The Gospel of John Jet Tour pt. 2 Ch. 4-6 (8/3/2010)

The Gospel of John Ch. 4-6

Continued...

John Ch. 1-3 was a deep look into the person of Christ, I hope that 4-6 will continue to show you the grandeur of Christ's person. 

The Samaritan Woman Ch 4:1-38
Main Point: Jesus sets up a divine appointment in order to save not only one woman, but a whole village.  He is also displayed as God in the flesh in this passage (read below for my explanation of this).

Samaritans were "half-blooded" Jews who were involved in a blended religious system.  Full blooded Jews hated them and would normally travel around Samaria in order to get to Galilee.  Not so with Christ, for the text says, "He left Judea and went away again into Galilee.  And He had to pass through Samaria." (V. 3-4)

Furthermore, for a Jewish man to talk with a Samaritan woman would be a tremendous cultural shock (notice the response from the disciples in verse 27).  Jesus, totally ignored the racial, sexist, and cultural norm for that day in order to bring salvation to this woman.

After the discourse about living water (eternal life) versus the contrasted temporary water of the well, a short discussion about worship ensues.  Jesus then navigates the conversation to its' climax in versus 25-26 which say, "The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

It is helpful to know that the word, "Christ" is a title to refer to the Messianic office of Jesus.  But what the woman did not know was that she was talking to the long awaited Messiah who was predicted in the Old Testament.  Furthermore Jesus drops a massive bomb shell in His statement, "I who speak to you am He."  A literal translation from the Greek reads, "Jesus says to her, I AM the one who speaks to you."  The Greek phrase for "I AM" is "Ego Eimi" which is emphatic language.  But why would Jesus use emphatic language to say I AM?  The answer is found in Exodus 3:13-14 which says, 


"13Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 

Therefore Jesus was very clearly stating that He is God...even the very God who spoke with Moses over a thousand years before He even came to the earth!

Following this encounter with Jesus, the woman left her waterpot, and told everyone in the town that Jesus had read her life like an open book. This resulted in many of the Samaritans coming to Christ for salvation.

Notice three elements included in this passage 1.) The Exposing of sin by Christ in v. 16-18,  2.) The offer of eternal life v. 13-14. and 3.)  The announcement of Christ's Deity (or Godship for lack of a better term).

Time to speed up... 

Healing of the Nobleman's son (4:46-54)

Main Point:Jesus performs His second miracle in the Gospel to proclaim His deity by demonstrating the power of His spoken word to heal across a long distance. 

The Healing at Bethesda 5:1-9a

Main Point: Jesus performs His third recorded miracle to proclaim His deity by demonstrating His power to heal a man without the ability to walk. 

Ensuing discourse and hostility 5:9b-24

Background information:  The sabbath to the Law keeping Jew was a big deal to say the least, but to many Jews their idea of taking a day off to Glorify God had drifted away from what God had originally prescribed in the Law of Moses.  The Jews added tradition to the Scripture...that is a bad idea!  Therefore the text says, "Now it was the Sabbath on that day..." Remember: to the Jew this is a big deal.  Notice the complaint of the Jews, "...it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet."  Jesus or the man had done nothing wrong in the eyes of God, but the oral tradition of the Jews forbade the carrying of a pallet during the Sabbath. 

After Jesus is identified to the Jews as the One who commanded the man to walk, the Jews begin to persecute Him.  Therefore Jesus responded, "...My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working."  Then comes the bombshell verse, "For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God." The hostility from the Jews will start here and end with the cross in ch. 19.  There are no excuses for the person who says, "Jesus is not God."  

Time to speed up again... 

The Witnesses for Christ 5:31-47

• John the Baptist v 33-35
• The works or miracles of Christ v. 36
• God the Father v. 37-38
• The Scriptures v. 39-47

Feeding of the five thousand 6:1-14 

Main Point: This is the fourth sign done by Christ to announce His deity. 

Walking on the Water 6:16-25 

Main Point: Jesus is not a king with an earthly origin (v. 15), rather His Kingship is much more glorious, and His deity is once again displayed to the disciples. 

The motive of the crowd 6:26-40

Main Point: The crowd seeks Jesus for the physical food, rather than the spiritual life that Jesus gives.
Important note: Jesus says that He is the bread of life.  In this phrase Jesus contrasts His life giving capacity, to the temporary manna that the Jews ate in Exodus 16:4.  This statement is the first of 7 "I AM..." statements.  Once again, Jesus refers to Exodus 3:14.  But this time He qualifies His statement with the phrase, "...the bread of life."  Jesus is the bread of God that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world (v. 33).   

The drawing Power of Christ v. 41-58
Main point: In the midst of grumbling, God remains sovereign in salvation by drawing the elect to Christ (v. 43-44) 

Forsook yet proclaimed 6:59-71
 Main Point: The hard message of Jesus drives many of His disciples (learners) away, but the contrasted faith of the apostles are illustrated at this time by Peter's confession of Christ.

To be continued...