomon 6:3: I am my beloveds, and my beloved is mine.

i. Jesus used this picture to assure His disciples of continued connection and relationship even though He was about to depart from them. Yet He spoke this in a way that also indicated an aspect of choice on their part. Abiding was something they must choose.

ii. When our Lord says: Abide in me he is talking about the will, about the choices, the decisions we make. We must decide to do things which expose ourselves to him and keep ourselves in contact with him. This is what it means to abide in him. (Boice)

b. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine: It is impossible for the branch to bear grapes if it isnt connected to the vine. The disciple cant do true good for God and His kingdom if they do not consciously connect with and abide in Jesus.

i. All our sap and safety is from Christ. The bud of a good desire, the blossom of a good resolution, and the fruit of a good action, all come from him. (Trapp)

c. I am the vine, you are the branches: Jesus perhaps spoke so perhaps because they were so accustomed to thinking of Israel as the vine and thought mainly in terms of their connection to Israel. They now had to think of Jesus as the vine, and emphasize their connection to Him.

d. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit: Fruit bearing is inevitable with abiding. The quality and quantity of the fruit may differ, but the presence of fruit will be inevitable.

i. The purpose of the branch is to bear fruit. Though there are uses for grape leaves, people dont raise grape vines to look at the pretty leaves. They take the trouble to cultivate, plant, water and tend the vines so that fruit can be enjoyed. In this sense, we can say that fruit represents Christian character (such as the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5). Gods work in us and our connection to Him should be evident by fruit, and perhaps by much fruit.

ii. Fruit also implies inherent reproduction. Virtually every piece of fruit has seeds within it, seeds that are meant to reproduce more fruit.

iii. The concept of abiding is not restricted to our abiding in Jesus; it also includes His abiding in us (and I in him). It is a mutual dynamic that expects our life to be spiritually and practically in vital connection with Jesus, and that expects Him to indwell us in an active, real way. In no way is the responsibility for abiding only upon the believer.


e. Without Me you can do nothing: It isnt that they disciples could do no activity without Jesus. They could be active without Him, as were the enemies of Jesus and many others. Yet they and we could do nothing of real, eternal value without Jesus.

i. "The I am comes out in the personal word me, and the claim of all power unveils the Omnipotent. These words mean Godhead or nothing." (Spurgeon)

ii. It is only by union with Him that any branch can bear fruit: once that union is broken, the sap no longer flows; and fruit in that branch is no longer possible, though the remains of the sap that lay in it may be enough to bear leaves and so for a time give semblance of life. (Trench)

iii. Paul does not use the Johannine idiom but he expresses the same truth when he says, It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20), and I can do all things in him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). (Bruce)

iv. "'Without me ye can do nothing;' if this be true of apostles, much more of opposers! If his friends can do nothing without him, I am sure his foes can do nothing against him." (Spurgeon)


3. (6-8) The price of not abiding and the promise to those who do abide.


If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

a. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered: Jesus warned His disciples that failing to abide means that life fails. A branch only has life as it is connected to the stock of the vine; a disciple only spiritually lives as they are connected to the Master.

i. These verbs describe a progression for the one who doesnt abide: cast out, withered, gathered, thrown, and burned. Like other parables, the picture Jesus used here was not meant to describe a whole theological system. Yet the progression described is a sober and significant warning of the danger of not abiding.

ii. The phrasing Jesus used here was important. He didnt say, If anyone does not bear fruit he is cast out. He said, if anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out. He knows who abides and who does not, and this cant be perfectly discerned by our outward estimation of fruit.

b. They gather them and throw them into the fire: The lifeless branch bears no fruit and even its wood is good for nothing but burning. This reference to burning and fire raises the association of punishment in the life to come and warns of the great consequences of failing to abide.

i. We think of how these words would impact the eleven disciples who first heard them. Jesus told them He would depart; yet they would not be disconnected from Him. The work of the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father, would be to keep them connected to Jesus. If they were disconnected from Him, they would be ruined - perhaps as Judas was.

ii. This passage is interpreted at least three ways regarding the security of the professed disciples position in Jesus.

The first view believes cast out branches are ones who, though once true believers, end up in hell for lack of abiding and fruit. They were once disciples, but are now cast out

The second view is that the cast out branches are ones who only appeared to be disciples, and who never really abided in Jesus, and therefore go to hell (like Judas)

The third view sees the cast out branches as fruitless disciples who live wasted lives that are in effect burnt up, and this passage doesnt refer to their eternal destiny (like Lot, Abrahams nephew)

iii. The emphasis seems plain: there are no true disciples who do not abide. The branch must remain connected to the vine or it has no life and is of no lasting good.

iv. Are burned: Not, is burned, in any sense of being consumed; and must burn, as Luther renders it. (Alford)

c. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you: Jesus connected the principle of abiding to two ideas previously mentioned in this upper room talk.

My words abide in you: Jesus connected abiding to the idea of faithfulness to His words, as previously mentioned in John 14:23-24

You will ask what you desire: Jesus connected abiding to the idea of answered prayer, as previously mentioned in John 14:13-14. "Prayer comes spontaneously from those who abide in Jesus...Prayer is the natural outgushing of a soul in communion with Jesus." (Spurgeon)

i. Abiding in Jesus means abiding in His words, and having His words live in the disciple. We should not overlook the importance of the reference to my words. The teaching of Christ is important and is not lightly to be passed over in the interests of promoting religious feeling. (Morris)

ii. The connection is maintained by obedience and prayer. To remain in Christ and to allow his words to remain in oneself means a conscious acceptance of the authority of his word and a constant contact with him by prayer. (Tenney)

iii. This faithful, abiding disciple should expect answered prayer as part of their relationship with Jesus. A failure to see prayer answered means something is not right in the disciples relationship. Perhaps something is not right in the abiding, and prayers are amiss and unanswered. Perhaps something is not right in the asking and there is no perception of what Jesus wants to do in and through His disciple.

iv. It shall be done for you: "It becomes safe for God to say to the sanctified soul, 'Ask what thou wilt, and it shall be done unto thee.' The heavenly instincts of that man lead him right; the grace that is within his soul thrusts down all covetous lustings and foul desires, and his will is the actual shadow of God's will. The spiritual life is master in him, and so his aspirations are holy, heavenly, Godlike." (Spurgeon)

d. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit: The purpose of fruit bearing is to bring glory to God, not to the disciple. A branch that bears much fruit brings honor to one who cares for the vine, and a disciple who bears much fruit in a spiritual sense brings honor to God.

i. Branches and clusters have no self-seeking, no aim outside the Vine and the Husbandmans glory: all other aims are cast out as unworthy. (Trench)

ii. By this My Father is glorified: Or, honoured. It is the honour of the husbandman to have good, strong, vigorous vines, plentifully laden with fruit: so it is the honour of God to have strong, vigorous, holy children, entirely freed from sin, and perfectly filled with his love. (Clarke)

iii. Real fruitfulness is only determined over an extended period of time. Genuine conversion is not measured by the hasty decision but by long-range fruitfulness. (Erdman) This principle is displayed in the Parable of the Soils (Matthew 13).

