New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, NKJV Edition by Thomas Nelson Bibles

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EXECUTIVE EDITOR Jack W. Hayford, Litt.D. ASSOCIATE EDITOR Paul G. Chappell, Ph.D.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Kenneth C. Ulmer, Ph.D., D.Min.

OLD TESTAMENT EDITORS Judy Brown, Ed.D Roy Hayden, Ph.D. NEW TESTAMENT EDITORS Jonathan David Huntzinger, Ph.D. Gary Matsdorf, M.A.

THOMAS NELSON BIBLES A Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. www.ThomasNelson.com

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Spirit-Filled Life® Mission Statement The mission of Spirit-Filled Life Bibles and reference products is to serve the body of Christ with a broad range of trustworthy products marked by biblical soundness, balanced scholarship and a sense of honor toward the modern-day working of the Holy Spirit. These resources are designed to provide biblical equipping for practical living in God’s kingdom and around the world.

New Spirit-Filled Life® Bible Copyright © 2002 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. The text of the New King James Version (NKJV) may be quoted or reprinted without prior permission with the following qualifications: (1) up to and including 1,000 verses may be quoted in printed form as long as the verses quoted amount to less than 50% of a complete book of the Bible and make up less than 50% of the total work in which they are quoted; (2) all NKJV quotations must conform accurately to the NKJV text. Any use of the NKJV text must include a proper acknowledgment as follows: Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright ©1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. However, when quotations from the NKJV text are used in church bulletins, orders of service, Sunday School lessons, church newsletters, and similar works in the course of religious instruction or services at a place of worship or other religious assembly, the following notice may be used at the end of each quotation: “NKJV.” For quotation rights not covered by the above guidelines, write to Thomas Nelson Publishers, Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000. All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10—07 06 05 04 03 02

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Contents Introduction to the New Spirit-Filled Life® Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vi Editors and Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .viii Kingdom Dynamics (with Index) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xii Word Wealth (with Index) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxi Truth-In-Action (with Index) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxviii Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxx In-Text Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxxi Preface to the New King James Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxxiii Special Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxxvii Books of the Old and New Testaments with Their Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxxviii The Old Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Bridging the Testaments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1276 Harmony of the Gospels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1278 The New Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1287 Dealing with “Last Things”—The Rapture, Second Coming, and Millennium . . . . .1805 In Studying the Book of Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1809 Holy Spirit Gifts and Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1849 The Holy Spirit and Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1859 Aflame with Passion for World Evangelism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1865 The Believer’s Potential and Pathway for Ministering Healing to the Nations . . . . . .1869 Understanding Messianic Jewish Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1874 How to Lead a Person to the Savior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1883 Concordance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

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Introduction The waves of successive seasons of revival blessing throughout church history have left recurring high-water marks. These signs of the Holy Spirit’s surgings across the Earth and throughout time have, as a rule, been the result of God’s signal use of anointed men, whose leadership not only was the spearhead making a holy penetration in their world, but whose name became the designation of that revival era. Accordingly we note the strata of church history by the mention of names, such as Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Knox, Huss, Wesley, Finney, and Moody. But with the opening of the twentieth century, from out of the wellsprings of the holiness tradition, a revival broke forth, which is distinctive in two ways. First, the wave of renewal it gave rise to in the church internationally has not receded; rather, it has continued to roll forward and to engulf leaders and laity in every historic tradition and contemporary circle of Christianity. Second, this revival has not been characterized by the leadership of any primary personality to set its agenda or establish its style. One historian has referred to the Pentecostal-Charismatic revival as “a movement without a man,” thereby noting the phenomenon that its broadening tide of influence is dynamically global and impacting in every sector of the church. No one can proscribe the movement’s boundaries, none can inscribe his name upon it, and who can describe it in any other way than by Peter’s words at Pentecost: “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘. . . and in the last days . . . I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh’ ” (Acts 2:16, 17)? As the waves of this renewal have spread, the common denominator of those it engulfs is not a doctrinal position as much as it is a mutual sharing in a new dynamic. This “new” is neither novel nor unprecedented, but simply a rekindling and release of the simplicity and power inherent in the New Testament church—the life and ministry of Jesus continuing in His body today after the manner of the Books of Acts. Because of this, it has characteristically been difficult to prepare a single study Bible to serve this broad community. Their convictions about the Person of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, sinless life, atoning death, literal resurrection, and majestic ascension are essentially in agreement. Their view of the authority of the Word of God and its divine inspiration is absolute and uniformly the same. And their experience of the contemporary operations of the Holy Spirit—whose fullness, fruit, gifts, and works of power are welcomed and realized today as at the church’s inception—is held in general accord. However, by reason of the breadth of their denominational backgrounds, a wide diversity characterizes this band. They will be found at all points of the spectrum on such issues as: 1) Calvinism contrasted with Arminianism; 2) Dispensational contrasted with Covenant theology; 3) Premillennial, Postmillennial, and Amillennial differences in prophetic interpretation; and 4) views and practices on the place and purpose of “speaking in tongues” with reference to the believer’s initial infilling with the Holy Spirit. The striking fact, given this widely diverse group, is that their movement together reflects not a lack of conviction about those points wherein they view Scripture and experience differently, but a response to the Holy Spirit’s compulsion to give place to another overarching conviction. These leaders choose to let brotherly love prevail in the church, to seek peace and pursue it, and to acknowledge the prayer of our Lord Jesus “that they may be one.” None of these lack biblical depth or theological convictions, but are people who realize Ephesians 4:13’s “unity of the faith” focuses our mutual “knowledge of the Son of God” and not our private textbooks. We meet at the Table of communion—remembering Christ’s cross through which we have all been redeemed; celebrating His body to which we have been called; and testifying to the power of His blood that has redeemed, washed, and justified us from our sins. It is there we have found oneness—under Jesus’ lordship, and

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vii INTRODUCTION where we choose to stand together as more and more of His body grow toward “a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ . . . speaking the truth in love” (see Eph. 4:13–15). From this broad context and at this point in God’s dealings throughout Christ’s church globally, we have come to study and to serve, hoping that this Bible may contribute to the ongoing stream of the Holy Spirit’s workings today and tomorrow. The team of scholars, pastor-teachers, writers, and editors express gratitude to God and to the executive leadership of Thomas Nelson Publishers for the privilege of involvement in this historic project. The Spirit-Filled Life® Bible, released in 1991, was the first of its kind, in which a broadly representative team from more than twenty denominations and independent fellowships were banded together to produce a study Bible integrating the PentecostalCharismatic viewpoint. In noting this, the Executive Editor and his associates wish to acknowledge the earlier efforts of several Pentecostal teachers and scholars who have provided study Bible resources prior to the landmark event the Spirit-Filled Life® Bible occasioned. While its uniqueness in scope and persons involved distinguishes this present work, it is with gratitude and humility that we salute that worthy group who preceded us in such efforts at leading the people of God into His Word at greater depth. As Executive Editor, I offer my most respectful thanks to my Christian brothers and sisters who have accomplished the written and editorial work herein. Special personal acknowledgment is also appropriate to my son, Jack Hayford III, for his arduous labors in this project, as well as to Janet Kemp, Susanne Mahdi, Renee McCarter, and John Silver. May God be pleased to multiply the fruit of the labor of all who have given themselves to present you, the reader-student, with this Bible. We commit this work to Him with the psalmist’s prayer: “And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands” (Ps. 90:17).

Jack W. Hayford Executive Editor

Introductory Addendum to the New Spirit-Filled Life® Bible With the release of the New Spirit-Filled Life® Bible, a distinct sense of humility is felt, for God has clearly chosen to bless our work as we prayed. Not only has this Bible study and ministry resource found acceptance among multitudes in all parts of the church today, but a constant stream of heartfelt remarks and correspondence has confirmed its personal usefulness and practical ministry value. The sum of the vast majority would distill to one testimony: “This study Bible has deepened my life in Christ and my life in the Holy Spirit, helping me grow and increasing my effectiveness as a servant of Jesus.” For that, and for the fruit being multiplied in the church through the spiritual growth of its members and their ministry, we offer high praise to God. This Bible’s study resources rest on the foundation of the first Spirit-Filled Life® Bible and the work of two exceptional men, Dr. Sam Middlebrook and Dr. Jerry Horner, who served diligently as Old and New Testament editors, respectively, and whose legacies are reflected in this new work. We also extend our special thanks to the new contributors to this edition—men and women who have enabled us to broaden even further the scope of our pursuit. They not only expanded dimensions of Kingdom Dynamics we offer here, but many articles by respected friends from additional evangelical circles demonstrate their distinct graciousness and their vision for mutuality in the whole body of Christ. With these, we must acknowledge the superb editorial assistance and dedicated diligence of Caroline Erickson in bringing the second edition to fruition, not to mention the splendid editorial group at Nelson. Blessings upon each of these!

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THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

JOHN

AUTHOR: The Apostle John DATE: About A.D. 85

AUTHOR

THEME: arly church tradition attributes the Knowing God by Fourth Gospel to John “the beloved Believing in Jesus Christ disciple” (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20), who belonged to the KEY WORDS: “inner circle” of Jesus’ followers (see Matt. 17:1; Mark 13:3). Believe, Bear According to Christian writers of the second century, John Witness, Life moved to Ephesus, probably during the Jewish War of A.D. 66–70, where he continued his ministry. For instance, Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyons in the latter part of the second century, stated that “John, the disciple of the Lord, who also leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his residence in Ephesus in Asia” (Against Heresies 3.1.1). Some scholars suggest that John 19:35 and 21:24 may reflect another author who faithfully collected the apostle’s eyewitness account and testimonials. However, the bulk of the evidence, both internal and external, supports John the apostle as the author. AUTHOR

DATE

he same tradition that locates John in Ephesus suggests that he DATE wrote his Gospel in the latter part of the first century. In the absence of substantial evidence to the contrary, most scholars accept this tradition. PURPOSE

n a broad sense, John wrote to provide the Christians of the province of Asia (now in Asia Minor) with a fuller understanding of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. More specifically, he wrote to lead his readers to a settled faith on the basis of the words and works of Jesus, with the result that they “may have life in His name” (20:31). PURPOSE

JOHN AND THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS

hile John most likely knew of the other three Gospel accounts, he chose not to follow their chronological sequence of events as much as a topical order. In this case they may have used common oral and/or literary traditions. The broad outline is the same, and some particular events in Jesus’ ministry are common to all four books. Some of the distinctive differences are: 1) Instead of the familiar parables, John has lengthy discourses; 2) In place of the many miracles and healings in the Synoptics, John uses seven carefully picked miracles, which serve as “signs”; 3) The ministry of Jesus revolves around three Passover Feasts, instead of the one cited in the Synoptics; 4) The “I am” sayings are uniquely Johannine. JOHN AND THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS

CONTENT

ohn divides the ministry of Jesus into two distinct parts: chapters CONTENT 2—12 give insight into His public ministry, while chapters 13— 21 relate His private ministry to His disciples. In 1:1–18, called the “Prologue,” John deals with the theological implications of the first coming of Jesus. He shows Jesus’ preexistent state with God, His deity and essence, as well as His incarnation. CHRIST REVEALED

