John

Philip and Nathanael became the next disciples of Jesus the last time we met.  Today we’ll see how Jesus handled a wedding at Cana.  John 2:1-12. 

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

Jesus’ Humanity

One of the things this passage brings home to me is this: Jesus was a regular sort.  Just like you and I, he had a life.  He got invited to weddings, had a mom telling him what to do, and people to keep happy.  Just a regular sort of a fellow. Jesus and his disciples hanging out a wedding is how this passage starts. 

Then mom happened.  Can you see the scene?  The wine has run out, Mary obviously knows that Jesus is capable of handling this problem. She won’t want her friends disgraced for not having enough wine to last the night so she tells Jesus about it. “They have no wine.” 

Jesus begs off telling her “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”  Just makes him seem so human eh?   But do you see it?  Mary has full confidence in the fact that he will handle it.  Does she know HOW he will handle it?   No, though she tells the servants “Do whatever he tells you.”  That confidence  eh?   I’ve done similar things with my lad.  Telling him of a task that needs doing and just trusting that he’ll see it through, not always knowing, or caring, how he’ll complete the task.  Knowing that he’ll do it.   This is how Mary was with Jesus.  Handle this problem son, they are running out of wine.

Jesus’ Divinity

BUT it also shows that he is something MORE than human, did you read how Jesus solved the problem?  Water and the willingness of servants to obey him. Sometimes I wonder what the servants thought…knowing they were bringing water to the master of the feast.  I wonder if they expected to be corrected or if the water changed to wine when they poured it into cups and then were walking to the master of the feast with hearts and minds filled with amazement.   We can’t know can we?  

Just the scene though eh?  The smell of good wine, the master of the feast’s amazement at the quality so much so that he calls the bridegroom to himself commending him for such lovely wine. 

Do you see it?  Do you see Jesus’ humanity and yet his divinity?   I can’t make water become wine…and I’ve seen my hubby make wine but it always starts with some type of fruit or juice, never just plain water. Only God could do this.  This was the first of the signs that Jesus did.  His disciples saw him do it and they believed.  This sign showed his glory.   Makes sense that last eh?  Remember…the servants knew what he had done, his mom knew and so did his disciples.  This miraculous event would have been remembered well. 

After the wedding Jesus, his mom and family along with the disciples stayed in Capernaum a few days. 

Do you remember yesterday we learned about the first disciples of Jesus?   Today we’ll learn about some new disciples in John 1:43-51.

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” ⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” ⁵⁰ Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

We know that Andrew and Simon Peter are disciples of Jesus.  Now Jesus is on his way to Galilee and finds Philip.  Do you note that it doesn’t say he went looking for him, or accidentally met him along the way, he FOUND Philip.   He said “follow me” and Philip did.  Then Philip found Nathanael and told him the news “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph“.   Nathanael, being a typical Jewish man (I’m assuming Jewish though I’m not specifically told here), asked if anything good could come out of Nazareth.  This article points out some reasons why Nazareth had negatives overtones to it. 

Philip’s only response to him was “come and see”. 

Ah look.. Nathanael is Jewish… Jesus calls him “an Israelite in whom there is no deceit”.  CAn you imagine it?  Imagine if Christ greeted you saying “Look, it’s Annette… a Canadian in whom there is no deceit”.  I would be FLABBERGASTED!   Seriously.   It’s not like Nathanael had met Jesus before this, and before Nathanael had even been introduced to Jesus, Jesus called that greeting out.   It’s no small wonder that Nathanael asked how Jesus could know that detail…and note… Nathanael didn’t deny what Jesus said. No false modesty, no blushing, just how did you know?

Now catch this remarkable thing….Jesus knew who Nathanael was because he saw him under a fig tree.   Can you picture the shock?  Knowing this, Nathanael’s faith blossomed.  To me it seems like he blurted out “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”  For someone to know that much about you without being there?   A mind blowing experience for Nathanael.  

Jesus makes him a promise that he will see far greater things than this.  Nathanael will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.   Quite the promise eh?  I wonder what that meant for him?

Have you noticed two things?

In our last reading Andrew brought the next disciple to Jesus.   In this passage, Philip brought the next disciple to Jesus.  Two men, convinced of who Jesus was, and they both brought someone to the Lord.  I see that truth and it makes me sad…. I haven’t done this I think.  I know a child in VBS, I talked to that child about the Lord and he made a commitment, but I don’t know what happened beyond that.  But as adult, have I brought someone to the Lord, to introduce them to the Saviour and then have the Lord change their life.   I’ve become too insulated I think… to fearful of being honest about my faith, to afraid to face the hard questions from people who need to know the Lord and will ask questions I don’t know the answer to, or will be too sure of myself in my faith that I come across too harsh or unmoving.  These days are the days of asking questions, of helping people see the truth that God hides within us. 

