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Healing at Bethesda – A Sign of Restoration: Is Jesus able to restore what we have lost? Back in Jerusalem, Jesus encounters a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. Jesus responds by healing him, restoring his mobility, and so much more. This is the third of seven miraculous signs in John’s gospel, a sign of restoration. Recorded on Sep 10, 2023, on John 5:1-15 by Pastor David Parks.

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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

So all year, we’re going through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And if you missed any of the messages so far, you can always go back and watch or listen online. But this morning, we’ll start John, chapter 5. For the last several weeks, we considered several one-on-one conversations between Jesus and individual people. Today, as we head back south to Jerusalem and the healing of the man at Bethesda, the Apostle John gives us the third of seven miraculous signs. As we’ve said, Jesus did many more than seven signs in his ministry. So, the seven signs John records here are designed to be just a sample of the miraculous part of his ministry, but each sign has been chosen to teach us something unique about Jesus and the kingdom where he is the King. So far, we’ve had the sign of celebration of turning water into wine, then last week, we considered a sign of healing in the healing of the official’s son. Today, we have a sign of restoration in the healing of the man at Bethesda. Have you ever lost something that was valuable to you? Maybe you feel you lost out on an opportunity you could’ve had or that you lost your money/time/health/or something else. I have, and one thing I’ve noticed is that sometimes these losses are our own fault, and then there are feelings of guilt/shame/regret that flood our minds when we think of what we’ve lost. Other times, these losses are completely out of our control, and then there are feelings of bitterness/resentment at what we rightly see as being stolen from us. Some of you are too young to remember the 1980s and earlier when seatbelts were optional, and the kids could sit in the backseat of a car (especially a station wagon!) and look out the back window while their parents drove. As a kid without an iPhone or even a DVD player, back in the dark ages, it was considered fun to drive forward while looking backward. But some of us today are stuck that way — looking out the back window of our lives, stuck looking back at our past and all we have lost or all we’d want to see restored, when we should be looking forward as we move forward into our future. But what can we do? What do you think Jesus would have to say about what you see through that back window? Would he care? What do you think he would do? Could he restore what you’ve lost? If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 5:1.

John 5:1-5 (NIV), “1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.” Ok, let’s pause here. So let’s recall that it’s the Apostle John who is our author, a young man with a temper who earned the nickname Son of Thunder when he started following Jesus. But over the course of time, John not only became one of the closest friends of Jesus, but he was so changed/transformed by the gospel that by the end of his long life, he would become known as the Apostle of love. Do you think John would’ve had some regrets when he thought back on his younger self? Maybe some things he wished he could’ve restored? I’m sure he did. But it was this John who tells us that sometime after the healing of the official’s son, later on, Jesus went up in elevation to the city of Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now, we don’t know which festival it was, but we know from passages like Leviticus 23 that the Jewish people had been commanded to hold certain feasts and festivals together as a people to celebrate different things that God had done for them over the generations. And that’s pretty cool, right? God was like, I command you to stop working constantly and rest and enjoy and celebrate all the blessings in your life. Some of us need to bring that practice back into our lives today. But as many people as were able would’ve made the journey to Jerusalem, so it would’ve been packed with people. And near the Sheep Gate, called Bethesda in Aramaic, the language that Jesus and the disciples would’ve spoken at the time, John says, “Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.” Now, I’m not sure if you noticed, but v.4 has become a footnote in the NIV translation because only some manuscripts include it. But it provides a possible reason why these disabled people were there. It says that these people waited for the moving of the waters because, “From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.” This might also help explain v. 7, which mentions a stirring of the water. But this was why a great number of people with a great deal of losses, losses of ability or mobility; I’m sure the losses of career or family in some cases; the loss of independence/autonomy in life. But John tells us that among all these people, there was one man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. Now, we don’t know what happened to the man. Other passages talk about someone with a certain condition from birth, but John doesn’t say that here. Perhaps he had an illness when he was little or perhaps he had a work accident when he was a young man and never fully recovered. We don’t know. But for thirty-eight years, this was his life. How would Jesus respond to him?

John 5:6-9a (NIV), “6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.” Let’s pause and unpack this. So when Jesus sees this man and learns about his condition, he doesn’t immediately heal him. He does something a little unexpected. He asks him, “Do you want to get well?” And wouldn’t the answer be, “Of course I do, Jesus! Do you think I want to be here?” So why does Jesus ask him this seemingly obvious questions? I think the answer is it’s not always true that people want what is best for them. Some people would rather stay in the mess or the brokenness of their lives than do the hard work that leads to change/growth. Some would rather stay stuck than ask for help. Some who struggle don’t really want to get well. Jesus knows this because he knows people. True healing that brings about true and godly change/growth/transformation must start with a change of heart that includes a desire to get well. The biblical term for this is repentance. To repent means to change your mind in a way that results in a change in the direction of your life. To repent means to turn around and go in the other direction. So what an insightful question of Jesus. “Do you want to get well? Do you want to change? Do you want to get help?” “Sir,” (lit., he says “Lord,” which is the same respectful title that the father from our passage last week used for Jesus) “Lord, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” And this is heartbreaking to me. Not only did this man lose his mobility and probably whatever career he would’ve had, but he didn’t even have a friend to help him into the pool for whatever natural or supernatural healing properties it had. Whether this was his fault or not, John doesn’t say. But Jesus immediately responds, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” And what happens? “At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.” Thirty-eight years is nothing to Jesus. And he doesn’t need to get in the pool when it has been stirred in a certain way. He doesn’t need other people’s help. He can heal; he can restore what has been lost in an instant. And here, right in the middle of a busy gate in the packed city of Jerusalem, Jesus again does what only God can do. He performs yet another sign that reveals his glory. So, how would the people respond?

John 5:9b-15 (NIV), “The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” 11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” 12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.” This is God’s word. So there’s a problem with this sign. Jesus had the audacity to perform this miracle on a Saturday, which was the Sabbath, or the Jewish day of rest. The fifth of the Ten Commandments is to keep the Sabbath holy, to work for six days, but on the seventh, to stop/cease and rest and enjoy the blessings of God and to worship him. But by the time of Jesus, the command to keep the Sabbath day holy to the Lord was taken far beyond a day of rest and worship and became a long list of added commands of men that carefully defined just what exactly constituted work and what was allowed on the Sabbath. The religious leaders had completely missed the point of rest and worship and had made it a purely legalistic religious box to check. So what do they find here, but a man who was carrying his mat, which violated their Sabbath rules. So they confront him, but he replies, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” Like, listen, I was healed, and the guy who healed me told me to carry this thing, so I’m gonna go ahead and carry my mat. Of course, the religious leaders aren’t satisfied by this, so they ask him who healed him, and he doesn’t know! No idea! Just some guy who came in and noticed me when so many others passed me by; just some guy who saw me when I was invisible to so many others; just some guy who gave me the dignity of talking with me and listening to me and then healing me after thirty-eight years. I was so surprised that when I turned around again, he was gone. I don’t even know who he was. This must have infuriated the religious leaders because legalistic people hate the idea that there might be exceptions to their man-made rules. And next week, we’ll see the investigation that is sparked as a result of this so-called Sabbath-breaking and the authority of Jesus, but for today, our passage ends with Jesus later finding this man again and introducing himself to him. And I think it’s very telling that Jesus found the man in the temple. He was healed; his mobility, and maybe his very life, had been restored! What was the first thing he did? He walked, or maybe he ran or went skipping or dancing, all the way to the temple to give thanks and praise to God. How many prayers did the man pray over thirty-eight years asking God to provide help/healing, but now, in God’s timing and according to God’s wisdom and his will, he was well. When Jesus found him in the temple he said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Now, this doesn’t mean that it was because of sin that had been an invalid. Later in John 9, Jesus is clear that not every illness or affliction has a moral/spiritual cause. Sometimes, these conditions are simply the result of life in a broken world. But sometimes, hardship or suffering is caused by sin. Either way, after serving his physical needs (and most likely helping his emotional and financial needs as well), Jesus seeks to help him with his spiritual needs. Turn from your sin, turn from your way, and turn to my way. It doesn’t matter if it’s been thirty-eight years or forty-eight years or longer. Anyone at any time can repent and be forgiven and turn and find new life and healing and restoration. But how? How can we do this? How can we deal with all that junk we see out the back window? How can we deal with the losses of our past? How might we find restoration? This man serves as a great example to us. The day he met Jesus, the day he heard the word of Jesus, for whatever reason, he decided to listen to Jesus and do what he said to do. In a very similar way to the father in our story last week, he took Jesus at his word, he believed him, and so he got up, he picked up his mat, and he walked. There’s a blessing in obedience, in doing what Jesus says. It’s a common trap for Christians to fall into, to think that learning more and more about God is the goal of the Christian life. Now, don’t get me wrong, bible study, learning theology, and growing in our understanding of right doctrine is a good thing! But knowledge, even theological knowledge, is not an end in itself. The Apostle Paul says that knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Or listen to James, the brother of Jesus. James 1:22–25 (NIV), “22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” Now, to be clear, obedience to God’s word isn’t the way of salvation. We are not saved by our own obedience or our ability to avoid sin but by faith alone in Christ alone. However, saving faith, as we have seen in John’s gospel, includes being born again and receiving a new heart with new desires, which includes listening to and obeying the teachings of Jesus. So obedience to God’s word isn’t the way of salvation, but it is the way of the Christian life. So today, if you feel stuck looking out the back window of your life, stuck looking back at your past and everything you lost, or you’d want to see restored, turn today. Turn around and go in a new direction. Repent and be forgiven, and rise and pick up your mat and walk! Listen to Jesus and do what he says. His power/authority to bring new life and healing and restoration is no different today than it was all those years ago. Is it too hard a thing for Jesus to restore lost health or relationships or years? But imagine if our lives and our church became known as a place of restoration. Would it not bring glory to Jesus today, even as it served as a sign of his glory all those years ago? I think it would. May we become known as people who love and work for and pray for restoration in Jesus name. Let us pray.

Healing the Official’s Son – A Sign of Healing: When returning to Galilee, Jesus encounters a father experiencing a parent’s worst nightmare: a young son so sick he was near death. When Jesus comments about signs and wonders of faith, the man responds in faith and heads home to find his son miraculously healed. Go to Jesus for healing. Recorded on Sep 3, 2023, on John 4:43-54 by Pastor David Parks.

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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

So all year, we’re going through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And if you missed any of the messages so far, you can always go back and watch or listen online. But this morning, we’re at the end of John, chapter 4. For the last several weeks, we considered several one-on-one conversations between Jesus and individual people. Today, as we come back north into the region of Galilee, in the healing of the official’s son, the Apostle John gives us the second out of seven miraculous signs. Of course, Jesus did many more than seven signs in his ministry. All the gospels present the miracles of Jesus as something that seemed to happen constantly as they followed him. So the seven signs John records here are designed to be just a sample of the miraculous part of his ministry, but each sign has been chosen to teach us something unique about Jesus and the kingdom where he is the King — and today, we have a sign of healing. Now, I don’t get sick very often, but I’ve been really sick a few times in my life, and it’s a miserable thing. I won’t go through my medical history with you, but I do know what it’s like to lay in bed and not have the strength to even sit up and to long for energy/relief/health. I know what it’s like to pray desperate prayers that God would intervene/heal. But I also know that what I’ve experienced is nothing compared to the illness and affliction that some of you have experienced, either personally or with someone close to you. These experiences can be heartbreaking and are so costly. So, as followers of Jesus, how do we face this type of suffering? As a dad, the worst thing I could imagine is one of my kids becoming so sick that we had to start making funeral plans. Could the way of Jesus possibly prepare someone for something so heart-wrenching as that? If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 4:43. Let’s jump right in.

