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Physical Food Perishes-Spiritual Food is Eternal

John 6 (1-31-18)

 

St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church

Wed Night Bible Study

 

Dr. E.C. Gregory, PhD – Bible Facilitator                              1/31/18                                                Dr. H.T. Rhim, Pastor

 

SEEKING JESUS FOR THE WRONG REASON

(Physical food perishes)

(Spiritual food is eternal)

John 6:22-27 (NKJV)
22  On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone–
23  however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks–
24  when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
25  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”
26  Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.
27  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

6:22-25. The crowd who had been fed were still on the eastern shore of the sea. They saw Jesus compel His disciples to get into the one boat which was there. But since Jesus did not get into the boat, the crowd supposed that He had stayed in the area. After some time they realized He was no longer there. Some boats from Tiberias landed, so the people decided to seek Jesus in the Capernaum region and got into the boats. The people’s question, When did You get here? Jesus did not explain how or when He crossed the lake, for (1)His walking on the water was a private sign for the disciples only.

6:26.  (2) Jesus rebuked them for their materialistic motivation and their lack of spiritual perception. They saw miraculous signs, but to them it was only an easy meal. They failed to see what it meant. (They missed Jesus)

6:27. When Jesus said, Do not work for food that spoils, He was not condoning laziness. Rather He was saying that people should work for what will last forever. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). (3)Physical food is short-lived but spiritual food leads to eternal life. The Son of Man (who has access to heaven [John 3:13]) will give people this spiritual food, which is ultimately Christ Himself (6:53). God the Father Himself authenticated Jesus’ claim that He is true heavenly “food.”

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

Blessings From Jesus are More Than Enough for Us

[PRINT HERE] John 6 (1-10-18) Lecture Notes

St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church

Wed Night Bible Study

Dr. E.C. Gregory, PhD – Bible Facilitator                                1/10/18                                                       Dr. H.T. Rhim, Pastor

JESUS FEEDS 5000

(Blessings from Jesus are more than enough for us)

John 6:12-15 (NKJV) 
12  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”
13  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
14  Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
15  Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

6:12-13. The words, when they had all had enough to eat, show that John intended to stress that a miracle took place.

The disciples’ gathering of the 12 baskets of fragments was part of their education, to show them that He is more than adequate for their needs. Later He appealed to their spiritual stupidity (cf. Mark 8:17-21). Even though the disciples were closer to Jesus than the crowds, they too were in spiritual blindness (Mark 6:52).

6:14-15. Seeing this miraculous sign, the people recalled Moses’ prediction that a Prophet like him would arise (Deut. 18:15). Moses had fed the people. Moses had led them out of bondage. Jesus had fed the people. Jesus could lead the people out of the hated Roman bondage.

The people saw His sign, but they did not perceive its meaning. They wanted to seize Him and make Him King. This marks the highpoint of Jesus’ popularity and a great temptation for Him. Could He have the kingdom without the Cross? No. Jesus’ kingdom would be given to Him by the Father (cf. Ps. 2:7-12Dan. 7:13-14). It will not come from this world (John 18:36). The path of the Father’s will lies in another direction. Before He can be the reigning Lion of Judah, He must be the Lamb who bears the sin of the world (1:29).

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

GOD’S WORD in Action

[PRINT HERE] John 5 (9-6-17) Lecture Notes

St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church

Wed Night Bible Study

JOHN 5:9-15

Dr. E.C. Gregory, PhD – Bible Facilitator                                9-6-17                                Dr. H.T. Rhim, Pastor

THE POWER OF A TESTIMONY

[GOD’S WORD in Action]

John 5:9-15 (NKJV) 
 And immediately the man was made welltook up his bedand walked. And that day was the Sabbath.
10  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”
11  He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.”
12  Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”
13  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.
14  Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
15  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

5:9-10. God’s supernatural power was evident in the man’s instantaneous cure. He picked up his mat and walked.Muscles long withered were completely restored. Isaiah prophesied that in the days of the Messiah the lame would “leap like a deer” (Isa. 35:1-7). Here in Jerusalem was a public sign that the Messiah had come.

