Jesus Turns Water into Wine and Then Cleanses the Temple

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(John 2:1) And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee and the mother of Jesus was there.

In the last chapter, Jesus had been introduced to His first two disciples, Andrew and Peter.  The next day He called Philip and Nathanael (Bartholomew).  This may be the third day after that; however, what is more likely is that this was the third day of a marriage feast in Cana in Galilee.  Often such marriage feasts would last for days.  Jesus's mother was at that feast.

(2) And both Jesus was called and His disciples to the marriage.

Jesus and His four disciples thus far were also invited and present at the marriage feast.

(3) And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."

The wedding guests were wanting more wine and apparently they had run out, which supports the fact that this was probably the third day of the wedding feast.  Jesus's mother, probably wishing to avoid embarrassment for their hosts and knowing that Jesus could do something about it, told Jesus of the situation.

(4) Jesus said to her, "Woman, what have I to do with it? My hour is not yet come."

Jesus answered her by referring to her as "Woman."  That sounds like a reproof, but it was not.  Just as we today might address one as "Son" and "Brother" when talking to them, the Jews used "Woman" when talking to a woman.  It's obvious that it was not meant as a reproof as Jesus also used the term in tender moments as demonstrated in John 19:26 and John 20:15.  However, Jesus did ask her what concern it was to Him since His hour had not yet come, which probably meant His time for ministry and public display of miracles had not yet come.  However, it could have meant that it was not quite the right time to perform this particular miracle.  Perhaps the wine was getting very low but not completely gone and Jesus was waiting for just the right time to perform His miracle so there would be no doubt that He was the one who did it.  He may have desired to use it as confirmation to His new disciples that He was who He said He was.  Jesus knew the situation and the right time for remedying it and didn't need His mother to tell Him.

(5) His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."

It does seem like Jesus's mother took what He said to mean that He would remedy their situation but that time was not right at that moment.  She told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do, knowing that it might seem strange to them.

(6) And there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

There at the feast were six stone waterpots that were used for the Jews' purification or washing, such as washing their hands before they ate.  Each waterpot contained two or three firkins.  A firkin was about nine gallons so each waterpot contained 18 to 27 gallons of water, which could be close to 150 gallons in all of them. 

(7) Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.

Apparently the waterpots were empty as Jesus told the servants to fill them with water.  They filled them to the very brim with water.  I believe this was done so that the servants would be witnesses to the fact that there was only water in the pots, not wine.  By filling the pots to the brim, there would be no doubt that the pots had only water in them, and not water that would be mixed with a little wine.

(8) And He said to them, "Draw out now and carry it to the master of the feast." And they carried it.

Jesus told the servants to draw some of the water out and take it to the master, or the manager or director, of the feast.  They did as Jesus instructed them.

(9) When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who drew the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom, (10) And said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse, but you have kept the good wine until now."

The ruler of the feast tasted the water that had been made into wine that the servants had brought to him.  He had not known where the wine had come from, but the servants knew.  He then called the bridegroom and told him that he knew that everyone usually brought out their best wine at the beginning of a feast, and then after the guests had drunk a great deal and were perhaps a little intoxicated, then they would bring out an inferior wine.  However, he commended the bridegroom for bringing out the best wine at the last, which the bridegroom may have known nothing about.  The fact that the ruler of the feast had known nothing about what had taken place proves that the water had indeed been turned into wine, and the very best wine, at that!  When Jesus does something for us, He gives us the very best!

(11) This beginning of miracles Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

This turning of water into wine was the first miracle Jesus wrought.  This miracle manifested His glory, the glory of His divine nature and deity.  This miracle solidified the four disciples' belief in Him.

(12) After this He went down to Capernaum, He, and His mother, and His brothers, and His disciples, and they continued there not many days. (13) And the Jews' Passover was at hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

After the wedding at Cana, Jesus, His mother, His brothers or kinsmen, and His four disciples Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael, went to Capernaum.  They didn't stay very long because the Passover in Jerusalem was near, and Jesus went forth to Jerusalem.

(14) And found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting.

When Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem, He found it filled with people doing business selling oxen, sheep, and doves, most likely for people to use as sacrifices.

(15) And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overthrew the tables.

Jesus actually made a whip and drove all the merchants out of the temple, along with their animals.  He poured out their money and overthrew their tables.  Although very similar to what He did in the accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this appears to be a separate incident as John places it early in Jesus's ministry and the others' occurred in the last week of His life.  This was a fulfillment of the prophecy in Malachi 3:1 which said in part, "Behold, I will send My messenger and He shall prepare the way before Me, and the Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come to His temple..."

(16) And said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"

The doves were surely in cages, so Jesus had not driven them out.  He ordered those who sold them to take them out of the temple and not to make His Father's house a house of merchandise.

