Life of Christ part 33

 John 4.1-3

News of Jesus' growing popularity in Judea had reached the ears of the ever-cautious Pharisees. They’d heard that Jesus was gaining even more followers than the extremely popular John the Baptist. Jesus learned of the Pharisee’s concern, and decided it was time for Him to go back to Galilee. He certainly didn’t leave Judea out of fear of the Pharisees. Instead, Jesus must have calculated that His ministry would prematurely encounter too many obstacles if He remained in Judea. There were many more people to reach and much more work to be done. He could best carry on His ministry in the north, in Galilee.

Jesus' Ministry in Samaria intro

 Jesus’ Ministry in Samaria intro

We can’t be certain how long Jesus stayed in Judea during this first phase of His public ministry. We know  it began in the spring, during the feast of Passover. In the account of the woman at the well, Jesus states that the harvest was four months  away. This may mean that Jesus went through Samaria during the winter time, four months prior to the spring harvest. Therefore, Jesus may have spent several months in Jerusalem  and the Judean countryside. The time came, however, for Jesus to return north to Galilee. He would do so by passing through the middle region of Samaria where He would carry on a brief ministry connected with a woman in the Samaritan town of Sycharf

Life of Christ part 32

 John 3.22-36

Jesus and His disciples left Jerusalem, but instead of returning to Galilee they went out into the Judean countryside. There Jesus spent time with His disciples. This is significant. If we want to understand Jesus we have to spend time with Him. Jesus also engaged in a preaching and baptising ministry similar to that of John the Baptist, although Jesus didn’t actually baptise people, but left that work for His disciples to perform. In fact, John was still preaching and baptising nearby. Some people went to John and told him that many people were abandoning his ministry and following Jesus instead. We might have expected John to become jealous of Jesus’ popularity, but John was truly a man of God. He simply replied that he himself wasn’t the Messiah. Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus must increase in popularity, while John indicated that he himself should decrease. The time had come for Jesus to take centre stage in the unfolding spiritual drama of the ages. Only Jesus can grant eternal life. He alone must be the object of our faith.

Life of Christ part 31

 John 3.1-21

One man who showed particular interest in Jesus was a Pharisee named Nicodemus. We must remember that the Pharisees, while often the archenemies of Jesus during His earthly ministry, were highly respected among the people. These were men of high regard, men who were committed to upholding the law of God in its finest detail. Many Pharisees, of course, took this commitment to the point of disregarding human needs and even disregarding the God they claimed to serve. But some were honest, thoughtful men seeking to know God’s truth. Such was Nicodemus. Nicodemus would have been highly respected by the people because he was highly respected by the other religious and political leaders of Jerusalem to the degree that he had been appointed to the highest ruling council in the land. 

Some have made great claims about Nicodemus’ cowardice due to the fact that he went to Jesus at night, but such claims are far from necessary. The busyness of a man of Nicodemus’ standing and the active ministry of Jesus may have made an evening meeting the best possible time for intimate discourse. We must give Nicodemus credit for seeking Jesus out. He respectfully called Jesus a teacher, or Rabbi, and stated that he and others believed that Jesus had been sent by God. After all, it would take a work of God to perform the kind of miracles Jesus was doing. 

Jesus cut to the heart of the matter. He told Nicodemus that,  in order to see the kingdom of God, a person must be “reborn" or “born again.” This statement seemingly caught Nicodemus off guard, and he asked Jesus how a person can experience a new birth. Surely this couldn’t be a physically possibility. Jesus went on to explain that being reborn is a spiritual reality. We are born physically to enter into this world, but we must also be born spiritually to enter into God’s kingdom. This spiritual rebirth is a work of the Spirit of God in a person’s heart. It is a work of God that comes by faith. Jesus challenged Nicodemus to reflect on these spiritual realities. He also told Nicodemus that He alone, the Messianic Son of Man, had come from heaven and therefore was uniquely qualified to speak of heavenly truths. Jesus also said that He would one day be lifted up for all to see, speaking of the cross, and that anyone who would believe in Him would have eternal life. 

