Note From the Author
Thank you for using this free resource. Below, you will find my brief notes on every verse in John’s gospel to give some additional insight into your personal study of John’s gospel, use in sermon preparation, or help as you lead your family in worship. John’s gospel is foundational for Christian faith and provides the framework to understand John’s other letters in the New Testament (1-3 John and Revelation). John is the first book of the Bible I recommend anyone read. It is theologically deep and highly relatable in western culture. I hope you benefit greatly from my thoughts as you read or teach through John’s gospel. Please consider supporting this expository ministry as I work to provide these resources in every language and serve more than 30,000 readers around the world.
Gospel of John
Devotional Commentary
Chapter 1
Verses 1-5
As I reflect on John’s introduction, I find it interesting to see that the light is not Christ Himself in this instance. Life is the light of men. The Word of God, who is God and is with God in the beginning, is the one in whom life is—from the beginning, not merely from the moment of the cross.
Darkness, then, is the absence of life. Most human religion and thought centers its message on death and prioritizes rewards that are materialistic in nature; having nothing to do with life. From the outset of John’s Gospel, the message is about life. Life is the focus. Life is the thing to have. Life is found only in God the Word—the Logos, Jesus Christ.
If our religion promises mansions, personal glory, lands, planets, or material possessions as a reward for obedience to a person or organization, I think we have been short changed. The priority in the Gospel is life. Life is found only in the person of Christ the Word. It’s time to stop settling for human religion, religiosity, and philosophies. I believe God wants to offer us life, and it seems this claim is the key thesis of John’s Gospel from the start.
Life came into the darkness, and darkness has not overcome it. Life wins. The gates of Hell will never prevail against God’s life agenda.
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Verses 6-13
Here, John the Apostle tells us about John the Baptizer. The Baptizer was sent from God to bear witness to the light in fulfillment of Malachi 4:5-6. John the Baptizer told the world that life had finally come into the world as has been promised repetitively since Genesis 3. At this moment, John the Apostle also refers to Jesus as the True Light—the source of life, which is the light of men in verses 1-5.
The whole world was made through Jesus Christ, God the Word. Yet, when He came into the world, assuming human flesh, the world did not recognize Him. His own chosen nation, Israel, did not receive Him—a fulfillment of Isaiah 53. Anyone who did receive Him, He gave the right to become children of God.
To be a child of God is to believe in Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus’s name are those who were (4) born of God—not (1) of blood, (2) the will of the flesh, or (3) the will of man. Now, there’s a single sentence with profound theological implications.
1) Children of God are not born of blood. By this, I think John means to say that God’s children are not determined by a person’s nationality. God is not a nationalistic God. According to Scripture, He did choose a nation through which to bless all other nations (cf. Genesis 11; 15), but God is not bound by our nationalistic borders. Our religion is not to be confused with nationalism. Just because someone is born under on flag or another does not make him a child of God or restrict him from being a child of God.
2) Children of God are also not born of the will of the flesh. No person makes himself a child of God by his own striving, desires, or muster. No matter what religion or philosophical viewpoint we take, Scripture claims we can never be children of God by the will of the flesh in any way. People in different theological camps will explain how this basic biblical truth works out differently, but the basic truth remains. It is okay to disagree about what we think the intricacies of God’s economy are, but God must save us. We can’t save ourselves. God must adopt us. We can’t adopt ourselves on His behalf.
3) Children of God are not born of the will of man. According to John, very explicitly here, no one can make another person a child of God whether by means of force, coercion, or persuasion. Any religion that prioritizes man’s work in evangelism or the conversion of another over knowing Christ more hasn’t understood the basic soteriology of the Bible and reduces human religion to our ability to get people to follow after us. Evangelism is important, but it is not the power of God and should not be our idol. When we prioritize an evangelistic spirit over knowing God well, we produce either shallow or false converts. This is the problem with evangelistic ministries today, especially as they are targeted mostly toward young people who are easy to manipulate. We should, instead, be giving them a proper foundation, teaching them how to think well, and not neglecting to give the whole counsel of Scripture. Then, we will see younger generations in deeper faith who do not leave when they come of age and try to deconstruct what they’ve been taught.
4) God’s children are, however, born of God. Those who believe in Jesus have been born of God—by His will and after His likeness. John will expand on this truth throughout his Gospel.
I find great encouragement in the sovereignty of God in salvation. The calling on my life is not to reach and convert the masses. It is not to have a grand ministry by worldly standards. It is not to make one nation or another great. The calling on my life is simply to abide with Christ, going with Him as He accomplishes His work according to His will. AS we consider Christ together, I pray for deep roots in the true Gospel rather than in the idolatry of the proselyte—which is widespread in our day.
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Verses 14-18
The Word, Jesus, became flesh. I don’t understand this to mean that the divine transformed into flesh but rather assumed human flesh, such that the human flesh and nature was added to the divine nature without losing the divine nature in any degree or respect. In this incarnation, we were finally able to behold God—full of grace and truth. When we think about the incarnation in terms of visibility, we must realize that, because of the transcendent nature of the divine, incarnation is necessary if anyone is going to know God. Biblical Christianity is the only worldview that provides an incarnation such that there is no incoherence or non-correspondence.
John the Baptizer pointed to Jesus and testified that he was truly God the Word, now the begotten Son of the Father. In Christ Jesus, God gave us His fullness by grace because He wanted to. If God gave His fullness to us in Christ, there is no more revelation. The canon of Scripture is closed after Jesus was written about and His church established. That is why we don’t believe there are any new prophets, priests, incarnations, mahdi’s or otherwise since Jesus. If God gave the fullness of Himself already, He has nothing more to give because there is nothing more to be given.
No one has seen God because He is transcendent. We did see His incarnation. In His incarnation He is fully revealed. Moses gave the Law. By the Law, people could exercise their faith in obedience—knowing about their hope without having seen God. In Christ, now by grace and truth, God has been clearly seen in His fullness, and we can experience Him personally.
This is the Gospel; By our will and work, we cannot get to God. He is transcendent and beyond our reach. But, God came to us.
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Verses 19-28
John the Baptizer begins his public ministry, comprising mostly preaching Old Testament messianic passages and baptizing Jews who come to him. Some leading Jews come out from Jerusalem to question John, but John was not trying to be the next public teaching figure. Unlike others, he was not claiming to be the literal resurrection of Elijah, the messiah, or even a simple prophet. John had one mission in fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1—prepare the way for the true messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.
John’s baptism had no power. It was merely water. Yet, it put attention on the need for personal purification. I think we can learn much from John the Baptizer’s ministry. Our words, actions, ordinances, sacraments, and whatever else we do have no power. They are merely material practices. But, perhaps our religion can be used to introduce people to the only one with true power to forgive sin—Jesus Christ. If we are bringing people to church by the power of our words, programs, and ordinances, they will fail. If we are simply preparing the way for Jesus to cut to the heart, divide bone and marrow, soul and spirit, He will never fail. It isn’t for us to cut through the chaos because we are not powerful to do so. It is prideful to think we are. It is for us to sit and learn from Jesus, who is the only one offering rest.
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Verses 29-34
When I read this passage at face-value, it seems as though John the Baptizer does not know his cousin is the messiah until the Holy Spirit descends in this moment. This was not a premeditated rouse to capture followers for a new religion or cult. Jesus didn’t tell John. John was prepared to testify to whomever the Holy Spirit descended on. I have a feeling Jesus told John to look for the one on whom the Holy Spirit would descend on and abide with. I can only speculate as to John’s surprise and excitement when it was his cousin, the one he grew up with.
John vouches for Jesus. He knew Jesus as literal family. He testifies as a witness with the Holy Spirit.
While John baptized with water, Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. People who believe in Jesus are not merely cleansed outwardly but inwardly. They are not only washed clean but, like John will describe later, given an indwelling helper.
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Verses 35-42
John the Baptizer introduces two of his disciples to Jesus—Andrew and Simon Peter. We don’t often think about these two having first been disciples of John the Baptizer. After John introduced them to Jesus and upon hearing Jesus teach, the two men started following Jesus. Jesus asked them a question we should all consider, “What do you seek?”
In response, Andrew and Peter asked Jesus where He was staying—not really an answer to Jesus’s question. Perhaps their answer resonates with our own. Many of us don’t really know what we are seeking or searching for. Just as Jesus invited Andrew and Peter into His life even though they didn’t know what they sought, He also invites us into His life. I find this truth to be highly encouraging. No matter what we are searching for, Jesus invites us to follow Him and find life.
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Verses 43-51
Philip and Nathaniel follow Jesus. I don’t know why Nathaniel was under the fig tree, but Jesus’s divine knowledge of the occasion was enough to persuade Nathaniel that He was indeed the Son of God. Jesus promised Nathaniel he would see much greater things, including angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man—Jesus’s favorite title for Himself.
Sometimes the application of Scripture is simple. Not everything has to be a mind-shattering or profound epiphany. Jesus knows our circumstances. He knows what we go through. He sees us. He does not neglect us. What a basic and most needed reminder.
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Chapter 2
Verses 1-12
The turning of water to wine at Cana is a popular story. Many people take many details from the text to expound on them, but I think it is important to keep ourselves from saying what the text does not say. After all, we want to speak God’s explicit words and not our own. There may be some significance to the superior wine, but the text does not say. There may be some significance to the fact that Jesus used water meant for purification, but the text does not say. There may be the common Mother’s Day application—showing how Jesus honored His mother even though it was not His time, but the text does not go in that direction. When we truly believe in the sufficiency of Scripture, it shows in how we approach and talk about the biblical stories. Instead of all this, John tells us his point explicitly—and I rarely hear the actual point of the text when the text is presented.
More and more, I am unsatisfied when the sermon misses the actual point of the text in favor of the point the preacher wants to make. In verse 11, John gives us the only point of this story. This was the first of Jesus’s signs. It manifested His glory. His disciples believed in Him.
Jesus might have been honoring His mother’s request, but the sign was down explicitly and primarily for the disciple’s sake. Jesus might have intentionally used purification water, but that detail doesn’t matter. If it did matter, I think God would have thought to say it explicitly to us. It’s background at best, and we shouldn’t make it our main point because it is not the Bible’s main point. It was not yet Jesus’s time to start His public signs. So, He did this sign privately for His disciples only—for the sake of their belief in Him as their Messiah.
For the sake of “winning the lost” or advancing our own ministries, we often neglect building the faith of those already present with us. We are more about building than serving. Jesus’s ways are better. He serves His people and increases their faith. Then, at the appropriate time, builds His kingdom out. He does not neglect the faith of those already with Him to gain more followers. Neither should we, even though that is the temptation because we tend to idolize growth. I thank God that He takes the time to increase my faith, that Jesus actually has communion with His people. I thank God that the kingdom of heaven is not merely about growth but about Christ abiding with His people in the faith He so graciously provides.
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Verses 13-22
Jesus was not opposed to violence. He was opposed to injustice. It is unjust for any church or clergyman to interest themselves in making money because they will end up using people instead of ministering to them. Like the pyramids were built on the backs of slaves, so Saint Peter’s Basilica was built on the backs of the impoverished. Jesus sees religious leaders building their religious kingdom on the backs of people trying to honor God’s Law.
There is something to be said about churches that prioritize their buildings, budgets, and programs over people. Even if there are good people in the church, Christ actively stands against us if we idolize our material possessions and focus on those things. His church, like the Temple, is to be a house of prayer, not profit or even savings. We can either worship God or mammon, but we cannot have two masters. This doesn’t stop many modern-day local churches from trying to balance ministry in one hand and business in the other. According to Jesus, we always end up loving one and hating the other (cf. Matthew 6:24).
Instead of recognizing their error, some leading Jews asked for Jesus to provide a sign of His authority. Who do you think you are to come in here and tell us how to do things?
Jesus simply said He would rebuild the Temple in three days if it were torn down. Those Jews’ entire way of life would end in AD 70 when Titus raised the Temple. Jesus, the true Temple, would die and be raised to life within three days.
The resurrection is Jesus’s proof of His own position and authority. At His resurrection, His disciples believed. Because of His resurrection, we can all believe. Our religion can be pure and undefiled. We can worship God rather than mammon. Where our hearts are, there our treasure is also. For those looking for a healthy church home, I encourage you to look at the church’s spending. Spending habits say a lot about the heart of a church. Saving and hoarding habits also say a lot about the heart of a church. We can also investigate how churches make money and how staff-members are paid. The budget reveals more about the cares of a church than any other document, website, sermon, or any program. On a personal level, our earning and spending habits reveal a lot about what we love as well. Time to examine ourselves.
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Verses 23-25
People saw the signs Jesus did in Jerusalem. Many of them believed in His name, but Jesus did not commit Himself to them because He knew man—here I believe referring to human nature. Jesus knew what was in man—man’s thoughts and agendas.
