Commentary on the Gospel of John; Chapters 6-10
by Dave Brown
Go to:
John 1-5
John 11-15
John 16-21
[Comments are given in brackets.]
John 6
1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is (the sea) of Tiberias.
[“These things” from Chapter 5: (1) Healing of the man at Bethesda; (2) Jews attacking him for healing on the Sabbath; (3) Jesus teaching about the judgment and that all that He does is of the Father; (4) Deficient reasons for their searching the scriptures, and (5) Their lack of faith in Moses.]
2 And a great multitude followed him, because they beheld the signs which he did on them that were sick.
[Just imagine today what would happen if someone did what Jesus did back then. You would have riots. I believe that this is one reason that Jesus is not with us in person today -- he is with us, but not in human form.]
3 And Jesus went up into the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
5 Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude cometh unto him, saith unto Philip, Whence are we to buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred shillings' worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, who hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: but what are these among so many?
10 Jesus said, Make the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 Jesus therefore took the loaves; and having given thanks, he distributed to them that were set down; likewise also of the fishes as much as they would.
12 And when they were filled, he saith unto his disciples, Gather up the broken pieces which remain over, that nothing be lost.
13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which remained over unto them that had eaten.
14 When therefore the people saw the sign which he did, they said, This is of a truth the prophet that cometh into the world.
[Remember, the purpose of miracles were to reveal and/or confirm the truth. In this case they were confirming the truth of Jesus teaching. "The prophet" -- recall what Moses had prophesied -- that a prophet would rise up like unto me (Moses) ... these people were recognizing Jesus as this prophet (of course, Jesus was MUCH more than a prophet.]
15 Jesus therefore perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again into the mountain himself alone.
[They knew that Jesus was who he said that he was; but their mind set (paradigm) was one of a messiah who would be a king like David and conquer all of their foes and enable them to rule the world. As skillful as Jesus' teachings were -- and there never was a more skillful teacher -- they just would not let go of this prejudice from their mind. It would ultimately cause his crucifixion.]
16 And when evening came, his disciples went down unto the sea;
17 and they entered into a boat, and were going over the sea unto Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
18 And the sea was rising by reason of a great wind that blew.
19 When therefore they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the boat: and they were afraid.
20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
21 They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat: and straightway the boat was at the land whither they were going.
[The miracle of Jesus walking on water -- showing his power over the physical laws of the universe ... in this case gravity -- is also covered in all of the other gospels (Matthew 14:13-33, Mark 6:32-33 and Luke 9:10-17).]
22 On the morrow the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, save one, and that Jesus entered not with his disciples into the boat, but (that) his disciples went away alone
23 (howbeit there came boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks):
24 when the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they themselves got into the boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
[They were a persistent group ... but after all, if you had seen miracles like this and had been fed by Jesus, why not pursue him. However, they were not that interested in His teachings, as is true of so many "religious" people today.]
25 And when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when did you come hither?
26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Work not for the food which perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him the Father, even God, hath sealed.
[We will pause here because we are getting into some very sublime teachings and we do not want to go thru them too fast. "Not because you saw the signs?" -- what do you mean, Jesus, of course we are following you because we saw the signs? Elaboration by dbb: "No, you thought you saw them but you did not actually SEE them in the sense of understanding them. If you did that, you would have seen their spiritual significance, and you would realize how important it is to subject yourselves to the will of God. But instead ye seek me for physical worldly reasons ... 'ye seek me because ye ate the loaves, and were filled.'" The difference is between day and night, between the physical and the spiritual ... not just somewhat different, but COMPLETELY different. They were not getting it, and that is why they wanted to make him king.]
[Verse 27, Sealed. John uses this word to demonstrate that the followers here should have confidence in what Jesus is giving them: not physical food, but spiritual food “that abides unto eternal life.” In this case, sealing something is like locking it away – it is a testimony and evidence of ownership. It is Jesus who God the Father sealed. What Jesus is giving them (if they will accept it) is not just from Jesus, but it is also from God the father, since He is the one that sealed Jesus by commanding and enabling Jesus to do the miracles that they witnessed.]
[There is a linguistic construct that is used twice in Verses 25-27; the "not ... but" construct. This appears in the New Testament dozens of times and a failure to understand its general use in the first century has led to all kinds of very strange false doctrines. When this construct is encountered, the reader should not give too much emphasis to the "not" part of it. The writer or speaker is merely trying to emphasize the second (the "but" part of the sentence) dramatically over the first. The "not" part is often hyperbole, as in Jesus saying "Work not for the food which perishes." This qualifies as hyperbole since it it is taken literally it is absurd. Would he be telling them not to have jobs? Not to earn their daily bread? To become leaches on society? Of course not! He is emphasizing that compared to the "food which abides unto eternal life," the other physical food is nothing! Remember, they were running after him to get their next meal from him. He tells them that if that is the reason they are following him, that they might as well go chase a shadow. Now, let's apply this principle to the other not-but clause. "Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate the loaves and were filled." The "not" part is not an absolute statement either -- surely they were there because they saw the signs. But that was not nearly as important to them at this time as getting another meal. Remember this principle of the "not-but" construct -- very often the "not" part is not a totally unqualified statement. In studying the New Testament you will come across this construct often, especially in Paul's writings. Be careful because there are some "not ... but" statements in which the not part is totally true and required; but we trust you will be able to tell that from the context.]
28 They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God?
[This would seem to be a very sincere question. They sound like they really want to serve God. However, we cannot help but think that they were after the ability to perform miracles themselves because the word "works" is often used to refer to miracles. We will see that they were really not interested in doing God's will.]
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
[Jesus is saying that they must have faith in God and trust in the one who He sent, Jesus. Note that this (faith) is not a miracle, but it is here called a WORK. They seem to be asking how they could do miracles -- to them that was the work of God. What Jesus is saying is that the miracles are not the important thing as far as their souls are concerned. All that the miracles did was reveal and confirm the truth of God's word. It is up to each individual to OBEY that word. This is implicit in the idea of believing Jesus -- if you believe him you will have confidence that he will keep his promises and you will be more than willing to comply with the conditions that he sets forth before us. No, we will not be perfect in this regard, but we will do our best out of our love for him and for each other. This is obviously not earning our salvation, and those who understand the truth would never see it that way.]
30 They said therefore unto him, What then doest thou for a sign, that we may see, and believe thee? what workest thou?
[This is why we said that their interests were in the miracles themselves. Although their question seemed to be wanting to work for God, in reality they were interested in the miracles as ends within themselves.]
31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.
[This is kind of baiting Jesus to get him to do another feeding of the 5000. Jesus will not do a miracle just for the sake of a miracle or just to satisfy someone's lusts. His response indicates this ...]
32 Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, It was not Moses that gave you the bread out of heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven.
33 For the bread of God is that which cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
[Jesus is speaking spiritually here -- I am sure that any seeking reader can see that; but they did not -- very similar to when Jesus said to the woman at the well that the water he would give would spring up to eternal life and she would never thirst again. So, their response was also quite the same ...]
34 They said therefore unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 Jesus said unto them. I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
[He was speaking spiritually; they were thinking physically. As a result, it is totally impossible for them to begin to comprehend what Jesus was saying. But he is complying with the letter of their request. You want the bread that I am speaking of? I will tell you how to get it.]
36 But I said unto you, that ye have seen me, and yet believe not.
37 All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
[Those who accept the free gift of God are those that the "Father giveth me." He is talking about the saved. Why are they called a gift from God to Jesus? First, they would not be saved without the God-given gospel, nor could they be saved without the blood of Christ. Remember John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son ..." So, those that are saved are a gift of God to Jesus Christ in that Jesus loves us all and wants us to be saved. He gave his life and suffered on the cross for us. For sure, he did not do that in vain."]
38 For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39 And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
[Again, that which God gave Jesus are the saved; we have the promise of Jesus that he will not allow us to be lost as long as we continue to be faithful to him. Further, we will be raised from the dead to live eternally with him and his Father in heaven. Verse 38 gives another example of the "not ... but" construct.]
40 For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
41 The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, I am the bread which came down out of heaven.
42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how doth he now say, I am come down out of heaven?
[Generally "the Jews" are the Jewish leaders -- perhaps informal -- who most often swayed the crowd to their thinking. Their reasoning here is extremely flawed. The fact that he had humble beginnings should not be used to reason against Him. In fact, his humble beginnings were to demonstrate that he was not going to be a worldly king -- later he will say to Pilate: "My kingdom is not of this world; if it were then my servants would fight" (John 18:36). Do you see that they were blinded by their own worldly expectations related to the Messiah? Similarly, men are blinded by this today -- they want Jesus to obtain for them worldly benefits. They can never understand the gospel if this motivation is blinding them.]
43 Jesus answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44 No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day.
[This is important because it is a condition of salvation -- to be saved, we must be "drawn of God." What does this mean? The next verse answers this question ...]
45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me.
[The drawing power of God is the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we hear it and learn it, we are hearing from the Father. Those who give themselves to learning and understanding it will come to Christ ... this is inevitable. The reason that most people fail to come to Christ is that they do not allow themselves to fully learn it. You will see this when you try to explain the truth to them. They know just as the Jews here knew where it would take them, and they did not want to go there. God is not going to force them. He is giving them a choice -- as we will see in the rest of the chapter.]
46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he that is from God, he hath seen the Father.
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life.
[Jesus was with the Father from eternity; He is the only one that could bring this knowledge to us. The Old Testament was a shadow of this -- the gospel that Jesus brought is the reality. Belief here necessarily infers obedience – how can anyone think that they believe if they refuse to obey? Consider: John 8:51 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my word, he shall never see death.” Is there any difference between “believing” and “keeping My word?” Both are the same conditions for salvation.]
48 I am the bread of life.
49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50 This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove one with another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
[I would expect some of them actually "got it." He was not speaking physically of physical bread (which was what the manna was ... of sorts). He was speaking of His word of truth. Later he will say "the truth shall set you free" -- without believing the truth we are enslaved by Satan.]
53 Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves.
54 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he that eateth me, he also shall live because of me.
58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven: not as the fathers ate, and died; he that eateth this bread shall live for ever.
[Jews have very strict customs as to what they can and cannot eat, and these people being under the law were certainly no exception... taking this literally would mean that they were cannibals. Eating human flesh was despicable to them and to all civilized humans. If they had respect for the righteousness of Jesus, they would have known full well that he was not commanding cannibalism. But some wanted accuse Him, and this seemed another perfect opportunity.