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JOHN

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he book presents Jesus as the only begotten Son of God who CHRIST REVEALED became flesh. For John, Jesus’ humanity meant essentially a twofold mission: 1) As the “Lamb of God” (1:29), He procured the redemption of mankind; 2) Through His life and ministry He revealed the Father. Christ consistently pointed beyond Himself to the Father who had sent Him and whom He sought to glorify. In fact, the very miracles Jesus performed, which John characterized as “signs,” bore testimony to the divine mission of the Son of God. As the Son glorified the Father in ministry and passion, so the Father glorified the Son. But, as John shows, the Son’s glorification came at the Crucifixion (12:32, 33), not only in the postresurrection exaltation. By believing that Jesus is the Christ, the readers of John’s Gospel become participants in the life Jesus brought out of death (20:31). THE HOLY SPIRIT AT WORK

nique to John is the designation of the Holy Spirit as “ComTHE HOLY SPIRIT AT WORK forter” or “Helper” (14:16), literally “one called alongside.” He is “another Helper,” namely, one of the same kind as Jesus, thereby extending the ministry of Jesus to the end of this age. It would be a grave error, however, to understand the Spirit’s purpose merely in terms of one needed in predicaments. On the contrary, John demonstrates that the Spirit’s role encompasses every facet of life. In regard to the world outside of Christ, He works as the agent who convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment (16:8–11). The experience of being “born of the Spirit” is descriptive of New Birth (3:6). Because God in essence is Spirit, those who worship Him must do so spiritually, that is, as directed and motivated by the Holy Spirit (4:24). Further, in anticipation of Pentecost, the Spirit becomes the divine enabler for authoritative ministry (20:21–23). The Holy Spirit also fulfills a definite function in relation to Christ. While the Father sent the Spirit in the name of Christ, the Spirit never draws attention to Himself, nor does He speak in His own authority. Instead, His mission is to glorify Jesus and to declare Christ’s teaching to the disciples (16:14). John reveals the function of the Holy Spirit in continuing the work of Jesus, leading believers into an understanding of the meanings, implications, and imperatives of the gospel, and enabling them to do “greater works” than those done by Jesus (14:12). Present-day believers in Christ may thus view Him as their contemporary, not merely as a figure from the distant past. PERSONAL APPLICATION

n seeking to fulfill his purpose as stated in 20:20, 31, John confronts his readers with claims of Jesus that demand a personal response. A positive response of faith in “Jesus . . . the Christ, the Son of God” results in “life in His name.” John records the assertion of Jesus that He came “that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly” (10:10), and he makes it clear that life is not an independent quality unrelated to God or to Christ. The knowledge of “the only true God and Jesus Christ” (17:3), which implies fellowship as well as intellectual understanding, is the key to the meaning of eternal life. PERSONAL APPLICATION

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1443 OUTLINE OF

JOHN Prologue

1:1–18

I. Jesus’ public ministry 1:19—12:50 A. Preparation 1:19–51 B. Wedding at Cana 2:1–12 C. Ministry in Jerusalem 2:13—3:36 D. Jesus and the Samaritan woman 4:1–42 E. Healing of the nobleman’s son 4:43–54 F. Sabbath healing at the pool of Bethesda 5:1–15 G. Honoring the Father and the Son 5:16–29 H. Witnesses to the Son 5:30–47 I. Ministry in Galilee 6:1–71 J. Conflict in Jerusalem 7:1—9:41 K. Jesus the Good Shepherd 10:1–42 L. Ministry at Bethany 11:1—12:11

The Eternal Word N the beginning awas the *Word, and the bWord was cwith God, and the Word was dGod. 2 aHe was in the beginning with God. 3 aAll things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 aIn Him was *life, and bthe life was the light of men. 5 And athe light shines in the *darkness, and the darkness did not 1comprehend it.

1:5 comprehend, katalambano (kat-al-am-ban-oh); Strong’s #2638: The word is capable of three interpretations: 1) To seize, lay hold of, overcome. As such, v. 5 could read, “The darkness does not gain control of it.” 2) To perceive,

J O H N 1:8 M. Triumphal entry to Jerusalem 12:12–19 N. Final rejection: unbelief 12:20–50 II. Jesus’ ministry to the disciples 13:1—17:26 A. Modeling servanthood 13:1–20 B. Pronouncements of betrayal and denial 13:21–38 C. Preparation for Jesus’ departure 14:1–31 D. Fruitfulness by abiding 15:1–17 E. Dealing with rejection 15:18—16:4 F. Understanding Jesus’ departure 16:5–33 G. Jesus’ prayer for His disciples 17:1–26 III. Jesus’ passion and resurrection 18:1—21:23 A. Jesus’ arrest 18:1–14 B. Trial before the high priest 18:15–27 C. Trial before Pilate 18:28—19:16 D. Crucifixion and burial 19:17–42 E. Resurrection and appearances 20:1—21:23 Epilogue 21:24, 25

CHAPTER 1 1 a1 John 1:1 bRev. 19:13 c[John 17:5] d[1 John 5:20] *See WW at Acts 19:20. 2 aGen. 1:1 3 a[Col. 1:16, 17] 4 a[1 John 5:11] bJohn 8:12; 9:5; 12:46 *See WW at 1 John 5:20. 5 a[John 3:19] 1Or overcome *See WW at John 12:46. 6 aMatt. 3:1–17 *See WW at John 20:21. 7 aJohn 3:25–36; 5:33–35 b[John 3:16] *See WW at Acts 26:22. 8 aIs. 9:2; 49:6

1:1 In the beginning: An allusion to Gen. 1:1, with the intention of linking Jesus the Word with the God of creation. The event of Jesus’ incarnation, therefore, had cosmic significance. The Word is Jesus Christ, the eternal, ultimate expression of God. In the OT God spoke the world into existence; in the gospel God spoke His final word through the living Word, His Son. The phrase “the Word was God” attributes deity to the Word without defining all of the Godhead as “the Word.”

attain, lay hold of with the mind; to apprehend with mental or moral effort. With this meaning the verse could be translated, “The darkness is unreceptive and does not understand it.” 3) To quench, extinguish, snuff out the light by stifling it. “The darkness will never be able to eliminate it.” Light and darkness essentially are antagonistic. The Christian’s joy is in knowing that light is not only greater than darkness but will also outlast the darkness.

John’s Witness: The True Light 6 There was a aman *sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a awitness,* to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might bbelieve. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that aLight.

1:3 John declares that Jesus was the divine agent who was responsible for the entire creation. 1:4, 5 Life and light belong to John’s fundamental vocabulary in describing the essence and mission of the incarnate Word. 1:6–11 John’s Gospel records various testimonies concerning Christ, showing that faith in Him is based upon evidence. The witness of John the Baptist, as well as the other evidence,

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J O H N 1:9 9 aThat1 was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and athe world did not *know Him. 11 aHe came to His 1own, and His 2own did not receive Him. 12 But aas many as received Him, to them He gave the 1right* to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 awho were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. The Word Becomes Flesh 14 aAnd the Word bbecame cflesh* and dwelt among us, and dwe beheld His *glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, efull of grace and truth. 15 aJohn bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, b‘He who comes after me 1is preferred before me, cfor He was before me.’ ” 16 1And of His afullness* we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For athe law was given through Moses, but bgrace and ctruth* came through Jesus Christ. 18 aNo one has seen God at any time. bThe only begotten 1Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. A Voice in the Wilderness 19 Now this is athe testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 aHe confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you athe Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself ?” 23 He said: a“I am

1444 9 aIs. 49:6 1Or That was the true Light which, coming into the world, gives light to every man. 10 aHeb. 1:2 *See WW at John 8:32. 11 a[Luke 19:14] 1His own things or domain 2His own people 12 aGal. 3:26 1authority *See WW at Mark 3:15. 13 a[1 Pet. 1:23] 14 aRev. 19:13 bGal. 4:4 cHeb. 2:11 dIs. 40:5 e[John 8:32; 14:6; 18:37] *See WW at Matt. 26:41. • See WW at John 2:11. 15 aJohn 3:32 b[Matt. 3:11] c[Col. 1:17] 1ranks higher than I 16 a[Col. 1:19; 2:9] 1NU For *See WW at Eph. 3:19. 17 a[Ex. 20:1] b[Rom. 5:21; 6:14] c[John 8:32; 14:6; 18:37] *See WW at John 4:24. 18 aEx. 33:20 b1 John 4:9 1NU God 19 aJohn 5:33 20 aLuke 3:15 21 aDeut. 18:15, 18 23 aMatt. 3:3 bIs. 40:3 26 aMatt. 3:11 bMal. 3:1 27 aActs 19:4 1ranks higher than I 28 aJudg. 7:24 1NU, M Bethany 29 aRev. 5:6–14 b[1 Pet. 2:24] *See WW at John 16:22.

makes the world’s rejection of Jesus inexcusable. The phrase coming into the world (v. 9) refers to Christ, not to every man. By His coming He has become the true Light to those who believe, but He is also that Light that, in a general sense, enlightens the human conscience and thereby makes all mankind responsible before God (Rom. 1:19, 20). 1:13 The New Birth does not come by physical descent, human effort, or human volition, but by the power of God. 1:14 Dwelt literally means “tabernacled.” The analogy is that of the tabernacle in the wilderness when God pitched His tent among those of the Hebrews and manifested His glory there, so Jesus identified Himself with humanity by becoming flesh . . . and we beheld His glory. 1:16 The fact that John states that grace comes from His fullness teaches that grace is more than God’s disposition or impersonal favor. It is God meeting us at our point of need in the Person of Jesus Christ, including all His power and provision.

b‘The voice of one crying in the

wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, saying, a“I baptize with water, bbut there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 a“It is He who, coming after me, 1is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” 28 These things were done ain 1Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The Lamb of God 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! aThe Lamb of God bwho *takes away the sin of the world! 1:29 sin, hamartia (ham-ar-teeah); Strong’s #266: Literally, “missing the mark,” failure, offense, taking the wrong course, wrongdoing, sin, guilt. The NT uses the word in a generic sense for concrete wrongdoing (8:34, 46; 2 Cor. 11:7; James 1:15); as a principle and quality of action (Rom. 5:12, 13, 20; Heb. 3:13); and as a sinful deed (Matt. 12:31; Acts 7:60; 1 John 5:16).

30 “This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who 1is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 “I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, atherefore I came baptizing with water.” 32 aAnd John bore witness, saying, “I saw the *Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 30 1ranks higher than I 31 aMatt. 3:6 *See WW at Rom. 7:6.

32 aMark 1:10

1:17 The law: See text and notes on Rom. 7:1–25. 1:18 Only begotten describes the unique, loving relationship of the Son with the Father. See note on 3:16. 1:23 John prepared the way for the Messiah by his call to repentance. The quote from Isaiah depicts preparations made in advance of a king’s visit to a province of his realm. The road is smoothed and leveled. 1:24 The Pharisees: See note on Matt.16:6. 1:25–27 All John could do was administer the sign; only the Messiah can bestow that which is signified—the cleansing, renewing power of the Holy Spirit. 1:29 The sacrificial language of John’s declaration is taken from the OT and points to the universal scope of Christ’s mission. Clearly, this was not an awareness that gradually dawned upon Jesus, but one that shaped His entire earthly ministry from the start. See notes on Lev. 4:3; 16:8.

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The First Disciples 35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, a“Behold the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they afollowed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was aAndrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the 1Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of 1Jonah. aYou shall be

33 aMatt. 3:11 *See WW at Acts 7:33. 34 aJohn 11:27 36 aJohn 1:29 37 aMatt. 4:20, 22 40 aMatt. 4:18 41 1Lit. Anointed One 42 aMatt. 16:18 1NU John 2Gr. Petros, usually translated Peter

43 aJohn 6:5; 12:21, 22; 14:8, 9 44 aJohn 12:21 45 aJohn 21:2 bLuke 24:27 c[Zech. 6:12] d[Matt. 2:23] eLuke 3:23 46 aJohn 7:41, 42, 52 47 aPs. 32:2; 73:1 49 aMatt. 14:33 bMatt. 21:5 51 aGen. 28:12 1NU omits hereafter

1:33 John’s witness was reliable because it came by divine revelation. As the Lamb of God, Jesus justifies us and takes away sin (v. 29); as the baptizer with the Holy Spirit, He fills us and endues us with an enabling power. 1:35–42 Jesus called His first disciples from among those who also followed John the Baptist. Since only Andrew is named as one of the first two disciples (v. 40), the other was probably John, the author of this Gospel. 1:46 Nathanael is not insulting Nazareth. Rather he knows that Nazareth seems too obscure, and further, is not the prophesied birthplace of the Messiah; so he voices his difficulty in accepting Philip’s assertion. 1:47–51 Jesus’ supernatural insight into Nathanael’s character convinces this “true Israelite” that he has been confronted by the Son of God, the King of Israel. Even through the facade of Nathanael’s skepticism, Jesus discerned his transparency of spirit.

