## Study of the Book of John

## John 1-8

- John, the beloved disciple of our Lord, is the author of this fourth Gospel in our New Testament.
- He is also the author of three letters--First, Second, and Third John--and the book of Revelation.
- John wrote his Gospel and letters around A.D. 85-90, approximately twenty years after the Apostle Paul died.
- Later, around A.D. 90-95, he wrote Revelation.
- Almost all scholars agree that John's works were the last of our Bible to be completed, and most believe John's books are the only ones written after the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

A. What do we know about the man John?

1. John was one of the first disciples to be called by Jesus, and he remained with Him throughout His ministry.

2. We learn from John’s Gospel, that John was an ambitious, intolerant, boisterous man when he first met Jesus.

3. But walking close to the Lord, being taught by Him, John grew.

4. His attitudes, values, direction in life all changed.

5. John became the dearly beloved disciple.

6. John attributed these changes to his Lord Jesus Christ, who at His death honored John by asking him to care for His mother (John 19:26-27).

B. Once Jesus ascended to heaven, John's motivation for living was to share all he had learned about the Lord.

1. His name, with Peter's, headed the list of apostles (Acts 1:13).

2. Peter’s task was to establish churches, but John's work was of a much more contemplative nature.

3. Possibly John wrote his Gospel and his Letters at Ephesus where he pastored the Christian church.

4. Late in his life, during persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Domitian, John was imprisoned on an island called Patmos in the Aegean Sea.

5. There he wrote the book of Revelation.

C. John's writings reveal his deep perception of the innermost thoughts and emotions of the Lord Jesus.

1. After years of living the Christian life, perhaps he understood more than any other writer the teachings of Jesus:

a. concerning sin and forgiveness,

b. the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit,

c. and the tender love of the Lord who calls us to full commitment.

2. John does not leave us in doubt about the purpose of his Gospel:

"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." (John 20:31)

D. The word "believe" is a strong theme in the book of John.

1. To accomplish his purpose, John presented Jesus as the Word of life, the Light in a world of darkness.

2. He is God, who came to draw us to Himself through love.

- God is personified in His word.
- His word has power and authority, and it will accomplish what He sends it forth to accomplish (Isaiah 55:11).
- But we get even more than personification when we read in John's Gospel, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God" (Jn 1:1-2).
- We see a relationship: an intimate, personal relationship of the Word to God.
- The Word was not created; the Word was God.

I. The Word became Flesh. (Jn. 1:1-28)

A. The Word Revealed. v1-4

1. He is revealed to be the creator of the world.

2. He is revealed as the creator of life.

B. The Word Rejected. v5-11

1. Mankind, in spiritual darkness, was not prepared to receive Him.

2. This was the ministry of John the Baptist.

3. Yet His own people rejected Him.

C. The Word Received. v12-18

1. Not everyone rejected, some received. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" (John 1:12)

2. Those that did gained the right of sonship through spiritual adoption.

3. They received the fullness of Christ through grace.

D. The witness of His forerunner. v19-34

1. John the Baptist who appears here is the man sent from God to announce the coming of the Light.

2. John the Baptist was the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah, the priest.

3. His birth was announced by the angel Gabriel, and he was chosen by God as the forerunner of the Messiah.

4. This John was "the voice of one crying in the wilderness: make straight the way of the Lord." (John 1:23).

5. He called on men to repent and baptized them in the Jordan.

6. We see the delegation arrive from Jerusalem.

7. It had been 400 years since the people had heard from a prophet of God.

8. Luke’s record describes the fiery words of John concerning the religious crowd.

"Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." (Luke 3:7-8)

9. Some of the Jews thought John the Baptist might be the long-awaited Messiah, but the prophet quickly set them straight.

II. And Made His Dwelling Among Us. Jn. 1:29-2:25

A. Jesus came to John the Baptist. v29-34

1. When John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."

2. This title spoke to the mission of the Messiah.

a. He was to be the Passover Lamb, the final sacrifice, the One who would be "led like a lamb to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7).

b. He would pay the price for the sin of the world.

3. God gave John a special sign that he might recognize the Christ.

a. John said he did not know Him until he saw "the Spint descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him." v32

b. His sign was important for two reasons.

1) First, the dove is a meaningful symbol.

2) When Noah sent out a dove, it returned to the ark with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its mouth as a symbol of new life.

3) It was also regarded in Mosaic law as a clean animal which could be offered as a sacrifice.

4) Both these meanings pointed to the work of Jesus.

c. Second, John knew that unlike his own baptism with water, Jesus was to baptize with the Holy Spirit.

1) When the Spirit descended on Jesus, then, John said, "I saw...

2) ...and bare record that this is the Son of God". v34

B. Jesus calls His first disciples. v35-51

1. John the Baptist came as a "voice," someone to be heard--not followed.

2. When Jesus passed by and John said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"

3. Two of John's disciples heard him and followed Jesus.

a. I believe one of them was John, the author of the Gospel.

b. And the other was Andrew.