John 4:43-47 (NIV), “43 After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there. 46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.” Ok, let’s pause here. So, our passage picks up right where we left off last week with Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well in the region of Samaria. John tells us that after staying in Samaria for a few days and seeing an incredible harvest of faith from the most unlikely place, Jesus makes his way to Galilee. Looking at a map, we see that in John 3-4, Jesus travels from Jerusalem/Judea in the south, north through Shechem in Samaria, and then further north to the town of Cana. John reminds us that this was where Jesus had previously turned water into wine at a wedding feast. While in Cana, John says that a certain royal official came to Jesus. And this man was facing every parent’s worst nightmare: his son was sick and was close to death. We don’t know anything else about the situation, how old the boy was, or what exactly he was suffering from, but it’s deadly serious. The way the father describes his son in the next passage tells us that he was but a young child. Now, imagine you were this boy’s mom or dad, and you were praying as hard as you could that God would heal your son, and you were doing everything you knew how to do to help him heal…and then you heard that this Jesus of Nazareth, a powerful prophet who had performed other miracles was just a day or two’s journey down the road. Would you go? I’m sure it would’ve been a desperate decision. If I was the father, I’d be asking, “Do I leave my son and possibly miss his final days or hours and to try to convince this Jesus to help us? What if he refuses to come? Or what if I’m already too late?” But the father decides to try. He leaves his son and goes to Jesus to beg him to help. What do you think Jesus will do? How would he respond? Does Jesus have the power to heal?

John 4:48-50 (NIV), “48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” 49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed.” Now, this is such an interesting interaction. At first reading, Jesus seems annoyed, doesn’t he? I picture him rolling his eyes while saying this for some reason. (“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” like, you stupid idiots!) At least that’s how I would’ve felt saying this if I were Jesus (fortunately, I am not!). But John doesn’t say Jesus was upset. This statement of Jesus about the Jews’ desire for signs and wonders before they would believe in the person/work/authority of Jesus could simply have been a true statement. After all, Jesus was just in Samaria, which we said last week was entirely the wrong place to respond to the ministry of the Jewish Messiah. For Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along. They had ethnic, political, and religious differences and about 700 years of bad blood between them. But there, in Samaria (of all places), and starting with the woman at the well (of all people), there was a great outpouring of faith in Jesus just as a result of his word. They didn’t need signs and wonders and yet many people believed in Jesus. But back in his own country, faith was harder to come by. The Jewish people, and especially the religious leaders, refused to believe in Jesus unless they saw signs from Jesus to authenticate his words. But then, they seemed to reject Jesus more often than not, even when he continuously performed miraculous signs before them. This is all part of what John said in the prologue: “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (Jn 1:11). And yet here, again, we have a desperate father who isn’t trying to put Jesus to some theological test or make him prove himself to him, but he’s out of options and is just looking for a miracle. “Sir [Lord], come down before my child dies.” I can imagine the father’s confusion about Jesus’ statement about signs and wonders. I can imagine him pushing through his confusion to just present his need to Jesus. Jesus, I don’t know about all that, but would you help me? Would you heal my young child before he’s gone?! Would Jesus lecture this man on the dynamics of faith in Israel? No. He sees that this man is a man of faith. And Jesus responds with healing. “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” But Jesus, how do I know he will live?? But here is where we see the true faith of the father. John says, “The man took Jesus at his word and departed.” This is exactly what faith looks like. Faith in Jesus means that you believe what Jesus says, you take him at his word, you believe that he will do what he says he will do, and you obey his word. The father believed that Jesus would somehow heal his son, just as he said, and that he could obey his word to go back home. So the man headed back to Capernaum from Cana. What do you think he would find when he got there? Had he been a fool to believe?

John 4:51-54 (NIV), “51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” 53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed. 54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.”” So, in desperation, a father goes to Jesus to beg for him to heal his young son. And when Jesus promises healing, the father responds to him in faith, believing Jesus and his promise for his son. In this story, we see that Jesus doesn’t need to be near/touching someone to heal them. He doesn’t need to recite certain magic words or apply a certain medication. Jesus proves that he is able to heal simply by an act of his will. There’s no way the father would’ve known at the time, but when he met and talked with his servants on the way home, he realized later that it was at the exact time of his conversation with Jesus that his son was healed. Now, there are some parallels here to the story of the woman at the well. There is a one-on-one encounter with Jesus and then the person — in the previous passage, it was the woman at the well; now here, it is the father — the person goes back home, and the result is that many other people believe in Jesus. Now, this is a normal dynamic of following Jesus even today: one person’s faith can lead to the faith of many others. One person is changed in some way by the good news or the power of Jesus, and they want others to experience the same thing. You don’t have to be Billy Graham to have an impact on the world for Jesus. All you need is a testimony and the courage to share it. So, with the testimony of our dear sister in Christ, many in Samaria believed in Jesus. And so, with the testimony of the father and the healing of the son, their whole household put their faith and trust in Jesus. So, this story is similar to other interactions with Jesus. In fact, there are other stories of healing in the gospel accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus. So why does John share this particular story with us? And the answer is rooted in his reason for writing: that we would find life in the name of Jesus. Well, how do we do this in the face of the many illnesses and afflictions that we, or those we love, might suffer in this broken world? How can we find the life that God wants for us, his children, when we are still in need of healing? I’ll close today with two lessons from this passage and a third point of pastoral advice. First, we must go to Jesus for healing; second, we’ll see how we can trust Jesus for healing; and third, what to do if healing doesn’t come. 

Go to Jesus for healing. Now, clearly, the father knew his son needed healing; there was no denying his need. Compared to some of the other needs that people have in a broken world, typically, the need for healing isn’t hard to see. But this isn’t always true. There are some addictions and various mental health disorders that can be very difficult for people to see and accept that they need help/healing. But most of the time, if you’re sick, you know it. But even during the time of Jesus, I’m sure there were parents with sick kids who hesitated or even refused, to bring their need for healing to Jesus. One lesson from this passage is that we can go to Jesus in our time of need. And not just for spiritual matters/healing but also for mental/emotional/physical healing. Jesus doesn’t rebuke this man for bothering him. He is willing and able to heal his son. And this serves as an invitation to us today. If you need healing, you can go to Jesus for healing. No matter where you are in the world, you can pray to him and ask for healing, and he will hear you. You will not be rebuked for bothering him. Cast all your anxieties on him. Why? Because he cares for you. James, the brother of Jesus, writes, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” Therefore, every time our elder board meets, we spend time praying for you and especially for healing for those who are ill. If you are too sick to come, we will go to you and pray with you. All you have to do is let us know you’d like us to come and pray. Now, we modern people are so influenced by a naturalistic/materialistic view of the world (that the physical world is all there is) that we might feel it’s antiquated to pray to God for healing. But if God created the world and everything in it, then the context for all of creation is a miracle. Would it be that great a difficulty for our Creator to do a much smaller miracle of healing? I don’t think so. But whether Jesus decides to heal through the normal means he has given us in creation, including seeking the medical care of doctors/nurses and medication and surgery and so forth, or whether Jesus decides to heal through a more direct means, as he did in that day, we can pray for healing and seek healing and thank God when healing comes, whatever the means of healing are used. Just as the father did in this story, we can go to Jesus for healing.

How can we trust Jesus for healing? The father heard the promise of Jesus that his son would live. And he believed him, he trusted him, he took him at his word. Now, this is the main theme of John’s gospel that we can find real and eternal life only by faith in Jesus’ name. But how can we live like this? How can we be people of faith and trust Jesus for healing? It can be so heart-wrenching to watch a loved one suffer. Watching someone endure pain and hardship can test our faith in God and sometimes it feels like it will be stretched to the breaking point. Well, first, it’s stories like this one that show that Jesus has the power to heal. To say the obvious, this is something that only God could do, which is why John includes it as one of the seven signs that reveal the glory of Jesus. But there are so many stories of healing in the Bible. We can trust Jesus for healing because we see/hear again and again his heart for his people so that we might have life and have it to the full. He did it then, and he can do it again. And that should be enough to trust him, but even after the power and faithfulness of God that we see in the Scriptures, we can also listen to stories of healing of other Christians today. In our last membership class, we heard the testimonies of two different people who were miraculously healed by God. These testimonies help us trust Jesus for healing. Ultimately, we can trust Jesus for healing because in his resurrection from the dead, Jesus demonstrated that he has power over even death.

What do we do if healing doesn’t come? Third and finally, I’d like to close with some pastoral advice. What do we do if healing doesn’t come? What do we do if we pray and pray and pray, and nothing seems to happen? I’ve walked with several of you through times such as these. Where we prayed for weeks or months for healing, for freedom from addiction, for deliverance from bondage, but in the end, the answer from God seemed to be, “No.” Well, for the Christian, the answer to a prayer for healing is never finally, “No,” but rather, “Not yet.” For after the death on the cross, for the sins of the world, and his resurrection from the dead, our Lord promised one day to return. And when he returns, the dead will be raised, and all will give an account to the Lord for our lives. The ones without faith will be forever separated from the life and light and love of God. But the ones of faith, those who trust in him today, will be made new and will live in a world where there will be no more mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. The answer if healing doesn’t come is the same as if it does: put your faith and trust in Jesus, and he bring healing in his time according to his glory and his power. May we respond to him in thanks and in praise forever and ever. Let us pray.

Jesus and the Woman at the Well: While traveling through Samaria, Jesus gently starts a conversation with a very unlikely person: a Samaritan woman with a string of failed marriages who was living with yet another man. Jesus offers her grace and truth. She responds by telling everyone in her town about Jesus, and many believe because of her testimony. If you have a past full of guilt, shame, or regrets, this message is for you. Recorded on Aug 27, 2023, on John 4:1-42 by Pastor David Parks.

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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

So all year, we’re working our way chapter by chapter and verse by verse through the gospel according to John. We’re calling this series Finding Life in Jesus’ Name, and if you missed any of the messages so far, you can always go back and watch or listen online. But this morning, we’re in John chapter 4. Starting last week, we started working through a longer section of John’s gospel that focuses on conversations that individual people have with Jesus. And we said that this shows the humility of Jesus, that he would be willing to spend one-on-one time with people and not just bask in the glory of the crowds but also his heart for people. No two conversations are alike. Jesus meets everyone where they are at, and helps them move forward in the truth and in healing and in redemption and in whatever else they most need. But also, each conversation teaches us something new about the person and work of Jesus. Last week, we had a conversation between Jesus and a powerful/influential religious leader named Nicodemus. And said that Nicodemus would’ve been widely seen as a good person (maybe one of the best people!) in their society. But Jesus was clear: even a man like Nicodemus needed to be born again to see/enter the kingdom of God. In other words, the way of salvation is a gift of God and a work of the Holy Spirit, not something anyone can earn by being a good person. It was a challenging conversation. Today, we have another conversation, but with someone who could in many ways be seen as the polar opposite of Nicodemus, that is, with the woman at the well. And this conversation is one of the best examples of John’s statement in the prologue that Jesus was full of grace and truth. The way that he deals with this woman who seems to have something of a sketchy past is really incredible. But what about you? Is there anyone here who could use some grace? Anyone who struggles to keep their life perfectly well-ordered? I know there’s someone here who’s got some junk in their past that follows you around and whispers guilt and shame and regret into your heart. For all who need some grace today, this message is for you. There is One who offers unconditional acceptance but also hope for change. There is only One who offers living waters welling up to eternal life, regardless of who you are or what you have done. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 4:1. We’re going to cover a lot of bible today, but this is all one story, so I believe you can handle it, and I’ll unpack it as we go. Let’s jump right in.