The questions before me today (and before you perhaps) is this: how can I be more like Philip and Andrew?  Knowing that Christ is Lord, who can I bring to meet him? How will I do so?  It’s not like I can say Hey.. come meet this guy.  So how can I introduce people to Christ? How do I let them see Christ living in me?

How can I be more like Simon Peter and Nathanael.  Seeing Christ in action and knowing who he is. Acknowledging that fact. Living out a day to day existence with Jesus and letting that exposure change who I am and how I relate to the people around me. Let my heart be open eh?

Oh, last week we left off with John Bearing Witness to who Jesus was.   Today in John 1:35-42 we’ll see the first disciples of Jesus come. 

³⁵ The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹ He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. ⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). ⁴² He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas”(which means Peter).

Jesus has been baptized, and now John the baptizer is standing with two of his disciples when Jesus walks by.  John calls out “Behold, The Lamb of God!”  This exclamation was heard by those two disciples and they followed after Jesus. 

I read those words and my heart smiles.  I don’t know why. But I’m just sitting here picturing John and those disciple chatting away and John notices Jesus and makes his exclamation and those disciples turn away from John and start following after Jesus… I know.. I know, I”m repeating myself.. but I smile because John has obviously done his job well. He has been expounding to his followers that Jesus was coming, how Jesus is better than he is. So when Jesus comes by, the disciples turned and followed Jesus instead.  My heart smiles.

Anyways, Jesus sees them following and turns to talk to them.  It seems to me an odd question “where are you staying?” Jesus doesn’t put them down though, he just invites them to come along and see.  They came along and stayed with him.

You know what? After Andrew stayed the day with Jesus he went and found his brother Simon Peter and brought him along to see Jesus

Now we know that Andrew and Simon Peter (now called Cephas) were Jesus’ first disciples. Don’t you find it interesting that Jesus’ first comment to Peter was “you are Simon the son of John.  You shall be called Cephas”.  Not just hey Peter, glad to meet you.  But simply that he was shortening Simon Peter’s name to Peter.   Makes me wonder if Peter felt like Jesus saw through to the core of who he was.  We can’t know…it just, tonight makes me wonder cause it’s seems like an odd greeting.

I also kinda wonder who the other disciple was, but we aren’t told here. 

Yesterday we saw who John was and what his business was, today we will see his job come to fruition.   John 1:29-34.

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³² And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³ I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

I wonder if John was shocked when he saw Jesus walking towards him that day? Remember John is intently aware that Jesus is so much greater than he is.

Regardless of what might have passed through his mind the first thing that came out of his month was  “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”   He immediately acknowledged Christ for who he is and told everyone around him.  He then continued saying “ This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”  John’s whole purpose eh? To let people know that Christ was here, revealing him to the people of Israel.  Acknowledging Christ’s supremacy.

In the book of John we aren’t shown Jesus’ baptism, but it is alluded to.  John saw the Spirit descend on him.  He recalled being told that the one he saw this happen to would baptize with the Holy Spirit, unlike John who only baptizes with water.   This knowledge led John to testify to what he knew.  Jesus was the Son of God. 

I read those words and you know what comes to mind?

Do I tell others what I know of the Lord?   Do I speak to what I know to be true?  It makes me wonder what stops me when I am talking to those in my sphere of influence. It’s not like I don’t know the truth of God, of the truth of Christ.  So what stops me so often?  Something I must ponder and come to terms with so it is no longer a hindrance to me. 

Yesterday we saw that  Jesus is the light of the world. Today we’ll learn about John the Baptist and who he is.
For some reason BibleGateway wouldn’t let me copy text tonight so I grabbed an image instead.

These 8 verses tell us not only who John the Baptist isn’t, but also who he is.

John was a man busy baptizing people in Bethany across the Jordan.  This of course got the Jewish leadership curious about him.  Just who was this Jew who was baptizing people and to what end?

Therefore they sent out some priests and Levites to question him, asking “Who are you?”   John quite freely admitted that he wasn’t the Christ. 

Still intrigued they then asked “Are you Elijah?   Are you the Prophet?”  John answered them NO.

The priests and Levites needed an answer so John gave them one : “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” 

I can just imagine the Levites doing a head shake and thinking “say what?”  🙂  This guy makes no sense.  He’s not Elijah, the prophet or the Christ… so why in the world is he baptizing people?  They actually asked him that.  John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 

There are times I wonder what the leadership thought of that answer, we aren’t told in these verses.  John was clear that his actions predated another who was greater than he.  His baptism was merely of water.  I’m guessing it started a rumour mill of speculation going… people are people regardless of when in time they are.  Who could this greater one be?  Someone greater than John was coming?  What would he baptize with if water was used by someone insignificant?