We expect someone positioning himself as some kind of messianic figure or deliverer to commit himself to the people he gains as a following for himself. Jesus wasn’t interested in being that kind of leader—the kind of leader we now associate with the formation of cults. Jesus did not have to manipulate people into following Him because He is the real messiah. He doesn’t need a cult following. He came not to be served but to serve and give life to others.
This is how we distinguish between the truth of Jesus’s messianic position and the lies of mere mortals in the world with messiah complexes. Jesus gave Himself to people. Everyone else seeks to gain popularity, wealth, and/or power from their “flocks.” We know Jesus was not a cult leader like Muhammad or any other because Jesus did not take anything for Himself like the others did. Jesus gave His life for His people—loosing our bonds, not tightening them.
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Chapter 3
Verses 1-8
When we read Jesus’s famous conversation with Nicodemus, we tend to skip straight to John 3:16. While that promise is true, there is a lot more to glean from a conversation between perhaps the most prominent teacher in Israel and God the Son.
Nicodemus has reasoned that Jesus must be from God because Jesus’s signs prove His position according to Old Testament prophetic texts. Nicodemus is smart to seek Jesus out to learn from Him. Jesus captures the curiosity of Israel’s leading mind.
One must be born again to enter the Kingdom of Heaven—an Old Testament phrase referring specifically to the ever-increasing dominion and peace that will overtake the earth at the advent of the messiah (cf. Isaiah 9).
Nicodemus rightly asks for clarification and Jesus obliges him. Unless one is born of water, I believe referring to natural birth, and the Spirit, I believe referring to spiritual birth, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Those merely born of the flesh have no way to enter the kingdom. Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as moving according to His own will, not according to our perception or prescription. So, everyone born of the Spirit is born of the Spirit because of the Spirit’s work, not the perception or prescription of the flesh.
Well-meaning evangelists often skip to John 3::16 to manipulate people into giving their hearts to Jesus. We have forgotten that we have no control of someone’s spiritual birth. If we or others are not first born again of the Spirit according to the Spirit’s will, we cannot enter the kingdom. We do not ask Jesus into our hearts to be born again. Instead, we repent and believe the gospel as a result of being born again by the Spirit.
Different people try to explain the process in different ways, but I’m more interested in the plain words in Scripture. I don’t claim to know the method or metric employed by the Spirit to cause new birth. I do know that without the explicit movement of the Spirit, people may enter a local church but they cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Nicodemus rightly asks, “How can these things be?” Jesus will explain further.
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Verses 9-17
Nicodemus did not understand how one must be born again by the Spirit. As basic a truth it was for Jesus, not even Israel’s teacher understood. That means it is perfectly okay if we don’t understand exactly how salvation works. Christians argue from different points of view about the order of salvation, but I don’t think it is necessary to do so. Jesus saves us. We have faith He is just in how He brings about our salvation. With childlike faith we seek to follow after Him. The Christian faith is easier than we often make it.
If Jesus is teaching about earthly things, how will nicodemus understand heavenly things? Explicitly, Jesus claims that teaching about the kingdom of heaven is an earthly thing. It’s not teaching about heaven as an etherial place. In the Old and New testaments, the kingdom of heaven is always the expanding kingdom of the messiah on the earth. It isn’t like the kingdoms of the world, but it is on the earth. Jesus is teaching about earthly things, not heavenly things, because Nicodemus certainly would not understand heavenly things.
Jesus is the only one who came from Heaven to Earth to establish His kingdom. He must be lifted up. When people look to Him, they will be healed of sin’s venom. Whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have everlasting life. He came to save, not condemn.
Considering all of John 3, the regenerative work of the Spirit precedes individual belief and acceptance of salvation as a gift. We are made citizens by the Spirit first, then we believe upon Christ. I believe this to be a logical order, not a temporal one. Because God is timeless, all of His economic operations are inseparable and indistinguishable from the others
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Verses 18-21
This passage is why we should avoid the Theological Interpretation of Scripture (TIS) or categorical reading of Scripture. It is easy for the calvinist to look at the beginning of John 3 and insist people have no free will. But, this passage says nothing about free will. It is easy for quasi-arminians and arminians to look at John 3:16 and say salvation depends first on our belief. But, this passage says nothing about that. When we read the Bible categorically, we always fail to listen to the text because we are trying to make it fit our categories. I’m not sure God cares much about the theological categories we have developed.
It is true that one must be born of the Spirit by the Spirit’s will to enter the kingdom. It is also true that whoever believes will have eternal life. It is also true that the blame of the reprobate person’s condemnation falls on him as an individual person. Those who believe in Jesus are not condemned. Those who do not believe are condemned already. Jesus doesn’t have to condemn them again. They are not condemned because they chose not to believe. The blame for any person’s condemnation is on that person. That person loves the darkness and wants to justify his selfish deeds—a truly deplorable and unjust lifestyle in God’s eyes.
If we believe in Jesus, our deeds are exposed to have been wrought in God. I see here that we can either work for ourselves and be self-condemned. The wages of sin is death. Or, we can believe in Jesus and let it be shown that He is working in us through the Holy Spirit resulting in life. The gift of God is eternal life.
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Verses 22-36
A dispute arose about purification because Jesus was baptizing people. John’s disciples asked about it, and John replied with his famous statement, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” At Jesus’s advent, He became the only one worthy of having any disciples. If we now teach others anything, we teach them as equals or as people who are more important than us. We don’t teach because we know more or are trying to change people. We teach because we are proclaiming the words of Christ to serve and build others up. He must increase. We must decrease. No teacher today is better than John the Baptizer, and this was his outlook on making disciples. Should it not also be ours?
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Chapter 4
Verses 1-26
Jesus talks with the Samaritan woman. Jesus proves who He is by telling the woman about her sin. He also does not condemn her. During the conversation, Jesus makes a few points:
Salvation is of the Jews but for the whole world.
The Father is seeking worshippers for Himself. Worldly religion assumes that people seek after God. But, it is always God who seeks.
True worshippers worship in Spirit and truth, not at the high place in Samaria or Jerusalem.
If we are in Christ, the Father sought us. He did not seek us to worship according to the stringent paradigms of the world. He sought us to worship in Spirit and truth. In fact, those who truly worship the Father must worship in Spirit and truth. There is a conversation to be had about exactly what that means, but the fact remains.
Jesus here also claims to be the Messiah, the Christ, the one who will tell the world all things.
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Verses 27-38
Jesus fled from some hostile Pharisees and rested His body at the Well of Jacob. A woman happened by and a gospel conversation ensued. Jesus was not trying to produce a crowd, but a crowd came. As the crowd came, Jesus’s disciples tried to get Him to eat. Essentially, Jesus responded by telling them there was an opportunity that shouldn’t be squandered.
Look at the fields! Look at all the people gathering. They are ready to receive the gospel. The fields are ripe for harvest. Jesus clearly explained what He meant. His disciples, in this case, are reaping what they did not sow or labor for. Others labored, and the Samaritans were ready. All the disciples had to do was share the good news and offer an invitation to come.
When we read the whole biblical story, I think it’s clear that God has been laboring to build His own kingdom since the beginning. We see that explicitly in verses like Jeremiah 33:2 and Isaiah 9:7. The Lord’s zeal will accomplish building His own kingdom on the earth. God created the earth so that He would establish it. In the New Testament, God the Son sends His disciples to reap what they did not sow. In practicing evangelism, then, they have fellowship with the one who actually did all the work in preparing the field—God.
This realization is not insignificant for us when we think about evangelism in the modern day. Because we think more highly of ourselves than we ought, we think it falls to us to labor in the fields as if the preparation and growth depends on us. It does not. No pastor or personality, no evangelist or teacher, can change the fact that God alone gives the growth (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:6). If we reap anything in evangelism, it is because God, by His zeal, has made the fields ripe for harvest.
Yet, we create churches and ministries that are primarily evangelistic—such that we measure our success by the number of people in the pew or number of baptisms in a year. We effectively try to take work God has reserved for Himself on as if God needs us to build His kingdom for Him. We need to humble ourselves and loose our ministries of this success syndrome; I fear it is actually killing our churches. God doesn’t need us.
Yet, God sends us to practice evangelism—not because the salvation of the world depends on us. It doesn’t. It only depends on Christ. In participating in Christ’s work with all the saints—past, present, and future—we enter into their labors, have fellowship with them, and receive our wages as laborers in Christ’s fields.
The work of evangelism is about being with Christ, not bolstering our numbers. For, how can we have fellowship with Christ if we are not with Him as He works? This is a higher view of evangelism than we are used to in the West. It is a higher view of God, and a humbler view of self. It ultimately brings more satisfaction in our kingdom labors.
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Verses 39-42
The Samaritans believed in Jesus first because of the woman’s testimony. Once they heard Jesus, they no longer believed because of the woman’s testimony. They believed because they heard Jesus.
True evangelism does not use people to build the numbers of a church organization or boast in the numbers of people any person is able to produce. True evangelism tells of Christ and releases people to Christ. We are merely beggars pointing other beggars to where the bread is.
It’s not about increasing a local church’s size.
It’s not about recording mere baptisms.
It’s not about bolstering our own ministries.
It’s not about bringing more money into the church.
It’s not about making disciples of ourselves or our pastors.
It is about bringing people to Jesus. That is all. This means much for any pastor. We make disciples of Jesus, not ourselves. God will take care of the rest.
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Verses 43-45
In Matthew 13:57, we read that prior to the feast, Jesus did not do many signs in Nazareth because the people did not believe. Jesus was without honor in His hometown. After the feast, Jesus returned to Galilee. At this point, some of the Galileans who did not believe saw His signs in Jerusalem. Now, they received Him. Time proves who we are. Jesus doesn’t rush us into a relationship with Him. He doesn’t mind proving Himself. We also learn from Jesus’s example. If people are slow to trust or accept us, we don’t have to force it or think little of others. Time proves who we are, and patience is a virtue—especially in our relationships with people
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Verses 46-54
The nobleman did not believe in Jesus. He was desperate. People who are desperate reach out to Jesus all the time. They don’t necessarily believe, but they will try anything. Jesus, before healing the nobleman’s son, points out his disbelief, hardness of heart, and selfishness. You people won’t believe by any means.
This isn’t only the way of Galileans in the First Century. It is the way of worldly people. Before I knew Christ, I demanded God prove Himself before I would believe. We don’t only act this way toward God. We demand that people prove themselves over and over—which doesn’t really work well for healthy relationships. Do you like always having to prove yourself? No? Why are we so hypocritical to demand that of God? Of one another? Coming from someone who always demanded proof, always demanding proof and not having faith is a negative characteristic, not a positive one—because it is selfish. In living that way, we consider ourselves to be the highest authority. I think reason and critical thought are good. But, most things worth believing can’t be proven empirically. Everyone has faith in something that can’t be proven.
Jesus points this out but also heals the Nobleman’s son. Because of the sign, the man and his household believed. I think Jesus understands our depravity and tendency toward selfish religion. Yet, though we are in unbelief and demand signs in unhealthy ways, Jesus meets us where we are. Many people come to Christ not because they want to know Him but because they want to escape Hell, be delivered from desperate circumstances, feel something religious, want their children to learn good moral values, desire community, want programs for their children, or because their friend or family came to Jesus. Despite our selfishness in coming, Jesus graciously meets each one. He then raises us, starting in our selfishness of belief and bringing us to maturity in His faith. He is good. He doesn’t reject people because of their bad religion or misunderstanding of Him and His work. Praise God for that because people believe all sorts of things and practice all sorts of man-made religion. Jesus is king, not us. He doesn’t depend on our doctrine or practice whatsoever.
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Chapter 5
Verses 1-15
After Jesus healed the paralytic at Bethesda, His invitation was simple—Go and sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.
We really like to aggrandize our callings in Christ because we tend to think so highly of ourselves. Christ brings healing to us, and we imagine He wants us to go be evangelists or preachers. These works are not Christ’s primary calling on anyone’s life. Go. Sin no more.
We also tend to think that a gospel call involves forgiveness for our sin without a call to stop sinning. The gospel is freedom from the power of sin. Jesus says it here. Sin no more. This is the calling on our lives, and it seems to me that there is a whole lot about the redemption of the world through Christ’s people wrapped up in sinning no more.
It doesn’t come without warning, “…lest a worse thing come upon you.” There are other things like this elsewhere in the Bible. If we taste and see the glory of God but don’t actually turn from our ways, I think we are worse off because we refuse to actually follow Jesus. We wanted the benefits without the responsibility. We didn’t actually want life to change for the better. The invitation to kill our sin is part of the gospel invitation.