(17) And His disciples remembered that it was written, "The zeal of Your house has eaten Me up."

His disciples, observing all this, remembered the scripture in Psalms 69:9 which read word for word as they remembered it, "The zeal of Your house has eaten Me up."  They had witnessed great zeal and a burning passion in Jesus for His Father's house that appeared to consume Him.

(18) Then answered the Jews and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?"

Either some of the Jews He had driven out of the temple or some who were witnessing it, or both, asked Jesus for some sign that proved His authority to do what He had done.

(19) Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."

Jesus gave them a rather cryptic answer.  The way He said, "this temple," it is plausible to assume He may have pointed to His own body.  Jesus was not one to perform a miracle on demand.  He had already said it was His Father's house and surely by then there had been some amount of knowledge about Him.  And Jesus didn't cast His pearls before swine delivering deep spiritual answers to those who weren't really interested and only wanted to condemn Him.  Jesus always knows the heart of whom He is speaking to.  He said that the ultimate sign would be when they destroyed the temple of His body and He raised it up in three days.

(20) Then said the Jews, "Forty-six years was this temple in building, and will You rear it up in three days?"

This temple was known as the second temple which was rebuilt by Herod the great.  It had been forty-six years in the rebuilding and repairing, and the Jews now asked with contempt if Jesus really thought He would raise it again in three days.

(21) But He spoke of the temple of His body.

John lets us know that it was indeed Jesus's body that He spoke of being raised three days after it was destroyed.

(22) When therefore He was risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them, and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

Throughout Jesus's ministry and His teaching to His disciples, we have found them in previous places in scripture being rather slow to understand the spiritual mysteries Jesus taught.  John seems to be saying here that even Jesus's disciples did not fully comprehend what Jesus had meant regarding His temple being raised until He was actually risen from the dead three days after His crucifixion.  It was then that they remembered what He had said to those Jews and they fully understood the scriptures and Jesus's words about it.

(23) Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in His name when they saw the miracles which He did.

While Jesus was there in Jerusalem for the Passover, specifically at the Feast day, there were many who believed in His name as the promised Messiah because He had performed miracles which they witnessed.

(24) But Jesus did not commit Himself to them because He knew all, (25) And did not need that any should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

However, Jesus did not commit the totality of His Gospel to them because as was said before, He knew their hearts.  He didn't need anyone to tell Him what was in a man; He already well knew.  These people had a shallow belief in Him because of His miracles but He knew they would not accept Him for the salvation of their souls.  He knew their hearts had not been changed by witnessing His miracles.  I believe there is a wise lesson in this that Jesus expressed in Matthew 7:6:

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and attack you." 

We should not speak of the deep holy things of God to those who only wish to profane it and attack us.

Jesus Calls His First Few Disciples

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels: 

(John 1:19) And this is the record of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

In verses 6 and 7 in the last post, the evangelist John had told us that John the Baptist had been sent by God to bear witness of Jesus.  He now began to tell about John and just how he bore that witness.

(20) And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."

It seems that at least some of the priests and Levites who came to him must have thought he was the Christ, but John told them freely and truthfully that he was not Christ, the Messiah.

(21) And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you that prophet?" And he answered, "No."

If he wasn't the Christ, they wanted to know just who he was.  They asked if he was Elijah, and he said he was not.  From the accounts in Matthew and Luke we learned that they had also asked if he was the prophet Jeremiah or one of the other prophets risen from the dead.  So whichever prophet they were asking John about in this verse, he answered he was not that prophet.

(22) Then they said to him, "Who are you? That we may give an answer to them who sent us. What do you say of yourself?"

Then who was he?  They wanted to know so that they could tell the people who sent them to find out.  They asked what he had to say for himself.

(23) He said, "I am 'the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Make straight the way of the Lord,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."

Quoting Isaiah 40:3, John told them he was the one Isaiah spoke of when he spoke about the voice of one crying in the wilderness to make straight the way of the Lord.

(24) And they who were sent were of the Pharisees.

Those who were questioning John were Pharisees who were a very legalistic sect zealous for the traditions of the elders.  They were knowledgeable of the scriptures and were anticipating their coming Messiah.

(25) And they asked him and said to him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not that Christ, nor Elijah, nor that prophet?"

There were baptisms done before John came on the scene, but they were for pagans who had converted to Judaism and ordered by the Sanhedrin.  They never baptized Jews so they wondered by whose authority he was doing it now, if he was not Christ, Elijah, or some other important prophet.

(26) John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands one among you whom you do not know."

John answered that he did indeed baptize with water.  The account in Matthew 3:11 said a good bit more about this.  He baptized with water for repentance of sins, but there was one among them whom they did not yet know who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.