J O H N 1:51 called Cephas” (which is translated, 2A Stone). Philip and Nathanael 43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found aPhilip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now aPhilip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found aNathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom bMoses in the law, and also the cprophets, wrote— Jesus dof Nazareth, the eson of Joseph.” 46 And Nathanael said to him, a“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, aan Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, aYou are the Son of God! You are bthe King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ahereafter1 you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

? Exact location questionable

Mediterranean

Sea

Nazareth Scythopolis Aenon? Salim? SAMARIA

Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee to be baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. After His temptation in the wilderness around Jericho, Jesus returned to Galilee.

JUDEA

Wi ld of erne Ju de ss a

Jericho Jerusalem

B A P T I S M A N D T E M P T A T I O N

40 Mi. 40 Km.

GALILEE

DECAPOLIS

J ord an R.

33 “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, athis is He who baptizes with the *Holy Spirit.’ 34 “And I have seen and testified that this is the aSon of God.”

PEREA

Bethabara

Dead Sea

Machaerus

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J O H N 2:1 Water Turned to Wine On the third day there was a awedding in bCana of Galilee, and the cmother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 Jesus said to her, a“Woman, bwhat does your concern have to do with Me? cMy hour has not yet come.” ➂ 5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” 6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, aaccording to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had *tasted athe water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” 11 This abeginning of *signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, band 1manifested His glory; and His *disciples believed in Him.

2:11 glory, doxa (dox-ah); Strong’s #1391: Compare “doxology,” “paradox,” “heterodoxy,” and “orthodoxy.” Originally, an opinion or estimation in which one is held. Then the word came to denote the reputation, good standing, and esteem given to a person. It progressed to honor or glory given to peoples, nations, and individuals. The NT doxa

1446 CHAPTER 2 1 a[Heb. 13:4] bJosh. 19:28 cJohn 19:25 4 aJohn 19:26 b2 Sam. 16:10 cJohn 7:6, 8, 30; 8:20 6 aMatt. 15:2; [Mark 7:3; Luke 11:39]; John 3:25 9 aJohn 4:46 *See WW at John 8:52. 11 aJohn 4:54 b[John 1:14] 1revealed *See WW at Rev. 16:14. • See WW at Matt. 10:1.

12 aMatt. 4:13; John 4:46 bMatt. 12:46; 13:55 13 aEx. 12:14; Deut. 16:1–6; John 5:1; 6:4; 11:55 14 aMal. 3:1; Matt. 21:12; Mark 11:15, 17; Luke 19:45 1Lit. sitting 16 aLuke 2:49 17 aPs. 69:9 1NU, M will eat *See WW at 2 Cor. 11:2. 18 aMatt. 12:38; John 6:30 19 aMatt. 26:61; 27:40; [Mark 14:58; 15:29]; Luke 24:46; Acts 6:14; 10:40; 1 Cor. 15:4 21 a[Col. 2:9; Heb. 8:2; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16] 22 aLuke 24:8; John 2:17; 12:16; 14:26 1NU, M omit to them 23 a[John 5:36; Acts 2:22]

2:1 Cana of Galilee was located about 8 miles northeast of Nazareth. According to 21:2, Cana was the home of Nathanael. 2:4 The title woman does not convey a lack of respect or affection. It was used in addressing people of rank. Some think Mary wanted Jesus to take this occasion to present Himself openly as the Messiah. However, it is not necessary to suppose she meant anything more than that Jesus assist her in arranging for the supplying of the wine by natural means, since many believe this was probably a relative’s wedding. 2:5 See section 3 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 2:11 As a sign, the miracle was not meant to draw attention to itself; rather, it was intended to demonstrate the power and glory of Jesus. All the miracles related by John testify to the deity of Christ. 2:13–17 This event took place at the holiest site in Israel and at

becomes splendor, radiance, and majesty centered in Jesus. Here doxa is the majestic, absolute perfection residing in Christ and evidenced by the miracles He performed.

12 After this He went down to aCapernaum, He, His mother, bHis brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days. Jesus Cleanses the Temple 13 aNow the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 aAnd He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers 1doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make aMy Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, a“Zeal* for Your house 1has eaten Me up.” 18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, a“What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” 19 Jesus answered and said to them, a“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken fortysix years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking aof the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, aHis disciples remembered that He had said this 1to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. The Discerner of Hearts 23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the asigns which He did.

the most solemn time of the year, when pilgrims thronged Jerusalem. The synoptic Gospels record a second cleansing of the temple near the end of Jesus’ ministry. Interpreted in the light of the messianic prophecy of Ps. 69:9 (v. 17), the incident strengthened the conviction of the disciples that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. See note on Matt. 21:12. 2:20 Herod the Great undertook a massive expansion and beautification of the temple in 20 B.C., so it was now about A.D. 26. 2:23–25 Jesus’ knowledge of human nature pierces the superficiality of faith in Him on account of His miracles. 2:23 The Passover: See text and notes on Ex. 12:1–11. Many believed in His name: Since the “name” represents the person, no qualitative difference exists between this expression and “believes in Him” (3:16).

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1447 24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He aknew all men, 25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for aHe knew what was in man. The New Birth There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 aThis man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for bno one can do these signs that You do unless cGod is with him.” to him, “Most ➅ 3 Jesus answered and said assuredly, I say to you, aunless one is born 1again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, aunless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

3:1–5 New Birth, THE MESSAGE OF THE KINGDOM. Upon repentance, a new order of life opens to the believer in Jesus Christ. Jesus used the figure of “new birth” to dramatically indicate three things: 1) Without New Birth, there is no life and no relationship with God (14:6). 2) In New Birth, new perspective comes as we “see the kingdom of God” (3:3), God’s Word becomes clear, and the Holy Spirit’s works and wonders are believed and experienced—faith is alive. 3) Through New Birth we are introduced—literally we “enter” (v. 5)—to a new realm, where God’s new kingdom order can be realized (2 Cor. 5:17). New Birth is more than simply being “saved.” It is a requalifying experience, opening up the possibilities of our whole being to the supernatural dimension of life and fitting us for a beginning in God’s kingdom order. (Matt. 3:1, 2; 4:17/Matt. 13:1–52) J.W.H.

24 aMatt. 9:4; John 16:30; Rev. 2:23 25 a1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Chr. 28:9; Matt. 9:4; [Mark 2:8]; John 6:64; 16:30; Acts 1:24; Rev. 2:23 CHAPTER 3 2 aJohn 7:50; 19:39 bJohn 9:16, 33; Acts 2:22 c[Acts 10:38] 3 a[John 1:13; Gal. 6:15; Titus 3:5; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23; 1 John 3:9] 1Or from above 5 aMark 16:16; [Acts 2:38] 6 aJohn 1:13; 1 Cor. 15:50 *See WW at Rom. 7:6. 8 aPs. 135:7; Eccl. 11:5; Ezek. 37:9; 1 Cor. 2:11 9 aJohn 6:52, 60 11 a[Matt. 11:27] bJohn 3:32; 8:14 13 aDeut. 30:12; Prov. 30:4; Acts 2:34; Rom. 10:6; 1 Cor. 15:47; Eph. 4:9 1NU omits who is in heaven 14 aNum. 21:9 bMatt. 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:33; John 8:28; 12:34; 19:18 *See WW at James 4:10. 15 aJohn 6:47 bJohn 3:36 1NU omits not perish but 16 aRom. 5:8; Eph. 2:4; 2 Thess. 2:16; [1 John 4:9, 10; Rev. 1:5] b[Is. 9:6] *See WW at Rom. 10:9. • See WW at Luke 9:56.

3:1 Nicodemus (“Conqueror of the People”) was an influential and respected member of the Sanhedrin. As a Pharisee, Nicodemus was thoroughly trained in Jewish law and theology; Jesus therefore called him a “teacher of Israel” (3:10). 3:2 Nicodemus may have come to Jesus at night because he was fearful of losing his reputation and position. More likely he was a particular example of those mentioned in 2:23; if so, his night visit would indicate a lack of certainty that Jesus was the Messiah Himself. 3:3, 4 The Greek word translated again can also be rendered “from above.” Nicodemus clearly understood it in the former sense, whereas Jesus had both meanings in mind. To enter the kingdom of God, one must be born again, not by experiencing a second biological birth but by spiritual birth from above. 3:3 See section 6 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John.

J O H N 3:16 6 “That which is born of the flesh is aflesh, and that which is born of the *Spirit is spirit. 7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 a“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, a“How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 a“Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and byou do not receive Our witness. 12 “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 a“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man 1who is in heaven. 14 a“And as Moses *lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so bmust the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 “that whoever abelieves in Him should 1not perish but bhave eternal life. 16 a“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten bSon, that whoever *believes in Him should not *perish but have everlasting life. 3:16 loved, agapao (ag-ah-pahoh); Strong’s #25: Unconditional love, love by choice and by an act of the will. The word denotes unconquerable benevolence and undefeatable goodwill. Agapao will never seek anything but the highest good for fellow mankind. Agapao (the verb) and agape (the noun) are the words for God’s unconditional love. It does not need a chemistry, an affinity, or a feeling. Agapao is a word that exclusively belongs to the Christian community. It is a love virtually unknown to writers outside the NT.

3:5 Water may refer to physical birth. The Hebrews used terms such as “water” and “drop” in describing natural birth, and such an explanation fits the context. However, some see a reference to the faith that is expressed in water baptism (not “for” but “because of” salvation). Spirit refers to the spiritual birth brought about by the renewing and transforming power of the Holy Spirit. 3:14 The deliverance from sin described in Num. 21:4–9 is a type of the Crucifixion. 3:16 The theme of this summary of the gospel is God’s love made manifest in an infinitely glorious manner. Only begotten can also be translated “unique” and is often used interchangeably with “beloved” (see Matt. 3:17). The remainder of John’s Gospel is given to demonstrating Jesus’ unique relationship to the Father.

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J O H N 3:17 17 a“For God did not send His Son into the world to *condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be *saved. 18 a“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 “And this is the condemnation, athat the light has come into the world, and men loved *darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 “For aeveryone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 “But he Who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been adone in God.” 3:21 been done, ergazomai (ergad-zom-ahee); Strong’s #2038: Compare “energy.” To work, be busy, accomplish something, carry on a trade, produce things, be engaged in, toil, perform, to do business. Ergazomai is the opposite of idleness, laziness, or inactivity.

