Today’s passage: John 8:12-30

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus does not judge “according to the flesh” or according to the world’s sinful standards.  Jesus will always rightly discern all things.  He is the very essence and the standard of righteousness.
  • He did not come into the world to condemn but to save (John 3:17).  But the day is coming, the Father has given judgment to the Son (John 5:22).
• The Pharisees wanted to use the law concerning witnesses against Jesus.  In the courts, one witness was not enough to confirm what happened.  However, if only one witness sees an event, it doesn’t make it untrue.
  • The Pharisees were not right to reject Jesus on a legal technicality, though in truth Jesus had much more than Himself as a witness.
• There are consequences to unbelief.
  • Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
  • When Jesus told them they couldn’t come where He was going, they assumed He was about to commit the sin of suicide (Calling good, “evil.”  Calling evil, “good.”).

Questions to consider:

1. What does the light reveal?  Are you a sinner who needed saving by God’s grace through the blood of Christ?  Do you desire to walk in the light and pursue purity and righteousness before the eyes of God?  What are the results to the answers for these questions?
2. What was Jesus record of righteous living in his earthly life (Verse 29)?  He didn’t just not sin, what was He always doing?  How can this help us to learn how to put off sin and put on righteousness?

Today’s passage: John 7:53-8:11

Helpful thoughts:

• The earliest manuscripts of the Gospel of John do not contain the content from 7:53-8:11.  Some manuscripts place this content in other places (Even in the Gospel of Luke).  This does not mean it never happened or that we cannot learn from it.
  • Nothing in this passage adds or takes away from any doctrines that we could not formulate from the rest of the Bible.
  • Every single passage like this in the Bible is openly noted as such.  This is incredibly encouraging.  We know with incredible accuracy what the original manuscripts contained.  And every section that raises any question contains nothing which would change our understanding of biblical doctrine.
  • More information about this passage was given in this sermon from 2019.
• The scribes and Pharisees do a despicable act here.  They care nothing for justice or for the woman (Not to mention the man, since they said she was caught in the act!).  They simply wanted to find fault in Jesus.
  • They failed!  There is no fault to find in our Savior!
• In Deuteronomy 13:9 and 17:6-7, rules are given for this kind of stoning in Israel.  The only people who could commence the stoning were people who were eye-witness and who were not also guilty of the same sin.
  • All of the scribes and Pharisees walked away.

Questions to consider:

1. Many people speculate what Jesus wrote on the ground in that moment.  Perhaps more important that what He wrote, why do you think he took the time to write?  What did Jesus’ writing in the ground give these scribes and Pharisees time to think about?
2. How do Jesus’ words to the woman compare with what it says in John 3:17?  Was Jesus telling this woman it was OK to commit adultery?  What was he offering to her?
3. What would have been the best response from the scribes and Pharisees after hearing all of this?  What is the correct response of the reader (us)?  Why is it right that we should go and sin no more?

Today’s passage: John 7:37-52

Helpful thoughts:

• Whoever thirsts for God, come to Christ and drink!
• The Spirit had worked and been involved before.  But He had been promised in a special way in the New Covenant (Ezekiel 36:26, Acts 2:1-13).
• The prophet Jonah had come from Galilee (2 Kings 14:25).  The Chief Priests and Pharisees were asking questions that could be answered.  But the point of their questions was not to learn, it was to pressure people into rejecting Christ.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the sad irony of the people’s confusion concerning Jesus’ birthplace?
2. Why was no one able to lay hands on him, even if they wanted to more than anything (Look back at verse 30)?
3. What do we see happening in Nicodemus in today’s passage?  What was he willing to do in the face of this pressure?  What could this indicate about his belief after his interaction with Jesus in John 3?

Today’s passage: John 7:25-36

Helpful thoughts:

• The people’s thinking in verse 27 was the result of bad teaching from the rabbis.  The Old Testament gave information on the birthplace of the Messiah (Matthew 2:1-6).
• If someone truly knows the Father, they will know the Son.  If someone truly knows the Son, they will know the Father (John 14:8-11).
• When the Jews heard Jesus was going where they couldn’t find Him, they assumed He was going “further away” from God (To the Dispersion of the Jews among Gentiles, outside of the Promised Land) when instead He was speaking of going closer to the presence of God in glory.

Questions to consider:

1. How can the errant teaching we see represented in verse 27 encourage us to continue faithfully digging into the Scriptures?  How important is good teaching/preaching and a people (taking advantage of the vast access we have to the Scriptures) who follow the example of the church in Berea (Acts 17:10-15)?
2. Even though the authorities wanted to arrest Jesus, why were they unable (Verse 30)?  How was God’s sovereignty being displayed?
3. What apparently was the view of the Jewish people and leaders concerning their standing with God?  How did their view contrast with Jesus’ words?  How did their view of themselves and their own excellence blind them from the truth and their need for rescue?

Today’s passage: John 7:1-24

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus’ brothers were the children of Joseph and Mary.  At this point, they do not believe in Jesus and are openly mocking Him.
• When Jesus told His brothers He wasn’t going up to Jerusalem for the festival, the original Greek words refer to the time of departure.  Jesus was telling His brothers He wasn’t going yet.  There wasn’t any misunderstanding or misleading going on.
  • Jesus’ brothers, in mockery, were challenging Jesus to make a big entry to draw attention to Himself.  Jesus had no intention to go that way.  It wasn’t His time (Meaning, it wasn’t yet time to be arrested and crucified).
• Jesus spoke straight from the Word of God and according to God’s revelation through Him.  The Jewish leaders spoke from previous or contemporary speakers.  When they quoted one another, they were giving mutual honor to each other.  It was an economy of mutual glory giving (Verse 18).  What they gave they expected back in return.