(27) "He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's strap I am not worthy to unloose."

John explained that the one among them they did not yet know was the one coming after him who was preferred before him, so great in fact that he was not worthy to even loosen His sandal strap.

(28) These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan where John was baptizing.

This conversation between John and the Pharisees took place at a place called Bethabara where John was baptizing.  "Bethabara" literally means "house of the ford" or "house of passage," and was thought to be the place where the Israelites passed over the Jordan River under Joshua.  There could be symbology in this that this is where an opening was made for people to pass through to the Gospel of Jesus, and ultimately to be able to pass through to the kingdom of heaven.

(29) The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

The day after John had been conversing with the Pharisees, Jesus came to John and John accurately and prophetically declared Him to be the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world, that ultimate Lamb sacrifice that would atone for all sin when He was crucified.

(30) "This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"

John went on to say that Jesus was the one he had been talking about when he said that one would come after him who was preferred above him because He had been there before him in time and was before him as the foremost superior One.

(31) "And I did not know Him, but that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore I come baptizing with water."

Although Jesus and John were cousins (Luke 1:36), it appears that John had not known Jesus previous to His baptism and the beginning of His ministry.  John had spent his time in the hill country in solitude and Jesus had been in Nazareth.  John explained that his purpose had been to proclaim Jesus's coming and make Him known to Israel, preparing the way for Jesus.

(32) And John bore record, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and it dwelt on Him."

John gave testimony that he had seen the Holy Spirit descending from heaven in the form of a dove that rested on Jesus.

(33) "And I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me, 'Upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, the same is He who baptizes with the Holy Ghost.'"

John again said that he had not known Jesus before His baptism, but God who had sent him to baptize with water had told him that when he saw the Spirit descending from heaven and resting on Jesus, he would know that He was the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

(34) "And I saw and bore record that this is the Son of God."

John had been a witness to the Spirit descending like a dove onto Jesus and remaining there, so he had therefore heard the voice from heaven declaring that Jesus was His beloved Son (Matthew 3:17), so he knew and testified that Jesus was the Son of God.

(35) Again the next day after, John stood and two of his disciples.

The day after John had seen Jesus and had revealed Him as the Son of God, he was standing with two of his disciples.

(36) And looking upon Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"

When John saw Jesus walking, he directed his disciples to see the Lamb of God.

(37) And the two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus.

Upon hearing John's declaration, his two disciples followed Jesus.

(38) Then Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, being interpreted, Master), "Where do You dwell?"

When Jesus turned and saw the two disciples following Him, He asked them what they were looking for.  They referred to Him as Rabbi which the evangelist John interpreted for his readers telling them it meant Master.  A Master among the Jews was a title for a learned teacher.  The disciples then asked where Jesus dwelt, as if asking where they might go to learn from Him.

(39) He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He dwelt and stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

Jesus invited the two disciples to come with Him to see where He dwelt, which they did.  The Jewish clock began at dawn, at 6:00 in the morning, so the tenth hour would have been 4:00 in the afternoon.  The disciples wound up spending most of the day with Jesus.

(40) One of the two who heard John and followed Him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

One of the two disciples of John who had followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  This was apparently before Jesus officially called the two brothers to be fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).

(41) He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah," which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

It seems the first person Andrew wanted to tell was his brother Simon.  He found him and told him that they had found the Messiah.  Once again, the evangelist John seems to be translating for his readers.  He wrote that the Messiah was the same as the Christ.  The Hebrew word "Messiah" was interpreted in Greek by the word "Christ" and both words mean "Anointed."

(42) And he brought him to Jesus.  And when Jesus beheld him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah; you shall be called Cephas," which is by interpretation, a stone. 

Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus.  When Jesus looked at Simon, he declared his name to be Simon, the son of Jonah, Simon Bar-Jonah as Jesus called him in Matthew 16:17.  However, He told him he would be called Cephas, which was the Hebrew word for "rock" or "stone" as John interpreted it.  The Greek word John used for "stone" was "Petros" or "Peter" as Anglicized.

(43) The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee and find Philip and say to him, "Follow Me." 

The day after Peter's introduction to Jesus, as Jesus was going to Galilee he found Philip and told him to follow Him.

(44) Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

Philip was from Bethsaida which was where Andrew and Peter were from.  John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible pointed out that there were three apostles of Jesus called out of Bethsaida, which Jesus later lamented and declared woe upon because it was a wicked place that rejected the word, miracles, and person of Jesus (Matthew 11:21), proving, as he would say, that a man's native place did not honor him, but a man honors his place, and having three apostles of Jesus coming from Bethsaida was no small honor for it.  I just love how God always seems to use flawed people and lowly places!  It gives hope and encouragement to all people from wherever they might hail!