4. (9-11) The link between love and obedience.

As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Fathers commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

a. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you: Jesus deliberately loved His disciples according to the way God the Father loved Him. We know that Jesus loved His disciples by teaching them, protecting them, guiding them, sacrificially serving them, and using His power and authority to do these things. In some way, the Father also did all those things for Jesus and Jesus did them for the disciples after that pattern.

i. The love of Jesus for His people is so remarkable, that this is the analogy or illustration that He must make. He didnt say, I love you as a mother loves her baby or I love you the way a husband loves his wife or I love you the way the soldier loves his buddy or even I love you the way an addict loves his dope. The only way He could paint the picture was to use the love of the Father for the Son.

ii. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you: This surely is Christs superlative word concerning His love for His own. It leaves nothing more to be said. What the love of the Father is for the Son, who can tell? The very suggestion fills the soul with the sense of profound depths which cannot be fathomed. (Morgan)

iii. "Beloved, you do not, dare not, could not, doubt the love of the Father to his Son. It is one of those unquestionable truths about which you never dreamed of holding an argument. Our Lord would have us place his love to us in the same category with the Father's love to himself. We are to be as confident of the one as of the other." (Spurgeon)

iv. The Father loved the Son with a love:

That has no beginning

That has no end

That is close and personal

That is without measure

That is unchanging

b. Abide in My love: There is no single way to describe the nature and character of Jesus. He is filled with power, wisdom, truth, holiness, devotion, submission, sacrifice, and dozens of other qualities. Of all these to emphasize, Jesus said abide in My love. When the disciple stays connected to the love of Jesus the relationship stays strong.

i. You will abide in My love: Notice that this is done as an explanation of the means of abiding in His love. This is not some mystical experience. It is simple obedience. It is when a man keeps Christs commandments that he abides in Christs love. (Morris)

c. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love: Again, Jesus connected true discipleship with obedience to His command and honoring His word. Jesus fulfilled this in regard to His Father; the disciple must fulfill it in regard to Jesus.

i. As noted previously (John 14:15) what Jesus did and taught that evening in the upper room emphasized the commandments of Jesus mainly in love for fellow disciples, sacrificial service for fellow disciples, and trusting love for God the Father and Jesus the Son.

d. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full: When the disciple fails to abide in the love of Jesus and thereby fails to keep His commandments, that disciple will not experience the fullness of joy Jesus promised to those who do abide in His love and obedience.

i. No one is more miserable than the Christian who for a time hedges in his obedience. He does not love sin enough to enjoy its pleasures, and does not love Christ enough to relish holiness. He perceives that his rebellion is iniquitous, but obedience seems distasteful. He does not feel at home any longer in the world, but his memory of his past associations and the tantalizing lyrics of his old music prevent him from singing with the saints. He is a man most to be pitied; and he cannot forever remain ambivalent. (Carson)

e. That My joy may remain in you: The joy of Jesus isnt the same as what is commonly understood as happiness or excitement. The joy of Jesus is not the pleasure of a life of ease; it is the exhilaration of being right with God, and consciously walking in His love and care. We can have that joy - we can have His joy - and have it as an abiding presence.

i. My joy: Not joy concerning Me, nor joy derived from Me, nor My joy over you, but My joy, properly speakingHis own holy exultation, the joy of the Son in the consciousness of the love of God. (Alford)

ii. When Jesus spoke of His joy, Nobody ever asked Him what He meant. They did not look at each other in perplexity. To them it seemed entirely natural that the Master should make reference to His gladness. From this we gather that the joy of Christ was something they were perfectly familiar with. (Morrison)

f. That your joy may be full: This is the result of abiding in Jesus love, and obedience flowing from that abiding relationship.

i. That your joy may be full: Or, complete-plhrwyh, filled up: a metaphor taken from a vessel, into which water or any other thing is poured, till it is full to the brim. The religion of Christ expels all misery from the hearts of those who receive it in its fulness. It was to drive wretchedness out of the world that Jesus came into it. (Clarke)

ii. God made human beings, as he made his other creatures, to be happy. They are capable of happiness, they are in their right element when they are happy; and now that Jesus Christ has come to restore the ruins of the Fall, he has to bring back to us the old joy, — only it shall be even sweeter and deeper than it could have been if we had never lost it. (Spurgeon)

B. Relating to each other when Jesus departs.

1. (12-15) Jesus speaks of the extent of His love that they are to imitate.

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down ones life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

a. That you love one another as I have loved you: As Jesus spoke these words to the disciples as they stood in the upper room, having risen from the table, we sense the emphasis created by repetition. Jesus really cared that His disciples love one another, and that they do so according to the measure and quality of His love for them.

i. Perhaps they expected minute, detailed instructions such as they had received when first sent out (Matthew 10). Instead of this, love was to be their sufficient guide. (Dods)

ii. We are sent out into the world to love one another. Sometimes we live as if we were sent into the world to compete with one another, or to dispute with one another, or even to quarrel with one another. (Barclay)

iii. As I have loved you: His love was at once the source and the measure of theirs. (Dods)

iv. Unity instead of rivalry, trust instead of suspicion, obedience instead of self-assertion must rule the disciples common labors. (Tenney)

v. This is My commandment, that you love one another: So deeply was thus commandment engraved on the heart of this evangelist that St. Jerome says, lib. iii. c. 6, Com. ad Galat., that in his extreme old age, when he used to be carried to the public assemblies of the believers, his constant saying was, Little children, love one another. His disciples, wearied at last with the constant repetition of the same words, asked him, Why he constantly said the same thing? Because (said he) it is the commandment of the Lord, and the observation of it alone is sufficient. (Clarke)

b. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down ones life for his friends: Jesus described the measure and quality of His love for them, to use as a pattern for the way they should love each other. His love is complete and of surpassing greatness, laying down its life.


