Entrusting Faithful Men

At the end of John 10:40, we are told that Jesus and his disciples went from Jerusalem to the “place where John had been baptizing at first”. Across the Jordan was the land of Perea (south) or Decapolis (north), an area outside the jurisdiction and control of the Pharisees. It was a relatively safe place, given that the Pharisees were seeking to arrest Jesus for equating Himself with the Father (John 10:38). John records the place as “Bethany across the Jordan” (John 1:28), the exact location of which is debated by archeologists. Certainly on the east side of the Jordan, it is unclear how far south or north the location rests. Most scholars suggest a fiord crossing the river with the road leading to Bethany (where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived) and Jerusalem. This would be only a few miles east of Bethany. Others suggest as far north as the area of Bashan, closer to the Sea of Galilee. Rather than a town or village it may refer to a mostly uninhabited area, understood by John’s readers. Bethany means “house of misery” or “house of depression”. Given the wilderness lifestyle of john the Baptist, one might expect this to be a desolate area. The timeline of the messenger coming, Jesus delaying two days and then traveling to Bethany (opposite the temple on the east side of the Mount of Olives), and Lazarus being in the tomb four days would seem to indicate a travel period of two days by foot for a period of six days for this to unfold:

When Jesus receives the message, the tense of “is ill”, “this illness does not lead to death” and “when Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill” seems to me indicate that Lazarus has not yet died. All three verbs are in the present tense. If the journey were only one day, Jesus would have arrived three days after the death of Lazarus, and Lazarus could not have been in the tomb four days! The fact that John distinctly differentiates between the Bethany (near Jerusalem) and the Bethany across the Jordan may lead one to believe these are not necessarily in geographic proximity. Given the apparent two days travel, leads me to believe that the location of Bethany across the Jordan was further north. Men who are much more studied than I would disagree with the premise, and if it is Bethabarah in Perea, considerably further east of the Jordan (as many suggest), then it would be about 20 miles from Bethany. Nevertheless, its exact location of course is unimportant to the details and lesson of the story. Let us focus on the fact that Jesus tarries so that by the time He arrives, Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days.

So here’s the situation. Mary and Martha have dispatched a messenger to Jesus that Lazarus is ill (or powerless and feeble). From what we are told the message doesn’t specifically suggest that Jesus come or that they expect Jesus to heal their brother (though the expectation in Martha’s mind is clear in John 11:21). Jesus makes it clear that there is a PURPOSE in the situation. Jesus sees a greater opportunity than the obvious healing of Lazarus. He will bring greater glory to Himself than what others are asking for. His power is even greater than what those who knew Him well attributed to Him! And so he intentionally delays to accomplish His purposes.

God’s timing is always perfect, but rarely does it line up with our timetable. My wife likes to say, “God is rarely early, but He’s never ever late.” Consider the following references:

• Isaiah 30:18 (ESV) — Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

• 1 Peter 5:6 (ESV) —Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
• Habakkuk 2:3 (ESV) — For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.
• Isaiah 64:4 (ESV) — From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.
• 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV) — The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Waiting requires trust and faith that God’s timing is better than ours. We are anxious in our fears. His purposes are usually greater than our expectations, and it is in waiting that we see His purposes much more clearly and receive the blessing of His will. The lesson here is “Don’t take matters into your own hands, but wait on the Lord.” This is true is waiting for His provision of a mate, a job, a home, the easing of a financial burden, or the solution to a problem. Even Jesus waits on the Father. He only does the will of the Father. His return to come for his Bride (the Church) is dependent on the Father’s timing. We are called to wait his timing and His purposes . . .

• Psalm 25:3–5 (ESV) — 3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
• Psalm 37:7 (ESV) — Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
• Psalm 27:14 (ESV) — Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
• Lamentations 3:25 (ESV) — The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
• Jude 20–21 (ESV) — 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
• Romans 8:23–25 (ESV) — 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Jesus came as the good shepherd to bring us into abundant life, to return us to the experience of Adam and Eve in the Garden before the fall. How is this accomplished?

1. First, He sacrificed His life for the sheep. (John 10:11) “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (ESV) Jesus is very clear on His purpose: He is to die as the paschal lamb for sinful men so as to satisfy the justice of God and reunite men and women to Him. It would be sacrificial for He need not die. He knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). It would be voluntary and on His terms (John 10:18, Galatians 1:4). Its timing would be perfect, happening on the very day that lambs would be slaughtered on the altar of the Temple as part of the Passover celebration, a celebration of God’s love, mercy and grace when the angel of death passed over His chosen. How fitting that God display his ultimate love and grace and mercy on that day! It would be substitutionary. We deserved to die, but instead continue reading…

Jesus’ audience in John 10 would have been very familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures (the Talmud). Education of Jewish children began at age five or six, with girls’ education usually concluding at age twelve, while the boys continued their studies, becoming a religious adult at age thirteen, a tradition continuing today with the bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah celebrations. The best students continued to age fifteen, studying the Talmud half the day while apprenticing in a trade the other half. The best of the best would then be invited by a rabbi to be discipled, with a view to becoming just like the rabbi. The most successful would then become rabbis themselves generally around age thirty.