(45) Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

Nathanael is probably the same person Bartholomew.  "Bartholomew" means "son of Tolmai," "Bar-Tolmai," like Jesus called Peter Simon Bar-Jonah in Matthew 16:17.  Therefore, it is likely that Bartholomew had another name.  The three previous gospels mention Bartholomew and John does not.  John mentions Nathanael and the other three do not.  Additionally, the three previous gospels name Bartholomew directly following Philip, and John names Nathanael following Philip.  So it does seem reasonable to assume that Nathanael and Bartholomew are two different names for the same person.  In a later passage in the gospel of John, Nathanael is listed among the disciples whom Jesus appeared to after His resurrection.  Although Jesus had many more disciples than just His chosen twelve, the 21st chapter of John does seem to concern only those of His chosen twelve.

After Jesus told Philip to follow Him, Philip went and found Nathanael and told him they had found Jesus of Nazareth about whom Moses and the prophets had foretold.

(46) And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

Nathanael questioned how anything good could come out of Nazareth as it was a wicked place in his mind.  Additionally, he surely knew the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem as prophesied in Micah 5:2, not Nazareth.  The prophesy had stated that Jesus would come out of Bethlehem even though she was little among the thousands of Judah.  Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but He grew up in Nazareth, a place so miserable that Nathanael could not imagine anything good coming from there.  Once again we have God using the lowliest places to bring forth something magnificent!  Philip only answered Nathanael's doubt by telling him to come and see for himself.

(47) Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him and said of him, "Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile!"

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, He said of Nathanael in the hearing of Nathanael himself and all who were present that he was indeed an Israelite, not only by birth, but worthy of the name.  He found no deceit or fraud in him; he was what he professed to be, and probably didn't tolerate fraud in anyone else, which might be why Jesus may have been giving him a small zinger because he had doubted that anything good could come from Nazareth.

(48) Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."

Nathanael asked Jesus how He knew anything about him.  Jesus answered that even before Philip had summoned him, He had seen him under a fig tree.  Of course, He did not mean that He was bodily present to see Nathanael, and Nathanael obviously realized that:

(49) Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

Realizing that Jesus could not possibly have seen him under the fig tree unless He was the Son of God, he declared him so and also to be the King of Israel.  He called Him Rabbi, which meant Master, and that title belonged to no one else but Christ, as Jesus said in Matthew 23:10.

(50) Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' you believe? You will see greater things than this."

It's as if Jesus said to Nathanael, "You believe I am the Son of God just because I saw you under the fig tree? You haven't seen anything yet!"  Indeed, Jesus told him he would see much greater things.

(51) And He said to him, "Most assuredly I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

Jesus told Nathanael he would see heaven open up and see angels descending upon Him and ascending back to heaven.  Whereas it would literally happen at His baptism, this was probably meant to be in a spiritual sense.  Through Jesus, the secrets of heaven would be made known to His disciples and it would be evident that He had the full favor of God in heaven and His ministering angels.  With Jesus's sacrifice, there would be an open channel to God and His angels for His believers.  There would certainly be no doubt that Jesus was their promised Messiah! 

God Himself Came to Save Us

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(John 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

These first few verses of John make up one of the most beautiful passages in the entire Bible, in my opinion.  "In the beginning," the same words that begin the Bible in Genesis tell us that Jesus was there in the beginning.  He was there before anything was created.  He was the Word of God and when He took on flesh and came into the world, He brought the Word of God to the world.  Jesus was and is God.  It's a difficult concept for our puny human minds to comprehend, but it's that Holy Trinity that makes up God:  God the Father in heaven, God's Word called His Son when he came into the world, and God the Holy Spirit.  God Himself came into the world to save it!

(2) The same was in the beginning with God.

This seems to be a repetition of what was before said, but it may have been written to confirm that the Word, Jesus, had been there from the very beginning, before God ever spoke creation into existence, before He ever spoke a Word the Word was there.  

(3) All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.

All things were made by Jesus!  Being the Word, He spoke creation into existence.  There was nothing ever made that was not made by Him.  I can't help but think about the words in Genesis when God said, "Let Us make man in Our image..."

(4) In Him was life and the life was the light of men.

In Jesus was life.  Jesus created life and He remains the only source for eternal life.  Life is found only in Jesus Christ!  That life that was created by Jesus was the light of men.  With light we can see things clearly.  From the beginning with Adam, man knew right from wrong and he knew God existed and he communed with Him.  We are all born with that light.  We instinctively know right from wrong and we instinctively know there's a God, although some may grow wise in their own eyes and try to deny it.

(5) And the light shines in darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.