It’s in the context of Nicodemus’ interview with Jesus that we find the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3.16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Faith in Jesus is the key to the new birth. Faith in Jesus is essential to entering into eternal life. Jesus brought spiritual light into a dark world. He shines His spotlight on our sin so that we might look to Him for forgiveness. We must believe in Jesus to be reborn, and we must be born again in order to enter His eternal kingdom. This is the lesson Jesus taught Nicodemus. 

Life of Christ part 30

 John 2.13-25

When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover, He found the courtyards surrounding the Temple filled with merchants and moneychangers. After all, it would have been difficult for many of the Jews to transport a sacrificial animal from distant locations to Jerusalem for the Passover, so it had become common practice for merchants to make such animals available for purchase in Jerusalem. In addition, these and other financial transactions invited the involvement of money changers, who likely inflated their prices for such events. That these practices took place was not really the problem. The problem was where they took place. The merchants and money changers had taken over the courts of the Temple for their transactions, making the place of worship a place for financial profit. This disregard for the holy place infuriated Jesus. John's Gospel tells us that He made a whip out of some rope and drove the animals out of the Temple area. Furthermore, He upended the tables of the money changers, sending coins flying everywhere. Like a fiery prophet of old, He zealously rebuked the merchants, accusing them of turning His Father’s house into a marketplace. We must take note that in this dramatic and public inauguration of Jesus' ministry, He referred to the Temple as His own Father’s house, highlighting His unique relationship with God the Father.

Of course, an act like this didn’t go unchallenged. The Jewish leaders quickly accosted Jesus and asked Him by what authority He did these things. They demanded a sign of His authority. Jesus told them simply, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The Jews were appalled. It had taken forty-six years to build this magnificent Temple in Jerusalem. Could Jesus really think He could do the same thing in three short days? They didn’t realise that Jesus was talking about a different temple, His own body. Already Jesus knew that He would die and raise again on the third day. Already He knew that His ministry would be fraught with resistance. Instead of welcoming His cleansing of the Temple as they should, the religious leaders opposed this purifying act.

After purging the Temple, Jesus engaged in a ministry of miracles. John tells us that many people saw these miracles and believed in Him. Yet, John tells us, Jesus knew that their faith was fleeting in many cases. He didn’t depend on the crowd because, as God in the flesh, He knew the makeup of the human heart. His ministry would draw crowds, but the crowds would one day turn against Him. Jesus knew that He had to change people one heart at a time.

Early Ministry in Judea intro

 Early Ministry in Judea intro

Jerusalem and its Temple, located in the southern region of Judea, was the heart of Judaism. You’ll remember that every year Mary and Joseph took Jesus as a boy to Jerusalem in order to celebrate the Passover. As an adult, Jesus continued to make this annual journey. It was while Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover that He publicly presented Himself as God’s Messiah. He did so in a dramatic fashion. 

Life of Christ part 29

 John 2.1-12

It is generally agreed that the first physical miracle that Jesus performed was turning water into wine. John's Gospel describes this event as the beginning of Jesus' miraculous signs. It came about like this. There was a wedding in a small town near Nazareth called Cana. Jesus' mother, Mary, was one of the guests at this wedding celebration. Jesus, too, had been invited, along with His disciples. A wedding feast in ancient Israel wasn’t just a one day event. It took the better part of a week. As the week wore on, the bridegroom’s supply of wine ran out. Some have suggested that the last-minute arrival of Jesus and His disciples contributed to the depletion of the banquet supplies. Possibly the host hadn’t planned adequately, or the family was too poor to make better provisions. All we really know is that there was no more wine. This would have been a tremendous social embarrassment to the bridegroom and his family.