[Some today think that this is talking about the Lord's Supper, which is something that we partake of the first day of every week. However, the purpose of the Lord's Supper is not being considered here. He is merely contrasting physical food in general with spiritual food. Their new spiritual food had to come from him -- it could come from no one else. This is what they were rejecting. Jesus just did not fit their concept of what the Messiah ought to be. They were looking for military victories, not a superior morality and God's righteousness. See Matthew 26:26-29 to contrast Jesus' teaching here with what He taught with regard to the Lord's Supper. Also see what Paul received from Jesus in 1 Corinthians 11:20-34.]
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard (this), said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it?
61 But Jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said unto them, Doth this cause you to stumble?
62 (What) then if ye should behold the Son of man ascending where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life.
[This verse serves as the key to interpreting this entire passage. Please read it again very carefully. The "disciples" spoken of here are not the twelve (we will hear about them in the next few verses. These were the 5000 who were fed and continued pursuing Jesus for the physical benefits. As soon as they found out that this is NOT what Jesus was (or is) all about, they disappeared. And so it is today. Verse 62 is a powerful rhetorical question. What would happen when Jesus was no longer with them and there were no more miracles? If they could not abide by his teaching while he was with them, what would happen after the inevitable crucifixion, resurrection and ascension? A good question for us to ponder today. Also, Jesus could not be talking about their literally eating His flesh it He would soon be out of reach in heaven.]
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who it was that should betray him.
[Apparently Jesus went aside just with his chosen twelve disciples while the crowd mulled over and debated his teachings.]
65 And he said, For this cause have I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it be given unto him of the Father.
[Some have used this and passages like this to affirm that God has picked out some before the creation of the world and these will be saved regardless and all others will be lost. This essentially denies that we have any part at all in our salvation. Why would Jesus be so upset at them if this were the case and they had no control at all over what they believed and how they behaved? No, we are not robots, and while SOME things are predestined (like the final judgment), this does not mean that EVERYTHING is. Here "given unto him of the Father" merely means that the words that have come from the Father through Jesus Christ are accepted -- in this figure -- eaten up and digested. The gift has to be accepted. It is given by the Father, but we must accept it ... listen to it and allow it to influence our behavior. This might not make us perfect, but for sure, it WILL make us different from our old life, and different from those who have not been born again.]
66 Upon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
[These were his disciples (followers, learners) in general, not the twelve as we see from the next verse.]
67 Jesus said therefore unto the twelve, Would ye also go away?
68 Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we have believed and know that thou art the Holy One of God.
[Peter does not seem here to be expressing his logical conviction. He does not say -- you have performed all these miracles and they are overwhelming! No, God always gives men a way out if they do not want to believe. If they do not WANT to "trust and obey," He does not force them to. What is Peter's reasoning here? There IS some logic to it. He asks effectively: what is the alternative? In other words, you are not what we expected, we are not totally and absolutely convinced beyond all doubt, but look at the alternatives ...
70 Jesus answered them, Did not I choose you the twelve, and one of you is a devil?
71 Now he spoke of Judas (the son) of Simon Iscariot, for he it was that should betray him, (being) one of the twelve.
[We will defer talking about Judas until later except to say that he provides us an example of someone who saw everything the other disciples saw but for his own worldly reasons decided to serve Satan. What a tragic example, and yet we see so many today making the identical decision.]
John 7
7:1 And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judaea, because the Jews sought to kill him.
[After these things from John 6: (1) a great multitude were in Jerusalem for the Passover, and they gathered around Jesus, (2) Jesus performed a miracle to feed them – feeding of the 5000, (3), Miracle: Jesus walking on the water, (4) Jesus teaches about how much greater spiritual food is than physical food, (5) His followers for the most part (except the 12) abandon Him, (6) Jesus interaction with Peter: “were else can we go – you have the words of eternal life.”.]
[There were Jews all over -- this is again speaking of the Jewish leadership (who were mainly in Judaea) and their blind followers. It is interesting that we have no record of Jesus using his miraculous powers to protect himself. Certainly he was not going to be crucified one second before God would allow it, and it was necessary for Jesus to spend enough time on this earth to fulfill all righteousness. And God's divine providence was guarding Jesus' every move. God’s intervention did not require a miracle – this is called divine providence. It is God using the natural or human forces to bring about a given result.]
2 Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles, was at hand.
3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may behold thy works which thou doest.
4 For no man doeth anything in secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou doest these things, manifest thyself to the world.
5 For even his brethren did not believe on him.
[This is a terrible indictment against his physical brothers -- sons of Mary. Why did their brotherly love not have Jesus' best interests in mind? Perhaps envy? The Roman Catholic teaching that Mary was always a virgin, is totally foreign to the Bible. But the bible indicates very clearly that Jesus had brothers and sisters, and that Mary was married to a man named Joseph. Matthew 1:18: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit." The necessary inference of this statement is that after she gave birth to Jesus that she had a normal married life with Joseph. Additional evidence: Matthew 13:55-56 (Speaking of Jesus) Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? 56 And his sisters , are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?]
[His brothers were taunting Jesus to go to Jerusalem perhaps out of jealousy or greed if they had some way to profit from it. They might also be trying to coerce Jesus to become a worldly king thinking they would have some advantage being related to him. NOTE: at least one of His brothers repented and became a great leader of the church in Jerusalem; his name was James (see Acts 15).]
6 Jesus therefore saith unto them, My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready.
7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil.
[This is the bottom line as to why good people are so hated by the world. The more righteous that they are the more they are hated. Jesus was the ultimate good; and thus, he was the ultimate hated. Can you imagine Jesus correcting some of today's obvious evils (that are called "good" ... e.g., abortion) today? Generally, people have not changed. They continue to call good evil and evil good. Jesus statement "your time is always ready" is a strict criticism of them. It shows that their thinking is just the opposite of what it ought to be. It is similar to Jesus saying “you always have time for your sinful ways.”]
8 Go ye up unto the feast: I go not up unto this feast; because my time is not yet fulfilled.
[Interesting -- we will see that Jesus DID go to this feast. There is always a problem of pulling one verse out of context and not interpreting it in light of other related verses, and this is a good example. In essence what Jesus was saying is -- I am not going to go with you now. It is the timing that is in question. If Jesus went and published his presence at this time they would try to force him to become a worldly king. This is what Jesus refused to do, but he reserved the right to choose his time and place. To refuse to go at all would be a sin for any Jew.]
9 And having said these things unto them, he abode (still) in Galilee.
10 But when his brethren were gone up unto the feast, then went he also up, not publicly, but as it were in secret.
[This is consistent with what was explained above.]
11 The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he?
12 And there was much murmuring among the multitudes concerning him: some said, He is a good man; others said, Not so, but he leadeth the multitude astray.
13 Yet no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.
[No man supported him openly because they would be case out of the synagogue by their leaders, something that would be economically and socially catastrophic to them. Here is another example of where John refers to the Jewish leadership as merely "the Jews."]
14 But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
15 The Jews therefore marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
16 Jesus therefore answered them and said, My teaching is not mine, but his that sent me.
17 If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or (whether) I speak from myself.
[Note this verse. Understanding God's will is NOT a matter of luckily having the right teacher or going to the right church (although certainly these would help). But if we want to learn God's will, we will be able to know who are honest teachers, and which group is a good local church. It is a matter of our own will -- our really wanting to know the truth. Most people do not know the truth, and the reason is that they do not want to go where it will take them. So it was with Jesus' brothers, and so it is with these people here that were taunting him. They did not want to know it because they could see in advance what it would require of them, and they were unwilling to "take up that cross."]
18 He that speaketh from himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
[There is much doctrine in the gospel of John, and much of it is in Jesus responding to his critics -- we are in the midst of some of that now.]
19 Did not Moses give you the law, and (yet) none of you keep the law? Why seek ye to kill me?
20 The multitude answered, Thou hast a demon: who seeketh to kill thee?
21 Jesus answered and said unto them, I did one work, and ye all marvel because thereof.
22 Moses hath given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers); and on the sabbath ye circumcise a man.
23 If a man receiveth circumcision on the sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken; are ye wroth with me, because I made a man every whit whole on the sabbath?
[Note in Verse 21, the word "work" applies to a miracle Jesus performed. Why would they want to kill Jesus just because he healed a man on the sabbath day? Well, that was just a pretense -- that was not the real reason, which was the loss of their positions. They were just using this as an excuse to accomplish their selfish purposes. Those who are evil resort to the truth only when it accomplishes their wicked purposes.]
24 Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
[This is a stand alone truism -- we ARE commanded to judge when it is appropriate -- it is the way that we judge that so often gets us into trouble. We must judge righteous judgment, not prejudiced hateful judgment like the way the Jews were dealing with Jesus. This is another example of a Not ... But statement, where the not part is not absolute -- there might be times when appearance is part of the righteous judgment.]
25 Some therefore of them of Jerusalem said, Is not this he whom they seek to kill?
[Contrast this with verse 20 -- apparently this was common knowledge to some of them.]
26 And lo, he speaks openly, and they say nothing unto him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is the Christ?
[Good question. Their reasonings are quite interesting -- about what you would find today in many political debates -- the common people only have a very surface knowledge of what is going on -- they just do not have enough access to the truth to get under the hood. That took (an still takes) much effort. It seems reasonable that the rulers did know that Jesus was the Christ, but this was ignored since it did not fit into their selfish ambitions.]
27 Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when the Christ cometh, no one knows whence he is.
[Whence is the location or source. I would expect that this is from some theory of theirs or misinterpretation of the Old Testament. There is nothing that says this in the Old Testament. Much information is given as to where and why the Messiah would come. The Old Testament indicated Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”]
28 Jesus therefore cried in the temple, teaching and saying, Ye both know me, and know whence I am; and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.
29 I know him; because I am from him, and he sent me.
30 They sought therefore to take him: and no man laid his hand on him, because his hour was not yet come.
[In this case God was protecting Jesus, although Jesus did take steps at time to protect himself by avoiding their evil intents. It is clear that the momentum of having him killed is building because the Jewish leaders thought they could defeat him in no other way.]
31 But of the multitude many believed on him; and they said, When the Christ shall come, will he do more signs than those which this man hath done?