When sin entered the world with Adam and Eve, darkness came.  The light of man shines in the darkness, but those so enveloped in darkness cannot comprehend or understand the light.  The world had become very dark and had ceased to perceive the light.  The original word that was translated as "comprehend" also means "seize, overtake," and was used just as many times in scripture with that meaning.  So perhaps the meaning here is that darkness never completely overtakes the light.  With any small flickering light, darkness disappears beside it.

(6) There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

The Apostle John now wrote about John the Baptist.  He said he was sent by God.

(7) The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.

John the Baptist was sent by God to bear witness of the Light, that original Light of man that is only found in the Word, Jesus Christ.  John was sent to testify about Christ and through his preaching and teaching, all men might come to believe in Him.

(8) He was not that Light, but to bear witness of that Light.

John the Baptist was not himself the Light, but he came to proclaim the Light and prepare the people to receive the Light.

(9) That was the true Light which lights every man who comes into the world.

The Light John was preaching was the true Light that lights every man who comes into the world.  As was discussed in verse 4, every person is born by the Word and with the Light, the knowledge and wisdom that God gives one from birth, but he may extinguish it with his own lusts and desires for the darkness of the world.

(10) He was in the world and the world was made by Him, and the world did not know Him.

That Light was now in the world and He had made the world and all that was in it, but the world did not know Him.  John the Baptist had come to teach the world about Him.

(11) He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.

Jesus the Light came first to His own chosen people, the Jews, but they did not receive Him as their Messiah.

(12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God, to those who believe on His name.

However, to the people who did receive Him and believed in Him as their Savior, He gave them the right to become the sons of God.  He actually gave them power when He sent the Holy Spirit.

(13) Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

These sons of God were not literally born as God's sons, nor could they become sons by their own will or by the will of any man, but only by God or Jesus who gifted that right when they accepted and believed in Christ as their Savior.

(14) And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.

The Word that was in the beginning with God and was God became man and dwelt among His disciples who beheld His glory.  The disciples had been close associates of Jesus and were able to see Him for who He really was.  The Apostle John, along with Peter and James, had been witness to the full glory of Jesus being displayed at His transfiguration on the mountain (Matthew 17:1-9).  That was a glory that could only be of God in heaven and was proof that the Word came from heaven and became flesh in the form of Jesus who was full of grace and truth.  He was always gracious and kind, doing good to all, and He was full of the truth as only the Word could be.

(15) John bore witness of Him, and cried, saying, "This was He of whom I spoke, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"

John the Baptist affirmed the truth about Jesus when he saw Him, saying that Jesus was the very one he had been preaching and prophesying about when he had said that the One who came after him was greater than he was and preferred above him because He had been there since the beginning.  That word that was translated as "before," "protos," actually has a stronger meaning than merely "before."  It means "foremost," the first and/or best, number one.  Jesus had been long before John even though He came into the world after him because He had existed in heaven from the beginning, and He was of foremost importance, far superior to John the Baptist, although John was known as a great prophet.

(16) And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

That fullness of grace and truth that the evangelist John spoke of in verse 14 all Jesus's disciples had received.  They received grace because of the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  To me that seems to be the sense of the original word "anti" that was translated as "for."  The meaning of the word was "instead of" or "because of."  "Grace instead of grace" doesn't make a lot of sense unless you think of it as the grace of the Gospel of Christ instead of the grace given by the law.  Some of the commentators I study took it to mean "grace upon grace," one blessing upon another, immeasurable grace and love.  That is certainly true, but that doesn't appear to be the meaning of the word.

(17) For the law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

The law was given and taught by Moses as he had received it from God.  The very truth of God came to us in the form of Jesus Christ.  In addition, He brought us grace from the law that none of us was ever able to adhere to faithfully:  "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)  Jesus brought us the true spirit of the law and the love and grace to save us from it.

(18) No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

No man has ever physically seen God with his eyes, but I believe the sense here is the secondary definition of the word "horao" which means "to see with the mind, to perceive, know."  No one had really seen and fully known God as they did when Jesus from the very bosom of Father God, in oneness with the Father, God Himself, dwelt among men and revealed the true God to them, the God of love and truth and mercy.  Jesus truly revealed God to us in the way the law never could.  However, we needed that law to demonstrate to us how much we really need God and His guidance and salvation.  The law gives us a guidebook on how we are to live our lives and how the fruits of our salvation should look.  The law was necessary, but it provided only a vague glimpse of God in the shadows of that law.  In Jesus Christ, men are able to know God and have seen Him (John 14:7).