Jesus’ reference to the “good shepherd” would have brought several passages to mind for his hearers, the most obvious being continue reading…

As we have already seen in the previous posts on the “Door of the Sheep”, Jesus equated the religious leaders of Israel as bad shepherds, who did not truly care for the sheep. He equates them, in fact, with robbers and thieves. “All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.” (John 10:8, ESV).

So who were these religious leaders? We have three groups that were prominently discussed in the New Testament – the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the scribes. The Pharisees were the Jewish rabbinical sect viewed as the ruling religious party of Palestine in Jesus’ day. The Pharisees came onto the scene after the Maccabean revolt against Seleucid and Greek rule in 167 BC. The Zealots continued the battle against the Greek influences, oftentimes using violence. The Pharisees appear to have formed as an alternative to the Zealots around 100 BC, recognizing that the opposition of the Greeks (and the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persian before them) as God’s punishment for failing to keep the Law. continue reading…

The Pharisees corner Jesus on His thoughts about their spiritual condition. “Do you think we’re blind?” Jesus turns the table on them in His response. “No you are not blind. You hang onto your sight.” (John 9:40-41) It was their pride and the self-righteousness that kept them from seeing Jesus as the Messiah. In sin, the eyes of Adam and Eve were opened (Genesis 3:7) and innocence was lost. The Pharisees were in the same state. It was all about what they themselves brought to the table. I heard a great quote last night from Adrian Rogers, “Holiness is not the way to Christ, but Christ is the way to holiness.” Thus Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who are spiritually bankrupt, for the kingdom of heaven is in their reach.” (Matthew 5:3). It’s when we realize that we are spiritually blind and bring nothing to the table that we can accept God’s gracious gift and find true life in Christ.

Jesus continues the discourse by presenting the Pharisees as bad shepherds of God’s people. He begins “Truly, truly.” (John 10:1) In the Greek, the word is “amen”. He begins, “Amen, amen.” We usually end our prayers with this word, not begin our sermons with it. When we say “Amen” we acknowledge our agreement, “That’s right, that’s truth.” Jesus alone uses this word to begin a sentence in the New Testament. I like the rendition, “I Who am Truth, tell you this truth . . .”

As He frequently does, Jesus uses an object lesson to illustrate truth. The object this time is a sheepfold. Perhaps there was one within viewing distance, but all would be familiar with a sheepfold in that culture and day. We are not so accustomed. The object one might use here in Arizona is a corral. Sheepfolds were enclosures where the sheep would spend the night in relative safety. Here’s some images . . . continue reading…

The next two I AM statements occur in the same dialog in John 10, “I am the Gate for the Sheep (John 10:7) and “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11, 14). But let’s begin in John 9, for chapters9 and the first half of chapter 10 occur together.

John chapter 8 took place in the fall (October 32 AD) at the Feast of Tabernacles, six months before Jesus’ crucifixion. John 10:22 takes place in the winter at the Feast of Dedication, or what is more commonly referred to as Hanukkah today. So the setting is sometime between these two feasts (mid October to early December 32 AD).

(John 9:1-5) Jesus and his disciples walk past a beggar, blind from birth. Based on their understanding of Exodus 20:5, that the consequences of a man’s sin can be passed down several generations, the disciples ask Jesus who was at fault for this man’s condition. The disciples viewed his pitiful condition as divine retribution. But Jesus saw it as an opportunity awaiting His divine grace and pleasure. “Neither,” came His reply. “He was born that way to experience something truly marvelous and miraculous”. He reminds the disciples of his earlier claim continue reading…

It was the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, a celebration of God’s provision in the wilderness during the Exodus. Earlier in the day, Jesus had promised the crowd that “rivers of living water” would flow from their hearts if they would only follow and trust in Him (see the previous post). Division arose among the crows about His identity.

Jesus continued teaching later that day, probably in the evening, for He says in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” One of the hallmarks of the Exodus was God leading the Israelites in the wilderness going before them as a pillar of cloud in the day and pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13:21). In Exodus 14:19-20, the pillar of fire moved between them and the pursuing Egyptians, giving light to the Israelites and casting darkness on the Egyptians. Thus we see both judgment and salvation of the Lord.