[What a profound question!!! Indeed it gives us hope for some of mankind that there were a few who could see the obvious truth. This is good, sound logic that still applies today.]
32 The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning him; and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to take him.
33 Jesus therefore said, Yet a little while am I with you, and I go unto him that sent me.
34 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, ye cannot come.
35 The Jews therefore said among themselves, Whither will this man go that we shall not find him? will he go unto the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
36 What is this word that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am, ye cannot come?
[Again, see their problem? -- they seem totally incapable of thinking spiritually. Jesus had already told them that he was from the Father, and that he would be going back to Him at some point (John 6:62). Making definitive statements like they were tempting Him to do would just give them more evidence to hasten His death now. Jesus had a purpose for everything that He did.]
37 Now on the last day, the great (day) of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water.
39 But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive: for the Spirit was not yet (given); because Jesus was not yet glorified.
[This is an explanation given to us by John. We will learn much more about the role of the Holy Spirit as we continue to Study John's gospel. Recognize from Acts 2:38 and Acts 5:32 that while most Christians never had the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, they ALL received the benefits that the indwelling Holy Spirit brings as a gift to every Christian. See also Romans 8.]
40 (Some) of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, said, This is of a truth the prophet.
41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, What, doth the Christ come out of Galilee?
42 Hath not the scripture said that the Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?
[In this context, "the Prophet" is just another word for "the Messiah. In fact, Jesus was born in Bethlehem as is stated in Matthew, Mark and Luke -- the other three gospels. This is typical of how evil liars twist the truth using the ignorance of the hearers to achieve their own wicked ends. If they were interested in the truth they could easily have found out where Jesus was born, ]
43 So there arose a division in the multitude because of him.
44 And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.
45 The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why did ye not bring him?
46 The officers answered, Never man so spake.
[These Roman soldiers who were granted by Rome to be under the command of the Jewish rulers -- sort of on loan -- because the Jews themselves were not allowed to take up arms, for obvious reasons. They were to obey the Jewish rulers to whom they were assigned, but this did not include doing things that were absurd or unreasonable. Cleary, they had a better understanding of the truth than did most of the educated and experienced Jewish leaders.]
47 The Pharisees therefore answered them, Are ye also led astray?
[Again, a reflection on people today -- when they cannot defeat an argument with truth, they often attack the messenger -- it is called an "ad hominem" attack. For example, those who speak in contradiction to generally accepted thought today are often immediately labeled as "anti-science." In reality, it does not matter if the person presenting evidence is an expert or not -- if what they are saying is the truth, it is still the truth. Be watchful for ad hominem attacks since they are a sure sign that the arguments being made have no merit. There are many such attacks in the trials of Jesus and Paul.]
48 Hath any of the rulers believed on him, or of the Pharisees?
49 But this multitude that knoweth not the law are accursed.
[Again, these are not logical arguments. They have nothing to do with the validity of Jesus being the Son of God. In this case, the multitude they are criticizing knew far more than what these "experts" did.]
50 Nicodemus saith unto them (he that came to him before, being one of them),
51 Doth our law judge a man, except it first hear from himself and know what he doeth?
52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and see that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.
53 (And they went every man unto his own house: John 8:1: but Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.)
[Recall that Nicodemus was that leader of the Jews who visited with Jesus in John 3. He is now citing the law against their rush to judgment. Again, they cannot appeal to the law, so they attack the man and question his motives. It was true that "out of Gallilee ariseth no prophet," but Jesus was not from Galilee (originally) he was born in Bethlehem. They did not have their facts straight. But would it have mattered if they knew and understood? They would have just come up with something else. At this point any lie that they could use to convince the multitudes would have served their purposes. In His wisdom, Jesus was avoiding the two extremes of being put on trial or being made king.]
John 8
7:53 (And they went every man unto his own house:
8:1 but Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.)
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and the Pharisees bring a woman taken in adultery; and having set her in the midst,
4 they say unto him, Teacher, this woman hath been taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such: what then sayest thou of her?
6 And this they said, trying him, that they might have (whereof) to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.
7 But when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
[They probably thought that Jesus' lack of a response to them showed weakness on His part. But Jesus ALWAYS knew what e was doing.]
8 And again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.
9 And they, when they heard it, went out one by one, beginning from the eldest, (even) unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the midst.
10 And Jesus lifted up himself, and said unto her, Woman, where are they? did no man condemn thee?
11 And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more.)
[A beautiful story that should allay much of our concerns over whether the grace of God extends to us. Forgiveness is conditional on repentance, but Jesus knew that she had repented of her sins. There is much speculation over what Jesus was writing on the ground, but if it were important it would be told to us. No doubt it was of a spiritual nature and the purpose seems to be to show his lack of concern for the situation that they thought would be untenable for him. Jesus also knew that there were none of them without sin. After all, if she had been taken in the very act, where was the man she was with? Why was he not to be condemned with her? We really do not need to speculate ... their goal was not justice; it says clearly that they were trying Jesus. He handled their trial with a wisdom that could only come from God.]
12 Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.
13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest witness of thyself; thy witness is not true.
14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Even if I bear witness of myself, my witness is true; for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye know not whence I come, or whither I go.
15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
[It was not the intent of Jesus to judge at this point; but the truth obviously judged those who were not consistent with it. The fact that Jesus bore witness of Himself did not make His witness false.]
16 Yea and if I judge, my judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
[Jesus was totally obedient to the Father, so if the truth judged them, it was not Jesus doing it personally. This is a good lesson for us -- we must teach all of the truth, not because it is ours' but because it is the will of God.]
17 Yea and in your law it is written, that the witness of two men is true.
18 I am he that beareth witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
[The Old Testament law required two or three witnesses in order for a fact to be established. The Father bore witness of Jesus in enabling him to perform the various miracles.]
19 They said therefore unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye know neither me, nor my Father: if ye knew me, ye would know my Father also.
20 These words spake he in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man took him; because his hour was not yet come.
[This demonstrates that God was protecting him providentially.]
21 He said therefore again unto them, I go away, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sin: whither I go, ye cannot come.
22 The Jews therefore said, Will he kill himself, that he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come?
23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
[Jesus was talking about his being with the Father before he came to this earth (Philippians 2:5-11), and after his ascension into heaven recorded in Acts 1.]
[Philippians 2:5-8: “Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient (even) unto death, yea, the death of the cross.”]
24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for except ye believe that I am (he), ye shall die in your sins.
25 They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? Jesus said unto them, Even that which I have also spoken unto you from the beginning.
[He had told them who he was from the beginning, and they would not believe it. The "(he)" is not in the Greek. Jesus said: "Except you believe that I AM, ye shall die in your sins." See Verse 57 below for more details.]
26 I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you: howbeit he that sent me is true; and the things which I heard from him, these speak I unto the world.
27 They perceived not that he spake to them of the Father.
[Their hearts were not right, and when a person's heart is not right it is impossible for them to discern spiritual things.]
28 Jesus therefore said, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am (he), and (that) I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things.
[This is speaking of his crucifixion. The "(he)" is not in the Greek. Jesus said: "... then shall you know that I AM, and I do nothing of myself, ..." See Verse 57 below for more details.]
29 And he that sent me is with me; he hath not left me alone; for I do always the things that are pleasing to him.
30 As he spake these things, many believed on him.
31 Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, (then) are ye truly my disciples;
32 and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
[This is a very powerful statement. If you have the desire to know the truth, you will be able to know it and understand it. If not, there will be no way that you will be able to understand it. Of course, Jesus here is speaking of being made free from the enslavement of lies and all other sins for which they have repented.]
33 They answered unto him, We are Abraham's seed, and have never yet been in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin.
35 And the bondservant abideth not in the house for ever: the son abideth for ever.
36 If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
[Freedom from sin is freedom indeed. Nothing else really matters.]
37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed: yet ye seek to kill me, because my word hath not free course in you.
38 I speak the things which I have seen with (my) Father: and ye also do the things which ye heard from (your) father.
39 They answered and said unto him, Our father is Abraham. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
[Abraham's children spiritually. Their physical connection to Abraham was really of no benefit.]
40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I heard from God: this did not Abraham.
41 Ye do the works of your father. They said unto him, We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, (even) God.
42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I came forth and am come from God; for neither have I come of myself, but he sent me.
43 Why do ye not understand my speech? (Even) because ye cannot hear my word.
44 Ye are of (your) father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof.
[This tells us much about those in the world today who would prey on others by lying to them.]
45 But because I say the truth, ye believe me not.
46 Which of you convicteth me of sin? If I say truth, why do ye not believe me?
47 He that is of God heareth the words of God: for this cause ye hear (them) not, because ye are not of God.
48 The Jews answered and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon?
[If you think about this, you can see that this was a racial slur -- actually Jesus was not a Samaritan, but even if He was, it should not have made any difference as to whether He was telling the truth or not.]
49 Jesus answered, I have not a demon; but I honor my Father, and ye dishonor me.
50 But I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my word, he shall never see death.
[Italic mine-dbb for emphasis here and in John 20:31. This is a very powerful statement. Again, it is to be interpreted in a spiritual sense and not taken physically. But, as usual, they take it in the physical, worldly sense. Consider John 20:31: “but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name.” Is there any difference between “believing” and “keeping My word?” Is “faith only” even possible?]
52 The Jews said unto him, Now we know that thou hast a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my word, he shall never taste of death.
53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who died? and the prophets died: whom makest thou thyself?
[In our current vernacular we would say: "who do you think you are?"]
54 Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing: it is my Father that glorifieth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God;
55 and ye have not known him: but I know him; and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be like unto you, a liar: but I know him, and keep his word.
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad.
[This statement necessarily infers that Abraham is still alive spiritually (at that time, and now).]
57 The Jews therefore said unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am.
[This is another declaration of Jesus' divinity, consistent with Philippians 2 referenced above.]
Remember it also from Exodus 3:13-14:
13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.]
59 They took up stones therefore to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.
[This was another case of God protecting Jesus by His divine providence. While there was nothing miraculous indicated here, the fact that Jesus was able to hide himself and escape seems clearly to have been with the help of God. One thing about the providence of God is that it can never be proven. Unlike miracles, the result of divine providence could be attained by natural means. God's providence is still at work today -- He is involved in the affairs of mankind -- to that we can be sure, although we are not in any position to state when and where that occurs. Taking up stones to cast at Jesus was itself contrary to Roman law, subjecting every one of them to a potential death penalty.]