John 4:1-10 (NIV), “1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” Ok, let’s pause here. So because Jesus’ ministry is doing what John the Baptist was hoping would happen, that Jesus would become greater even as John became less, there was increased attention from the religious leaders of the Pharisees, so Jesus decided to travel north. John the Apostle says that they traveled from the southern region of Judea, where the city of Jerusalem was located, to the northern region of Galilee, where Jesus was raised and where he would spend much of the next several years in his ministry. But to get to Galilee, they had to go through Samaria (Shechem). Now, after long and (no doubt) hot days of travel, they stop at Jacob’s well, and the disciples leave Jesus alone to go into town to buy food. So Jesus is there by himself when a Samaritan woman comes to draw water. And Jesus starts a conversation simply by asking her for a drink. “Will you give me a drink?” She’s clearly surprised at his question because of their different ethnic backgrounds — he was a Jew, and she was a Samaritan, and as John says, “Jews do not associate with Samaritans.” Now, what is going on here? Well, Jesus was raised in a Jewish culture that was very anti-Samaritan. In John chapter 8, the Pharisees called Jesus a Samaritan as an insult. They hated each other, and there had been 700 years of violent history leading up to this point in time. There were ethnic differences between Jews and Samaritans; there were cultural/religious/political differences. Plus, they lived right next to each other, so their differences were always bumping up against each other. Despite all this, Jesus gently starts up a conversation with this Samaritan woman, saying, “If you knew who I was, you’d ask me for a drink, and I would have given you living water.” She’s probably thinking, who is this? And what is he offering?

John 4:11–26 (NIV), “11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” Ok! Let’s pause here again. So the woman is intrigued by Jesus’ offer for living water but initially (like Nicodemus) takes Jesus literally. How can you give me living water? You have nothing to draw water from the well? But she’s intrigued because she doesn’t want to keep coming back to the well. She says, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” But why not? Drawing water from a well would be a normal, daily occurrence back then. Why should it be something she’d want to avoid? There’s a clue in the text that this conversation happened at around noon. Now, noon was not the normal time in the day to draw water. Typically, people would’ve drawn water early in the morning to use during the day and in order to avoid hauling water during the hottest part of the day. The fact that she was there at noon suggests she’s trying to avoid meetings and perhaps conversations such as this. Jesus seems to understand exactly what is happening when he responds, “Go, call your husband and come back.” but she responds, “I have no husband.” But Jesus knows this. He says, “The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” Now, how could he know this? How could he possibly have guessed that she had had a string of failed marriages, much less specifically five?! The only explanation is that Jesus had supernatural knowledge of her life. He truly knew her. Now, I don’t believe Jesus brings this up to make her feel bad. In fact, it isn’t clear why these marriages failed. Maybe they were her fault because she hadn’t been faithful, or maybe she had been abused or mistreated in some way, or maybe both. But Jesus brings up her past because he always cuts to the heart of the matter. With Nicodemus, it was his understanding of salvation and the need to be born again, despite his social status or moral performance. With the woman at the well, it was her past, which included an embarrassingly long string of broken relationships. No wonder she was drawing water when it was unlikely she would have to face anyone else! This speaks to the shame she felt around others. She confirms his knowledge of her life by observing that Jesus must be a prophet. And then she quickly tries to change the subject. “Oh, you’re a prophet? I have a theological question for you…where are we supposed to worship?” This was surely an attempt to move Jesus away from talking about her past (she probably would’ve wanted to talk about anything else). But also, this was one of the points of disagreement between Jews and Samaritans. Jews believed that they were to worship God at the temple in Jerusalem, while Samaritans believed they were to worship God at Mount Gerizim near Shechem. There were both religious and political issues wrapped up in this disagreement. What would this Jewish prophet say about it? Jesus says it’s not about where you worship God. It’s about how you worship God. And true worshipers will worship God in the Spirit and in truth. God is seeking people who will worship him like this. The woman seems to believe Jesus but does not completely understand how this could be, but how could she before the cross and the empty tomb? So she says, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” One of the things the Jews and Samaritans had in common was the belief that God would send his chosen one, called the Messiah in Hebrew or the Christ in Greek. Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” And this is a bombshell. Many others have wondered or even guessed that Jesus was the Messiah. But so far in John’s gospel, he has not directly confirmed this part of his identity to anyone. It would’ve made sense to me that Jesus would’ve revealed this to Nicodemus, a powerful religious leader. It probably would’ve been a good political move on Jesus’ part. Start building an alliance of the rich and powerful, the elites in Jerusalem. But Jesus didn’t do this. It wasn’t until he met this Samaritan woman with a sketchy past. What benefit could Jesus have possibly received from her? What did he have to gain from her? Could it be that he just wanted her to know who he was just as he knew who she was? But how unusual of a situation this was is only highlighted by the disciples when they returned from town.

John 4:27–38 (NIV), “27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” So, the disciples return and are surprised at what they find. Here is Jesus talking to a Samaritan and a Samaritan woman of all people! What was Jesus doing? Was this appropriate? But no one questioned him. Anyway, the disciples had brought back the food they went looking for, but Jesus wasn’t hungry. He was fully satisfied with doing the work of his Father. He was filled with joy and gratitude that he had found the harvest fields ripe for the harvest. Of course, the disciples didn’t understand what in the world was happening then, but later, they too were sent out into this same harvest field and found many people like the woman at the well, people with a past who needed both the grace and the truth of the gospel of Jesus; men and women who needed unconditional acceptance, but also hope for real life-change and spiritual growth and freedom and life. People who needed living water. But years before what we would know as the Great Commission of Jesus after his resurrection, to go and make disciples of all nations, this woman, this dear sister of ours in Christ, left her water jar behind her and went to tell everyone (she’d probably tried, up to that morning, to avoid) about a new man she had met — not to marry and not to live with, but a man who truly knew her. Could he be the Messiah? Their response to her testimony about Jesus is even more surprising than the fact of their conversation at the well. Look at v. 39. 

John 4:39–42 (NIV), “39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” This is God’s word. And what an amazing story! A spiritual revival breaks out in where? In Samaria? But that’s the wrong place! And by what means? By the testimony of a woman with a questionable sexual history? Certainly not the obvious choice. Last week, we saw that if Nicodemus needed to be born again, then there’s hope for anyone. This week, we see this proved true with the woman at the well. And isn’t this an encouragement? Isn’t this good news? That Jesus would care for and know and speak with and reveal what is true to this woman? So I ask again, is there anyone here who could use some grace? Anyone who struggles to keep your life in order? I know there’s somebody here who’s got some junk in their past that follows you around day by day and whispers guilt and shame and regret into your heart. Maybe you do things to avoid being known by others for this very reason. But for all who need some grace today, this message is for you. There is One who offers unconditional acceptance but also hope for change. There is only One who offers living waters welling up to eternal life, regardless of who you are or what you have done. And his name is Jesus. Not only is he the Messiah, but he is indeed the Savior of the world. If you believe that today, if you believe that you are known but you are loved anyways, not because of what you do but because of what Jesus has done, then let us follow the example of our sister, and let us share our testimony with a world that longs for living water, water welling up to eternal life. And just watch what God might do, even in the most unlikely of places. Let us pray.

Jesus and Nicodemus: In a private conversation with a powerful religious leader named Nicodemus, Jesus reveals the heart of the gospel and God’s great love for a world in need of a savior. If you want to know what makes Christianity different than every other religion, this is it. But if Nicodemus needed to be born again, there’s hope for anyone. Recorded on Aug 20, 2023, on John 3:1-21 by Pastor David Parks.

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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

So, all year, we’re working our way chapter by chapter and verse by verse through the gospel according to John. We’re calling this series Finding Life in Jesus’ Name, and if you missed any of the messages so far, you can always go back and watch or listen online. I’m back today after a couple weeks off, and I just really appreciate Casey Johnson from the EFCA and Ted Selker preaching for us. But I’m so glad to be back, too. This morning, we’re jumping back into chapter 3. John 1 provided a great intro to the ministry of Jesus and his practice of calling men and women everywhere to become his disciples and learn to follow him. Chapter 2 introduced the first of seven miraculous signs in changing water into wine and the teaching that Jesus was to replace the temple. Starting here in chapter 3, John starts a longer section of conversations that individual people had with Jesus. And this is a really fascinating section of John’s gospel to me for several reasons. First, though Jesus had crowds of thousands of people following him during certain points of his ministry, he didn’t just want the fame/glory of the crowds; he ministered to individual people, too, which speaks to his humility. But second, this collection of interactions/conversations with Jesus are all different. No two are alike. Jesus doesn’t have this canned speech that he gives everyone; he meets everyone where they are at and helps them move forward in the truth, in healing, and in redemption. And that speaks to his heart for people. Each interaction teaches us something new about the person and work of Jesus. Today, in the conversation between Jesus and a powerful religious leader named Nicodemus, John reveals the core of what is fundamentally different about Christianity than every other religion or philosophy in the world. We say it all the time, but the way of Jesus is different; it’s unique. But it’s this very unique-ness of Jesus that makes the Christian gospel such good news and shapes how we receive and apply this to our lives today. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 3:1. Let’s jump right in.

John 3:1-8 (NIV), “Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”” Ok! Let’s pause here. So, as we said, we have a powerful religious leader named Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night. Why at night? We’re not exactly sure. Perhaps Nicodemus wanted to come in secret, not being sure if he wanted to associate with Jesus. Or perhaps because he wanted to have a longer discussion with Jesus and not interrupt his public teaching. Or maybe it was just a detail that John remembers from being there. But Nicodemus starts this conversation in a very respectful way. He calls Jesus Rabbi and a teacher who has come from God and asserts that no one could be doing what he was doing if God were not with him. Now this isn’t bad, but this reveals that Nicodemus doesn’t really know or believe in the fullness of who Jesus was. Now, there’s a little play on words here that John uses that is hard to see in English. He says, “Rabbi, we know [see] that you are a teacher who has come from God.” In John, physical sight/blindness is almost always used as a metaphor for spiritual sight or the ability to see and believe the truth. Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the dark of night, claiming he can see. But can he see? Jesus responds using this formula that we’ve already seen which highlights the importance of what he’s about to say. “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, [lit. amen, amen, I tell you, meaning sit up and pay attention to this:] no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”” This seems to throw Nicodemus a bit because he responds, “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Nicodemus clearly doesn’t get it. He’s taking the need to be born again literally, but in the next exchange, Jesus makes it clear that he’s talking about a spiritual birth. “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” A new birth into a new life and, as we’ll see, into a new family, brought about by an act of God the Holy Spirit, the personal presence of God. Jesus states that without this new spiritual life, no one can see/enter the kingdom of God. And what exactly is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is the place where the reign and rule of God are experienced; it’s the place where God is king. This, of course, should include the whole universe that God has made. But the teaching of the Bible is that the human creatures of our world led a rebellion against the reign and rule of God. We rejected God’s word and his way and followed our own word/way. As a result, our world is a kingdom of darkness. But God initiated a rescue plan. He would invade this kingdom of darkness, going behind enemy lines, as it were, to liberate the captives living in this land of darkness. With the coming of Jesus, the kingdom of God was breaking into and overcoming this kingdom of darkness. Of course, this had been a promise of God for centuries in the OT Scriptures. One well-known passage would be Ezekiel 36:25–27 (NIV), “25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” This is what God said he would do, so Nicodemus — as a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, or the Jewish ruling council, highly educated in the Scriptures — Nicodemus shouldn’t be surprised by this, but this is exactly the problem that Jesus is dealing with. Jesus always cuts to the heart of the issue. 

