COMMENT: Jesus is the Word. He has always been. He is God.

Psalms 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and the entire host of them by the breath of His mouth.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Colossians 1:17 He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.

1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard and looked upon with our eyes, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life,

John 17:5 "Now, O Father, glorify Me together with You, with the glory I had with You before the world was."

Philippians 2:5-8 Have the same attitude in yourselves as was in Christ Jesus, [6] who has always existed as God, but set this aside, [7] emptying Himself, taking human form as a servant. [8] As a human He humbled Himself, being obedient resulting in death on the cross.

Revelation 19:13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called, "The Word of God."

2 He was in the beginning with God.

COMMENT: Jesus has always been God along with His Father and the Holy Spirit. Without question, John believes that Jesus came from heaven and has always been God. When the word 'Beginning' is used, it refers to a time to far back to be able to comprehend. It is a time outside of human comprehension.

Hebrews 1:10 And, "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands."

3 He made everything. Apart from Him nothing came into being.

COMMENT: This means that He made the sun, the moon, the stars and this earth with everything in it. It also means that He made heaven and everything in it, including Lucifer.

Colossians 1:16 By Him all things were created, in the heavens above and the earth beneath, both the visible and the invisible. All things, whether thrones or dominions, rulers or authorities. All of it has been created by Him and for Him.

Hebrews 1:2-3 and in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir to all things and through Whom He made the worlds. [3] He is the radiance of His Father's glory, an exact representation of His person, upholding all things by the word of His power. After making purification for our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Job 1:6 There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD. Satan also came among them.

Job 2:1 Once again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD. Satan also came among them to present himself.

4 In Him was life and the life was the Light of men.

COMMENT: Only the life giver could pay the price for us that our sin required of us. Darkness soaks up all light so that the light has no affect on the darkness. In Jesus was life that was not borrowed. This is not referring to physical life, but immortality, the exclusive property of God. Jesus said,

John 10:18 "No one forces Me to do this. I do it on My own initiative. I have the authority to lay it down and to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father."

5 The Light shines in the darkness but the darkness did not comprehended it.

COMMENT: With God there is light. On the first day of creation, before the sun shown on the fourth day, the light that constantly attends God caused the evening and the morning as God set the earth to spinning at just the right speed to give us the first evening and the morning.

John 3:19 "A person is condemned after he sees the Light of the world, and because of the evil within him, chooses darkness rather than the Light."

6 God sent a man named John. 7 He was a witness testifying about the Light so that everyone might recognize Him and believe.

COMMENT: Before God does anything of great moment, He always sends a messenger. John was that messenger, sent to herald the arrival of the Messiah. His birth had gone unnoticed by any but angels and a very few people. Obscurity as Jesus grew into manhood was part of God's plan. John's message was to remove that obscurity for those who were looking for the Messiah.

8 John was not the Light. His part was to testify of that Light.

COMMENT: Though John was not the Messiah, he caused no small stir. Jesus referred to John as the Elijah who was to come before the Messiah. When asked if he was Elijah, John's modesty seems to have prevented him from making that claim. He did refer to the passage in Isaiah which identified his mission as smoothing the way for the Messiah.

Isaiah 40:3-5 "A voice calls out, 'Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness. Make a straight path in the desert for our God.'." [4] "Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low. Let the rough ground be made level, and the rugged places a plain." [5] "Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh will see it, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

9 This would be the true Light which was coming into the world to enlighten everyone. 10 Though He was in the world which He had made, the world did not recognize Him. 11 He came to His own and they did not receive Him.

COMMENT: The Jews had all the information needed in order to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. What held them back? They would not accept any answers that threatened their preconceived notions, especially if it threatened their position and status. They could have had it all and they tenaciously hung on to the crust of something much bigger.

12 To those who did receive Him and believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.

COMMENT: It may have seemed audacious, eternal life just for believing in His name. What did believing in His name amount to? Believing that He was the Son of God and the Messiah. It would also mean being willing to die for this belief. But it meant that believing in Jesus as God's Son meant that a life of sin was not all they had to look forward to. To become a child of God meant they could share in what Jesus had, with all the rights and privileges.

13 This caused them to be born of God instead of the will of the flesh.

COMMENT: You and I were born because out parents wanted children. Having children was the privilege God bequeathed to Adam and eve. None of us asked to be born, but most of us are thankful to be alive. However, we find ourselves to have been taken hostage and life is not what it should be until Jesus frees us from sin.

14 The Word was made flesh and lived among us. We saw the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

COMMENT: Jesus said that the earth is God's footstool. So in order to be able to save us from eternal loss, God devised a plan that included Jesus taking on human form, living life as we face it day by day. The only begotten of the Father was subjected to the fiercest temptations Satan could devise. The entire plan of salvation was full of grace and truth. Grace was not something new, exclusive to the New Testament. God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit has always been full of grace and truth. Jesus was the embodiment of this. The Old Testament along with the New Testament tells of God's grace, His unmerrited favor. For we do not deserve His grace.

Exodus 33:19 And the LORD said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, proclaiming My name. I will be gracious to whomever I will be gracious, and show mercy on whomever I choose."

Psalms 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield, and He gives grace and glory, withholding nothing from those who walk uprightly.

Proverbs 3:34 "He mocks those who mock others, and gives grace to the humble."

Jonah 2:8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace which could otherwise be theirs."

John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. The only way to the Father is through Me."

Romans 5:21 So that as sin reigned in death, grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

15 John bore witness of Him when he cried out, saying, "This is the One I spoke of when I said there is One coming after me Who existed before me."

COMMENT: This was John the Baptist.

16 His fullness has supplied us with complete grace.

COMMENT: When Jesus officially began His ministry He was prepared to supply us with complete grace, grace that was sufficient to save to the uttermost. He was prepared to supply grace upon grace, one blessing after another.

Psalms 45:2 You are fairer than the sons of men. Grace is on your lips and God has blessed You forever.

17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

COMMENT: The law pointed out a person's lack. Grace is God's solution for the breaking of the law, and truth is all about who God is and what He expects us to become through His grace.

18 No one has ever seen God, except His only begotten who is in His close embrace. He has explained His Father.

COMMENT: The close relationship between the Father and the Son is expressed here. Lucifer wished to share in this embrace.

