The Gospel of John: John 6:22-71

John 6:22-71

Title: “I am the Bread of Life”

Analysis:

                John continues to bring us through the ministry of Jesus and we now come to the first of Jesus’ “I Am” statements. These statements convey to the people that Jesus is the Messiah, Son of God, and only way to the Father. Jesus was not just a prophet nor just a miracle-worker but rather the Son of God who came to this earth to save people from their sins.

                In verses 22-25, we see the people’s urgent desire to get to the Lord, so urgent that they travel across the Sea of Galilee to be in His presence. They find Him and question Him saying, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” The people did not seek Jesus Himself and the Lord immediately exposes their hearts to them. He knew full well that they sought Him only for the food and rebukes them saying, “Do not work for the food which perishes but for the food which endures to eternal life.” The crowds are displeased and ask Jesus for a sign, once again showing their hearts, for they really wanted food again.

                Jesus now states plainly to the crowd in verse 35, “I am the bread of life.” This is the pinnacle of our Lords entire discourse with the people. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ will never perish and will never be cast away. And even in the last day Jesus Himself will raise up those who put their trust in His name.               

                John now interjects the thoughts and words of the crowds both here in vs. 41-42 and also in vs. 52. As the passage continues the Jews grow continually hostile and begin to reject the words of the Messiah. In vs. 42-43 they mock the Lord saying, “Is not this Jesus…son of Joseph…How does he now say, ‘I have come down out of Heaven’?”

                The Lord, ever mindful of the grumbling and hateful thoughts of the unbelievers directly addresses them and confronts their unbelief. He continues to explain that no one can come unless the Father draws him. Also, He confronts their desire for physical food saying in verse 48-50, “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from Heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.”

                Still, the unbelieving Jews argue with themselves (vs. 52) because they did not understand His words. Jesus explains once again that they must, “…eat my flesh and drink my blood…” (Vs. 54) and also, “…so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.” (Vs. 57).

                Because of this call to commitment that the Lord Jesus Christ made of His disciples was hard to understand and believe, many who had only followed Him for the food and wonder of the miracles were rooted out and left (vs. 66). Jesus now focuses on His own 12 disciples and questions them saying, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Peter, as a spokesman of the disciples gives a very profound and amazing response in verses 68-69 saying, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy one of God.” What an amazing confession he makes. Unlike the people who followed Jesus for the superficial gain, Peter begins by calling Christ ‘Lord”. He declares their submission to Him as master and proclaims that He alone has the words of eternal life.

                But even Jesus Himself knew that one of them would betray Him. John, is this section of scripture shows us that although it seemed that many truly followed Christ, the reality was it was only very few. And even among the Messiah’s closest disciples, one of them hated him with an utmost hatred.             

Response:

What is an appropriate response to reading this passage? In a word, ‘belief’; complete belief that Jesus Christ the Holy Son of God is the King of the universe and the only one who can save my soul from eternal punishment in hell. Jesus truly is the ‘Bread of Life’ and only those who partake in His body can be called Children of God. I must confess with Peter that Jesus is in fact, ‘Lord’ and not just say it but rather believe it and live it out. Those who were truly Disciples of Christ did not leave Him in this situation; instead they saw their ultimate need for them, realizing that without Him they could do absolutely nothing.  

 

Blessings,

          Lucas C. 

The Gospel of John: John 6:1-21

John 6:1-21

Title: Miraculous displays of Christ’s Deity.

Analysis:

                Jesus has now left the Religious leaders in Jerusalem letting them stew over the declarations He had made. The Lord was interested in serving those who would believe in His name. It is quite possible that these next events that John describes in his gospel take place 6 months or even 1 year after our Lord’s confrontation with the Pharisees. Jesus has now travelled from the southern area of Jerusalem, into the northern regions of Galilee.

                As he travelled we see that a large crowd begins to follow Him and the disciples (vs. 2). No doubt the massage of Jesus and the miracles he performed had been widespread throughout the many surrounding districts. The people “…saw the signs which He was performing…” and this was the real motivation for their following.