John 3:9–15 (NIV), “9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.  14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” Let’s pause again. So here, Jesus moves from the promises of God in prophets like Ezekiel to show that this new spiritual life can be seen in the writing of Moses, too. Jesus mentions the story of Moses and the bronze snake from Numbers 21 to show that that story was only foreshadowing what God would do to provide this new birth. (The fact is everything in the OT of our Bibles points forward either to our need for Jesus or what Jesus would accomplish.) But in order for people to be able to see/enter the kingdom of God, in order that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him, what would have to happen? Jesus says the Son of Man must be lifted up. Now, this is a reference to the hour when Jesus, the Son of Man, would be first raised in death on the cross, and then raised in life on the third day in his resurrection from the dead. There’s no way Nicodemus or any disciples who heard this conversation at the time would’ve been able to fully understand this before the cross. But later on, they did see/believe what he meant. And what he’s saying is that to be born again, to fulfill the promises of God, to be made spiritually alive, to go from death into the eternal life of the kingdom of God, you need to believe in the person and work of Jesus. This is the heart of the Christian gospel: It’s not what you do that saves you. It’s about what Jesus has done in his life, death, and resurrection. It’s not about our moral performance as a good person; it’s about receiving the saving grace of God by faith in Christ. Most people, whatever they believe about Jesus, think that the purpose of life is to be a good person (or at least do more good than bad). But anyone who’s really tried to be a truly good/loving person sees very quickly that they fall short of even their own standards all the time! So we modern people have an ancient problem. If God is real, how will any of us be able to stand before him and give an account of our lives? And this is what is so totally different about the way of Jesus. Jesus says that anyone can see and enter the kingdom of God, not because of their own goodness/faithfulness, but because of the goodness and faithfulness of God. But why? Why would God offer this salvation that is free for all, although it was so costly for Jesus? What’s the motivation behind these ancient promises of God, the ancient stories that foreshadow this salvation, and the actual sending of Jesus into the world and his suffering and death?

John 3:16–21 (NIV), “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” This is God’s word. Now, most commentators believe v. 15 is the end of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. It’s hard to tell because there are no quotation marks in Greek, but v. 16 seems to start John’s commentary on this conversation (where the red letters end in some of your Bibles). At any rate, John’s answer to the “why” behind the gospel is only one incredible thing: love. According to the Bible, love is the most important thing. The reason is rooted in who God is. God is personal and relational as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is perfectly three and perfectly one. God doesn’t just love; he is love. So in this universe that this God has made, love for God and love for our neighbor is the highest calling and the greatest commandment. People are right to think they ought to be good people because that would be the most loving thing. And this leads us to the most famous verse in all the Bible: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” John is clear, the world isn’t condemned by Jesus, it was already condemned. We were already a kingdom of darkness. But God loved us even though we failed to love him, we loved darkness instead of light. The fundamental problem solved by Jesus is a life of broken love, a self-centered, distorted/disordered love leading only to destruction/death. This is why we needed a rescue plan. This is why we needed a savior. This is why we didn’t just need a little help or a few tips on how to be better. We needed Jesus to die for our sins. We needed Jesus to rise again to break the power of death. We needed a whole new heart, a whole new spiritual life. We needed to be born again!

So, what does this mean for us today? How do we apply this teaching to our lives? Of course, the love of God mentioned here is so compelling. But we’ll encounter this theme again and again in John’s gospel. For today, I’d like to leave you with one thought related to why Christian salvation is such good news: If Nicodemus needed to be born again, there’s hope for anyone. You see, back in this time and place, Nicodemus was absolutely at the top of society in Judea. He was at the moral and political and social top. If anyone could earn their way into the kingdom of God, Nicodemus would have to have been one of the most likely candidates. But according to Jesus, none of the normal markers of status or success mattered to him one bit. It didn’t matter to Jesus that Nicodemus was a man in a society that afforded more rights to men. It didn’t matter that he had the “right” family background, that he was ethnically Jewish. It didn’t matter to Jesus that Nicodemus had a top theological education as a Pharisee and would have been widely respected as a religious leader. And it didn’t matter that he had a position of political power as a member of the Jewish ruling council. Interestingly, it didn’t even matter that Nicodemus had a healthy respect for Jesus, calling him Rabbi and teacher, or even that he recognized that Jesus had God’s power to perform miracles. Despite all these normal markers of status or success, many of which would still carry weight in our society today, despite all the social capital that would come with these aspects of his identity, Jesus was crystal clear: Nicodemus still needed to be born again. He still needed the true and everlasting life of God by the Holy Spirit. He still needed to see and enter the Kingdom of God. In a very real sense, this seemingly impressive man was still lost. When you really get the implications of this, it should make you ask, as the disciples asked themselves other times, “Who then can be saved?!?” In other words, if Nicodemus isn’t “in,” who is? The answer is if Nicodemus needed to be born again, there’s hope for anyone. Because we do not earn our own salvation, we receive it as a gift of God’s loving grace. So, everyone who believes may have eternal life in Jesus. This is the good news of the gospel. And this is just as true for you today as it was 2,000 years ago. When you become a Christian, when you truly see and believe in the person and work of Jesus, you have been born again. This new birth is initially of a spiritual nature and later will be of a physical nature in the resurrection of the dead. If Nicodemus needed to be born again, there’s hope for anyone.

Finally, as we close, John doesn’t tell us here what Nicodemus concluded about this confusing and challenging conversation with Jesus. But we have two clues later in John’s gospel that Nicodemus eventually came to truly see (in the sense John uses here), and to know Jesus as both his Lord and Savior. In John 7, Nicodemus publicly defends Jesus in a session of the Jewish Ruling Council. And then, more tellingly in John 19, when the Son of Man had indeed been lifted up, and Jesus had suffered and died on the cross, two men went to Pontius Pilate to ask for the body to give a proper burial: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. John doesn’t explicitly say that Nicodemus became a Christian, but it’s hard to explain his actions any other way. I believe Nicodemus came to see that he, too, needed to be born again and go from death to life by faith in Jesus’ name. And if there’s hope for him, there’s hope for anyone. Let us pray.

Jesus the Bridegroom: John the Baptist clearly understood his role in God’s plan- he was there to prepare the way for Jesus. While he could have used his popularity to struggle for power, he pointed his followers to Jesus and reduced his own place in the ministry. Understanding God’s plan in and around your life should completely change your perspective on life. Recorded on Aug 13, 2023, on John 3:22-36 by Ted Selker.

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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Jesus and the Temple: A temple is a place of forgiveness and fellowship — forgiveness of sin and fellowship with God. Jesus is the true temple, the place where heaven and earth are united and forgiveness and fellowship are offered to all. However, in Christ, you are a temple, too. This shocking reality has huge implications for human beings and human bodies. Recorded on Jul 30, 2023, on John 2:13-25 by Pastor David Parks.

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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

So this month, we’ve started a new annual theme for our preaching ministry that is: Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And, we’ve said that normally, we’d have a selection of sermon series under this theme from various parts of the Bible throughout the year. But this year we’re doing something a little different. For almost the whole next year, we’re going slowly, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, through the gospel according to John. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 2:13. Let’s jump right in.

John 2:13-17 (NIV), “13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”” Ok! Did Jesus lose it? Did he have an anger problem? What is going on here? Well, the setting, according to John, was that it was almost time for the Jewish Passover. This was the national festival that commemorated the time at the start of the exodus out of Egypt when God had the Jewish people sacrifice a lamb and put the blood on the door frame of their houses. Everyone who was covered by the blood of the sacrifice was protected from the judgment of God; they would be passed over. If they weren’t covered by this blood sacrifice, they would be under the same judgment as the Egyptians. When this took place, Pharaoh finally agreed to let the people of Israel, who were slaves in Egypt, go. After this, the Lord commanded his people to continue to celebrate the Passover as one of their national feasts. They were to return to Jerusalem for a week and remember together what God had done to free them from captivity. This was to be a serious time, a holy time. When Jesus went up to Jerusalem (up in elevation), he found the temple and the people in the temple, not in a spirit of repentance, not with broken and contrite hearts; instead, he found a noisy and bustling marketplace. Now, there’s nothing wrong with a marketplace or buying and selling lawful things, but this was not God’s intention for the temple. So Jesus made a whip and drove the animals out and overturned tables and drove the people out, saying, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” Now, the fact that Jesus referred to the temple as “my Father’s house” is significant because no one talked like this. This will be a thread that runs all the way through John’s gospel, but here, we see Jesus clearly saying that God is his Father. In the OT, God is sometimes called the Father of Israel as a nation, but not in this individual, personalized way. Only Jesus calls God his Father. Later, he will get major pushback on this point because people rightly saw that claiming that God is his Father makes Jesus equal to God (which was actually true, but the people didn’t know/believe this yet). Later, the disciples remembered Psalm 69 where it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” and realized that this was what was happening when Jesus cleared the temple. How did people respond? What did they think of all this?

John 2:18-22 (NIV), “18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.” So the Jews (maybe the people who were selling or maybe the authorities of the temple) questioned him and asked for some sort of sign that Jesus had the authority to do this. He was acting and speaking as if the temple was his. So, just who did this Jesus think he was? What gave him the right to do all this? This question of authority comes up again and again. And Jesus responds, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” Now, before the resurrection of Jesus, no one was thinking about anything very significant happening after three days. But later, John says that after the resurrection, the disciples realized Jesus was talking about his body when he refers to “this temple.” After his death on the cross, Jesus was buried, and on the third day, he rose again. If you destroy that temple, he would raise it again in three days. However, at this time, no one really understood what Jesus was talking about. The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” Clearly, they just didn’t get it. But what does this mean? What is the significance of Jesus saying that he was the temple? To understand this, we have to understand the history of the temple. About 1,500 years earlier, God had made a covenant with ancient Israel at Mount Sinai. This was after the Passover, and the people had been freed from captivity in Egypt. And part of the Law that God had given the people at that time included instructions to build a tabernacle, which was also called the Tent of Meeting. The Tabernacle was the main place of worship. It was  where the priests made their offerings and the unique power/presence of God dwelled. For about 500 years, as the people of Israel traveled through the wilderness and then settled in the Promised Land of Canaan, they brought the Tabernacle with them. But then, during the time of King David, David had it in his heart to build God a temple. David made provisions for it, but it was actually built during the reign of his son, Solomon. The temple was built in the city of Jerusalem and became the central place of worship for Israel for another 500 years until the time of the exile. Because of their disobedience, God allowed Israel to be conquered and carried away into captivity once again. The temple was destroyed and ceased to function for many years. However, during the reign of Herod the Great, the Roman governor during the time when Jesus was born, Herod decided to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. It took 46 years to build, as the people mentioned here, and was a symbol of the national pride and faith of the Jewish people. Ultimately, the temple would be destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans in response to a Jewish rebellion. And again, it ceased to function as a place of worship and has ever since. Let’s finish this passage with v. 23.