John 9
9:1 And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind?
[Conventional wisdom at the time was that disastrous situations like this must be caused by someone's sin. Even with the book of Job in their scriptures they did not recognize the fallacy of this belief.]
3 Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
4 We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5 When I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed his eyes with the clay,
7 and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went away therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
[There is no explanation as to the reason Jesus used this method for bringing about the miracle. Clearly he wanted the young man to have a part in his healing -- much as we have a part in our salvation. We have to do something -- there are conditions that we must meet. However, those conditions in no way earn us our salvation -- just as in this case, the man could hardly say that he got rid of his own blindness by doing what Jesus commanded him to do. This is an almost perfect analogy. Jesus could have used this counter-intuitive substance (clay) so that no one would think that some effective medicine had been applied.]
8 The neighbors therefore, and they that saw him aforetime, that he was a beggar, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
9 Others said, It is he: others said, No, but he is like him. He said, I am (he).
10 They said therefore unto him, How then were thine eyes opened?
11 He answered, The man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to Siloam, and wash: so I went away and washed, and I received sight.
12 And they said unto him, Where is he? He saith, I know not.
13 They bring to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
14 Now it was the sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
15 Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. And he said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and I see.
16 Some therefore of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, because he keepeth not the sabbath. But others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such signs? And there was division among them.
[Which of the questions show prejudice? In the one case those asking did not even know Jesus ... at least not very well. It wasn't that they were prejudiced for Jesus -- they were just asking a reasonable question. The Pharisees were obviously prejudiced against Jesus, to the point that they felt no obligation to tell the truth.]
17 They say therefore unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, in that he opened thine eyes? And he said, He is a prophet.
18 The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight,
19 and asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? How then doth he now see?
20 His parents answered and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
21 but how he now seeth, we know not; or who opened his eyes, we know not: ask him; he is of age; he shall speak for himself.
22 These things said his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man should confess him (to be) Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
[It is difficult to describe what "being put out of the synagogue" would be comparable today. It was more than religious ... it was also social and economic. It would make it quite difficult to get a job or have any type of social interaction. So, we might understand why the young man's parents did not want to get cross-wise with the Pharisees. On the other hand, they knew more than anyone else (aside from the man himself) that a miracle had been performed. It just goes to show how economic and social interests can paint the way people see things. With the Pharisees it was a matter of both economics and power that prejudiced the way they viewed Jesus.]
23 Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.
24 So they called a second time the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give glory to God: we know that this man is a sinner.
25 He therefore answered, Whether he is a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
26 They said therefore unto him, What did he to thee? How opened he thine eyes?
27 He answered them, I told you even now, and ye did not hear; wherefore would ye hear it again? would ye also become his disciples?
[The young man showed a lot of courage to speak to them this way.]
28 And they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are disciples of Moses.
29 We know that God hath spoken unto Moses: but as for this man, we know not whence he is.
30 The man answered and said unto them, Why, herein is the marvel, that ye know not whence he is, and (yet) he opened mine eyes.
31 We know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and do his will, him he heareth.
[This last verse is a truism, but needs some qualification. First of all ... we are ALL sinners. So does God hear no one? Of course not. In this regard the meaning of the word "sinners" is critical, and it depends on the context, as is true with most ambiguous words. We are all sinners in the sense that we all sin. But we are not all sinners in the sense that we have given ourselves over to sin and have stopped attempting to serve God. The latter is someone who has no regard for God, and would even intentionally do things counter to His will with little or no conscience. If Jesus came and claimed to be the Son of God and claimed to prove it by performing fake miracles, he would indeed be a sinner in the sense that this young man is using the word.]
32 Since the world began it was never heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind.
33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.
34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
[Out of the synagogue, that is. This young man had courage that his parents lacked -- he knew that there were things more important than being in fellowship with the local Jewish synagogue. it is interesting that the Pharisees taught the same error in which the disciples were mistaken -- that all suffering is caused by the sin of the person suffering (or someone close to him/her.)]
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and finding him, he said, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
36 He answered and said, And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and he it is that speaketh with thee.
38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
[Neither humans nor angels are to accept worship from other men, but Jesus did, and rightfully so because he was of the Divine nature -- as contrasted with humanhood, Godhood (some use the word Godhead). The fact that Jesus allowed such worship is evidences along with many other evidences we have throughout the New Testament that Jesus is God, as we might qualify the term further, God the Son.]
39 And Jesus said, For judgment came I into this world, that they that see not may see; and that they that see may become blind.
40 Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said unto him, Are we also blind?
41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: but now ye say, We see: your sin remaineth.
[While this is a complex combination of the physical and spiritual usages of the word blind, it should not be hard to understand. Trying to explain it might make it more confusing, so we will leave it up to your meditation.]
John 10
10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
[This is a metaphor figure of speech. Jesus us the shepherd and His faithful are the sheep. What he is saying here is something that was a very simple truism. If you own a house, for example, you have no problem entering in by the front door. But a thief or robber might break through a window or deviously sneak in the back door ("some other way")].
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leads them out.
4 When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
[Him=Jesus in verse 3 and 4, but in verse 5 him=the stranger that the sheep do not know. Again, this is just common knowledge to those who understood sheep back then -- as many did back then.]
6 This parable spoke Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spoke unto them.
[I have an idea that you are a bit more perceptive than they were. Thinking of it from a spiritual perspective, this is not difficult to understand.]
7 Jesus therefore said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All that came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have (it) abundantly.
[There are two analogies here. The "door" is the first analogy that Jesus drew. What does the door do? It allows you to enter legitimately. Not sneaking in through a window or anything like that. Below is a second analogy from the same context. In this one Jesus is the good shepherd.]
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep.
12 He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them, and scattereth (them):
13 (he fleeth) because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me,
15 even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
[The hireling does not own nor care about the sheep; Jesus does both. Jesus is the shepherd; his faithful followers are the sheep that He cares for.]
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice: and they shall become one flock, one shepherd.
[This is a bit more difficult, and some have tried to justify their false doctrines using it. The most logical extension of the initial preaching of the gospel (to the Jews) was to the Gentiles. The Jews at this time did not recognize any Gentiles (and perhaps not even Samaritans) as even having any possibility of being part of God's people without first becoming proselyte Jews. What Jesus is teaching here is revolutionary -- but it was a major principle taught in both the Old and New Testaments. It will continue to be a major point of contention in the first century Church, and it will cause the meeting in Jerusalem that it documented in Acts 15.]
17 Therefore doth the Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.
18 No one taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment received I from my Father.
[Jesus is obviously speaking of his crucifixion and resurrection here -- it is easy to see why the Jews in general would not understand this until after those events took place. So, in a sense, this is a prophesy of His death, burial and resurrection. The sheep will be saved -- all of hem, both Jew and Gentile.]
19 There arose a division again among the Jews because of these words.
20 And many of them said, He hath a demon, and is mad; why hear ye him?
21 Others said, These are not the sayings of one possessed with a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?
[Fairly typical argumentation ... the type of thing we often hear when people discuss religion today. Neither argument is totally definitive -- the Pharisees always had an argument that could deceive the unfaithful masses.]
22 And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem:
23 it was winter; and Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon's porch.
24 The Jews therefore came round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou hold us in suspense? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believe not: the works that I do in my Father's name, these bear witness of me.
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who hath given (them) unto me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch (them) out of the Father's hand.
[Some have used this as an argument for once-saved-always-save, or what they call “the security of the believer.” Who is Jesus talking about? Answer: Verse 26, “my sheep [who] hear [listen to] my voice.” Listening to Jesus necessarily implies that they would follow Him and obey His commands. There is no example of someone being saved who went back to their old life of sin, but many examples condemning those that did. It is essential that when we sin we repent of these sins and ask God for forgiveness (1 John 1). For these, there is no one (except the believer him/herself) who can “snatch them from the Father’s hand.”]
30 I and the Father are one.
[One? In what way? Are they identical? If so, why would Jesus be indicating that His Father was someone else? i.e., the One who sent Him. It seems clear that Jesus was talking about another type of oneness -- oneness of agreement. The Father and Jesus' teachings and understanding of the reality of truth, love and righteousness were identical.]
31 The Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from the Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken),
36 say ye of him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am (the) Son of God?
[Jesus is referring to the following:
Psalms 82: 1 God standeth in the congregation of God; He judgeth among the gods. 2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and respect the persons of the wicked? (Selah) 3 Judge the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and destitute. 4 Rescue the poor and needy: deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. 5 They know not, neither do they understand; they walk to and fro in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I said, ye are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High. 7 Nevertheless ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; for thou shalt inherit all the nations.]
[His reasoning is quite simple and does not require that we parse out all of Ps. 82 (although I am sure you get the drift of it). The reasoning is simply -- if God called them (men) gods, then it is not wrong per se for me to call myself the same. But, of course, that is not all of his defense. He goes on ...]
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do them, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.
[What Jesus is appealing to is the intuitive good that is in all mankind (perhaps acquired at creation or when they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good an evil). Jesus reasons "look at what I have done! What part of it is evil? Everything that I have done, everything that I have taught, all of my miracles -- they are all without question GOOD and right and consistent with the goodness that YOU KNOW is in the Father. And yet, you want to kill me... WHY?"
[Sin is a terrible thing, and it leads us down a path where we end up crucifying afresh the Son of God ... this is stated in the book of Hebrews (6:4-6): : “For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, 6 and (then) fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”]
[Surely these men did not know what their lust for power and jealousy was causing them to do. Ultimately, Jesus would say: "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." And also 1 Corinthians 2:8: “… which none of the rulers of this world hath known: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory…”]
39 They sought again to take him: and he went forth out of their hand.
40 And he went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was at the first baptizing; and there he abode.
41 And many came unto him; and they said, John indeed did no sign: but all things whatsoever John spoke of this man were true.
42 And many believed on him there.
[Those who had honest hearts -- the same ones who believed John -- believed on Jesus. Note that although we learn that John was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb, verse 41 says that he did no sign. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not necessarily some miraculous thing, nor does it cause those who are filled to have miraculous abilities. We can see this if we are careful to take what the bible says about the Holy Spirit and not assume anything further from that which is given. See Romans 8 for more details on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and its effect on the faithful.]
Go to John 11-15
John 1-5
John 11-15
John 16-21
[Comments are given in brackets.]
John 6
1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is (the sea) of Tiberias.