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Verses 16-23
Not only did Jesus heal on the Sabbath, which was not actually against Mosaic Law, but He also claimed God was His Father. Many Jews sought to kill Jesus all the more because He made such an audacious claim. What is so alarming about Jesus claiming God is His Father? John clarified that, in making this claim, Jesus was making Himself equal with God. According to Jesus’s own claims about Himself:
He does whatever the Father does in like manner,
He will give life like the Father does according to His will,
He will judge people on the Father’s behalf, and
All should honor Him as they honor the Father.
In fact, if someone doesn’t honor Jesus as He honors the God, that person does not actually honor God at all.
No one on Earth can honor God without honoring Christ. We may hear that Jesus never claimed to be God. In this single passage, Jesus claimed He had the same nature as God, did the works of God, gives life that only God can give, judges people like only God can, and has all the honor only God has. Jesus made Himself the same as, or equal to, God. We either believe Him about His own nature or we don’t.
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Verses 24-30
Jesus has all authority to judge all people. Yet, because He is one with the Father, nothing is done apart from the Father. Jesus, the Word, reveals the Father’s will. God, in essence, remains simple. All His works are inseparable.
Jesus claims that everyone will exist after death. Some will be raised to the resurrection of life. Some will be raised to the resurrection of condemnation. According to Jesus here, each person’s destination depends on whether he did good or evil. Yet, earlier Jesus said plainly that anyone who hears His voice and believes in the Father will not come into judgment. Perhaps doing good accompanies hearing and believing. Perhaps good trees produce good fruit. Perhaps works are necessary evidence of faith. We can say we are saved by grace through faith. We can also recognize that faith without works is dead. We can say we are saved by grace through faith alone, and also recognize that each person is judged according to his works. Good works show we have been saved. Evil works show we have not. Salvation is by grace alone, not grace that is alone. Regeneration logically precedes faith. Faith logically precedes works.
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Verses 31-47
There are many people who have claimed to be the Christ, a prophet, an incarnation of a god, a mahdi, or something similar. They are usually false messiah’s who lead many people astray. What makes Jesus any different?
Jesus taught that if He bore witness about Himself, His witness is not true. The baptizer testified about Him, but even that was not a sufficient testimony. According to Jesus, the only sufficient testimony could come directly from God. If there was no testimony from God in a clear way, Jesus, according to His own words, was a liar.
Jesus gave us a way to falsify His claims about who He is. It seems God spent much time in human history inspiring many prophesies the messiah would have to fulfill. Jesus pointed at those prophecies and instructed people to compare Him to what had been written since Moses started writing Genesis. He challenged us to confirm that He fit the bill. He invited scrutiny. Then, He showed that many people don’t believe Moses. If we don’t believe those words that God inspired millennia in the past, how will we believe in Jesus or His words?
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Chapter 6
Verses 1-15
Jesus miraculously fed the five thousand. I understand there are some people who make this a story of inspiration. The boy shared his meal, which inspired others to share and retrieve more food. By the end, twelve baskets were left over. But, I believe this to be a miracle. I believe Jesus actually multiplied the bread and fish. In verse 6, Jesus takes credit for what He is about to do. Jesus would be the one to do it. After the leftovers were gathered, the men who saw the sign Jesus did believed He was the prophet who is to come into the world.
“The prophet,” is very specific. The people were expecting the prophet to come into the world. My question is simple… What prophet were they expecting? In Deuteronomy 18:15 and following, God promised to raise up a prophet like Moses. I believe in Deuteronomy, God was referring to all the prophets because there was a warning for them to only speak God’s words. At this point, there hasn’t been a prophet like Moses since Malachi’s death 400 years prior. Now there is a man miraculously feeding people like manny from Heaven (Exodus 16:1ff). Because of the miracles, the people believe Jesus is the next prophet according to God’s promise through Moses. This is one reason Jesus always said things like, “I do not speak my own words, but the words of Him who sent Me.” Jesus was the next prophet to Israel, to the Jews. He was different from all the previous prophets. He was the last and perpetual prophet. There have been no new prophets since Jesus because Jesus was raised and remains in that office.
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Verses 16-21
The disciples departed on the sea without Jesus, who withdrew to be by Himself. After they bad traveled a few miles, Jesus met them by walking to them on the sea as the waters churned. After hearing it was Jesus, the disciples were willing to let Him on the boat.
It is possible that the boat arrived at one to the shore on the other side of the sea. It is also possible it arrives soon, since the word can be correctly translated both ways into English. Since the Sea of Galilee is only about 8 miles wide at it’s narrowest point, Jesus is certainly and miraculously walking on the water at the sea’s deepest point.
As the disciples are tempest tossed on their small boat, their savior appears in the storm and echoes the same words He spoke to Moses from the burning bush, “I am.” In the Exodus, God sent a representative. In the gospels, God Himself came to rescue us from our slavery to sin. This is His greeting to us, “I am. Do not be afraid.” Are we willing to let Him on the boat?
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Verses 22-27
Jesus talks to the people who wanted to make Him king. Don’t work for food that perishes but for food that lasts for eternal life. Jesus wasn’t going to be merely a physical king who provided what would not last. He wanted to provide eternal sustenance, bread of life. He wanted the people, then and now, to trust in Him for a higher kingdom and lasting fulfillment.
There are so many people who focus merely on the physical and what a physical king can provide. Christ calls us to look higher. Don’t work for food that perishes. If the goal of our labor in life is merely to provide for ourselves or our families, we will not experience true fulfillment in Christ. Instead, the purpose of our labor, whatever that labor is, is to be closer to Jesus—who alone provides everlasting satisfaction and fulfillment.
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Verses 28-34
This group of people who previously witnessed the miracle of multiplied food, at it, and were filled, as Jesus what works they can perform to do the works of God. A reasonable question since Jesus just told them to work for the food that lasts forever.
Jesus claims that the only work of God we can do is believing in Him, Jesus. The people who just witnessed a miracle in the likeness of Moses as Jesus for proof before they believe in Him. Jesus told them the truth. That bread wasn’t from Moses. It was from God. Instead of bread, God is now giving life. Jesus was here to give that life to people.
The people ask Jesus to give them life. Sometimes we get so concerned about being provided for physically that we miss actually having life. This presents one issue with acts of charity today, Merely providing what people need in a moment distracts them from their real need—Jesus.
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Verses 35-46
Jesus claims to be the bread of life. Anyone who believes in Him will have eternal life—never thirsting or hungering again. After seeing Jesus’s miracles, wanting to make Him a physical king, and then hearing such a message, the people complained about Jesus. How could Jesus claim to be God from Heaven?
In response to their complaining, Jesus shared a spiritual truth with them from the prophets—namely Jeremiah 31:33-34, where Jeremiah foretold when Jesus would come. God would write His law upon people’s hearts and people would be taught by God directly. This meant only the Father can draw people to Jesus. There is no miracle, no provision, and no sign that can make people believe because we are so self-righteous and incapable. Even if God set Lazarus to proclaim from the grave or pulled back the heavens, people would not believe. But, everyone who is drawn by the Father, listens to the Father, and learns from the Father comes to Jesus. Here, I find great encouragement. Everyone who sincerely seeks will find.
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Verses 47-59
The group of people who saw Jesus’s miracle grumbled at His teaching in the synagogue. Jesus made two claims.
1) He came to give everlasting life. Unlike with Moses, when people still died, Jesus offered Himself so those who partook of Him, trusting in Him for true sustenance, would live forever.
2) Jesus claimed that those who did not partake in Him do not have this life.
Just as those who don’t eat die, so those who don’t partake of Christ die. Over the centuries, Christians have disagreed about exactly what it means to eat Christ’s flesh and drink His blood, but at the least I think we can say it means daily communing with Him because we need Jesus more than we need physical food and drink.
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Verses 60-71
The Spirit is the one who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. In context, Jesus is juxtaposing physical and spiritual sustenance. He says explicitly that the flesh doesn’t help at all with regard to life. Physical Nutrients may sustain the physical body for a time, but it doesn’t provide life in any meaningful or longevous way. We will still die and the meaning of true fulfillment will elude us. Life is more than food. Only the Spirit gives life—meaning and longevity.
Many people stopped following Jesus because of this teaching. They only wanted physical food. Here we see that Jesus’s ministry didn’t prioritize meeting physical needs. Jesus was more concerned about spiritual reality. Most people only want the physical. But, unlike with food, Jesus has the words of life—meaning and longevity.
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Chapter 7
Verses 1-9
Jesus’s brothers did not believe in Him and challenged Him to go to the festival of shelters or to appear as a public figure and prove His claims. Jesus’s time had not yet come, so He told them He would not go for this purpose.
Jesus’s brothers were correct. No one does anything in secret while seeking public recognition. He didn’t need anything from anyone. He came to serve rather than be served. He came to give, not to receive. We should be like Him. The pursuit of public recognition, celebrity status, and followers, even on social media, is the pursuit of human pride. So, Jesus would not go to present Himself this way. He would serve people, and in response, people would prop Him up as a controversial figure—which sadly also happens today.
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Verses 10-24
Jesus went to the feast in secret—not wanting to present Himself as a public figure. He started teaching in the Temple, and was thrust up on a pedestal anyway. He invited the crowd, who was in disagreement about Jesus already, to test His words by considering His own character. The one who speaks his own words seeks his own glory. The one who speaks words from the Father seeks the Father’s glory, not his own. The primary way we identify false teaching is by judging a person’s character. Namely, does he seek his own glory or God’s? Every person that presents himself like a public teacher says he is doing God’s will for God’s glory, but many are sadly building their own kingdoms on Christ’s back.
To see whether they speak God’s words or their own, we simply ask, “Are they trying to present themselves as public figures, or are they content to be servants? Jesus was certainly a servant even though He was the rightful king. Let’s be more like Him.
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Verses 25-27
Jesus’s critics do not debate Him publicly. Observers question whether they actually know He is the Messiah. Why would they have to act in secret if they are doing the right thing?
The people also seem to believe that one of the Messiah’s qualifying marks is that no one will know where He is from. While Malachi 3:1 claimed He would appear suddenly, no verse in prophecy claimed He would have an unknown origin. The people seemed to have a religious belief and expectation that was not biblical. Their tradition made them wrong. Tradition can be good, but it is a terrible master. May we all be humble in our beliefs—seeking to always reform according to God’s explicit word.
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Verses 28-36
Jesus claimed to be from the Father. He also claimed He would return to the Father at a time already determined. As people who have never seen God, and therefore can’t know Him, our only hope is to trust the only one who came from God.
The religious elite didn’t like this truth because it challenged their own knowledge and perceived superiority. May we seek humility. God can only be known through Jesus because only Jesus came from God; Jesus was God and was with God in the beginning. So, we trust His testimony about God. It’s the only hope we have, and no other religious perspective gets us there.
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Verses 37-39
In an instant, Jesus did exactly what He claimed He was not going to the festival to do. He did not lie previously. We have all had to do things that don’t quite fit our original intentions, so we can understand what’s happening here. Jesus did not go to the festival to present Himself as a public figure. Jesus didn’t in fact present Himself. The crowds put the spotlight on Him, so He stood up and told them the truth.
It is easy to get into some weeds when we try to think about Christ’s divinity—particularly His omniscience. I don’t believe He set any part of that aside. He knew what would happen at the festival, and He knew it had to happen that way. The fact remains that Jesus was not the type of person interested in gaining a cult following. He was, however, interested in serving and saving the world. There had to be some public discourse there.
So, we don’t seek to gain a following. Like Jesus, we speak truth in whatever circumstances God words out on our paths.
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Verses 40-44
There was disagreement in the crowds about Jesus’s identity as Messiah. The people who knew the Scriptures knew the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. I think they rightly questioned because they knew Jesus was from Galilee. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, but He was indeed born in Bethlehem into a family within David’s line of descendants. We all form opinions without all the information sometimes. Instead of remaining ignorant, it is good to investigate so we can discover the truth. Those who seek will find. Jesus is the Messiah.
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Verses 45-52
It’s not usually a good practice to accuse your own people of being accursed just because they don’t do what you want. That’s exactly what people do when they feel threatened and insecure, and I think it describes the Pharisees here. Nicodemus tried reasoning with the others, and their own servants seem to have cause to believe in Jesus after being sent to arrest Him.
When we strive to promote ourselves, we are much like the Pharisees here. When we care about the truth, we are more like Nicodemus and the servants. Life simply isn’t about self-promotion like the world teaches. The first will be last and the last will be first.
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Chapter 8
Verses 1-11 (Initial Notes)
John 7:53-8:11 are not in the earliest and best manuscripts. The Christian faith is unique in that we are encouraged to investigate, like Nicodemus, and see what is true. We aren’t to have blind faith. The Bible never claims to be the way to life. While cults around the world blindly follow the doctrine of one man or their own sacred writings in dogmatic fashion, the Bible is different in Christian faith and life.
