John 21

Jesus next appeared to some of His disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee). Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James and John, and two others were waiting for Jesus. Peter became impatient and decided to go fishing, and the others went with him out on the boat. They fished all night and caught nothing. 

In the morning, Jesus appeared on the beach, thought they did not recognize Him. He called out to them and asked if they had caught any fish, but they replied no. Therefore, Jesus instructed them to cast the net over the side of the boat and they will find some. They obeyed and caught so many fish that were not able to pull up the net because it was full, though it did not break.

John immediately knew it was Jesus and said so. And once again, impatient Peter jumped into the water to meet Jesus on the beach. The others followed in the boat. On the beach, Jesus had a fire going with fish and bread, though He asked that they bring some of the fish they had just caught. 

After breakfast, Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him more than the disciples loved Him, and Peter said He did. Jesus replied, "Feed My lambs." 

Jesus asked Peter again if he loved Him, and Peter replied, "Lord, You know I love you." And Jesus said, "Tend My sheep." 

Finally, Jesus asked Peter a third time, "Do you love Me?" And Peter said, "Lord, You know all things. You know I love You." Jesus said, "Feed My sheep..."

Here is where Jesus told Peter how his death would glorify God. And He added, "Follow Me."

Peter wanted to know What about John? Jesus assured Peter that John should not be his concern, but that if John lived until Jesus returned, what is that to him? And the rumor went about that John would not die, but this is not true. 

Finally, John ends his gospel saying that he knew these things, wrote them down, and testified to them, as they are true. There were many other works that Jesus did, and if they were all recorded, the world would not be big enough to contain the books. 

COMMENTARY

McGee said that from John Chapter 21, we learn that Jesus is Lord of our wills and directs our service; He is Lord of our hearts and motivates our service for Him; and He is Lord of our minds, as He teaches that lack of knowledge or variation of circumstance is not excuse from service. Also we see that Jesus is still God. 

When the disciples were on the sea fishing, we see how Jesus directs the lives of His followers and gives instruction for how to live. When His followers obeyed the Lord to put the net back into the sea again, they came up with a harvest of fish. And even still, the net did not break. Whatever is in your hand, God can use it, and usually He gives in abundance. When we obey God, He accepts our service and blesses us fully; we will have enriching fellowship with Him.

Next, Jesus questioned Peter three times if he loved Him. But the word love Jesus used was agapaõ, the highest form of love. After all, Peter denied Jesus three times. Jesus is Lord of our hearts, and in order to serve Him, we must love Him with all we have -- mind, body, and soul. 

Finally, Jesus is Lord of our mind.When Jesus told Peter he would die a martyr for the glory of God, Peter was concerned about how John would die. But we must not use our ignorance as an excuse not to serve. Jesus always demonstrates that in order to follow Him, He must be Lord of our will, our heart, and our mind. 

John 20

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and could see that the stone had been taken away from the entrance to the tomb where Jesus had been buried. She ran and found Peter and John and told them that "they" had taken the body of Jesus, and do not know where they laid Him.

Peter and John ran to the tomb. John peered in and saw the linen cloths lying there, but Peter went into the tomb and he also saw the linen cloths, but the handkerchief was folded in a place by itself. When John went into the tomb, he believed. But neither disciple understood, yet, the Scripture that Jesus would rise from the dead. 

After Peter and John went away to their own homes, Mary stood weeping at the tomb. When she looked inside, she saw two angels, who asked her why she was weeping. She told them because they had taken away her Lord. Then she turned around and there was Jesus, though she did not recognize him. He asked her why she was crying, and she thought he was the gardener who took away Jesus' body. 

Then Jesus said, "Mary." And she knew Him! He told her not to cling to Him because He had to ascend to His Father, her Father, His God, and her God. Mary ran off to tell the disciples that she had seen the Lord.

Later that evening, the disciples were assembled together behind closed (locked) doors, when Jesus appeared to them, saying, "Peace be with you." He showed them His hands and His side. He told them, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you...Receive the Holy Spirit." 

Unfortunately, Thomas was not present when Jesus came, and he did not believe them when they told him they had seen the Lord. He said, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

Eight days later, while the disciples were assembled again, behind locked doors, Jesus stood in their midst and told Thomas to look at and touch the wounds in His hands and side, and believe!

And Thomas answered, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

And Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this 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. 

COMMENTARY

This is why Christians worship on Sunday: because Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, the first day of the week. The Sabbath belonged to the old creation. Jesus was dead over the Sabbath. He rose on Sunday, and from then on, believers gathered on the first day of the week. "Now we have come to the new creation in Christ Jesus. [Even] Pentecost occurred on Sunday." 

When Jesus breathed onto the disciples, they had received the Holy Spirit. This was not like Pentecost. It was an interval between the Lord's Ascension and Pentecost. On Pentecost, they would be baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ and given power. But for now, they will need His Spirit to tide them over. 

And when Christ instructed the apostles to forgive sins, He was only encouraging them to do so in His name, to proclaim the forgiveness of sins, which He alone has the power to do. They may proclaim the forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name. 

Keep in mind that God does not arbitrarily forgive sins; but rather the blood of Jesus covers sins, and we must individually believe this before we may have our sins forgiven. The only way this happens is when a person hears the gospel and believes. So someone has to share it -- and here Jesus is instructing His disciples to go and preach the gospel -- the good news -- the way to have your sins forgiven.

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas - Caravaggio 

"My Lord and My God." - Thomas

John 19

Pilate scourged Jesus, the soldiers placed a twisted crown of thorns upon His head, and they put a purple robe on Him. They struck Him and said, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

Pilate told the Jewish leaders that he found no fault with Jesus, and he brought Him out to them and said, "Behold, the Man." But they cried out: "Crucify Him!" They told Pilate that Jesus made Himself the Son of God, which is worthy of death. This caused Pilate to be more afraid because the Romans were fearful of divine men with supernatural powers, and he just permitted the beating of someone who could bring a curse upon him. Pilate is suffering with much guilt.

Next, he questioned Jesus again, but Jesus would not speak. Pilate told Him that he had the power to crucify or release Him, but Jesus corrected Pilate and told him that he had no more power unless it was given to him from above, and that the one who delivered Him to Pilate had the greatest sin (which was probably Judas or the high priest because THEY saw the works that Jesus had done; Pilate had not.).

Afterward, Pilate sought all the more to release Jesus, but the Jews aligned themselves with Caesar and said that anyone who made himself king was no friend of Caesar; and THEY were! (Whose side are you on, Pilate?)

Pilate tried one more time to release Jesus: "Shall I crucify your King?" They answered: "We have no king but Caesar!" Then Pilate delivered Jesus to them to be crucified. 

Jesus bore His cross to Golgotha where the soldiers crucified Him, and Pilate had an inscription made (written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin) to be placed above Jesus' head: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Next, the soldiers divided Jesus' garments, that Scripture might be fulfilled. 

Jesus' mother was there by the cross with others, and Jesus commanded John to care for her. When all things were accomplished, Jesus proclaimed, "It is finished," and He gave up His spirit. And because it was Preparation Day before the Passover, the Jews asked for the bodies (there were two others crucified with Jesus) to be taken down from the crosses. The soldiers broke the legs of the two criminals, but Jesus was already dead, and they did not break His bones, that the Scriptures were fulfilled. However, a soldier pierced His side, which was also a fulfilment of Scripture. And one day the Jews will, "look on Him whom they pierced (and grieve)."