4. When they asked Jesus where He was staying, Jesus replied, "Come and see". v39

5. Because they obeyed, they saw far more than Jesus' dwelling place.

a. Andrew became so excited that he went in search of his brother, Simon, and told him, "...We have found the Messias..." v41

b. And Andrew brought his brother to Jesus.

c. Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter, a name which means "rock."

1) Actually Peter was impulsive and weak.

2) He was quick to act--and frequently made the wrong decision.

3) But Jesus saw His potential.

4) Someday he would be a "rock" strong and firm in the truth Jesus came to reveal.

6. The following day Jesus called Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.

a. And Philip brought Nathanael who doubted that Jesus was the Messiah.

b. However, when Jesus told Nathanael that He had seen him under the fig tree even before Philip called him, Nathanael believed.

c. "Rabbi," he said, "thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." v49

C. Jesus performed the first miraculous sign. (John 2:1-11)

1. There are no parables in the Gospel of John, but the eight miracles included are meant to teach just as parables teach.

2. They reveal spiritual truths.

3. The Jews were always looking for signs to validate or confirm tnuth.

4. John saw the miracles as signs-- signs which confirmed the truth that Jesus was the Son of God.

5. The miracles were the work of God-- God in Christ.

a. The first of these signs took place at a wedding in Cana which Jesus attended with His mother and His disciples.

b. Suddenly, at the wedding feast, all the wine was gone.

c. Jesus had the servants fill six stone jars with water, and He changed the water into wine.

d. The master of the banquet was surprised that the best wine had been saved until last.

e. John wrote that this was the first of Jesus' miraculous signs.

1) As a miracle, the sign revealed the glory of the Son of God...

2) And "His disciples believed on Him" (John 2:11).

3) But there is more to this sign.

4) At this time it was the custom at the birth of a daughter to fill a jar with wine and bury it.

5) On her wedding day the wine was brought out and served.

6) This was always thought to be the best, the choice wine.

7) The bridegroom then furnished the rest of the wine for the wedding feast.

8) Here, Jesus takes on the role of the bridegroom and gives wine which does not diminish in value, but rather is the most satisfying.

9) John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the bridegroom in 3:29.

f. The miracle is also tied to the story of the cleansing of the Temple which follows.

1) The stone jars were used for ceremonial washing, but Jesus found them empty.

2) Symbolically they remind us that Israel was existing on empty forms and ceremonies.

3) And Jesus came to fill her emptiness with new wine.

D. Jesus cleansed the Temple. 2:12-25

1. God has always intended for His house to be "...called an house of prayer for all people" (Isaiah 56:7).

2. But it hasn't always been so.

3. In Jeremiah’s day God asked, ""Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD." (Jer 7:11)

4. Later Malachi prophesied that some day the Lord would come like a "refiner's fire" and a "purifier of silver" to cleanse His temple. (cf Mal. 3:1-4.)

5. The time had come, and the Temple was in great need of cleansing.

a. Jesus was in Jerusalem for Passover.

b. When He went to the Temple, He saw that it had been turned into a market.

c. He took a whip and drove out the money changers and merchants selling animals for sacrifice in the outer courts, the only place where the Gentiles could enter to pray.

d. The Jews demanded, "What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?"(Jn 2:18)

e. Jesus’ thoughts had already turned to a spiritual temple—His body

f. If destroyed, Jesus said, He would raise it again in three days.

g. The Jews had no spiritual insight and couldn’t understand what Jesus meant.

h. Neither did the disciples—until after He was raised from the dead.

I. MIRACLES OR MIRACULOUS SIGNS IN JOHN'S GOSPEL

1. Changing water into wine at a wedding in Cana. 2:1-11

2. Healing the son of a Roman official. 4:46- 54

3. Healing the invalid by the pool of Bethesda. 5:1-14

4. Feeding the 5000. 6:1-15

5. Walking on the water. 6:16-24

6. Giving sight to a man born blind. 9:1-41

7. Raising Lazarus from the dead. 11:1-46

8. Catching fish in the Sea of Tiberias. 21:1-8

III. Full of Grace and Truth John 3:1-36

A. Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus. v1-21

1. Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin.

2. He may have observed Jesus as He drove the merchants out of the Temple.

3. We know he saw some of the signs Jesus was doing among the people of Jerusalem during Passover week.

4. He was interested.

5. He wanted to know more about Jesus, but at this time he preferred to talk with Him privately--at night.

(Later, Nicodemus would be one of the men who defended Jesus before the Sanhedrin and helped Joseph of Arimathea bury Him. See John 19:38-39.)

