Category Archives: Bible Study

JOHN’S GOSPEL…LIVING WATER- 13a

Bible Study, ,

“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

‭‭John‬ ‭7‬:‭37‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Another beautiful symbol of the Holy Spirit in Scripture… a river. No one and nothing on earth can survive without water. Just as “bread” is a symbol of that which sustains life…”bread is the staff of life”, so water completes the picture of what is utterly necessary for every living thing. 

The greatest tragedy of Adam’s disobedience was the loss of the life-giving Spirit. He could no longer indwell a heart polluted with sin. When the Holy Spirit left Adam, He left behind an empty shell. Adam was physically alive but spiritually dead, and he passed on this condition to the whole human race. 

What did God’s people think when John the Baptiser made this announcement? Did they even recognise the significance and implication of this promise?

“Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’”

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭32‬-‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The entire history of Israel was one of failure…no Spirit, no power to obey. Only rebellion! Failure brought judgment, punishment, exile, suffering, and eventually, occupation by the hated Romans. They were slaves of sin and had no hope of deliverance outside of God’s intervention…

…Then came John…with a promise! The Holy Spirit is coming back…not just on special people for special tasks, like on Samson, or on Gideon! On everyone! Not just a trickle but a river! A perennial flow of the life-giving Spirit…now, through Jesus, if we believe in Him. 

At the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles, the high priest performed a ritual that ironically pictured a system that could never slake anyone’s thirst for real life. He poured water onto the dry ground, to be swallowed up in the dust, producing nothing…By contrast, Jesus offered water that would satisfy and keep flowing from within forever. 

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 

The people of Israel understood the imagery. God had often spoken of Himself as a “fountain of living water.” Israel was cursed because they had chosen to drink water from a polluted fountain. 

“Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.”

‭‭Jeremiah 17‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God’s people today have been robbed by a terrible lie that teaches that we need a special and separate “baptism” in the Holy Spirit to enjoy the benefits of the Spirit’s presence in us. This teaching contradicts Paul’s words…

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What can be clearer than this? “All”, meaning “all”, used three times, emphasises that everyone who believes enjoys the fulness of the Holy Spirit, not only those who have a “special anointing” or a separate “baptism”.  The Holy Spirit is not divided into a little bit and later, ”fulness” after a separate “baptism”. 

Joel’s prophecy, quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost, to explain the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, is an all-inclusive promise. 

“These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! “No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:” ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Fellow believers, don’t be carried away by any “second blessing” deception. Jesus promised the fullness of the Holy Spirit to all who believe in Him. His presence and His power is for all who obey Him.  We need only drink and keep drinking from His fountain of truth. 

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This fountain keeps flowing as we keep praising Him and living for Him.  

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.””

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭12‬:‭3‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be continued…

JOHN‘S GOSPEL…THE BREAD OF LIFE- 12

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“When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”…Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.”

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬-‭9‬, ‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. gospels. Why is this story so significant? Was the miracle any greater than raising Lazarus from the dead after his body had begun to decompose? In the end, is any one miracle greater than another?   Whatever Jesus does that overcomes and transcends natural laws is miraculous. 

However, to understand the significance of what Jesus did, we must examine its purpose. To John, the seven miracles he recorded said something about Jesus. Some of them even ended with an “I am…” saying. 

How did this miracle happen? Matthew’s version gives us a peek  into the way Jesus worked. 

“And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As always, Jesus worked in partnership with the Father. Giving thanks first was His way of acknowledging His unity with the Father in everything He said and did. He always acted under the Father’s authority, speaking and doing the Father’s will on earth what was authorised in heaven. Breaking the bread was symbolic of His own part in the Father’s plan of redemption. 

If we keep in mind that Jesus’ miracles were the sign of a truth about Himself, we find the meaning in what He told the people about Himself. The following day, the crowd tried to find Him again. A free meal wasn’t an everyday happening! Jesus response was insightful. He knew exactly what they were after! 

“Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill…

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭24‬-‭26 NIV‬‬

After this free meal, the people wanted more. This was great! Bring on the picnic meal! It was all so easy!

Jesus quickly recognised their opportunism. They were after bread, not truth. In a master stroke, He diagnosed their motive, selfishness, turned their religious argument about Moses towards Himself, and thrust in the sword of the Word. 

…“Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.””

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭30‬-‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus, not manna, He pointed out, was God’s bread from heaven. So, here is the meaning of the miracle…

Bread cannot feed anyone until it is broken. As Jesus fed a hungry  multitude by breaking the bread, so He feeds a hungry world with the “bread of life”, His own body broken for us. How did the miracle happen? He kept breaking the pieces. In the same way, He feeds the hungry world with truth, one person at a time, that His body was broken for them. 

