John 1 - The Word Becomes Flesh

Marie-Lan Nguyen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

LINK: John 1

BACKGROUND of John

As one of Jesus' 12 disciples, John gives a first-hand account of Jesus. John's gospel was the last to be written, probably about A.D. 85-90, after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and before John's exile on the island of Patmos. It is written to both a Jewish and Greek audience. 

This book is unlike the other three "synoptic" gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Over 90 percent of this book is not found in the other three. It does not contain a genealogy or any record of Jesus' early years. It does not include the temptation (Matthew 4), transfiguration (Matthew 17), or appointment of the disciples (Mark 3). There is no account of the parables, ascension, or Great Commission. It is really relational in nature. It is the only place where the Upper Room Discourse (and subsequent teaching on the Holy Spirit) Jesus gave to his disciples is recorded (John 14-17). 

This gospel is unique in that John tries to prove that Jesus is God in the flesh, born to die as a sacrifice for our sin. He does this by including the seven "I am" statements by Jesus:

1) I am the Bread of Life (6:35)
2) I am the Light of the World (8:12)
3) I am the Door for the Sheep (10:7,9)
4) I am the Good Shepherd (10:11,14)
5) I am the Resurrection and the Life (11:25)
6) I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (14:6)
7) I am the True Vine (15:1, 5) 

You might like to mark all of these in your Bible or Bible Worksheets. 

A major part of the Gospel (2:1-12:50) contains seven "Signs" that point to Him as the Messiah: 

1) Changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana (2:1-11)
2) Healing the official's son in Capernaum (4:46-54)
3) Healing the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda (5:1-18)
4) Feeding the 5,000 near the Sea of Galilee (6:5-14)
5) Walking on the Sea of Galilee (6:16-21)
6) Healing a blind man in Jerusalem (9:1-7)
7) Raising Lazarus from the dead in Bethany (11:1-45)

This is supported by the purpose of the book stated in 20:31:

but these have been written so that you may believe

that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God;

and the believing you may have life in His name.

A key word in this verse, as well as the whole gospel, is "believe" (pisteuō).  It occurs 98 times! You might want to mark it in a special way as you read.

Another way that John is unique is that 40% of the book is devoted to the last week of Jesus' life (John 12-20:25).

I have led people through the book of John more than any of the other Gospel accounts, and we the participants have watched The Gospel of John because it is a word-for-word dramatic reenactment of the entire book. 

One more note: If you are reading according to the Bible Book Club schedule for YEAR THREE (and you don't have to), you will see that I scheduled the reading of John in the last half of March. So, John 12-21 is split up as if it were leading into Holy Week with John 12 being the Friday before Palm Sunday). So, you could shift your reading to match that as you have some "free days" in March and April and can adjust your reading in Acts accordingly!

Here are the dates for Palm Sunday in the coming years:

• 2026: March 29

• 2027: March 21

• 2028: April 9

• 2029: March 25

• 2030: April 14

• 2031: April 6

• 2032: March 21

• 2033: April 10

• 2034: April 2

• 2035: March 18

BACKGROUND of John 1

(The number at the beginning of each section refers to the 250 Events in the Life of Christ.) 

2. God Became a Human (1:1-18)

In John's theological prologue to this book, he wastes no time in stating who Jesus was (and still is): The Word that was God from the beginning and became flesh so that we could behold His glory!  This is so important. I recommend that you memorize John 1:1,14 today! 

The term "Word" in Greek is logos. It was used in Greek philosophical teaching as well as Jewish wisdom literature and philosophy. In Hebrew Scripture, the Word was an agent of creation (Psalm 33:6), the source of God's message to His people through the prophets (Hosea 1:2), and God's law, the standard of holiness (Psalm 119:11). In the Greek world, it was the principle of reason that governed the world.  Jesus was a human being, but He was also the creator God, the ultimate revelation of God, a living picture of God's holiness, and the promised One in which "all things hold together" (Colossians 1:17). 

Here is a lovely reimaging of the Incarnation by Ignatius of Loyola and in modern language from Andy Otto at God in All Things:

19. John the Baptist declares his mission (1:19-28)

Just so you are not confused, John the Baptist is NOT the author of the gospel of this book. You will remember he is Jesus' distant cousin, the son of Elizabeth and Zacharias (Luke 1). He also did not live to write anything down. For more background about the author of the book of John, click on "The Four Gospels" link above.  (I once had a "not yet believer" tell me in a study of the book of John that there were entirely too many Johns and Marys in the book, and she was hopelessly confused. LOL!)