B. When we see the miraculous works of God today, we are always faced with a decision.

1. Will we believe that the miracle was the work of God, or not?

2. When Nicodemus saw the signs his heart was open.

3. For him, the signs pointed to God. v2-3

4. The Pharisees responded in quite a different way, you will remember, and attributed the works to Satan. cf Mark 3:20-29

C. Seeing the sincerity of Nicodemus, Jesus explained to Him the 'New Birth". v4-9

1. Three times Jesus said, "Verily, verily ... "

2. Which means that 'this is truth'!

3. Ye must be born again!

D. He points out the spiritual ignorance of the religious leaders. v10-21

1. Nicodemus thought of physical things while Jesus spoke of spiritual things.

a. Too often we are so tied to the world that we have difficulty thinking in spiritual terms.

b. But God is Spirit.

c. His greatest concern is our spiritual well-being.

2. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a religious leader.

a. He kept all the laws of Moses, observed the ceremonies.

b. Why didn't he know the way to God?

c. And why did he come to Jesus?

d. Somewhere he had missed the way and his heart was empty.

e. Jesus saw that Nicodemus, like so many "lost sheep of Israel," was walking in darkness.

f. And Jesus was the light.

3. Jesus revealed that this "new birth" into eternal life would come through His death on the cross, as a final sacrifice for man's sin.

a. Nicodemus knew that Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so that all who looked upon it lived. cf Nu. 2l:9

b. Now, Jesus said He must be lifted up to save man.

c. Jesus' words that follow are full of love and compassion.

E. The Confession of John the Baptist. v22-36

1. The ministry of John overlapped the beginning of Jesus' ministry.

2. He was still busy calling men to repentance and preparing them to receive the Messiah.

3. There arose a question concerning purification and baptism.

a. This question could have come from a misunderstanding of Jesus' statement about being born of water.

b. It could also have come from confusion concerning the purpose of baptism, since the Jews had a number of ceremonial cleansing traditions.

c. Whatever the source of the problems, John points them to Jesus.

d. Realizing that his ministry was not to take precedence over Christ's.

IV. "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst..." John 4:1-42

A. Historical Background.

1. In the first century, Jews seldom passed through Samaria to go to Galilee.

a. Hatred between Samaritans and Jews took root about 722 B.C. when Assyria swept into Israel and took thousands captive.

b. The Assyrians moved many captives from other conquered nations into Israel and renamed the land Samaria.

c. The few remaining Israelites inter- married with these imported pagans to become the Samaritans of the N. T.

2. The Samaritans accepted the Pentateuch but rejected the rest of Hebrew Scripture.

a. They insisted that Mount Gerizim was the location God intended for sacrificial worship-not Jerusalem.

b. Like the Jews, however, they awaited the coming of a Messiah.

c. Perhaps His rejection by many in Jerusalem caused Jesus to decide to go through Samaria.

3. Jesus was tired, hungry, and thirsty when he arrived at Jacob's well in Sychar.

a. He sent the disciples into the town to buy food, and then sat down to rest.

b. But a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water, and Jesus immediately began to minister to her.

c. Many times Jesus went away by Himself to rest, and He encour- aged his disciples to do the same.

d. But there were times when meeting the needs of others came first.

B. Lessons we learn from Jesus' ministry to this Samaritan woman.

1. First, the story is a model for us to follow in presenting the Gospel.

a. Jesus accepted the woman just as she was-a woman, a foreigner, an adulteress.

b. No Jew would ask a Samaritan for a drink of water, but Jesus did.

c. He met her on her own ground.

d. But, Jesus refused to let her thinking remain on a physical level.

e. As with Nicodemus, He spoke in spiritual terms; His subject was the Living Water.

f. He was intent on bringing her out of her darkness and into His light.

2. Second, Jesus made it clear that the Living Water He offered was for people of all nations and races.

a. The title "Savior of the world" appears only this one time in John's Gospel, but it's significant. v42

b. The Samaritans who believed Jesus because of the woman's testimony said, "We have heard for ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world" (John 4:42).

3. Third, Jesus was speaking of the promised Holy Spirit when He said, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14)

V. "Thy Son Liveth" Jn 4:43-54

A. In Cana, Jesus had performed the first of the seven miraculous signs which John recorded.

1. He had changed water into wine at a wedding feast.

2. Now in Cana again, Jesus performed the second miraculous sign by giving life to the son of a Roman official.

3. When the official came to Jesus asking that He come and heal his son, Jesus was surrounded by Galileans who had seen His miraculous works in Jerusalem.