I do believe the Bible is inerrant and infallible in its autographs, but it is not the source of life or the way to Heaven. Jesus is. We find life not in our scriptures but in Christ alone. The Bible is not the fullness of the revelation of God… Jesus is.
Because of this, we have the freedom to do good textual criticism to see what might or might not have been written in the autographs but was added later. Through good textual criticism, we have been able to identify John 8:1-11 as such.
God has been good to preserve so many manuscripts to the extent He has so we can know what He has inspired biblically. With this in mind, we don’t neglect passages like John 7:53-8:11, but we carefully examine them and compare them to the explicit claims of true scripture in the rest of the Bible—holding fast to what is inspired and being cautious about what is not.
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Verses 1-11
Knowing the story of the woman caught in adultery was likely not in the autograph changes the way I read it, but I don’t think it contradicts anything we know about Jesus from the rest of the Bible. This group of Pharisees might have actually done things like this, and I could see Jesus responding the way described.
None of us is without sin, so we can’t condemn anyone else on the basis of their sin. Jesus really is interested in our redemption, not our destruction. God is good to the worst sinner.
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Verses 12-20
When Jesus claimed the Father testified about Him so there were two lawful witnesses, I believe He is referring to the testimony about Him in the Old Testament. Jesus not only told people who He was, but He fit the Old Testament description of the Messiah. Since His testimony was corroborated by the testimony of God’s word, His testimony about Himself would hold up in the Sanhedrin by the standards of Jewish Law.
Yet, some Pharisees wanted to make a case against the validity of Jesus’s testimony. Their case could not be made even by their own standards. There are many people today who want to make cases against Jesus. Typically, every case fails by the critics’ own standards. There is nothing new under the sun. Jesus’s claims, all of them, have stood the test of scrutiny for two millennia. He has not failed. He will not fail to fulfill His promise to those who believe in Him—eternal life and the demise of sin and death. Hallelujah!
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Verses 21-29
If people don’t believe in Jesus, the only one from the Father, they will die in their sins. Some in this group of people would never believe. Some would not believe until they saw Jesus lifted up on the cross. Jesus made this truth very clear. He did not come to build a cult following so people would die for Him. He was here to die for others. He knew what was coming for him. He was concerned about people dying in their sins.
Each of us will either die in Christ or in our sin. At this point, Jesus didn’t elaborate on the realities of Heaven or Hell, but it obviously mattered how people die—else Jesus would be concerned about it at all. Perhaps the worst existence is not in the place called Hell, but to be apart from Jesus, the one who gives life, forever. There comes a time for all of us to die. We cannot determine the times of our deaths. When it is your time, will you be with Jesus or will you be separated from life forever?
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Verses 30-47
The dichotomy Jesus draws between the tendency of some to seek the truth and others to self-justify is interesting. Jesus never tells us to have blind faith in Him. Rather, He says that those who sincerely seek the truth will find it. People who only wish to self-justify (even if they pretend to seek truth) will never find God or believe Jesus. Those who sincerely seek the truth will both find God and come to believe Jesus. Christianity has never been an obsequious sort of faith. It has always been a reasonable one. That is why Christians can be better scientists than non-Christians. The pursuit of truth in sincerity and freedom go hand-in-hand.
This truth brings much comfort and encouragement to us, especially concerning people we love who reject the faith and when raising our children. If the ones we love sincerely seek the truth, God leads them to Jesus. We don’t have to worry about the indoctrination of society or the false claims that come from worldly wisdom. We inspire our loved ones and raise our children to seek the truth. We lead by example. I think God’s promise here means much. Those who sincerely seek the truth will find it.
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Verses 48-59
Jesus claimed to be both Messiah and God, even existing before Abraham and concurrently at the same time, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Yes, Jesus is certainly greater than Abraham. Abraham longed to see Jesus’s day.
Jesus also didn’t care to glorify Himself. The Father was working all that out. It remains that Jesus came to serve and tell the truth, not be served by tickling people’s ears with lies. That’s what made Jesus so controversial. We know that the only way to know the Father is through Jesus because we can’t see the Father. At the core of Christian faith is the belief that Jesus came from the Father to reveal Him fully. Without the Christ, we are in the dark. Jesus is light in the darkness.
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Chapter 9
Verses 1-12
Jesus healed the blind man. The big question of the text is, “Who sinned that this man was born blind?”
It is human nature to search for meaning behind the existence of every atom and a working purpose for every little thing. According to Jesus, here, there was no underlying reason beyond God’s simple purpose for His own glory. I have come to believe that many things are gratuitous in God’s good creation. There doesn’t have to be a reason God created mosquitos or a reason our loved ones are struck with terminal illnesses. In this way, not everything happens for a reason. God is, though, working all things together for our good. He is glorified in everything. For materialists who believe every living thing mutated and evolved into its current state by means of natural selection, keeping only the mutations that are beneficial such that only the fittest survive, this becomes a problem of beauty.
The perception of beauty seems to be entirely gratuitous without any real evolutionary advantages, yet we perceive beauty and seem to Anatoly agree about what is and isn’t beautiful. From a Christian worldview, there doesn’t have to be a reason other than God wanted it that way.
In our lives personally, that means God isn’t necessarily putting us through bad circumstances because of some sin in our lives or someone else’s. Gratuity means bad things happen to good and bad people alike. It rains on the just and unjust. The promise of Scripture isn’t, “Everything happens for a reason.” It is, ‘God is working all things together, your bad circumstances included, for His glory and according to His good plan’ (cf. Romans 8:28ff).
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Verses 13-23
People fear God. That is why they justify their beliefs and react against God. I am convinced that even atheists do not disbelieve God because of facts but because they would rather be their own gods—much like the group of Jews in this part of the story. They refused to believe despite the proof in front of their own eyes. They so hated the work of God that they banned it from their synagogues. That’s what insincere, threatened people do—they ban stuff, even if it might be true or benefit them. Regardless of the fact that they banned Jesus and anyone who believed in Him, here was a man born blind but could now see. This group, along with any deniers in any time have to do something with this testimony and the vast number of testimonies to the miraculous we hear all the time.
Since there does seem to be miraculous healing in the world, how does such a reality fit into your worldview? Do you believe? Or, do you hear about the miracles and ignore such testimony so you can try to be your own god?
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Verses 24-34
The leaders of Israel continued to question about the man’s healing from blindness. He didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear. How could Jesus heal his blindness if He wasn’t from God? Instead of considering the man’s testimony, they ridiculed him. How could he provide counsel since he was born entirely in sin (referring to his blindness)?
These religious elites seem to have insinuated that they were not born entirely in sin or that some people are born in greater sin than others based on their circumstances. Jesus made a different claim previously. People are not born in varying degrees of sin. We were all born in the exact circumstances we were meant to be so that God’s work may be displayed in us. that necessarily means we are all equally born in sin. No one is born closer to God than anyone else. We all equally need a savior. There is no room for racism, sexism, ageism, or any other form of unjust discrimination at the foot of the cross. Those are things of worldly pride. When we are with Christ, He makes us humble. All I know is that I once was blind, but now I see.
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Verses 35-41
The man Jesus restored sight to confessed his faith in Jesus. Jesus claimed to have come to make the blind see and blind those who already see. I believe Jesus was using physical sight as a metaphor for a spiritual reality because He told that present group of pharisees that since they claimed to see, their sin remained. They were in fact blind.
Jesus opposed the proud and gave more grace to the humble. If we are headstrong in our traditions, puffed up in our knowledge, arrogant in our positions, and unwilling to learn from Christ, we are blind even though we think we can see. If we know we can’t see well and are humble in our knowledge, Jesus came to give us sight. We yearn for eyes to see what Jesus came to reveal. He is the only one who enlightens all people.
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Chapter 10
Verses 1-6
Still speaking to the Jews, Jesus provided a metaphor to describe His relationship with His people. Anyone who enters by any means other than the gate is a thief and robbers. True sheep enter by the gate and follow their shepherd.
They did not understand what message Jesus was conveying. In the coming verses, Jesus will claim to be the gate and the shepherd. In these first six verses, we see a warning. There are many people who try to get into the kingdom of Heaven by all sorts of means. Further, and more in tune with Jesus’s metaphor, there have been many people who seek to be shepherds of God’s people. This metaphor isn’t about false sheep as much as it is about false shepherds. John placed this metaphor directly after Jesus calls the religious leaders of Israel blind.
The insinuation is clear. The religious leaders have taken it upon themselves to shepherd God’s people. But, there is only one shepherd. His name is Jesus. His sheep hear His voice and flee from imposters.
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Verses 7-10
Jesus claimed to be the gate. He called out the motives of anyone else who came before Him, the people who set themselves up as religious leaders, kings, or profound teachers. They were thieves. They came to steal, kill, and destroy. In essence, they raised themselves up on the backs of people. The difference between those so-called leaders and Jesus? Jesus came to give life in abundance.
I notice even in the world today that worldly self-proclaimed leaders are always trying to be served or propped up by the people. Jesus, and any man who follows Jesus, strives to serve others so they may have abundant lives. This is the difference between the world and Christ. It is the difference between bad and good religion. It is the difference between reprobate politics and godly leadership. Jesus, only Jesus, is the gate.
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Verses 11-13
Jesus is not only the gate, the only way in, He also claimed to be the good shepherd. While most leaders—religious, political, and social—only seem to be promoting and preserving their own lives, well-being, and careers, Jesus lays down His own life for His sheep. Others will run or eventually do something that is not in the flock’s best interest to benefit themselves. That’s why it is important for congregations to follow Jesus rather than a personality type preacher, religious leader, or politician. That’s also why it is important for our “leaders” to be sincere followers of Jesus. Jesus alone is the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.
In short. I didn’t die for you. Jesus did. Follow after Him.
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Verses 14-18
Jesus continues to speak of His plan to lay down His life and take it up again, not only for the lost sheep of the Jews but, also, for the lost sheep of other pens—among the nations. There will only be one flock with only one shepherd, the people of God shepherded by Christ alone. This would happen as Jesus laid down His life and took it up again. This is the command He received from the Father, and He would be faithful to accomplish it.
The Christian worldview is different from others in that we don’t prioritize any worldly nation over another. Christ has sheep in every pen, people among every nation. His kingdom overshadows all worldly nations, and He calls out a single people for Himself. While worldly nations fight to overcome one another, our struggle is not against flesh and blood. In Christ, we bring grace and peace to the nations.
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Verses 19-21
Some people claimed Jesus was demon-possessed because of His teaching. Jesus just taught that He came to lay down His own life for the benefit of His sheep among the nations. This is opposite from demonic teaching—which from the beginning encouraged people to practice selfish religion, live for self, and kill others. Demons are interested in keeping people blind, not opening their eyes. Demons are selfish creatures. Jesus was not selfish—even with His authority. He came to serve rather than be served. Te accuse Him of being demon-possessed was simply a vain excuse not to follow Him. If that’s the excuse people were reduced to, there must not have been any valid reason at all for their unbelief. Jesus was clearly the Christ. I think they knew it, but they didn’t like it—much like many people today.
The only question for us is, do we want the life Christ has to offer or the life we would build for ourselves? Christ’s way is better.
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Verses 22-30
Some of the unbelieving Jews surrounded Jesus as He strolled in Solomon’s Colonnade. He told them plainly that He was the messiah, and they did not believe. Jesus ordered things interestingly here. These Jews did not believe because they were not of Jesus’s sheep. It was not the case that their unbelief caused them to not be Jesus’s sheep, but the other way around. The fact that they were not Jesus’s sheep caused their unbelief.
Sometimes we speak as if belief brings us into God’s fold, when belief itself is a human work. While it is true that anyone who believes and confesses has eternal life, our belief is not the cause of our salvation. Our salvation is the result of Christ’s work alone and is the cause of our belief. We love because He first loved us. We do not save ourselves in any way. Instead, we are saved. There is much more to be said about this. Jesus gives His sheep eternal life. No one will snatch His sheep from His hand because they are given to Him by the Father—not by our own willing and religious working, but by the Father who is greater than all.
John’s ideas, here, can be very tough to wrestle with philosophically. All I know is that there is no way I would have come to Christ on my own. He sought me, found me, and saved me. I once was blind, but now I see. Only Jesus could do that.
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Verses 31-39
This group of Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy because they believed He was making Himself out to be God. Jesus did not deny it. Instead, He defended His claim using the Old Testament Law, making two points:
God calls the sons of Israel gods in Psalm 82:6, sons of the Most High, and
If God calls His human sons gods, it cannot be blasphemy for the divine Son to be called God.