The Sabbath was a central issue in the conflicts between Jesus and the church of that day (cf. Mark 2:233:4). The Mosaic Law required that work cease on the seventh day. Additional laws were added by later Jewish religious authorities, which became very complicated and burdensome. These human traditions often masked the divine intention in God’s Law. “The Sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27) so that he could have rest and a time for worship and joy. The Jews’ rigid tradition (not the Old Testament) taught that if anyone carried anything from a public place to a private place on the Sabbath intentionally, he deserved death by stoning. In this case the man who was healed was in danger of losing his life.

5:11. The healed man realized this difficulty and tried to evade any responsibility for violating tradition by saying he was just following orders.

5:12-13. The authorities were naturally interested in the identity of this fellow who told the lame man to violate their rules. But the man… had no knowledge of Jesus. This seems to be a case in which healing was done in the absence of faith. The broken man was chosen by Jesus as an act of grace because of his need and also to display God’s glory in him. Jesus then had slipped away into the crowd (cf. 8:5910:3912:35), so momentarily He was unknown.

5:14-15. Jesus later found the healed man in the temple area. This implied that Jesus sought him out in order to speak to him. The once lamed man seemed to have no thankfulness toward Jesus: his conduct put him in a bad light. Jesus’ warning (Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you) does not mean that his paralysis was caused by any specific sin (cf. 9:3), though all disease and death come ultimately from sin. The warning was that his tragic life of 38 years as a broken man was no comparison to the doom of hell. Jesus is interested not merely in healing a person’s body. Far more important is the healing of his soul from sin.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

God’s WORD; Our Testimony

[PRINT HERE] John 4 (5-17-17) Lecture Notes

St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church

Wed Night Bible Study

JOHN 4:1-26

Dr. E.C. Gregory, PhD – Bible Facilitator                                5-17-17                              Dr. H.T. Rhim, Pastor

“THE WOMAN AT THE WELL”

(God’s WORD; Our Testimony)

The story of the nameless Samaritan woman at the well, recorded only in the Gospel of John, is a revealing one, full of many truths and powerful lessons for us today. The story of the woman at the well follows on the heels of the account of Jesus’ interaction with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and prominent member of the Jewish Sanhedrin (John 3:1-21). In John 4:4-42) we read about Jesus’ conversation with a lone Samaritan woman who had come to get water from a well (known as Jacob’s well) located about a half mile from the city of Sychar in Samaria.

This was not just an ordinary woman. She was a Samaritan, a race of people that the Jews utterly despised as having no claim on their God, and she was an outcast and looked down upon by her own people. This is evidenced by the fact that she came alone to draw water from the community well when, during biblical times, drawing water and chatting at the well was the social highpoint of a woman’s day. However, this woman was hated and marked as immoral, an unmarried woman (living in sin) living openly with the sixth man in a series of men.

The story of the woman at the well teaches us that God loves us in spite of our total sinful lives(Rom 5:8) God values us enough to actively seek us (John 6:44), to welcome us to a relationship with Himself, and to rejoice in our worship (JOY in worship). As a result of Jesus’ conversation, only a person like the Samaritan woman, an outcast from her own people, could understand what this means. To be wantedto be cared for when no one, not even herself, could see anything of value in her—this is grace indeed.

But there are many other valuable truths we learn from this story:

1) Jesus offers eternal life. Only through Jesus can we obtain and receive eternal life: “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’” (John 4:13-14); cf. John 14:6).

2) Jesus seeks the outcasts. Jesus’ ministering to those outcasts of the Jewish society (the Samaritans) reveals that all people are valuable to God and that Jesus desires that we demonstrate love to everyone . . . including even our enemies(John 4:7-9)Matthew 5:44).

3) Jesus is the Messiah (John 4:25-26; 1-41Matthew 27:22Luke 2:11).

4) Jesus must be worshipped in spirit and truth.  (John 4:23-24Psalm 145:18).