Mary went to Jesus and informed Him of the situation. Did she have some motherly sense that her son, the Son of God, would use this opportunity to reveal Himself to the world? Jesus responded to Mary by asking why she was involving Him in this situation. After all, His time to present Himself as God’s Messiah hadn’t yet arrived. It’s always difficult to conjecture from the printed words alone the tone of voice or the facial expressions involved in such conversations. It’s possible that Jesus, with a smile and knowing wink, responded to His mother in such a way that both knew what was about to take place. After all, Mary immediately told the servants to do anything Jesus asked. 

We read that there were six large stone water jars nearby. Jesus asked the servants to fill these jars with water, which they did immediately. He then told the servants to draw some water from the jars and present it to the banquet host. We can only imagine what was going through the minds of these servants. Why would they present a cup of water to the host who had run short of wine? Was this some cruel joke? Nonetheless, the servants complied with Jesus' request. The host took the cup, not knowing where it came from, and tasted its contents. The cup was filled with wine, and not just any wine, but the best of wine! The host called the bridegroom aside and congratulated him on saving the best wine until the end. The wedding feast would now continue in style. Apart from Jesus and Mary, the servants and Jesus' disciples alone knew the source of this new wine. They must have been astounded. Jesus had a great miracle. He demonstrated His power over physical elements, transforming ordinary water into wine. But He did so privately, not seeking attention nor revealing Himself publicly to the crowd. That time would come soon enough. For now, Jesus used His miraculous power to honour His mother’s request, to rescue a family from social embarrassment, to endorse forever the institution of marriage, and to reveal His glory to His disciples. John tells us that Jesus' disciples put their faith in Him as a result. They would again and again see Jesus perform miracles, and they would again and again grow in their belief in this Man who could turn water into wine.

When the wedding feast was over, Jesus along with His disciples, His mother, and His brothers, left Cana and spent a few days in Capernaum, a fishing village along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The Gospels indicate that Jesus had brothers and sisters. He was part of a family, and He spent time with His family. We also know that some of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen who had made Capernaum their base of operation. Jesus, too, would eventually make Capernaum His base of operation for His itinerant ministry. But for now, Jesus simply went to Capernaum to spend time with His family and friends. He would reveal Himself publicly  not in Galilee, but in Judea. 

Life of Christ part 28

John 1.35-51

 

John had impacted the lives of many people with his preaching. Some had joined him in his ministry, becoming his ‘disciples'. A disciple is the student of a master teacher, an apprentice in the things of God. John had disciples, and Jesus, too, would gather a band of disciples to assist Him in His great work.

The day after Jesus had returned to John's place of baptism, John pointed Jesus out to two of his disciples, again describing Jesus as the Lamb of God. These two disciples of John, no doubt with John's blessing, began to follow Jesus. Jesus asked them what they wanted, and they simply asked where Jesus was staying, hinting that they wanted to become His disciples. Jesus openly invited them to follow, saying, “Come and see.” They spent that entire day with Jesus.

One of these first two disciples of Jesus was a man named Andrew. Andrew had a brother named Simon. Andrew went to Simon and told him that he had found the Messiah. Andrew then brought Simon to see Jesus. Jesus took one look at Simon and gave him a new name, Peter. Peter's brother Andrew is often described as Jesus' first disciple. He is also famous for bringing people to Jesus. His first act as a disciple was to bring his own brother, Simon Peter, to the Lord. He serves as a model of evangelism for all Christians.

The next day Jesus decided to leave Judea and return to Galilee. Before beginning His journey, however, Jesus extended an invitation to a man named Philip to follow Him as a disciple. Philip was from Berhsaida, a town along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, as were Andrew and Peter. Philip went to another man, Nathaniel, and told him that the promised Messiah had come. The promised Messiah was Jesus from Nazareth. Nathaniel was sceptical. He doubted that the Messiah could hale from such an insignificant town such as Nazareth. But Philip pressed Nathaniel to come with him and see Jesus. As Nathaniel approached Jesus, without introduction Jesus declared that Nathaniel was a man of true character. Nathaniel, puzzled by this statement, asked how Jesus knew anything about him. Jesus said that He saw Nathaniel under a fig tree before Philip spoke to him. Jesus, in His divine omniscience, knew all about Nathaniel. Nathaniel, impressed with this miraculous display of knowledge, declared that Jesus was the Son of God and the King of Israel. Jesus told Nathaniel that he would witness many greater things than this display of His omniscience. He would see heaven opened before him and angels ascending and descending on Jesus.