19 This is the testimony that John gave when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 He readily confessed that he was not the Christ. 21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Elijah?" John said, "I am not." They asked, "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."

COMMENT: The Prophet they were referring to was based on a text in Deuteronomy that pointed to the Messiah, the Christ who was to come.

Deuteronomy 18:15 "The LORD will raise up a Prophet from among you who is like me. Listen to Him."

22 "So, who are you," they asked."We need to take an answer back to those who sent us."

COMMENT: Evidently John the Baptist was not comfortable claiming to be Elijah. Jesus did, however, say this of John.

Matthew 11:14 "And you should realize that John is the Elijah to come."

23 John quoted Isaiah, saying, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the LORD.'"

COMMENT:

Isaiah 40:3 "A voice calls out, 'Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness. Make a straight path in the desert for our God.'."

24 It was the Pharisees who had sent them. 25 Next they asked him, "If you not the Christ, or Elijah, or the Prophet, why are you baptizing?"

COMMENT: In other words, they are asking, "By what authority."

26 John answered, "I baptize with water, but among you stands One whom you do not know."

COMMENT: When we are baptized we must also be baptized by Jesus with the fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It can be our privilege to know Jesus Christ. He must become our Messiah. He is able to save us to the uttermost.

27 "He comes after me, but I am not worthy to untie His sandals."

COMMENT: We, too, must have an awe of Jesus. While we are to be confident in His friendship, familiarity is not to cause us to put too low an estimate on Who Jesus is.

28 This conversation took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan where John was baptizing.

29 The next day John saw Jesus and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world."

COMMENT: A lamb was used to remind the people that their individual sin cost the price of the blood of the lamb. But Jesus is here identified by John as prepared to take on the sin of the whole world.

30 "This is the One I spoke of when I said, 'After me comes a Man of much higher position than me. He existed before me.'"

COMMENT: Jesus has always existed from eternity past.

Philippians 2:5-6 Have the same attitude in yourselves as was in Christ Jesus, [6] who has always existed as God, but set this aside,

31 "Though I did not know Him, I came to point Him out to Israel. I do this by baptizing with water."

COMMENT: Even though John must have known of the angels announcing Jesus birth as the saviour of the world, it seems that though he was a relative of Jesus, had not understand that Jesus was the Messiah until the Holy Spirit revealed it to him.

Luke 2:11 "Today the Savior, who is Christ the LORD, has been born in Bethlehem, the city of David."

32 John testified, "I have seen the Spirit descend as a dove out of heaven and remain upon Him." 33 "Though I did not recognize Him, the One who sent me to baptize with water said to me, the One on whom you see the Spirit descend is the One who baptizes with fire."

COMMENT: There was nothing about Jesus make Him stand out. God had to point Him out to John the Baptist.

34 "I have seen and bare witness that this One is the Son of God."

COMMENT: They did not believe John's witness concerning who Jesus was.

Matthew 21:25-26 "What was the source of John's baptism? Was it from heaven, or from men?" They reasoned that if they answered from heaven, He would ask, "Why did you not believed his message?" [26] But if they said from men, they would have the people to deal with, for the people believed John to be a prophet.

35 The next day John was standing with two of his disciples. 36 He looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" 37 His two disciples heard what he said and they followed Jesus.

COMMENT: These two disciple understood the term 'Lamb of God' to be the expected Messiah who would be God's sacrifice for those who would believe. They may have mistook Him as the conquering King, but they also made a connection with the lambs sacrificed in the temple, and they followed Jesus.

38 As they followed Jesus, He turned to them and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Teacher, where are You staying?" 39 He said, "Come and see." So they came and saw where He was staying. It was about the tenth hour (4 o'clock in the afternoon), so they stayed with Him there.

COMMENT: Jesus always invited us to 'Come and see!'

40 One of the two was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He went to find Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah," which translates to mean Christ. 42 Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are called Simon, son of John. You shall be called Cephas." That translates to Peter.

COMMENT: This was intentional on the part of Andrew. You and I are to intentionally to bring people to Jesus.
Jesus called Simon son of John Peter. He could read Peter's future and yet, He loved Him, not for what he was but for what he would become when he was converted. How many of us consider ourselves to be Christian, and yet we need to be converted?

43 The following day Jesus proposed to go to Galilee. There he found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."

COMMENT: Jesus knew who He wanted to be His close disciples. He to went where they were.

44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter.

COMMENT: The early disciples were acquainted with one another.

45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

COMMENT: In some cases Jesus called them and in others He used them to call others.

46 Nathanael replied, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip said, "Come see."

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming and said of him, "Here is an Israelite without guile."

COMMENT: I want Jesus to say of me, "Here is one in whom there is no guile." Don't you?

48 Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."

COMMENT: I believe Jesus watches you and me and He knows what we are up to.

49 Nathanael then said to Him, "You are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel."

COMMENT: What makes you believe Jesus is who He claims to be?

50 Jesus answered him, saying, "Because I said I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see even greater things than this." 51 Then Jesus added, "The truth is, you will see the heavens opened and the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

COMMENT: As you believe in Jesus, He gives you more reasons to believe in Him.

Genesis 28:12 Jacob had a dream in which he saw a ladder reaching up to heaven. Angels of God were going up and down this ladder.

John 2 - RWB Paraphrase (25 V)
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1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2 and He and his disciples had been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, Jesus' mother told him about it. 4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you telling Me about this? My hour has not yet come."

COMMENT: Mary seems to have had some expectations of Jesus. Why would she think He could or should do something about the lack of wine? It might seem that she was merely making a comment. But Jesus' response suggests that she was asking Him to intervene. When He addressed her as woman, it was not in anyway disrespectful. Jesus' life was mapped out for Him by the Father. This miracle was not on the map. It wasn't yet time for it. But in deference to His mother He did this.

John 7:6 Jesus said to them, "Its is not the right time for Me, but, it's always the right time for you."

5 His mother told the servants, "Do whatever He tells you to do."

COMMENT: Evidently she thought He might do something.

6 There were six stone water pots nearby used for the Jewish custom of purification. Each one could hold close to fifteen gallons.

COMMENT: This custom of purification was the ceremonial washing of hands before and after meals. The stone jars were preferable to ordinary earthenware and suggest the family was wealthy.