4. They had been there for the Passover Feast.

5. So, Jesus said to them, "Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe." (John 4:48)

B. But the official wasn't thinking of signs.

1. He had come to Jesus begging.

2. He knew Jesus could heal his son. "Sir," he said, "come down ere my child die!"

3. And Jesus replied, "Go thy way: thy son liveth" (John 4:49-50).

4. The man didn't insist that Jesus come with him.

5. Rather, he "... believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way." (John 4:50)

C. Jesus strengthened the official's belief.

1. His servants met him on the road and told him the boy was well.

2. The fever left him at the same hour Jesus had said, "Thy son liveth."

3. This miraculous sign pointed the man and all his household to God.

4. They believed.

D. The word "believe," always an action verb in John's Gospel, is used more than 90 times.

1. It's closely related to the words "know" and "knowledge" which appear more than 140 times in his book.

2. John shows us that "believe" means coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ intimately.

3. This kind of relationship brings obedience.

VI. "...Sin No More..." Jn. 5:1-14

A. This is the third miraculous sign which John recorded.

1. It occurred some time later when Jesus returned to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews.

2. A multitude of invalids-blind, lame, paralyzed-were Iying around the pool of Bethesda.

3. The people believed that at certain times an angel disturbed the waters causing them to bubble up.

4. At this time, the first person into the pool was healed.

B. We don't know why Jesus chose to heal the one man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

1. Perhaps Jesus sensed his despair because there was no one to put him into the pool.

2. Or perhaps He admired his persistence.

3. Whatever the reason, Jesus asked him, "Wilt thou be made whole?"

4. This was a good question.

a. When we are content to stay as we are, Jesus can't change us.

b. We must be willing.

c. The man was willing.

d. He wanted to be healed.

5. When Jesus said, "Rise, take up your bed and walk," the man obeyed at once.

C. Notice that it was the Sabbath and the man went to the Temple.

1. This was surely commendable, but Jesus wasn't content with the physical healing He had given the man.

2. The power Jesus used to heal him hadn't come from the waters of Bethesda but from the Living Water within Him.

3. But the man didn't even know who Jesus was.

4. When Jesus found him in the Temple, He said to him, "...Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:14).

5. The man knew who had healed him and he shared the news with the Jews.

6. But it was the Sabbath and the Jews immediately reminded him that he was breaking the law.

a. Perhaps they had taken him to the Temple because it was there that Jesus found him.

b. Unlike the legalistic Jews, Jesus was concerned about the deep spiritual condition of the man.

c. But His concern brought about a confrontation with the Jews.

VII. "...They that hear shall live." Jn. 5:15-47

All the themes of John come together in this powerful answer which Jesus gave to the Jews when they questioned His use of the Sabbath.

A. Jesus plainly stated that He was the Messiah-the Son of God and Son of Man.

1. He called God "Father. "

2. To the Jews this was "making Himself equal with God" (John 5:18).

3. And so He was.

B. Jesus claimed that the Father had given Him the authority to give life and to judge.

1. Every Jew knew that only God could raise men from the dead and give life.

2. And they acknowledged no judge but God.

3. Note what Jesus said in v21-22

4. Jesus was speaking to those living in darkness, those who were spiritually dead.

5. He offered them life if they would hear and believe His word, but warned them of coming judgment if they did not.

C. The Jews required two witnesses to validate truth.

1. Jesus pointed out that both He and John the Baptist gave the same testimony.

2. Jesus said, the work He was doing and the Father, Himself, testified in His behalf.

3. Even Moses wrote about Him and was His witness. v39-40

D. Those who heard Jesus make these claims were confronted with two choices.

1. Accept Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.

2. Or reject Him as a blasphemer.

3. Today people face the same two choices.

4. Jesus said the Jews of His day searched the Scriptures-yet refused to come to Him.

5. Sadly, this is just as true today.

a. Not everyone "hears," and "believes."

b. But of those who do, Jesus said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (Jn 5:24)

c. When we hear and believe Jesus, we cross over into His Kingdom ...in that moment, we move from spiritual death into life eternal.

VIII. "I am the Bread of Life." (Jn. 6:1-15, 25-71)

A. Jesus and His disciples were at Bethesda on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. v1-4

1. The Passover Feast was near and many in the crowd gathered around Jesus were on their way to Jerusalem.

2. Jesus knew the people had come because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased" (John 6:2).

3. Yet, He had compassion on them and decided that they must be fed.

B. Jesus never neglected an opportunity to teach His disciples. v5-15

1. And John remembered the lesson well.

2. Jesus took the disciples aside and asked Philip " Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" v5

a. Bethesda was Philip's hometown.

b. He knew where bread was baked.

c. But he saw the task of providing food for so many as hopeless.

d. Andrew was a bit more optimistic.

e. He knew a boy in the crowd who had " five barley loaves, and two small fishes." v9

3. Jesus took what the boy was evidently willing to offer and miraculously fed the crowd.

4. Everyone was satisfied and twelve baskets of food were gathered up after the meal.

5. However Jesus wasn't pleased with the response of His disciples or of the crowd to this miraculous sign.

a. The people remembered that Moses had said God would someday raise up a prophet like him.

"Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;" (Deu 8:15)

b. Many decided that Jesus was this prophet who had come to free them from Roman rule.

c. And with Jesus' power to feed them they would never again go hungry!

d. Because they were thinking more of their stomachs than their souls Jesus left them.

e. But He cared about them. f. He yearned to move their thinking from the physical to the spiritual.

6. The next day when the crowds followed Him back across the lake to Capernaum Jesus began to teach them. v22-29

a. "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed." v27

b. Bread was so much a part of the basic diet in Biblical times that the word itself often meant simply "food."

c. Many hours of a woman's day was spent grinding the grain into flour with mortar and pestle.

d. The flour was then moistened and shaped into flat loaves to be baked into bread on hot stones.

e. To the Hebrew people bread wasn't a luxury but a necessity.

f. But Jesus said this bread would spoil and would not sustain them forever.

7. The people understood this and asked that Jesus give them another miraculous sign. v30-40

a. If this man could do what Moses did and give them daily bread they were ready to follow Him.

b. Patiently Jesus continued His teaching on a spiritual level as He said:

c. "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." V35

C. Note their reactions to His teachings.

1. First the Jews murmured against Him thinking that they knew Him. v41-51

a. They knew His father and mother, at least they thought they did.

b. They questioned His statement about coming down from heaven.

c. Jesus responded to them by further explanation of the bread of life.

2. They continued to think in terms of the material and not the spiritual. v52- 58

a. Remember that the natural man cannot understand the things of the Spirit. cf 1 Co. 2:14

b. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

c. Jesus was no doubt thinking of Himself as the Passover lamb when He said "... the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

d. But the Jews thought He was talking about literally eating His flesh.

e. His further statements caused more misunderstanding and strife.

D. Even His disciples had trouble with this. v59-71

1. How could they follow Him?

2. To those who said His teaching was hard Jesus explained that the words He had spoken were "spirit" and "life."

3. They were to be taken in, eaten, believed.

4. Only then could the hearer have life.

5. Once more the choice was laid before those who heard Jesus.

a. Would they eat of this Bread which He offered?

b. Would they choose Life?

c. Or would they choose to go away?

6. Peter, often known for not saying the right thing at the right time, made a remarkable confession in v68-69.

7. However, Jesus knew that at least one would turn his back on Christ.

IX. "It is I; do not be afraid." (Jn 6:16-24)

A. The fifth miraculous sign recorded by John pointed the disciples to the One who could relieve all their fears and whose presence today gives us peace.

B. The disciples learned this truth when they were crossing the Sea of Galilee and a storm came up.

1. They were seasoned sailors, but the waters were rough and they were having a hard time rowing.

2. We can't be sure whether they were more terrified of the storm or of what they thought was a ghost approaching them, walking on the water.

3. But Jesus called out to them, "It is l; do not be afraid"

4. These were comforting words.

a. Those of us who have been involved in a car accident,

b. Sat by the bedside of a sick child,

c. or gone through pain and sorrow at losing a loved one, know what it is to be afraid.

5. But in those times many of us have known the presence of Jesus and heard His words, "Do not be afraid."

6. The opposite of fear is not courage, it is faith.

7. Jesus wants us to trust Him.

X. Come to Me and Drink John 7:1-53

Jesus went alone and in secret to Jerusalem for the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. In the crowd there was much talk about who Jesus was. Some thought He was a "good man"; others thought he was deceiving people. But when Jesus went into the Temple court and began to teach, He called those who heard His words to either accept Him as the One who had come from God or reject Him. Some Jews said, "You have a demon." Others "believed in Him." Once again we see the conflict that comes when faced with Jesus.

A. BEFORE THE FEAST : DOUBT (7:1-9)

1. The feast of tabernacles was held on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (Sept.-Oct.) and lasted for eight days.

a. It was a memorial of the time when Israel lived in booths during their wilderness wanderings.

b. Ex. 23:16 indicates that it was also a harvest festival.

c. It was one of the three feasts that every male Jew was required to attend (Dt.16:16).

2. Christ's "brethren" here are his half- brothers and half-sisters, the children of Mary by Joseph.

a. Luke 2:7 calls Christ Mary's "firstborn," indicating that she had other children.

b. Passages like Mark 3:31-35 and Mt. 13:55-56 indicate this also.

c. Christ's brethren did not believe in Him at this time, although Acts 1:14 would indicate that after His resurrection they did receive Him.

d. Ps. 69:8-9 predicted their unbelief, and is another proof, by the way, of the fact that Mary did bear other children.

3. Christ lived according to God's time.

XI. IN THE MIDST OF THE FEAST: DEBATE (7:10-36)

The feeding of the multitude and the healing of the impotent man had aroused the interest of the crowd. Because Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath, the Jews said He was not from God. They called Him demon-possessed (20) and there was. talk of killing Him; but God's time was not ready (30). The Jews debated about five different topics:

A. His character (10-13).

1. Some called Him "good," others said He was a deceiver. v11

2. Why were they confused?

3. Because they feared the Jewish leaders.

4. Christ's character was so spotless that when they finally did arrest Him, they had to bring in false witnesses to speak against Him.