Although this makes for a rather short post, I think it should stand alone in its revelation that Jesus IS God.  I think it is probably the most beautiful passage in the entire Bible, telling us how God Himself because He loved us so much, provided a way for Him to come down to us and save us from our sin.  He Himself who could not look on sin provided a way to take upon Himself the entire filthy sin of the world in the human form of Jesus Christ.  He did that for us!  There is no greater love!  The word "love" as we know it doesn't begin to describe the love God has for us.  Actually, there is a word for it, "agape" which means the unconditional selfless love of God, the highest form of love, in contrast to "eros" that refers to sexual desire and love, and also "phileo" which refers to brotherly love.  UNCONDITIONAL - meaning there are no conditions that would prevent Him from loving and saving us.  No one has done anything so bad that they cannot be saved!  The only thing we have to do is to accept His love and salvation by accepting Jesus into our hearts and allowing His sacrifice to cover our sins.  And that should not be looked upon as a condition.  It's a gift that we accept to atone for and cover our sins because an all holy God cannot look upon filthy sin.  Saying "cannot" seems a contradiction in an omnipotent God, but His very nature is all-good and holy and free from any form of uncleanness and sin:

You are of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look on iniquity... - Habakkuk 1:13

For You are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness; neither shall evil dwell with You. - Psalm 5:4

I will continue a study of the first chapter of John in the next post as John begins to tell of the historical facts of Jesus in the world.

Christ's Resurrection, Appearance to Disciples, and Ascension

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels: 

(Luke 24:1) Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

At the end of the last chapter, Joseph of Arimathea had laid Jesus's body in his own new and unused tomb.  Some of the women who had been following Jesus saw where He was buried, and went home to prepare spices and ointments for Him.  However, as the Sabbath had begun at 6:00 in the evening on the day Jesus had died, they were not able to bring the spices back to Him that night.  A full second day had passed, the Sabbath, and now it was the morning of the third day that they went back to the sepulchre where Jesus had been buried.  It seems some others, probably women, went with them.

(2) And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

The account in Matthew had said that Joseph had rolled a huge stone in the doorway of the sepulchre where he had buried Jesus.  The women now found the stone rolled away from the door.  

(3) And they entered in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

The women entered into the sepulchre and found that Jesus's body was not there.

(4) And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed about this, two men stood by them in shining garments.

As the women stood there perplexed about Jesus's missing body, it seems there appeared two angels in the form of men in shining garments.  In the accounts of Matthew and Mark, they spoke of only one angel.  Luke and John spoke of two angels.  I'm sure the angels must have come and gone at will, as it seems they must have surely just appeared before the women, as they certainly would have seen them as they entered into the sepulchre if they had already been there.  Matthew and Mark may have only mentioned one with whom the women had communication and didn't mention the other.  However, in John Gill's Exposition of the Bible, he pointed out that there were two angels because as they were the first witnesses of Jesus's resurrection, it was therefore established He had risen, as scripture tells us often that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses a thing will be established.

(5) And as they were afraid and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?"

The women were very afraid and while they bowed down their faces to the ground, the angels asked them why they were searching for the living among the dead.

(6) "He is not here but is risen; remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, (7) Saying, 'The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and the third day rise again.'"

The angels told the women that Jesus was not there because He had risen, and then reminded them of Jesus's words telling them how He must suffer and die at the hands of sinful men, but that He would rise again on the third day.  

In studying this, I began to contemplate why it was that Jesus had to be in the tomb for three days before He rose.  Why not right away or why not seven days, the number of perfection?  I am sure He had to be dead in the tomb long enough for people to know that He was really dead.  If he had risen right away, people could have claimed He had only fainted.  If he stayed much longer, His body would have started severely decaying.  And I found this scripture from Psalm 16:10, "For You will not leave My soul in Sheol; neither will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."  "Sheol" can sometimes mean hell, but it also means "grave" and that definition makes more sense here.  God would not leave Jesus's body in the grave and He would not allow it to become corrupted, or destroyed or decayed.  Although the body begins decaying right away after death, God would not allow Jesus's body to stay long enough to start noticeable decaying.  Of course, God could have prevented it from decaying at all in that span of three partial days.  Although it was counted as the third day that Jesus rose, if you count the hours, it only totaled 36 hours, more like a day and a half.  So as God does all things in perfect timing, He allowed Jesus's body to stay in the tomb long enough that no one could deny that He was really dead, but not so long that it began to decay.  Also Jesus fulfilled a prophecy that He would say of Himself, that just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days, so He would be in the grave three days.

(8) And they remembered His words, (9) And returned from the sepulchre and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

The women did indeed remember Jesus's words and they left the sepulchre and went back to tell the eleven disciples and the rest of Jesus's followers what they had seen and heard.

(10) It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary mother of James, and other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.

Mary Magdalene, Joanna whom we were told in Luke 8:3 was the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Mary the mother of James and also of Joseph and said to be Jesus's mother Mary's sister, as well as other women were the ones who told the apostles what they had seen and heard.

(11) And their words seemed to them as idle tales and they did not believe them.