Finally, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, both secret followers of Jesus, came and took His body away to be prepared for burial. And they placed Him in a new tomb in the garden. 

COMMENTARY

"The trial of Jesus is one of the greatest miscarriages of Justice."

Pilate scourged Jesus only to pacify the Jews, but it did not work. He was hungry for power and he was intimidated by the religious Jews who indicated that they would report him to the authorities at Rome if he did not do what they wanted. 

In the end, Jesus was led away to be crucified. McGee takes a moment to demonstrate what the Cross means from different vantage points: 

From God: the cross is a propitiation, where God extends mercy to us; "Jesus bore our guilt, and God is satisfied."

From Jesus: the cross is a sacrifice. The Savior made Himself an offering for sin, an act of obedience.

From Believers: the cross is a substitution. He took our place -- the sinless One suffering for the sinner.

From Satan: the cross is triumph but also defeat. The head of Satan is yet to be crushed.

And From the world: the cross is nothing but the brutal murder of a man. This is injustice.

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

Paul tells us: 

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried , and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3-4). 

from Your Daily Verse

 

John 18

Jesus went to the garden with His disciples, and Judas came with a detachment of troops and officers. And Jesus, knowing why they came asked whom they sought, and they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said, "I am He." 

Twice He told them, and then He told them to let His disciples be, that it may be fulfilled that He lost none of them. (Jesus knows we are weak and without His protection, many of us would flee our faith.)

Here is where Peter struck the high priest's servant with a sword and cut off his ear, but Jesus told him to put it away and, "Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given to Me?"

Thence the troops and officers arrested Jesus and bound Him and took Him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest. Peter and another disciple (John) followed to where they took Jesus, and it was here that someone noticed Peter and confronted him for being a follower of Jesus; but he denied her, this being the first denial. And here it happened a second time, when the other disciple let Peter into the courtyard where Jesus was, but Peter denied knowing Jesus for the second time.

Meanwhile, Annas questioned Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. Jesus said He spoke openly and in public where the Jews always met; He rebuked Annas and told him to ask the Jews who heard and saw everything. That is why the officer then struck Jesus, knowing He knew the law that required witnesses during an interrogation. (See how they tried to work around the law?)

Jesus answered the officer who stuck Him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike me?"

Next, Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas. And this is when Peter denied knowing Jesus a third time after a relative of the servant (whose ear Peter cut off) confronted him. Immediately, a rooster crowed.

Caiaphas brought Jesus to Pilate, who asked what accusation they brought against Jesus. They called Jesus an evildoer. Pilate wanted them to judge Jesus according to their own law, but they reminded him that it was not lawful for them to put anyone to death (since Rome had taken jurisdiction of Judea).

Therefore, Pilate questioned Jesus and asked Him if He was the King of the Jews. Jesus asked Pilate if he asked for himself or the Jews? And Pilate got snarky and asked, "Am I a Jew?" Then Pilate asked Jesus to defend Himself. And Jesus replied,

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.

Pilate asked again, "Are you a king then?" And Jesus replied, "You say rightly that 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." 

Obviously, Pilate was not of the elect because not only did he not hear the truth, but he did not know truth, and asked, "What is truth?" Obviously, he was a progressive type who understood truth as whatever you want it to be. (There is nothing new under the sun.)

Finally, Pilate told the Jews that he found no fault in Jesus. But the Jews had a custom that Rome release one prisoner at Passover. Sarcastically, would they like him to release their "King of the Jews?" But they cried out again, "Not this Man, but Barabbas (the robber)!"

COMMENTARY

The Gospel of John emphasizes the deity of the Lord Jesus and His glory. John does not include His agony, praying in the garden.

When the officials arrived, Jesus could have made Himself disappear; but He does not resist arrest, "...as a sheep before her shearers is dumb..." (Isa 53:7).

The officials called Him "Jesus of Nazareth" because they refused to acknowledge who He truly was. But Jesus is the name above every name, and one day ALL will will bow the knee to Him. 

There was a part that was a bit confusing. First, Jesus asked whom they were looking for, and they said Jesus of Nazareth. He replied, "I am He." Suddenly, "they went backward, and fell to the ground." The men who asked for Jesus fell backward. Why? According to McGee, he believed Jesus revealed His deity to the men, including Judas who stood with them. By revealing His deity, they fell in fear and for a moment there was confusion. McGee included verses that would support this idea: Ps 27:1-2; Ps 35:4; Ps 40:14.

Another question: why was Peter not arrested for striking the servant with his sword? Because Jesus was in charge, and He asked that His disciples be let alone. 

Keep in mind that Jesus is willingly going to His death. He prepared to drink the cup of God's judgment for us. That means that if you reject Christ, then you are essentially going to have to drink that cup of judgment on your own. 

Now, back to the arrest: it was the religious rulers who plotted this night. Annas was the powerful high priest, but Caiaphas was the high priest that the Roman government acknowledged. While Jesus was before Annas, this was where Peter denied being a follower of Jesus, which Jesus told him he would. What makes Peter's denial different from Judas is that Peter felt grief and shame in his heart; Judas did not. Peter was a genuine believer; Judas was not. 

Finally, Jesus was brought to Pilate. Pilate knew this was a phony trial and that Jesus was an innocent man. He sought to "wash his hands" of the matter; but he lacked courage and did not want to upset the Jews and lose his position within the Roman government. 

Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world, and this is true today. The church cannot build the Kingdom on earth either. Christ is calling His people out of the world - "gathering out a people for His name" (Acts 15:14). Christ will establish His kingdom in His time. 

 

John 17

This is a wonderful chapter where Jesus prays for Himself, His disciples, His believers, and the Church. He prayed out loud in front of His disciples for their benefit. 

He lifted up His eyes and talked to God the Father to glorify Him, and that He may glorify the Father, because God had "given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as [He had] given Him...

And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." 

Then Christ prayed for His disciples. Again, Jesus reminded His disciples that God gave them to Him out of the world. They belonged to the Father, and He gave them to Jesus. 

Jesus prayed for them, not the world, whom the Father had given to Him, because what belongs to God the Father belongs to Jesus; and He is glorified in them. And because Jesus was leaving the world, and His disciples remained, He prayed the Father to keep them for (again) He gave them to the Son. And Jesus prayed that they would be unified, just as Jesus and the Father are unified. 

And again, again, Jesus reiterated that God the Father gave to Him His followers, and Jesus kept them in His name, that none were lost, except Judas -- that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. Jesus prayed that the Father would keep His followers from the evil one. 

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 

Meaning, Jesus is the Word, and the Word is truth; therefore, keep them and sanctify them (set them apart) by the truth of the Word. 

Then He extended His prayer to all believers (the Church), even to today, for all those who will believe through the Word, through the ages; that they may be one in Christ, just as Jesus and the Father, that the world may believe that Jesus came from the Father, that the Father sent the Son, and that He had loved them as the Father has loved the Son.

And finally, Jesus prayed that those the Father gave to Him will be with Him and behold His glory given by the Father before the foundation of the world. 

COMMENTARY

Jesus has power over all flesh! He has power to make every individual bow to Him. He could make us all robots and believe in Him, but He doesn't do that. This chapter brings up the question of Election and Free Will. 