5. Pilate, Judas, and even the Roman soldier, all pronounced Him faultless.

B. His doctrine (14-18).

1. The Jews were amazed at Christ's spiritual knowledge, because He had never attended their "seminaries" or "graduate schools."

2. Education is a blessing, but it is better to be taught by God personally than to borrow the ideas of mere men.

3. Christ's doctrine comes from heaven; man's teaching comes from his darkened mind.

C. His works (19-24).

1. They pretended to be keepers of the Law by accusing Him of working on the Sabbath; but He showed that their desire to kill Him was contrary to the very Law they revered.

2. How inconsistent people are who oppose Christ and reject His Word!

3. A man can be circumcised on the Sabbath, but he cannot be healed on the Sabbath!

4. Like many today, they were shallow - judging by appearance, not truth.

D. His origin (25-31).

1. Vs. 27 is not a contradiction of vs. 42.

2. The Jews knew where Messiah would be born, but they also knew that His birth would be mysterious and supernatural (Isa. 7:14).

3. In other words, they would not know "whence He is."

4. The record states that Christ was born of the virgin Mary, but the Jews would not believe this.

5. John 8:41 suggests that the Jews accused Jesus of being born out of sin, and Mary's condition before she married Joseph would perhaps make people say this.

6. In vs. 28-29, Christ affirms that He was sent from the Father; and that if they knew the Father, they would know the Son.

E. His warning (32-36).

1. The "little while" that Christ spoke of lasted about six months.

2. It is important that people seek the Lord "while He may be found" (see Isa. 55:6).

3. Many lost sinners who reject Christ today will seek Him tomorrow and He will be gone from them (Prov. 1:24- 28).

4. The Jews were ignorant of spiritual truth and thought He was talking about going to the Jews scattered among the nations.

5. Because they were unwilling to obey the truth, they could not know the truth.

6. They argued with Christ, instead of yielding to Him, and lost their souls.

XII. The Last Day of the Feast: Division (37-53)

A. The seventh day of the feast was a great day of celebration. v37-46

1. Each morning of the feast, at the time of the sacrifice, the priests would draw water in a golden vessel from the Pool of Siloam and carry it to the temple to be poured out.

2. This commemorated the wonderful supply of water God gave the Jews in the wilderness.

3. This seventh day was known as "The Great Hosanna" and climaxed the feast.

4. It takes little imagination to grasp what must have happened when Jesus cried out, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink!" as the priests poured out the water.

B. Christ was the Rock out of which the waters flowed (Ex. 17:1-7, I Cor. 10:4)

1. He was smitten on the cross that the Spirit of life might be given to save and satisfy thirsty sinners.

2. In the Bible:

a. water for cleansing pictures the Word of God (John 13:1-17, 15:3)

b. water for drinking pictures the Spirit of God (John 7:37-38).

3. Instead of heeding His gracious invitation to come, the people disputed and argued, and there was a division among them.

a. Some believed, some rejected.

b. The soldiers could not arrest Him because His WORD so gripped their hearts (vs. 46).

C. Because the Jewish religious leaders rejected Christ, they shut the door of salvation to others who followed them. v47-53

1. Nicodemus enters the picture again, and this time we see him defending Christ's legal privileges.

2. In John 3, he was in the darkness of confusion.

3. Here he is experiencing the dawn of conviction.

a. He is willing to give Christ a fair chance.

b. Because of this, Nicodemus learned the truth.

c. A willingness to obey the Word is the secret of learning God's truth (vs. 17).

4. In John 19, we see Nicodemus in the daylight of confession, openly identifying himself with Christ.

a. How did he come to make this decision?

b. HE BEGAN TO READ AND STUDY THE WORD!

c. His rulers told him, "Search and look!" and that is just what he did.

d. Any man who will read and obey the Word of God will move out of darkness into God's marvelous light.

XIII. Light and Darkness. Jn 8:1-20

A. The accusation of the Pharisees.

1. They brought 'this woman to Jesus in the court of the women, in the treasury section of the temple (vs. 20).

2. Their motive: to accuse Him (6) and force Him into a dilemna.

3. If He set the woman free, He violated Moses' law (Lev. 20:10, Dt. 22:22)

4. If He had her stoned, He could not claim to be one Who forgives sins.

B. The response of Jesus.

1. He stooped down and began to write on the ground with His finger.

2. He acted as if He didn't hear them.

3. What did He write?

a. This is one of the great mysteries in the Bible.

b. Anything we say would be pure speculation.

c. Some have suggested that He again wrote the ten commandments.

d. While others believe He wrote the Pharisees private sins as He read their hearts.