There are some interesting rabbit trails to chase here, but Jesus defended His claim by the Law so He couldn’t lawfully be put to death. He was not blaspheming. His accusers had no rebuttal, yet they tried to arrest Him. Jesus eluded their grasp. On one hand, we learn that we should seek truth in justice and not what we think is justice by our own standards. On the other hand, we see that Jesus cared about truth and rightly exposed the Law of God—yet was pursued illegally for the truth He spoke. Things haven’t changed. Worldly people are still trying to entrap Jesus. After 2000 years, His words still stand as a light to the nations.
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Verses 40-42
Many people believed in Jesus because of John the Baptizer’s testimony. John the Baptizer never performed signs to persuade people, yet his testimony was proved true. Jesus was the man John claimed.
I feel like we often think it is our responsibility to be persuasive with many words, proofs, or signs. It is not. We resolve to simply present a valid testimony. Those who are going to believe in and follow Jesus will because Jesus is good at proving Himself. If many believed in Jesus through John’s simple testimony, who may believe through ours?
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Chapter 11
Verses 1-7
Jesus seems to have divine knowledge that Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. Further, Jesus provides a purpose for Lazarus’s sickness. This sickness is for God’s glory and the glorification of God the Son particularly. Jesus did not hurry to Lazarus’s side even though He loved him. The obviously ordained events soon to take place served a greater purpose than saving a life on this earth.
We all experience sickness of body and mind. Each of us has asked God to heal or restore a loved one. God often waits when we want Him to restore physical or mental health. Even we our loved ones stray and we want them restored sooner rather than later, God seems to tarry. He does not wait because He is slow or doesn’t care. He does not refuse requests for immediate healing because He is malicious. He has a purpose greater than our immediate satisfaction, physical healing, or quick restoration.
Lazarus’s sickness would not end in death, but death is not the end for any of us. The process, the journey no matter how difficult, works for God’s glory in Christ and the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (cf. Romans 8:28ff).
Take great comfort in this. God is not slow as we count slowness. He is patient, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). His ways are higher than ours.
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Verses 8-16
Jesus knew Lazarus had died. He told His disciples plainly that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead so they would believe. The disciples obviously did not understand what Jesus was saying, with one insisting Lazarus would get well and Thomas agreeing that they should go die with Lazarus.
I think we also misunderstand the authority Jesus has over sickness and death. He has all power and authority, period. I think we also often misunderstand Jesus’s purpose for working miracles—so His people will believe, not for the selfish health and wealth of His people. It was better for Jesus to not have been there to heal Lazarus. It was better that Lazarus died for the sake of the disciples’ belief. Sometimes it is better for us or our loved ones not to be healed. Jesus will always do what is best for us and His other kingdom people. His goal is not always our comfort or pleasure. This is sometimes a difficult truth for us to accept. Even worldly fathers, if they are good, do not give their children everything they want or make their children comfortable. We do what is best for our children, even if it is difficult in the moment.
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Verses 17-27
Martha believed in the resurrection and in Jesus as the Messiah and source of life. I have heard some claim that Martha didn’t understand, here, that Jesus was telling her He was about to resurrect Lazarus directly, not merely in the resurrection. But, a plain reading seems to show that Jesus was speaking to Martha specifically about the resurrection at the last day. In verse 25, He said plainly that whoever believes in Him will live even if he dies. Jesus identified Himself as the resurrection. Instead of being depicted as one who does not understand, Martha is here depicted as someone with great faith and understanding about what Jesus accomplishes for every believer.
She didn’t know it yet, but Jesus would raise Lazarus to prove His authority to give life and so His disciples would believe—having faith like we already see from Martha.
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Verses 28-37
There are many thoughts about why Jesus wept. The text simply doesn’t tell us why, and I’m not comfortable adding tot he text what isn’t there. Mary and the others present weren’t even sure why Jesus wept. Couldn’t He have kept Lazarus from dying? If only Jesus had been there…
Earlier, Jesus said He was glad He wasn’t there so the disciples may believe (v. 14). Though the people seem to believe Jesus can heal sickness, they don’t seem to consider that He also has authority over death. Their faith in Jesus is limited to momentary matters of this world. Even before He arrived, Jesus was using Lazarus’s death to show His authority so His people may believe in Him as more than a momentary or material savior, for He came to give not merely healing, but life.
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Verses 38-44
Even though Lazarus had been in the tomb 4 days, Jesus raised his body to life. Jesus thanked the Father for hearing Him for the benefit of the crowds—so they might believe the Father sent Him without doubting His origin or His authority over death.
We have record of this miracle so we may also believe the Father sent Jesus and Jesus has real authority over death.
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Verses 45-57
The Sanhedrin recognized that everyone would follow Jesus if He kept performing signs. Yet, they feared the Romans would take their nation from them if the people followed their Messiah. So, they planned to kill Jesus. Ciaphas knew Jesus came to unite, but they did not want to lose their identity…
Nationalistic pride gets the best of us. While there is room for a healthy patriotism, we must recognize the kingdom of heaven as greater than any worldly nation. Jesus is king of all people. He is bringing the whole world together under His own name.
We are either like those who witnessed Jesus’s power over death and follow Him or like the Pharisees who sought to kill Jesus to save their national and political identity in this world.
We can talk about what a healthy degree of worldly patriotism is, but making our country or lands an idol does not a follower of Jesus or citizen of the kingdom of heaven make. We are called to something higher under the only king who is not limited by geographical or national boundaries.
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Chapter 12
Verses 1-8
Not every action of the Christian should be centered on worldly acts of charity. It is worldly religion that makes almsgiving a pillar of faith. Notice, it’s the thief in the story who is overly concerned about wealth redistribution. The thief chastised Mary for not giving her wealth to the poor. Jesus did not. Instead, Jesus praised Mary for using her wealth honorably for His glory.
Jesus also provided a truth for us. The poor will always be here on this earth. If our priority is to always provide momentary needs, there is no end. Much of what we give is in vain because it doesn’t actually help people improve their circumstances. While I think we should do what we can to help in meaningful ways, almsgiving is not the priority for Christians like it is for worldly religious people. Instead, like Mary, we discern how to best honor Christ with the wealth He has given. That probably looks different for each person. Almsgiving, the mere practice of worldly religion, can easily distract us from following Christ. Like Jesus told Mary, we will not always have the opportunities to honor Christ with our wealth in the seasons He provides.
Instead of merely being religious, we discern at each opportunity what we believe will best honor Jesus—and we trust others to do the same.
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Verses 9-11
Here is the evidence that someone is in ministry for himself rather than for Jesus—he is jealous when people don’t follow him or love him. There are many religious groups, churches, groups within churches, and individuals who claim their ways are best. Many churches are planted because one group can’t work with another. many good pastors are shown the door because other people in the congregation grow prideful and jealous.
This is not a problem because of religion. It is the sinful, selfish human condition. Not only did their sinful human nature lead this group of Pharisees to try to murder Jesus, but also Lazarus. We should be aware of our selfish and depraved fleshly nature. It will lead us to oppose Christ’s people, and we will even do it in God’s name. We should repent, apologize to those we have wronged, and always seek greater humility. As we do, we will see more unity in Christ as measured by His stature (cf. Ephesians 4:12ff).
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Verses 12-19
In fulfillment of Zechariah 9, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey. Because the crowds saw Lazarus raised from the dead, they greeted Jesus with palm branches in a very davidic coronation ceremony. They were proclaiming Jesus as their king and the messiah who would bring justice, peace, and life.
The jealousy of this group of pharisees presented even more as they declared, “…the world has gone after Him!”
This moment is intentionally political. Jesus means to be a king. He isn’t the kind of king people are used to. He is king of the whole world. He is the type of king who gives life rather than taking it.
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Verses 20-26
When some Greeks inquired about seeing Jesus at the Passover festival, Jesus’s response to Andrew and Philip suggested He has other things on His mind than meeting people as a celebrity. He came to die for them, not be their celebrity, and the hour had come. Only by giving His life would Jesus produce much fruit. Jesus said the same thing about His followers. If we love our lives in this world, we will lose the life we love. Everyone dies, and nothing we build in this momentary realm endures—at least materially as our possession. If we hate our lives in this world, we will keep them for eternal life. I believe Jesus referred to what we build in Heaven rather than on this earth, which is immaterial. If we are in Christ, we don’t live to build treasures on this earth. We live like Christ, living sacrifices, and we are promised to be where Jesus is forever.
If the Greeks really wanted to see Jesus, they would follow Him in this way rather than treat Him like a celebrity. The Father honors everyone, not Jews only, who follows Jesus. There’s much to be said, here, about our worldly political and religious divides, but I’ll save that for later. For now, I simply ask, are we serving Christ or seeking worldly gain? Are we building treasure in Heaven or in this momentary world? Is Jesus our celebrity or Lord?
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Verses 27-33
Still talking to Andrew and Philip about the Greek pilgrims wanting to see Him, Jesus claimed that He came to this hour, the time of His crucifixion, to die and produce much fruit (cf. verse 24). He asked the Father to glorify His own name, and the Father audibly affirmed Jesus’s petition for the sake of onlookers.
Jesus made a promise to do something that would accompany His sacrifice. First, the rule of this world would be cast out. In Jesus’s context, that either meant Rome, Herod, or Satan. John isn’t clear, here, probably because his immediate audience already had the correct assumption. Because the New Testament seems to speak this way of Satan (cf. Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4), I think John is most likely referring to Satan here. In conjunction with Christ’s crucifixion, Satan would be cast out. He would be deposed and lose whatever influence he had previously.
Second, Jesus would be lifted up and draw all people, those Greeks included, to Himself. Satan would essentially be bound, like John described later in Revelation 20. Jesus would claim victory, and the Gospel would go out unimpeded.
This was the type of death Jesus was about to die. Not only does John’s account here give teeth to his words in Revelation 20, it also provides encouragement for us. Satan has been cast out. Jesus won completely at the cross. We have the fullness of victory in Christ today—in a meaningful way.
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Verses 34-36
The Old Testament does indeed indicate that the messiah would remain forever. One popular reference is Isaiah 9, where it says there would be no end the the increase of His government or of peace. Isaiah also predicted the messiah would die a brutal death in Chapter 53. The people’s question is valid, and Jesus chose not to tell this group about His coming resurrection at this time. Instead, He bid them believe while the light was still with them.
We all have questions. It is not bad to have questions. We also cannot see the whole picture. Faith and trust are virtues, especially in a world that is so distrusting. When we live like all of our questions have to be answered, our mindsets are probably selfish. God is Lord. He doesn’t owe us anything or any answers to our questions. Yet, He has been gracious enough to provide us sufficient evidence for our belief. God is good despite humanity’s selfish nature and unquenchable hunger for endless answers. Praise His holy name!
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Verses 37-43
John quoted Isaiah’s prophecy to tell us why many in the crowd did not believe. First, the prophets had to be fulfilled. Second, God blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so they would not see, understand, turn, and receive healing.
These words are difficult to read, but I’m not interested in trying to explain away the clear claims in Scripture. God is sovereign. If we see and understand, it is because He has enlightened us. If we do not see or understand, it is because He has chosen to keep us in the dark. Since God is good and works all things together for good, I think we can trust Him with the work of revelation.
Many in the crowd who did not believe did not confess Christ because they desired the praise of people rather than God. Sadly, this is true for many today. What about you? Would you rather receive praise from God or from worldly people? Do you walk in the light or darkness?
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Verses 44-50
Jesus came to enlighten all people and give the gift of eternal life. If we believe in Jesus, our true faith is in the Father. Jesus also had some words for those who did not believe in Him.
He did not judge people for not believing or keeping His words. He came to save, not condemn. Jesus did not care about building a worldly cult following. He did share the truth. Unbelievers would be judged justly on the last day. Jesus lets sinners get away with much because His mission is not to condemn but save. There will ultimately be a day when all those who are not forgiven of their crimes against God and His creation will face just divine judgment, and the Bible is not silent about that. Abundant grace now should not cloud the reality of just divine judgment when the time comes. All sin must be reconciled—either by Christ’s death or ours. Will you be found in Christ or yourself when the time for just divine judgment comes?
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Chapter 13
Verses 1-5
Jesus knew He was going to give His life soon. The devil put in in Judas’s heart to betray Jesus. This meant Judas meant to betray Jesus—not jumpstart Jesus’s rebellion with good motives like some think. Even though His hour had come, not only for His death but also to be given all authority, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet.
He had no bucket list. He did not lord His authority to get everything out of life He could before that life ended. Instead, He took the position and posture of a servant for the benefit of others.
I hope I am like Jesus in my own death. In my last days, I hope to do the most meaningful and long lasting things. Serving others in life is more satisfying than being served. Why would death be any different? What we get out of this life doesn’t matter. What we put into it matters forever.
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Verses 6-11
In Peter’s exchange with Jesus, we realize Jesus is doing more than washing feet. This is a lesson for His disciples. If He doesn’t wash Peter’s feet, Peter has no place with Him. Yet, Peter has already been cleansed.
