- "Firsts" are often very significant. In this case, Jesus had argued that his time had not yet come, but still, as God, he would have known this would be the first miracle, the turning of water into wine. What is significant about the first miraculous sign?
- It is a creation event
- Wine is often a symbol of joy, even plenty
- The new covenant is about new creations and joy
- There is a Roman Catholic argument, started in the second century that Mary was always a virgin. The argument against the mentioning of brothers and sisters is that they were spiritual brothers and sisters, as we describe each other in church. What is the problem with that argument in verse 1:12?
- Brothers is mentioned with disciples indicating two unique groups
- One could not be a disciple, and not technically a spiritual brother, nor at this stage, could one be a spiritual brother and not a disciple
- How long is Jesus with his family at Cana?
- Only a few days suggesting that this was no longer his permanent home, or even that he was leaving to establish a new residence (but not sure)
- We do know he would live in Capernaum (Mark 1:21; 2:1) by the time of John's death (Matt 4:13)
- We are still early in Jesus' ministry, probably the first 3-5 months of the three years. There are three Passovers mentioned in Jesus' ministry. There may be a fourth
- Some critics have argued that this is the same as the Passover that occurs in the passion week due to Jesus activity, but they are different
- If time, compare to Luke 19:45-48
- Link to Temple pictures: <file://E:\Users\manacap\Documents\Bible Reference\Herod's temple.pptx>
- Why is Jesus angry?
- Gentiles could not worship
- Gentiles were not being reached
- Greedy men were making money off of faith
- People were being swindled (approved sacrifices and approved money) / robbed
- It looked like a bazaar, a shopping area, and not a place of worship
- The church fights this tension every Sunday morning prior to the start of worship
- On one hand are the liturgical churches that treat the area as holy ground with only a whisper allowed
- On the other side, many evangelical churches treat the area as a meeting place, talking in loud voices and greeting people
- APPLICATION: I don't have an answer. I'm not sure what God would want. Maybe a happy medium is the answer, where greeting and fellowship occurs in the foyer and the sanctuary is a place reserved for quiet and reflection
- APPLICATION: Do you ever get far away from noise to truly worship? Some people wake up to noise and keep a TV or radio on the entire day. Do we ever find real quiet time?
- Why do the Jewish leaders demand a sign from Jesus? Why do they not respond to the justice of Jesus action?
- Why is Jesus' answer enigmatic as opposed to clear?
- Obviously, he did not believe they deserved a true response
- Jesus' focus was on an even greater temple. God was standing before these people who are accusing God of doing something wrong
- No one actually understands his comment
- This statement is critical for a few reasons
- One: It allows us to date the event since the construction has been ongoing for 46 years. The work started around 20 or 19 BC, 16 years before Jesus birth. That would place the time at 27 or 28 AD
- Two: The Pharisees will misuse Jesus' words later in his trial. They will say that he said he would destroy the temple, but he said that if they would destroy …
- In the next few passages, John records conversations with a number of different people. This conversation is with a Pharisee, then a Samaritan, and a common Jew
- He is a member of the Pharisees, the Jewish 70 man ruling council
- Why does he visit at night?
- Typically the night has a negative symbolic connotation
- He would obviously be less busy at night, and so possibly wanted some time to talk
- He might have done it out of fear of the other Sanhedrin members
- What is his opinion of Jesus?
- He calls him Rabbi
- He does not accept the later accepted position of the leaders that he was from Satan
- He acknowledges what the others could not -- no one could do these miracles unless they were from God (at this point, we have not seen any of the Messianic miracles)
- Jesus seems to ignore Nicodemus' compliments and goes right to the heart of the issue -- only God can do that. What does Jesus see as Nicodemus most pressing issue?
- The Messianic kingdom (earthly kingdom)
- Jesus says that a person must be born again or born from above. Nicodemus' response suggests that he interpreted it as "again" or a second time and not from above
- How do we interpret Nicodemus' response?
- Possibly cynical
- Possibly thoughtful
- A Jew would understand the term rebirth as applied to a proselyte, yet Nicodemus misses the thought. Possibly, he believed a Jew was entitled to the Kingdom
- Jesus clarifies the new birth as different from the physical birth, but a spiritual birth
- How does Jesus' example clarify the new birth?