God gave the Church to His Son as a love gift, and the church is made up of all those who believe. Only the Father knows who are His, and He gave them to the Son. God does not reveal to us who they are, which is why we must share the gospel with all. Those who reject the message will receive their  condemnation. Even if we share the gospel with those who reject it, the Lord is glorified when the truth is proclaimed and the gospel is shared. 

According to McGee, election does not shut out certain people, because if you have a desire to know the true God and Jesus Christ, than you will not be shut out. He gives eternal life to all who have heard the call and responded in their hearts. These are the elect. 

Jesus does not pray for the world today. His ministry is for His own who are IN the world, but not OF the world. He prays for the Father to keep us while we are still in the world, that we be sealed by the Holy Spirit. And He prays for unity among believers. These are promises because when Jesus prays to the Father, the Father hears Him and answers His prayers. There may be many denominations of Christianity, but there is one Church, and all believers who are truly His, He knows, and they are baptized by the Holy Spirit into His Church. 

Keep in mind that the Church cannot make the world a better place. Only Jesus can. Remember, the world hated Jesus and the world will hate His believers. If the world flocks to the church, it is because the church is not teaching the truth. The world hates the truth. But believers are sent out into the world to be a witness that those who are already His may believe. 

Jesus prayed that since His followers are in the world, that God would keep them from Satan. Believers will have tribulation, but through trial and tribulation, the Lord is glorified. Nonetheless, this is why believers long for Jesus to come. We long for the Rapture. The Holy Spirit and the Bride are weary of the world. 

But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world!

McGee says Jesus' prayer for the Church has been answered because the Church is an organic unity. Believers are one in Christ, and the moment one believes in the truth, He is in the body of Christ. Again, there are many denominations, but the Lord knows who are His. Amen to that. We don't have to worry about it.

Now, in conclusion, Jesus prayed that His love might be in our hearts and lives. He desires that His love would be manifest in the lives of those whom He redeemed. 

Then McGee wrote an outline of Jesus' prayer:

Believers are given to Christ out of the world, left in the world, not of the world, hated by the world, kept from Satan, sent into the world, and manifest in unity before the world. 

And these are the requests of Christ for His believers:

That they be preserved, have joy (fullness of the Spirit), be delivered from evil, be set apart (sanctified), have unity (be of one mind), have fellowship with Him, and have satisfaction (behold His glory). 

Jesus is our great High Priest and He has all power and loves us completely.

from Bible Study Tools

John 16

Jesus continued teaching His disciples (ultimately, His followers) that they will be not be treated well by the world because the world hates Jesus. They will be excommunicated from the Jewish religious system, and Jesus does not want them to be surprised by this. 

Jesus told them again that He was going away, and He would send the Helper (the Holy Spirit) who will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement: of sin, because they did not believe in Him; of righteousness, because the religious systems of the world are run by hypocrites; and of judgment, because the world is under Satan's rule and he is already judged and the world with him. 

Since Jesus cannot tell them much more, the Spirit will guide and teach them all they need to know. The Holy Spirit will not speak of His own authority. You will know He is the Spirit of truth because He will glorify the Lord.

Still, the disciples did not understand what Jesus meant when He said He will leave them for a little while and then they will see Him for a time, and He will go to the Father. Jesus explained that they will weep and lament and the world will rejoice, but then their sorrow will turn to joy. He said for now they have sorrow, but He will see them again and their hearts will rejoice and no one will take away their joy.

Jesus also taught them that soon they will pray in His name to the Father because He came from the God the Father. And the Father loves the disciples because they love Jesus and know He is from God. Soon Jesus will go away and the disciples will be scattered. But be at peace...

In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

COMMENTARY 

Of all the personal sins man can commit, the most dangerous is to reject Jesus Christ as Savior of the world. 

In this chapter, Jesus assured His disciples that He would send His Holy Spirit to continue teaching them everything they needed to know; but He also warned them not to be surprised that the world would hate them because it hated Jesus.

McGee mentioned something interesting in his commentary about churches today. Many do not take the position of Christ, but instead "ha[ve] gone out into the world, boasting that they are going to convert the world. They...haven't done it in over [2000] years. In their attempt they try to popularize religion, make it very attractive to the world....using all kinds of devices to attract the ungodly. Today music has come down to the level of the world." They are attempting to win the world, but "who told them they were going to win the world?" Not Jesus! The world does not love Jesus; the church would do well to understand this and stop trying to win the world. It will never happen. 

Jesus did not want His followers to be frozen in sorrow. He is encouraging them. McGee pointed out that Christians need to snap out of their sorrowful, downcast experiences. For example, there is a woman I know who had a bad experience in her church and she has allowed it to swallow all of her joy in the Lord. Today, she won't go to church or listen to a sermon -- she is so bent out of shape. This is not the heart Jesus wants Christians to keep. She should pray God take away her bitter heart and be renewed in the Spirit. When Christians have sadness or sorrow, they should be encouraged because joy comes in the morning. That is a promise! 

Another point McGee makes is that we need more than Christ's forgiveness; we need His righteousness. When Jesus said the Spirit will convict the world of righteousness, He meant He, Jesus, was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. When Jesus died on the cross, He took away our guilt. And when He was raised and defeated death, it was for our justification. His death subtracted our sins, but also He added to us His righteousness. It is not enough to have our sins forgiven because we cannot stand before God just as pardoned criminals. If we are to stand before God, we must be in Christ and His righteousness. That is the righteousness He was talking about.

Also, when Jesus said the Spirit convicts the world of judgment, He meant that Satan and the world have already been judged. All of mankind has already been deemed unworthy. None of us is innocent. Examine your heart and see. We are all guilty and awaiting execution. Even our good deeds are as filthy rags before God; and if we stand before God in our own filthy rags, we would know how guilty we are. That is the judgment Jesus was talking about.

There are two ways we can grow in grace and truth: by reading and studying the Word of God and by having the Holy Spirit as our Teacher. How do you know the Spirit is working? He will glorify Christ to you. "The Spirit searches the deep things of God and He alone can show these things to us." 

A new thing Jesus taught His disciples is that when He is gone from them, they will pray to the Father in His name. At the time Jesus was on earth, He was not able to be all places at once; but once He went to be with the Father and sent His Spirit to be with His followers, He would be with them and us always and everywhere. We can have fellowship with Him at all times. 

And finally, what a joy it is to remember that while believers will often have trouble in the world, Jesus has overcome the world. "His victory is our victory!"

from Bible Verses to Go

 

John 15

This is a continuation of Jesus speaking to the disciples before His arrest.

He told them that He is the true vine and His Father is the vinedresser. Any branch that does not bear fruit He removes, and those that do bear fruit He prunes that they may produce more fruit. The branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in Him.

Jesus told His disciples that they are the branches, and without Him they can do nothing. Those who do not abide in Him are cast out, withered, gathered and thrown into the fire and burned. Those who abide in Him and His words abide in them, they will ask what they desire, and it shall be done for them. This is the way God is glorified and his followers bear much fruit. 

If they keep His commandments, they will abide in His love and His joy remain in them fully.

His new commandment He gave to them:

...that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no other than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

And He continued:

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.  

Also, if the world hates His disciples, it is because the world hated Jesus first. If His followers were of the world, the world would love them. But Jesus chose them out of the world. If the world persecuted Jesus, the world will persecute His disciples. 