5) Jesus prepares us as witnessesOur testimony about Jesus is a powerful tool in leading others to believe in HimMany of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world”’ (John 4:39-42).

We learned from Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well three absolute truths about salvation:

1) Salvation comes to those who recognize their need for spiritual life they do not have. Living water can be obtained only by those who recognize that they are spiritually thirsty.

2) Salvation comes to those who confess and repent of their sin and desire forgiveness. Before this immoral woman could embrace the Savior, she had to concede the full burden of her sins.

3) Salvation comes to those who believes & receives Jesus as their Messiah. For the absolute truth is that salvation is found in no one else (John 14:6Acts 4:12).

Greatest Gift of Al

[PRINT HERE] John 3 (1-25-17) Lecture Notes

St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church

Wed Night Bible Study

JOHN 3:16-21

Dr. E.C. Gregory, PhD – Bible Facilitator                                1-25-17                               Dr. H.T. Rhim, Pastor

GREATEST GIFT OF ALL

John 3:16-21 (KJV) 
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

3:16.  God’s motivation toward people is love. God’s love is not limited to a few or to one group of people but His gift is for the whole world. God’s love was expressed in the giving of His most priceless gift—His one and only Son (cf. Rom. 8:332). The Greek word translated one and only, referring to the Son, is monogenē, which means “only begotten,” or “only born-one.” It is also used in John 1:14183:18; and 1 John 4:9. On man’s side, the gift is simply to be received, not earned (John 1:12-13). A person is saved by believing, by trusting in Christ. Perish means not annihilation but rather a final destiny of “ruin” in hell apart from God who is life, truth, and joy. Eternal life is a new quality of life, which a believer has now as a present possession and will possess forever (cf. 10:2817:3).

3:17. Though light casts shadows, its purpose is to illuminate. Though those who do not believe are condemned, God’s purpose in sending His Son is salvation (to save), not damnation (to condemn). God does not delight in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:2332). He desires that everyone be saved (1 Tim. 2:42 Peter 3:9).

3:18. The instrumental means of salvation is believing in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. But people who reject the light of the Logos are in the dark (1:58:12) and are therefore already under God’s judgment.

3:19. Men love darkness not for its own sake but because of what it hides. They want to continue undisturbed in their evil (ponēra, “wicked”; cf. v. 20 which has a different word for evil) deeds. A believer is also a sinner (though a redeemed one), but he confesses his sin and responds to God (cf. 1 John 1:6-7). In the ultimate sense, man’s love of darkness rather than God the Light (John 1:510-111 John 1:5) is his love for idols. He worships and serves “created things rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25).

3:20. Just as natural light shows up what is otherwise unseen, so Christ the Light exposes people’s deeds as “evil.” (The word “evil” here is phaula [“worthless”], also used by John in 5:29.) Unbelievers have no ultimate meaning of life, no worthy motivation, no adequate goal, and a destiny of doom. Yet everyone who does evil hates the light (as well as loves darkness, 3:19). He fears that if he comes to the light his deeds will be seen as worthless, and he would need to turn from them.

3:21. Jesus is like a magnet. His people are drawn to Him and welcome His revelation. Though the light rebukes their sin, they respond in repentance and faith. They live by the truth (cf. 2 John 1-243 John 14).

 

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

In Nature & Power

[PRINT HERE] John 5 (9-27-17) Lecture Notes

St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church

Wed Night Bible Study

JOHN 5:17-21

Dr. E.C. Gregory, PhD – Bible Facilitator                                9-27-17                             Dr. H.T. Rhim, Pastor

JESUS EQUAL TO GOD

[In Nature & Power]

John 5:17-21 (KJV) 
17  But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
18  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbathbut said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
20  For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than thesethat ye may marvel.
21  For as the Father raiseth up the deadand quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

5:17. God rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:2-3) from His work of Creation. But Jesus pointed to the continuous work of God as a justification for His Sabbath activity. God sustains the universe, creates life, and brings judgments on the wicked. It is not wrong for His Son to do works of grace and mercy on the Sabbath. The words My Father should be noted. Jesus did not say “your Father” or even “our Father.” His opponents did not miss His claim to be the Son of God.