The eleven disciples, who had heard the words of Jesus just as these women had, did not believe them and thought they were just speaking nonsense.

(12) Then Peter arose and ran to the sepulchre, and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering to himself at that which had come to pass.

At least Peter had enough doubt about what the women had told him to go and check it out for himself.  He ran to the sepulchre and stooped down to observe only the linens that had been used to wrap Jesus's body lying there.  He left the tomb contemplating those things he had seen and had heard from the women.

(13) And behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus which was from Jerusalem sixty furlongs.

That same day two of Jesus's disciples, probably not two of the twelve apostles as they weren't named, were going to a village called Emmaus that was about seven and a half miles from Jerusalem.

(14) And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

As they were walking, they were discussing all the things that had recently happened.  They may have been talking about Jesus's betrayal by Judas and His awful crucifixion and the awesome signs from heaven, and they may have been among the disciples who heard what the women had to say that morning.  Whatever it was exactly, they had a lot to contemplate.

(15) And it came to pass that while they communed and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.

While they walked and talked, Jesus Himself came up on them and walked with them.

(16) But their eyes were restrained that they should not know Him.

Although He walked with them, they did not recognize Him.  The way it is written, it seems that Jesus may have veiled their eyes that they should not recognize Him at first.  However, it may be that they were looking downward at the road ahead, probably melancholy over the events they were discussing, and didn't notice Him.

(17) And He said to them, "What manner of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"

Jesus then spoke to them asking what they were talking about as they walked along and why they were so sad.

(18) And one of them whose name was Cleopas, answering, said to Him, "Are You only a stranger in Jerusalem and have not known the things which have come to pass there in these days?"

This interaction does seem to suggest that their eyes had been supernaturally veiled so as not to recognize Jesus at first.  One of the disciples or followers of Jesus named Cleopas asked Him if He was a stranger in Jerusalem to not have known what had taken place there in the past few days.

(19) And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people."

Jesus asked them what things had come to pass the past few days.  They answered that it concerned Jesus of Nazareth and they described Him as a prophet mighty in deed as in all His miraculous healings and other miracles He performed and mighty in His preaching and teaching before God indicating He had God's blessing, and to all the people.

(20) "And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death and have crucified Him."

They continued telling Jesus what had happened, that the chief priests and rulers delivered Jesus to be condemned to death, and He was indeed crucified.

(21) "But we trusted that it had been He who should have redeemed Israel, and besides all this, today is the third day since these things were done."

This is probably the reason that Jesus had veiled their eyes so as not to recognize Him.  He wanted them to speak aloud what they were thinking about Him, for it seems they still didn't have a full understanding of what He had come to do.  They said they had trusted that He was going to redeem Israel as they would expect an earthly king to do, but it had now been three days since He had been crucified.

(22) "Yes, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, who were early at the sepulchre, (23) And when they did not find His body, they came saying they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive."

It appears they had indeed been witness to what the women had said that morning and told Jesus about it.  They told Him how the women had gone to His sepulchre and did not find His body there, and then went to Jesus's disciples and followers and told them about it and how they had seen angels who told them Jesus was alive.

(24) "And certain of those who were with us went to the sepulchre and found it even as the women had said, but Him they did not see."

They told Jesus that certain of the group who had heard what the women had to say, we know Peter was one of them, went to the sepulchre and found it just as the women had said; they did not see His body.

(25) Then He said to them, "O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken."

Jesus then rebuked them as foolish and slow to understand all that the prophets had spoken about their Messiah.

(26) "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"

As they had been told by the scriptures, if Christ was to redeem them and fulfill the prophecies concerning Him, wasn't He to suffer these things?  Those very things that caused them doubt were the things that proved He was the Messiah.

(27) And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Jesus then began to explain to them the scriptures from Moses to all the prophets who prophesied about Him just how they spoke of Him.

(28) And they drew near to the village where they went, and He made as though He would have gone further.

The disciples came to their destination at Emmaus, but Jesus appeared to be going on further.

(29) But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us for it is toward evening and the day is far spent." And He went in to tarry with them.

The disciples asked Jesus to stay with them, still not realizing who He was.  They said because it was late in the day and evening was coming, He should stay with them, and He did.

(30) And it came to pass, as He sat at the meal with them, He took bread and blessed and broke and gave to them. 

When Jesus sat down with the disciples for a meal, He took the role of the master of the house and took bread, broke it, and gave it to them, just as He had done so many times before when He was with His disciples.

(31) And their eyes were opened and they knew Him, and He vanished out of their sight.

It was at that point that the disciples' eyes were opened and they knew it was Jesus who sat with them, but then He vanished out of sight.

(32) And they said to one another, "Didn't our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the way and while He opened to us the scriptures?"