John 2:23-25 (NIV), “23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.”” As we said last week, Jesus performed many, many miracles or signs during his public ministry. It’s just Jesus being Jesus. But John records seven signs in his gospel to teach us about who Jesus is and what the kingdom is like where he is King. We’ll get more of these signs in the weeks ahead. But for now, the people asked Jesus for a sign, and he gave them a cryptic answer that pointed ahead to his own resurrection. And then, he proceeds to do many signs during the Passover Festival, which causes some people to believe as others already had started to believe. However, even as John says that people started to put their faith in him, he didn’t put his faith in them. He certainly knew about their struggle with sin — that is why he came after all. But he also knew how fickle a crowd might be. One day, a crowd might think you’re the greatest person ever, while another day, they might turn against you. Jesus will have a few moments like that that we’ll see in the weeks ahead. So he loved them, he ministered to them, he performed signs for them, but he didn’t entrust himself to them, he didn’t live for their approval or applause, for he knew what was in each person. 

Now, before we get to how we might apply this teaching today, I think we need to do a little more work on what it means for Jesus to be a temple. I already gave you a little history of the Tabernacle and then the temple, but we haven’t talked much about the function of the temple or what it was for. The temple was supposed to be a place of forgiveness and fellowship. Forgiveness of sins and fellowship with God. Let’s unpack both of those elements. First, the forgiveness of sins came through the sacrificial system that was foreshadowed by the Passover itself. For the wages of sin is death. But there is life and safety and forgiveness and peace when you are covered by the blood of a sacrifice. So, for 1,500 years under the old covenant, the people of Israel, led by the priests and the Levites, made sacrificial offerings to make atonement or payment for their sins. This practice culminated every year on Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. Since all the sacrifices and offerings were made in the temple, it was supposed to be a place of forgiveness. Second, the temple was supposed to be a place of fellowship with God. Sin separates. But once the problem of sin was dealt with, then the people could be with and enjoy and worship God in freedom and thanksgiving and joy. God’s presence and power were there. And people gave offerings and sang songs of praise and prayed together and listened to God’s word being read and taught. The temple was a picture of God’s desire to be with his people and dwell with them. It was a place where heaven and earth came together. Theologian N.T. Wright refers to this as the overlapping and interlocking of heaven and earth, of God’s space and our space. But how does all this connect to Jesus? As we work through John’s gospel we will see that everything that the people had done with the temple for 1,500 years, the work of the priests, the whole sacrificial system, the Day of Atonement, everything was pointing forward to the coming of Jesus. Because ultimately, Jesus would fulfill the temple. 

John has already been hinting at this. In the Prologue, he said that Jesus was the word of God made flesh who made his dwelling among us. I said then that he literally wrote that Jesus tabernacled among us. Again, before the temple, the tabernacle (tent of meeting) was the place where heaven and earth came together. In Jesus, everything that the tabernacle and temple signified was perfectly fulfilled. What does this mean? Probably many things, but there are two main ways that Jesus perfectly fulfills the temple. Let’s use the dual purpose of forgiveness and fellowship to see this. First, (fellowship) the temple represents the union of God and man, the coming together of heaven and earth. In the person of Jesus, we find one person with two natures: Jesus is fully God and fully man. The theological term for the dual nature of the God-man is the hypostatic union. In Jesus, the Son of God is also the Son of Man. The divine Son from eternity past was also born of the virgin Mary and was laid in a stable in Bethlehem. In his divine nature, when you see Jesus, you’re seeing God. When you listen to Jesus, you’re hearing God. And Jesus says/does things that only God could say and do all the time. But at the same time, in his human nature, Jesus had to grow up and learn to walk and talk; he got tired and hungry and needed to eat and sleep; he faced temptation in this broken world and had to resist the temptation to sin; and so on. He was God, and he was a man. So Jesus fulfills the temple because in Jesus, heaven and earth are perfectly united. Although God is omnipresent, he is everywhere all at once; in the past, God chose to provide a unique manifestation of his glorious power and holy presence in the tabernacle/temple. In a unique way (and maybe a way that we can’t fully understand), God was there. In the same way, Jesus can calm a storm with a word. He can heal the sick or the disabled from afar with just his will. He can command a legion of demons or all the host of heaven, and they obey him. He is the Lord, Master, King, Christ, and God. He had glory in the presence of his Father from before the creation of the world. And he promises his presence to us even to the very end of the age. So, in Jesus, God’s power and presence is found without measure. He is the temple. Heaven and earth overlap and interlock in Jesus. However, there’s a problem, or really a problem for us. Again, sin separates. We can’t be with God or have God dwell with us because of our sin. So, we need the second function of the temple in Jesus of forgiveness. This includes the work of sacrifice, atonement, and the cleansing of sin… [transcript ends here]

Water into Wine – A Sign of Celebration: At a wedding in Cana, Jesus performed his famous miracle of turning water into wine. This served as the first sign to the disciples of who Jesus is and what the kingdom is like where he is King. And what does this miracle teach us? Turning hundreds of gallons of water into the best wine at a wedding feast is a wonderful sign of celebration. Recorded on Jul 23, 2023, on John 2:1-12 by Pastor David Parks.

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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

So this month, we’ve started a new annual theme for our preaching ministry, that is: Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And normally, we’d have a selection of sermon series under this theme from various parts of the Bible throughout the year. But this year we’re doing something a little different. For almost the whole next year, we’re going slowly, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, through the gospel according to John. So far, we’ve made it through chapter 1, which really has served as an introduction for the whole series. This morning, with the start of chapter 2, the author, the Apostle John, kicks off the public ministry of Jesus with the famous miracle of turning water into wine. Now, I know it’s the summertime, so if you missed any of the sermons so far, you can always go back and watch online or listen to the audio podcast if you’d like. But today, with turning water into wine, we’ll see the first of seven signs in John’s gospel, which reveal who Jesus is and what the kingdom is like where he is king. And this first sign at the very start of the ministry of Jesus sets the stage for what his unique and world-changing ministry would be all about. And the message here is so surprisingly good. The way of Jesus, becoming a disciple of Jesus, the life that is found in Jesus’ name — none of this is easy, but it is so very good. The first of the seven signs is a sign of celebration which ought to be received with joyful praise and surprised thanks. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 2:1. Let’s jump right in.

John 2:1–5 (NIV), “On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”” Let’s pause here. Ok! Just like the Godfather movie, the public ministry of Jesus starts with a wedding. Chapter one ends with a few men starting to follow Jesus as his disciples. We saw last week that Peter, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, and John the author all started following Jesus initially because of the testimony of John the Baptist. But after they spent some time with him, they started bringing others to him, convinced that he was the Messiah or the chosen one sent by God. If we look at a map, we can see that this happened in the southern region of Judea to the east of Jerusalem in the wilderness beyond the Jordan River. That’s where John the Baptist’s ministry took place. Here in chapter two, the author says they attended a wedding in the small town of Cana in the northern region of Galilee. And Cana was only a few miles north of the town of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. Now, we don’t know whose wedding they were attending, but we can guess it was someone who was a family friend of Jesus, since his mother Mary had been invited, too. Because Joseph isn’t mentioned in the gospels after Jesus was twelve years old, many assume that Joseph had passed away at some point. We don’t know for sure, but I believe it’s likely. But Jesus and his disciples were there, and a problem arose. Mary makes a statement to Jesus, “They have no more wine.” And this is a big deal. Commentator Don Carson writes, “A wedding celebration [at this time] could last as long as a week, and the financial responsibility lay with the groom. To run out of supplies would be a dreadful embarrassment in a ‘shame’ culture” (Carson, PNTC, p.169). Mary recognizes this embarrassment and points it out to Jesus. From the context, it appears that she is expecting him to do something about it, but Jesus gives a curious response, “Woman, why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.” The NIV gives a footnote trying to help Jesus out by saying that the Greek here for woman isn’t disrespectful. However, it doesn’t seem overly affectionate. In fact, it seems as if Jesus is bothered by something, but what is he bothered about? Something about his hour? Let’s come back to that in a moment. For now, Mary tells the servants at the wedding, “Do whatever he tells you.” which, I must say, is wonderful advice. Whatever Jesus tells you to do, you should do it. Do whatever he tells you. Ok, well, despite his cryptic response, Mary seems to understand that Jesus might still do something to save the groom from embarrassment. But what could he do? v. 6.

John 2:6-10 (NIV), “6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”” So, the Jewish people at this time had two sources guiding them morally. They had the Law, also known as the Law of Moses, which was the collection of 600+ laws given to them by God at Mount Sinai. But they also had the traditions of their elders. And the ceremonial washing using these six large stone jars wasn’t based on a law of God, but a tradition of man. In Mark’s gospel, he writes, “The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.” (Mk 7:3-4) Now, this wasn’t the same thing as doing the dishes or washing your hands with soap. This ceremonial washing represented the cleanliness of a pure heart and hands. It represented holiness and the forgiveness of sins. The way Mark describes it, there was probably a bit of showmanship or attention for the Pharisees, too. It wasn’t just that they wanted to be holy (which is good!); it was that they wanted others to see them as holy, too. So it’s interesting that Jesus told the servants to fill these particular jars with water for two reasons, at least. First, these were big jars, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. This means that Jesus turned about 150 gallons of water into the best wine (750 bottles). This is such an extravagant gift! The master of the wedding banquet, not realizing where all this wine had come from, was surprised at the quality. He said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” Meaning, normally people start with the expensive stuff but put out the cheap stuff toward the end of the night when people are, let’s say, a little less picky. But the master of the banquet recognized this was not the cheap stuff. This was the best wine. The groom wouldn’t be embarrassed. And there was more than enough for everyone. Let’s finish this passage. v. 11.