[“These things” from Chapter 5: (1) Healing of the man at Bethesda; (2) Jews attacking him for healing on the Sabbath; (3) Jesus teaching about the judgment and that all that He does is of the Father; (4) Deficient reasons for their searching the scriptures, and (5) Their lack of faith in Moses.]
2 And a great multitude followed him, because they beheld the signs which he did on them that were sick.
[Just imagine today what would happen if someone did what Jesus did back then. You would have riots. I believe that this is one reason that Jesus is not with us in person today -- he is with us, but not in human form.]
3 And Jesus went up into the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
5 Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude cometh unto him, saith unto Philip, Whence are we to buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred shillings' worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, who hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: but what are these among so many?
10 Jesus said, Make the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 Jesus therefore took the loaves; and having given thanks, he distributed to them that were set down; likewise also of the fishes as much as they would.
12 And when they were filled, he saith unto his disciples, Gather up the broken pieces which remain over, that nothing be lost.
13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which remained over unto them that had eaten.
14 When therefore the people saw the sign which he did, they said, This is of a truth the prophet that cometh into the world.
[Remember, the purpose of miracles were to reveal and/or confirm the truth. In this case they were confirming the truth of Jesus teaching. "The prophet" -- recall what Moses had prophesied -- that a prophet would rise up like unto me (Moses) ... these people were recognizing Jesus as this prophet (of course, Jesus was MUCH more than a prophet.]
15 Jesus therefore perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again into the mountain himself alone.
[They knew that Jesus was who he said that he was; but their mind set (paradigm) was one of a messiah who would be a king like David and conquer all of their foes and enable them to rule the world. As skillful as Jesus' teachings were -- and there never was a more skillful teacher -- they just would not let go of this prejudice from their mind. It would ultimately cause his crucifixion.]
16 And when evening came, his disciples went down unto the sea;
17 and they entered into a boat, and were going over the sea unto Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
18 And the sea was rising by reason of a great wind that blew.
19 When therefore they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the boat: and they were afraid.
20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
21 They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat: and straightway the boat was at the land whither they were going.
[The miracle of Jesus walking on water -- showing his power over the physical laws of the universe ... in this case gravity -- is also covered in all of the other gospels (Matthew 14:13-33, Mark 6:32-33 and Luke 9:10-17).]
22 On the morrow the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, save one, and that Jesus entered not with his disciples into the boat, but (that) his disciples went away alone
23 (howbeit there came boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks):
24 when the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they themselves got into the boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
[They were a persistent group ... but after all, if you had seen miracles like this and had been fed by Jesus, why not pursue him. However, they were not that interested in His teachings, as is true of so many "religious" people today.]
25 And when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when did you come hither?
26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Work not for the food which perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him the Father, even God, hath sealed.
[We will pause here because we are getting into some very sublime teachings and we do not want to go thru them too fast. "Not because you saw the signs?" -- what do you mean, Jesus, of course we are following you because we saw the signs? Elaboration by dbb: "No, you thought you saw them but you did not actually SEE them in the sense of understanding them. If you did that, you would have seen their spiritual significance, and you would realize how important it is to subject yourselves to the will of God. But instead ye seek me for physical worldly reasons ... 'ye seek me because ye ate the loaves, and were filled.'" The difference is between day and night, between the physical and the spiritual ... not just somewhat different, but COMPLETELY different. They were not getting it, and that is why they wanted to make him king.]
[Verse 27, Sealed. John uses this word to demonstrate that the followers here should have confidence in what Jesus is giving them: not physical food, but spiritual food “that abides unto eternal life.” In this case, sealing something is like locking it away – it is a testimony and evidence of ownership. It is Jesus who God the Father sealed. What Jesus is giving them (if they will accept it) is not just from Jesus, but it is also from God the father, since He is the one that sealed Jesus by commanding and enabling Jesus to do the miracles that they witnessed.]
[There is a linguistic construct that is used twice in Verses 25-27; the "not ... but" construct. This appears in the New Testament dozens of times and a failure to understand its general use in the first century has led to all kinds of very strange false doctrines. When this construct is encountered, the reader should not give too much emphasis to the "not" part of it. The writer or speaker is merely trying to emphasize the second (the "but" part of the sentence) dramatically over the first. The "not" part is often hyperbole, as in Jesus saying "Work not for the food which perishes." This qualifies as hyperbole since it it is taken literally it is absurd. Would he be telling them not to have jobs? Not to earn their daily bread? To become leaches on society? Of course not! He is emphasizing that compared to the "food which abides unto eternal life," the other physical food is nothing! Remember, they were running after him to get their next meal from him. He tells them that if that is the reason they are following him, that they might as well go chase a shadow. Now, let's apply this principle to the other not-but clause. "Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate the loaves and were filled." The "not" part is not an absolute statement either -- surely they were there because they saw the signs. But that was not nearly as important to them at this time as getting another meal. Remember this principle of the "not-but" construct -- very often the "not" part is not a totally unqualified statement. In studying the New Testament you will come across this construct often, especially in Paul's writings. Be careful because there are some "not ... but" statements in which the not part is totally true and required; but we trust you will be able to tell that from the context.]
28 They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God?
[This would seem to be a very sincere question. They sound like they really want to serve God. However, we cannot help but think that they were after the ability to perform miracles themselves because the word "works" is often used to refer to miracles. We will see that they were really not interested in doing God's will.]
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
[Jesus is saying that they must have faith in God and trust in the one who He sent, Jesus. Note that this (faith) is not a miracle, but it is here called a WORK. They seem to be asking how they could do miracles -- to them that was the work of God. What Jesus is saying is that the miracles are not the important thing as far as their souls are concerned. All that the miracles did was reveal and confirm the truth of God's word. It is up to each individual to OBEY that word. This is implicit in the idea of believing Jesus -- if you believe him you will have confidence that he will keep his promises and you will be more than willing to comply with the conditions that he sets forth before us. No, we will not be perfect in this regard, but we will do our best out of our love for him and for each other. This is obviously not earning our salvation, and those who understand the truth would never see it that way.]
30 They said therefore unto him, What then doest thou for a sign, that we may see, and believe thee? what workest thou?
[This is why we said that their interests were in the miracles themselves. Although their question seemed to be wanting to work for God, in reality they were interested in the miracles as ends within themselves.]
31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.
[This is kind of baiting Jesus to get him to do another feeding of the 5000. Jesus will not do a miracle just for the sake of a miracle or just to satisfy someone's lusts. His response indicates this ...]
32 Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, It was not Moses that gave you the bread out of heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven.
33 For the bread of God is that which cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
[Jesus is speaking spiritually here -- I am sure that any seeking reader can see that; but they did not -- very similar to when Jesus said to the woman at the well that the water he would give would spring up to eternal life and she would never thirst again. So, their response was also quite the same ...]
34 They said therefore unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 Jesus said unto them. I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
[He was speaking spiritually; they were thinking physically. As a result, it is totally impossible for them to begin to comprehend what Jesus was saying. But he is complying with the letter of their request. You want the bread that I am speaking of? I will tell you how to get it.]
36 But I said unto you, that ye have seen me, and yet believe not.
37 All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
[Those who accept the free gift of God are those that the "Father giveth me." He is talking about the saved. Why are they called a gift from God to Jesus? First, they would not be saved without the God-given gospel, nor could they be saved without the blood of Christ. Remember John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son ..." So, those that are saved are a gift of God to Jesus Christ in that Jesus loves us all and wants us to be saved. He gave his life and suffered on the cross for us. For sure, he did not do that in vain."]
38 For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39 And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
[Again, that which God gave Jesus are the saved; we have the promise of Jesus that he will not allow us to be lost as long as we continue to be faithful to him. Further, we will be raised from the dead to live eternally with him and his Father in heaven. Verse 38 gives another example of the "not ... but" construct.]
40 For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
41 The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, I am the bread which came down out of heaven.
42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how doth he now say, I am come down out of heaven?
[Generally "the Jews" are the Jewish leaders -- perhaps informal -- who most often swayed the crowd to their thinking. Their reasoning here is extremely flawed. The fact that he had humble beginnings should not be used to reason against Him. In fact, his humble beginnings were to demonstrate that he was not going to be a worldly king -- later he will say to Pilate: "My kingdom is not of this world; if it were then my servants would fight" (John 18:36). Do you see that they were blinded by their own worldly expectations related to the Messiah? Similarly, men are blinded by this today -- they want Jesus to obtain for them worldly benefits. They can never understand the gospel if this motivation is blinding them.]
43 Jesus answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44 No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day.
[This is important because it is a condition of salvation -- to be saved, we must be "drawn of God." What does this mean? The next verse answers this question ...]
45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me.
[The drawing power of God is the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we hear it and learn it, we are hearing from the Father. Those who give themselves to learning and understanding it will come to Christ ... this is inevitable. The reason that most people fail to come to Christ is that they do not allow themselves to fully learn it. You will see this when you try to explain the truth to them. They know just as the Jews here knew where it would take them, and they did not want to go there. God is not going to force them. He is giving them a choice -- as we will see in the rest of the chapter.]
46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he that is from God, he hath seen the Father.
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life.
[Jesus was with the Father from eternity; He is the only one that could bring this knowledge to us. The Old Testament was a shadow of this -- the gospel that Jesus brought is the reality. Belief here necessarily infers obedience – how can anyone think that they believe if they refuse to obey? Consider: John 8:51 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my word, he shall never see death.” Is there any difference between “believing” and “keeping My word?” Both are the same conditions for salvation.]
48 I am the bread of life.
49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50 This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove one with another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
[I would expect some of them actually "got it." He was not speaking physically of physical bread (which was what the manna was ... of sorts). He was speaking of His word of truth. Later he will say "the truth shall set you free" -- without believing the truth we are enslaved by Satan.]
53 Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves.
54 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he that eateth me, he also shall live because of me.
58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven: not as the fathers ate, and died; he that eateth this bread shall live for ever.
[Jews have very strict customs as to what they can and cannot eat, and these people being under the law were certainly no exception... taking this literally would mean that they were cannibals. Eating human flesh was despicable to them and to all civilized humans. If they had respect for the righteousness of Jesus, they would have known full well that he was not commanding cannibalism. But some wanted accuse Him, and this seemed another perfect opportunity.