Jesus’ work in Judea was completed for the time being. He had been baptised by John. He had overcome intense temptation in the desert. He had gathered an initial band of disciples. His followers included Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathaniel, and one other unnamed disciple. You’ll remember that two of John the Baptist’s disciples followed Jesus. One was Andrew. The other was not identified. But since John’s Gospel alone records this event, and since John the disciple (not to be confused with John the Baptist) never mentions himself by name in his Gospel, it is likely that this other disciple was John. So Jesus, with His first five disciples, left Judea and returned to Galilee. It was in Galilee that Jesus would inaugurate His miraculous ministry.

Life of Christ part 27

John 1.29-34

 

The day after one such encounter with those who questioned John, Jesus returned from His period of temptation in the desert. When John saw Jesus he declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” He identified Jesus as the One who was greater. In fact, John said that Jesus existed before he did. We know that John was born before Jesus, so John must have been referring to Jesus’ pre-incarnate existence, His eternal deity. John recognised that Jesus is God, preexistent, eternal God. By John’s own admission it was his privilege to reveal Jesus to the people of Israel. He testified how he had seen the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus at His baptism. God had previously informed John that the descent of the Holy Spirit would be a sign identifying the Messiah. John had no doubt. Jesus was the promised Messiah. He was the Lamb of God who would die for our sins. He is the Son of God who deserves our utmost reverence and worship.

Life of Christ part 26

John 1.15-28

While Jesus was in the Judean desert facing Satan’s temptations, John the Baptist continued to carry out his prophetic work. He continued to testify to Jesus' identity as the long awaited Messiah and Saviour. Some had assumed that John would be that Messiah, or that he was Elijah, or perhaps some other unique prophet who would assume a great role of leadership among God’s people. John denied any such associations. He simply described himself as a voice in the desert who was preparing the way for the Lord. By referring to Jesus as ‘Lord’, quoting from a prophecy in Isaiah 40.3 that referred to God, John was identifying Jesus as much more than a man. Jesus is God in the flesh. John continued to assure the people that Jesus, the One who would come after him, was by far the greater of the two.

 

Life of Christ part 25

 Matthew 4.1-11, Mark 1.12-13, Luke 4.1-13

Before Jesus could begin His powerful ministry among the people, it seems that He first had to display His power in the spiritual realm. Therefore, as Mark’s Gospel tells us, the Holy Spirit sent Jesus out into the desert where the incarnate Son of God would face unparalleled temptation. Jesus fasted for forty days and, according to Luke’s Gospel, Satan tempted Him throughout that entire forty day period. We read of only three specific temptations, but these may have been the final salvos launched by a desperate devil anxious to destroy the possibility of Jesus’ redeeming work. Those three final temptations were, indeed, powerful enticements. But Jesus never flinched. Satan tempted Jesus to satisfy His human hunger by making bread out of stones. He tempted Jesus to test the Father’s love by throwing Himself from a high point of the Temple. He tempted Jesus to avoid the cross and still rescue the kingdoms of the earth by bowing in worship to him. Jesus rejected each and every temptation, citing various scriptures as His weapon against Satan’s enticements. Each time Jesus was tempted He said, “It is written.” It is written that we cannot live on bread alone, that we must not test God’s love, and that we dare not worship anyone or anything but God alone. Jesus proved Himself to be the holy Son of God by defeating Satan in the desert. Later, Jesus would defeat Satan on the cross. When this period of intense persecution came to an end, angels came to Jesus to attend to His needs. Now that Jesus had proven His power in the spiritual realm, He could freely minister to the physical and spiritual needs of God’s people.