If Jesus did not go to the world and make Himself known, the world would have remained ignorant, but that Jesus showed Himself to the world, now the world has no excuse to know Him. The world has seen and they still hate Him and His Father. Therefore, the world is in sin. 

BUT, this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, They hated Me without a cause.

Then Jesus promised them again that He would send His Helper, the Holy Spirit, to teach them the truth. 

COMMENTARY

Jesus is the TRUE, GENUINE vine, as opposed to the nation Israel -- that is to say, identification with the Jewish nation or Jewish religion is not the Way to God. Jesus is the Way. The same holds true today: it is not through a religion or religious ceremony or organization. We must be identified with Christ. The moment we trust in Jesus as our Savior, we are baptised by the Holy Spirit and born again. The branches must be joined to the Vine for fruit-bearing lives.

In this chapter, Jesus was not talking about salvation or how to be saved when he talked about bearing fruit. He is talking about people who have already been saved. These people are already in Christ. Rather, He is referring to what believers are supposed to do: bear fruit, bear more fruit, and bear abundant fruit. 

Believers in Christ bear fruit as a result of being saved. Fruit refers to the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. "Abiding in Christ will produce effectual prayer, perpetual fruit, and celestial joy." 

Sometimes a believer (branch) does not bear fruit, and Jesus said it will be removed. This does not mean a believer loses his salvation. A person may need to be removed from his place of fruit-bearing, and this could be life changing. Sometimes it could mean death. 

Sometimes branches must be pruned in order to produce fruit or more fruit. God will remove people or circumstances that may hinder us from fruit-bearing. But always, if we remain close to God, the less it will hurt and the more we will grow. "Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth."

HOW TO ABIDE IN CHRIST

We are cleansed through the Word. We must always be in the Word, studying the Scriptures, and be ready to apply it and obey it. We should be in constant communication with the Lord, through prayer. We need to confess our sins to the Lord to abide in Him. And we are to keep His commandments. 

When we abide in Him, we will bear fruit because the Lord will be able to use us for His purpose, which will bring Him glory. In return, we will experience a life full of joy.

He chose us, and we are His responsibility. He will take care of us.

from Knit Pray Share

John 14

Jesus continued speaking to the disciples. He comforted them in His own last hours. He promised that though He was going away, He was preparing a place for them with Him in heaven. He promised to "come again and receive [them] to [Himself]..."

Thomas said they do not know where He is going and how can they know the way? 

Jesus replied, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Also, If you know God the Father, from now on, you know Him and have seen Him (because you know and saw Jesus).

Philip actually responded with: "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."

And Jesus had to say it again, like Philip had not been paying attention: Do you not know Me, yet, Philip?

He who has seen Me has seen the Father. Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? 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. 

Jesus also explained that whatever they asked in His name, He will do. And if they love Him, they will keep His commandments. Also God the Father will send them a Helper (His Spirit), "whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but [they] know Him, for He dwells with [them] and will be in [them]." He continued: "I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you."

Jesus will leave the world, but the disciples will see Him because He lives, and in that day they will know that He is in the Father...and he who keeps His commandments, it is he who loves Him. And He who loves Jesus, is loved by the Father, and Jesus will manifest Himself to them. 

from Bible Study Tools

John 13

Jesus knew by now His hour had come and He was going to depart from the world and go to the Father. He had loved those He knew who were His to the end.

Jesus prepared to wash His disciples' feet. But Peter was incredulous that Jesus should do such a thing. Jesus made it clear that in order for Peter to follow Him, He must wash his feet. Then Peter realized that not only his feet needed to be washed, but the whole of him should be.

Jesus then explained to the disciples that what He had done for them, they should do for each other. It was an example because "...a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him."

Then Jesus spoke about Judas, of which Satan had already infected his mind: that He, Jesus, knew whom He had chosen; that the Scriptures would be fulfilled; and that He who ate bread with Him would betray Him. Then He reiterated that He was God, and said: 

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

Then He said more clearly, "One of you will betray Me." 

Obviously, the disciples were "perplexed," and John asked, " Lord, who is it?"  

Jesus said it would be the one whom He gave a piece of bread. And He handed it to Judas. Then Satan entered Judas, and Jesus told Him to go do what He had to do quickly. 

After Judas left, Jesus told His disciples that: "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." 

Jesus then gave the disciples a new commandment to "...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."

Peter asked where Jesus was going, and He replied that where He was going, he could not follow, but in a little while he shall follow afterward. Peter said he was ready to lay down his life now for Jesus' sake. But Jesus assured him that before morning, He would deny Jesus three times. 

from YouVersion

 

John 12

Six days before Passover, Jesus was at the house of His friends, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, the man He raised from the dead. Lazarus was sitting with Him, Martha was serving, and Mary was pouring expensive oil on His feet and wiping them with her hair. She was preparing Him for His burial. 

Judas Iscariot complained that the oil could have been sold for money and the money given to the poor, though he cared not a moment for the poor. Jesus told Judas that Mary had kept the oil to use for this purpose. The poor will always be around, but He they will not always have with them. 

Meanwhile, the chief priests came to the house, too, because they considered killing Lazarus now that many Jews had gone away believing in Jesus on account of His raising Lazarus from the dead. 

The next day a great multitude came to Jerusalem when they heard that Jesus would be there for the Feast, and they used palm branches to welcome Him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the lord! The King of Israel!" Jesus rode into the city on a young donkey, fulfilling prophecy: "Behold, your King is coming sitting on a donkey's colt." 

Even the Greeks (Gentiles) inquired of Him and wanted to see Him because they heard about His miracles. Jesus told them, 

...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 the 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.

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 You r name.

Then God from heaven said: I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Those who heard it said it was thunder or an angel. Jesus said the time now was for the judgment of the world and the ruler (Satan) will be cast out.

Though many people saw His works, they could not believe in Him, just as the prophet Isaiah prophesied. Even rulers secretly believed; yet, they cared more about the approval of men and feared being cast out of the synagogue. 

Finally, Jesus cried out:

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. 

COMMENTARY

Jesus' friends planned a dinner party for Him. Mary, who anointed the feet of Jesus, was not the same Mary who was a harlot, though they both wiped Jesus' feet with their hair. 

Judas Iscariot was the treasurer of the disciples, and he did not care about the poor. He was a fraud and a thief, and he only desired to see what money who could take for himself. After Judas expressed that the oil Mary used to wipe Jesus' feet could have been sold and the money given to the poor, Jesus explained that the poor will always be around, and any service that can be done for them should not substitute sitting at His feet because soon He will no longer be with them. Now was the time to know Him. 

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling God's will. The crowds were attracted to Jesus because of the miracles He had performed and the Pharisees were out to kill Him. The very same people who were crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord!" could have very well been the same who shouted, "Crucify Him!" the next day. 

The Greeks also heard about Jesus, and they came to see Him. He spoke to them about the cross. He explained the analogy of a grain of wheat and how it must die in the ground before it may produce fruit. His death is like the grain of wheat. He must die first before we may have abundant, eternal life. 

Jesus' hour had come. He would take the sins of the world upon the cross. We cannot comprehend the weight of His suffering. But He came for that purpose and He went willingly. That is why, when we truly understand that His death on the cross was really meant for us, and He did that in our place, it change lives. In His suffering, He glorified God. We can remember this, too, in our own struggles. 