7 Jesus said to them, "Fill these water pots with water." So they filled the water pots. 8 Then He said, "Draw some out and take it to the one in charge of the feast." and they did this. 9 When the man in charge of the feast tasted the water that had become wine, and not knowing where it had come from, he called the bridegroom, 10 and said to him, "People always serve the best wine first and after people have had plenty to drink, then they serve the poorer wine. You have kept the good wine until now."

COMMENT: Whatever Jesus does, it is the best.

11 This was the first of the signs Jesus did to show His glory in Galilee, and His disciples believed in Him.

12 After this Jesus went to Capernaum for a few days with His mother and His disciples. 13 The Passover of the Jews was near so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 When He went into the temple He found people selling oxen, sheep and doves. And there were money changers sitting at their tables. 15 He made a scourge of cords and with it drove the marketers, their animals and the money changers out of the temple. He turned over the tables of the money changers scattering their coins. 16 Speaking to those who sold the doves He said, "Take these things out of here. My Father's house is not a place to buy and sell merchandise."

COMMENT: Shouldn't we be careful what we do in God's house that may distract people's minds from worship? The only thing for sale in God's house should be what is found in Isaiah.

Isaiah 55:1-3 "Come, everyone who is thirsty. Come to the waters, you who have no money. Come, buy and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without cost." [2] "Why spend money for what is not bread, and what you earn for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me. Eat what is good, and be delighted with an abundance." [3] "Listen to Me, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the everlasting covenant I made with David."

Matthew 13:46 "When he finds the one pearl of surpassing value, he sells everything he has in order to obtain that one pearl."

17 His disciples remembered that it is written, "Zeal for Your house will consume Me."

COMMENT:

Psalms 69:9 Zeal for Your house has consumed me and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

18 The Jews said to Him, "What sign do You show us to establish Your authority for doing what You just did?" 19 He answered, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."

COMMENT: The only sign He was offering was that after they killed Him He would rise again.

20 The Jews said to Him, "It took forty six years to build this temple. Will you raise it up in three days?" 21 But Jesus was speaking of the temple of His body.

COMMENT: Perhaps when He said 'This temple,' He pointed to Himself. When we are in God's house we should give ever aware that the most important temple for God to dwell in is our hearts.

22 When Jesus was raised from the dead, His disciples would recall what He had said on this occasion and believe the scripture, as well as Jesus words.

23 During this Passover, many of the people believed in Jesus, having observed the signs He did. 24 But Jesus did not trust Himself to them, for He knew all men. 25 He did not need anyone to tell Him about mankind for He knew what was in man.

John 3 - RWB Paraphrase (36 V)
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1 Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews.

COMMENT: Nicodemus is a Greek name. He was a Pharisee and had to be a Jew of very good standing. So he may have had parents who had lived in Greece where he was born. Perhaps he was more willing to think outside the box, so to speak. Somehow he had the ability to consider that Jesus spoke the truth.

2 He came to see Jesus at night, saying, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher. No one can do the signs you do unless God is with Him."

COMMENT: But Nicodemus did not yet see Jesus as God. And he was fearful lest someone see him with Jesus having this private conversation. This shows that signs are a help but by themselves are not enough. Unless the Spirit of God can get through to us, our sorting through the logic of the evidence will not satisfy our longing for what God offers to us.

3 Jesus replied by saying, "The truth is, no one can see God's kingdom unless he is born again."

COMMENT: Nicodemus thought of himself as already born into God's kingdom because Abraham was his forefather.

4 Nicodemus responded by asking, "How can a man be born after he becomes old? Can he go into his mother's womb and be born a second time?"

COMMENT: Nicodemus may have been honest as he pondered what to him seemed ridiculous. After all, he was Jewish. He was already in a saved condition. But Jesus was not put off.

5 Jesus said, "The truth is, unless a person is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter God's kingdom."

COMMENT: Jesus refers to baptism, even for believers. John said that he baptized with water but One would come who would baptize with fire (which is a symbol of the Spirit of God).

Revelation 4:5 Lightening, thunder and voices came from the throne. Seven lamps of fire which were the seven Spirits of God burned before the throne.

Luke 3:16 John answered, "I baptized with water but One mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to untie His shoes. He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire."

Ezekiel 36:25-27 "I will sprinkle you with clean water, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and your idols." [26] "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will replace your heart of stone with a heart of flesh." [27] "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances."

6 "What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit."

COMMENT: Until we are born of God we remain in a lost human condition.

7 "Do not be amazed when I tell you that you must be born again." 8 "The wind blows and you hear its sound. You do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with those born of the Spirit."

COMMENT: The change the Holy Spirit brings about in us can at times seem imperceptible. Like our gardens, it can grow slowly.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 "Just as you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, who makes all things."

9 Nicodemus said, "How can this be?"

COMMENT: Maybe Nicodemus is really asking, "How can I not already be in a save condition?"

10 Jesus replied, "You are a teacher of Israel. How is it that you do not understand this?"

COMMENT: Obviously Jesus is saying that the scriptures explain this.

11 "The truth is, we speak of what we know and tell about what we have seen. But you do not accept our testimony."

COMMENT: This truth is in the scripture.

12 "If I tell you earthly things, and you do not believe, how will you believe what I tell you about heaven?"

COMMENT: Heavenly things are available to us.

13 "No one has been to heaven except He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man."

COMMENT:

Proverbs 30:4 "Who has ascended into heaven and come back? Who has gathered the wind in His fists, or wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son's name? Surely you know!"

14 "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up."

COMMENT: The bronze serpent that Moses lifted up on the pole for the people to look at and live represented Christ who was to be made sin for us. Satan spoke to Eve through a serpent. Always after this the serpent was despised. Jesus became that which was despised for our sake that we might live.

Numbers 21:8 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole. Anyone who has been bitten and looks at this fiery serpent, shall live."

15 "This is done so that those who believe in Him may have eternal life." 16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

COMMENT: Jesus was begotten of a women. God did this miracle in order that Jesus might live among us and be able to say that He has walked where we walk. He overcame as we must also overcome by His power. He relied in His heavenly Father and so must we.