5:18. The Sabbath controversy was enough to cause them to hate Jesus, but the implication of His claim that God is His own Father was impossible for them to accept. To them, God has no equals. Jesus’ claim, in their thinking, was a monstrous blasphemy. To be equal with God suggested, they thought, two gods and therefore polytheism. To make oneself “equal with God” was a claim of arrogant independence. In the Talmud (Old Testament) four persons were branded as haughty because they made themselves equal to God: pagan rulers Hiram, Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, and the Jewish King Joash.

5:19. Jesus explained that He is not independent of or in opposition to the Father. His activities on earth are not of His Own Will but of His Father. The Father directs and has sent the Son. The Son’s activity imitates the Father, and the Two always work together.

5:20. The Son is in no way independent of or in rebellion against the Father. Their relationship is one of continuous love. The Son is not doing simply a part of God’s will; He has a full disclosure of all the Father’s works. By the Father, the Son will do even more amazing works than physical healings.

5:21. Jesus, being the Son of God had the right over life and death. (A king of Israel asked Naaman, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life?” [2 Kings 5:7]) One of Jesus’ “greater” works (John 5:20) is the giving of life. The Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it. The giving of life includes spiritual (eternal) life and a resurrected body. The resuscitation of Lazarus (chap. 11) would illustrate both.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

In Nature; Power & AUTHORITY

[PRINT HERE] John 5 (10-4-17) Lecture Notes

St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church

Wed Night Bible Study

Dr. E.C. Gregory, PhD – Bible Facilitator                                10-4-17                              Dr. H.T. Rhim, Pastor

JESUS EQUAL TO GOD

[In Nature; Power & AUTHORITY]

John 5:22-30 (NKJV) 
22  For the Father judges no onebut has committed all judgment to the Son,
23  that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
24  “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
25  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
26  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,
27  and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
28  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice
29  and come forth–those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
30  I can of Myself do nothingAs I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

5:22. The Son’s ability to give life is tied with His right to judge mankind (v. 27). The Father has placed this in Jesus’ hands.

5:23. Jesus’ unity with His Father is so complete that the honor of God is tied to Jesus. To reject or dishonor God the Sonis to reject and dishonor God the Father.

5:25. Jesus’ life-giving power can call a person out of the grave (Jn. 11:43), everyone from their tombs (5:28-29), or anyone in spiritual death (v. 24) to eternal life.

5:26-27. In the Incarnation God the Father delegated to Jesus the authority to judge. As the Son of Man  (Dan. 7:13), authority is given to Him.

5:28-29. Jesus said His hearers should not be amazed at His claim that right now those who believe pass from death into life (v. 24), because in the future there will be a universal physical resurrection at His command. This universal resurrection is clearly taught in Daniel 12:1-2. Other passages show that the resurrection to life, “the first resurrection,” will occur in stages (the church at the Rapture, and Tribulation saints at the Lord’s second coming at the end of the Tribulation), and that the resurrection of those who will be condemned will occur at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:11-15). John 5:28-29 is one of the few passages in this Gospel which expressly teaches eschatology.

5:30. This verse is transitional; it concludes the section on Jesus’ unity with the Father (vv. 19-30). The section ends the way it began, with the point that the Son can do nothing apart from the Father (cf. v. 19). His judgment, as everything He does, is from the express will of the Father. He is the perfect Spokesman for the Father and His effective Executive. Jesus’ will is to do the Father’s will (cf. 4:348:29), which shows that He has the same nature.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

Jesus Calls Phillip and Nathanael

[PRINT HERE] John 1 (11-2-16) Lecture Notes

St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church

Wed Night Bible Study

JOHN 1:43-51

Dr. E.C. Gregory, PhD – Bible Facilitator                                11-2-16                               Dr. H.T. Rhim, Pastor

JESUS CALLS PHILIP AND NATHANAEL

John 1:43-51 (NLT) 
43  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.”
44  Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown.
45  Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”
46  “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.
47  As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.”
48  “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.”
49  Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!”
50  Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.”
51  Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.”