- The wind blows where it will -- we see the effect of the wind
- We can't see the wind, only the change
- Conversion has an EFFECT on a person's life, but we can't see the CAUSE
- Spiritual things are not seen physically or understood scientifically
- APPLICATION: Since God goes to the heart of issues, are we finding time to meet with him and for him to speak to our heart. Share example of QT last week
- Here is one of the wisest men of Israel, a spiritual leader, a teacher, and yet Nicodemus doesn't understand. Why is it so hard to understand spiritual rebirth?
- Possibly he thought he did not need it. This is always the danger of the overtly religious
- They think that they are already Christians by virtue of church attendance or birth and do not need a rebirth
- Jesus asks the same question of Nicodemus. He seemed to believe that Nicodemus ought to understand this doctrine, why? (Constable, 2012 thoughts follow)
- The OT often used water to symbolize spiritual cleansing and renewal
- Num 19:17-19 (NIV) "For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. 18 Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinkle the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or someone who has been killed or someone who has died a natural death. 19 The man who is clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify him. The person being cleansed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and that evening he will be clean.
- Ps 51:10 (NIV) Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
- God's spirit in the OT represents God's life
- Job 34:14-15 (NIV) If it were his intention // and he withdrew his spirit and breath, // 15 all mankind would perish together // and man would return to the dust.
- An outpouring of God's spirit was coming
- Joel 2:28-29 (NIV) 'And afterward, // I will pour out my Spirit on all people. // Your sons and daughters will prophesy, // your old men will dream dreams, // your young men will see visions. // 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, // I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
- A new heart would come
- Jer 31:33-34 (NIV) "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel // after that time," declares the Lord. // "I will put my law in their minds // and write it on their hearts. // I will be their God, // and they will be my people. // 34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, // or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' // because they will all know me, // from the least of them to the greatest," // declares the Lord. // "For I will forgive their wickedness // and will remember their sins no more."
- What is Jesus saying the Nicodemus greatest need?
- The new birth is actually an earthly thing that leads to an understanding of heavenly things
- Until we have a new birth, spiritual things will not make sense
- Jesus summarizes the key truths for Nicodemus
- God sends his son to die for the world
- Belief in the son gives eternal life
- Belief releases condemnation
- Refusal to believe condemns a person (Incidentally, even if you believe that Jesus paid all the sins of the world, refusal to believe is sufficient to condemn)
- Jesus gives us some excellent insight into those who refuse the gospel
- Light (Jesus) came into the world (John makes this argument in chapter one)
- Me loved darkness instead of light
- Read a fascinating story about atheists the other day. Most atheists have serious sin issues. Refusal to believe in a god is a natural response to their refusal to change their lifestyle
- People don't believe in God because he is unbelievable, but because they don't want to repent of their sin
- APPLICATION: For the believer who can't lose his salvation, there is still a warning to never hide in the darkness. Repent of sin, never stop repenting of sin
John
2:11-22 (NIV) This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana
in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in
him.
12
After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his
disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
13
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and
others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords,
and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the
coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold
doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's
house into a market!"
17 His
disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will
consume me."
18
Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to
prove your authority to do all this?"
19
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in
three days."
20 The
Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you
are going to raise it in three days?" 21 But the temple he had spoken of
was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled
what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus
had spoken.
John
2:23-3:8 (NIV)
23 Now
while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the
miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to
them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man's testimony about man, for
he knew what was in a man.
3:1Now
there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish
ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you
are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous
signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3 In
reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom
of God unless he is born again."
4
"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked.
"Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be
born!"
5
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of
God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh,
but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my
saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You
hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.
So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
John
3:9-21 (NIV) "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
10
"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not
understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know,
and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our
testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe;
how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever
gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the
desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in
him may have eternal life.
16
"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. 17 For God did
not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world
through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not
believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of
God's one and only Son. 19 This is the
verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of
light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the
light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be
exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it
may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