John the Baptist Exalts Christ 22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them aand baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near aSalim, because there was much water there. bAnd they came and were baptized. 24 For aJohn had not yet been thrown into prison. 25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, ato whom you have testified— behold, He is baptizing, and all bare coming to Him!” 27 John answered and said, a“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 “You yourselves bear me witness, that I

1448 17 aLuke 9:56 *See WW at John 18:31. • See WW at Luke 7:50. 18 aJohn 5:24; 6:40, 47; 20:31 19 a[John 1:4, 9–11] *See WW at Luke 11:35. 20 aEph. 5:11, 13 21 a1 Cor. 15:10 22 aJohn 4:1, 2 23 a1 Sam. 9:4 bMatt. 3:5, 6 24 aMatt. 4:12; 14:3 26 aJohn 1:7, 15, 27, 34 bMark 2:2; 3:10; 5:24 27 a1 Cor. 3:5, 6; 4:7 28 aJohn 1:19–27 bMal. 3:1

29 a[2 Cor. 11:2] bSong 5:1 30 a[Is. 9:7] 31 aJohn 3:13; 8:23 bMatt. 28:18 c1 Cor. 15:47 dJohn 6:33 32 aJohn 3:11; 15:15 33 a1 John 5:10 *See WW at Rom. 3:4. 34 aJohn 7:16 bJohn 1:16 35 a[Heb. 2:8] 36 aJohn 3:16, 17; 6:47 bRom. 1:18 CHAPTER 4 1 aJohn 3:22, 26 5 aGen. 33:19 bGen. 48:22 9 aActs 10:28 b2 Kin. 17:24

3:22 Jesus baptized in water by means of His disciples (see 4:2). 3:29 The friend of the bridegroom was John the Baptist himself. His great joy was being privileged, as forerunner, to prepare the people for the heavenly Bridegroom. 3:31 John contrasts his own role with that of Jesus, asserting the supremacy of Jesus. 3:32–36 The testimony of Jesus is true and should be accepted as such. He Himself is of divine origin; He taught from His own divine experience. He received the Spirit in fullness, with nothing held back, and He alone has universal authority. However, since this enduement of the Holy Spirit is given to He whom God has sent, 20:21 would suggest a similar unlimited resource of Holy Spirit fullness is available to obedient disciples of His (Jesus).

said, a‘I am not the Christ,’ but, b‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29 a“He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but bthe friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30 a“He must increase, but I must decrease. 31 a“He who comes from above bis above all; che who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. dHe who comes from heaven is above all. 32 “And awhat He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33 “He who has received His testimony ahas certified that God is *true. 34 a“For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit bby measure. 35 a“The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36 a“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the bwrath of God abides on him.” A Samaritan Woman Meets Her Messiah Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and abaptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that aJacob bgave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For aJews have no dealings with bSamaritans.

4:4 The need to go through Samaria was not merely a geographical consideration, but a divine compulsion. 4:5 The exact location of Sychar is uncertain, but it likely was in the vicinity of Shechem. See Gen. 33:18, 19; Josh. 24:32. 4:6 By Jewish reckoning, the sixth hour was 12:00 noon; by Roman reckoning, it was 6:00 A.M. or 6:00 P.M. 4:9 John inserts an explanatory note about the hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans, who were a mixed race, the result of Assyrians intermarrying with Jews who had stayed behind in the northern territory following Israel’s demise (see 2 Kin. 17:24–41). Jews have no dealings with Samaritans does not mean Jews did not interact or share commerce (see v. 8) with Samaritans. Rather, Jews did not share eating or drinking vessels with them.

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1449 4:4–9 Sensitivity, RECONCILIATION. Jesus’ sense of constraint (“needed”) and choice to travel through Samaria (an area shunned by the Jews) demonstrates great intentionality in reaching out with reconciling love. He reaches out with a divine love and a human sensitivity to a woman who was of a different race and whose morals were questionable. This is consistent with Jesus’ frequent “reachings”: Breaking the mold of the traditionally “religious,” He became a “friend” of tax collectors and the generally sinful who were not only loathed by the supposedly “righteous,” but were thought to be unworthy of attention (Luke 5:27–31). Jesus gave time and energy to relationships, which sometimes meant experiencing pain and loss (John 11:35, 38). In 4:4–9, He provides yet another life quality for us to emulate: He calls us to enter intentionally and sensitively into the experiences of other brothers and sisters in Christ, even if they are different from us—culturally, ethnically, or denominationally.

10 a[Rom. 5:15] bIs. 12:3; 44:3; Jer. 2:13; Zech. 13:1; 14:8; John 7:38 14 a[John 6:35, 58] bJohn 7:37, 38 *See WW at Matt. 28:20. • See WW at Rev. 14:6. 15 aJohn 6:34, 35; 17:2, 3; [Rom. 6:23; 1 John 5:20]

4:24 truth, aletheia (al-ay-thiah); Strong’s #225: Derived from negative, a, and lanthano, “to be hidden,” “to escape notice.” (Compare “latent,” “lethargy,” “lethal.”) Aletheia is the opposite of fictitious, feigned, or false. It denotes veracity, reality, sincerity, accuracy, integrity, truthfulness, dependability, and propriety.

(Ruth 1:16, 17/Matt. 20:25–28) R.W./B.Mc.

10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the agift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you bliving water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 “Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 “but awhoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will *never thirst. But the water that I shall give him bwill become in him a fountain of water springing up into *everlasting life.” 15 aThe woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’

J O H N 4:24 18 “for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, aI perceive that You are a prophet. 20 “Our fathers worshiped on athis mountain, and you Jews say that in bJerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, ➁ the hour is coming awhen you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 “You worship awhat you do not know; we know what we worship, for bsalvation* is of the Jews. 23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will aworship* the Father in bspirit cand truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 a“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

19 aMatt. 21:11; Luke 7:16, 39; 24:19; John 6:14; 7:40; 9:17 20 aGen.12:6–8; 33:18, 20; Judg. 9:7 bDeut. 12:5, 11; 1 Kin. 9:3; 2 Chr. 7:12; Ps. 122:1–9 21 a[Mal. 1:11]; 1 Tim. 2:8 22 a[2 Kin. 17:28–41] b[Is. 2:3; Luke 24:47; Rom. 3:1; 9:4, 5] *See WW at Luke 19:9. 23 aMatt. 18:20; [Heb. 13:10–14] bPhil. 3:3 c[John 1:17] *See WW at Rev. 4:10. 24 a2 Cor. 3:17

4:13, 14 In him a fountain indicates “living water” (v. 10) as a great illustration of regeneration into everlasting life. Compare with 7:37–39. 4:20 This mountain refers to Mt. Gerizim, on which the Samaritans built a temple as a rival place of worship, since they were not welcome in the Jerusalem temple (see v. 21).

4:23, 24 Honest Worship, PRAISE AND WORSHIP. It is the believer’s responsibility to discover how the Lord wants to be worshiped and to explore and cultivate a relationship with Him out of which sincere, Holy Spiritenabled worship will flow. Jesus instructs it; worship in “spirit”—that is, alive through new birth (John 1:12, 13; 3:6, 7) and aglow with Holy Spirit enablement (1 Cor. 14:15). This is not mechanical, rote, or merely human activity but dynamically capacitated spiritual action. “In truth” emphasizes biblical integrity joined to personal honesty, manifest in a heart of sincerity, a humble manner of transparency, and a relational integrity. Meaning and being what we say, as well as being spiritually energized in our worship, opens the way to that worship the Father seeks. (Is. 61:3/Phil. 3:3) L.B.

4:21–24 See section 2 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 4:21–24 What matters is not where one worships but the attitude of heart and mind. True worship is not mere form and ceremony but spiritual reality, which is in harmony with the nature of God, who is Spirit. Worship must also be in truth, that is, transparent, sincere, and according to biblical mandates.

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J O H N 4:25 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah ais coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, bHe will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, a“I who speak to you am He.”

1450 25 aDeut. 18:15 bJohn 4:29, 39 26 aDan. 9:25; Matt. 26:63, 64; Mark 14:61, 62 28 *See WW at Mark 1:20. 29 aJohn 4:25

The Whitened Harvest 27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” 28 The woman then *left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man awho told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 4:28, 29 An Empowered Witness (Woman of Samaria), BIBLICAL WOMEN. Considering 1) the ongoing contempt of Jews for Samaritans (v. 9); 2) the reputation of the woman (v. 18); and 3) the cultural restrictions of male and female interaction (v. 27), this scenario becomes a classic lesson in God’s redemptive action. Jesus’ initiative forgives, restores, and empowers a woman, who persuades men to heed a Jewish Messiah! Our Savior’s grace, seen in this woman of Samaria, illustrates how past overt or covert prejudices, beliefs, practices, and exposures need not confine or destroy the potential of a person. A transformed woman became a great evangelistic influence as many Samaritans respond to Jesus as Messiah (vv. 29–30, 39–41). An added lesson of significance is to see the Savior reaching out to those deemed different or indifferent, teaching the value of our affirming the worth of all people. An unnamed Samaritan woman received lifechanging revelation that had eluded many rabbinical scholars (1 Cor. 1:26–29)—spiritual insight that propelled to another dimension, perceiving Jesus as “a prophet” (John 4:19), and then as “the Christ” (v. 29). She is a model of how true revelation may translate into a powerful witness. (Luke 1:26–56/Acts 9:36) B.A.

30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him. 31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”

34 aPs. 40:7, 8; Heb. 10:9 bJob 23:12; [John 6:38; 17:4; 19:30] *See WW at 1 John 2:5. 35 aGen. 8:22 bMatt. 9:37; Luke 10:2 36 aDan. 12:3; Rom. 6:22 b1 Thess. 2:19 *See WW at Rev. 22:12. 37 a1 Cor. 3:5–9 *See WW at John 14:16. 38 aJer. 44:4; [1 Pet. 1:12] 39 aJohn 4:29 41 aLuke 4:32; [John 6:63] 42 aJohn 17:8; 1 John 4:14 1NU omits the Christ 44 aMatt. 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24 45 aJohn 2:13, 23; 3:2 bDeut. 16:16

4:27 The Jews considered it improper for a rabbi to speak to a woman in public. 4:35 The statement concerning four months was probably a

32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, a“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to bfinish* His work. 35 “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes athe harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, bfor they are already white for harvest! 36 a“And he who reaps receives *wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that bboth he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 “For in this the saying is true: a‘One sows and *another reaps.’ 38 “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; aothers have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” The Savior of the World 39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him abecause of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own aword. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for awe ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed 1the Christ, the Savior of the world.” 4:42 Savior, soter (so-tare); Strong’s #4990: Compare “soteriology,” the doctrine of salvation. From the same root as sodzo, “to save,” and soteria, “salvation.” The word designates a deliverer, preserver, savior, benefactor, rescuer. It is used to describe both God the Father and Jesus the Son.

Welcome at Galilee 43 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For aJesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, ahaving seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; bfor they also had gone to the feast.

proverb signifying that there is no need to rush in performing a task.

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1451 A Nobleman’s Son Healed 46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee awhere He had made the water wine. And there was a certain 1nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, a“Unless you people see signs and *wonders, you will by no means believe.” 49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!” 52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. 54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee. A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda After athis there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus bwent up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem aby the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, 1Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, 1paralyzed, 2waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and *stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.

46 aJohn 2:1, 11 1royal official 48 aJohn 6:30; Rom. 15:19; 1 Cor. 1:22; 2 Cor. 12:12; [2 Thess. 2:9]; Heb. 2:4 *See WW at Acts 15:12. CHAPTER 5 1 aLev. 23:2; Deut. 16:16 bJohn 2:13 2 aNeh. 3:1, 32; 12:39 1NU Bethzatha 3 1withered 2NU omits the rest of v. 3 and all of v. 4. 4 *See WW at Luke 24:38.

8 aMatt. 9:6; Mark 2:11; Luke 5:24 9 aJohn 9:14 10 aEx. 20:10; Neh. 13:19; Jer. 17:21, 22; Matt. 12:2; Mark 2:24; Luke 6:2 *See WW at Matt. 12:22. 13 aLuke 13:14; 22:51 14 aMatt. 12:45; [Mark 2:5]; John 8:11

4:46–54 The healing of the nobleman’s son not only demonstrates Jesus’ power to heal, but it underscores the principle that He did not regard signs and wonders as ends in themselves. Rather, they were at the very least intended to bring the recipients of the miracle to faith in Christ. 5:1 John did not identify this particular feast, and it is impossible to determine which one it was. If it was the Passover, it introduces an important chronological device helping provide a clearer calendaring of Jesus’ three and one-half years of ministry. 5:2 Sheep Gate: Literally, the gate “pertaining to sheep.” Based on a later Christian tradition, the KJV incorrectly rendered it “sheep market.” Bethesda: The Hebrew beth ’eshda literally means “Place of Outpouring,” or “House of Grace.” Today the

J O H N 5:15 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, a“Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And athat day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was *cured, “It is the Sabbath; ait is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” 11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ” 12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 But the one who was ahealed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 5:13 withdrawn, ekneuo (eknyoo-oh); Strong’s #1593: Literally “to bend the head aside.” To shun, avoid, turn aside, withdraw, retire. Used only here in the NT, ekneuo describes Jesus leaving the premises after healing the lame man. Although some believe that Jesus slipped away to escape danger, others believe that He was avoiding audience applause or the crisis precipitated with the religious order by healing a man on the Sabbath.