 

1:43-44. Though the first disciples were from Galilee, Jesus had called them in Judea where they were with the John The Baptist. On His way north to Galilee, He called Philip to be His disciple. Philip’s hometown of Bethsaida was on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee. Andrew and Peter were also born there.

1:45. Philip’s testimony to Nathanael stressed that Jesus is the Promised One of whom Moses (Deut. 18:18-19; cf. John 1:2125) and the prophets (Isa. 52:13-53:12Dan. 7:13Micah 5:2Zech. 9:9wrote. Philip surprisingly called Jesus… the son of Joseph.

1:46. Nathanael stumbled over the lowly upbringing of Jesus. Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?Nathanael knew of the poor reputation of Nazareth. Surely the Messiah would come from Jerusalem, How can the Logosbe a Man? Philip was wise enough not to argue, he gently invited his friend to meet Jesus: Come and see. He knew that Nathanael’s questions would then be resolved.

1:47. Jesus, having supernatural knowledge (cf. v. 42), called Nathanael… a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false (“deceitful”) unlike Jacob (cf. v. 51 with Gen. 28:12).

1:48. Nathanael was puzzled as to how Jesus knew about him. Jesus said He knew exactly what Nathanael was doing before Philip came up to him; he was under the fig tree. This expression often meant to have safety and leisure (cf. 1 Kings 4:25Micah 4:4Zech. 3:10). Perhaps here the fig tree was a place for meditation.

1:49. Jesus’ supernatural knowledge moved Nathanael to confess Him as the Son of God and the King of Israel. This does not mean that Nathanael at this early date fully understood the Trinity or the Incarnation

1:50-51. Jesus promised Nathanael a greater basis for belief, probably referring to the miracles in chapters 2-13. From 1:4851 it can be inferred that Nathanael was meditating on Jacob’s life, particularly on the incident recorded in Genesis 28:12. Jacob saw the angels going up and down a ladder. But Nathanael would see… the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty..

Jesus Clears the Temple

[PRINT HERE] John 1 (12-14-16) Lecture Notes

St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church

Wed Night Bible Study

JOHN 2:13-22

Dr. E.C. Gregory, PhD – Bible Facilitator                                12-14-16                            Dr. H.T. Rhim, Pastor

JESUS CLEARS THE TEMPLE

John 2:13-22 (NLT) 
13  It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem.
14  In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money.
15  Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables.
16  Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
17  Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.”
18  But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”
19  “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20  “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?”
21  But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body.
22  After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.

5. Jesus’ First Ministry In Jerusalem (2:13-3:21)

John recorded a cleansing of the temple at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry whereas the other three Gospels recorded a temple cleansing toward the end of His public ministry (Matt. 21:12-13Mark 11:15-16Luke 19:45-46). Probably there were two cleansings, for there are differences in the narrations. John was undoubtedly aware of the other Gospels, and he supplemented them. The first cleansing caught the people by surprise. The second cleansing, about three years later, was one of the immediate causes of His death (cf. Mark 11:15-18).

2:13-14. As was the custom for the Jewish people (Ex. 12:14-2043-49Deut. 16:1-8Jesus went up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.

The temple courts refer to a large courtyard, the Court of the Gentiles, surrounding the temple enclosure. The buying and selling of animals in the area was provided as a convenience for the pilgrims coming into Jerusalem. But abuses developed, and the pilgrim traffic became a major source of income for the city. With money to be made, worship easily became corrupted. The money changers were another convenience for the pilgrims. Temple dues had to be paid in the acceptable Tyrian coinage, and a high percentage was charged for changing coins.

2:15. Malachi predicted that One would come suddenly to the temple to purify the religion of the nation (Mal. 3:1-3). In moral indignation Jesus started a small stampede of the sheep and cattle, and overturned the tables.