i. No man can carry his love for his friend farther than this: for, when he gives up his life, he gives up all that he has. This proof of my love for you I shall give in a few hours; and the doctrine which I recommend to you I am just going to exemplify myself. (Clarke)


c. I have called you friends: Jesus descried the measure and quality of His love for them as a love that treats servants as friends. In the relationship between a disciple and his rabbi of that time, it wasnt expected to be a friendship. Yet Jesus the rabbi called His disciples, His servants friends.

i. In the thinking of the ancient world a slave could be a useful and trusted tool but could never be thought of as a partner. It was possible that a slave and a friend might be of similar help, but a friend could be a partner in the work in a way a slave never could.

ii. John Wesley, looking back on his conversion in later years, described it as a time when he exchanged the faith of a servant for the faith of a son. (Bruce)

d. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you: They were friends because they were obedient (though not perfectly so). Friendship with Jesus cant be disconnected from obedience to His commands.

i. It must be active obedience, notice that. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Some think it is quite sufficient if they avoid what he forbids. Abstinence from evil is a great part of righteousness, but it is not enough for friendship. (Spurgeon)

e. I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you: They were friends because Jesus didnt keep secrets from them, but openly revealed what He had received from God the Father.

i. The friend is a confidant who shares the knowledge of his superiors purpose and voluntarily adopts it as his own. (Tenney)

2. (16-17) Chosen to bear fruit and to love one another.

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.

a. You did not choose Me, but I chose you: Jesus just spoke of great privilege for the disciples - friendship with the Master, answered prayer, bearing much fruit, knowing things from the Father. The disciples should rightly treasure these without becoming proud as if they had earned them. They were all rooted in the fact that Jesus chose them, not that they chose Him.

i. We are in Christ, not because we hold Him, but because He holds us. (Meyer)

ii. It was not they who chose Him, as was normally the case when disciples attached themselves to a particular Rabbi. Students the world over delight to seek out the teacher of their choice and attach themselves to him. But Jesus disciples did not hold the initiative. On the contrary it was He who chose them. (Morris)


iii. That you should go and bear fruit: The word go probably merely expresses the activity of living and developing principle; not the missionary journeys of the Apostles, as some have explained it. (Alford)

b. Appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain: Jesus chooses disciples not simply so they would have the thrill of knowing they are chosen, but so that they would bear fruit that remains, to the glory of God the Father.

i. Much of their fruit will be necessarily the winning of others to Christ: but that is not the prominent idea here. (Alford)

c. That whatever you ask: Again, Jesus connected fruit bearing with answered prayer. When He departed from them their experience of asking and receiving would not end but would change, and Jesus prepared His disciples for this.

d. That you love one another: Again, Jesus commanded love among the disciples. When He departed from them they must not disband or turn against each other, and Jesus prepared them to stay together and love one another.

C. Relating to the world when Jesus departs.

1. (18-20) The world may reject the disciples because of who they are.

If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.


a. If the world hates you: Jesus told the disciples that the world would often hate them. As wonderful as Jesus was and His message was, they should expect to be rejected when Jesus departed, just was much as they were often opposed while Jesus was with them.

i. The disciples Jesus spoke to that night would know the hatred of the world. They were persecuted and all of them died as martyrs in Jesus name, except for John -- whom they tried to kill, but he miraculously would not die at their hands.

ii. The earliest Christians would know the hatred of the world. Tacitus spoke of the people hated for their crimes, whom the mob call Christians. Suetonius had spoken of a race of men who belong to a new and evil superstition. (Barclay)

iii. It is an odd fact that the world soon justified its hostility to them by imputing to them the initiative in hatred. The earliest extant reference to Christians in pagan literature charges them with hatred of the human race. (Tacitus, Annals, 15.44.5) (Bruce)

iv. Christians through the centuries have known the hatred of the world, and millions have died for Jesus. It is said that more died as martyrs for Jesus in the 20th century than in all previous centuries combined.

v. It is not without significance that the disciples are to be known by their love, the world by its hatred. (Morris)

b. You know that it hated Me before it hated you: Jesus hoped to comfort the disciples with the knowledge that the worlds hatred was first directed toward Him. Jesus attracted attention from great multitudes and devotion from individuals of all kinds; yet as a whole, the world hated Jesus.

i. You know: Ye know can also be read as an imperative know ye. The sense is therefore either Ye are aware, or Be very sure, so that (on either interpretation) the hatred of the world for them will not take them by surprise. (Tasker)

ii. It hated Me: The perfect tense of the verb hate (memiseken) implies that the worlds hatred is a fixed attitude toward him -- an attitude that carries over to his disciples as well. (Tenney)

iii. When Jesus spoke to Saul of Tarsus on the Road to Damascus, He asked Saul: Why do you persecute Me? (Acts 9:4) The Lord who was personally persecuted on earth continued to be persecuted, even in his exultation, in the person of his persecuted followers. (Bruce)

iv. It hated Me: He and the world are antagonistic. The world is glad to forget God: He came to bring men back to God. (Trench)

c. Because you are not of the world: Jesus said this both as a fact and an explanation. This further explained why the world would hate the disciples of Jesus. It was also to be a factual description of the disciples - that in many ways they were different than the world.

i. But I chose you out of the world: The hatred of the world, instead of being depressing, should be exhilarating, as being an evidence and guarantee that they have been chosen by Christ. (Dods)

d. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you: Jesus was mostly persecuted by the religious establishment, which mainly reflected the values and goals of the world in opposition to God. One may be religious and very much part of the world.

i. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also: The force of the last clause in this verse is well brought out by Knox they will pay the same attention to your words as to mine; that is, none. (Tasker)

2. (21-25) The world may reject disciples because of who Jesus is.