4. He challenged them concerning their own sinfulness.

5. The result: they were convicted by their own conscience and left the temple area.

6. Jesus sent the woman away with forgiveness rather than condemn- ation.

C. The declaration of Jesus.

1. I am the Light of the world...

2. As the Light of the world, Christ claimed to be God; for God is light (I John 1:5).

3. Darkness speaks of death, ignorance, and sin; light speaks of life, knowledge, and holiness.

4. The light reproves sin (John 3:20).

5. The lost sinner lives in darkness and will spend eternity in darkness if he rejects Christ.

D. The Jews, instead of submitting to Christ, argued with Him there in the temple!

1. Immediately, they challenged His claim, but He reminded them that He spoke the truth and met their requirements for two witnesses.

2. "I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."

3. Then Jesus said, "You know neither Me nor My Father" (John 8:18-19).

4. The Pharisees were furious.

a. Their claim that God was their Father was based on genealogy; they were descendants of Abraham.

b. But Jesus corrected them.

c. They weren't doing the things Abraham did; they didn't believe the truth; they rejected the One who had heard the truth from God.

5. "You are of your father, the devil, " Jesus said (John 8:44).

6. The Light was shining in their midst, but they chose to remain in darkness.

XIV. Heaven and Earth Jn. 8:21-30

A. There are two births:

1. From above, being born again by God's Spirit.

2. Or from beneath being born of the flesh.

B. And there are two ways to die:

1. The sinner dies in his sins.

2. But the believer dies in the Lord (Rev. 14:13).

3. Faith in Jesus Christ makes the difference.

C. Jesus tells them that He came from heaven.

1. The Father sent Him (26), taught Him (28), and remained with Him (29).

2. The Father forsook His Son only when Christ was made sin for us on the cross.

3. In vs. 28, Christ speaks of being "lifted up," which means, of course, crucifixion.

4. He had mentioned this to Nicodemus in 3:14-16; and He would mention it again in 12:32-34.

XV. Freedom and Slavery 8:31-40

A. The Jews who believed (vs. 30) were cautioned to prove their faith by their faithfulness.

B. Faith in Christ makes one a child of God, but abiding.in the Word and knowing the truth (and living it) makes one a disciple.

C. Christ is speaking about spiritual bondage and liberty, not physical or political.

1. The lost sinner is in bondage: to lusts and sins (Titus 3:3), to Satan, and to the world (Eph. 2:1-3).

2. By receiving the truth in Christ, he is set free!

D. His opponents, of course, appealed to their fleshly advantages: "We are Abraham's children!"

1. They said the same thing to John the Baptist (Mt. 3:8-9).

2. Jesus makes a careful distinction here between Abraham's seed (physically, vs. 37) and Abraham's children (spiritually, vs. 39).

3. Paul makes the same distinction in Ro. 2:28-29, 4:9-12, and 9:6, as well as Gal. 4:22-29.

E. People go to hell,because they confuse the physical and the spiritual.

1. Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about a spiritual birth, and he asked about a physical birth (John 3:4).

2. Christ offered the woman at the well eternal life (living water) and she talked about literal physical water (4:15).

3. Jesus said, "...The flesh profiteth nothing..." (6:63)

4. Salvation is a spiritual experience, and human birth has nothing to do with it.

XVI. Children of God and Children of Satan. 8:41-47

A. Keep in mind that the Bible speaks of four different kinds of "spiritual children."

1. We are born by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3)

2. When we reach the age of deliberate sin and rebellion, we become children of disobedience (Eph. 2:2).

3. When we put faith in Christ, we become children of God (John 1:12).

4. But the person who finally rejects Christ and prefers self-righteousness (the devills substitute) becomes a child of the devil. (See Mt. 13:24-30, 36-43, where the children of the devil are seen as counterfeit Christians)

B. Jesus points out the characteristics of the children of the devil:

1. They will not give place to the Word of God. 37

2. They trust in fleshly things - human birth, works, ritual, etc. - 39

3. They hate Christ and seek to kill Him - 40, 44 (Satan is a murderer)

4. They do not love Christ or the things of Christ. 42

5. They do not understand the Word - 43 (Satan has blinded them)

6. They are liars and love lies more than the truth. 44

7. They will not hear the Word of God; they hate it. 47

C. Remember, these chiidren of the devil were not immoral, drunkards, or gamblers:

1. THEY WERE SELF-RIGHTEOUS RELIGIOUS MEN WHO REJECTED CHRIST!

2. Much of what passes for "Christianity" today is NOT true spiritual, Bible- based religion; but is, instead, the devil's counterfeit. (See II Co.11:14).