                Regardless, the Lord is very compassionate and performs an astounding miracle to put His disciples to the test and once again show His deity. Our Lord questions Phillip as a test in verse 5 saying, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” The Lord was testing Phillip, who responded by reasoning that even 8 months of wages would not be enough to buy food for all the people. Andrew came to Jesus with a child who had five loaves and two fish, offering it to the Lord while realizing that it was far too little to feed the multitude.

                Jesus was unfazed by the minimal amount of food and tells His disciples to command the people to sit down. In total, about 20,000 people were present. Our Lord then took both the loaves and the fish and blessing them, distributed food to all who were seated. In an astounding display of His glory the Lord creates both bread and fish from nothing. The people were filled and satisfied with their food. Jesus then commands the disciples to gather the leftovers. In total they collect twelve small basketfuls, each of which would have been sufficient to feed themselves. Once again the Lord shows His provision not only by feeding the thousands but also feeding His disciples. 

                Unfortunately the crowd’s response was one of unbelief. Verse 15 says, “So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.” The people were satisfied and filled but not with what would give them eternal life. They rejected Christ’s ability to give them spiritual food, but demanded that he give them physical sustenance. They did not believe in Him as Lord and Messiah; rather they wanted a man of power who could give them the earthly pleasure that they eagerly sought after. Our Lord understood this and immediately removed Himself from their selfish grasp.

                      The disciples, having been left by Jesus decide to travel across the sea to the city of Capernaum. While they travel it has become dark and the sea is disturbed by a storm. They began rowing for shore, when suddenly Jesus appears before then walking on the water. The disciples were terrified by His appearance and even thought He may be a ghost (Matt. 14:26). It was not, but rather it was the Lord displaying his deity. He comforts them by saying, “It is I, do not be afraid.” The disciples receive Him into the boat and are miraculously transported immediately to land.

Response:

                These miracles have once again affirmed the complete deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. As part of personal application I need to guard my heart and sinful desires so that I am not like the crowd. The crowd wanted to Jesus because He could meet their immediate physical need; but this is not the reason why He came. Christ came to save people from their sins not from their poverty. I am reminded that Jesus as my Saviour wants me to be filled with spiritual food so that I may serve Him and spread His gospel to all people.   

The Gospel of John: John 5:19-47

John 5:19-47

Title: Jesus Declares His Equality with God the Father.

Analysis:

                In this specific section of the Gospel of John we see Jesus declare to the religious elite who He really was. He boldly proclaims that He is equal with God in power and authority (5:19-30), next he gives the testimony of four witnesses each of which prove his claims to be true.  In 5:31-35 he gives the witness of John the Baptist, in 5:36 his works witness to Him, In 5:37-38 the Father bears witness, and finally in 5:39-47 Moses bears witness that Jesus is the Christ.

                Herein this first section (vs. 19-30) lays one of the greatest Christological discourses in all of scripture proclaimed by the Lord himself.  It begins with, “Jesus answered…” and it proclaims the equality of The Son God with God himself. First, Jesus claims to be equal with God as a person (vs. 19) saying, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something he sees the Father doing…” Jesus says that both He and God are one and the same. Secondly Jesus claims to be equal with God in life, saying in verse 21, “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.” Both the father and the Son are givers of life, an attribute that con only be given to God. Therefore in this claim, Christ once again declares himself equal with God. Thirdly, Jesus claims to be equal with God in honour (vs. 23). “So that all will honour the Son even as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Fathers who sent Him.”  All throughout Scripture, we see that God alone is worthy of honour (Rev. 19:10; 22:9), and this passage is no exception. If Jesus were not God, He would not demand or receive worship from mankind. But Jesus was and is God; therefore we must worship and honour Him in everything.

                In verse 24 Jesus makes a transition starting with “Truly, Truly, I say to you…” And in the following verses, the Lord proclaims that all men will one day be resurrected to life and will be judged by Himself who is the Son of Man. Those who performed good deeds will receive life and those who committed evil deeds will receive death. Jesus then summarizes in vs. 30 by confirming that all he says is by the one who sent Him, that is the Father.