17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

COMMENT: God has always wanted to save mankind. Judgment comes when we steadfastly refuse His offer of salvation. While it does require our faith and obedience, salvation is easier than rebellion.

18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned. He who does not believe is judged unworthy because he did not believe in the only begotten Son of God."

COMMENT: To believe in Jesus means more than believing He came to save us. To believe in Him is to believe what He believed.

19 "A person is condemned after he sees the Light of the world, and because of the evil within him, chooses darkness rather than the Light."

COMMENT: To continue to choose darkness after seeing the light is damning. We cannot say we are choosing Christ and then prefer the darkness of our former life.

20 "Those who do evil hate the Light, fearing to come to it because it exposes their evil deeds." 21 "The one practicing the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be shown to have come from God."

COMMENT: As we come to Jesus, God gets the credit for what we do right.

22 After this Jesus and His disciples went to Judea where He was spending time with them and baptizing. 23 John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim because there was lots of water there. People were coming to be baptized, 24 because John had not yet been put in prison.

25 John's disciples had a discussion with some of the Jews about purification. 26 Coming to John they said, "Rabbi, the One you testified to beyond the Jordon, is baptizing and everyone is coming to Him." 27 John answered saying, "A man cannot have what Jesus has unless it comes from heaven." 28 "You remember that I said, 'I am not the Christ. I have been sent ahead of Him.'" 29 "It is the bridegroom who has the bride. His friend bears witness of this and rejoices at the sound of the bridegroom's voice. For this reason my joy for Him is complete."

COMMENT: When the best man would hear the bridegroom's voice he was hearing the confirmation of the Union of the bride and the groom. And Christ wants to confirm His Union with each of us.

30 "He must increase, and I must decrease."

COMMENT: O that we could always accept what God determines as best for us that we may best glorify Him. How else can the devil's claims against God be refuted.

31 "He who is from the earth speaks earthly things, while He who comes from heaven is above all." 32 "He tells of what He has seen and heard, but no one receives His testimony." 33 He who believes His testimony testifies that God is true.

COMMENT: Remember that God is full of grace and truth. And God is true to His word.

John 1:14 The Word was made flesh and lived among us. We saw the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

34 "For He Whom God has sent speaks the Words of God, for He gives Him the Spirit without measure." 35 "The Father loves the Son and has given everything into His hand." 36 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life. And he who does not believe in the Son shall not have eternal life because God's wrath rests on him."

COMMENT:

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

John 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned. He who does not believe is judged unworthy because he did not believe in the only begotten Son of God."

John 20:31 These things have been recorded so that you may believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have eternal life through His name.

John 4 - RWB Paraphrase (54 V)
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1 Now when the LORD knew that the Pharisees had heard that He was making and baptizing more disciples than John, 2 although it was His disciples doing the baptizing, and not He Himself, 3 he left Judea and went to Galilee.

COMMENT: Jesus did not needlessly stir up trouble.

4 On His way Jesus passed through Samaria.

COMMENT: He could have gone around but He had work to do there.

5 He came to the city of Sychar in Samaria which is near the parcel of ground Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Being weary, Jesus sat down to rest by Jacob's well which was outside the city. It was about the sixth hour, or twelve noon.

COMMENT: Jesus was so human. He became weary like we all do. Maybe he had spent much of the night or the early morning in prayer.

7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water and Jesus asked her for a drink.

COMMENT: This woman came at a time when other women were not coming. Maybe she just ran our of water at that time of day and came for more. Or, more likely, she didn't want to be there when the other women came and be exposed to their ridicule.

8 Jesus was alone, for His disciples had gone into the city to buy food.

COMMENT: We need to remember that people will often respond to our need sooner then they will admit to having a need we might supply.

9 The Samaritan woman asked Him, "How is it that You, a Jew, ask a drink from a Samaritan woman?" For the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered, "If you knew of the gift of God and who is asking you for water, you would ask Him and He would give you living water."

COMMENT: Jesus made a very direct offer. In some cases there is no need to beat around the bush.

11 She said, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where do You get this living water?"

COMMENT: Though it is not addressed in this account, everyone must have brought a rope to let their water pot down into the well. How many ropes do we lug around as we attempt to meet our own needs? And Jesus promises to meet all our needs.

12 "Are You greater than our father Jacob, who drank from this well, as did his family and his cattle."

COMMENT: This well was highly valued, not just for water but also because of whose it was to begin with. And her words were an attempt to show that the Jews were not the only ones with a noteworthy heritage.

13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks from this well will be thirsty again."

COMMENT: Jesus here makes a statement that had been true for everyone who ever had ever drunk the water from this well. It was no doubt good water, but a person always got thirsty again.

14 "But whoever drinks the water I have to give shall never thirst again, because the water I give becomes a spring of eternal life in him."

COMMENT: Jesus is talking about spiritual completeness and full joy. The woman senses that He is talking about something she cannot understand, but her interest is peaks and she wants this water.

Isaiah 55:1 "Come, everyone who is thirsty. Come to the waters, you who have no money. Come, buy and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without cost."

15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water so that I will not have to come all the way to this well to draw water."

COMMENT: The fact that He is offering her water after He has asked for a drink does not get in the way. She believes. The Holy Spirit is working in her. She is not throwing up any defence.

16 Jesus then said, "Go call your husband." 17 The woman said, "I don't have a husband." Jesus said, "You are telling the truth," 18 "in fact, you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. You have spoken the truth." 19 The woman replied, "Sir I can see that You are a prophet." 20 "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain. Your people say that Jerusalem is the place where men are to worship."

COMMENT:

1 Kings 12:28 So Jeroboam made two golden calves and said to the people, "It is too far for you to go to Jerusalem. Behold. Here are your gods who brought you up out of Egypt."

21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when people will not worship the Father in one special place." 22 "You worship without understanding who you worship. We know who we worship because salvation comes from the Jews."

COMMENT:

Isaiah 2:3 Many people will say, "Let us go up to the mountain of the LORD and to the house of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways, and that we may walk in them." For the law will proceed out of Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

23 "But the hour is coming, and even now is, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. The Father is looking for such people to be His worshipers." 24 "God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." 25 The woman said to Him, "I know that the Messiah, the One called Christ, will declare all things to us when He comes."