God’s glory and His presence is often referred to in terms of light. When God first declared that He was “I am that I am”, He was appearing to Moses as light in the form of a burning bush. God is the source of true illumination. The prophet Isaiah recorded, “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does these things.” (Isaiah 45:7). Earlier he had recorded God’s plan for a new covenant to be a light to the nations. (Isaiah 42:6) —“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations.” John reminds us in John 3:16-21 that God so loved the world that He sent His Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life . . . the light has come into the world . . . But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

In John 8:20, we have an interesting statement. John records “These words He spoke in the treasury.” Now, why did John include that statement, just out of the blue? A little research reveals that the temple treasury is in the Court of the Women. Now in the Court of Women stood four 86 foot high lamp stands, each with a golden bowl in which a fire could be hosted, perhaps similar to the bowl of the modern Olympic flame (see the illustration below from the ESV Study Bible linked from http://www.boundless.org/2005/images/articles/1863_complex.jpg). The temple stood as the highest point in Jerusalem and the light of these four lamp stands would be seen from the entire city, reminiscent of the pillar of fire in the Exodus. continue reading…

During the Feast of Tabernacles (aka the Feast of Booths, or Sukkot), Jesus would have found plenty of rooms available at the local inns. One of the key features of the feast was that the people camped outdoors in booths or canopies made of organic material. All the meals were eaten outdoors. This was in celebration of God’s provision in the wilderness (see Exodus). But in Jesus’ day, some other traditions had been added to the Mosaic instructions (Leviticus 23:40-43). One of these was a procession each morning of the Feast, in which the crowd would follow the high priest from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple for the Water Libation Ceremony (Simchat Beit HaShoevah). A priest would fill a golden pitcher with water from the Pool of Siloam, walk the Jewish pilgrim road (a trail of stairs used as a ‘Mikveh’ – a purification ritual) to the Temple. They would enter the Temple courtyard through the Water Gate on the south side. There the water would be ceremoniously poured into a silver basin on the altar, while another priest poured a daily drink offering of wine into a second basin, with both draining out through perforated tubes at the base of the altar. The exact origin of the water libation is unclear, but traditionally it appears to have perhaps served several functions:

• It memorialized God’s provision of water in the wilderness when Moses struck the rock at Horeb and water issued forth (Exodus 17:6);
• It looked to God’s provision of the Messiah (Zechariah 13:1 – “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.”
• It sought God’s provision of rain for the land; (The imagery of failing rain was used in the Old Testament for the blessings poured out by God in the Messianic kingdom – see Ezekiel 47:1-7)

Interestingly, the source of the waters of the Pool of Siloam is the Spring of Gihon, commonly known as the “Virgin’s Fount”. Even more fascinating is that during the procession as well as the libation, continue reading…

Jesus primarily ministered and taught in Galilee. But He and His disciples would occasionally travel to Jerusalem, most notably for the Jewish pilgrimage feasts. There were three feasts that devout Jewish males would travel to Jerusalem for:

• Passover (took place in the spring- late March to mid April) Passover was also referred to as the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It was at Passover that Jesus was crucified, being the true Passover Lamb.
• Feast of Weeks (occurred 50 days after Passover). It’s also referred to as Pentecost in the new Testament and was a celebration of the grain harvest. (Interesting that the first 3000 Christians were added to the Church at a “harvest” festival!)
• Feast of Booths (also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot), Occurred exactly 6 months after Passover. This eight day festival in the Fall came after the harvest of grapes and olives. It is five days after Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) and fifteen days after Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year). It celebrates God’s provision for Israel during the wandering in the wilderness after leaving Egypt.

Our passage (John 7) takes place at the time of the Feast of Booths. This is six months before His crucifixion. If we assume that occurred at Passover in 33 AD, this feast would be October 10-17, 32 A.D.

John 7:1-2 says that Jesus was avoiding Judea because the Pharisees were seeking to kill him, having charged that Jesus blasphemed. This goes back to John 5. Jesus in Jerusalem for another festival (John doesn’t tell us which one) healed a paralytic at the pool of Bethesda. I think this was the only miracle Jesus did in the city of Jerusalem. The problem was that Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath (John 5:9). . . a definite no-no in the eyes of the Pharisees who viewed such as breaking the Mosaic Law in performing work on the Sabbath. To make matters worse, Jesus identified Himself as God. (John 5:17-18).