14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. aSin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” 15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

pool is identified with practical certainty as the double pool at the Church of St. Anne. 5:3–15 Except for the duration of the man’s illness, John’s emphasis is not as much on the medical details of the case, as on the supernatural cure, its consequences, and its testimony to Christ’s life-giving power. 5:4 The last phrase of v. 3 and all of v. 4 are omitted in some ancient Greek manuscripts of John (see marginal note). The statements may reflect a popular tradition associated with the pool that the bubbling of the waters (v. 7), which some scholars feel was caused by an intermittent spring, was supernaturally caused by an angel. Irrespective of the source of the waters being stirred, the testimony of God’s healing grace was nonetheless present.

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J O H N 5:16 Honor the Father and the Son ➂ 16 For1 this reason the Jews apersecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, a“My Father has been *working until now, and I have been working.” 18 Therefore the Jews asought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, bmaking Himself equal with God. 19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, athe Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 “For athe Father *loves the Son, and bshows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater *works than these, that you may marvel. 21 “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, aeven so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 “For the Father judges no one, but ahas committed all *judgment to the Son, 23 “that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. aHe who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Life and Judgment Are Through the Son 24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, ahe who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, bbut has passed from death into life. 25 “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when athe dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 “For aas the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have blife in Himself, 27 “and ahas given Him authority to execute judgment also, bbecause He is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will ahear His voice 29 a“and come forth—bthose who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 30 a“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear,

1452 16 aJohn 8:37; 10:39 1NU omits and sought to kill Him 17 a[John 9:4; 17:4] *See WW at John 3:21. 18 aJohn 7:1, 19 bJohn 10:30 19 aJohn 5:30; 6:38; 8:28; 12:49; 14:10 20 aMatt. 3:17 b[Matt. 11:27] *See WW at John 21:15. • See WW at John 9:4. 21 a[John 11:25] 22 a[Acts 17:31] *See WW at Matt. 5:22. 23 a1 John 2:23 24 aJohn 3:16, 18; 6:47 b[1 John 3:14] 25 a[Col. 2:13] 26 aPs. 36:9 b1 Cor. 15:45 27 a[Acts 10:42; 17:31] bDan. 7:13 28 a[1 Thess. 4:15–17] 29 aIs. 26:19 bDan. 12:2 30 aJohn 5:19 bMatt. 26:39 *See WW at Matt. 1:19.

31 aJohn 8:14 1valid as testimony 32 a[Matt. 3:17] 33 a[John 1:15, 19, 27, 32] 35 a2 Pet. 1:19 bMark 6:20 *See WW at Matt. 8:2. 36 a1 John 5:9 bJohn 3:2; 10:25; 17:4 cJohn 9:16; 10:38 37 aMatt. 3:17 b1 John 4:12 39 aIs. 8:20; 34:16 bLuke 24:27 40 a[John 1:11; 3:19] 41 a1 Thess. 2:6

5:16–23 See section 3 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 5:16–18 If Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath evoked the wrath of the Jewish religious leaders, His claim to equality with God earned Him their charge of blasphemy and its necessary death sentence. From this point on, Jesus was on a collision course with the authorities. 5:19–23 Jesus did not act independently of the Father. On the contrary, He understood that, because He and the Father were one, He did only what His Father showed Him. Jesus’ authority, then,

I judge; and My judgment is *righteous, because bI do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. The Fourfold Witness 31 a“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not 1true. 32 a“There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. 33 “You have sent to John, aand he has borne witness to the truth. 34 “Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. 35 “He was the burning and ashining lamp, and byou were *willing for a time to rejoice in his light. 36 “But aI have a greater witness than John’s; for bthe works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very cworks that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, ahas testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, bnor seen His form. 38 “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 a“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and bthese are they which testify of Me. 5:39 Scriptures, graphe (grafay); Strong’s #1124: Compare “graph,” “graphic,” “biography,” “autograph.” A document, anything written, holy writ, the Scriptures. Graphe points to the divine author with the idea that what is written remains forever identified as the living voice of God. While some scholars restrict graphe to the OT writings, 2 Pet. 3:16 includes the NT writings.

40 a“But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. 41 a“I do not receive honor from men. 42 “But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 “I have come in My Father’s name, and

was not usurped, but derived from the Father’s authority. Conversely, one cannot honor the Father apart from honoring the Son. 5:24–47 Jesus addresses the entire discourse of His relationship to the Father to those who accused Him of blasphemy. In the discourse Jesus’ love even for His enemies is made clear, a love which He balances with His role as eschatological Judge (see Rev. 20:11–15). While His desire is for them to be saved (v. 34), their problem is not that they cannot believe but that they are unwilling to accept His offer of life (v. 40).

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1453 you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 a“How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek bthe honor that comes from the only God? 45 “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; athere is one who accuses you— Moses, in whom you trust. 46 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; afor he wrote about Me. 47 “But if you ado not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” Feeding the Five Thousand After athese things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of bTiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were adiseased.1 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. 4 aNow the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. ➄ 5 aThen Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to bPhilip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to *test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. 7 Philip answered Him, a“Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” 8 One of His disciples, aAndrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, abut what are they among so many?” 10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them 1to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

44 aJohn 12:43 b[Rom. 2:29] 45 aRom. 2:12 46 a[Gen. 3:15]; Deut. 18:15, 18; John 1:45; Acts 26:22 47 aLuke 16:29, 31 CHAPTER 6 1 aMatt. 14:13; Mark 6:32; Luke 9:10, 12 bJohn 6:23; 21:1 2 aMatt. 4:23; 8:16; 9:35; 14:36; 15:30; 19:2 1sick 4 aLev. 23:5, 7; Deut. 16:1; John 2:13 5 aMatt. 14:14; Mark 6:35; Luke 9:12 bJohn 1:43 6 *See WW at Rev. 2:10. 7 aNum. 11:21, 22 8 aJohn 1:40 9 a2 Kin. 4:43 11 1NU omits to the disciples, and the disciples

12 *See WW at Matt. 25:29. 14 aGen. 49:10; Deut. 18:15, 18; John 1:21; 7:40; Acts 3:22; 7:37 15 a[John 18:36] *See WW at 1 Thess. 4:17. 16 aMatt. 14:23; Mark 6:47 17 *See WW at John 12:46. 19 aMatt. 17:6 1Lit. 25 or 30 stadia 20 aIs. 43:1, 2

6:1 John identifies the Sea of Galilee with the name by which it was called when he wrote the Gospel. Tiberias, a city located on the lake’s western shore, was founded about A.D. 20, so the lake probably was not known by its name during the ministry of Jesus. 6:4 John’s second reference to the Feast of Passover, likely a year after the one mentioned in 2:13, does not require Jesus to go to Jerusalem. Rather, in this case it serves as backdrop for the discourse on Jesus as the Bread of Life (6:41–58). See note on Ex. 12:1–11. 6:5–13 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 6:9–14 Apart from the Resurrection, the feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels.

J O H N 6:21 6:11 given thanks, eucharisteo (yoo-khar-is-teh-oh); Strong’s #2168: From eu, “well,” and charizomai, “to give freely.” To be grateful, to express gratitude, to be thankful. Eleven of the thirty-nine appearances of the word in the NT refer to partaking of the Lord’s Supper, while twenty-eight occurrences describe the praise words given to the Godhead. During the second century, Eucharist became the generic term for the Lord’s Supper.

12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that *remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly athe Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus Walks on the Sea 15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him *by force to make Him aking, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. 16 aNow when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already *dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about 1three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were aafraid. 20 But He said to them, a“It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

6:12, 13 See note on Matt. 14:20. 6:14, 15 The people’s response of This is truly the Prophet reflects the popular belief that a prophet like Moses, who fed the Israelites with manna, would come into the world to establish an earthly paradise. This sparked their messianic fervor, and they wanted to install Jesus as their political “breadMessiah,” making Him king by force. Jesus would have none of it (see Matt. 4:1–4). 6:16–21 In contrast to their concept of Jesus as an earthly ruler with limited power, in walking on the water Jesus reveals Himself as having supreme authority in all the universe.

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J O H N 6:22 6:21 immediately, eutheos (yoo-theh-oce); Strong’s #2112: From the adjective euthus, “straight.” Speedily, straightway, immediately, directly, presently, suddenly, quickly. The word describes what is happening right now in contrast to what happened before this time.

The Bread from Heaven 22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no *other boat there, except 1that one 2which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone— 23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had *given thanks— 24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, aseeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” 26 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were *filled. 27 a“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but bfor the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, cbecause God the Father has set His seal on Him.” 28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, a“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” 30 Therefore they said to Him, a“What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 a“Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, b‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give

1454 22 1NU omits that 2NU omits which His disciples had entered *See WW at John 14:16. 23 *See WW at John 6:11. 24 aLuke 4:42 26 *See WW at Matt. 15:33. 27 aMatt. 6:19 bJohn 4:14 cActs 2:22 29 a[1 John 3:23] 30 aMatt. 12:38; 16:1 31 aEx. 16:15 bEx. 16:4, 15; Neh. 9:15; Ps. 78:24 32 aJohn 3:13, 16

34 aJohn 4:15 35 aJohn 6:48, 58 bJohn 4:14; 7:37 cIs. 55:1, 2 36 aJohn 6:26, 64; 15:24 bJohn 10:26 37 aJohn 6:45 b2 Tim. 2:19 1certainly not 38 aMatt. 26:39 bJohn 4:34 39 aJohn 10:28; 17:12; 18:9 40 aJohn 3:15, 16; 4:14; 6:27, 47, 54 41 1grumbled 42 aMatt. 13:55 43 1Stop grumbling 44 aSong 1:4 b[Phil. 1:29; 2:12, 13] 45 aIs. 54:13 bJohn 6:37 1M hears and has learned 46 aJohn 1:18 bMatt. 11:27 47 a[John 3:16, 18] 1NU omits in Me 48 aJohn 6:33, 35 49 aJohn 6:31, 58

6:22–71 This lengthy section provides us with the most in-depth NT explanation of the significance of Communion and how it is vastly more than a mere ordinance commemorating Jesus’ death. 6:28–30 The people placed primary emphasis on their works for God and on God’s works for them (signs), whereas with Jesus, singular focus is on believing (that is, trusting) in the One whom God sent. 6:35 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 6:48–51 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 6:48 This is the first of the seven I am sayings of Jesus, unique

you the bread from heaven, but aMy Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 aThen they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” 35 And Jesus said to them, a“I am the ➄ bread of life. bHe who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never cthirst. 36 a“But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet bdo not believe. 37 a“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and bthe one who comes to Me I will 1by no means cast out. 38 “For I have come down from heaven, anot to do My own will, bbut the will of Him who sent Me. 39 “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, athat of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, athat everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Rejected by His Own 41 The Jews then 1complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” 42 And they said, a“Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, 1“Do not murmur among yourselves. 44 a“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me bdraws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 “It is written in the prophets, a‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ bTherefore everyone who 1has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46 a“Not that anyone has seen the Father, bexcept He who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 “Most assuredly, I say to you, ahe who believes 1in Me has everlasting life. 48 a“I am the bread of life. ➄ 49 a“Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

to John’s Gospel. There is an unmistakable parallel to God’s covenant name (Yahweh) by which He revealed Himself to Moses in Ex. 3:14, “I AM WHO I AM.” Jesus makes the pronouncement “I am the bread of life” three times (vv. 35, 48, 51). He is the “real” heavenly bread, the true life-sustaining power; anything else, regardless of its religious significance in past or present, is an inadequate substitute. 6:49–59 Jesus carried the argument a step beyond the essential recognition that He is the Bread of Life. To believe in Him means to partake of Him.