As people who follow Jesus, we have been cleansed from our sin. We are clean. Yet, as we walk in this world, our feet get dirty. When we commune with Christ, reclining at the table with Him, He washes our feet. If He doesn’t wash not, we show that we are not cleansed from sin. Communion with Christ means ongoing sanctification and purification as we live in this world.
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Verses 12-17
Jesus certainly called the apostles to leadership. He calls people today to be pastor-teachers, evangelists, and so on. None of us are lord. Jesus is. He served His disciples and instructed them to do likewise.
Too often in our ministries, we act like we are above serving our people because we “serve God not man.” While there is a sense in which we should be more concerned about pleasing God than man, that sort of attitude is foreign to God’s instruction for His ‘leaders’ in this world. We are not above Jesus. He washed feet. So do we, at least in the proverbial sense. Yet, so many forego serving the people to try creating churches or religions in their own images. The messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.
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Verses 18-20
After telling His disciples to be servants rather than exalting themselves, He revealed that He wasn’t speaking to all of them. He knew who He chose. Consequently, He also knows who He did not choose. It is not explicit, here, what Jesus has chosen some for and not others, but in close proximity He speaks of receiving Him and the Father. The most natural reading leads to us believing He spoke of Judas Iscariot. Jesus did not choose Judas to receive the Father so the Scripture may be fulfilled.
Judas would never receive Christ. Jesus told them all in advance, so when it happened, they may believe He was truly the Christ, the Son of God. This business of Christ choosing is tricky business for us. But, there is a promise here. Whoever receives Jesus also receives the Father. We can trust Christ with the salvation of people because He loves better than we can. If you have received Jesus, you have received the Father.
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Verses 21-30
Jesus had called Judas to follow Him as a rabbi. We know from verse 18 that Jesus had not chosen Judas to receive Him or the Father. Here, Jesus tells John and the others that Judas will be His betrayer. For whatever reason, the disciples are confused at Jesus’s words and actions. By all appearances, Judas looked like a sincere disciple, but He did not have Christ. Since he did not have Jesus, Satan entered into him. With the definite article (ο) present with the word “Satan,” we can be confident that John described THE accuser, THE DEVIL.
There is a difference between being religious (following a teacher or subscribing to a confession) and really having Christ. We can outwardly look religious and still be children of Satan. We would do well not to conflate religiosity with having Christ.
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Verses 31-35
Jesus is the embodiment of love. His disciples would have followed Him anywhere, but they could not follow Him to the cross. They could not be glorified with Jesus. Jesus clearly saw His sacrifice as His glorification with the Father.
Since they could not follow Him to the cross, Jesus instructed His disciples to follow His example. This was a new command that could not be given until the Father gave His Son up to be crushed for our iniquities. Christ’s disciples are to love one another like Christ loved us. He died for us. If He sacrificed Himself for us, we are to love one another, being living sacrifices for one another. This is how everyone will know we are Christ’s disciples—if we love one another. They do not know us by our intellect, organized religion, rituals, music, or anything that worldly people prioritize in their religion. They will know us by the love we have for one another.
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Verses 36-38
Jesus just told the disciples they couldn’t go where He was going. They could not bear the sins of the world nor die to atone for their sins. Peter, it seems, still didn’t understand. No one could die for the Christ. Christ alone could give His life as a ransom for His people. Just as Jesus had to wash Peter, and Peter could not wash Jesus, so Jesus had to die for Peter, and Peter could not die for Jesus.
Worldly people consider it good religion if they would die for Christ or do many things for Him as if He needed their good works. But, it is Christ who died that His people may have abundant life. All things come from God through Christ. We lift empty hands in grateful response.
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Chapter 14
Verses 1-7
Though the disciples could not follow Jesus in dying for sinners, they could get to where He was going to prepare a place for them. Jesus promised to come back to get them. He is the way, truth, and life. It’s not clear, here, whether Jesus is talking about Heaven as a final destination or referencing the Old Testament view of the Kingdom of God on the earth. Either way, Jesus prepares a place. If we know Jesus, we also know the Father. I believe Jesus prepares a place for all of His people before the Father, and we will be with Him forever.
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Verses 8-11
Jesus knows we are limited in our understanding. We do everything we can to see the Father, from subscribing to sensory religious experiences to being ritualistic in our faith. I think Jesus asks us the same thing He asked Philip, “I have been among you all this time and you do not know me?”
Jesus was the fullness of the revelation of God. Our feeble attempts at religion and our demands for God to pull back the curtain mean very little in light of Christ’s life and ministry. But, because Jesus knows our limitations, He invites us to believe—even if our belief is shallowly based on something other than His divine identity, believe because of the works themselves.
This is why I think God is saving many from various religious perspectives who profess faith in Jesus. He uses the religion of the world in the scope of our limited ability to understand to draw people among the nations. Yes, Christ is the only name by which people can be saved. But, God is not limited to only work in one version of Christian thought. He has made Jesus the hottest topic of conversation in the midst of every religious and non-religious group. He is doing more than any feeble religion can accomplish. In spite of our shallow ability to see and believe, Jesus invites us in. That’s good news for all people.
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Verses 12-14
Jesus is talking directly to Philip and the other disciples, here. If the disciples believe in Jesus, they will do His works and greater works. Jesus promised the Father would be glorified.
There are people who read this periscope and imagine that all Christians ought to be going around doing greater works (signs and miracles) than Jesus did. That is not what this text says. First, this was for the apostles Jesus was talking to, not for every Christ follower. Second, Jesus was still doing the work through their prayer.
Something about the work of these apostles involved signs and wonders for God’s glory, not man’s. We are encouraged because Jesus testified that He would still be working even though He wasn’t physically present. He doesn’t promise to do signs and wonders for us like He did the apostles, but He is good. I believe He considers our petitions and still does for us what is good for us.
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Verses 15-17
Still talking to the twelve, Jesus claimed that obedience is evidence of the love we have for Him. Love precedes obedience in a true sense. It’s not superficial. We can’t obedience ourselves into loving Christ.
Also, the Father gives the Spirit. No one can receive the Spirit without first seeing or knowing Him. The disciples knew the Spirit not because they could first see the Spirit but because the Father had given the Spirit and the Spirit remained with them and would be in them.
Love and receiving the Spirit are connected, their. Jesus’s words remind us again about the order of salvation. Obedience without love is empty religion. The Father must first give us the Spirit, and the Spirit reside with us before we can know the Spirit or walk in sincere love with the Father. We are reminded again that mere religion can’t get us there. Praise God for being so generous as He calls people into His kingdom.
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Verses 18-26
Jesus was not talking about His second coming, here. He was talking about His abiding presence in the person of the Holy Spirit with each believer. In Jesus’s own words, He reveals Himself to those who love Him. He doesn’t reveal Himself to everyone. Jesus even promises to make His home with those who love Him.
Though I believe Heaven is a real place and that those who are in Christ get to be with Christ directly after death, I see here that salvation was never primarily about getting people into Heaven or keeping people out of Hell. Most worldly religion makes individual destination its endgame in a very selfish and human-centered way. Biblical Christianity is the only different thing. It doesn’t make our home in Heaven. It makes God’s home with us. He came to us. He makes His dwelling place among and in His people in a real way. It’s centered on Him, not us.
As Christ abides in us through the Holy Spirit, He teaches us all things and calls to our minds everything He said. Though Jesus is primarily speaking to the apostles, we know from verse 23 that Jesus is now speaking about anyone who loves Him.
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Verses 27-31
There is a lot packed into these few verses. First, Jesus does not give like the world does. He would not seek retribution for His unjust trial and execution. Instead, He gave the people His peace. There were no signs saying, “Justice for Jesus!” Or people picketing in the streets of Jerusalem. Instead, there was atonement and the promise of life for those who believed in Jesus.
Second, Jesus was about to go to the Father, who was greater than Jesus. If the Son is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father (cf. John 1:1ff), I can only assume Jesus means the Father is greater than He is in His human flesh and nature. I can’t find another way to make good sense of Jesus’s plain statement here.
Third, the ruler of this world was coming, but it had no power over Jesus. The ruler of this world, according to Jesus here, is either Rome of Satan. Jesus’s main point is not about the ruler of the world anyway. Jesus had all authority. His life would not be taken from Him. He would lay it down as a matter of obedience to the Father, who works all things together—even placing worldly authorities.
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Chapter 15
Verses 1-8
Still speaking to His disciples, Jesus taught that the Father is glorified when His disciples produce much fruit and prove to be His disciples. A branch on the vine, a disciple in Jesus, produces fruit and is pruned by the Father to produce even more fruit. Those branches that do not remain in Christ are tossed to the side to be burned.
While the Father and Son are both God in essence and are one, they are distinct persons. Here, the Son is the source of the good fruit we bear; the Father is the vine-dresser who cuts away what does not bear fruit and prunes what does.
Too often, I think people read this illustration out of context and try to guess what the fruit is—describing it as some kind of tangible worldly return or prize like numbers of baptisms, church growth, or success in evangelism. These things are never described as the fruit of the Spirit or of God in Scripture. A quick look at the next paragraph reveals that to remain in Christ is to remain in His love. The fruit is obedience to Christ. This is much simpler than many worldly religious people have made it. Christ’s love is the root, not our works. Our consequent good works are the fruit, not some spiritualized version of worldly success.
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Verses 9-11
Jesus here told us a great deal about the love He has for His people. He loves His disciples like the Father had loved Him. I know very little, if anything at all about the love between the persons of the Godhead. I feel such a concept is beyond me to even begin to understand. Jesus modeled love to His disciples. He was even about to give His life for them and us. This sort of sacrificial love didn’t seek selfish gain. Instead, it served and gave. We will often hear people wax eloquent about how they gave their lives to Jesus and ministry as if that is something great. The real miracle and focus of the Bible is that Jesus gave His life to us. He is the only one who could.
Jesus also seems to have provided a contingency here. If His people kept His commands, they would remain in His love. He didn’t say He would stop loving those who disobeyed. He was telling His people that He wants His love to be reciprocated. I love you. Now, remain in my love. We remain in Christ’s love by keeping His commandments. I don’t think Christ ever stops loving His people. I do think that, when we live selfish lives and stop listening to Christ, that is either a sign that we were never in His love or are in the midst of a season during which we won’t feel His love even though it’s ever present.
Jesus said this for the sake of our complete joy. Ultimately, keeping His commands and resting in His love is good for us and the source of complete joy in our lives on this earth and forevermore. The Law is for our good and happiness.
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Verses 12-17
After instructing His disciples to remain in His love by keeping His commandments, Jesus told them exactly which commandment He meant. They remained in Christ’s love by loving one another like Christ had loved them. True love isn’t a romantic or lustful feeling. True love isn’t laying down our lives for our friends. Jesus would first lay down His life for His disciples. He wasn’t a tyrant that He would demand armies to lay down their lives for His gain. He willingly laid down His own life for the sake of His people—no slaves but friends.
Jesus commands us to, instead of taking one another’s lives (there are many ways other than killing to do that), lay down our lives for one another (and there are many ways to do this other than literally dying).
Jesus alone chooses and appoints His disciples to bear fruit. This fruit seems to be the true and selfless love we have for one another.
If the disciples loved one another sacrificially, the Father would give them whatever they asked in Christ’s name. We as, and do not receive because we ask according to our selfish desires (cf. James 4:3). As a higher priority even than the great commission, this is Christ’s command—that we love one another.
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Verses 18-25
We remember that Jesus is speaking specifically to the twelve and about that current generation. While I think the principle remains for us, that those who hate Christ will also hate us, I don’t know that I believe hatred toward Christ is as prominent now as it was then. The Scriptures, particularly Psalm 69:4, had to be fulfilled.
Jesus said some other interesting things here about sin. If He had not come, performed signs, and spoken to those who hated Him, they would not be guilty of sin. Instead, they would be ignorant in their religion. God does not want us to be ignorant in or because of our religion either. So, He reveals sin. Those who love Him will repent.
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Verses 26-27
Jesus talked about sending a helper, the Spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, is sent by Jesus, and testifies about Jesus. In verse 26, we receive some information about God’s economy—His working in this world. The Son and Spirit both come from the Father. The Spirit also comes from the Son. The Son reveals the Father. The Spirit testifies about the Son. John didn’t make the persons of the Trinity unequal nor claim that any one begins or originates from the others. But, there is a clear working of God, who is a singular essence, as three distinct persons. Their work in this world is distinct, yet inseparable. Jesus, the Son, is exalted for all to see. That is why we testify about Jesus, who is the fullness of God’s revelation in visible flesh. Without the incarnation, no one would be able to witness God or testify about Him, and all human religion would be in vain.