3. Millions of people today are deluded by Satan into a "form of godliness" that lacks the power of the Gospel!

XVI. Honor and Dishonor. 8:48-59

A. God honors His Son, but self-righteous men dishonor Him.

1. They dishonor Him verbally, by calling Him a Samaritan and accusing Him of having a devil.

2. Samaritans were considered the scum of the earth to the Jews.

3. Jesus tells them that Abraham saw His day and rejoiced.

a. How did Abraham see Christ's day?

b. By faith (Heb. 11:10-16).

c. He saw Christ in type when he offered Isaac on the altar.

d. The very birth of his promised son, Isaac, was a picture of Christ's coming.

4. God shared many secrets with His friend Abraham because of his faith and obedience (Gen. 18:16-22).

B. When the bright light of God's Word shines on hearts, men must either accept it and be saved, or reject it and be lost.

1. See how these religious Jews hated Christ and sought to kill him!

2. This was proof indeed that they were children of Satan, the murderer of Man.

3. Jesus claimed to be Jehovah God when He said, "Before Abraham was, I AM."

4. Note: v24 "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."

5. Note: v28a "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he..."

6. Satan's lie is that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God.

"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." (1 John 2:22)

XVII. The purpose of the blindness v3

A. The questions by the disciples

1. There were those who taught that the possibility of prenatal sin.

2. Others taught the pre-existense of the soul and possibility of sin in some previous life.

3. There was also the teaching that indicated the possibility of some type of judgment upon the parents due to sin.

B. Jesus' answer.

1. Their ideas were false - neither his or his parents' sins brought about the blindness.

2. But the blindness would provide a way for the works of God to be revealed to many.

XVIII. Purpose of the miracle. v4-7

A. To do the works of God.

1. Jesus turned to the work before Him-to bring light out of this blind man's darkness.

2. Only a short time before, Jesus had declared Himself to be the Light of the world.

3. Now He said to the disciples: "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work."

B. To manifest Jesus as the light of the world.

1. Jesus' work of banishing darkness is done when it is "day," meaning in the light, but also meaning while there is yet time.

2. The disciples didn't respond to Jesus' words, but they watched as He spat on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.

3. In ancient times, saliva of a distinguished person was thought to have healing power.

4. And Jesus often used the customs of His day to gain the confidence of those who watched.

C. Note: the seven "I Am's" of Christ in John's gospel:

1. I am the Bread of life. 6:35

2. I am the Light of the world. 9:5

3. I am the Door. 10:7

4. I am the Resurrection. 11:25

5. I am the Way. 14:6

6. I am the Truth. 14:6

7. I am the Life. 14:6

XVIII. Purpose of the 'blind-man's' testimony v8-14

A. To identify Jesus as the healer.

B. To bear record of His great power.

C. To be a living 'eye-witness' of the miracle.

XIX. Purpose of the Pharisees' questioning. v15-34

A. To discredit Jesus.

1. Since Jesus had restored the man's sight on the Sabbath, some Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath" (John 9:16).

2. Others saw this healing as a miraculous "sign," and asked how a "sinner" could perform it.

3. Still others doubted that the man had ever been blind!

B. To discredit the 'eye-witness' testimony

1. They went to the man's parents to verify that he had actually been blind.

2. The man's parents, however, knew for certain that the man was born blind.

3. But they feared the Pharisees, and avoided the questions about their son's healing.

4. They shifted the responsibility of the whole thing to their son.

5. "He is of age," they said, "ask him."

C. The additional testimony of the man.

1. The man Jesus healed first said, "He is a prophet" (John 9:17).

2. But when the Pharisees said to him, "Give God the praise: we know that this Man is a sinner," the man answered them courageously. "Whether he is a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see!" (John 9:24-25).

3. As the Pharisees continued to question him, his courage grew and his spiritual eyes began to open.

4. He denied that Jesus was a sinner.

5. Instead, he declared Him to be a godly man who does God's will.

6. Then he said, "If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing" (John 9:33).

7. The Pharisees refused to listen to him any longer and through him out of the temple.

XX. Purpose of the 2nd meeting with Jesus. v35-41

A. To heal the man's 'spiritual blindness'

1. When the Pharisees threw the man out, Jesus was there to receive him.

2. The man's heart was open and ready hear what Jesus had to say to him.

3. When Jesus declared that He was the Son of Man, the man responded, "Lord, I believe!"

4. And, "he worshipped Him" (John 9:38).

B. To declare his mission in this world.

1. The man knew who Jesus was.

2. Jesus, who had cured the man of his physical darkness, had now led him out of his spiritual darkness into the light of God's kingdom.

3. This is exactly why Jesus came into the world.

C. To reveal the world's blindness to God's ways.

1. The Pharisees were listening and heard Jesus say, "...I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." (John 9:39)

2. The Pharisees and those whom they taught were blind, in darkness, and Jesus said He came that they might see.

3. Those who came to Jesus, the Light, were then able to see and would be "blind" to the teaching of the Pharisees.

4. Jesus said that if the Pharisees had this kind of blindness, they would not be guilty of sin.

5. However, they chose to remain in darkness, claiming they could see, so their guilt remained.