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1455 50 a“This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 “I am the living bread awhich came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and bthe bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” 52 The Jews therefore aquarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” “Most ➁ 53 Then Jesus said to them, assuredly, I say to you, unless ayou eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 a“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 6:53, 54 Partaking in the Blood, THE BLOOD. Partaking in the covenant blood of Christ is the means of being joined to God and receiving the benefits of His life. Christ is the covenant sacrifice and is God’s provision for our sustenance. When we feed on Him through faith, we become partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4), which is life eternal. Through the Holy Spirit’s work, we receive His life and partake of His promises (John 6:63). Those who share in this mystery of relationship with Christ are assured of being raised up at the last day into eternal life. (Matt. 26:28/Rom. 3:25) C.S.

55 “For My flesh is 1food indeed, and My blood is 2drink indeed. 56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood aabides in Me, and I in him. 57 “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 a“This is the bread which came down from heaven—not bas your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

50 aJohn 6:51, 58 51 aJohn 3:13 bHeb. 10:5 52 aJohn 7:43; 9:16; 10:19 53 aMatt. 26:26 54 aJohn 4:14; 6:27, 40 55 1NU true food 2NU true drink 56 a[1 John 3:24; 4:15, 16] 58 aJohn 6:49–51 bEx. 16:14–35

60 aMatt. 11:6; John 6:66 1difficult 61 1grumbled 2make you stumble 62 aMark 16:19; John 3:13; Acts 1:9; 2:32, 33; Eph. 4:8 63 aGen. 2:7; 2 Cor. 3:6 bJohn 3:6 c[John 6:68; 14:24] 64 aJohn 6:36 bJohn 2:24, 25; 13:11 65 aJohn 6:37, 44, 45 66 aLuke 9:62; John 6:60 1Or away; lit. to the back 68 aActs 5:20 69 aMatt. 16:16; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20; John 1:49; 11:27 1NU Holy One of God. 70 aLuke 6:13 b[John 13:27] 71 aJohn 12:4; 13:2, 26 bMatt. 26:14–16 CHAPTER 7 1 aMatt. 21:38; 26:4; John 5:18; 7:19, 25; 8:37, 40 1The ruling authorities

6:53–58 See section 2 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 6:53 To eat the flesh of Jesus and to drink His blood are to be understood spiritually. The expressions point to the violent sacrificial death He would suffer and the necessity of believers partaking in the benefits of His death by coming to Him and believing in Him (v. 35). Although we need not see in this the necessity of our partaking of the Eucharist in order to obtain salvation, it does teach the very vital importance of Communion in strengthening our souls, bringing healing into our lives, and for testifying to our faith.

J O H N 7:1 Many Disciples Turn Away 60 aTherefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a 1hard saying; who can understand it?” 61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples 1complained about this, He said to them, “Does this 2offend you? 62 a“What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 a“It is the Spirit who gives life; the bflesh profits nothing. The cwords that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 “But athere are some of you who do not believe.” For bJesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore aI have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” 66 aFrom that time many of His disciples went 1back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have athe words of eternal life. 6:68 Lord, kurios (koo-ree-oss); Strong’s #2962: Originally, an adjective signifying authority or having power. As a noun the word designates the owner, master, controller, one in authority. In direct address, kurios is a title of respect given to masters, teachers, and so on. Kurios in the OT was Yahweh, while in the NT the title is transferred to Jesus.

69 a“Also we have come to believe and know that You are the 1Christ, the Son of the living God.” 70 Jesus answered them, a“Did I not choose you, the twelve, band one of you is a devil?” 71 He spoke of aJudas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would bbetray Him, being one of the twelve. Jesus’ Brothers Disbelieve After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, abecause the 1Jews sought to kill Him.

6:60 The saying (vv. 35–58) was hard in that it was difficult to accept. 6:71 Iscariot means “Man of Kerioth.” Since Kerioth was in southern Judah, Judas Iscariot appears to have been the only non-Galilean disciple. 7:1 John summarizes events that occurred during the six-month period from April to October. The other Gospel writers give a detailed account (see Mark 7—9).

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J O H N 7:2 2 aNow the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 aHis brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the *works that You are doing. 4 “For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 For aeven His bbrothers did not believe in Him. 6 Then Jesus said to them, a“My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 a“The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me bbecause I testify of it that its works are evil. 8 “You go up to this feast. I am not 1yet going up to this feast, afor My time has not yet fully come.” 9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. The Heavenly Scholar 10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then athe Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?” 12 And athere was much complaining among the people concerning Him. bSome said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.” 13 However, no one spoke openly of Him afor fear of the Jews. 14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and ataught. 15 aAnd the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?” 16 1Jesus answered them and said, a“My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. ➂ 17 a“If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 a“He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who bseeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and cno unrighteousness is in Him.

1456 2 aLev. 23:34 3 aMatt. 12:46 *See WW at John 9:4. 5 aPs. 69:8 bMark 3:21 6 aJohn 2:4; 8:20 7 a[John 15:19] bJohn 3:19 8 aJohn 8:20 1NU omits yet 11 aJohn 11:56 12 aJohn 9:16; 10:19 bLuke 7:16 13 a[John 9:22; 12:42; 19:38] 14 aMark 6:34 15 aMatt. 13:54 16 aJohn 3:11 1NU, M So Jesus 17 aJohn 3:21; 8:43 18 aJohn 5:41 bJohn 8:50 c[2 Cor. 5:21]

19 aDeut. 33:4 bMatt. 12:14 20 aJohn 8:48, 52 22 aLev. 12:3 bGen. 17:9–14 23 aJohn 5:8, 9, 16 24 aProv. 24:23 25 aMatt. 21:38; 26:4 26 aJohn 7:48 1NU omits truly 27 aLuke 4:22 28 aJohn 8:14 bJohn 5:43 cRom. 3:4 dJohn 1:18; 8:55 29 aMatt. 11:27 1NU, M omit But 30 aMark 11:18 bJohn 7:32, 44; 8:20; 10:39 31 aMatt. 12:23

7:2 The Feast of Tabernacles, which is celebrated at the end of September and the beginning of October, is a thanksgiving festival. It also commemorates the divine guidance granted to Israel during the nation’s wandering in the wilderness. During the festival the people erect and dwell in temporary shelters made of palm and other tree branches. See text and note on Num. 29:12–39. 7:5 After the Resurrection of Jesus, His brothers were among the believers (see Acts 1:14). 7:15 Letters refers not to the basic ability of reading and writing but to Jesus’ knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures. Their puzzlement was over Jesus’ extraordinary

7:18 unrighteousness, adikia (ad-ee-kee-ah); Strong’s #93: Derived from a, negative, and the root dike, “right.” Misdeeds, injustice, moral wrongdoing, unjust acts, unrighteousness, iniquity. It is the opposite of truthfulness, faithfulness, and rightness.

19 a“Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? bWhy do you seek to kill Me?” 20 The people answered and said, a“You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?” 21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. 22 a“Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, bbut from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 “If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because aI made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 a“Do not judge according to appear- ➀ ance, but judge with righteous judgment.” Could This Be the Christ? 25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to akill? 26 “But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. aDo the rulers know indeed that this is 1truly the Christ? 27 a“However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.” 28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, a“You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and bI have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me cis true, dwhom you do not know. 29 1“But aI know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.” 30 Therefore athey sought to take Him; but bno one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31 And amany of the people believed in

knowledge without having . . . studied at one of the prestigious and official rabbinic schools of Shammai and Hillel. 7:17, 18 See section 3 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 7:17 The teachings and claims of Jesus will be accepted by those who are intent on doing God’s will. 7:21 The one work refers to the healing of the cripple at the pool of Bethesda, the only miracle Jesus had performed in Jerusalem (5:1–15; see v. 23). 7:24 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 7:27 The people were puzzled because they knew facts about the background of Jesus, whereas they supposed the coming of the Messiah to be shrouded in secrecy.

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1457 Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?” Jesus and the Religious Leaders 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. 33 Then Jesus said 1to them, a“I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I bgo to Him who sent Me. 34 “You awill seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you bcannot come.” 35 Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to athe Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 “What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?” The Promise of the Holy Spirit 37 aOn the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, b“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 a“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, bout of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 aBut this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those 1believing in Him would receive; for the 2Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet bglorified. Who Is He? 40 Therefore 1many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is athe *Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is athe Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 a“Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, bwhere David was?” 43 So athere was a division among the people because of Him.

33 aJohn 13:33 b[1 Pet. 3:22] 1NU, M omit to them 34 aHos. 5:6 b[Matt. 5:20] 35 aJames 1:1 37 aLev. 23:36 b[Is. 55:1] 38 aDeut. 18:15 bIs. 12:3; 43:20; 44:3; 55:1 39 aIs. 44:3 bJohn 12:16; 13:31; 17:5 1NU who believed 2NU omits Holy 40 aDeut. 18:15, 18 1NU some *See WW at Matt. 2:5. 41 aJohn 4:42; 6:69 42 aMic. 5:2 b1 Sam. 16:1, 4 43 aJohn 7:12

J O H N 8:4 44 Now asome of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. Rejected by the Authorities 45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?” 46 The officers answered, a“No man ever spoke like this Man!” 47 Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? 48 “Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? 49 “But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus a(he who came to 1Jesus 2by night, being one of them) said to them, 51 a“Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” 52 They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for ano prophet 1has arisen out of Galilee.” An Adulteress Faces the Light of the World 53 1And everyone went to his own house. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now 1early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and ataught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,

44 aJohn 7:30 46 aLuke 4:22 50 aJohn 3:1, 2; 19:39 1Lit. Him 2NU before 51 aDeut. 1:16, 17; 19:15 52 a[Is. 9:1, 2] 1NU is to rise 53 1NU brackets 7:53 through 8:11 as not in the original text. They are present in over 900 mss. of John. CHAPTER 8 2 aJohn 8:20; 18:20 1M very early 4 aEx. 20:14 1M we found this woman *See WW at John 1:5.

7:35 The Dispersion refers to Jews scattered throughout the Greek world. Later the term also denoted the Christians scattered abroad (1 Pet. 1:1). The Jews’ ignorance was only heightened by their supposition that Jesus was surely not going to preach to the Jews but to the Gentiles instead. 7:37–39 Each day during the Feast of Tabernacles a joyous celebration was observed in which the priests brought water (symbolic of the water supplied from the rock in Ex. 17) to the temple from the pool of Siloam in a golden pitcher. During the procession the people recited Is. 12:3. The water was poured out on the altar as an offering to God, while the people shouted and sang. Jesus was the fulfillment of all that the ceremony typified (see 1 Cor. 10:4). 7:38 Those who are satisfied by Jesus will themselves become channels of spiritual refreshment for others. The figure of rivers

8:3 adultery, moicheia (moykhi-ah); Strong’s #3430: Unlawful sexual intercourse, illicit connection with a married person, marital infidelity. Moicheia is incompatible with the harmonious laws of family life in God’s kingdom; and since it violates God’s original purpose in marriage, it is under God’s judgment.

4 they said to Him, “Teacher, 1this woman was *caught in aadultery, in the very act.

contrasts with “a fountain” (4:14), illustrating the difference between one’s new birth and one’s experience of the overflowing fullness of the Spirit-filled life. 7:39 John interprets the words of Jesus to refer to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit that was still to come. The Holy Spirit existed from all eternity, but was not yet present in the sense indicated. Soon the fullness of the Spirit would be a blessing that all of God’s people could experience (see Acts 2:33 and notes on Acts 2:4; 1 Cor. 12:13). 7:40 The Prophet refers to the promise of Deut. 18:15, 18. See note on 6:14, 15. 7:53—8:11 That this passage was part of the original text of John’s Gospel is disputed. However, there is little doubt that the incident actually occurred. The motive of the Pharisees was not passion for holiness but a desire to entrap Jesus in a dilemma (v. 6).