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Chapter 16
Verses 1-6
Jesus told the disciples about His death, their deaths, persecution against them, and the coming of the Holy Spirit so that when their time came, the disciples would remember Jesus’s prediction and strengthen their faith so as not to stumble.
Jesus wouldn’t be with them like He was. He needed to provide them all the information they would need, information He withheld previously because He was physically present with them.
In my human nature, I find that I want to give people all the information about many things up front so they can believe everything I do. Notice, the strengthening of the disciples’ faith depended not on receiving every revelation at once but receiving it at the proper time. We will often criticize casual Christianity or immaturity in the faith as if people should get it all at once, do more, and be more. what a human-centered view of our faith. Jesus’s way is to take His time so we benefit from His revelation. We are not ready to know everything all at once. Thank God He doesn’t give it all at once. We are all at different places in our relationships with Jesus. We have different theological understandings. In our time, people have different religious understandings and convictions. Jesus is working all that together according to His timing, for our good, and to accomplish His own glory.
The Christian life is the journey, not merely the destination.
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Verses 7-11
I find Jesus’s words to His disciples about the ministry of the Holy Spiit in the world to be highly interesting, primarily that He would not go to the disciples if Jesus didn’t go away. I’m interested, here, in the relationship between the Son and Spirit. Even by the Greek, the text does not say the Spirit could not come. It said He would not. It is not a statement about ability but will. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is somehow designed for Jesus’s physical absence. It is better for the disciples to have the Spirit than to have Jesus physically present on this earth.
While Jesus was present locally in the flesh, the Spirit seems omnipresent—convicting the whole world about sin, righteousness, and judgment. These are things the world did not care about before Christ’s atoning sacrifice, at least not in a sincere way. Taking an honest look at the world today, it seems the Spirit has changed things—even if many still try to resist.
According to Jesus, the ruler of this world, either Satan or Rome, has already been judged. Jesus won the victory. The Holy Spirit is now in the world bringing the results of Jesus’s victory.
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Verses 12-15
These few verses have always intrigued me. Jesus didn’t tell His apostles everything He had to say because they were not ready. The Holy Spirit would guide them to all truth. This would be a guiding process, not what is typically exhibited as sudden prophetic revelation.
The thought that the Holy Spirit guided the apostles to all truth instead of providing special divine revelation means that Christ desires for us to learn, discover, and think critically rather than appeal to a special revelation or, “God told me,” sort of gnostic knowledge. In the same way, the Holy Spirit guides us instead of giving us all the answers. “God told me,” or “An angel revealed to me,” sorts of ‘prophets’ are false because Jesus told us the Holy Spirit would work differently. Getting us to all truth is a guiding process.
The Holy Spirit would disclose to the apostles what was to come. That is, He would reveal the truth at the appropriate time for them during this guiding process. In context, this cannot be made into a statement about the Holy Spirit secretly revealing future events. He discloses what is of Christ as we grow in our own knowledge and stature measured by Christ to Christ’s glory, not ours.
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Verses 16-22
Jesus talked about His crucifixion and resurrection. In a little while, the disciples would no longer see Him. He would be crucified and buried. Sometime after that, they would see Him. He would be raised for them to see. Jesus’s disciples admittedly did not know what He was talking about. Instead of asking Jesus directly for clarification, they tried to figure it out amongst themselves. We are reminded how silly it is to interpret someone else’s words for ourselves instead of asking plainly for clarification. People still do this with Jesus’s words and with one another. Instead of clarity, it brings confusion and conflict.
Jesus knew their thoughts. He reassured them. Even though there would be pain at first, it would give birth to even greater joy.
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Verses 23-24
This statement can be strange to think about, but I think it reveals much about our prayer. In the day of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, His disciples wouldn’t ask Him anything like they were asking in the preceding verses. Not only would they receive the Holy Spirit, they would ask their questions directly to the Father. They would ask in Christ’s name, by His authority.
Since Christ is raised, when we pray it is in the power of the Spirit, the name of Christ, and to the Father directly. We do not pray to the Spirit or Christ. Our prayer doesn’t come from our own power like other religious viewpoints seem to suggest. We do not pray by the authority of Mary, the saints, or any pope or council. True prayer is by the Spirit, in Christ, to the Father directly. Anything else falls short of Jesus’s revelation, here.
Here’s a promise. Anything Jesus’s disciples asked the Father in Jesus’s name, the Father would give so their joy would be complete. I believe the same promise applies to us. James deals with why some of our prayers are not answered. The Father desires to give good gifts to His children. He’s not a consequentialist. He is not a penn-pincher with blessings. He doesn’t only answer prayers that have utility. It seems He wants to give in abundance because He wants the joy of His people to be complete.
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Verses 25-28
Jesus’s words, here, seem to indicate that there was a time for figures of speech—prior to the giving of the Holy Spirit. Now, Jesus tells us plainly because we have the revelation help of the Holy Spirit in us.
Jesus even tells us that He does not ask the Father on our behalf. By Jesus’s own words, He does not mediate our prayers to the Father. While He is our only mediator in terms of righteousness (cf. 1 Timothy 2:5), we have no need of any mediator in terms of communication, prayer, confession, or when asking the Father any questions. The Father loves His people and, therefore, listens to His people. We don’t need Mary, the saints, or any angel to intercede because God loves us. If He did not love us, we would need an intercesor. Even Jesus doesn’t serve that role because the Father cares deeply for us. Jesus is with the Father.
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Verses 29-33
Jesus revealed that His disciples would scatter during His crucifixion and leave Him alone. They would forsake Him. Yet, Jesus told them this so they would have peace. This world comes with suffering. Jesus has overcome the world.
Jesus knows our struggles and sufferings. He already knows our responses, even when we let our circumstances lead us to forsake Him. His foreknowledge brings us peace because He loves us and is with us despite the bad decisions we will make. He didn’t tell His disciples to be perfect, make penance, or conquer the world. Since He did not command such things, we don’t have to do those things. What a wonderful peace for our souls.
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Chapter 17
Verses 1-5
After speaking to His disciples, Jesus prayed. The Father gave Him authority, I believe as a man in Adam’s place since He already had divine authority, to award everyone the Father had given Him with eternal life.
Jesus defined eternal life for us. Eternal life is knowing the only true God and the one He sent—Jesus Christ. Eternal life is not merely getting to Heaven or avoiding Hell. It is knowing God. It’s a relationship, not a status.
Having completed His incarnate purpose, Jesus longs to be glorified in the Father’s presence with the glory He had with the Father before the world existed. This means God’s existence in three persons is not novel with the creation of this world. By every indication, the Father, Son, and Spirit are co-eternal. God doesn’t merely interact with the world as three persons for our sakes. Something about His triune economy is essential to His singular essence and divine nature. I’m not sure why, but it fills me with such awe.
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Verses 6-12
Jesus asked the Father to keep His people and unify them. Jesus only lost Judas because it was to fulfill the Scriptures. No sincere disciple can lose his salvation because his salvation depends only on the Father keeping him. The Father will keep those who are in Christ
Jesus didn’t say this prayer for everyone. He didn’t pray for everyone to be saved or kept. Instead, Jesus only said this prayer on behalf of those the Father had given Him. The Father will keep all those He has given to Jesus. He will not keep those He has not given to Jesus. Salvation from beginning to end is by the Father’s will.
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Verses 13-19
Jesus continued His prayer. He does not want His people to be absent from the world. He does want them to be protected from the Evil One, have complete joy, and be sanctified by the truth as they are sent into the world.
Jesus gave them God’s word. God’s word is truth. Here, I see the importance of God’s word. It is the tool of our sanctification—not church tradition, good vibes, or relevant stories. Jesus only mentions God’s word as the instrument of our sanctification.
Jesus first sanctified, set apart, Himself for His disciples so that they would also be set apart by the truth, God’s word. Disciples of Jesus are set apart by God’s word alone, not the traditions, systems, or politics of the world.
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Verses 20-23
Jesus made clear that He wasn’t merely praying for the twelve. He wants all those who believe to experience this maturity, sanctification, and unity He’s been praying for. Jesus also claimed to have given the same glory bestowed upon Him by the Father to those who believe in Him. He makes everything glorious. We are His. That makes us glorious, not with a glory that is of us but the imputed glory of God. We are children and heirs of His glory, and I’m not exactly sure what that entails.
I do however see that if we are in Christ, there is no reason for us to oppress ourselves like the world does. We were not worthy, but Jesus made us worthy. We were sinners, but Jesus sanctified us. We were depraved, but Jesus set us free. We were inglorious, but Jesus gave us His glory. We should see ourselves and one another like Jesus does.
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Verses 24-26
In this prayer, Jesus made His heartfelt desire known. He wanted all those the Father had given Him with Him wherever He went so they would see His glory. All this so that God’s love would be in those the Father gave to the Son.
I notice Jesus’s desire according to John. It’s not to get as many people into Heaven as possible. It’s not to make everyone believe the exact right religious stuff or even practice the right religion. Sometimes, I think we reduce Christianity to that. Instead, Jesus simply desired that all those given to Him by the Father—at that time and onward (cf. v. 26)—would be with Him where He was.
Being in Christ is about something more than going to church or practicing some religious rituals. It is about being with Jesus.
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Chapter 18
Verses 1-11
Judas showed up with a Jewish and Roman cohort that Jesus might be taken captive. Jesus went willingly because it was the Father’s will according to the prophets. When the Jewish Temple officers stated they were seeking Jesus, Jesus identified Himself, “I Am,” the same title He spoke from the burning bush to Moses in Exodus.
When Jesus identified Himself as “I Am,” the God of Moses, the officers and Roman cohort recoiled and fell to the ground. In this moment, they knew they did not have the power to take Jesus if He wasn’t willing.
But, Jesus was willing—so willing that He stopped Peter after Peter lashed out in violence. The Father gave Jesus this cup to drink. He would drink it for the good of His people.
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Verses 12-14
Here, we learn that Caiaphas, the high priest, was responsible for recommending that Jesus die—I assume to eventually avoid the heavy hand of Rome. There is an irony, here. Jesus would die for the people. He meant to. It wouldn’t save them from Rome like Caiaphas hoped. It would save the world from sin.
I think we gain some great insight into God’s sovereignty and human will. Caiaphas meant to do what he freely did. He was responsible for his own actions in this text. God also meant to work things together the way He did as sovereign orchestrator of the cosmos. Caiaphas didn’t add to God’s work. God didn’t remove Caiaphas’s responsibility. While Caiaphas meant this for evil, even murder, God meant it for good—the salvation of the world.
People seem to be responsible for all their decisions and actions. God is sovereign as He works all things, even the human will, together for good.
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Verses 15-18
We receive a few details, here, about the trials leading up to Christ’s crucifixion. John made it into the trial and got Peter in. As Peter entered, He denied being a follower of Jesus the first time. I can only assume fear drove his dissent since Jesus was being presented before Caiaphas. While John seemed to be paying close attention to the proceedings, he tattled on Peter for first denying Jesus and then warming his hands with the officers and slaves.
Ive never truly been in a situation which could threaten my life as a follower of Jesus. I have had Muslims threaten to kill me for sharing the gospel on social media, but I’ve never actually or physically been in that sort of danger. I feel blessed in that way. I think any follower, like Peter, would claim at first to never deny Jesus. But, I don’t think I am better than Peter. I do pray God would grant me the boldness in that moment. I find great comfort in the fact that Jesus knew Peter would deny Him, yet loved Peter and would later restore Him. He will restore all His people despite our sin.
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Verses 19-24
Annas, who was the high priest before his son-in-law Caiaphas, questioned Jesus about His teaching and disciples. Jesus responded by saying He had no secret teachings. He did everything in the open and spoke in plain language. Why did the high priest ask about something so obvious? He could ask anyone. Yet, he saved it for this illegal interrogation.
Since Annas could not answer, he sent Jesus to Caiaphas.
Christian teaching has always been public. True Christian teaching has always been in the plain language of the people so it could be understood and not hidden or kept by the elite. There is no secret knowledge, and no one is the gatekeeper of divine truth like in every worldly religious circle. It is good for the Bible to be translated into the plain, common language of the people so everyone can see Christ’s plain teaching for themselves.
Jesus didn’t hide anything. He doesn’t grant secret knowledge. He spoke plainly, clearly, and simply. I think that is why the worldly elite and overly religious types didn’t like Him. It is good that Jesus spoke in a simple and understandable way. If we have to work too hard to make the Bible say something we want to say, we are probably wrong in our interpretation. If we rely on secret and unfalsifiable information from so-called prophets, we have no way to trust what we believe.
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Verses 25-27
Here, we see Peter’s last two denials. He denied Jesus among those warming themselves at the fire. He denied Jesus once again to one of the high priest’s slaves who saw him cut off Malchus’s ear in Gethsemane. Immediately, a rooster crowed.