COMMENT: The Samaritans shared enough spiritual heritage with the Jews to be looking for Christ the Messiah.

26 Jesus said to her, "I am the that One."

COMMENT: And the woman believed Him when He said this. The Holy Spirit had gotten through to her.

27 At this moment His disciples returned and were amazed to find Him speaking with a woman. But no one asked Him why He was doing this?

COMMENT: No proper Jew would speak privately with a woman without someone else present. Jesus did not stand on ceremony.

28 The woman left her water pot where she had set it and went into the city and spoke to the men there.

COMMENT: If she had carried the water pot back to her house it would have slowed her down. She seems to have forgotten her reason for coming to the well. She had found something more important than the water she came for. And the disciples benefited, too. They could now drink water from the well.

29 Arriving in the city she said to them, "Come see a Man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"

COMMENT: Evidently that community had some interest in spiritual things.

30 They went out of the city to meet Him.

COMMENT: This woman's testimony brought them to Jesus, even though she was not used to being taken seriously.

31 Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus to eat.

COMMENT: Sharing truth took away Jesus need for the food the disciples had gone to get.

32 But He said to them, "I have already had food which you do not know about." 33 They wondered together, "Did someone bring Him something to eat?" 34 Jesus then told them, "Doing the work My Father sent Me to do satisfies like food." 35 "You may think that the harvest is four months away. If you look about you will see fields white for harvest." 36 "Those who reap are already receiving wages as they gather fruit for eternal life. One sows and another reaps. But they rejoice together." 37 "It is a true saying: One sows, and another reaps." 38 "I am sending you to reap what you did not plant. When you reap you are sharing in the labor of those who planted." 39 Many of the Samaritans from that city believed in Jesus because of the testimony of the woman who said, "He told me everything I ever did."

40 Because of this many of the Samaritans were asking Jesus to stay with them. So He remained there two days. 41 And many of them believed because of what they heard Him say. 42 They said to the woman, "At first we believed because of what you said about Him. Now we believe because we have heard for ourselves and know that He is the Savior of the world."

COMMENT: Why were they so easily convinced while the Jewish leaders were not? Was it because they did not cling to preconceived ideas of what the Messiah would do? Did Jesus preach a different message to the Samaritans than He did to the Jews? For sure the Samaritans were not threatened by what He said to them.

Here is a mission model for us. Tell people truthfully what Christ has done for us. Then they may want to see for themselves. It is still up to the Holy Spirit to convince them.

43 After being with the Samaritans for two days, Jesus left for Galilee. 44 He was saying, "A prophet has no honor in His own country." 45 When He came to Galilee, the people in that area received Him because of the things they had seen Him do at the feast in Jerusalem. 46 And He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official of Capernaum whose son was sick. 47 Having heard that Jesus had come up from Judea, he went to Him and begged Him to come and heal his son who was at the point of death. 48 Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe."

COMMENT: Something about the man's request elicited this response from Jesus. After all, the previous verse said that the people of the area were interested in Him because of the signs He did.

49 The royal official said to Him, "Sir, come before my son dies."

COMMENT: But the man persisted, perhaps recognizing the truth of what Jesus said, and worrying that this might prevent his son from being healed.

50 Jesus said to him, "Go. You son lives." The man believed Him and started for home. 51 On his way home his servants met him with the news that his son was better. 52 He asked them, "At what hour did my son get better?" They answered, "Yesterday at about the seventh hour (one o'clock) the fever left him." 53 The father knew that it was at this time of day the Jesus had said to him, "Your son lives." He and his entire household believed. 54 This was the second sign Jesus performed when He came to Galilee from Judea.

John 5 - RWB Paraphrase (47 V)
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1 After this Jesus went to a feast in Jerusalem that the Jews celebrated each year. 2 Jerusalem had a pool by the sheep gate. Its Hebrew name was Bethesda. This pool had five porches.

COMMENT: Bethesda probably means "House of Mercy." Until the 19th century, there was no evidence outside of John's Gospel for the existence of this pool. For this reason scholars argued that the gospel was written later, probably by someone without first-hand knowledge of the city of Jerusalem, and that the "Pool" had only a metaphorical, rather than historical, significance. In the 19th century, archaeologists discovered the remains of a pool fitting the description in John's Gospel. The pool was 55 feet long and 12 feet across. Five arches supported the floor of an ancient church that had been built above it.

3 On these porches lots of sick people, some blind and some lame, waited for a movement of the water. 4 It was believed that an angel came down at certain times and stirred the water. Whoever stepped into the water first would then be healed.

5 A man was there who had been ill for thirty eight years.

COMMENT: This was a pathetic man. He moved with difficulty. He had decided that he was without hope. Thirty eight years had taught him that he would never get well.

6 When Jesus saw him He knew he had been there a long time. He asked the man, "Do you want to be whole?"

COMMENT: It seems like a strange question, since the man had been by this pool for so long and had been brought there for the purpose of being healed. But it reminds us that we can go through the motions after we loose hope.

7 The man answered, "Sir, I have no one to help me into the water when it is stirred. Someone always gets in before me." 8 Jesus said to him, "Get up. Pick up your bed and walk."

COMMENT: Did this man know who Jesus was? Was there something about Jesus that made the man want to believe?

9 Immediately the man was made whole. He got up and began to carry his bed. It was the Sabbath.

COMMENT: The man did not stop to question the possibility of having been healed. He acted on the Jesus' words. Perhaps he felt revitalizing power. Perhaps he felt well for the first time in a long time. Jesus told the man to carry his bed on the Sabbath. Carrying his bed was not the sort of work God had forbidden people to do in the fourth commandment. God had forbidden gainful employment on the Sabbath. God never made a rule about how far you could walk on the Sabbath, or what you could carry. After completing the creation of everything in six days, God "Ceasing from His work of creating". God had prohibited activities that were the opposite of rest. This would include activities that led to the increased of one's net worth, such as planting, weeding, reaping, building, painting, etc.

10 So the Jews accosted the man saying, "It is the Sabbath and you cannot carry your bed today."

COMMENT: Many of those around this scene knew that this man had been ill for a very long time. This fact seems to have been brushed aside by the Pharisees who had lost sight of the real purpose of the Sabbath. They worshiped their own laws and their power to enforce them more then they worshiped the God who gave the Sabbath. The fact of his miraculous healing meant nothing to them.