2:18-19. The Jews—either the Jewish authorities or the merchants—demanded some proof for His right to challenge the existing order (“Jews demand miraculous signs,” 1 Cor. 1:22). But instead of giving in to their demand, Jesus gave a veiled saying. As with His parables in the Synoptics, one purpose of an enigmatic saying was to puzzle the hearers who opposed Him. He desired that His hearers ponder the saying in order to perceive its significance. Destroy this temple is in the form of a command, but the sense is ironic or conditional. At Jesus’ trial He was accused of saying He could destroy the temple and raise it again in three days (Matt. 26:60-61).

2:20-21. Herod’s temple took 46 years to build.  Jesus said He would rebuild the temple in three days. Jesus meant His body which, after his death, would be resurrected in three days.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

Jesus Heals

John 4 (8-9-17) Lecture Notes

St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church

Wed Night Bible Study

JOHN 4:43-54

Dr. E.C. Gregory, PhD – Bible Facilitator                                8-9-17                                Dr. H.T. Rhim, Pastor

BEGINNING OF JESUS’ HEALING MINISTRY

John 4:43-54 (NLT) 
43  At the end of the two days, Jesus went on to Galilee.
44  He himself had said that a prophet is not honored in his own hometown.
45  Yet the Galileans welcomed him, for they had been in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration and had seen everything he did there.
46  As he traveled through Galilee, he came to Cana, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a government official in nearby Capernaum whose son was very sick.
47  When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son, who was about to die.
48  Jesus asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?”
49  The official pleaded, “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.”
50  Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son will live!” And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.
51  While the man was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well.
52  He asked them when the boy had begun to get better, and they replied, “Yesterday afternoon at one o’clock his fever suddenly disappeared!”
53  Then the father realized that that was the very time Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” And he and his entire household believed in Jesus.
54  This was the second miraculous sign Jesus did in Galilee after coming from Judea.

4:43-45. After His two-day ministry in Samaria, Jesus and His disciples continued north into Galilee. Now Jesus Himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country. Generally Galilee was more favorable to Him, but even there men tried to kill Him (Luke 4:18-30). They had been impressed by His clearing the temple at the Passover feast (2:13-22) and His miracles (2:23). But the people’s enthusiasm for the Healer (cf. Mark 5:2124b) did not always indicate they had faith in Him.

4:46-47. The certain royal official is not identified. He could have been a Gentile or a Jew, a centurion, or a minor official in Herod’s court. Possibly he was a Jew because Jesus included him among the people who desire signs and wonders (v. 48; cf. 1 Cor. 1:22). His son had been sick, and undoubtedly he had exhausted all the local means at his disposal.

4:48. Jesus’ address to him, though sharp, was necessary. A faith built only on miraculous signs is not a complete faith (cf. 2:23-25). Many (you people) hesitate to believe in Jesus apart from seeing miraculous signs and wonders. Faith in Jesus is absolutely necessary (cf. Matt. 16:1-4).

4:49. The official was in no position emotionally to argue his case theologically. All he could plead for was mercy, for his child was at the point of death.

4:50. Jesus’ calm reply to the official’s desperate request created a crisis. Jesus announced, you may go. Your son will live. If the official really believed that Jesus could make a difference in Capernaum, he must also believe Him now in Cana. So he took Jesus at His word and left.

4:51-53. On the way back the official must have pondered Jesus’ promise every step of his journey. His servants met him with good news. His boy was living. The official asked when his son recovered. The healing was no accident, for it occurred at the exact moment Jesus made His promise to him. It was at the seventh hour, which by Roman time was 7:00 in the evening. The man’s faith grew, and he brought all his household to faith. The lesson of this incident is that Jesus’ power is able to save from death even at a great distance. His Word has power to work; people are simply to believe His Word.

4:54. Both signs in Galilee (changing the water into wine [2:1-11] and healing the official’s son) demonstrate that Jesus is the Promised One. Yet both signs had a certain hidden aspect to them. Only the disciples and some servants saw His miracle at the wedding, and this healing was not in public view.