[Some today think that this is talking about the Lord's Supper, which is something that we partake of the first day of every week. However, the purpose of the Lord's Supper is not being considered here. He is merely contrasting physical food in general with spiritual food. Their new spiritual food had to come from him -- it could come from no one else. This is what they were rejecting. Jesus just did not fit their concept of what the Messiah ought to be. They were looking for military victories, not a superior morality and God's righteousness. See Matthew 26:26-29 to contrast Jesus' teaching here with what He taught with regard to the Lord's Supper. Also see what Paul received from Jesus in 1 Corinthians 11:20-34.]
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard (this), said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it?
61 But Jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said unto them, Doth this cause you to stumble?
62 (What) then if ye should behold the Son of man ascending where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life.
[This verse serves as the key to interpreting this entire passage. Please read it again very carefully. The "disciples" spoken of here are not the twelve (we will hear about them in the next few verses. These were the 5000 who were fed and continued pursuing Jesus for the physical benefits. As soon as they found out that this is NOT what Jesus was (or is) all about, they disappeared. And so it is today. Verse 62 is a powerful rhetorical question. What would happen when Jesus was no longer with them and there were no more miracles? If they could not abide by his teaching while he was with them, what would happen after the inevitable crucifixion, resurrection and ascension? A good question for us to ponder today. Also, Jesus could not be talking about their literally eating His flesh it He would soon be out of reach in heaven.]
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who it was that should betray him.
[Apparently Jesus went aside just with his chosen twelve disciples while the crowd mulled over and debated his teachings.]
65 And he said, For this cause have I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it be given unto him of the Father.
[Some have used this and passages like this to affirm that God has picked out some before the creation of the world and these will be saved regardless and all others will be lost. This essentially denies that we have any part at all in our salvation. Why would Jesus be so upset at them if this were the case and they had no control at all over what they believed and how they behaved? No, we are not robots, and while SOME things are predestined (like the final judgment), this does not mean that EVERYTHING is. Here "given unto him of the Father" merely means that the words that have come from the Father through Jesus Christ are accepted -- in this figure -- eaten up and digested. The gift has to be accepted. It is given by the Father, but we must accept it ... listen to it and allow it to influence our behavior. This might not make us perfect, but for sure, it WILL make us different from our old life, and different from those who have not been born again.]
66 Upon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
[These were his disciples (followers, learners) in general, not the twelve as we see from the next verse.]
67 Jesus said therefore unto the twelve, Would ye also go away?
68 Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we have believed and know that thou art the Holy One of God.
[Peter does not seem here to be expressing his logical conviction. He does not say -- you have performed all these miracles and they are overwhelming! No, God always gives men a way out if they do not want to believe. If they do not WANT to "trust and obey," He does not force them to. What is Peter's reasoning here? There IS some logic to it. He asks effectively: what is the alternative? In other words, you are not what we expected, we are not totally and absolutely convinced beyond all doubt, but look at the alternatives ...
- The Pharisees -- perhaps the best of the Jewish sects, but Jesus showed where they were wrong;
- The Sadducees -- they did not even believe in spiritual life after physical death (i.e., the resurrections);
- Something outside of Judaism -- that would have been unthinkable and obviously mindless idolatry.
- Was there REALLY any other alternative?
70 Jesus answered them, Did not I choose you the twelve, and one of you is a devil?
71 Now he spoke of Judas (the son) of Simon Iscariot, for he it was that should betray him, (being) one of the twelve.
[We will defer talking about Judas until later except to say that he provides us an example of someone who saw everything the other disciples saw but for his own worldly reasons decided to serve Satan. What a tragic example, and yet we see so many today making the identical decision.]
John 7
7:1 And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judaea, because the Jews sought to kill him.
[After these things from John 6: (1) a great multitude were in Jerusalem for the Passover, and they gathered around Jesus, (2) Jesus performed a miracle to feed them – feeding of the 5000, (3), Miracle: Jesus walking on the water, (4) Jesus teaches about how much greater spiritual food is than physical food, (5) His followers for the most part (except the 12) abandon Him, (6) Jesus interaction with Peter: “were else can we go – you have the words of eternal life.”.]
[There were Jews all over -- this is again speaking of the Jewish leadership (who were mainly in Judaea) and their blind followers. It is interesting that we have no record of Jesus using his miraculous powers to protect himself. Certainly he was not going to be crucified one second before God would allow it, and it was necessary for Jesus to spend enough time on this earth to fulfill all righteousness. And God's divine providence was guarding Jesus' every move. God’s intervention did not require a miracle – this is called divine providence. It is God using the natural or human forces to bring about a given result.]
2 Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles, was at hand.
3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may behold thy works which thou doest.
4 For no man doeth anything in secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou doest these things, manifest thyself to the world.
5 For even his brethren did not believe on him.
[This is a terrible indictment against his physical brothers -- sons of Mary. Why did their brotherly love not have Jesus' best interests in mind? Perhaps envy? The Roman Catholic teaching that Mary was always a virgin, is totally foreign to the Bible. But the bible indicates very clearly that Jesus had brothers and sisters, and that Mary was married to a man named Joseph. Matthew 1:18: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit." The necessary inference of this statement is that after she gave birth to Jesus that she had a normal married life with Joseph. Additional evidence: Matthew 13:55-56 (Speaking of Jesus) Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? 56 And his sisters , are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?]
[His brothers were taunting Jesus to go to Jerusalem perhaps out of jealousy or greed if they had some way to profit from it. They might also be trying to coerce Jesus to become a worldly king thinking they would have some advantage being related to him. NOTE: at least one of His brothers repented and became a great leader of the church in Jerusalem; his name was James (see Acts 15).]
6 Jesus therefore saith unto them, My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready.
7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil.
[This is the bottom line as to why good people are so hated by the world. The more righteous that they are the more they are hated. Jesus was the ultimate good; and thus, he was the ultimate hated. Can you imagine Jesus correcting some of today's obvious evils (that are called "good" ... e.g., abortion) today? Generally, people have not changed. They continue to call good evil and evil good. Jesus statement "your time is always ready" is a strict criticism of them. It shows that their thinking is just the opposite of what it ought to be. It is similar to Jesus saying “you always have time for your sinful ways.”]
8 Go ye up unto the feast: I go not up unto this feast; because my time is not yet fulfilled.
[Interesting -- we will see that Jesus DID go to this feast. There is always a problem of pulling one verse out of context and not interpreting it in light of other related verses, and this is a good example. In essence what Jesus was saying is -- I am not going to go with you now. It is the timing that is in question. If Jesus went and published his presence at this time they would try to force him to become a worldly king. This is what Jesus refused to do, but he reserved the right to choose his time and place. To refuse to go at all would be a sin for any Jew.]
9 And having said these things unto them, he abode (still) in Galilee.
10 But when his brethren were gone up unto the feast, then went he also up, not publicly, but as it were in secret.
[This is consistent with what was explained above.]
11 The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he?
12 And there was much murmuring among the multitudes concerning him: some said, He is a good man; others said, Not so, but he leadeth the multitude astray.
13 Yet no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.
[No man supported him openly because they would be case out of the synagogue by their leaders, something that would be economically and socially catastrophic to them. Here is another example of where John refers to the Jewish leadership as merely "the Jews."]
14 But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
15 The Jews therefore marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
16 Jesus therefore answered them and said, My teaching is not mine, but his that sent me.
17 If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or (whether) I speak from myself.
[Note this verse. Understanding God's will is NOT a matter of luckily having the right teacher or going to the right church (although certainly these would help). But if we want to learn God's will, we will be able to know who are honest teachers, and which group is a good local church. It is a matter of our own will -- our really wanting to know the truth. Most people do not know the truth, and the reason is that they do not want to go where it will take them. So it was with Jesus' brothers, and so it is with these people here that were taunting him. They did not want to know it because they could see in advance what it would require of them, and they were unwilling to "take up that cross."]
18 He that speaketh from himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
[There is much doctrine in the gospel of John, and much of it is in Jesus responding to his critics -- we are in the midst of some of that now.]
19 Did not Moses give you the law, and (yet) none of you keep the law? Why seek ye to kill me?
20 The multitude answered, Thou hast a demon: who seeketh to kill thee?
21 Jesus answered and said unto them, I did one work, and ye all marvel because thereof.
22 Moses hath given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers); and on the sabbath ye circumcise a man.
23 If a man receiveth circumcision on the sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken; are ye wroth with me, because I made a man every whit whole on the sabbath?
[Note in Verse 21, the word "work" applies to a miracle Jesus performed. Why would they want to kill Jesus just because he healed a man on the sabbath day? Well, that was just a pretense -- that was not the real reason, which was the loss of their positions. They were just using this as an excuse to accomplish their selfish purposes. Those who are evil resort to the truth only when it accomplishes their wicked purposes.]
24 Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
[This is a stand alone truism -- we ARE commanded to judge when it is appropriate -- it is the way that we judge that so often gets us into trouble. We must judge righteous judgment, not prejudiced hateful judgment like the way the Jews were dealing with Jesus. This is another example of a Not ... But statement, where the not part is not absolute -- there might be times when appearance is part of the righteous judgment.]
25 Some therefore of them of Jerusalem said, Is not this he whom they seek to kill?
[Contrast this with verse 20 -- apparently this was common knowledge to some of them.]
26 And lo, he speaks openly, and they say nothing unto him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is the Christ?
[Good question. Their reasonings are quite interesting -- about what you would find today in many political debates -- the common people only have a very surface knowledge of what is going on -- they just do not have enough access to the truth to get under the hood. That took (an still takes) much effort. It seems reasonable that the rulers did know that Jesus was the Christ, but this was ignored since it did not fit into their selfish ambitions.]
27 Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when the Christ cometh, no one knows whence he is.
[Whence is the location or source. I would expect that this is from some theory of theirs or misinterpretation of the Old Testament. There is nothing that says this in the Old Testament. Much information is given as to where and why the Messiah would come. The Old Testament indicated Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”]
28 Jesus therefore cried in the temple, teaching and saying, Ye both know me, and know whence I am; and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.
29 I know him; because I am from him, and he sent me.
30 They sought therefore to take him: and no man laid his hand on him, because his hour was not yet come.
[In this case God was protecting Jesus, although Jesus did take steps at time to protect himself by avoiding their evil intents. It is clear that the momentum of having him killed is building because the Jewish leaders thought they could defeat him in no other way.]