11 The man replied, "The One who made me well told me to pick up my bed and walk." 12 They asked him, "Who told you to do this?" 13 He said that he did not know who had healed him, for Jesus had slipped away.

COMMENT: Jesus had healed the man without fanfare. He didn't heal him to make a believer of him. He had pitty on him and wanted to relieve his suffering.

14 Later that same day Jesus found the man in the temple and said, "Now that you are whole do not sin any more lest something worse befall you."

COMMENT: The fact that the man was in the temple suggests that he was worshiping God. Evidently his illness had resulted from having sinned, or Jesus would not have said what He did.

15 The man went and found the Jews and told them it was Jesus who had made him well.

COMMENT: Although this man must have appreciated what Jesus had done for him, he seems to have also respected the Jewish leaders. So he went to find them and tell them who had healed him. He must not have realized they were finding fault with Jesus. And perhaps what Jesus had said to him bothered him a little.

16 Because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath the Jews gave Him a very hard time. 17 He answered them saying, "My Father is always at work and I work, too." 18 For this reason the Jews wanted to kill Jesus. He was not only breaking the Sabbath, but had also made Himself equal with God.

COMMENT: Since Jesus did not meet their qualifications for the Messiah, they stubbornly resisted all the evidence.

19 Jesus said to them, "The truth is, the Son can do nothing on His own. He only does what He sees the Father doing."

COMMENT: Jesus could not make His claim to be the Son of God any clearer.

20 "For the Father loves the Son and shows Him whatever He is doing. And the Father will show Him greater things than these that you may marvel." 21 "For just as the Father raises the dead to new life, even so the Son gives life to whomever He wants." 22 "The Father does not judge anyone, but has turned all judgment over to His Son." 23 "For this cause all will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. And those who do not honor the Son are not honoring the Father."

COMMENT: Here was a warning to those who found fault with Jesus. A day of judgment was coming for them. They did not appreciate Who it was they were accusing.

24 "I tell you the truth, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and is not condemned, but passes from death unto life."

COMMENT:

John 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned. He who does not believe is judged unworthy because he did not believe in the only begotten Son of God."

25 "And the hour is not far off when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live."

COMMENT: The hour was in fact not that far off.

Matthew 27:50-53 Jesus cried out once more with a loud voice and then yielded up His spirit. [51] At this moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth shook. Rocks were split. [52] Tombs were opened and many bodies of saints who had fallen asleep were raised. [53] After His resurrection they came out of their tombs and entered the holy city where they were seen by many.

26 "For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He has given to the Son to have life in Himself."

COMMENT: John gives several quotes of Jesus' claim to be the Son of God. Did the Jews have an understanding of Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

27 "He has given Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man."

COMMENT: As the Son of Man, Jesus is uniquely qualified to judge humanity.

28 "Do not marvel when I say that the time is coming when those in the graves will hear His voice."

COMMENT: This was fulfilled not long after this. Jesus was raised first followed by others who would go to heaven with Him.

Matthew 27:50-53 Jesus cried out once more with a loud voice and then yielded up His spirit. [51] At this moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth shook. Rocks were split. [52] Tombs were opened and many bodies of saints who had fallen asleep were raised. [53] After His resurrection they came out of their tombs and entered the holy city where they were seen by many.

Psalms 68:18 You have ascended on high, led captive Your captives, and received gifts among men. Even the rebellious recognize You as the LORD God.

Ephesians 4:8 Therefore, He says, when He ascended on high, "He led captive a host of captives and He gave gifts to men."

29 "They will come forth to the resurrection of life if their deeds were good, or if their deeds were evil, to the resurrection of judgment."

COMMENT: Do not fall for the idea that God will save everyone. Jesus plainly says that evil deeds result in judgment at the resurrection.

30 "I can do nothing on My own. As I hear, I judge. And My judgment is just because I am not seeking My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." 31 "If I am My only witness then what I say is not true." 32 "But there is another who testifies of Me. I know that His testimony about Me is true."

COMMENT:

Mark 1:11 A voice from heaven said, "You are my beloved Son. I am well pleased with You."

Mark 9:7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him!"

Luke 3:22 The Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven said, "You are My beloved Son. I am well pleased with You."

33 "You went out to hear John. He testified to the truth."

COMMENT:

John 1:36 He looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"

34 "And the testimony I receive is not from man. I say these things so that you may be saved." 35 "John was a bright light and for a while you rejoiced in his light." 36 "I have a greater testimony than John had. The things I am doing the Father gave Me to do. And these things bear witness to the fact that the Father has sent Me."

COMMENT: Here Jesus made a strong appeal to be recognized as being more than a prophet. He was in fact the Prophet Moses referred to.

Deuteronomy 18:18 "He said that He would raise up a prophet from among you like me, and He would put His words in His mouth. He shall speak everything the LORD commands Him."

37 "The Father who sent Me has testified of Me. You have not heard His voice or seen His form." 38 "His word does not abide in you because you do not believe the One He has sent."

COMMENT: If we do not believe that Jesus is God's Son we cannot speak for God.

39 "You search the scriptures because you see them as the source of eternal life. It is these scriptures that testify of Me."

COMMENT: The scriptures of what we know as the Old Testament give more than ample evidence of Jesus' mission. The Jews should have recognized Jesus as sent from God. Can we miss the boat, so to speak in our day, not properly appreciating what Jesus has accomplished and is accomplishing?

40 "Yet you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." 41 "I do not receive honor from men." 42 "I know that you do not have the love of God in you." 43 "I have come in My Father's name and you have not received Me. Yet you willingly accept one who comes in his own name."

COMMENT: Jesus was here addressing the Pharisees.

44 "How can you believe? You receive honor from one another instead of from the one and only God."

COMMENT: Their studied obstinacy would be maddening to any but the merciful and patient God. How long suffering He is with us. When we get an idea that we will not let go, in mercy He sometimes has to blind us to everything in order that we may consider an idea from the perspective of hopelessness.

45 "I do not need to accuse you before God. Moses, whom you trust, has already done this." 46 "If you really believed Moses, you would also believe Me, for he wrote about Me." 47 "If you will not believe what he has written, how then will you believe what I say?"