The two disciples then talked with each other about how their hearts had indeed burned with passion at Jesus's words and His knowledge of the scriptures.  It was as if they were saying, "Of course, it was Jesus!  Who else but Him could stir our hearts so?"

(33) And they rose up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, (34) Saying, "The Lord is risen indeed and has appeared to Simon!"

The two disciples rose up immediately and returned to Jerusalem where they found the eleven apostles gathered together with other disciples with them.  The apostles told the returning disciples that the Lord had indeed risen and had appeared to Simon Peter.  It's interesting that none of the Gospels tell of this encounter, not even Mark, who was thought to be Peter's scribe.  However, the fact that it did happen is backed up by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:5.

(35) And they told about the things on the road and how He was known by them in breaking of bread.

The two disciples then told the others about how they had met Jesus on their way to Emmaus, but He wasn't made known to them until His breaking of bread at their meal.

(36) And as they spoke Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and said to them, "Peace to you."

While the two disciples were telling their story, Jesus Himself appeared in the midst of them all and saluted them with, "Peace to you."

(37) But they were terrified and frightened and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

It's interesting that they were so frightened and thought they were seeing a spirit when they had just then been talking about how Jesus had appeared to some of them.  But the account in John tells us it was night and they had assembled together in a shut and presumably locked house because they were afraid of the Jews.  The fact that Jesus just appeared having not come through a door and not making a sound took them very much by surprise.

(38) And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts?"

However, Jesus spoke to them and asked why they were troubled at His appearance.  By "thoughts" I think He meant "doubts".  Why were they having doubts about whether or not they were really seeing Him?

(39) "Behold My hands and feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." (40) And when He had spoken this, He showed them His hands and feet.

Jesus told them to look at Him, specifically at His hands and feet which surely showed the wounds He had received from being nailed to the cross.  He told them to touch Him and see that He was flesh and bones and not a spirit.  Then He showed them His hands and His feet.

(41) And while they still did not believe for joy and wondered, He said to them, "Have you here any meat?"

It's not that the disciples did not believe Jesus at all, it was just so incredible and filled them with such joy that they couldn't believe their own eyes.  Then Jesus asked them if they had any food.  I doubt Jesus really needed to eat at that point, but it was another point of proof that He was indeed flesh and bones.

(42) And they gave Him a piece of broiled fish and of a honeycomb. (43) And He took it and did eat before them.

The disciples gave Jesus a piece of broiled fish and a piece of honeycomb which He did indeed eat.

(44) And He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms concerning Me."

Jesus may have been referring to His words that would follow, or perhaps more likely He was saying that the things they had witnessed were the fulfillment of the words He had previously spoken to them regarding His death and resurrection, prophecies that had been written by Moses, the prophets, and in the psalms.

(45) Then He opened their understanding that they might understand the scriptures.

Jesus opened the disciples' hearts and minds and gave them a full understanding of the scriptures concerning Him.

(46) And said to them, "Thus it is written and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day."

Jesus told His disciples, having given them full understanding, that it had been written in scripture and it was necessary for Christ to suffer and die and then be risen from the dead on the third day.

(47) "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem."

Jesus added that repentance of sin and the forgiveness of it should be preached in Christ's name to all nations, but beginning at Jerusalem to God's chosen people.

(48) "And you are witnesses of these things."

Jesus declared to His disciples that as they had been witnesses to His life, His suffering, His death, His resurrection, and His fulfillment of the scriptures, they could therefore witness to all nations.

(49) "And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you, but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

Jesus assured them that He would send the promise of His Father, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17 and 26).  However, He told them to stay in Jerusalem until they had received that power of the Holy Spirit descending upon them.

(50) And He led them out as far as Bethany and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

Jesus led the disciples out to the district of Bethany, not the actual town, for later in Acts it will tell us they returned from the Mount of Olives which was in the district of Bethany.  He then lifted up His arms and blessed them.

(51) And it came to pass while He blessed them, He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

While Jesus was blessing His disciples, He was carried up into heaven.  Jesus's ascension into heaven did not occur the same day as when He appeared to all His apostles and ate fish.  Scripture later states that He spent forty days on earth after His death appearing to many others (Acts 1:3).

(52) And they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

The disciples praised and adored Jesus and then with great joy returned to Jerusalem to stay as Jesus had told them to do.

(53) And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

The disciples spent their time in Jerusalem in the temple continually praising and blessing God until that day when they would receive His gift of the Holy Spirit.  Their days of mourning had ended, and they were filled with the assurance of redemption.  They, and every saved Christian after them, should be full of joy that their Savior had descended from heaven, died, risen, and ascended back to heaven to save them from their sin and give them eternal life.  Amen, that is, so be it, verily, firm, it is true and certain.