31 But of the multitude many believed on him; and they said, When the Christ shall come, will he do more signs than those which this man hath done?
[What a profound question!!! Indeed it gives us hope for some of mankind that there were a few who could see the obvious truth. This is good, sound logic that still applies today.]
32 The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning him; and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to take him.
33 Jesus therefore said, Yet a little while am I with you, and I go unto him that sent me.
34 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, ye cannot come.
35 The Jews therefore said among themselves, Whither will this man go that we shall not find him? will he go unto the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
36 What is this word that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am, ye cannot come?
[Again, see their problem? -- they seem totally incapable of thinking spiritually. Jesus had already told them that he was from the Father, and that he would be going back to Him at some point (John 6:62). Making definitive statements like they were tempting Him to do would just give them more evidence to hasten His death now. Jesus had a purpose for everything that He did.]
37 Now on the last day, the great (day) of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water.
39 But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive: for the Spirit was not yet (given); because Jesus was not yet glorified.
[This is an explanation given to us by John. We will learn much more about the role of the Holy Spirit as we continue to Study John's gospel. Recognize from Acts 2:38 and Acts 5:32 that while most Christians never had the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, they ALL received the benefits that the indwelling Holy Spirit brings as a gift to every Christian. See also Romans 8.]
40 (Some) of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, said, This is of a truth the prophet.
41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, What, doth the Christ come out of Galilee?
42 Hath not the scripture said that the Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?
[In this context, "the Prophet" is just another word for "the Messiah. In fact, Jesus was born in Bethlehem as is stated in Matthew, Mark and Luke -- the other three gospels. This is typical of how evil liars twist the truth using the ignorance of the hearers to achieve their own wicked ends. If they were interested in the truth they could easily have found out where Jesus was born, ]
43 So there arose a division in the multitude because of him.
44 And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.
45 The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why did ye not bring him?
46 The officers answered, Never man so spake.
[These Roman soldiers who were granted by Rome to be under the command of the Jewish rulers -- sort of on loan -- because the Jews themselves were not allowed to take up arms, for obvious reasons. They were to obey the Jewish rulers to whom they were assigned, but this did not include doing things that were absurd or unreasonable. Cleary, they had a better understanding of the truth than did most of the educated and experienced Jewish leaders.]
47 The Pharisees therefore answered them, Are ye also led astray?
[Again, a reflection on people today -- when they cannot defeat an argument with truth, they often attack the messenger -- it is called an "ad hominem" attack. For example, those who speak in contradiction to generally accepted thought today are often immediately labeled as "anti-science." In reality, it does not matter if the person presenting evidence is an expert or not -- if what they are saying is the truth, it is still the truth. Be watchful for ad hominem attacks since they are a sure sign that the arguments being made have no merit. There are many such attacks in the trials of Jesus and Paul.]
48 Hath any of the rulers believed on him, or of the Pharisees?
49 But this multitude that knoweth not the law are accursed.
[Again, these are not logical arguments. They have nothing to do with the validity of Jesus being the Son of God. In this case, the multitude they are criticizing knew far more than what these "experts" did.]
50 Nicodemus saith unto them (he that came to him before, being one of them),
51 Doth our law judge a man, except it first hear from himself and know what he doeth?
52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and see that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.
53 (And they went every man unto his own house: John 8:1: but Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.)
[Recall that Nicodemus was that leader of the Jews who visited with Jesus in John 3. He is now citing the law against their rush to judgment. Again, they cannot appeal to the law, so they attack the man and question his motives. It was true that "out of Gallilee ariseth no prophet," but Jesus was not from Galilee (originally) he was born in Bethlehem. They did not have their facts straight. But would it have mattered if they knew and understood? They would have just come up with something else. At this point any lie that they could use to convince the multitudes would have served their purposes. In His wisdom, Jesus was avoiding the two extremes of being put on trial or being made king.]
John 8
7:53 (And they went every man unto his own house:
8:1 but Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.)
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and the Pharisees bring a woman taken in adultery; and having set her in the midst,
4 they say unto him, Teacher, this woman hath been taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such: what then sayest thou of her?
6 And this they said, trying him, that they might have (whereof) to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.
7 But when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
[They probably thought that Jesus' lack of a response to them showed weakness on His part. But Jesus ALWAYS knew what e was doing.]
8 And again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.
9 And they, when they heard it, went out one by one, beginning from the eldest, (even) unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the midst.
10 And Jesus lifted up himself, and said unto her, Woman, where are they? did no man condemn thee?
11 And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more.)
[A beautiful story that should allay much of our concerns over whether the grace of God extends to us. Forgiveness is conditional on repentance, but Jesus knew that she had repented of her sins. There is much speculation over what Jesus was writing on the ground, but if it were important it would be told to us. No doubt it was of a spiritual nature and the purpose seems to be to show his lack of concern for the situation that they thought would be untenable for him. Jesus also knew that there were none of them without sin. After all, if she had been taken in the very act, where was the man she was with? Why was he not to be condemned with her? We really do not need to speculate ... their goal was not justice; it says clearly that they were trying Jesus. He handled their trial with a wisdom that could only come from God.]
12 Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.
13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest witness of thyself; thy witness is not true.
14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Even if I bear witness of myself, my witness is true; for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye know not whence I come, or whither I go.
15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
[It was not the intent of Jesus to judge at this point; but the truth obviously judged those who were not consistent with it. The fact that Jesus bore witness of Himself did not make His witness false.]
16 Yea and if I judge, my judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
[Jesus was totally obedient to the Father, so if the truth judged them, it was not Jesus doing it personally. This is a good lesson for us -- we must teach all of the truth, not because it is ours' but because it is the will of God.]
17 Yea and in your law it is written, that the witness of two men is true.
18 I am he that beareth witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
[The Old Testament law required two or three witnesses in order for a fact to be established. The Father bore witness of Jesus in enabling him to perform the various miracles.]
19 They said therefore unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye know neither me, nor my Father: if ye knew me, ye would know my Father also.
20 These words spake he in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man took him; because his hour was not yet come.
[This demonstrates that God was protecting him providentially.]
21 He said therefore again unto them, I go away, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sin: whither I go, ye cannot come.
22 The Jews therefore said, Will he kill himself, that he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come?
23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
[Jesus was talking about his being with the Father before he came to this earth (Philippians 2:5-11), and after his ascension into heaven recorded in Acts 1.]
[Philippians 2:5-8: “Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient (even) unto death, yea, the death of the cross.”]
24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for except ye believe that I am (he), ye shall die in your sins.
25 They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? Jesus said unto them, Even that which I have also spoken unto you from the beginning.
[He had told them who he was from the beginning, and they would not believe it. The "(he)" is not in the Greek. Jesus said: "Except you believe that I AM, ye shall die in your sins." See Verse 57 below for more details.]
26 I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you: howbeit he that sent me is true; and the things which I heard from him, these speak I unto the world.
27 They perceived not that he spake to them of the Father.
[Their hearts were not right, and when a person's heart is not right it is impossible for them to discern spiritual things.]
28 Jesus therefore said, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am (he), and (that) I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things.
[This is speaking of his crucifixion. The "(he)" is not in the Greek. Jesus said: "... then shall you know that I AM, and I do nothing of myself, ..." See Verse 57 below for more details.]
29 And he that sent me is with me; he hath not left me alone; for I do always the things that are pleasing to him.
30 As he spake these things, many believed on him.
31 Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, (then) are ye truly my disciples;
32 and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
[This is a very powerful statement. If you have the desire to know the truth, you will be able to know it and understand it. If not, there will be no way that you will be able to understand it. Of course, Jesus here is speaking of being made free from the enslavement of lies and all other sins for which they have repented.]
33 They answered unto him, We are Abraham's seed, and have never yet been in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin.
35 And the bondservant abideth not in the house for ever: the son abideth for ever.
36 If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
[Freedom from sin is freedom indeed. Nothing else really matters.]
37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed: yet ye seek to kill me, because my word hath not free course in you.
38 I speak the things which I have seen with (my) Father: and ye also do the things which ye heard from (your) father.
39 They answered and said unto him, Our father is Abraham. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
[Abraham's children spiritually. Their physical connection to Abraham was really of no benefit.]
40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I heard from God: this did not Abraham.
41 Ye do the works of your father. They said unto him, We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, (even) God.
42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I came forth and am come from God; for neither have I come of myself, but he sent me.
43 Why do ye not understand my speech? (Even) because ye cannot hear my word.
44 Ye are of (your) father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof.
[This tells us much about those in the world today who would prey on others by lying to them.]
45 But because I say the truth, ye believe me not.
46 Which of you convicteth me of sin? If I say truth, why do ye not believe me?
47 He that is of God heareth the words of God: for this cause ye hear (them) not, because ye are not of God.
48 The Jews answered and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon?
[If you think about this, you can see that this was a racial slur -- actually Jesus was not a Samaritan, but even if He was, it should not have made any difference as to whether He was telling the truth or not.]
49 Jesus answered, I have not a demon; but I honor my Father, and ye dishonor me.
50 But I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my word, he shall never see death.
[Italic mine-dbb for emphasis here and in John 20:31. This is a very powerful statement. Again, it is to be interpreted in a spiritual sense and not taken physically. But, as usual, they take it in the physical, worldly sense. Consider John 20:31: “but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name.” Is there any difference between “believing” and “keeping My word?” Is “faith only” even possible?]
52 The Jews said unto him, Now we know that thou hast a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my word, he shall never taste of death.
53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who died? and the prophets died: whom makest thou thyself?
[In our current vernacular we would say: "who do you think you are?"]
54 Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing: it is my Father that glorifieth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God;
55 and ye have not known him: but I know him; and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be like unto you, a liar: but I know him, and keep his word.
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad.
[This statement necessarily infers that Abraham is still alive spiritually (at that time, and now).]
57 The Jews therefore said unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am.
[This is another declaration of Jesus' divinity, consistent with Philippians 2 referenced above.]
Remember it also from Exodus 3:13-14:
13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.]
59 They took up stones therefore to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.
[This was another case of God protecting Jesus by His divine providence. While there was nothing miraculous indicated here, the fact that Jesus was able to hide himself and escape seems clearly to have been with the help of God. One thing about the providence of God is that it can never be proven. Unlike miracles, the result of divine providence could be attained by natural means. God's providence is still at work today -- He is involved in the affairs of mankind -- to that we can be sure, although we are not in any position to state when and where that occurs. Taking up stones to cast at Jesus was itself contrary to Roman law, subjecting every one of them to a potential death penalty.]