COMMENT: What Jesus taught was based on what Moses had written. Jesus did not bring a new teaching. Truth is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The teaching was the same but the understanding needed to be new. New ideas about old truths require an investment of time and thought. These are in short supply when we demand quick answers and adherence to what we have always believed.

John 6 - RWB Paraphrase (71 V)
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1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. 2 A large crowd followed Him because He healed people. 3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down with His disciples. 4 It was close to the time of Passover, a Jewish feast.

COMMENT:

Deuteronomy 16:1 "Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God in the month of Abib, the same month the LORD brought you out of Egypt."

5 Jesus looked around and seeing the large crowd, He said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough bread to feed all these people?" 6 He was testing Philip, for He knew what He was about to do. 7 Philip answered, "Two hundred day's wages would not buy enough bread for all these people." 8 Andrew, another disciple, the brother of Peter, said, 9 "There is a lad with five barley loaves and two fish. But what help is that?"

COMMENT: Was Andrew thinking Jesus might do something like He had done with the wine at the wedding?

10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass and about five thousand men sat down on the mountain. 11 Taking the boy's lunch, Jesus gave thanks, and had the bread and fish distributed to those who were seated. There was enough food for everyone to have all they wanted. 12 When they had eaten their fill, Jesus had his disciples gather up the leftovers so that nothing was lost.

COMMENT: This was not just to preserve the leftovers. It served to demonstrate that God provides enough and then some.

13 And they filled twelve baskets with what was left over after everyone had eaten his fill.

COMMENT: Imagine what must have been going through the mind of the lad who gave his lunch to Jesus.

14 The people were very impressed and said, "This Man is surely the Prophet who is to come into the world."

COMMENT: The prophet they were looking for was the one Moses had said would come.

Deuteronomy 18:18 "He said that He would raise up a prophet from among you like me, and He would put His words in His mouth. He shall speak everything the LORD commands Him."

15 Perceiving that the people intended to take Him by force and make Him their king, Jesus withdrew to the mountain to be alone.

16 When evening had come His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into their boat and started across to Capernaum. It was now dark and Jesus was no where around.

COMMENT: Matthew and Mark explain that Jesus told the disciples to leave in the boat without Him.

Matthew 14:21-22 There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children. [22] Immediately Jesus commanded His disciples to get in the boat and head for the other side without Him. He would dismissed the crowds.

Mark 6:45 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to Bethsaida on the other side while He stayed behind to dismiss the crowd.

18 Strong winds came up and whipped up the sea. 19 After the disciples had rowed three or four miles they saw Jesus walking on the water coming toward the boat. However, they could not explain what they were seeing and were afraid.

COMMENT: Why did Jesus come walking on the water? Why not just be waiting for them on the other side of the lake when they got there? The disciples may have been having a crisis of confidence that Jesus was the Messiah. They wanted, along with the crowd Jesus had fed, to make Him king. He had refused. It didn't make sense to them. Was He the Messiah everyone said would set up the world kingdom that they had been taught to expect? So Jesus came walking on the water, something no ordinary man could do. Here was more evidence that He was more than a mere man. He was God's Son, even if He was not living up to their expectations.

20 Jesus called to them, saying, "It is I. Do not be afraid." 21 So they were happy to have Him get into the boat with them and once He had entered the boat, they were immediately at their destination.

COMMENT: Arriving so quickly was another miracle.

22 The following day the crowd that had been with Him on the other side of the sea knew His disciples had left that place without Him. 23 Other small boats came from places near where Jesus had fed them. 24 Seeing that Jesus was no longer there they got into the small boats and came over to Capernaum to look for Him. 25 When they found Him on the other side, they asked, "Teacher, how did You get here?" 26 Jesus said, "The truth is, you are looking for Me because you saw signs and had your fill of bread." 27 "Do not work for food that will not last. Rather, seek the food that leads to eternal life. This is what the Son of Man wants to give you. This is the Bread God the Father has set His seal on."

COMMENT: How long before we learn to want something better than great tasting food? How do we learn to crave spiritual food?

Isaiah 55:2 "Why spend money for what is not bread, and what you earn for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me. Eat what is good, and be delighted with an abundance."

28 So they asked Him, "What shall we do in order to do the work of God?" 29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is to believe in the One whom He has sent."

COMMENT: This is everyone's first work - to believe in Jesus, the One sent from the Father. And everything we do prepares us for the next work to be done.

We can do all manner of good works, but if we do not rely on (believe in) Jesus, our work is of no real value. We are fooling ourselves to think otherwise.

1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment, that we should believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and that we love one another just as He commanded.

30 So they asked Jesus, "What sign will You do that we may see and believe You are Who You say You are?" 31 "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it was written, He gave them bread from heaven."

COMMENT: Some of them, or someone they knew, must have eaten the bread Jesus fed them from the five loaves. It was like manna.

32 Jesus replied, "The truth is, it was not Moses who gave you this bread from heaven. And it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven." 33 "For the bread of God is that which comes from heaven. And it gives life to the world."

COMMENT: So Jesus is the true bread sent from heaven by the Father.

34 Then they said, "Lord, give us this bread so that we may always have it."

COMMENT: In one breath they ask for yet another sign and in the next they ask for the bread Jesus offers.

35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst."

COMMENT: So what was Jesus promising? With regular food and drink we always have to have more and have it regularly. Isn't that also true with the bread and water of life? People may wonder where their next meal is coming from. Life can be uncertain. But Jesus can be depended on, not only for our spiritual needs, but also for our temporal needs. We must, however, put first things first.

36 "But it is plain to Me that though you have seen Me you do not believe I am who I say I am." 37 "Everyone the Father gives Me will be Mine. And those who come to Me I will certainly not cast out."

38 "I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me."

COMMENT: Here Jesus plainly says that He came from heaven.

39 "And His will is that I do not lose any of those He has given to me, but to raise them up at the last day." 40 "The will of My Father is that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life. I Myself will raise him up on the last day."

COMMENT: Jesus certainly left them without excuse to know where He came from and what He was to accomplish. And He gave hope of a life beyond this life.