John 2:11–12 (NIV), “11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. 12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.” So, as we’ve said, this wedding in Cana starts a long section in John’s gospel which highlights Jesus’ public ministry. Chapters 2-12 in John’s gospel is sometimes called the “book of signs” because they contain seven signs (miracles, really), changing water into wine being the first. However, we know that Jesus did many more than seven miracles in the three years of his public ministry. The impression is that miracles were almost a daily occurrence for Jesus. At the end of his gospel, John writes, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe  that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (Jn 20:30-31). So, these seven signs are presented very intentionally by John as a sample of the miraculous ministry of Jesus. But why signs, and why seven? Later, Jesus makes the statement, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” (Jn 4:48). Miraculous signs serve to authenticate the message and the messenger. Seeing evidence of God’s power is helpful to our faith. But why seven? In the Bible, seven is a number representing completeness or wholeness. So, I envision the seven signs recorded by John are like a wing in the art gallery that he curated for us about Jesus. This wing is called “Signs of Glory” and contains this collection of miracles performed by Jesus which revealed his glory to his disciples and which they responded to by believing in him. The whole gallery reveals the beautiful truth about who Jesus is, but this wing teaches us seven truths about the miraculous power of Jesus. Each sign tells a little different story as to who Jesus is and what the kingdom is like where he is king. So what does this first sign teach us, turning water into wine? This sign is a sign of celebration. Think about the context. We’re at a wedding. This is a party. Everybody was invited. The DJ is playing music, people are dancing, there’s a feast. Do you want to know what the kingdom of God is like? Do you want to know what the person and work of Jesus is like? It’s like bringing the best wine to a feast, with more than enough for everyone to share. I just can’t think of a better picture to describe the way of Jesus. It’s certainly not an easy way. But the truth is that in a broken world, there is no easy way! And sometimes, following the way, doing whatever Jesus tells you to do, will get you in serious trouble. But his way is so very good. It’s a good life, it’s an abundant life, it’s an eternal life with God and full of God’s blessing and provision and goodness. But all of this life and faith rest on Jesus’ cryptic statement about his hour. “My hour has not yet come.” What does that have to do with this sign of celebration? Everything. We can’t have the ultimate feast, the ultimate celebration, and party until Jesus faces the hour. It is here that John introduces a thread that runs through his whole gospel. There are seven references in John to the hour of Jesus, and every time it refers to his suffering and death on the cross. Everything is in sevens for John, but another wing in the gallery could be called “The Hour.” Was Jesus bothered at the wedding because he was thinking of what he would have to endure on the cross? Given his reference to the hour, we can assume this is true. This wedding in Cana reminded him of what he still had to face in order to enjoy his own wedding banquet, the wedding feast of the Lamb, with his bride, the church, in the age to come. Is this a stretch? I don’t believe so. Remember how this story started? With a reference to time. On the third day, John says, was when this wedding took place. If you read back through chapter one, there are four different days that are referenced, starting with the introduction to John the Baptist’s ministry. That means that this wedding is happening on the seventh day so far in John’s gospel. Just as John started by using language to represent a new genesis/beginning (In the beginning…) so here, he uses language to represent a new week of creation. In Genesis 1, Moses uses a seven-day framework to tell the story of creation. After the prologue, John has the ministry of John the Baptist as happening on days 1-2. Then, the calling of the disciples on days 3-4. Now here, three days later, the wedding in Cana would be taking place on the seventh day. And I do not believe for a second this is an accident. Otherwise, why would John reference the days? And seven is too significant of a number for John. So, if this is a reference to the first week of creation, what happened in Genesis on the seventh day? Genesis 2:2–3 (NIV), “2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” God “sabbathed” or ceased from his work. Later, in the Law of Moses, this Sabbath is commanded for God’s people. Here, in this first sign of Jesus, we have a sign that a new Sabbath, a new celebration, a new and better offer of rest is coming into existence. As the author of Hebrews writes, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,  just as God did from his.” (Heb 4:9-10). So this sign of celebration is pointing not only to the new creation of Easter Sunday and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead but to his second coming and the wedding feast that will happen on that day. So, if that is what Jesus has in mind, why does he seem bothered? Because of the hour. He knew that before that day was one great and terrible day that would come first. Which leads me to my big idea for the day:

Celebration comes after the cross. This was true for Jesus, and so it is often true for us who follow Jesus. Joy comes after mourning. The dawn comes after the night. Wine comes after water. And the celebration of the resurrection comes after the horror of the cross. The person and work of Jesus needs both the cross and the empty tomb. It needs both joy and sorrow. Sorrow for our sin, sorrow for the brokenness of this world, sorrow for the loss of how things should have been. But also joy. Joy because we have a savior. Joy because there is a way that leads to life and joy and peace. Joy because there is a gospel and it is as true today as it was 2,000 years ago. What is Jesus like? And what the kingdom is like where he is king? It’s like bringing the best wine to a feast, with more than enough for everyone to share. And it will one day be a greater celebration than any of us can imagine. But for now, celebration comes after the cross. Let us pray.

Jesus and the Disciples: The ministry of Jesus included calling men and women to become his disciples. In fact, everything that follows in John’s gospel must be seen through the lens of discipleship — of learning to follow Jesus and helping others do the same. But as we see in this passage, the journey of faith often starts when someone says, “Come and see.” Recorded on Jul 16, 2023, on John 1:35-51 by Pastor David Parks.

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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

So this month, we’ve started a new annual theme for our preaching ministry, that is: Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And normally, we’d have a selection of sermon series under this theme from various parts of the Bible throughout the year. But this year we’re doing something a little different. For almost the whole next year, we’re going slowly, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, through the gospel according to John. We started this series/theme by meeting two different men named John. First, we met John the Apostle, the author of this gospel account of the life and ministry of Jesus. John was an ambitious and hot-tempered young man with the nickname Son of Thunder. But John found a new life with Jesus and was changed so much that by the end of his long life, he was known as the Apostle of love. Second, last week, we met John the Baptist, who was a wild man. John lived in the desert wilderness and dressed and ate like it, too. But John was sent by God to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. And he did that very effectively. Today, we’ll move from the ministry of John the Baptist, preparing us for the coming of Jesus, to the very start of the ministry of Jesus. And the author introduces the ministry of Jesus in his gospel by showing how Jesus would call people to follow him. Last year, we spent the whole year focusing on learning to follow the unique way of Jesus. If you missed either of those sermons, you can always go back and watch online or listen to the audio podcast if you’d like. But today, we’ll see the start of the journey for several of the first followers of Jesus. And what we learn from this passage will not only help us see how to follow Jesus but also how we might help our friends or loved ones follow him, too. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 1:35. Let’s jump in.

John 1:35-39 (NIV), “35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.” Ok, let’s pause here. So John the author/apostle says the day after John the baptist (the John mentioned here) testified that it was Jesus was the Messiah, and the one he was sent by God to prepare the way for — the next day, John was there again, meaning in the wilderness to the east of the Jordan River, with two of his disciples. At this time in Judea, the model of a rabbi and their disciples was common, but it wasn’t common everywhere in the Roman Empire. This is why the author tells us that Rabbi means “Teacher.” As we saw in our last series, the Apostle Paul received an education under one of the most well-respected Rabbis of his time, a member of the Jewish ruling council named Gamaliel. The Greek word for disciple means follower or learner. So, a disciple would follow the way of a rabbi and learn from them. A good modern equivalent might be the relationship between a master tradesman and their apprentice. The apprentice’s job is to assist the master and learn a set of skills from them. A good master should have both the wisdom of experience and some ability to teach or pass on what they know. Back in the first century AD, John the Baptist had disciples who were hoping to learn from him, not a trade necessarily, but a spiritual way of life. And perhaps, to meet the Messiah John said was coming. So when two of John’s disciples heard his testimony about Jesus, they started following Jesus. In this context, the author means this both literally and metaphorically. They literally started following Jesus around as he was walking around. But from the later perspective of when John was writing much later in life, this was the point in time when these men started following Jesus as their Rabbi/Teacher/Master/Lord. Their physical following foreshadowed their future better than they could have known at the time. But then there’s this funny little interaction between the disciples of John and Jesus. Jesus turns around and sees these (probably) younger men following him, and he says, “What do you want?” Now, this is the first example of how Jesus asks questions. Jesus never asks questions to gain information. It’ll be clear in a moment that in his divine nature, Jesus has divine knowledge. But instead, Jesus asks questions to reveal what’s going on in the heart of someone interacting with him. And the question, “What do you want?” is a profound question; it’s a discipleship question. Because if Jesus is the Messiah and God’s Chosen One, what do these men think he will do for them? What do they want out of a relationship with Jesus? Have you ever thought about that question for your relationship with God? What do you want? Do you want God to fix a problem in your life? Do you want to know what is true about the nature of reality? Do you want God’s blessing on your life? Do you want salvation? redemption? justice? glory? Do you want a more secure identity? Life after death? What do you want? Do you see how powerful this question is? Well, how do these first followers respond to Jesus? It doesn’t seem like they know what to say! “Um, I don’t really know what I want Jesus, but, um…where are you staying?” They might as well have asked him about the weather. Now, maybe they were nervous or a little self-conscious, or maybe they just weren’t used to the depth of Jesus’ questions, but Jesus responded to them very graciously and with an invitation. And here, I want you to see the heart of God. Come,” Jesus replied, “and you will see.” He basically says, “You want to see where I’m staying? No problem. Come and see. Come and be with me.” John says, “they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him.” Nothing more is said. No big sermons. No great miracles to report. Just spending time together, getting to know and trust one another, hanging out. This is the heart of God for you that you would dwell with him and be with him because he loves you and isn’t annoyed or embarrassed by you, even when you aren’t sure how to speak or act around him. But the final detail of this passage, that it was about four in the afternoon, seems to be a detail shared by someone who was there. So, most likely, John the author was one of the two disciples of John the Baptist who followed Jesus that day. Let’s continue with v. 40. What happened next?

John 1:40–42 (NIV), “40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).“ Let’s pause here. So here, we meet the other disciple who spent the afternoon with Jesus, a man named Andrew. And I love this. The first thing Andrew did after meeting Jesus was to go get his brother, Simon. This is significant for two reasons. First, it shows what Andrew thought about Jesus, even after spending just one day with him. Andrew was convinced; he was a believer, saying in effect, “Simon! Come and see! We found the Messiah!” Again, John provides a Greek translation for his Roman audience that the title of Messiah means the Christ, the Anointed One or Chosen One of God. The second reason this is significant is because Simon Peter would go on to become the leader of the Apostles of Jesus and one of the pillars of the early church. But Jesus looked at Simon, and he really saw him, so he gave Simon a new name. “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).“ Jesus spoke Aramaic, but the language most of John’s audience would’ve spoken was Greek. So Cephas is the Aramaic word for rock, while Peter is the Greek word. But before there’s a word between them, Jesus gives Simon a new name, which seems to represent a new identity; he would be the rock. I wonder what Peter would’ve been thinking. Did he feel very rock-like? Was he curious about this Jesus, or was he nervous? I’d guess he’d have lots of questions. Who is this man? What will he do? What does he mean that I’ll be the Rock? Is it time for us to fight the Romans and win our freedom? What will come of my fishing business? What will my wife think?? And maybe a million other questions. Of course, we’ll have much more time with Peter over the course of this year. But for now, this was the start of his relationship with Jesus. Let’s continue with v. 43. What happened next?

John 1:43–51 (NIV), “43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.” Ok! So, we’ve added a few more disciples to the group. Jesus was heading back from the southern region of Judea to the north to Galilee, where he grew up in the small town of Nazareth. In a few days, he would attend a wedding in Cana. But first, he wanted to find Philip and called him to follow. Is Jesus intentional about his relationships? Yes. Before he left, Jesus made sure to find Philip. He didn’t want to leave without him. Now, Philip, John says, was from Bethsaida just like Andrew and Peter. After Jesus called Philip, Philip went and found his friend, Nathanael, just as Andrew did with Peter. And Philip says something similar to Andrew. “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” In other words, we have found the one that God promised would come in the Hebrew bible. Now, initially, Nathanael is skeptical. “Nazareth?” Nathanael says, “Can anything good come from there?” Maybe Bethsaida and Nazareth had rival high school football teams or something, but Nathanael is unconvinced by Philip’s testimony. But then, Nathanael meets Jesus, and Jesus gives him a little demonstration of his divine insight. Once Nathanael sees that Jesus saw him and knew him even before they had met, he believes and makes this sweeping confession: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Our passage ends by Jesus basically saying, just you wait. Do you think that was impressive? You will see greater things than that. And then Jesus refers to Genesis 28 where Jacob, who also received a name change to Israel, had a vision where he saw heaven open and he saw God. But Jesus says that Nathanael will have a similar vision, except that someone called the Son of Man will take the place of Jacob/Israel. And I can’t imagine a more provocative and compelling promise of Jesus to his new disciples. If you follow me, you’ll be part of a new work of God, including a new covenant, a new people, and a new Israel. You’ll see heaven open, and you’ll see God in a new way here and now. And what an invitation! What an opportunity! Because if Jesus is who John the Baptist says he is, and if Jesus is who Andrew and Philip believe him to be, and if Jesus is who Nathanael confesses him to be, then God only knows what will happen next in their journey of following Jesus.