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J O H N 8:5 5 a“Now 1Moses, in the law, commanded us 2that such should be stoned. But what do You 3say?” 6 This they said, *testing Him, that they amight have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, 1as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He 1raised Himself up and said to them, a“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, a being1 convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up 1and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers 2of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, a“Neither do I condemn you; go 1and bsin no more.” ➄ a12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who bfollows Me shall not walk in *darkness, but have the light of life.” Jesus Defends His Self-Witness 13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, a“You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not 1true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but ayou do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 a“You judge according to the flesh; bI judge no one. 16 “And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for aI am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 a“It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 “I am One who bears witness of Myself, and athe Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.” 19 Then they said to Him, “Where is Your

1458 5 aLev. 20:10 1M in our law Moses commanded 2NU, M to stone such 3M adds about her 6 aMatt. 22:15 1NU, M omit as though He did not hear *See WW at Rev. 2:10. 7 aDeut. 17:7 1M He looked up 9 aRom. 2:22 1NU, M omit being convicted by their conscience 10 1NU omits and saw no one but the woman; M He saw her and said, 2NU, M omit of yours 11 a[John 3:17] b[John 5:14] 1NU, M add from now on 12 aJohn 1:4; 9:5; 12:35 b1 Thess. 5:5 *See WW at John 12:46. 13 aJohn 5:31 1valid as testimony 14 aJohn 7:28; 9:29 15 aJohn 7:24 b[John 3:17; 12:47; 18:36] 16 aJohn 16:32 17 aDeut. 17:6; 19:15 18 aJohn 5:37 19 aJohn 16:3 bJohn 14:7 20 aMark 12:41, 43 bJohn 2:4; 7:30 cJohn 7:8 21 aJohn 7:34; 13:33 bJohn 8:24 23 aJohn 3:31 b1 John 4:5 24 aJohn 8:21 b[Mark 16:16] 25 aJohn 4:26 26 aJohn 7:28 bJohn 3:32; 15:15 28 aJohn 3:14; 12:32; 19:18 b[Rom. 1:4] cJohn 5:19, 30 dJohn 3:11 1Crucify *See WW at John 8:32.

8:12 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 8:12 The light of the world: The second of Jesus’ selfdisclosing declarations in John, presupposing that the world is in darkness apart from Him. 8:13–20 The Pharisees objected that the witness of Jesus was true because He spoke for Himself, whereas two witnesses were necessary. Jesus reported that the Father added His testimony both by the written Word and by the works Jesus did. 8:29 For Jesus, doing the will of the Father was not an occasional choice in times of crucial decisions. Rather, the Father’s

Father?” Jesus answered, a“You know neither Me nor My Father. bIf you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.” 20 These words Jesus spoke in athe treasury, as He taught in the temple; and bno one laid hands on Him, for cHis hour had not yet come. Jesus Predicts His Departure 21 Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and ayou will seek Me, and bwill die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?” 23 And He said to them, a“You are from beneath; I am from above. bYou are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 a“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; bfor if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” 25 Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I ahave been saying to you from the beginning. 26 “I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but aHe who sent Me is true; and bI speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.” 27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. 28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you alift1 up the Son of Man, bthen you will *know that I am He, and cthat I do nothing of Myself; but das My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 “And aHe who sent Me is with Me. bThe Father has not left Me alone, cfor I always do those things that please Him.” 30 As He spoke these words, amany believed in Him. The Truth Shall Make You Free 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you aabide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 “And you shall know the atruth, and bthe truth shall *make you free.” 29 aJohn 14:10 bJohn 8:16; 16:32 cJohn 4:34; 5:30; 6:38 30 aJohn 7:31; 10:42; 11:45 31 a[John 14:15, 23] 32 a[John 1:14, 17; 14:6] b[Rom. 6:14, 18, 22] *See WW at Rom. 8:2.

constant presence in His life signals that there never was a moment when He did not do the Father’s will. See text and note on 5:19–23. 8:31–59 The claim of the people to be descendants of Abraham was futile, because their deeds evidenced a lack of any moral relationship to him. If they were truly children of God, they would reverence the Son of God. Instead, their reaction against Jesus only revealed the sobering fact that the Devil was their father. It is not ethnic or family pedigree that makes one acceptable to God but honoring God by believing in and loving Jesus Christ.

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1459 8:32 know, ginosko (ghin-ocekoe); Strong’s #1097: Compare “prognosis,” “gnomic,” “gnomon,” “gnostic.” To perceive, understand, recognize, gain knowledge, realize, come to know. Ginosko is the knowledge that has an inception, a progress, and an attainment. It is the recognition of truth by personal experience.

33 They answered Him, a“We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be made free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, awhoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 “And aa slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 a“Therefore if the Son *makes you free, you shall be *free indeed. Abraham’s Seed and Satan’s 37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but ayou seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 a“I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have 1seen with your father.” 39 They answered and said to Him, a“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, b“If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 a“But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth bwhich I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 “You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of *fornication; awe have one Father— God.” 42 Jesus said to them, a“If God were your Father, you would love Me, for bI proceeded forth and came from God; cnor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 a“Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 a“You are of your father the devil, and the bdesires of your father you want to cdo. He was a murderer from the beginning, and ddoes not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

33 aLev. 25:42; [Matt. 3:9]; Luke 3:8 34 aProv. 5:22; Rom. 6:16; 2 Pet. 2:19 35 aGen. 21:10; Gal. 4:30 36 a[Rom. 8:2; 2 Cor. 3:17]; Gal. 5:1 *See WW at Rom. 8:2. • See WW at Rev. 6:15. 37 aJohn 7:19 38 a[John 3:32; 5:19, 30; 14:10, 24] 1NU heard from 39 aMatt. 3:9; John 8:37 b[Rom. 2:28; Gal. 3:7, 29] 40 aJohn 8:37 bJohn 8:26 41 aDeut. 32:6; Is. 63:16; Mal. 1:6 *See WW at Matt. 15:19. 42 a1 John 5:1 bJohn 16:27; 17:8, 25 cJohn 5:43; Gal. 4:4 43 a[John 7:17] 44 aMatt. 13:38; 1 John 3:8 b1 John 2:16, 17 c[1 John 3:8–10, 15] d[Jude 6] 47 aLuke 8:15; John 10:26; 1 John 4:6 48 aJohn 7:20; 10:20 49 aJohn 5:41 50 aJohn 5:41; 7:18; [Phil. 2:6–8] 51 aJohn 5:24; 11:26 52 aJohn 7:20; 10:20 bZech. 1:5; Heb. 11:13 53 aJohn 10:33; 19:7 54 aJohn 5:31, 32 bJohn 5:41; Acts 3:13 1NU, M our 55 aJohn 7:28, 29 b[John 15:10] 56 aLuke 10:24 bMatt. 13:17; Heb. 11:13 58 aMic. 5:2; John 17:5; Heb. 7:3; Rev. 22:13 bEx. 3:14; Is. 43:13; John 17:5, 24; Col. 1:17; Rev. 1:8 59 aJohn 10:31; 11:8

8:48 The association of Jesus with the Samaritans is their way of saying He is not a true Jew, in either doctrine or practice. Have a demon: See note on Matt. 12:31, 32. 8:58 Before Abraham was: The verb ought to be translated “was born,” indicating that Abraham’s life had a specific beginning. This stands in sharp contrast to Jesus’ self-claim, “I AM.” In other words, He was without beginning—the ever-present One.

J O H N 8:59 45 “But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 “Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 a“He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” Before Abraham Was, I AM 48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and ahave a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and ayou dishonor Me. 50 “And aI do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 “Most assuredly, I say to you, aif anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” 52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You ahave a demon! bAbraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ 8:52 taste, geuomai (ghyoo-omahee); Strong’s #1089: Compare “gusto” and “disgust.” To eat, partake of, feel, experience. Geuomai is used both naturally and metaphorically, especially to describe the personal experience of death, whether Christ’s (Heb. 2:9) or the believer’s (Matt. 16:28; John 8:52).

53 “Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. aWho do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, a“If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. bIt is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is 1your God. 55 “Yet ayou have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and bkeep His word. 56 “Your father Abraham arejoiced to see My day, band he saw it and was glad.” 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, abefore Abraham was, bI AM.” 59 Then athey took up stones to throw at

8:59 The claim of Jesus to be eternal was a claim to be divine. Thus, in the eyes of the Jews He was guilty of blasphemy, a sin punishable by stoning. This and related passages in this Gospel are devastatingly powerful in refuting the presumptuous notions of skeptics who say Jesus never claimed to be very God incarnate.

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J O H N 9:1 Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, bgoing1 through the midst of them, and so passed by. A Man Born Blind Receives Sight ➄ Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, awho sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, abut that the works of God should be *revealed in him. 4 a“I1 must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is bday; the night is coming when no one can work.

9:4 works, ergon (er-gon); Strong’s #2041: Compare “energy” and “urge.” Toil, occupation, enterprise, deed, task, accomplishment, employment, performance, work, labor, course of action. The miraculous accomplishments and deeds of Jesus are works of God implying power and might.

5 “As long as I am in the world, aI am the light of the world.” 6 When He had said these things, aHe spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash ain the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So bhe went and washed, and came back seeing. 8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was 1blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?” 9 Some said, “This is he.” Others said, 1“He is like him.” He said, “I am he.” 10 Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered and said, a“A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to 1the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.” 12 Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.”

1460 59 bLuke 4:30; John 10:39 1NU omits the rest of v. 59. CHAPTER 9 2 aLuke 13:2; John 9:34; Acts 28:4 3 aJohn 11:4 *See WW at Col. 3:4. 4 a[John 4:34; 5:19, 36; 17:4] bJohn 11:9, 10; 12:35; Gal. 6:10 1NU We 5 a[John 1:5, 9; 3:19; 8:12; 12:35, 46] 6 aMark 7:33; 8:23 7 aNeh. 3:15; Is. 8:6; Luke 13:4; John 9:11 b2 Kin. 5:14 8 1NU a beggar 9 1NU “No, but he is like him.” 11 aJohn 9:6, 7 1NU omits the pool of

16 aJohn 3:2; 9:33 bJohn 7:12, 43; 10:19 1observe *See WW at James 5:20. 17 a[John 4:19; 6:14] 22 aJohn 7:13; 12:42; 19:38; Acts 5:13 bJohn 16:2 24 aJosh. 7:19; 1 Sam. 6:5; Ezra 10:11; Rev. 11:13 bJohn 9:16

9:1–12 Assuming that an individual case of suffering was due to specific sin, the disciples inquired into the cause of the man’s blindness. Jesus, however, notes that beyond the tragedy of human defects, which result in a general way from man’s fall and the consequent entry of sin, sickness, affliction, and death into the world, God’s merciful and sovereign grace is available. 9:1–7 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 9:4 Day signifies Jesus’ messianic ministry, and the night refers to the Crucifixion. 9:13 The perverse reasoning of the Pharisees placed them in a

The Pharisees Excommunicate the Healed Man 13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not 1keep the Sabbath.” Others said, a“How can a man who is a *sinner do such signs?” And bthere was a division among them. 17 They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?” He said, a“He is a prophet.” 18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 19 And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 “but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these things because athey feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he bwould be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, a“Give God the glory! bWe know that this Man is a sinner.” 25 He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”

dilemma from which the only escape was to disprove the miracle that had been performed. They argued that no miracle could have occurred because it was the Sabbath, and God would never violate the law of rest by healing a person. However, the fact that a man born blind now had perfect sight refuted their theory. Thus, they must either deny the facts or confess the divine nature of Jesus. The logic of the healed man was simple and irrefutable (vv. 30–33). Unable to deny the man’s testimony, the religious authorities took the cowardly way out and excommunicated him.