                As we reach verse 31, Jesus now begins to witness that what he says about Himself is true by using four different sources. First, John the Baptist is a witness to Jesus. Verse 33 says, “You have sent to John and he testified to the truth.” And verse 35 says, “He was the lamp that was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in its light.” John was witness to the Christ; the herald that was prophesied to come before Messiah (Is. 40:3). As Jesus says his testimony is true.

                 Secondly, the very works that Jesus performed shouted forth as a witness that he must be from God. Verse 36 reads, “…for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish – the very works that I do – testify about Me. That the Father has sent Me.” Jesus says that his works are and even more powerful testimony than John the Baptist was. The religious leaders knew this, for did not Nicodemus, ‘…the teacher of Israel…’ even say in John 3:2, “We know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Christ’s miracles were undoubtedly true, for even the people who rejected Him most, could not deny this fact.

                Once again, Jesus gives another witness that testifies about who He is. This third witness is the Father himself. Verse 37 says, “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me.” The reason that the religious men do not believe in Jesus is explained further by the Lord who says, “You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.” Although the witness of the Father was also true the people’s eyes were to open to this truth. Jesus now uses one more witness that declares he must be the promised Messiah and Son of God.

                This fourth witness is the very words of God themselves (vs. 39-46). Jesus says in verse 39, “You search the scriptures…it is these that testify about me.” These religious men were amazing students of the law, many of them having memorized most if not all of the Old Testament, but even with their knowledge they eyes were blinded to see that the O.T. scriptures testified about Jesus as the Messiah (Dt. 18:15; Is. 53; Is. 7:14; 9:6; 11:2;). Even Moses, says Jesus, will accuse them for they believed in Moses but did not believe in the Son of God.

                And thus Jesus ends the most amazing declaration of Himself as the Messiah, Son of God, and even God Himself. There can be no greater evidence than what the Lord provided in this chapter and it is a call to unbelievers who doubt who He is to turn from their sin and believe.                               

 

Response:

                After reading and studying such an amazing passage on the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, I feel that the only proper response is humility and worship. He was and is God the very Saviour of my sins who bore such a harsh burden upon the tree. In His sovereignty he knew he would bear this cross and be crushed as a sacrificial lamb in my stead (Is. 53:5-7). Thoughts of His great mercy must evoke songs of praise and adoration to his holy name. And I cannot help but say with Paul, “O the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has become his counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” 

The Gospel of John: John 5:1-18

John 5:1-18

Title: Christ heals the Paralytic on the Sabbath.

Analysis:

                John now quickly transitions from Jesus being in Galilee to now back in Jerusalem for the feast of the Jews. As we have seen in this gospel so far; we will continue to see the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. First he was believed in at Samaria (4:7-42), then he was doubted to be the Messiah in Galilee (4:43-54), and finally he will be persecuted by the religious elite while in Jerusalem (5:16-18) and ultimately rejected and hated by them (7:20-52).In our passage today we see the Sign of the Saviour (5:1-9), the Resentment of the Religious (5:10-15), and the Scheme to Slay (5:16-18).

                Jesus, who had now arrived in Jerusalem came with His disciples to the pool of Bethesda, a place where those who were lame, blind, withered, and sick stayed. Jesus singles out a man from among the crowd, one who had been there ill for 38 years. The Lord observes him lying there and asks the man, “Do you wish to get well?” (vs. 6). To us this question seems almost laughable giving the fact that the man had been ill for almost four decades. But our Lord had a greater motivation for asking the question. He was looking for faith in the man and he finds it.

The man does not respond sharply or mockingly of Jesus question but rather explains his reason as to why he was not healed. Jesus sees his sincerity and opens His mouth again to speak to the man saying, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” With a word, the Lord commands and heals this man in a supernatural display of His divine nature and relationship with God. The cure is immediate (vs. 9) and those who saw it were amazed by Jesus works.