Jesus is avoiding Jerusalem, and declines going to Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths, knowing there is a movement afoot to kill Him. He knows that His purpose is to die, but it will happen in perfect timing, as the Passover lamb for mankind. He is very cognizant of the timing (John 7:6). continue reading…

The miracle of the bread and fishes caused the people to view Jesus as one of the prophets that Moses had spoken of in Deuteronomy 18:15, perhaps referencing the forthcoming Messiah of Israel, whom the people longed for to be their king, the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant. They wanted a king who would lead them to independence from Rome and restore them to a sovereign nation.

Jesus indeed was the Messiah, the King of Kings, but his plan was not to reign over the nation physically and politically. He came to reign in the hearts of individuals as their Redeemer who would restore them to fellowship with their Creator, just as Adam had experienced in the Garden of Eden before the fall. Jesus wants no part of being their political king. He sends the disciples across the sea and He retreats to the mountain for prayer (John 6:15). The people saw His POWER, but they missed His PURPOSE and PLAN.

The geography of the areas causes the Sea of Galilee’s exposure to sudden, violent storms as east winds bring cooler air down from the mountains to the east to replace the warmer air over the sea. The disciples experienced such a storm as they rowed to the other side. About three or four miles into the journey (i.e. about halfway across the sea), Jesus comes walking on the water to join them and immediately they were on the other side (John 6:16-21).

The next morning the crowd is seeking Jesus, but He is not to be found. They had seen the disciples leave with the boat, and camped along the shoreline between Bethsaida and Capernaum they would have seen Him had he walked back. So where did he go? They eventually find Him in Capernaum, but puzzled they ask “Rabbi, when did you come here?” (John 6:22-25).

Jesus understands what they want and confronts them that they are only here because they want more signs, the want more bread. They’re impressed with His POWER more so than the POINTS of His messages. He will use the opportunity to further discuss His PURPOSE. “Do not labor for the temporal food (bread), but the substance (Himself) that leads to eternal life.” He identifies Himself as the One whom God has sent. The crowd responds “Prove it. Do more signs!” (John 6:26-30). The crowd complains that Moses gave their ancestors manna to eat every day. Jesus only provided one meal. (John 6:31)

Jesus reminds them that Moses didn’t give the manna, God provided it. It was not about the acts of men then, and it was not about the acts of men now. The true bread is that which comes from heaven. (John 6:32-33). “Then gives us this bread,” the crowd demands. Jesus then issues his first of the I AM statements that John records. “I am the Bread of Life“. God told Moses that He was “I am”. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, Israel is reminded of His name and His character even further expounded . . . I am the Provider, I am Peace, I am your Shepherd, I am your Banner, I am your Sanctifier, I am your Righteousness. Jesus says “I am God” when He states “I am the Bread of Life”. Accept this truth and you will never hunger and never thirst. He’s talking spiritually here, not physically. He’s focusing on the eternal not the temporal. (John 6:35)

“Whoever comes . . . and whoever believes” ‘To come but not believe’ doesn’t cut it. That’s where these people were. They came for the wrong purpose with the wrong motive. They didn’t truly believe Jesus was who He said he was. They wanted the ecstasy of His power, but not the comfort of His purpose. They didn’t want to be accountable to what He might require of them. They didn’t believe what Jesus was selling (their righteousness) was available without the cost of their efforts (keeping the Law). It was more about them. To them, eternal life was a not a gift that Jesus could offer. They can’t really grab hold of what Jesus is offering. It’s too good to be true.

Likewise, some believe, but they don’t come. They intellectually understand the Gospel. They believe that Jesus was indeed God. But they still think they can earn their way . . . that they (in their egotism) can somehow satisfy God’s demand for perfect righteousness. They believe, but they don’t trust. Their trust is rooted in themselves. Unfortunately the gift that Jesus offers only becomes our when we reach out and accept it. We don’t get the blessing of a gift if we reject it and return it to the sender.

Jesus reminds the crowd of God’s gift of physical salvation in their nation’s history. When their ancestors were wandering in the wilderness, deadly snakes were killing the people. (Numbers 21:7-9) The Lord instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole, with the realized promise that whoever looked at the serpent on the pole, would be cured of their ailment and would live. The Hebrew indicates this “pole” to be a standard or banner pole. Renowned 16^th century artist Hans Holbein created a woodcut of how he envisioned the scene . . .

The pole was in the form of a cross! Israel was saved by looking to the cross! No medicine, no self-effort could save the Israelites physically from the poison of the serpents. Spiritually, no one can be saved from the poison of the serpent (resulting in our sin) though self effort. Eternal life is a gift of faith . . . trusting the I AM who hung on a pole.

“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40)