But what does this mean for us today? How do we apply this to our lives? I’d like to close with two thoughts for you. Next week, in the start of chapter 2 we’ll see the first seven signs that Jesus is the Messiah in the miracle of turning water into wine. But here, in chapter 1, in this extended introduction to the life and ministry of Jesus, the Apostle John wants us to know first: Everything that follows must be seen through the lens of discipleship. Ultimately, this is an invitation for us not just to meet Jesus or start to believe true things about him (although those are certainly good things), but to become his disciples, that he would be our Rabbi/Teacher and we would be his students. This is an opportunity/called for all people to learn from Jesus a new spiritual way of life in relationship with him. Even if we have questions or doubts, like Nathanael, we must bring those questions and doubts to Jesus. If he truly is who he claimed to be, he’ll hold up under the weight of our questions. But how do we do this? Or, if we’re already a Christian, how does a friend or loved one of ours become a disciple of Jesus? Well, the second thing that John describes in this passage is still the way that men and women become disciples of Jesus, what we might call the start of the journey. The journey of faith often starts when someone says, “Come and see.” I’ve met someone named Jesus. I’ve met someone I think might be the Savior and the Lord of all. I’ve heard one who seems to know things and do things that only God could know and do. Come and see. If you have questions, just come and see. If you have doubts, just come and see. Come and spend time with him and see what you think. This is the invitation. It might be a parent bringing their child to church. It might be inviting a friend to read the bible with you. It might be taking a risk and inviting a neighbor or coworker to come and see what this Jesus is all about. But this is the most common start to becoming a follower of Jesus. This might seem risky, but it’s worth the risk. Because when people see Jesus for who he truly is, they’ll realize that Jesus sees them as he saw Peter. And Jesus knows them as he knew Nathanael. And if they heed the call of Jesus and start to follow him, they’ll see that he gives them a new way/character/destiny. They’ll see heaven open and will see God do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. And they’ll see that Jesus brings such a disruptive change in the best way that they might as well have a new name, too. This is what finding life in Jesus’ name is all about. So today, are you ready to come and see? Will you accept the invitation to follow? Will you keep learning and following as a disciple of Jesus? Let us pray.

Jesus, the Lamb of God: Before we get to Jesus, we must be prepared to see him. This was what the ministry of John the Baptist was all about: to prepare the way for the Lord. John did this through a baptism of repentance and his testimony about Jesus, the Lamb of God. But John’s ministry is still needed. Why? It’s only when we behold Jesus and see him for who he truly is that we can find the life-to-the-full that God created for us to live. Recorded on Jul 9, 2023, on John 1:19-34 by Pastor David Parks.

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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

So, last week, we started the new annual theme of Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. As I said last week, normally, we’d have a selection of sermon series under our annual theme from the whole Bible. But this year, we’re doing something a little different. For almost the whole next year, we’ll go slowly, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, through the gospel according to John. And last week, we kicked off this series/theme by working through the prologue of John’s gospel. We met the Apostle John, an ambitious and hot-tempered young man, one of the Sons of Thunder. But John found a new life with Jesus, and eventually, he was changed so much that by the end of his long life, he was known as the Apostle of love. We said that reading through John is like walking through an art gallery. John has curated many different artistic images and portraits under one theme. And the theme is all about who Jesus is, what God has done and is doing through him, and the reality of the new life, eternal life, a life to the full that is possible when we believe. If you missed the introduction, you can always go back and watch it online or listen to the audio podcast if you’d like. But today, we’ll meet another man named John, not the Apostle, but the baptizer. And this John, John the Baptist, had the special God-given task to prepare the way for the coming of the Christ (Messiah). And John the Baptist’s ministry is fitting for us even to this day. Because before we get to Jesus, we must be prepared to see him. We must first understand that God had promised that Jesus would come. Second, we must have a realistic view of our own sin and struggle that we need help; we need a savior. Third, and finally, as John encourages us to do, we must behold Jesus. We must really look at him and listen to him. We must carefully consider his words and deeds and meditate on what all that says about who he truly is. But if we do this, if we prepare ourselves and if we walk through this gallery that John has prepared for us, we just might find the life-to-the-full that God created for us to live. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 1:19. Let’s jump in.

John 1:19-23 (NIV), “19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ”” Ok, let’s pause here. So again, the John in this passage isn’t the author, but the baptizer who had a very popular ministry early in the first century AD, but John was a wild man. He lived and ministered in the wilderness to the east of the Jordan River. According to Mark, “John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.” (Mk 1:6). John was “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” And the result was “The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” (Mk 1:4-5). [map slide] If we take a look at a map, we can see where the city of Jerusalem in the region of Judea and the Jordan River and the wilderness beyond the Jordan are located. But so many people were going out to hear John and be baptized by him that the religious leaders in Jerusalem sent out a delegation to investigate this influential man. They asked him if he was the Anointed One sent by God (in the Hebrew, this would be the Messiah, in the Greek, this would be the Christ). But John “did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, ‘I am not the Messiah.’” The Jews at the time had several other figures from their Scriptures they were expecting God to send including a prophet in the spirit of Elijah (from Malachi 4) and a prophet in the spirit of Moses (from Dt 18). And these aren’t bad questions. The priests and Levites were of the family lines that God had chosen to lead ancient Israel in worship. They were responsible for preaching and teaching God’s word at the Temple in Jerusalem, and they had found in the Scriptures promises of God that he would send these prophets to them. And in John’s ministry, they clearly saw the hand of God at work. So they were trying to figure out who he was and what his coming represented in what God was doing in their day. But John denied these questions. Finally, they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” Can you detect a little frustration here? I think that’s warranted. They seem a little more concerned about their task than about what God was actually doing. But John answers them, quoting Isaiah 40. And I’d like to read to you the longer quote. Listen to this. Isaiah 40:3–5 (NIV), “3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” John is saying that he is the voice in the wilderness, and it was his mission to prepare people for the coming of the Lord, which means that the glory of the Lord was about to be revealed! God was truly about to do something big. What God had promised through Isaiah 700 some years earlier was going to be fulfilled in their day. Can you imagine what people must’ve thought when they saw this wild man and heard what he had to say? Let’s continue with v. 24.

John 1:24–28 (NIV), “24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.” Let’s pause here once more. So, the Apostle John introduces one of the themes of opposition that runs throughout his gospel, that of authority. Now, the Pharisees were conservative religious leaders in their day. The Apostle Paul was trained as a pharisee (and was likely an apprentice under Rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem during this time). It isn’t clear if the Pharisees were a separate group from the priests and Levites or if they all came together. But either way, the Pharisees questioned John the Baptist as well. They say if John isn’t one of these promised figures (Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet), then who or what gives him the authority to be preaching and baptizing in this way? The implication is that he didn’t get the authorization from them. John’s answer probably made them nervous. John basically says, “You’re worried about me? I’m nobody. I only baptize with water. But among you stands one you do not know (not a priest or Levite or even a Pharisee). I’m not even worthy to be his servant to untie his sandals.” If you were there that day, you must have been thinking, who in the world was coming? It must be someone from God, or could it be God himself?!? John saw himself as preparing the way for the Lord and that the glory of the Lord would soon be revealed. And John claims that the one who was coming had authority over all the religious leadership of the people of Israel. John didn’t need the permission of anyone, even the religious elite, to do what he was doing. Who was this one whom John was talking about? Look at v. 29.

John 1:29–34 (NIV), “29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”” Matthew reports that, “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.” And God the Father spoke from heaven saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Mt 3:16-17). And when John saw and heard all this, he knew that this was the moment he’d been preparing for. This Jesus of Nazareth was the one that God had promised to send and was the fulfillment of his own purpose/mission. Jesus was God’s Chosen One, his one and only Son. Jesus was the Messiah and a prophet in the spirit of Moses and Elijah. He was the one who would reveal the glory of the Lord to his people and be Emmanuel, God-with-us. But after John was questioned by the religious leaders from Jerusalem, the next day when he saw Jesus, he said emphatically, “Look! Behold!” You see, a true encounter with Jesus isn’t a casual experience. If Jesus is who he claimed to be, if Jesus really was the fulfillment of hundreds of years of promises of God and the Chosen One of God, then we must listen to him. He is either everything or he is nothing. So, we must consider his claims and think about what he does. We can’t just glance at him; we must behold him. But John goes on to describe Jesus as the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” This speaks of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. In John’s gospel, this is called the hour of Jesus. And from chapter one of John’s gospel, the hour of Jesus is in view. Just as John knew his mission, so Jesus knew his and ultimately oriented his life toward the cross. Jesus wouldn’t merely die; he would intentionally lay down his life as the perfect sacrifice, made once and for all, for the sins of the world. The whole system of animal sacrifices of the OT only pointed to and were fulfilled by the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God. So it was by John’s baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and by his testimony about Jesus, the Lamb of God who would fully atone for the sins of the world, that John prepared the way for the coming of the Lord and the glory of the Lord God Almighty that would be revealed in the person and work of Jesus. Next week, we’ll see one of the results of John’s ministry is that some of his disciples start to follow Jesus. We’ll see the start of Jesus’ ministry of preaching, signs and wonders, and calling men and women to follow him as his disciples. At the start of Jesus’ ministry, John recognizes that his ministry was coming to an end, but John is ok with that. John says, “He must become greater; I must become less.” (Jn 3:30). At the height of his popularity, John gave everything over to Jesus. He saw his life and ministry not as a tool to give himself a greater platform or increase his brand but only to point to Jesus. What a man of humble faith! May that be said of our lives, as well.