The city leaders wanted to know who John was, so they sent the priests and Levites to check Him out. He was not the Light, but he bore witness (testified) to the Light. Witness/testify is a keyword in the book of John (1:15, 32, 34, 3:11, 26; 5:31-32, 36-37; 18:37; 19:35; etc.). John the Baptist was the forerunner to Jesus. Even though He had an "Elijah-like" ministry of pointing people back to God, he was not Elijah. He was merely the voice in the wilderness, making way for Jesus (Isaiah 40:3) to whom he was not even worthy to do the most menial of service (tying a sandal). John knew his place in the whole scheme of things.

20. John the Baptist proclaims Jesus as the Messiah (1:29-34)

John's job was to testify. Thus, he proclaimed:

"Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" 

John 1:29 is a key verse to memorize.  If you have been in the Bible Book Club, this ties the Old Testament to the New Testament. For more background on the "lamb of God," see the REFLECTION section.

John testified that Jesus was the Messiah as confirmed by the Spirit coming down from heaven and remaining on Him at His baptism. The book of John does not record the actual event of Jesus' baptism, but he refers to it here. 

21. The first disciples follow Jesus (1:35-51)

Try imaginative contemplations for verses 35-42 and 47-51.

John is the only gospel to give an account of the first disciples who followed Jesus: John (although his name is not mentioned, most commentators believe it was John, the son of Zebedee and brother of James), Andrew, his brother Simon Peter (the "rock"), Philip, and Nathanael.   Note the different names that they gave to Jesus: Lamb of God, Rabbi, Messiah (the anointed One), Son of God, and King of Israel. 

Nathanael said, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Nazareth was despised by the Jews because of the Roman garrison there. Some commentators believe it was a place of loose morals and religion. Jesus' supernatural knowledge of Nathanael's whereabouts under the fig tree convinced him that he was the Son of God and King of Israel. 

REFLECTION - The Lamb of God

This is where our study of the Old Testament really comes in handy, and The Scarlet Thread of Redemption flows seamlessly together!  Please read the background study in Exodus 12 for an explanation of the Passover lamb!

APPLICATION

Memorize and meditate on John 1:1, 14, and 29 today, and let's start on our way reading the book of John!

PRAYER

We praise You God for sending the Lamb of God who takes away our sin. Amen!

Mark 9 - Lessons for the Disciples . . . and Me

 http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/JBPhillips.htm

LINK: Mark 9 

BACKGROUND

111. Jesus is Transfigured on the Mountain: Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36

You might like to try a recorded Imaginative Contemplation of the Transfiguration.

Matthew and Mark say that this took place "six days" and Luke says, "some eight days," but apparently "some" connotes "about a week" in the Jewish equivalent. 

The disciples had so much to think about in that week! Peter verbally acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah. Consequently, Jesus introduced them to the concept of "church" and predicted, for the first time, His death and resurrection. What a prologue to the Transfiguration!

Traditionally, the mountain has been believed to be Mt. Tabor (near #2 on the map), but there are two reasons this is unlikely:

1) It is too far from Caesarea-Philippi (#13) where they were previously located and Capernaum (#15) where they will be going. 

2) It is unlikely Jesus would have gone up to a place of heathen worship.

Mt. Hermon seems to be a better choice because it is a "high mountain" and it is closer to Caesarea-Philippi and Capernaum/Galilee. 

The Greek word for transfigured is metemorphōthē. It is where we get our English word, metamorphosis. I encourage meditating on the description of Jesus here and basking in His light as part of your application today. 

The appearance of Moses and Elijah is significant because Moses represented the Law and Elijah, the prophets. Jesus, after His resurrection, would explain to the two on the road to Emmaus, "all the things concerning Him beginning with Moses and with all the prophets" (Luke 24:27). Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law (by being all-righteousness) and the prophecies concerning Him! If you have not joined us for the Bible Book Club, I encourage you to do so to see how The Scarlet Thread of Redemption about Jesus is woven throughout the Law and the prophets!

Peter wanted to build tabernacles to extend the visit for Moses (lawgiver), Elijah (prophet), and Jesus (Messiah). God's intervention tells us that Jesus fulfilled all of this. and all they needed to see was Jesus. Plus, now was not the time for building tabernacles because Jesus had to go and finish His work by going to the cross. 

Many years later, Peter (one of three eyewitnesses), tells us the significance of that high mountain miracle:

For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. (2 Peter 1:17-18) 

In faith, Peter had made a profession of Jesus as Messiah, and this experience confirmed it!

 Another eyewitness, John, wrote:

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) 

Jesus unveiled His glory and gave a sneak peek into heaven, the glory of the kingdom, and even the glory of the cross (Luke 9:31)! 

112. Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy: Matthew17:14-21, Mark 9:14-29, Luke 9:37-43

Jesus came down from the mountaintop to deliver this boy. Why couldn't the disciples drive out the demon?  That is the beauty of studying all three accounts!

According to Warren Wiersbe, two things were lacking in their lives:

First on the list was faith (Matt. 17:19–20); they were part of an unbelieving generation and had lost the confidence that they needed in order to use their power. But prayer and fasting were also lacking (Mark 9:29), which indicates that the nine men had allowed their devotional disciplines to erode during their Lord’s brief absence. No matter what spiritual gifts we may have, their exercise is never automatic.  (The Bible Exposition Commentary, Lk 9:37)

113. Jesus predicts his death the second time: Matthew17:22-23, Mark 9:30-32, Luke 9:44-45

From the region of Caesarea Philippi and northeast Palestine, Jesus began to head through Galilee and Perea to Judea and into Jerusalem where He would face His crucifixion and resurrection six months later. He needed to prepare His disciples now, even though they would not fully comprehend it until later.

115. The disciples argue about who would be the greatest: Matthew 18:1-6, Mark 9:33-37, Luke 9:46-48

Rank was important to the Jews, but Jesus taught that the essence of true greatness was learning to be a servant of all. The Greek word here is diakonos which means "one who attends to the needs of others freely" as opposed to doulos which means a slave who is in a servile position.  The road to glory is via service, not self-exaltation. Of course, Jesus is the ultimate example of this. 

116. The disciples forbid another to use Jesus' name: Mark 9:38-41, Luke 9:49-50

Most commentators believe the disciples were jealous of the man who healed in Jesus' name when they could not, and he was doing it in an unauthorized way rather than the man misusing Jesus' name. (see Acts 19:13-16 for an example of this).  Even though the verses involve different events, Mark 9:40, "For he who is not against us is for us" can be compared to Matthew 12:30, "He who is not with Me is against Me." If you are working for Jesus, you cannot be working against Him also. The man may have not done it the "right" way according to the disciples, but he did it for Jesus, and that is all that mattered. Boy, this is such a lesson for today when established patterns of doing things in the church do not make way for new ways!  

117. Jesus warns against temptation: Matthew 18:7-9, Mark 9:42-50

"Woe" refers to the judgment of God being upon anyone who causes another believer, especially immature ones, to turn away from believing and following Him.

REFLECTION 

All Things Are Possible to Him Who Believes 

Are you lacking faith?  Been there!

I shared this story in the Genesis 17 & 18 Bible Book Club blog, but God reminded me of it as I was meditating on Mark 9 last Saturday while listening to a speaker at a conference. So, I will share it once again:

I was at Multnomah School of the Bible in a training program back in 1981. Every morning, all the people in the program had half an hour to spend time with God.

One particular morning, I was up in a spartan attic bedroom in one of the rental houses near campus peering out the window located at the peak of the roof. It was summer, but, not unusual for Oregon in June, it was raining cats and dogs. My passage for that morning was Mark 9, where the man brings his demon-possessed boy to Jesus to heal. After some dialogue with Jesus, the boy's father said to Jesus:

". . . if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!"

Jesus responds:

"'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes."

Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief." (Mark 9:22-24)

Then Jesus drove out the demon.

I sat there in that attic bedroom, and I audibly laughed and said, "I don't believe this really happened, Lord! In fact, I don't believe you turned water into wine either or healed all those people. I don't believe it!!!!! It is too impossible."

Then, I realized the import of my words, and I cried out to God, "I want to be like that man. I do believe Lord, but my faith is so small, help my unbelief! Lord, could you show me Yourself by stopping the rain?" (I know, what was I thinking to pray such a crazy prayer in OREGON of all places? But He allowed a 90-year-old woman to get pregnant; so, why not?)

Immediately, and I mean IMMEDIATELY, the rain stopped, the clouds parted, and the sun beamed through that window blinding my eyes, and I said, "OK, I believe it all." 

It was a defining moment in my journey.

The conference speaker's talk was entitled "A Vision for the Possible." He stated that the goal of Jesus was to teach His disciples that the impossible was possible. The speaker shared stories about God accomplishing the impossible in his work overseas, and he referred to this same story in Mark 9 about a father who asked for help in his unbelief. I realized I had slacked off a bit in believing God for the impossible since He parted those clouds for me so many years ago, but his talk and this chapter inspired me to believe God for big things once again!

APPLICATION

All things are possible to Him who believes.

(Mark 9:23)

Do you believe this? What is your deep-down answer to that question? Journal and talk with the LORD about it today. Mull over this question for a while.

PRAYER

Lord, we do believe, help our unbelief. We praise You that You can do anything! Do the impossible through our lives. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.