But all these things they will do to you for My names sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, They hated Me without a cause.

a. Because they do not know Him who sent Me: If people do not know God as He really is, they often attack and persecute those who represent God in some way. This should cause sympathy in the persecuted for their persecutors.

i. Men may prefer to evolve an idea of their universal Father, but that idea of theirs will take their own colour and the colour of their Age. The only true idea of Him is to be got from The Son. (Trench)

b. Now they have no excuse for their sin: Because Jesus did come to and speak to the world, they knew something of God that they did not know before. This made them without excuse for hating and rejecting Jesus and His Father in heaven. Jesus did among them the works which no one else did, and they still hated and rejected Him.

i. Spoken to themdone among them the works: By both his life and his words he rebukes human sin and condemns it. He uncovers the inner corruption and hypocrisy of men, and they react violently to the disclosure. (Tenney)

ii. Spoken to themdone among them the works: So then He puts before us two forms of His manifestation of the divine nature, by His words and His works. Of these two He puts His words foremost, as being a deeper and more precious and brilliant revelation of what God is than are His miracles. (Maclaren)

c. They hated Me without a cause: Jesus quoted this line from Psalm 69:4 (and possibly Psalm 35:19) to show the Scriptural precedent and prophetic fulfillment that there was no just cause for the world to hate Jesus and His Father as they did.

i. Their unreasonable hatred both of Himself and His Father is inexplicable except as a corroboration of the truth of the Psalmists words They hated me without a cause (Psalm 35:19; 69:4). (Tasker)

ii. The irony of his quotation is clear: the men who posted as the champions of the Law were fulfilling the prophecy concerning the enemies of Gods servant. (Tenney)

iii. As the disciples of Jesus expect some measure of hatred and rejection from the world, they should live in such a way that it is also without a cause. Peter communicated some of this heart in his letter: If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other peoples matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. (1 Peter 4:14-16)

3. (26-27) The witness of the Holy Spirit and the disciples.

But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

a. When the Helper comes: Jesus previously spoke of the sending of the Helper (John 14:16, 14:26). The departing Jesus knew the disciples would need the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit to face the opposition the world would bring.

i. Who proceeds from the Father: This line is one source of a historic controversy between the eastern and western branches of Christianity, debating if the Spirit proceeds from the Father alone or from the Father and the Son.

ii. Although the coming of the Advocate is clearly stated to be dependent upon the initiative of the Son, He is only said to proceed from the Father. Hence the long controversy between East and West over the filoque clause in the Nicene Creed. (Tasker)

iii. The western expansion of the clause, who proceeds from the Father and the Son (filioque), could be justified by the fact that the Son as well as the Father is said to send the Spirit; the basic objection to it was that it was unwarranted for one part of the church to make such an alteration in the wording of the ecumenical creed without reference to the rest of the church. (Bruce)

b. He will testify of Me: Jesus had told them that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, would continue the teaching work of Jesus (John 14:26). Here He explained that the Helper would speak of and about Jesus.

i. Everything the Holy Spirit does is consistent with the testimony of the nature of Jesus. His job is to tell us, and to show us, who Jesus is. If spiritual things happen that are not consistent with the nature of Jesus, it isnt the Holy Spirit doing it. He is the One who will testify of Jesus in all that He does.

c. And you also will bear witness: The disciples were not left in the world merely to endure the worlds hatred. Empowered by the Helper and His testimony about Jesus, they will bear witness of who Jesus is and what He did to rescue the world.

i. The witness of the Advocate and the witness of the apostles are in effect a single witness. (Tasker)

ii. Their witness is linked with that of the Holy Spirit. It is the same Christ to whom they bear witness, and it is the same salvation of which they bear witness. At the same time it is their witness. They cannot simply relax and leave it all to the Spirit. (Morris)

iii. This bearing of witness may have had special application to the apostles. This verse alludes to the historical witness which the Holy Ghost in the ministers and eye-witnesses of the word, Luke 1:2, should enable them to give, -- which forms the human side of this great testimony of the Spirit of truth, and of which our inspired Gospels are the summary: the Divine side being, His own indwelling testimony in the live and heart of every believer in all time. (Alford)

d. Because you have been with Me: The disciples were qualified to bear witnessof Jesus because they trusted Him, had the Holy Spirit, and had simply been with Jesus - they were part of His life and He was part of their life
 
John 16

THE DEPARTING JESUS' FINAL TEACHING
A. More on the work of the Holy Spirit.

1. (1-4) The reason for Jesus' warning: certain persecution.

"These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you."

a. The time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service: Some of the worst persecutions have been done in the name of God, even though God remains unknown to the persecutors.

b. These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble: Jesus did well to forewarn, because it comes as a great shock that a gospel so glorious is hated so passionately.

2. (5-7) Jesus explains the benefits of His departure.

"But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you."

a. Because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart: The disciples could only see the sorrow of Jesus leaving; but Jesus' departure was an essential step in their growth as disciples - "The braver and more perfect disciple is he who can walk by faith, and not by sight only. " (Bernard)

b. It is to your advantage that I go away: This had to be hard for the disciples to believe! When a loved one is going to die, we often think it is the best to let death take its course. There is the body, wracked with cancer. We say, "It will be better for them to go, and to stop the suffering. It is to their advantage to go away. " But when someone we love is dying, we don't think that it is to ouradvantage that they go. We want them to stay, but realize it may be for their best. But notice what Jesus says here - it isn't for His advantage, but He tells His disciples, it is to your advantage that I go away.

i. After all, if the disciples really understood what was about to happen, it would be even harder for them to believe.

- To your advantage that Jesus is arrested?
- To your advantage that Jesus' ministry of teaching and miracles is stopped?
- To your advantage that Jesus is beaten?
- To your advantage that Jesus is mocked?
- To your advantage that Jesus is sentenced for execution?
- To your advantage that Jesus is nailed to a cross?
- To your advantage that Jesus dies in the company of notorious criminals?
- To your advantage that His lifeless body is laid in a cold grave?
c. Jesus knew this would be hard for them to understand: But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. When Jesus has something hard to tell us, He knows it is hard. He understands. We may still need to hear it, and we may wish He would back away from it, but He won't. He will tell it to us, and tell it to us in love.

i. Is God doing a work in your life that you don't understand? Has sorrow filled your heart? God isn't mad at you. He isn't punishing you. He wants to show you how all this is to your advantage.

d. Jesus would not let their sorrow go unchallenged: Nevertheless. This is one of the great words of the Bible, nevertheless. It means, "despite all of that. " Yes, Jesus knew they were filled with sorrow because of what He has told them. But, despite all of that He wanted them to know that it was to your advantage.

e. Jesus wanted them to trust Him in something hard to understand: I tell you the truth. Jesus didn't say this because He lied most of the time. He said this because He wanted them to make a concerted effort to trust Him at this point. Trust in God, belief in Jesus, has something to do with our will. We make decisions to trust Him, and Jesus wanted them to trust that all this was to your advantage.

f. Jesus wanted them to know He had a plan: For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. They couldn't understand His plan. Sure, it's easy for us with 2,000 years of hindsight to say, "Well, don't you understand? When Jesus went away, He then sent the Spirit of God, which has a broader and more effective ministry in all the world! There now! Can't you see it?" They couldn't see it. They didn't have a clue what Jesus was talking about. But Jesus knew what He was talking about. He knew how it really was true that is was all to your advantage.