But for today, all four gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all start with John because John the Baptist’s ministry marks the historic start of Jesus’ ministry. But a question we ask every week is this: so what? What does this mean for us today? How might we apply this teaching to our lives? Well, I’d like to apply John’s ministry of preparation to us today. Are we ready to see Jesus over this coming year? Are we ready to find and experience the real/eternal life that Jesus offers to us today? You see, before we get to Jesus, we must be prepared to see him. So first, we must understand: God promised that Jesus would come. In many ways and throughout many generations, God promised through the prophets, including Moses and Elijah and Isaiah, that he would send one who would finally deal with the problems of sin and death. The religious leaders knew they were supposed to be waiting for somebody. They thought John might be the one, but John was only the one sent to prepare the way. But did you know this? Did you know that the whole Hebrew Bible, the whole OT, points to the coming of Jesus? This wasn’t an accident; this was the plan of God from before the creation of the world. God promised that Jesus would come. If you aren’t very familiar with the OT scriptures (as many people aren’t today), then you’ll need some help catching up because the coming of Christ is really the middle of the story. To properly behold Jesus, we must see that Jesus is the fulfillment of everything God has been doing in history up to this point. The gospel is his story, not ours. Second, we must have a realistic view of our own sin and struggle, that we need help. We need to understand: We need a Savior. We need Jesus. We cannot do this life on our own. If you don’t believe that, just try life on your own for a while and see how it goes. We weren’t made to be independent. We were made to be totally dependent on God. We were made to have a relationship with God as our Father as his child. There’s a reason John’s baptism was one of repentance. Repentance means a change in your heart/mind which results in a change in your life. Repentance means to turn, and not just to turn from your way but to turn back to God’s way. And we need repentance because we need a Savior. Third, and finally, as John encourages us to do: We must behold Jesus. We must really look at him and listen to him. We must carefully and thoughtfully consider his words and deeds and meditate on what all that says about who he truly is. And the reason is that if Jesus is who he claimed to be and accomplished all that he claimed he would do, then it changes everything. But if we do this, if we prepare ourselves, if we understand that God promised that Jesus would come and that we do need a Savior, and if we walk through this gallery that John has prepared for us, we just might find the life-to-the-full that God has created and is creating for us to live. Jesus just might change everything once again, today. He just might change us. So today, are you prepared? Are you ready to behold Jesus, the Lamb of God? The one who saves and takes away the sin of the world? The one who rescues and redeems and offers his own life to us? Let us pray.

Jesus, the Word of God: Many people sense there must be something more to life, but what could it be? There once was an ambitious, hot-tempered young man named John whose life was dramatically changed by his friend, Jesus. John came to believe the new life he found — a real life, an eternal life, a life to the full — is available for all who believe. And this is what John’s gospel is all about. Real life is found by faith in Jesus’ name. Recorded on Jul 2, 2023, on John 1:1-18 by Pastor David Parks.

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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

So today, we have the privilege of starting a new annual theme for our preaching ministry, that is: Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. Now normally, we’d have a selection of sermon series under this one annual theme from the Old and New Testaments in the Bible, but this year, we’re going to do something a little different. For almost the whole next year, we’re going to slowly (chapter by chapter and verse by verse) work through the gospel according to John. This morning, I have the task of introducing this whole series, but we’ll also jump into the beginning, or the prologue as it’s usually called, which John uses as an introduction to his gospel. So, as we kick off this new theme, you might be wondering what John is all about and why we should care about what he has to say today. And those are good questions, but I’d like to start with a few questions for you. How do you feel about your life? Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, that something was still missing? I know I’ve had those questions over the years. Not that good things haven’t happened; certainly, many good things have happened in my life. But still, many people sense there must be something more to life, but what could it be? Well, a long time ago now, there was a man named John who was one of the closest friends of Jesus. John was an ambitious and hot-tempered young man when he started following Jesus. So much so that Jesus called John and his brother James the “Sons of Thunder.” At one point, John wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy a city that wasn’t very receptive to their message. He was ready to fight for the kingdom of God. But by the end of his long life, John became known as the Apostle of love. It really seems as if everything about his life had changed. He saw himself no longer with the hungry ambition to sit at Jesus’ right or left hand in glory but simply as the disciple that Jesus loved. And he came to believe that God was not only loving as part of his character but that God himself is love. And he came to believe and teach that the main marker of a Christian, the most important thing that distinguishes the life of a disciple of Jesus, is their love for one another. If you grew up with John and met him later in life, you’d wonder, “How did this happen?” Well, how did John experience this kind of radical change in his life? It was Jesus. Jesus turned John’s life upside-down. Jesus set him on a different path and walked with him until John understood and believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have a new life, an eternal life, and have it to the full. Of course, this is what Jesus does. So why should we care about what he has to say today? Because John claims that the new life that he found — a life marked by God’s power/presence/purpose — is available for all who believe, even for us today. And this is what John’s gospel is all about: it’s about who Jesus is, what God has done and is doing through him, and the reality of the new/eternal/full life that is possible when we believe. Whether you’ve been a Christian your whole life or you’re just starting to think about becoming a Christian, this series will help you better see the kind of life that is found in Jesus’ name. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 1:1. We’ll put the Scripture up on the screens for you as well, but we’ll read through the prologue first, unpacking it as we go, and then I’ll close with just one takeaway for you. Let’s jump in.

John 1:1-3 (NIV), “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Let’s pause here. So John very intentionally starts his gospel with the words “In the beginning…” For the Jewish members of his audience, and for us today who are familiar with the OT, this should immediately bring to mind how Moses starts the book of Genesis: “In the beginning…God created the heavens and the earth.” So, by using the same phrase to start his gospel account, John is basically saying with the coming of Jesus, we have a new Genesis, a new beginning, God is doing something new. So, echoing Genesis, John says that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, but then he says the Word was God. And it’s not just that God spoke in Genesis when God said, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” But that the word that God spoke was somehow with God while simultaneously being God himself. This is unusual, right? What does John mean by this? The next clue is that John says this Word was a he. “He was with God in the beginning.” And it was through him that all things were made. So, who is this Word? Who is he? We’ll find more clues as we continue in the prologue. Look back at v. 4.

John 1:4-9 (NIV), “4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 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 testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” Ok! Let’s pause again. So John is writing as an old man in the latter half of the first century. And he’s most likely writing from the city of Ephesus in modern Turkey. According to church history, John was the bishop of Ephesus at the end of his life. But we can see here one of the unique aspects of how John writes. He started out with this theme of the Word of God and then seemed to mix his metaphors by introducing the theme of light and darkness. But just wait! As we’ll see as we work through his gospel, John stacks up one picture on top of another. Why does he do this? We just finished a series on the life of the Apostle Paul, and Paul writes in a very different style compared to John. Especially in his letter to the Romans, Paul writes almost like a lawyer building a case, laying out clear arguments which build on each other, almost in a bullet-point style. Paul uses hardly any illustrations when he writes; he gets right to the point. John, on the other hand, has a very different style. The same Holy Spirit inspired both men, but the Spirit always uses the personalities of the human authors. And John seems much more artistic to me than Paul. I think of John’s gospel as an art museum. I went to a lot of museums when I was a kid, and usually, an art museum assembles collections/exhibits under one unifying theme. It could be a collection of works from a particular artist or maybe a variety of artists from a particular culture or artistic movement. But as you walk through the collection, you see that there are many different pictures, some large, taking up your whole field of view, while others are small, requiring you to come close and carefully examine them, or you’ll miss something important. Some works might have bright colors and bold lines, while others might be softer and are more impressionistic. Yet all these different works give you a little different perspective on the theme of the whole collection. And this is how John writes. For John, the whole gallery is about Jesus. But John gives us many different portraits/images to help us see this one Jesus from different angles and different perspectives. So Jesus is the word of God; he’s the light of the world. Jesus is so many things. Throughout his gospel, John gives us many different metaphors, he gives us seven signs of his glory, he gives us seven “I AM” statements, he gives us several long sections of Jesus’ teaching, and more — all to help us understand who this man is and what kind of life he offers. One minor note before we continue is that the man named John who he refers to here is not the author, the Apostle John, but John the Baptist, a prophet who was sent by God to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. We’ll hear more from him next week as we consider what it means for Jesus to be the Lamb of God. Let’s continue with v. 10.

John 1:10-13 (NIV), “10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” So here, John introduces one of the major implications of the person and work of Jesus for us. Just as there is a new Genesis/beginning in Jesus, the Word of God, there is also a new covenant, a new relationship with God that is now possible through Jesus. He came to his own, John says, meaning the Jewish people, the biological family of Abraham, and yet, he was crucified because, by and large, his own people did not receive him. Significant portions of John are spent discussing this fact as people wrestled with who Jesus really was and what he was claiming to do. However, for all who did receive him, and this is significant — for all who believed in his name (this is faith) — Jesus gave them the right to become children of God, men and women who become sons and daughters of God. As we saw in Paul’s ministry, this went beyond the people of Israel to include the Gentiles or non-Jewish peoples all around the world. We see this in Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 and elsewhere. God the Father is forming a family, not by biology or a certain ancestry, but by faith in Jesus. A major part of finding life in Jesus’ name is realizing what life is like when God is your Father in heaven and you are his child. We’ll see this throughout John’s gospel, but Jesus will make this point in his conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 and later in his high priestly prayer in John 17. But let’s finish the prologue starting with v. 14.

John 1:14-18 (NIV), “14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” So verse 14 is one of the most important Christological statements (or statements about Christ) in the Bible. Remember, John started his gospel saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Now here, he says, “The Word [this Word who was God] became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” In other words, the God who is the creator, the maker of the heavens and the earth, became a man, a living, breathing human being, who John knew; he was an eyewitness to all of this. Now, it’s hard to catch in the English, but in the Greek, John literally says that the Word became flesh and tabernacled with us. This is the verb form of the same word for the tabernacle or tent of meeting that God established as part of his covenant with Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai. The Tabernacle was the place where God’s power and presence dwelled among his people. This was the place where Moses would meet and speak with God, where offerings were made in worship of God and to atone for the sin of the people. Throughout the Bible, God shares his heart that he wants to be with us; he wants to be our God and for us to be his people. But because of sin, we are separated from God. Even with the tabernacle in the OT, the presence of God among a sinful people seemed to be more of a threat than a comfort at many points in their history. But one of the great themes of John’s gospel is that Jesus is the true Tabernacle/temple. He is the place where God dwells with his people. He is the place where God’s truth is not only spoken but is fully embodied. This means if you look at Jesus, you see God, and if you listen to Jesus, you hear God. And only in Jesus can we ultimately know God the Father. Even though no sinful human being has ever seen the fullness of God, for they could not see God and live, John says that Jesus, the one and only Son (who, John wants to be clear, is also God), has made the Father known to us. Again, we’ll see this throughout John’s gospel, but especially in John 14 when Jesus says that, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” So, with all this here in the prologue, John introduces many of the themes of his gospel. And I didn’t want to spend too much time today on any one theme because we will spend much more time in the weeks and months ahead on these things. Today, it’s like we’re standing in the foyer of the gallery and looking at the map of the exhibit that John has curated for us. My takeaway for you today is this: Real life is found by faith in Jesus’ name. Now, understand I haven’t proven that to you. It will take the whole series to show how this is true. But according to John, real life, that is, the life of God the Father, the life of a child of God, the life of heaven, real/eternal/full life, is found by faith in Jesus’ name. That is, this life is found by believing and trusting in the person and work of Jesus, the Son of God, the Word of God, the Messiah, the King, the I AM, and so much more. John found this life, and it changed everything about him. It changed a son of thunder into the Apostle of love. It changed his past, present, and future because Jesus changes everything. But for many of us today, and for many of our friends and family members and other people in this broken world, life seems so unsatisfying, so difficult. It feels like something’s missing. I think I notice it most when things seem to be going relatively well, but there’s still this sense that there must be something more. What we need is we need the Word of God to speak; we need him to come into our lives in flesh and blood and to make his dwelling among us. We need the light of the world. In short, we need Jesus. And whether it is our need to come to faith in Jesus for the first time, or it’s our need to grow in our understanding of who Jesus is, what God has done and is doing through him, or to grow in our understanding of what faith in his name means, this is what this gospel is all about. Real life is found by faith in Jesus’ name. So would you join me as we walk through this gallery, and take in all the different images/portraits that John has collected, and ask this question: Do you believe? Let us pray.