To be continued…

JOHN’S GOSPEL…HOPE IS A WORD – 11

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Every miracle was unique, tailored by Jesus’ perfect knowledge of the sufferer. To the Samaritan woman, He was the Messiah, the one who knew the intimate details of her private life. He gave her a drink of the “living water”, a love she craved but couldn’t find.  

To the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda, Jesus was the stranger who understood his hopeless heart.  

“Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬, ‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ surprise question was not intended to convey His ignorance but to encourage the man to own his real condition. He was full of self-pity, the death of hope…For thirty-eight years, he had been in this condition and no one, NO ONE, had ever been there to help him. 

““Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Poor me!” Now that he had owned up to the real issue, Jesus cut him short, gave him an instruction which was His promise. 

“Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.””

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The result was instantaneous. The man was too shocked to argue. The miracle happened and he walked…

“At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath…”

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John adds a sinister note to the story…on the Sabbath! Jesus’ deed was volcanic! His persecutors were always nearby, watching for an opportunity to catch Him in an infringement of the law.  

Once they knew the identity of the man who did miracles who was, of course, who else but their arch enemy, Jesus, they were on His case. 

“So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It never entered the thick skulls and unbelieving hearts of these religious leaders that the very fact that Jesus did miracles on the Sabbath was evidence that He was no ordinary man. People don’t just walk around telling paralytics to get up and walk…and it happens!

There followed this clash one of the longest of Jesus disclosures of His true identity and His intimate connection with the Father…

“In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…calling down the murderous rage of the Pharisees on His head. 

Let’s go back to the miracle itself. In John’s introduction to Jesus, he identified Him as “the Word of God”.  Who Jesus is and what He says are the same thing. His word is a revelation of Himself, an extension of Himself, and the power by which He operates. So, what He says is the substance of what will happen. 

John’s vision of Jesus in Revelation 19 is the vision of the all-conquering warrior-king whose name embodies  essence if who He is. 

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭11‬, ‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ weapon of conquest is His word. In the gospel story, it was His word that carried weight and power. What He said happened, whether it was calming a storm, driving out demons,  or curing sickness…all was evidence of His authority over all things through His spoken word. 

To the devil himself, Jesus declared…

…“It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This truth has great significance for us in the crises  and the daily grind of life. When we call on the name of the Lord, for what must we ask? A miracle or a word? It’s the word that is the vehicle of the miracle. When Jesus speaks the word, it is done. 

When the centurion pleaded for the life of his dying servant, all his confidence lay in four words, “Just say the word…”

All Jesus’ authority and power is concentrated in His word. Our prayer must be, not for a miracle but for a word because…

“…My word…will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭11‬b ‭NIV‬

To be continued …

JOHN’S GOSPEL…WHY NO JUDGMENT? – 10

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For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

These words, spoken to Nicodemus, spill over into the narrative of chapter 4 in a tender and poignant story.  Let me explain.

We are familiar with the story of Jesus’ encounter with the  Samaritan woman. She was, if anything, a woman of loose morals…a “sinner” in the eyes of religious Jews. The fact that she came for water at midday spoke volumes about her place in society…shunned, an outcast, someone the people in her village preferred to avoid.  

Why would Jesus, of all people, even acknowledge her, let alone talk to her? 

I have recently watched/listened to a number of testimonies of ex-Muslims, some from the highest echelons of Muslim society, who have had a personal encounter with Jesus.  A thread runs through every story. Despite the attitude of hatred, disgust, and contempt cultivated towards Jesus from childhood, every convert encountered, whether in a dream or a near-death experience, a person of infinite love. Never was there a word or an attitude of judgment or condemnation. 

Surely Jesus, the Son of God and Creator of the universe, has the right to be incensed by the words spoken against Him, and the cruel treatment people receive when they learn the truth about Him.  Yet, He loves despite the insults, the rejection, the enmity of mere humans. 

What was it, above all else, that drew this sinful woman to an infinitely holy man? When He disclosed His knowledge about her…

“Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.””

‭‭John‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…she should have run from Him in shame, but she didn’t. Were His to her words not judgment and condemnation? No! Jesus’ treatment and words conveyed, not judgment but understanding. “I know you!” If we dig deeper, we will recognise that His message  was not “You are a sinful woman,” but “You are a thirsty woman!”