Questions to consider:

1. What are the ramifications of verse 7 for the church in the world today?  If we are the Body of Christ and we proclaim a salvation in Christ from the penalty of sin, what will the world be prone to think about us?
2. What happens to the ministry and message of the church (And the individual believer) when we want the praise of our brothers and culture more than the glory of God?  What had happened to the ministry and message of the Jews for the same reason?
3. How can we apply verse 24 well?  What must we know in order to discern accurately?  How do we acquire right judgment?

Today’s passage: John 6:60-71

Helpful thoughts:

• Many of those who had followed Jesus up to this point struggled to understand Jesus’ illustration of eating His flesh and drinking His blood.
  • The disciples mentioned in these earlier verses refer to more than just the twelve.
• Jesus confirms that His words were a spiritual illustration.  Receiving the body and the blood picture believing in Him and His death for our sin.
  • Jesus also confirms, no one can come to Him unless it is granted by the Father.  Every salvation is a miracle and work of God.
• Jesus knew from the beginning which of the larger group of disciples did not genuinely believe (He knew who were His and who were not).  He knew from the beginning that Judas would betray Him.

Questions to consider:

1. How does the Trinity work to bring salvation to the lost?  What does the Father do?  What does the Spirit do?  What has the Son done?  (All are mentioned in yesterday’s and today’s passages!)
2. What does Peter confess in this passage?  What does he believe about Jesus?  How is his testimony used to encourage the reader?
3. How could there be “disciples” who were not truly disciples?  What might they have wanted more than Jesus Himself?  What desires can supersede belief and salvation in Christ in the visible church today?

Today’s passage: John 6:16-59

Helpful thoughts:

• Three amazing things happen in verses 16-21 (Even more are depicted in the other gospel accounts)
  • Jesus walks on water.
  • When Jesus says, “It is I,” this was (In the Greek language) the equivalent of saying, “I AM.”
  • As soon as Jesus was in the boat, they miraculously arrived at their destination.
    • The great I AM has power over the wind and the waves, power over the laws of nature and the elements, and power over time and space.  Do not be afraid.
• Jesus offers Himself to the people.  They prefer barley loaves and fish.
  • Jesus offers them eternal fulfilment.  They prefer the temporary pleasure of full bellies.
• Jesus will lose none of those whom the Father has given to Him!
  • If you have put your faith in Christ, you will live forever.  This is God’s doing.  All the glory goes to Him!

Questions to consider:

1. What is the sad irony of the people’s request in verses 30-31?  What had Jesus just done for them the day before?  How many miracles would be enough to satisfy the heart of man?
2. Since no amount of miracles would be enough to satisfy our appetites, what must happen for a spiritually dead sinner to believe and be saved (Verse 44)?  What are the fruits of that drawing (Verses 45 and 47)?
3. Jesus was using an illustration in verse 54.  No one actually eats or drinks Jesus body and blood.  What then does it mean to “receive” Jesus’ body and blood?  What do Jesus’ earlier words tell us (Verse 46)?

Today’s passage: John 6:1-15

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus feeding this multitude served to:
  • Test the disciples.
  • Display His power.
  • Indicate His identity as the Messiah.
  • Show the people’s hearts, which were much like the Israelites in Numbers 11.
• One denarius was the going rate for a day’s work.  Philip thought it would take over seven months’ wages to feed such a crowd.
• There were 5,000 men present at this miracle.  Matthew 14:21 indicates there were also women and children.  Jesus may have miraculously fed 15,000 to 20,000 people on this occasion.

Questions to consider:

1. If Jesus was testing Philip, what do you think Philip could have said to “pass” the test?  What could we learn from this test?
2. What did Jesus do when the crowd sought to take Him by force?  If they were trying to take Him by force, what was it they wanted from Him?  Was this worship?  Who alone is sovereign?  How does this impact our relationship with Him and our understanding of our purpose?
3. Though the people’s actions were less than appropriate, their exclamation in verse 14 was correct!  How did Jesus mirror the prophetic ministry of Moses in today’s passage?  How is what Jesus did superior to what Moses could do?

Today’s passage: John 5:30-47

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus didn’t need to be convinced of who He is.  But, He was willing to compile a list of witnesses for the sake of those who would and will believe!
• The Jewish leaders were proud of their knowledge of the Scriptures but they didn’t believe what the Scriptures teach.
  • Luke 24:27 – “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
• Verses 41-44 get to the heart of the issue.  These leaders were more interested in the glory they could receive from other men over the superior glory of God.  They were in a popularity contest with God Himself.

Questions to consider:

1. What witnesses does Jesus give which reveal His identity?  How do these witnesses and actions evidence who He truly is?
2. What warning do we receive concerning our study of the Bible in these verses?  Is it enough to simply know the Scriptures?  Does a perfect memory and years of study directly result in spiritual life and growth?  What must the Scriptures do in our hearts?
3. Of whom did Moses speak in Deuteronomy 18:15?  What does a person have/gain when they believe in the promised Messiah?