His death is a judgment on the world and Satan. The cross is the victory of Christ! Those who believe will live forever, and those who reject it, will be lost forever. The Jewish rulers rejected Him as Messiah; therefore, He rejected them. Even those who thought they believed in His works, were more concerned with the acceptance of their fellow man. They would not publicly acknowledge Christ as Messiah.

The most dangerous decision you can make is to hear the gospel and still reject Christ as Savior. 

John 11

 JESUS RAISES LAZARUS

Lazarus was sick, and his sisters, Martha and Mary, sent for Jesus. When Jesus received word, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

Jesus waited two more days before He said to His disciples, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." The disciples thought He meant that Lazarus was just resting and that he would get well again; but Jesus meant that Lazarus had died and that for their sakes, He was not there to make him well, that they (those who will witness what He was about to do) may believe.

When they arrived in town, Lazarus had been dead and in the tomb for four days. Martha had met Jesus on the way and said to Him, "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." 

Jesus replied, "Your brother will rise again."

Martha said, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Jesus said, "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 replied, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God who is to come into the world." 

Then Mary came out to meet Him and fell at His feet and said the same thing Martha had said. When Jesus saw Mary weeping, His spirit was troubled. He asked them where Lazarus had been laid to rest, and they brought Him. Then Jesus wept for them.

Many wondered why Jesus did not keep Lazarus from dying, since He had performed many other miracles. Since He knew what they were thinking, His spirit groaned within Him.

At the grave, there was a tomb before the cave, and Jesus commanded that it be moved. Martha remarked that there would be a terrible stench because Lazarus had been dead four days. Jesus said, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" 

Then Jesus gave thanks to God 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 said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." 

Then He called, "Lazarus, come forth!" And Lazarus came out of the cave bound with his grave clothes still wrapped about him. And they unbound him.

Many people believed in Jesus, but some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus did. Their response was: "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."

Caiaphas plotted that Jesus should die rather than the whole nation, but he did not think this of his own accord because it was actually a prophecy 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."

After that,  Jesus no longer showed Himself publicly, but remained in hiding with His disciples. 

COMMENTARY

This is the chapter where Jesus retires into a private ministry because His time has almost come. It is also important to note that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, which is different than the resurrection. At the Resurrection, believers will get glorified bodies, like Jesus did after His resurrection. Lazarus was just raised back to life. 

Also, another important issue is sickness. Even as Christians, we often pray and demand for the sick to be made well. However, we must remember that God permits sickness and death for a host of reasons. We would do better to pray for our heart attitudes and our faith. 

Jesus permits sickness and death of loved ones for our goodness and His glory. For Lazarus, it was for Jesus to get the glory and that those who saw and heard might believe in Him. As McGee states: "Nothing will come into our lives without His permission, and if He permits it, it is going to be for His glory."

Jesus' disciples did not understand that when Jesus told them that Lazarus was asleep, He meant Lazarus had died. Death is separation between the body and the soul. The body is asleep. (There is no such thing as soul sleep.) Jesus will awaken the body at the Resurrection when He will call us out by name, as He did Lazarus!

The reason Jesus wept was not because Lazarus had died; He wept for the living. Then Jesus prayed that those around Him would know that He was doing the will of the Father. 

When Jesus called Lazarus out, his life was restored to his old body, which was why he was still wrapped in grave clothes. 

Now, you would think more and more people would believe in Jesus, but this was not so. This was why Jesus said: "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead." (Luke 16:31) The problem is not a lack of evidence, but an abundance of hard heartedness.

The Sadducees and the Pharisees were the two political religious groups of the time who opposed one another outright, but they absolutely rejected Jesus and hated Him the same. They were determined to kill Him. Why? Simply because "they FEARED a massive turning to Jesus which would bring a revolution, which would provide opportunity for Rome to crush them." 

Ironically, Rome is going to do that anyway, after Jesus is long gone. 

John 10

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Jesus continued speaking to the Pharisees:

...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 teh shepherd of the sheep. 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. 

Again, the Pharisees did not understand. He continued,

...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.

Jesus explained how the "hireling, who is not the shepherd," and does not own the sheep, will flee when he sees the wolf coming after the sheep because the hireling is a fraud. But Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He will and does lay His own life down for the sheep. And He has other sheep that are not of this fold (Israel), which He will also bring, and "there will be one flock and one shepherd." 

Also Jesus said that He lays down His life willingly and with power, and no one takes it from Him. This caused more divisions among the Jews. Some continued to ask Him the same questions about who He was. Jesus had already told them, but they did not believe, which was because they were not His sheep. 

Then He told them that He and His Father are one, to which they took us stones to stone Him. Jesus asked which of the works (of God) did they want to stone Him for, and they said not for good works but for blasphemy. And He escaped from them. 

COMMENTARY

The sheepfold represents the nation Israel. Jesus told the Pharisees that He came legally (by the door -- fulfilling prophecy that a Savior would come to Israel) and under the Law: God sent His Son, made of a woman, under the law (Gal. 4:4); He came through the line of David (Luke 1:32); He was born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2); born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14); and a rod out of the stem of Jesse (Isa. 11:1). Jesus is the Messiah and the Good Shepherd. The religious rulers should have recognized Jesus!

The porter in these verses is the Holy Spirit who opens the ears of His sheep to hear His voice. He calls them by name. Jesus leads His sheep out of the sheepfold, out of Judaism, out of the legal system, and they follow Him because they know His voice.

The door is Jesus. Jesus is the actual door. He is showing that there is no longer a connection with the nation Israel, but through a relationship with HIM, like in the joining of the branches to the Vine. But the people have to come out of Judaism or out of whatever legal system they put themselves and come to Him. That is why He is also called the Way. He is the Way out. 

Note that the hireling does not care about the sheep, but rather he uses them for his own benefit, like for fame or fortune. And of the other sheep, Jesus is talking about Gentiles, rich and poor, bond and free, male and female, of every nation and tongue. 

Jesus is no longer going into the Temple, but He is seeking His very own. He made very clear who He is, and the Jewish rulers and leaders did not hear Him. It is only a short time before He must go to the cross and lay down His life; therefore, from now on, He is taking His ministry to His sheep. 

John 9

CHRIST HEALS THE BLIND MAN

There was a man who had been blind since birth, and as Jesus and His disciples passed by him, they asked Jesus whose sin caused the man's blindness, his parents or himself? Jesus said, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." In other words, the man was blind that Jesus may perform the works of God that people would believe. 

Then Jesus made clay and rubbed it onto the man's eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam (or Sent). The man obeyed. When he returned, he could see.

First his neighbors wondered at how his eyes were opened, and the man explained exactly how he had received his sight -- exactly as it happened. But he did not know where Jesus went. The neighbors brought the man to the Pharisees and they were infuriated because a blind man was made well on the Sabbath! And they asked the man what happened, and he told them a Man named Jesus opened his eyes.

The Pharisees could not believe that a Man from God would not keep the Sabbath. But the people questioned how a sinner could do such signs; and divisions were caused among them. 

The Pharisees wanted to know what the man thought of Jesus, and he referred to him as a prophet. Thence the Pharisees doubted the man had even been blind, and they called for his parents. His parents were afraid of being excommunicated from the temple, and while they confirmed that their son had been blind since birth, they would not say how they felt about Jesus, who just gave sight to their adult son who had been blind his whole life and was begging for his bread. They said, Ask our son; he's of age.