She ran back to the very people who shunned her with an exciting confession…”He knows me.” Not shame but wonder! Of all the things Jesus said to her, this disclosure hit her the hardest. “Can He be the Messiah?” 

In her sinful lifestyle, Jesus recognised a heart yearning for authentic love. Five times she tried and failed. Marriage was not the answer, so why bother. Just shack up. She could walk away if it didn’t work. She kept drinking at the wrong fountain.  

Jesus saw, not her sin but her heart. 

What dos this story say about Jesus’ attitude towards those who run from Him through ignorance or those who have been taught to hate and revile Him? He knows them! His response to the vile things people think and say about Him, and even the evil things they do in rebellion against Him, is not judgment but understanding. 

This doesn’t mean that Jesus excuses sin. Far from it! However, He knows every heart. He forgave those who crucified Him in ignorance.  

The theme of God’s forbearance runs throughout Scripture. 

David celebrated…

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus declared to a Pharisee…

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul wrote to believers…

“…God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 … and preached to unbelievers…

 “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭30‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What lies at the heart of God’s patience and mercy towards sinners?  The CROSS! All sin was judged at the cross. The cross casts its shadow over all time. The cross paid for the sin of all people. 

Jesus offered the Samaritan woman the living water flowing freely to all people, regardless of who she was or what she had done, if she was willing to receive it.  

If I were to invent a religion to rival the truth about Jesus, the god of my imagination would have this quality above all else…he would love and understand, not judge and condemn. 

This great truth sets Jesus apart from all others. His is a love that cancels the paralysing fear of punishment. His holiness does not drive us from Him. It draws us to Him because He has dealt with, by His own intervention, the very barrier that excludes us from His holy presence. 

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬, ‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If there is ever a reason to believe in Jesus, it’s this. 

“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.””

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

JOHN’S GOSPEL…NICODEMUS – 9

Bible Study, ,

“Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.””

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Nicodemus, who was he? A Pharisee…a highly educated, deeply religious, greatly respected member of the ruling class, appearing by name in John’s narrative, only a few times…an enquirer near the beginning, (chapter 3), a defender in the middle, (chapter 7), and a believer in the end (chapter 19).

Among the few honest Pharisees, Nicodemus stands out as one who had the courage to meet with Jesus, albeit alone and at night, to ask honest questions. At this stage, he was trying to connect the dots about Jesus but confused by the general expectation of the Messiah…a mighty conquering king who would come to deliver Israel from Roman oppression and set up His David-style rule over His people. Jesus was no ordinary man but yet, He didn’t fit the narrative of the anticipated Messiah.

What puzzled Nicodemus was what Jesus was doing versus what the other Pharisees were saying about Him. Why did Nicodemus say, “We know…”, as though the Pharisees were in agreement with him that Jesus was from God…?

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

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

… and yet, they denied what they secretly believed.

Jesus cut short Nicodemus’ explanations…

“Forget about what you and your colleagues think about me. Let’s look at the facts. None of this will make sense to you unless you are supernaturally born into God’s kingdom.”

“How can that happen?” Nicodemus was even more confused!

“Only through the Holy Spirit.” Jesus included the Holy Spirit in the mix…the Holy Spirit into whom Messiah would baptise His people.

The subject of this conversation mystified Nicodemus and surprised Jesus. Why did Nicodemus not understand what He was telling him?

““You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Nicodemus, of all people, should have understood the spiritual truths hidden in the Old Covenant. Had he become so “religious” in a legalistic and ritualistic sense that he had lost his spiritual connection with God?

Gently, thoroughly, Jesus began to unpack some of the symbolism of events during Israel’s journey through the wilderness. Seemingly, miracles that God did for His people on their journey, like providing miracle bread and miracle water, and like a look at the bronze serpent on a pole that saved them from the bite of poisonous snakes, became pictures of what Messiah would do.

Was Nicodemus slowly beginning to understand?

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The man whom Nicodemus admired was, after all, not just a man sent from God to do the works of God. He was none other than the Son of God! He came to do the greatest work of God…to save His people from the penalty of sin by being ”lifted up” on the cross.

The door to the kingdom of God was open, not by trying to obey God’s laws but believing what God had done through His Son. “Then, Nicodemus, this spiritual conversation will make sense to you.”

To Nicodemus, this conversation only added to his confusion. His anticipation of Messiah as king needed to undergo a radical change as Jesus added the dimension of the cross to his incomplete understanding of Messiah’s work. The “Suffering Servant” of Isaiah’s prophecy would only come into full view when Jesus was “lifted up” on the cross.

To be continued…