This is doubtless one of the saddest stories in the New Testament. The rock and foundation of the church, Peter, completely denied even being a follower of Jesus. He was afraid. Fear will cause us to do things we don’t want. If it misled Peter to deny Christ, I don’t want to be so arrogant as to think I could never fall. Fear is a terrible menace. Though I hope to be bold and without fear, I am encouraged by this fact—Jesus never forsook Peter. He still died for Peter.
He will not forsake any of His people. He will complete the work He started in each one despite our sin, even despite any denial. God is good.
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Verses 28-38
The mob took Jesus, bound, to Pilate—the Roman who governed Judea. They were not to put anyone to death according to the Roman laws. They did not, or could not, explain Jesus’s crimes, so they merely assured Pilate that Jesus was a criminal.
Pilate questioned Jesus and determined that Jesus was innocent. There were no grounds for charging Him, even by Roman standards. During this interrogation, Jesus revealed a few things.
Jesus is King, but not in the likeness of Herod, Pilot, or Caesar.
His kingdom is not of this world. It is not like the kingdoms of the world—Judea or Rome. Jesus is not interested in taking by force like worldly religious groups and kingdoms.
Jesus came into the world to testify to the truth.
Pilate responded, “What is truth?” This is a very post-modern type of question for a man living in the First Century. Perhaps the western world is more like ancient Rome than we would care to admit. Our tendency to question isn’t new. Jesus has always been the answer.
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Verses 39-40
Pilate found no guilt in Jesus. I think Pilate was probably trying to find an out for Jesus, so he reminded the Jews about their own custom—by which he would release one prisoner at Passover. I’m sure this custom was only allowed to keep the Jews from insurrection.
The people had been so incited against Jesus that they called not for His release, but Barabbas—who was a robber according to John.
Jesus led a sacrificial, giving life. Barabbas led a theif’s life, a taking kind of life. The types of people worldly people love are generally taking kinds of people because they are also taking kinds of people. Jesus came to give, and He would be crucified in the place of Barabbas—in our places to give life because of God’s great love for His people.
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Chapter 19
Verses 1-16
Once Pilate heard that this Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, he was afraid. Scripture doesn’t tell us why he was afraid, but I think he probably believed Jesus was God’s Son. Jesus took a moment to comfort Pilate even through the pain of scourging and mocking. The sin of the Jews was greater than Pilate’s sin in these moments.
Jesus also revealed that Pilate had no authority if it had not been given to him from above. Such is true for all authority on this earth. While Pilate seemed to believe in Jesus as a king and the Son of God, the Jews here confessed only Caesar as their king, completely rejecting the God who chose them as His national people.
Though the people were guilty of great sin, none of them could do anything unless it was granted to them from above. What the people meant for evil, God meant for good. Jesus would be crucified to give life to His true people.
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Verses 17-24
In the Synoptics, Jesus is portrayed as being helped by Simon of Cyrene. In John’s Gospel, John states that Jesus carried the cross by Himself. This doesn’t create a necessary contradiction between the accounts. While I wasn’t there personally to observe this event, I can envision Jesus carrying the cross beam by Himself as Simon followed with the upright beam. One account doesn’t nullify another, and having eyewitness accounts with different details strengthens the case for the authenticity and reliability of the biblical accounts.
John described how the soldiers who crucified Jesus divided His garments and cast lots for them in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. He also described how Pilate intentionally labeled Jesus as the King of the Jews. Once again, we see that Pilate was likely a believer.
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Verses 25-30
After entrusting His mother to John, Jesus said, “It is finished,” and gave up His spirit. He gave it up willingly, laying down His own life.
What exactly was finished? John tells us in verse 28. All things to fulfill the Scripture. Jesus fulfilled all the messianic prophecies. Whatever was left would be fulfilled as a direct result of Jesus’s ministry and crucifixion. Jesus had done everything Scripture, the Old Testament, predicted of Him and described as necessary for the salvation of the whole world. It was time.
In this statement, I notice something about John’s eschatology and view of fulfilled prophecy. This is important as we read 1-3 John and John’s Revelation. His Gospel came first and provides the framework for his other work in the New Testament. John explicitly saw everything accomplished to fulfill the Scriptures accomplished with Jesus’s first coming. The work was finished, the harvest had begun. We now live during the great harvest and the dividing of sheep from goats.
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Verses 31-37
The Jews wanted to honor the Sabbath, even concerning their fallen brothers. The Romans appeased their law to keep the peace. John here claims that two Scriptures were fulfilled.
The Passover lamb was to be perfect and none of its bones were to be broken (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12). David also wrote in Psalm 34:20 that the bones of the righteous will not be broken. Jesus was the final and true Passover lamb and the only truly righteous one.
Zechariah, in reference to the Messiah, predicted He would be pierced. After He would be pierced, the people would look on Him and weep (Zechariah 12:10).
John pointed out these fulfillments to show that Jesus truly is the Messiah so we may believe. Only the true Messiah could fulfill all the Messianic prophecies and imagery of the Old Testament. Our faith is strengthened by this evidence.
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Verses 38-42
Joseph and Nicodemus prepared and entombed Jesus’s body. Having 100 pounds of myrrh and aloes with which to prepare the body, the preservation process likely made it impossible for the body to function. Even if there was any natural possibility for resuscitation, it dissipated once the body was preserved—making the resurrection even more of a miracle.
If Jesus’s preserved yet already staunch-ridden body could be raised to new life on the third day, He can raise us to new life even after our bodies have returned to the earth. God is powerful to save. He does so perfectly in Christ.
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Chapter 20
Verses 1-10
Everyone talked about how John beat Peter to the tomb in their famous race. John also revealed his own lack of belief before he saw. None of the disciples had a physical resurrection in mind. Once they saw it, the prophecies suddenly came together in one beautiful epiphany. In true anti-climax, they just went home.
Hind sight is 20/20. Foresight is not. We often pretend to know what the future holds based on our interpretation of Scripture mixed with what we have heard from others. We won’t truly understand until it unfolds and we see it. Our faith is not one of pompous knowledge but childlike faith. We know God is good. We trust Him with the rest. Understanding what we don’t yet understand will come at the appropriate time.
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Verses 11-18
Mary Magdalene encountered the risen Jesus and went to announce her experience to the disciples. During that encounter, Jesus told Magdalene not to cling to Him since He had not yet ascended to the Father.
I wonder why Jesus would tell Magdalene not to cling to Him. It was certainly something about Him not yet having ascended. Something about clinging to Jesus’s physical presence or image wasn’t ideal. Jesus did not want people clinging to Him as He was.
After the ascension, Jesus’s body was no longer visible. There was no longer a physical presence to identify with God. i don’t think Jesus wanted our worship to be defined by physical images, representations, icons, relics, or idols.
consider the second commandment in Exodus 20:4. People were not to make idols for themselves. The Hebrew פסל is more basic than simply meaning “idol.” It means any divine image—applying directly to any icon and physical representation of the divine, any likeness of what is in Heaven, on the earth, or under the earth. God wants to be known in His essence, which is not limited to physicality.
I’m sure Jesus didn’t want Mary to cling to Him before His ascension for this very reason. There was something better than the mere physical presence of Jesus in one place. Jesus would ascend, send the Spirit, and we would be in relationship with the Father in Christ by the Spirit forever.
Truly loving God, as He is, is better and more profitable than the icons we replace Him with. The day has come when we don’t worship on this mountain or that but in Spirit and truth. Hallelujah!
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Verses 19-23
There are people who teach that Jesus teleported into this locked place where the disciples were gathered. Scripture does not say that. We don’t know exactly how Jesus came to be in this locked room. There are many who claim that since we will be like Jesus, we will also gain the teleportation ability in our resurrections. Scripture never makes that claim. People are good at highlighting minor details and missing the main point of the text, inventing things the text does not give us.
Jesus proved who He was by revealing His scars. He sent His disciples as He was sent by the Father. He told His disciples to receive the Holy Spirit. He told His disciples that if they forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; If the retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.
The role of the disciples was like that of Jesus. Jesus held no position in a synagogue or church. Jesus did not pursue worldly religious authority. Jesus was sent to reveal the truth and remove iniquity. This is ultimately what it meant to be one of the 12 apostles. Apostle literally means “sent one.” The apostles, like Jesus, were not sent to hold high or authoritative religious positions. There were not sent with worldly religious authority. Peter was not, therefore, commissioned as the first Pope. Jesus came to serve rather than be served, so the apostles were sent to serve rather than be served. They were sent to preach Christ and offer forgiveness of sins. This means much for any role in Christ’s kingdom if we want to be like Jesus instead of like worldly religion. Jesus positioned Himself at the lowest point so He could serve others. In doing this, He could lift others up and give them life.
This was not top-down authority. It was servanthood and considering others to be more important than self. If we want to be like Jesus, we will also see ourselves like servants instead of authoritative figures. The apostles were not greater than Jesus. Neither are we. We will form our church polity to fit a servant mentality. Worldly top-down religious systems don’t really fit with any proper application of Christ’s teaching. Like Jesus, we come to serve rather than be served.
This means much in terms of forgiving or retaining sins of people—as service to people rather than authority lorded over them. The apostles were not the gatekeepers of salvation. There were given the ministry, or service, of forgiving or retaining. The use of the perfect tense, here, leads me to see that the forgiving or retaining is already a complete work with ongoing results. People’s sin has already been forgiven or retained before the disciples forgive or retain them. The fruit of their ministry results from the work Christ finished at Calvary. If you forgive, they have already been forgiven. If you retain, they have already been retained. This wasn’t an authority given to the apostles or the church. It was their ministry, service, and those called by Christ would be revealed. The apostles were simply to offer this forgiveness, which was already given. Such is also our service to the world today. We offer the forgiveness Christ has already given. Christ alone saves.
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Verses 24-29
Thomas gets a bad rap as a doubter. Really, I think he was obeying Jesus, who instructed His disciples not to believe if anyone came claiming to be the Christ (cf. Matthew 24:23). Jesus appeared to Thomas to prove His resurrection, and Thomas believed.
There are many who believe by faith rather than by sight. Though I think there is enough evidence to show that Jesus was surely raised, no one alive today has actually seen the physical person of Jesus. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
This doesn’t mean those who had to see to believe were not blessed. John wanted to give some special attention to his readers since many of them had not and would not see the bodily resurrection Jesus with their natural eyes.
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Verses 30-31
John chose to omit “many other signs” Jesus had done in their presence. He wanted to be brief but provide sufficient evidence to show that Jesus is the Messiah. Out best apologetic is the clear testimony of the gospel writers.
John prayed that those who read his gospel account may believe and have life in Jesus’s name.
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Chapter 21
Verses 1-14
Even though Jesus had already appeared twice to His disciples, they seem to be in a weird, surreal state of mind. Jesus was there, but things were different. they weren’t clinging to Him any longer. The disciples were doing their own thing while Jesus also did His own thing. When Jesus appeared this third time, the disciples just quietly ate alongside Him after His sign with the fish. Somehow, things were different from what they were before the crucifixion. Peter was about to learn how.
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Verses 15-19
There are many people who make a big deal of John’s usage of different words for love in this discourse. He first uses agape and then phileo. It seems to me that John used the words interchangeably because Peter used phileo when responding to Jesus’s question about agape—referring to the same concept.
Christ resorted Peter, but He did not give Peter a high or lofty position. Instead, He instructed Peter to feed His sheep. Shepherds were the lowliest class of people. They were at the bottom and nearly always unclean and unfit for synagogue. This is the basis for our pastoral tradition today. Pastor, a word meaning shepherd, is the lowest position in the church. None are called to sit above anyone else.
What was Peter to feed the sheep? This text isn’t clear about that. Peter wrote down what he understood Jesus to say in his own letter. In 1 Peter 5:2-5, Peter referred to himself as an equal to all the elders in all the churches. He called the elders pastors, shepherds. He said clearly that their oversight was not authoritative but selfless—the kind that is an example to the flock rather than a ruler over it. Then, he instructed the “sheep” to submit to the elders like the elders submit to the sheep—effectively eliminating any kind of perceived hierarchy in the churches. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
If this was Peter’s understanding of Christ’s instruction, maybe it should be our understanding as well.
Jesus also revealed what kind of death Peter would die—being strung up and carried where he did not want to go.
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Verses 20-23
Peter, knowing what kind of death he would die, asked about John. Jesus told Peter not to worry about His plan for others. We don’t compare ourselves to others. We don’t have to measure up to others. No one is closer to God because of his circumstances. We simply want to be faithful within the circumstances God has worked together for us.
John wouldn’t live forever, but Peter was to be concerned about his own life and ministry.
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Verses 24-25
John testified that His testimony was true and admitted to leaving out many things because they would not fit on the world if they were all written down.
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