Back to the man who could see, they told him to give glory to God instead because this Jesus is a fraud. The man replied:

Whether He is a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.

In disbelief, they asked again what Jesus did to give the man sight, and the man got snarky because, seriously, how many times did he have to say it?? And he 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. 

(IMO, this little remark was better than some sermons I have ever heard.) Naturally, the Pharisees were dumbfounded that this once blind beggar was now teaching them! They flagged him for misinformation, censored his free speech, and excommunicated him from their religious cult. 

No problem. Here comes Jesus. He asked the man if he believed in the Son of God? The man eagerly wanted to know who the Son of Man was that he may believe in Him. And Jesus said, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."

The grateful man replied, "Lord, I believe! And he worshipped Jesus. 

COMMENTARY

God has His reasons for permitting sickness, disease, suffering, and all kinds of trials. In this case, this man was born blind that God may be glorified in his healing. More specifically, the blind man was able to see Jesus and know Him as his Savior. "Unless the Son of God, by means of the Holy Spirit, opens our eyes so that we can see spiritual things, we will remain blind..."

McGee said that the story of the blind man parallels our condition before we are saved. 

1.) The blind man was outside the temple, shut out from God, as we are shut out, hopeless without God.

2.) The man was unable to see the Savior, physically blind, but also spiritually, as we, too.

3.) The man was born blind, and we also are born in sin.

4.) The blind man was beyond human help, and we are helpless, with no man-made cure to save us.

5.) The man was reduced to begging, which is the only way we come to God for salvation.

6.) The man made no appeal to Jesus, and it even took some time for him to grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus. We, too, in our lowly state are not looking for Jesus, but He is seeking us. 

7.) Finally, no one showed him pity, except Jesus, and that is because, like the blind man, only Jesus alone has genuine compassion for us.

After the blind man was cured, people reacted: The neighbors noticed the change and probed for answers. 

"You would think the Pharisees would have rejoiced that a blind man could now see," but they rather focus on their weak argument that men of God keep the Sabbath, and since Jesus did not, He was not from God. Meanwhile, the (blind) man contradicted their argument, that "only people from God can open the eyes of a man born blind. Jesus opened the eyes of the blind man; therefore, Jesus is from God."

And lastly, the parents were intimidated by the religious rulers -- did not want to admit how the miracle was performed because they knew it would only confirm that they should give credit to Jesus, who was God.

When the Pharisees confronted the man (again), they wanted him to give glory to God the Father, not Jesus who sinned and healed on the Sabbath. And the man said he did not know anything about that other than he once was blind, but now he can see (because of Jesus). This all led to the man being cast out of the temple. 

Then Jesus met up with the man, and the man now knows that Jesus is the Savior of the World, and he believes and worships Him! We are like this man when he was blind. We do not even know how lost we truly are until we come to Jesus and He reveals Himself to us. Then our eyes are open and we see who He is and what He has done. After that we must believe, like the man did, and then we will want to worship Christ forever. 

Don't be like the Pharisees who had eyes to see, but were blind.  Be like the blind man. Go to Jesus and let Him open your spiritual eyes and see the Light. 

John 8

Again, in the temple, Jesus was teaching the people, when the Scribes and Pharisees brought a woman to Him and accused her of being caught in the very act of adultery. (Notice they did not bring the second party, the man!) According to Moses, this woman should be stoned. They wanted to know what Jesus thought, that they may accuse Him of offending the Law. But Jesus ignored them. They pressed Him more. Then He told them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." 

I guess they all were in sin (probably even adultery) themselves, because they were "convicted by their conscience," and they all left, one by one. Jesus then told the woman that He did not condemn her either (BUT) to "go and sin no more."

Again, Jesus told the people that He was the Light of the World. "He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." The Pharisees sought to argue and contradict Him, but He continued:

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 judgement is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 

They did not know the Father, whom they said they did. But Jesus told them that if they had known Jesus, they would have known the Father. He told them that their father is of this world, the devil. And He warned them that they will die in their sins. 

He also told the Jews who did believe Him that "if they abide in His word, they are His disciples; and they shall know the truth, and the truth shall make them free." But the unbelievers challenged Him, saying, "How can You say You will be made free?" (They believed they were free.) But Jesus assured them that anyone who sins is already a slave of sin. "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

The Pharisees were confused and did not understand Jesus' words. They could not understand because they did not want to know Him or the Father because their hearts were for the desires of the devil, to sin  and to do evil. "He who is of God hears God's words..."

Next they tried to accuse Jesus of having a demon. Jesus explained that if anyone kept His word he shall never see death. This opened a new argument because the Jews wanted to know why Abraham and the prophets died if they were of God. Jesus told them that Abraham "rejoiced to see [Jesus] day, and he saw it and was glad." But they did not understand that Abraham and the prophets taught of the coming day of the Savior, and they live because they believed. 

What really boiled the blood of the unbelievers was when Jesus told them:

Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."

He made Himself EQUAL to God because He is.

COMMENTARY

The Jewish religious rulers were right about the Law of Moses. The woman should have been stoned. Jesus showed them to be hypocrites because for one, they did not bring the man. Also, when Jesus caused them to examine their conscience, that is, to see if there was any sin in them, He gave the requirements for being a judge. We do have the right to judge others, but are we sinless? Probably we should not be so quick to throw stones at others.

OK, the woman is guilty of sin. Now what? Jesus was not "reversing" the Mosaic law, but He put His cross in place of her sin. Jesus will take the place for her adultery. He did not come to condemn the world but to be the Savior. 

And not only did He come to redeem sinful man, but also to reveal God to man. When He said He was the Light of the World, He gave three supporting evidences for His claim:

1. He knows where He came from (the Father).

2. He judges no man after the flesh, but the judgement that comes from God. 

3. God the Father bore witness to Him (His baptism).

"We become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, but Jesus is God's Son because of His position in the Trinity. He is God the Son, and He addresses God the Father. If you are going to know God the Father, you must come through Jesus Christ."

The religious rulers thought Jesus was going to kill Himself because He said He was going where they could not go; but they did not understand that He was giving Himself as a ransom to be the propitiation for many. People who die in their sins, die the natural consequence for iniquity. 

When Jesus told them that the truth shall make them free, He was talking about their spiritual bondage. When we go to Jesus because we believe in Him, we no longer worry about if our good deeds will save us from our wickedness. We know they cannot. We rest knowing that Jesus paid all our debts instead.

Finally, Jesus committed (in the eyes of the religious rulers) blasphemy because He used the same expression that God did when He said He was I AM. This was another reason they took up stones to kill Him. They did not like being put into the situation where they either had to believe God or believe themselves. All this time they had been doing things their way, and now, Jesus brought the Light to shine on their deeds and make them decide. Whom did they want to serve? 

John 7

Because the religious Jews of Judea wanted to kill Jesus, He stayed in Galilee. Before His death, Jesus' half-brothers (James, Joses, Simon, and Judas) did not believe He was whom He said He was. They coaxed Him to continue performing miracles in Judea (during the Feast of Tabernacles), though we do not know why. It may have been politically motivated because Jesus told them His time had not come. 

He eventually went up to the feast, though not publically. There He taught in the temple, though the Jews were amazed and questioned Him because Jesus had never studied at a rabbinical school. He told them that His doctrine is not His but of the One who sent Him. 