41 The Jewish leaders grumbled because Jesus had said that He was the bread that came down from heaven.

COMMENT: Perhaps some of the Jewish leaders saw a correlation between Jesus' claim to have come from heaven and the shewbread used in the temple service.

42 They were saying, "Isn't this Jesus, Joseph's son? Don't we know His father and mother? How can He say that He came from heaven?"

COMMENT: They did not know of His miracle birth.

43 Jesus answered them, saying, "Do not murmur among yourselves." 44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day."

COMMENT:

Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love, and I have drawn you with lovingkindness."

45 "The prophets wrote, 'They shall be taught of God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."

COMMENT:

Isaiah 54:13 "All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and their peace will be great."

46 "No one has seen the Father except the One who is from God." 47 "And I tell you the truth, the one who believes has eternal life." 48 "I am the bread of life." 49 "Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and they died." 50 "I am offering the bread from heaven that will keep you alive." 51 "I am living bread from heaven. Anyone eating this bread will live forever. I will give My flesh for the life of the world."

COMMENT: Jesus gave His flesh, not for food but as a sacrifice to pay for our sins.

52 The Jews began arguing among themselves, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" 53 So Jesus said to them, "The truth is, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves."

COMMENT: To eat His flesh and drink His blood is to appropriate His sacrifice in our behalf. When we eat, the food becomes part of us. When we eat Jesus body and drink His blood, we are making Him a part of us, and receive His strength.

54 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life. I will raise him up on the last day."

COMMENT: Jesus was always quoting scripture. The scribes and Pharisees should have recognized this.

Psalms 22:26 The afflicted will eat and be satisfied, Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!

55 "My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink."

COMMENT:

Psalms 4:7 You have put gladness in my heart which is worth more than abundant grain and new wine.

56 "By eating my flesh and drinking My blood a person abides in Me and I in Him."

COMMENT: Eating His flesh and drinking His blood means that He becomes a part of us. He lives in us.

Lamentations 3:24 My soul says, "The LORD is my portion. I have hope in Him."

57 "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of Him, so the one who eats Me will live because of Me." 58 "This is the bread which came down from heaven. It is not like the bread the fathers ate and died. He who eats this bread will live forever."

COMMENT:

Deuteronomy 32:40 "Indeed, I lift My hand to heaven, and say, as I live forever,"

Psalms 22:26 The afflicted will eat and be satisfied, Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!

59 He taught these things in the synagogue in Capernaum.

60 After hearing this, many of His disciples said, "This is too difficult to accept."

COMMENT: In other words, it was hard for them to understand. Some things that Jesus said need to be accepted in order to come to an understanding.

61 Jesus was aware of their grumbling and said, "Does this cause you to stumble?" 62 "What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where He came from?"

COMMENT: The implication is that they could not accept the plainest evidence.

63 "It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken are spirit and life."

64 "Some of you do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning who did not believe and who would betray Him.

COMMENT: Jesus recognized the Judas was struggling with who He was and how He could possibly be the Messiah.

65 "This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by the Father." 66 After this many of His disciples did not follow Him any more.

COMMENT: God allows times of testing to reveal those who are really His.

67 So Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you want to leave Me, too?" 68 Simon Peter answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

COMMENT: We can say with Peter:

Psalms 73:25 Whom do I have in heaven but You? I desire nothing more on earth.

69 "We have come to understand that You are the Holy One of God." 70 Jesus then said, "Even though I chose each of you, one of you is of the devil." 71 He was speaking of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, because he was going to betray Him.

COMMENT:

Psalms 41:9 Even my close friend whom I trusted has lifted his heel against me.

John 7 - RWB Paraphrase (53 V)
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1 After this Jesus stayed in the region of Galilee. He was not willing to go to Judea because they wanted to kill Him.

COMMENT: Jesus did everything according to His Father's plan for Him. Everything was to happen according to the feasts and scripture so that everyone would be without excuse for not believing that He was who He said He was. Everything we do should be according to God's plan for us. We also have guidance from scripture as well as direction from God's Spirit.

2 The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was not far off,

COMMENT: This marked the beginning of a new agriculture year. They constructed booths to sleep under in memory of their reliance on God to provide shelter in the wilderness.

Exodus 23:16 "Also you shall observe the Feast of Harvest of the first fruits of what you have sown in the field. And finally the Feast of the Ingathering which comes at the end of the year after you have gathered your crops."

3 and His brothers encouraged Him to go down to Judea so that His disciples would be able to see His works. 4 They said, "You can't be well known if you hide from people." 5 Even His brothers did not believe in Him. 6 Jesus said to them, "Its is not the right time for Me, but, it's always the right time for you."

COMMENT: This is basically the same answer He gave His mother when she asked Him to do something because the wine had run out. The timing for most everything about His life was mapped out by His Father and He was going to wait until His Father gave His go ahead.

7 "The world cannot hate you but it does hate Me because I point out its evil deeds."

COMMENT: He did not make a habit of pointing out people's short comings. But His pure life was in such contrast to the lives of others so that it sometimes made them uncomfortable. And He did point out the errors of the leaders that they might repent. And many of them did, especially after His resurrection.

8 "You go to the feast. I am not going right now because My time has not yet come." 9 So He stayed in Galilee. 10 After Jesus' bothers had gone up to the feast He went up secretly.

11 At the feast the Jews were watching for Jesus. 12 Many of the people grumbled among themselves concerning Him. Some were saying, "He is a good man." Others answered, "No, He is leading people astray." 13 But no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jewish leaders.

14 In the middle of the feast, Jesus went into the temple and began to teach. 15 The Jewish leaders marveled saying, "How has this man learn so much without attending our schools?"

COMMENT: It seems that they did not recognize Him as the one they had been watching for. They knew this Man had not attended their schools. After all, they thought, the only way a person could know the scriptures was to be taught by them.

16 Jesus answered by saying, "My teaching is not actually Mine, but His who sent Me." 17 "Those willing to do His will know whether My teaching is of God or if I speak on My own."

COMMENT: So when you recognize what someone says to be truth, you recognize it through your knowledge of the Bible and the Holy Spirit's enlightenment. All truth is in the Bible if we are willing to search for it and pray for the Spirit's teaching.

Psalms 143:10 Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Your Spirit is good and leads me in uprightness.

Psalms 25:9 He leads the humble in justice, teaching them His way.