i. It was better because Jesus can be with every believer all the time. Jesus promised, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. " (Matthew 18:20). That was not a promise He could keep after flesh, but only after the Spirit. He had to go away for that promise to be made true. If Jesus were present bodily on this earth, there would be some Christians who would be overjoyed - those in His immediate presence. But for most Christians, they would have the overwhelming sense that Jesus was not with them, not that He was. Truly, it was all to your advantage.

ii. It was better because now we can understand Jesus better. If Jesus were present bodily on this earth, there would be no end to His words for us. We wouldn't have a Bible; we would have the library of congress! Secretaries would follow Him constantly to record His every word. It would all be written down and preserved. We would have all of it, and the mass of it would be just plain unmanageable! Truly, it was all to your advantage.

iii. It is better, because now we can have a more trusting relationship with God. If Jesus were present bodily on this earth, there would be a great challenge to our walk of faith. Paul said, Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. (2 Corinthians 5:16) God wants us to walk by faith, and not by sight, and if Jesus were here bodily, there would be great temptation to walk by sight, and not by faith. Truly, it was all to your advantage.

iv. It is better, because Jesus' work is better understood as He is enthroned in the heavens. If Jesus were present bodily on this earth, it would be confusing to us. Would we see Him suffer any more? Of course not, because His sufferings were finished at the cross. There is no more need for atonement, because He did it all at the cross. But if would be hard for us to see a Savior who never suffered when we are in distress; it might make us think that Jesus was unsympathetic. But He does care! God didn't want us to struggle with this dilemma, so Jesus is no longer bodily on this earth. He is enthroned in the heavens. Truly, it was all to your advantage.

v. Look at the disciples before Jesus left. Confused. Thick headed. Afraid. Selfish and self-centered. Look at them after Jesus left, and after the Helper had come. They are wise, surrendered, bold, and giving. Truly, it was to your advantage that Jesus left!

3. (8-11) The work of the Holy Spirit in the world.

"And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."

a. He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Sin is the truth about man, righteousness is the truth about God,judgment is the inevitable combination of these two truths.

b. He will convict: Men cannot come to an understanding of sin, righteousness and judgment apart from the Holy Spirit. In its insanity, the world regarded Jesus as a sinner, itself as righteous, and it ended up pronouncing false judgment on Jesus Himself.

c. Because they do not believe in Me: It is unbelief, the rejection of Jesus, which proves one to be a sinner. "Christ is good and holy and pure; to reject him is to convict oneself of being opposed to goodness and holiness and purity and love. " (Erdman)

4. (12-15) The work of the Holy Spirit among the disciples.

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare itto you."

a. I still have many things to say to you: Jesus frankly admitted that His own teaching was incomplete, and anticipated the further instruction of the church by the Holy Spirit. This statement of Jesus leads us to anticipate the formation of the New Testament.

i. Jesus Himself refutes those who say "I'll take what Jesus taught, but not what Paul or the others taught. " Paul and the other New Testament writers taught us the many things that Jesus spoke of.

b. He will guide you into all truth: Today, the Holy Spirit continues to personally lead us into truth, but never in opposition to the Scripture, because God's supremely authoritative revelation is closed with the New Testament.

c. He will not speak on His own authority … He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you: The Holy Spirit's ministry is revealing Jesus to us. He has many different ways, and many different gifts He uses to accomplish this, but the purpose is always the same: to reveal Jesus.

B. Jesus prepares the disciples for His coming challenge on the cross.

1. (16-18) Jesus tells them of His immediate, brief departure.

"A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father. " Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?" They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is saying."

a. We do not know what He is saying: "Where for us, all is clear, for them all was mysterious. If Jesus wishes to found the Messianic kingdom, why go away? If He does not wish it, why return?" (Godet)

2. (19-22) Jesus explains of coming sorrow being turned into joy.

Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'? Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you."

a. Your sorrow will be turned into joy: God's work was not to replace their sorrow with joy, but to turn sorrow into joy, as He often does in our lives.

b. Joy no one will take from you: No one could refute their joy-filled testimony of the resurrection; and they endured death on account of that joy. It couldn't be taken away!

3. (23-27) Jesus promises greater joy regarding their coming access to God after Jesus' departure.

"And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God."

a. Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you: Because of Jesus' great work, we have unlimited, undeniable access to God through Him.

i. "This is a remarkable passage, by which we are taught that we have the heart of God as soon as we place before Him the name of His Son. " (Calvin)

b. For the Father Himself loves you: Jesus makes it clear that the Son isn't persuading an angry Father to be gracious; but His work provides a righteous basis for God's graciousness.

4. (28-32) The disciples proclaim their faith; Jesus places it in perspective.

"I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father. " His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God. " Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me."

a. Now we are sure: The disciples do not claim complete understanding, but that they have a ready confidence in Jesus.

b. You will be scattered: Jesus warns the disciples that their faith will be shaken before it is finally cemented.

c. Each to his own, and will leave Me alone: Jesus loved these men for what they were, with full knowledge of their shortcomings; yet He anticipated great works and courage from them on the other side of the cross.

i. The great apostles and founders of the church experienced great failure. "The church depends ultimately on what God has done in Christ, not on the courage and wit of its first members. " (Morris)

5. (33) The triumphant conclusion to Jesus' farewell discourse to His disciples and to all of Jesus' teaching before the cross.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

a. That in Me you may have peace: In this, Jesus offered His followers peace. He made the offer in the most unlikely circumstances. At that very minute, Judas met with Jesus' enemies to plot His arrest. Jesus knew that He would be arrested, forsaken, rejected, mocked, humiliated, tortured and executed before the next day was over. We think that the disciples should comfort Him - yet Jesus haspeace, and enough to give to others.

i. Jesus did not promise peace, but He offered it. He said, "you may have peace. " A person can follow Jesus, yet deny themselves that peace. We gain the peace Jesus offered by finding it in Him. Jesus said "that in Me you may have peace. " We won't find real peace anywhere else other than in Jesus.

ii. Jesus made the way to peace with God: Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)

iii. Jesus made the way to peace with others: For Jesus is our peace, who has made the both one and broken down the middle wall of division between us. (Ephesians 2:14).

b. In the world you will have tribulation: In this, Jesus made the promise oftribulation. Peace is offered to us, but tribulation is promised! When we become Christians we may bring fewer problems upon ourselves, but we definitely still have them.

i. Understanding this removes a false hope. Struggling Christians often hope for the day when they will laugh at temptation and there will be one effortless victory after another. We are promised struggle as long as we are in this world; yet there is peace in Jesus.

ii. Your current area of struggle may one-day pass away, but after that there will be new territory to conquer for God.

c. Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world: In this, Jesus proclaims the truth of His victory. It's an amazing statement from a man about to be arrested, forsaken, rejected, mocked, tortured and executed. Judas, the religious authorities, Pilate, the crowd, the soldiers or even death and the grave cannot overcome Him. Instead, Jesus can truly say, "I have overcome the world."

i. "This statement, spoken as it is in the shadow of the cross, is audacious … He goes to the cross not in fear or in gloom, but as a conqueror. " (Morris)

ii. Knowing that Jesus has overcome the world brings us good cheer. It is the foundation for our peace in Him. We see that Jesus is in control, we see that although He leaves He does not abandon, we see that He loves, and we see that the victory is His. We can be of good cheer indeed!
 