John 9
9:1 And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind?
[Conventional wisdom at the time was that disastrous situations like this must be caused by someone's sin. Even with the book of Job in their scriptures they did not recognize the fallacy of this belief.]
3 Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
4 We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5 When I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed his eyes with the clay,
7 and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went away therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
[There is no explanation as to the reason Jesus used this method for bringing about the miracle. Clearly he wanted the young man to have a part in his healing -- much as we have a part in our salvation. We have to do something -- there are conditions that we must meet. However, those conditions in no way earn us our salvation -- just as in this case, the man could hardly say that he got rid of his own blindness by doing what Jesus commanded him to do. This is an almost perfect analogy. Jesus could have used this counter-intuitive substance (clay) so that no one would think that some effective medicine had been applied.]
8 The neighbors therefore, and they that saw him aforetime, that he was a beggar, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
9 Others said, It is he: others said, No, but he is like him. He said, I am (he).
10 They said therefore unto him, How then were thine eyes opened?
11 He answered, The man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to Siloam, and wash: so I went away and washed, and I received sight.
12 And they said unto him, Where is he? He saith, I know not.
13 They bring to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
14 Now it was the sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
15 Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. And he said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and I see.
16 Some therefore of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, because he keepeth not the sabbath. But others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such signs? And there was division among them.
[Which of the questions show prejudice? In the one case those asking did not even know Jesus ... at least not very well. It wasn't that they were prejudiced for Jesus -- they were just asking a reasonable question. The Pharisees were obviously prejudiced against Jesus, to the point that they felt no obligation to tell the truth.]
17 They say therefore unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, in that he opened thine eyes? And he said, He is a prophet.
18 The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight,
19 and asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? How then doth he now see?
20 His parents answered and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
21 but how he now seeth, we know not; or who opened his eyes, we know not: ask him; he is of age; he shall speak for himself.
22 These things said his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man should confess him (to be) Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
[It is difficult to describe what "being put out of the synagogue" would be comparable today. It was more than religious ... it was also social and economic. It would make it quite difficult to get a job or have any type of social interaction. So, we might understand why the young man's parents did not want to get cross-wise with the Pharisees. On the other hand, they knew more than anyone else (aside from the man himself) that a miracle had been performed. It just goes to show how economic and social interests can paint the way people see things. With the Pharisees it was a matter of both economics and power that prejudiced the way they viewed Jesus.]
23 Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.
24 So they called a second time the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give glory to God: we know that this man is a sinner.
25 He therefore answered, Whether he is a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
26 They said therefore unto him, What did he to thee? How opened he thine eyes?
27 He answered them, I told you even now, and ye did not hear; wherefore would ye hear it again? would ye also become his disciples?
[The young man showed a lot of courage to speak to them this way.]
28 And they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are disciples of Moses.
29 We know that God hath spoken unto Moses: but as for this man, we know not whence he is.
30 The man answered and said unto them, Why, herein is the marvel, that ye know not whence he is, and (yet) he opened mine eyes.
31 We know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and do his will, him he heareth.
[This last verse is a truism, but needs some qualification. First of all ... we are ALL sinners. So does God hear no one? Of course not. In this regard the meaning of the word "sinners" is critical, and it depends on the context, as is true with most ambiguous words. We are all sinners in the sense that we all sin. But we are not all sinners in the sense that we have given ourselves over to sin and have stopped attempting to serve God. The latter is someone who has no regard for God, and would even intentionally do things counter to His will with little or no conscience. If Jesus came and claimed to be the Son of God and claimed to prove it by performing fake miracles, he would indeed be a sinner in the sense that this young man is using the word.]
32 Since the world began it was never heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind.
33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.
34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
[Out of the synagogue, that is. This young man had courage that his parents lacked -- he knew that there were things more important than being in fellowship with the local Jewish synagogue. it is interesting that the Pharisees taught the same error in which the disciples were mistaken -- that all suffering is caused by the sin of the person suffering (or someone close to him/her.)]
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and finding him, he said, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
36 He answered and said, And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and he it is that speaketh with thee.
38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
[Neither humans nor angels are to accept worship from other men, but Jesus did, and rightfully so because he was of the Divine nature -- as contrasted with humanhood, Godhood (some use the word Godhead). The fact that Jesus allowed such worship is evidences along with many other evidences we have throughout the New Testament that Jesus is God, as we might qualify the term further, God the Son.]
39 And Jesus said, For judgment came I into this world, that they that see not may see; and that they that see may become blind.
40 Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said unto him, Are we also blind?
41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: but now ye say, We see: your sin remaineth.
[While this is a complex combination of the physical and spiritual usages of the word blind, it should not be hard to understand. Trying to explain it might make it more confusing, so we will leave it up to your meditation.]
John 10
10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
[This is a metaphor figure of speech. Jesus us the shepherd and His faithful are the sheep. What he is saying here is something that was a very simple truism. If you own a house, for example, you have no problem entering in by the front door. But a thief or robber might break through a window or deviously sneak in the back door ("some other way")].
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leads them out.
4 When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
[Him=Jesus in verse 3 and 4, but in verse 5 him=the stranger that the sheep do not know. Again, this is just common knowledge to those who understood sheep back then -- as many did back then.]
6 This parable spoke Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spoke unto them.
[I have an idea that you are a bit more perceptive than they were. Thinking of it from a spiritual perspective, this is not difficult to understand.]
7 Jesus therefore said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All that came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have (it) abundantly.
[There are two analogies here. The "door" is the first analogy that Jesus drew. What does the door do? It allows you to enter legitimately. Not sneaking in through a window or anything like that. Below is a second analogy from the same context. In this one Jesus is the good shepherd.]
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep.
12 He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them, and scattereth (them):
13 (he fleeth) because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me,
15 even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
[The hireling does not own nor care about the sheep; Jesus does both. Jesus is the shepherd; his faithful followers are the sheep that He cares for.]
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice: and they shall become one flock, one shepherd.
[This is a bit more difficult, and some have tried to justify their false doctrines using it. The most logical extension of the initial preaching of the gospel (to the Jews) was to the Gentiles. The Jews at this time did not recognize any Gentiles (and perhaps not even Samaritans) as even having any possibility of being part of God's people without first becoming proselyte Jews. What Jesus is teaching here is revolutionary -- but it was a major principle taught in both the Old and New Testaments. It will continue to be a major point of contention in the first century Church, and it will cause the meeting in Jerusalem that it documented in Acts 15.]
17 Therefore doth the Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.
18 No one taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment received I from my Father.
[Jesus is obviously speaking of his crucifixion and resurrection here -- it is easy to see why the Jews in general would not understand this until after those events took place. So, in a sense, this is a prophesy of His death, burial and resurrection. The sheep will be saved -- all of hem, both Jew and Gentile.]
19 There arose a division again among the Jews because of these words.
20 And many of them said, He hath a demon, and is mad; why hear ye him?
21 Others said, These are not the sayings of one possessed with a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?
[Fairly typical argumentation ... the type of thing we often hear when people discuss religion today. Neither argument is totally definitive -- the Pharisees always had an argument that could deceive the unfaithful masses.]
22 And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem:
23 it was winter; and Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon's porch.
24 The Jews therefore came round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou hold us in suspense? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believe not: the works that I do in my Father's name, these bear witness of me.
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who hath given (them) unto me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch (them) out of the Father's hand.
[Some have used this as an argument for once-saved-always-save, or what they call “the security of the believer.” Who is Jesus talking about? Answer: Verse 26, “my sheep [who] hear [listen to] my voice.” Listening to Jesus necessarily implies that they would follow Him and obey His commands. There is no example of someone being saved who went back to their old life of sin, but many examples condemning those that did. It is essential that when we sin we repent of these sins and ask God for forgiveness (1 John 1). For these, there is no one (except the believer him/herself) who can “snatch them from the Father’s hand.”]
30 I and the Father are one.
[One? In what way? Are they identical? If so, why would Jesus be indicating that His Father was someone else? i.e., the One who sent Him. It seems clear that Jesus was talking about another type of oneness -- oneness of agreement. The Father and Jesus' teachings and understanding of the reality of truth, love and righteousness were identical.]
31 The Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from the Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken),
36 say ye of him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am (the) Son of God?
[Jesus is referring to the following:
Psalms 82: 1 God standeth in the congregation of God; He judgeth among the gods. 2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and respect the persons of the wicked? (Selah) 3 Judge the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and destitute. 4 Rescue the poor and needy: deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. 5 They know not, neither do they understand; they walk to and fro in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I said, ye are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High. 7 Nevertheless ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; for thou shalt inherit all the nations.]
[His reasoning is quite simple and does not require that we parse out all of Ps. 82 (although I am sure you get the drift of it). The reasoning is simply -- if God called them (men) gods, then it is not wrong per se for me to call myself the same. But, of course, that is not all of his defense. He goes on ...]
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do them, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.
[What Jesus is appealing to is the intuitive good that is in all mankind (perhaps acquired at creation or when they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good an evil). Jesus reasons "look at what I have done! What part of it is evil? Everything that I have done, everything that I have taught, all of my miracles -- they are all without question GOOD and right and consistent with the goodness that YOU KNOW is in the Father. And yet, you want to kill me... WHY?"
[Sin is a terrible thing, and it leads us down a path where we end up crucifying afresh the Son of God ... this is stated in the book of Hebrews (6:4-6): : “For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, 6 and (then) fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”]
[Surely these men did not know what their lust for power and jealousy was causing them to do. Ultimately, Jesus would say: "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." And also 1 Corinthians 2:8: “… which none of the rulers of this world hath known: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory…”]
39 They sought again to take him: and he went forth out of their hand.
40 And he went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was at the first baptizing; and there he abode.
41 And many came unto him; and they said, John indeed did no sign: but all things whatsoever John spoke of this man were true.
42 And many believed on him there.
[Those who had honest hearts -- the same ones who believed John -- believed on Jesus. Note that although we learn that John was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb, verse 41 says that he did no sign. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not necessarily some miraculous thing, nor does it cause those who are filled to have miraculous abilities. We can see this if we are careful to take what the bible says about the Holy Spirit and not assume anything further from that which is given. See Romans 8 for more details on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and its effect on the faithful.]
Go to John 11-15