                Although this healing was amazing John quickly switches gears in the end of verse 9 saying, “It was the Sabbath on that day.” With these words the mood changes dramatically and one can almost hear the approaching footsteps of the Pharisees as they come to us in verse 10.

Instantly the religious elite saw the man who was healed carrying his pallet and confronted him. They bring to his attention not an O.T. law that was given by God but rather one of the many Oral traditions kept by the Pharisees and Sadducees. A rule they had created, saying it was not permissible for a man to carry his pallet on the Sabbath. Rebuking Him they then ask who it was who made him well but the man did not know. Jesus then finds the man in the temple not much later and reveals to him that He is the Christ. The man then lets the Jewish leaders know it was the Lord who made him well.   

                We now come to the third section of this narrative by John and see the hatred that the Religious leaders had for Jesus the Christ. Immediately after hearing that it was Jesus who healed the man on the Sabbath they plotted against Him. The Lord answers their persecution by saying in verse 17, “My Father is working until now and I Myself am working.”  Enraged that he was not only breaking the Sabbath but also calling God His own Father, the Jews plot against the Saviour as to how they might destroy Him. Jesus proclaimed boldly by making Himself equal with God and the religious leaders hated Him for this. Jesus does not back down from this challenge but rather, as we will see in the next few sections, Jesus begins to prove to the Religious leaders His equality with God. This was the purpose that He came to this earth, so that we might know that He is the light and all who come to the Father must go through Him.   

 

Blessings,

              Lucas C.

The Gospel of John: John 1:19-34

John 1:19-34

Title: The testimony of John and baptism of Jesus.

Analysis:

                After speaking of Jesus as the light, John now delves into his documentation of the life of Jesus. In these verses John begins to provide proof that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God.  John the apostle starts by revealing who John the Baptist is to us in verses 19-28. At this time John was living in the wilderness baptizing those who would believe in the name of Christ. His primary ministry was to point those to the soon coming King of Kings.
                At this time the Pharisees, perhaps some of the Sanhedrin came to question John asking him if he was the Christ. John is very bold and denies this saying, “I am not the Christ.” These men then ask if he is Elijah, probably thinking of the prophecy from Malachi 5:4 which says Elijah will come before Messiah. John was not Elijah but rather a type of Elijah who did indeed herald the Messiah. John the Baptist doe answer their questions by quoting Isaiah 40:3 and applying it to himself, saying that he is a voice proclaiming that the Lord is on His way.
                The Pharisees then question John as to why he baptizes and how he received authority to baptize. The reason John baptized was because when Messiah would come there would be a time of physical and spiritual cleansing. The Jews as well as the Gentiles who were not saved needed cleansing and preparation for the arrival of Messiah.
                Although he baptized Christ, John did not regard himself as worthy for this position. He speaks of Christ being so glorious that he could not even untie the thong of His sandal. John constantly shifted the emphasis from himself to Christ, exemplifying extreme humility and acknowledgement of the complete Lordship Jesus possessed.
                John the apostle, now takes a shift in his focus between John and the Pharisees and turns to recall the events of the baptism of the Saviour. John gives a profound testimony when he sees Jesus, stating in vs. 29, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” This statement speaks of Jesus as a sacrificial lamb, who came in human form while still being fully God to take away the sins of mankind. John continues to explain that Jesus is higher than himself once again affirming His deity by saying in vs. 30, “…He existed before me…”
                Also seen in this passage is one of the greatest proofs of the Trinity, showing both the Spirit and the Son, at the baptism of Jesus. We also know the Father spoke from heaven affirming his Good pleasure (Luke 3:22). John the Baptist affirms this testimony by directly stating in verse 34, “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.

Response:

As I read through this passage I was particularly struck by Verse 29b which states, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” I found it to be such a profoundly true statement that John made about Christ so near to the beginning of His ministry. It reminded me that Christ truly is our ‘sacrificial lamb’ who came and bore my own sin on the cross! As personal application I can’t think but how on earth could I not give everything I have to serve this Christ who would snatch a sinner like myself from the punishment I justly deserve in hell.