John 17

JESUS' GREAT PRAYER
A. Jesus prays concerning Himself.

1. (1a) Introduction.

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:

a. The Bible is filled with great prayers. We are impressed with Solomon's prayer (1 Kings 8), Abraham's prayer (Genesis 18), and Moses' prayer (Exodus 32), but this prayer is by far the greatest recorded in the Bible.

b. "There is no voice which has ever been heard, either in heaven or in earth, more exalted, more holy, more fruitful, more sublime, than this prayer offered up by the Son of God himself. " (Melancthon)

c. A person's innermost being is revealed by genuine prayer; this is an unique opportunity to see the nature and heart of Jesus. In this prayer, Jesus will touch on many of themes developed in this gospel: glory, glorify, sent, believe, world, love.

d. Jesus lifted up His eyes when He prayed. This is a posture that we don't usually associate with deep prayer. We tend to bow our head and close our eyes. This shows us that we should never confuse the non-essential customs of prayer with the essential aspects of prayer.

2. (1b) Jesus asks to be glorified.

"Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,"

a. Father, the hour has come: Before, His hour of glorification (beginning with His death) had not yet come (John 2:4; 7:8; 7:30; 8:20). Now, the hour has come.

b. Glorify Your Son: Jesus prays first for Himself, but His petition is anything but selfish. His concern for Himself is actually a concern for the glory of the Father.

i. "It will bring no glory to the Father is Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is not acceptable, or if the Son is not restored to his rightful place in the presence of the Father's unshielded glory. That would mean the divine mission had failed, the purposes of grace forever defeated. " (Carson)

c. The hour has come … Glorify Your Son: It is the cross (see John 12:27-33,13:30-33, 21:18-19) that will glorify the Son. The cross is utter humiliation to the world, but an instrument of glorification in God's eyes.

i. Are we willing to embrace the glory of God, even if the world sees it as humiliation?

d. That Your Son also may glorify You: How does the cross glorify the Father? "The Son glorified the Father by revealing in the act the sovereignty of God over evil, the compassion of God for men, and the finality of redemption for believers. " (Tenney)

3. (2-3) Jesus speaks of the source and nature of eternal life.

"As You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."

a. You have given Him authority over all flesh: Jesus claims awesomeauthority, "authority to determine the ultimate destiny of men. " (Takser)

b. That He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him: Jesus Himself is the great and exclusive channel of eternal life.

c. And this is eternal life, that they may know You: Eternal life is found in an experiential knowledge (ginosko) of God, and revealed in Jesus Christ.

i. Life is active involvement in an environment; death is the absence of that active involvement. Eternal life means that we are alive and active to God's environment. If our lives are not dominated by God and the spiritual environment, we have the same life as animals, and are dead to God and His environment.

4. (4-5) The request is again stated, full of faith: Glorify Me.

"I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

a. I have finished the work: Jesus, with divine confidence and assurance, sees the work on the cross as already finished.

i. Even so, God sees the work of transformation and perfection as already completed in us, before the fact.

b. The glory which I had with You before the world was: This prayer could not come from Jesus if He were not Yahweh Himself, equal with the Father. InIsaiah 42:8 and 48:11, Yahweh proclaims that He shares His glory with no one. If the Father and Son share their glory, they must both be Yahweh.

B. Jesus prays concerning the disciples.

1. (6-8) Jesus speaks of His mission among the disciples and their reception of it.

"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."

a. Having taught and encouraged the disciples as much as He could on the eve of their despair, Jesus now does the great thing: He commits them to the Father in prayer.

b. I have manifested Your name to the men: Jesus did not simply teach about the name (character) of God, He manifested (displayed) that character.

i. "God is love" or "God is holy" must be lived as well as believed. Jesus did both for His disciples, and led them into both believing and living what was right before God.

c. They have kept Your word: When we think of all the failures and disappointments from the disciples, this is a kind assessment of Jesus. He generously judges His disciples.

d. They have known surely that I came forth from You: They may not understand everything, but they believe in the Divine origin of Jesus and His teaching.

2. (9-10) Jesus directs His prayer.

"I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them."

a. When Jesus says I do not pray for the world it is not out of unconcern for the world's plight. It was because of a focus on His own disciples. "He was praying for the instrument He was creating, through which He would reach the world. " (Morgan)

b. All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine: Anyone can say to God the Father all mine are Yours but only Jesus could say and Yours are Mine.

c. I am glorified in them: No one should be glorified in the believer other than Jesus. Leaders have a tendency to glorify themselves in their followers, but it should only be Jesus.

3. (11-12) Jesus' first request for the disciples: Father, keep them.

"Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."

a. Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me: The basis of Jesus' request is rooted in the name (character) of God. God is glorified by completion of His work in us.

i. Our continuing on in Jesus is not left to our own efforts alone. The world, the flesh, and the devil are so mighty, so pervasive, and so seductive, we could never keep ourselves in our own efforts. If we stay with Jesus, it is because Jesus has prayed for us "Father, keep them."

b. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name: Jesus kept the apostolic band together and safe during His earthly ministry. He prays that this "keeping" would continue.

c. None of them is lost except the son of perdition: There was one exception to Jesus' work in keeping the disciples, Judas. This is because in fulfillment of the Scriptures, Judas was the son of perdition, the one destined to evil and destruction.

i. Tenney on the son of destruction: "the phrase denotes an abandoned character, one utterly lost and given over to evil."

4. (13-16) Jesus elaborates on the first request: keep them in My joy and away from the evil one.