The Pharisees and chief priests sent officers to take Him, but Jesus told them He would only be with them for a short while, and then He will go to Him who sent Him. They will seek Him and not find Him, and where He goes, they cannot go.

On the final day of the feast, Jesus cried out: 

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.  

COMMENTARY

The events of chapter 7 occur in the last year of Jesus' ministry. 

The world had become hostile to Jesus because He is the Light and the Light reveals sin. Jesus condemns sin; therefore, that is why He is hated, even today. Man's heart is evil, but Jesus went to the cross because He wanted to redeem mankind. 

The Jews, or religious rulers, expected Jesus to come to the Feast of Tabernacle, which is the final feast that will be fulfilled when Jesus returns to the earth. The feast represents the consummation of all things, and when the Lord appears, it shall be suddenly (Mal. 3:11). The Feast celebrated the fact that God (through Moses) gave them water from a rock, but the Rock is Jesus, and He declared to them that He is that Living Water. 

The Jews rejected the message of Jesus, and therefore, they rejected the message of God. They did not want to hear God. They were religious hypocrites because they believed they could live by the Law, but the Law was given as a mirror to reflect that no one can keep the law. Everyone is a lost sinner and needs a Savior. 

When the Pharisees sought to take Him, He told them that once He left them (after His death, resurrection, and ascension), they would never touch Him again. And this was fulfilled. 

John 6

JESUS FEEDS FIVE THOUSAND

The people followed Jesus because they believed in His signs performed on the sick, and they wanted to see more miracles. When He saw the multitude coming, He asked His disciples how they would feed them all.

Andrew said there was a boy with five loaves and two fish. Jesus had the people sit down. There were about five thousand men, not counting the women and children. He distributed the loaves and fish, and by the time everyone had finished eating, the disciples collected the leftovers and filled twelve baskets. Then the people were amazed at the sign.

JESUS WALKS ON WATER

Jesus knew the men wanted to make Him king; therefore, he departed to the mountain by Himself. By evening, His disciples went into a boat on the sea and started toward the otherside. In the night, a great wind came up and there they saw Jesus walking on the water toward them. They were afraid, but He assured them it was Him. He got into the boat and immediately they were on the other side of the sea. 

The people sought Jesus because they ate and were filled. Jesus told them not to labor for the food that perishes, but "for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give [to them], because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

When they asked what shall they do, that they may work the works of God. He answered that "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." And they asked for a sign that they may believe. Jesus told them (again): 

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 say 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 will by no means cast out. 

The Jews did not understand because He called Himself the bread "which came down from heaven." Jesus replied to them that No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day."

Jesus said, "...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." The Jews did not understand and even His disciples found this a hard saying to comprehend. 

Jesus knew from the beginning who believed and who did not. He said again, "...I have said...that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." Afterward, many disciples stopped following Him. 

When Jesus asked of His twelve disciples if they would go away, too, they said they would not because He had the words of eternal life, and they believed that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God." But Jesus also knew that one of them was "a devil," Judas Iscariot, who would betray Him.

COMMENTARY

Jesus' mission is not to restore our physical bodies but to be Lord of our hearts. Unfortunately, the people were only interested in seeing Jesus perform more miracles. That was why they followed Him all over and sought Him out. He wanted them to seek Him for the food that endures forever. Just as He told the woman at the well about the everlasting water, He told these people about the Bread of Life. 

The people asked what "work" they must do for this bread of life. "Man has always felt that if he could just work at it, he could be saved. He feels thoroughly capable of working out his salvation. He feels competent to do it, and he feels that God must accept his works." But the work of God is that you believe on him who God has sent. It is what God has done, not what we can do. 

ELECTION OR FREEWILL

According to McGee, the arguments of election and free will are present in this chapter. 

All that the Father gives to me shall come to me; and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:36-37)

"All that the Father gives to me shall come to me," represents election. "And him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out," is free will. The Father gives men to Christ, but men must come. And the ones that come are the ones whom the Father gives to Him. "Whosoever will may come!" And if you come, He will not cast you out. "If you come, you will be the elect." 

When Jesus told the people about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, He was preparing them for the Last Supper, which is symbolic for His sacrifice. This is my body, is just symbolic. Bread is bread and wine is wine, but the sacrament is a spiritual blessing for the heart of all Christians. 

John 5

Jesus went to Jerusalem to a pool called Bethesda where sick people waited to be healed. Jesus saw a man who had an infirmity lying by the pool, waiting. He asked him if he wanted to be made well, and the man said there was no one to put him into the water. Jesus told him to, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." Immediately, the man was made well and took up his bed and walked. 

It was the Sabbath, and the Jews said it was unlawful for the man to carry his bed. The man told them that He who made him well told him to take up his bed and walk. When the Jews asked the man to point him out, Jesus was already gone. 

Later, Jesus found the man in the temple and told him to sin no more lest a worse thing come upon him. Now the man was able to point Jesus out to the Jews, and the Jews, from then on, sought to kill Jesus because He had "done these things" on the Sabbath.

Jesus responded to the Jews that He was working with His Father. Not only had Jesus broken the Sabbath, but now He made Himself equal to God. 

Jesus told them He does His Father's work; He has power as His Father has power; His Father has committed all judgment to Him; that the Jews should honor the Son as they honor the Father; if they hear His word and believe in God who sent Him they would have everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment; the judgment He exercised was dependent upon the Father's word and will; there were witnesses of the identity of Jesus -- the miracles He did were evidence of His deity and messiahship; also the Scriptures bore witness to who Jesus was.

But the Jewish rulers failed to see the truth. They wanted the miracles, food, and political and military power to overthrow the Roman government, but they did not care about a Messiah who only did the will of God the Father -- to save people from their sins. 

Do not think that I ashall 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?

COMMENTARY

John 5 is a turning point in Jesus' ministry. The Jewish rulers now turned their sights on Jesus because He made Himself equal with God the Father. Their excuse was that Jesus broke the Sabbath. How ironic that this caused them to have hatred in their hearts, enough to want to kill him. Which is worse: breaking the Sabbath or murder? Obviously, making arguments that you are equal with God is a clear claim of One's deity. 

Now, the sick man at the pool was just waiting to be made well, and he was staring at the waters. Jesus approached him and wanted to get his eyes off the pool waters and onto the Man with Living Water. As McGee explains, so many people have their eyes fixated on the material things or other people, just waiting, waiting for something to happen. They are blinded and have no sight of Jesus. 

McGee also made a point to show that even on the Sabbath, God is working. He cannot rest because there are lost sheep, and even on a rest day a shepherd will save his one lost sheep. 

Therefore, when Jesus told the man to get up and walk, the man was accused of carrying his bed on the Sabbath. Stupid man-made religious rules! Then he put the blame on Jesus, but he could not find him in the crowd. Not until he saw Jesus in the temple again was he able to point him out, and that is when the Jews approached Jesus for breaking the Sabbath. 

Next, Jesus made numerous claims to being equal with God:

• He is God
• He can do what God does
• He does not contradict the Father, nor the Father contradict the Son
• He can forgive sins
• They share a personal, intimate relationship
• He gives life to whom He will
• He can raise the dead
• The Father gave the Son power to judge man

Jesus told them that NOW is the time when He will give spiritual life; but the hour is coming when He will raise the dead out of the grave. Jesus talked about the two resurrections. One is the resurrection of the saved, which we call the Rapture of the church. Rapture comes from the Greek word harpazo, which means "caught up." The Rapture is in the future at an unknown moment. Jesus will call His own out of the world, both living and the dead. 