                This verse brought my thoughts to my salvation, and how it was so unmerited and so mercifully granted to me by God. Now, I have the privilege to be His slave and serve Him daily; no less have the freedom to study the very Words of God. What greater reason can compel one to serve the Lord, than to fully realize that God died so that you could live and bring glory to His name? But also, so that you could forever worship Him in Heaven, because he knows that that is the only thing that will bring us eternal joy.     

Blessings,
           Lucas C.

The Gospel of John

For the Next Semester in School, now that I have started College, I will be doing a verse by verse analysis of the Gospel of John and Book of Acts. I have decided to share these here on the blog. Hope you enjoy reading them and learning more about the life and works of our great and Glorious Saviour!

 

John 1:1-18

 

Title: The Manifestation of Jesus Christ

 

                This is the passage that introduces the book of John and the main character of this book to us. This character is Jesus Christ; the Word became flesh, the Son of God. Verses 1-3 show us how both God and the Word work in harmony as the Word was, “…in the beginning with God, and was God.” There is a closeness that speaks to the Word and God being the same, and having the same nature.

Just as we know God created all things, “In the beginning…” (Gen 1:1) The Word was also a worker in the event of creation. The Word, and God himself have not only created all things but are the source of everything including life, and light. This life speaks both to a physical sense of life but also the spiritual and eternal life that is granted through Jesus Christ. The light that has come into the world is definitely the gospel, and all Biblical truth. This truth has not been understood by the darkness and the spiritually dark world we live in. Although it is not understood the light will continue to shine and will not be put out by the power darkness holds in this earth.

                John now takes a dramatic shift in his flow of thought and begins to speak of John the Baptist. John was a herald of Jesus Christ who came to proclaim that the light was coming into the world. John was sent by God to be this witness. He testified about this light not being the light himself but rather proclaiming that the light was going to come soon.

                Jesus, who is the true light, came physically into the world. Even while being the creator of this world, the world did not acknowledge Him as such. Even the Jewish nation, who were his chosen people did not believe in him or recognize him as the Messiah. Because of their unbelief they rejected Him. But even amongst the unbelievers, some came to receive Him and He granted them the right to be the children of God. These people were born again by God.

                We now come to one of the most bold and direct statements concerning the incarnation of Jesus Christ in vs. 14. It says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” The supernatural second person of the God-head condescended to earth to take on mortal flesh. In this flesh we were given a glimpse of the greatness of the glory of God. While on earth, Christ’s glory was shown majestically in the transfiguration, resurrection, and ascension.     

                John spoke of Christ by literally calling out and proclaiming that Christ was higher than himself because He existed before him. This statement is astounding as John would have been born 6 months prior to Christ, so John confirms that Christ must be from God. This would explain how he could have existed before John.

                Because of the incarnation of Jesus, we have received abundant grace that was unmerited by our own efforts. For even if the Law of Moses convicts us of sin, Jesus Christ has made peace for us through God the Father. God the Father has been seen by no one but Jesus Christ the mediator between God and man; the one begotten by the Father, who has come to earth to explain who He is to us.

 

Personal Response:

                This entire passage speaks of Jesus Christ, the Son of God coming into this world. Verse 14 specifically says, “The world became flesh and dwelt among us…” John is saying that God himself, the creator of the universe came to this earth. As I think about what I know about God and why he came to this earth, I cannot help but realize that I must completely submit to his will in my life. Especially as a Christian, I must realize that Christ is not only my Saviour but also my Lord. He has supreme Lordship, and rule over me and I must obey what His word commands. I need to be submissive to all that Jesus teaches in his word allowing myself to be molded and shaped into His image. Even in areas that may not seem important, I must make Christ Lord over in my life. I have a responsibility to honour Him and also a desire. May I be completely submitted to His Lordship so that I will bring Him honour all the days of my life.     

 

Blessings,

Lucas C.