"But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."

a. That they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves: God's purpose is to multiply joy in our lives, not to subtract it. The world, the flesh, and the devil would tell us something different, but God wants joy fulfilled in our lives.

i. The joy of Jesus is always just a faint flicker in the worldly believer; real joy comes from abiding in Him.

b. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world: This prayer of Jesus cautions us against seeking refuge in Christian isolation; in modern day monasteries. Our goal is to be in the world, but not of it, or of the evil one; even as a ship is to be in the ocean, but not allowing the ocean to be in the ship.

c. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world: Would we have said this about the disciples? Jesus is showing us that we don't have to be perfect to be unworldly.

5. (17-19) Jesus' second request for the disciples: sanctify them.

"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

a. Sanctify them by Your truth: Sanctify means to be set apart for God's special pleasure and use. It implies holiness, being set apart from the corruption of the world and for God's use.

i. Jesus didn't just leave the disciples to sanctify themselves. He prayed for their sanctification. This process, as the keeping process, is not left to us alone; it is a work of God in us and through us.

b. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth: The dynamic behind sanctification is truth. The word of God read, heard, understood and applied.

c. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world: The thought of service is sandwiched by sanctification. We are set apart for service, not for mutual admiration.

C. Jesus prays concerning all believers.

1. (20) Jesus broadens the scope of His prayer.

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;"

a. I do not pray for these alone: Jesus prayed for His eleven disciples, but He also had the heart and the vision to pray beyond them. He prayed for those who would come to faith by the testimony of these disciples. He prayed for us.

b. Those who will believe in Me through their word: This shows that Jesus expects that the disciples' eminent failure would only be temporary. Others wouldhear from them, and come to belief in Jesus through the testimony of the disciples.

i. Jesus went to the cross knowing His work would not be for nothing; He wasn't "hoping" on the disciples.

2. (21) Jesus prays for a oneness among all believers, even as among the original disciples.

"That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."

a. That they all may be one: Jesus envisions that great multitude before the throne of God, of every race, tongue, class and social strata; and prays that they may overcome their different backgrounds and understand their unity.

b. That they all may be one, as You, Father are in Me, and I in You: Jesus did not pray for uniformity, or institutional unity among believers, but a personal dynamic of unity, bringing together the Church's rich diversity.

i. Uniformity seeks to unite wheat and tares; it can't be done. Unity of institutions does not insure unity of the Spirit.

c. We must believe that this prayer was answered, and that they church is one. Our failure is in failing to recognize and walk in that divine fact.

d. That the world may believe: The stakes of the unity Jesus prayed for are high. The spiritual unity of Christians is linked to the way the church represents Jesus to the world.

e. That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You: The foundation of our unity is the same as the foundation of unity between the Father and the Son: equality of person. We are all on the same ground at the cross.

3. (22) Jesus prays that the church would be marked by glory.

"And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:"

a. The glory which You gave Me I have given them: There should be a shared glory among believers, the glory of the present Christ. A focus on Jesus in our presence will promote unity.

b. If we have the glory that the Father gave the Son, remember that it was a glory that often appeared humble, weak and suffering, and was ultimately displayed in sacrifice.

4. (23-24) Jesus prays for a unity founded in love.

"I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."

a. I in them, and You in Me: There is a unity of compromise, or of fear or coercion. Jesus wanted a unity of love, and common identity in Jesus.

b. I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am: Jesus asks for the consummation of the unity - a promise of togetherness with Him that we can be sure of.

c. Jesus' strong desire and prayer for His followers was that they be kept, sanctified, and unified. Do we share the same desires? Or are our desires taken more from this world than from Jesus' heart?

5. (25-26) The triumphant conclusion to Jesus' prayer.

"O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

a. I have known You: As He is about to approach the cross, Jesus is full of faith and triumph. The battle is still ahead, but He goes forth as a conqueror.

i. Though the whole world said that He was wrong, He knew that He was right. Jesus' mind is not clouded by confusion or fear.

b. That the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them: The prayer concludes with the great secret of Christian living - Jesus and His love indwelling the believer.
 
John 18

JESUS' ARREST AND TRIAL
A. Betrayal and arrest in the garden.

1. (1) Jesus enters the garden.

When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.

a. Over the Brook Kidron: When Jesus went from the city of Jerusalem, and crossed the Brook Kidron, the brook was red from the blood of thousands of Passover lambs. This would have been a vivid reminder to Jesus of His soon sacrifice.

b. There was a garden: The last time there was a battle like this in a garden, it was the garden of Eden. Jesus enters this garden as a second Adam, ready to do battle with Satan. The first Adam waited for Satan to come to him, but this Adam takes the initiative.

2. (2-6) An arresting army confronts Jesus.

And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His disciples. Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?" They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth. " Jesus said to them, "I am He. " And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground.

a. A detachment of troops: There is only Jesus against a small army, but Jesus is mightier than this detachment of troops.

b. Whom are you seeking … I am: The soldiers come out with weapons and torches, to capture a fleeing Galilean peasant, but they are met by One who speaks as God, taking the divine I am.

c. Now when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground: When Jesus declares who He is (I Am), the soldiers fall back. While it is impressive, it is still a pretty humble display of Jesus' power - after all He could have destroyed them all with fire from heaven. Jesus often shows His majesty in ways that speak of humility and weakness.

i. Jesus was born as a humble baby, yet heralded by angels. He was laid in a manger, yet announced by a star. He submitted to baptism, then heard the Divine voice of approval. He slept when He was exhausted, but awoke to calm the storm. Jesus wept at a grave, then called the dead to life. He submits to arresting troops, then declares His majesty and knocks them over. Jesus died on a cross, but in it He overcame sin and death and Satan.

3. (7-11) Jesus willingly goes with the arresting army.

Then He asked them again, "Whom are you seeking?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth. " Jesus answered, "I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way," that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none. " Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?"

a. Let these go their way: Jesus was not "arrested" at all; He willingly gave Himself up so He could protect His disciples. After all, He could have just kept saying I AM and walked way!

b. Take Me, let these go is the same sacrificial love that takes Jesus to the cross for us all. In bearing our judgment for sin, He said the same thing to the Father's justice.

c. Peter, anxious to prove he would never deny Jesus, cuts off the ear of the high priest's servant. "It is exceedingly thoughtless in Peter to try to prove his faith by the sword, while he could not do so by his tongue. " (Calvin)

B. Jesus' trial before Annas; Peter's denial.

1. (12-14) Jesus is lead away to Annas.

Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year. Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

a. Annas was not the official High Priest; but as father-in-law to Caiaphas, he was the "power behind the throne."