After the Tribulation, the dead believers that come out of this seven-year period, together with Old Testament saints, will finish up the first resurrection . They will be raised to live on the earth. This first resurrection is the resurrection of life. 

The second resurrection will be of judgment, called the Great White Throne, when all of the unsaved, of all time, will be raised. They wanted to stand on their works, and they will have the opportunity to be judged by them alone. This will take place after the end of the Millennial period. They had been warned that no one can be saved by his works, but they didn't want to believe. 

Finally, Jesus told the Jews about His witnesses. John the Baptist did bare witness to Him, but there are higher witnesses: His miracles and the Scriptures. The miracles were evidence of His works that He had been sent by the Father, and the Old Testament Scriptures spoke of Jesus as the coming Messiah. 

John 4

Jesus left Judea and departed to Galilee by going through Samaria. There He met the Samaritan woman at the well and asked her for water. She was astounded that a Jew would speak to her because the Jews "have no dealings with Samaritans."

Jesus said, "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." 

She replied, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with,...and where do you get that living water?"

He answered: "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never thirst. But the water that I give will become a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." 

She then asked for this water, and Jesus told her to call her husband. But she had no husband (she had divorced five times) and was shack-ing up with the current man. She admitted that she had no husband, and Jesus told her her life story. 

The woman perceived Jesus was a prophet. He told her the hour was coming when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. The woman knew that Messiah was coming, and Jesus told her, "I who speak to you am He."

The woman than ran into the city and told others to Come and see the Man who told her all things that she ever did. Could this be the Christ?? Meanwhile, the disciples encouraged Jesus to eat food, and He told them that His food is to do the will of Him who sent Him, and to finish His work. The fields are already white for harvest. 

Now the Samaritans came to Jesus and believed in Him because of the woman's testimony. The people urged Him to stay and He remained in Samaria two days. They called Jesus the Christ, the Savior of the world. 

Next, Jesus went to Galilee, and the people received Him because they remember all He did at the Feast. In Cana, a nobleman begged Jesus to come and make his son well because he was dying. Jesus said that "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." So He told the man to go because his son lives. 

On his return home, his servant met him and told him that his son was alive. When the nobleman asked the hour his son got better, the servant told him. And the nobleman knew it was the hour Jesus told him that his son lived. And the whole household believed.

COMMENTARY

Why did Jesus go through Samaria to get to Galilee? Because it was His Father's will. It was His Father's will to meet the Samaritan woman at the well. The Water of Life asked this low-level woman for water! The way the Lord spoke to her is a lesson for those of us who speak to others. He spoke "forcefully, faithfully, and factually." He "created a desire in this woman's heart for the spiritual water." He made her aware of her thirst, her need, for truth, that she was a sinner and needed a Savior. He showed her her sin. 

Then she wanted to argue religiously with Him. Jesus did not avoid her distraction from her sin. He did tell her that it did not matter where one worshipped (on the mountain or at the temple in Jerusalem), because one day those will all be gone. It matters how one worships in his heart. True worship is in spirit and truth. 

The Samaritans knew the Messiah was coming, and this woman realized now that she was face to face with her Savior. She ran to tell the men of her city, and because of her witness, these men believed. They came to the living Water and drank. 

One last thing: notice in the story about the nobleman, Jesus stated that unless these people saw signs and wonders, they will not believe. This was how it was and is. People want to see a sign in order to believe, but over and over again, Jesus pointed out how dull their eyes and deaf their ears because the signs were still not enough. We do not want to believe because we love our sin more. 

That is why, in this day of blind faith, we need a little help. We need the Holy Spirit to help us believe. When Jesus was living right before them, many still had hard hearts and would not believe. Now it should be even more difficult to believe because we no longer have signs and miracles. We have the Word of God as a witness. We need faith. And our faith is given to us by God. We could not do it on our own. We love our sin much more.

John 3

A Pharisee named Nicodemus (teacher and ruler of the Jews) came to Jesus by cover of darkness and said: We know you are a teacher from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him.

Jesus replied: Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

Nicodemus asked: How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?

Jesus answered, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." 

Nicodemus still struggled to understand, and Jesus focused on the true meaning of salvation - that new birth comes through faith and that ignorance is caused by unbelief. Jesus clarified that only He has come from God and heaven to legitimately be able to talk about these things.

Jesus told about how Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, and all who looked up and believed were healed; likewise, Jesus must one day be lifted up (on the cross), that whoever looks upon Him and believes in Him shall have eternal life. 

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.

 The reason one might not believe is because he loves his sin more. 

...men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

Then there was a conflict between John the Baptist's disciples and the Jews, and the Jews wanted to know why people were going to Jesus to be baptized. John explained that man cannot have a ministry unless it had been given to him from God. John had admitted that he was not the Christ, but a friend of His. Therefore, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

John testified again that Jesus was from God and was true and spoke God's words. 

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.

COMMENTARY 

About Nicodemus: he was an important leader and teacher. He was a Pharisee who believed in what the Old Testament taught about the coming Messiah and the Resurrection. The Pharisees had hoped to help throw off the yoke of Rome and establish the promised kingdom on earth. Thus, Nicodemus, was eager to talk to Jesus, and Jesus knew exactly what was on his heart: the kingdom of God!

Immediately, Jesus told him he must be born again -- not the physical act, but a spiritual birth. Nicodemus could not spiritually understand Jesus. When Jesus told him he must be born of water and Spirit, He was speaking of the Word of God. Man must be born by the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures. 

But man's old nature is at war with God "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject ot the law or God...so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God (Rom 8:7-8)." The old nature must be changed with a new nature through a spiritual rebirth. 

Jesus also told Nicodemus that when Moses lifted up the serpent on the pole, when the people looked upon it and believed it for healing, they were healed (even though the serpent, which represented sin, on the pole had no special powers). It was through obedience and faith that they were healed. Likewise, Christ was made sin for us and would be lifted up on the cross. 

To understand John 3:16: we must be born again and Christ must be lifted up (on the cross). Then the Spirit may regenerate us. All this because God so loved the world. He does not save the world by love. Love does not save sinners. It is only by God's GRACE! He loved the world that He gave His Son so that if you believe in Him, you shall not die in your sins, but have eternal life. Trust Him as the One who personally bore the penalty (God's wrath) for your sins. If all He had to do was love you to save you, then He would not need to die on the cross. But because God cannot save you with love, He had to have grace to pardon you through His Son taking your place on the cross. Jesus took your place in receiving the wrath of God reserved for you. 

What about verse 17-18? About Jesus not condemning the world? Because Jesus first came as a Savior to save people from their sins. But when He comes the second time, it will surely be as Judge, and those NOT in Christ are already condemned. Here is how McGee explains it: 

The world is lost. [It] is like a man who is in prison being asked whether or not he will accept a pardon. That is the gospel. [Man] is already condemned. He is already in prison waiting for execution. But the gospel tells him a pardon is offered to him. The point is, will [he] accept the pardon? How wonderfully clear that is. The gospel is to save those who are already lost. 

Finally, the disciples of John the Baptist seem to be jealous of the people who are now going to Jesus. John explained to them that Jesus is the bridegroom who has the church as His bride. John is only a friend to the bridegroom. Christ must increase now, and John is at the end of his ministry.