John though was simply clear.  He was not the Christ, or Elijah or The Prophet.  He was just the guy who came before the other guy, the greater guy, the one that others didn’t know about yet, but who was coming.  This was who John was. 

John didn’t seek glory here did he?  He didn’t build himself up, he showed his unworthiness.

Makes me stop and think eh?   Do I toot my own horn?  Do I want to make myself look important?  I try not to eh?  But sometimes it’s hard not to say SEE, see what I did here?   It’s not our role though eh?   Our role as believers is to keep pointing people to the one that comes after us, the one whose shoelaces we are not fit to untie.  Have I shown anyone Christ today? I hope so, but I fear not.  I was friendly with people, but did they know I did so because of Christ?  Probably not.  How to change this, right now I do not know.  But John makes me think… how do I point people to the greater one?

I was all set this morning to start going through the Old Testament book of Zephaniah this morning, but the sermon I heard yesterday morning on John 12 had me thinking… maybe I should do the book of John instead?   That thought resonated through my being, therefore, let us embark on the story of the Son of Man as told in the book of John.   We start our look at John 1:1-18.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

John tells us clearly that in the beginning was the Word, going on to explain that the Word was with God and the Word was God.  As we read through these next verses we will come to the understanding that the Word was Jesus. (see v14).  The result is that we know that Jesus existed since the beginning of time, Jesus is separate from God and at the same time is God. Through Christ all things were made… isn’t that amazing to think about?   I would not exist if it weren’t for Jesus.  He is the source of life, he indeed is life.  Without him nothing that lives would be around.   Pretty big thought isn’t that?

In verse 4 we read this : in him was life, and the life was the light of men. When I read that verse I’m drawing back to one of my favourite forms of reading.. fantasy literature.   A big theme in many of those books is the light and darkness that exist in different beings, and often the light that is in different people is attributed to a greater being. One of the things I have learned is that hidden within all peoples is the knowledge that God exists and that truisms from the bible can be found throughout the world.  Isn’t it interesting how this truism comes out in fantasy as well?  Anyways, seeing this truism in fantasy gives me a glimmer of what that means in the life of people.  Some people will show forth the light that is within them well.. in fantasy, it is best seen in those that follow that greater being most closely.   Don’t we see that in the lives of believers?   Don’t believers show forth the light of life best?

This light that we show shines bright in the darkness around in, and darkness can’t beat back the light.  It can’t stop the light from shining.  5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

This light as a witness.  A man indeed sent by God by the name of John.  He came to bear witness about the light.  This man wasn’t the light, but came to point the way to the light.  We know from other readings that John baptized Jesus. (see Matthew 3). 

Now this light, was a true light, and gives light to everyone.  I read “true light” and I automatically compare this light of a flashlight to the sun.   There is NO comparison. Doesn’t matter the brightness of the flashlight, compared with the sun it’s nothing.  Even the light of the moon which reflects the sun can make a flashlight unnecessary. Anyways, we are told in verse 9 that the light was coming in to the world, and in verse 10 that the light was in the world.     We know the world was made through him, but like so many things, the world didn’t know him.   He even came to his own people and his people didn’t know him, they didn’t receive him. This seems so sad to me.  That he came and he simply wasn’t recognized.  Imagine you create something and it acts like it doesn’t have the faintest clue about who you are?

And yet we get verse 12-13 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.  We have the right to be called children of God!!!!   Not because of our birth and or our determining, but only because of God’s determining. 

This Word (Jesus) became a human and lived among us. John proclaims that we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  Sometimes I wish I could have been around when Jesus walked on the earth, to be able to have seen his transfiguration, to really see that glory.   Reading it in the bible leaves that spot of distance you know?   To be able to actually see the Lord though, especially if I knew what I know now.  Able to hear his words and ask questions directly of him.   It’s no wonder to me that John declared that Jesus, though he came after, came before and ranks higher than he.

But oh, from Jesus, from his fullness, all have received grace upon grace.  Grace and truth through Jesus, not like the law from Moses. But grace and truth beyond measure.  And Jesus, Jesus makes God known to us.   

This word, made flesh, from the beginning of time, shows us God the Father. 

There is so much in these verses that I can’t do it justice, at least that’s how I feel.  It’s wonder you know?   The knowing that Jesus has always been and that he came to earth to show us God the Father and to bestow so much grace upon us.  He is the light that outshines any other light and is the source of the light we have within us. 

Shine forth that light eh!  Testify to the glory that is God!  Oh I need to show this wonder to the world.