2. (15-18) Peter's first denial.

And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not. " Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.

a. At this point, Peter is full of contradictions. He was bold with a sword in his hand, but a coward before a servant girl.

3. (19-24) Jesus stands before Annas.

The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. Jesus answered him, "I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said. " And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, "Do You answer the high priest like that?" Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?" Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

a. The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine: Annas asks about Jesus' disciples, perhaps because of fear or jealousy. Jesus does not mention His disciples at all, protecting them to the end.

b. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them: In saying this, Jesus wasn't being uncooperative, only asserting His legal right. There was to be no formal charge until witnesses had been heard and been found to be truthful.

i. It was the High Priest's duty to call forth the witnesses first, beginning with those for the defense. These basic legal protections for the accused under Jewish law were not observed in the trial of Jesus.

4. (25-27) Peter denies Jesus twice more.

Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not!" One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?" Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.

a. Notice that it is not Peter's faith that fails, but his courage. After his failure he weeps bitterly, because he really does love his Lord.

C. Jesus is brought before Pilate.

1. Other gospels emphasize Jesus' trials before the Jewish Sanhedrin; John emphasizes His trial before the Roman authority - Pontius Pilate.

a. Pilate was characterized in his day as "naturally inflexible and ruthless in his conceit" and he was charged with corruption, violence, and extortion.

b. In times past he had shown great insensitivity to Jewish religious traditions and concerns, and the Jews had complained to Rome about him before.

c. The emperor Tiberius was suspicious of conspiracy, and not in any mood to tolerate any kind of disloyalty, so Pilate the governor was on thin ice.

2. (28-32) Jesus is brought to Pilate.

Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?" They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you. " Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law. " Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.

a. They themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled: With great irony, John exposes the hypocrisy of the priests. They will murder an innocent Jesus, yet they were afraid of ceremonial defilement.

b. You take Him and judge Him according to your law: Pilate would rather not take the case; yet the Jews want him to take it so that they can lawfully have Jesus killed.

i. The Jews may have, in part, pushed for crucifixion to bring the curse ofDeuteronomy 21:22-23 upon Jesus. He did bear that curse, to redeem us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13).

c. That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled: Jesus' manner of death will also fulfill His own words (if I be lifted up, John 3:14). If the Jews had put Jesus to death, He would have been stoned, instead of crucified, and His prophecy about His death would not have been fulfilled.

3. (33-35) Pilate questions, Jesus clarifies.

Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?" Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?"

a. Pilate's question reveals doubt. He asked, "Are You the King of the Jews?" He asked it because Jesus didn't look like a revolutionary or a criminal, the only types who would be foolish enough to claim to be the King of the Jews in the face of Rome.

b. Are you speaking for yourself: Jesus must clarify the question, because the Roman conception of king. To the Romans, "king" meant a political rival. Though Jesus was a King, He was not a political rival in the sense Pilate thought.

4. (36) Jesus explains His kingdom to Pilate.

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."

a. My kingdom is not of this world: Jesus here declares the great and permanent difference between God's kingdom and the kingdoms of this world. Jesus' kingdom originates in heaven (My kingdom is not of this world). Thefoundation of Jesus' kingdom is peace (His servants will not fight).

b. My kingdom is not from here: Augustine observed from this verse that earthly kingdoms are based upon force, pride, the love of human praise, the desire for domination, and self interest - all displayed by Pilate and the Roman Empire.

i. Earthly kingdoms have a purpose in that they restrain wickedness and preserve order, but they are very different from God's kingdom, and should remain separate and distinct.

c. The heavenly kingdom, exemplified by Jesus and the cross, is based on love, sacrifice, humility, and righteousness - and is to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Gentiles foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:23).

d. Christians must take care that they live and serve with the power demonstrated by the cross, not the power of Rome. The key to living in Jesus' kingdom is not found in trying to rule over others or things, but in being more fully ruled by God.

i. "This is the crucial point. While human politics is based on the premise that society must be changed in order to change people, in the politics of the Kingdom it is people who must be changed in order to change society. " (Charles Colson - Kingdoms In Conflict)

ii. In Jesus' day, they were conditioned to look for salvation in political solutions - we are also tempted to further the purposes of the Kingdom by the power of this world; history shows that any gains realized are greatly offset by the liabilities of a religious state.

e. My kingdom is not from here: Pilate may have been relieved at Jesus' answer that His kingdom was not of this world, because he didn't know which is the stronger of the two kingdoms.

i. The eternal King who rules over the souls of men is mightier than an external foe with powerful armies. Rome is gone, Napoleon is gone, Hitler is gone, but the Kingdom of Jesus marches on.

5. (37-38) Jesus and Pilate discuss truth.

Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightlythat I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. " Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all.

a. What is truth? "It was the question of the practical politician, who attached no importance to the speculations of philosophers or the dreams of enthusiasts. If the truth was all that Jesus was concerned about, there was no need (Pilate thought) to take him seriously. " (McClymont)

b. For Pilate, soldiers and armies were truth, Rome was truth, Caesar was truth, political power was truth, but Jesus knew what truth was, while Pilate was still seeking. Why do Christians try to advance the truth of Jesus by means of the truth of Pilate?

c. I find no fault in Him at all: In this, Pilate declares Jesus "not guilty. " It's hard to say it any more plainly. Jesus, tried by a Roman governor, was declared innocent - and He still went to the cross.

6. (39-40) Pilate tries to release Jesus, but the crowd cries for Barabbas.

"But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" Then they all cried again, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber.

a. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?Pilate looked for an easy way to escape a decision about Jesus, but he finds no easy escape.

b. Not this Man, but Barabbas: The crowd, whom Pilate hoped would release Jesus, instead condemned Him. Because of this, Pilate found it impossible to go against both the Jewish leaders and the crowd.

i. It is a strange, almost insane scene: a cruel, ruthless Roman governor trying to win the life of a miracle-working Jewish teacher against the efforts of both the Jewish leaders and the crowd.

ii. How could the crowd turn so quickly against Jesus? There are many possible explanations. First, many of them were probably disappointed that this Messiah who rode into Jerusalem didn't do what they wanted a Messiah to do. Second, there is a tendency in many people to tear down the very heroes they have built up; we see this in our culture today.

iii. So the crowd rejected Jesus and embraced Barabbas, whose name means "son of the father," and who was a terrorist and a murderer. If anyone should be able to say, "Jesus died for me," it was Barabbas. He knew what it was to have Jesus die on his behalf, the innocent for the guilty.
 
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