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1461 28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. 29 “We know that God aspoke to bMoses; as for this fellow, cwe do not know where He is from.” 30 The man answered and said to them, a“Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! 31 “Now we know that aGod does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. 32 “Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 33 a“If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.” 34 They answered and said to him, a“You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they 1cast him out. True Vision and True Blindness 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had afound him, He said to him, “Do you bbelieve in cthe Son of 1God?” 36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and ait is He who is talking with you.” 38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he aworshiped Him. 39 And Jesus said, a“For judgment I have come into this world, bthat those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” 40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, aand said to Him, “Are we blind also?” 41 Jesus said to them, a“If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains. Jesus the True Shepherd “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 “But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

29 aEx. 19:19, 20; 33:11; 34:29; Num. 12:6–8 b[John 5:45–47] cJohn 7:27, 28; 8:14 30 aJohn 3:10 31 aJob 27:9; 35:12; Ps. 18:41; Prov. 1:28; 15:29; 28:9; Is. 1:15; Jer. 11:11; 14:12; Ezek. 8:18; Mic. 3:4; Zech. 7:13; [James 5:16] 33 aJohn 3:2; 9:16 34 aPs. 51:5; John 9:2 1Excommunicated him 35 aJohn 5:14 bJohn 1:7; 16:31 cMatt. 14:33; 16:16; Mark 1:1; John 10:36; 1 John 5:13 1NU Man 37 aJohn 4:26 38 aMatt. 8:2 39 a[John 3:17; 5:22, 27; 12:47] bMatt. 13:13; 15:14 40 a[Rom. 2:19] 41 aJohn 15:22, 24

CHAPTER 10 3 aJohn 20:16 4 *See WW at John 13:36. 5 a[2 Cor. 11:13–15] 8 1M omits before Me 9 a[John 14:6; Eph. 2:18]

9:35–41 Jesus moved the discussion from physical blindness to spiritual blindness. To believe in Jesus means to see spiritually, whereas those who do not believe in Him remain blind. 10:1–21 The discourse of Jesus as the Good Shepherd must be read in the context of 9:35–41, as 10:21 clearly indicates. Not only were the Pharisees blind, they were also false shepherds, described in vv. 5 and 8 as strangers and thieves. 10:7–18 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 10:7–9 Jesus’ third I am pronouncement depicts Him as the

J O H N 10:10 10:2 shepherd, poimen (poymane); Strong’s #4166: A herdsman, sheepherder; one who tends, leads, guides, cherishes, feeds, and protects a flock. The NT uses the word for a Christian pastor to whose care and leadership others will commit themselves (Eph. 4:11). The term is applied metaphorically to Christ (John 10:11, 14, 16; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25).

3 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by aname and leads them out. 4 “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep *follow him, for they know his voice. 5 “Yet they will by no means follow a astranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. Jesus the Good Shepherd 7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most ➄ assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 “All who ever came 1before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 a“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 10:10 abundantly, perissos (per-is-soss); Strong’s #4053: Superabundance, excessive, overflowing, surplus, over and above, more than enough, profuse, extraordinary, above the ordinary, more than sufficient.

door of the sheep. The imagery contrasts Jesus’ protection of the sheep in the fold with the usurpers, the false prophets of OT times and the false messiahs of more recent times. Entering the sheepfold through Jesus is a saving action and provides the sheep with abundant life and provision. The phrase go in and out (v. 9) does not mean that one can vacillate about being in Christ one moment and outside of Him the next. The picture is one of security and safety in Christ as the door to the sheep’s daily comings and goings.

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J O H N 10:11 10:10 Abundant Life, GOD’S ABUNDANCE. God’s covenant to us is a covenant for abundant life. From the very beginning of time, Scripture shows us that God wanted us to be happy and prosperous. In Gen., we are told that God made everything and declared it to be good. Then He gave this beautiful, plentiful Earth to Adam; Adam was given dominion over all of it (Gen. 1:28). God’s plan from the beginning was for man to be enriched and to have a prosperous, abundant life. Here Jesus declares His intention to recover and restore to man what was the Father’s intent and to break and block the Devil’s intent to hinder our receiving it. (Phil. 4:12, 13/Gen. 12:1–3) F.K.C.P.

11 a“I am the *good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His *life for the sheep. 12 “But a 1hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and aleaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf *catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 “The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 “I am the good *shepherd; and aI know My sheep, and bam known by My own. 15 a“As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; band I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 “And aother sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; band there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 “Therefore My Father aloves Me, bbecause I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I ahave power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. bThis command I have received from My Father.” 19 Therefore athere was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. 20 And many of them said, a“He has a

1462 11 aIs. 40:11 *See WW at Matt. 13:48. • See WW at Luke 21:19. 12 aZech. 11:16, 17 1hired man *See WW at 1 Thess. 4:17. 14 a2 Tim. 2:19 b2 Tim. 1:12 *See WW at John 10:2. 15 aMatt. 11:27 b[John 15:13; 19:30] 16 aIs. 42:6; 56:8 bEph. 2:13–18 17 aJohn 5:20 b[Heb. 2:9] 18 a[John 2:19; 5:26] b[John 6:38; 14:31; 17:4; Acts 2:24, 32] 19 aJohn 7:43; 9:16 20 aJohn 7:20 1insane

21 a[Ex. 4:11] bJohn 9:6, 7, 32, 33 23 aActs 3:11; 5:12 24 1Suspense 25 aJohn 5:36; 10:38 bMatt. 11:4 26 a[John 8:47] 1NU omits as I said to you 27 aJohn 10:4, 14 29 aJohn 14:28 b[John 17:2, 6, 12, 24] *See WW at 1 Thess. 4:17. 30 aJohn 17:11, 21–24 31 aJohn 8:59 33 aJohn 5:18 bMatt. 9:3 34 aPs. 82:6 35 aMatt. 5:17, 18 b1 Pet. 1:25 36 aJohn 6:27 bJohn 3:17 cJohn 5:17, 18 dLuke 1:35

10:11–14 Jesus’ fourth I am pronouncement declares Him to be the good shepherd, whose genuine concern for His sheep is in stark contrast to the conduct of a hireling, whose only interest is self-preservation. 10:15 The intimate relationship of the Father and the Son provides the model for the relationship of the Shepherd and His sheep. 10:16 The reference to other sheep anticipates the mission to the Gentiles after Pentecost and their full incorporation into the one church of the Lord Jesus Christ. 10:22 The Feast of Dedication, known today as Hanukkah, had its origin in the liberation and rededication of the temple under the Maccabeans in 165 B.C., after it had been desecrated by the Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphanes.

demon and is 1mad. Why do you listen to Him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. aCan a demon bopen the eyes of the blind?” The Shepherd Knows His Sheep 22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, ain Solomon’s porch. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in 1doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. aThe works that I do in My Father’s name, they bbear witness of Me. 26 “But ayou do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, 1as I said to you. 27 a“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 a“My Father, bwho has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to *snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 a“I and My Father are one.” Renewed Efforts to Stone Jesus 31 Then athe Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for ablasphemy, and because You, being a Man, bmake Yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, a‘I said, “You are gods” ’? 35 “If He called them gods, ato whom the word of God came (and the Scripture bcannot be broken), 36 “do you say of Him awhom the Father sanctified and bsent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ cbecause I said, ‘I am dthe Son of God’?

10:28, 29 The security of the sheep lies in the power of the Shepherd and His relationship to the Father. 10:34, 35 You are gods: The reference, taken from Ps. 82:6, does not attribute deity to the judges to whom it refers, but was a title of commendation, noting the God-given capacities of human life and will—the fruit of being made “in His image.” This is clearly seen in the appositional clause, “You are children of the Most High” (Ps. 82:6). Jesus’ use here is as an argument from the lesser to the greater, not as a designation of His people. In other words, if God Himself called the Jews “gods” at that time, as verified by their own Scriptures, how much more was Jesus now justified in calling Himself the Son of God, as verified by His works, which were the Father’s?

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1463 10:36 sanctified, hagiadzo (hag-ee-ad-zoe); Strong’s #37: Compare “hagiography” and “Hagiographa.” To hallow, set apart, dedicate, consecrate, separate, sanctify, make holy. Hagiadzo as a state of holiness is opposite of koinon, common or unclean. In the OT things, places, and ceremonies were named hagiadzo. In the NT the word describes a manifestation of life produced by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Because His Father set Him apart, Jesus is appropriately called the Holy One of God (6:69).

37 aJohn 10:25; 15:24 38 aJohn 5:36 bJohn 14:10, 11 1NU understand 39 aJohn 7:30, 44 40 aJohn 1:28 41 a[John 1:29, 36; 3:28–36; 5:33] CHAPTER 11 1 aLuke 10:38, 39; John 11:5, 19 2 aMatt. 26:7 3 *See WW at John 21:15. 6 aJohn 10:40

➃ 37 a“If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 “but if I do, though you do not believe Me, abelieve the works, that you may know and 1believe bthat the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” 39 aTherefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

The Death of Lazarus Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of aMary and her sister Martha. 2 aIt was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You *love is sick.” 4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, aHe stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

11:11 friend, philos (fee-loss); Strong’s #5384: Compare “philosophy,” “philology,” “philharmonic.” An adjective used as a noun, denoting a loved one, beloved, affectionate friend. The verb is phileo, which describes a love of emotion and friendship. Philos thus has a congeniality about it.

12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 “And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.” 16 Then aThomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

The Believers Beyond Jordan 40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place awhere John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. 41 Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, abut all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.” 42 And many believed in Him there.

➄

J O H N 11:23 8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to astone You, and are You going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? aIf anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the blight of this world. 10 “But aif one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus asleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

8 aJohn 8:59; 10:31 9 aLuke 13:33; John 9:4; 12:35 bIs. 9:2 10 aJohn 12:35 11 aDeut. 31:16; [Dan. 12:2]; Matt. 9:24; Acts 7:60; [1 Cor. 15:18, 51] 16 aMatt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; John 14:5; 20:26–28; Acts 1:13 18 1Lit. 15 stadia 22 a[John 9:31; 11:41]

10:37, 38 See section 4 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 11:1–44 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 11:1 Bethany was located about 2 miles east of Jerusalem. During the final week before the Crucifixion, Jesus spent considerable time there with His friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. 11:4 Another example of divine sovereignty amid human suffer-

I Am the Resurrection and the Life 17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about 1two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 “But even now I know that awhatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

ing, and demonstrating God’s purposes and grace through Jesus’ responses. See notes on 9:1–12; Rom. 9:6–24. 11:6 Jesus’ delay of two days underscores what He had taught consistently, namely, that His marching orders came exclusively from His Father. Neither the need of His closest friends nor the fury of His enemies determined His actions.

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J O H N 11:24 24 Martha said to Him, a“I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am athe resurrection and the life. bHe who believes in Me, though he may cdie, he shall live. 26 “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, aI believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” Jesus and Death, the Last Enemy 28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose *quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but 1was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 aThen the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, 1saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.” 32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she afell down at His feet, saying to Him, b“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He *groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 aJesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” 37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man, awho opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” Lazarus Raised from the Dead 38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a astone lay against it. 11:38 groaning, embrimaomai (em-brim-ah-om-ahee); Strong’s #1690: Derived from en, “in,” and brime, “strength.” The word is used to express anger (Mark 14:5), to indicate a speaking or acting with deep feeling (John 11:33, 38),

1464 24 a[Luke 14:14; John 5:29] 25 aJohn 5:21; 6:39, 40, 44; [Rev. 1:18] bJohn 3:16, 36; 1 John 5:10 c1 Cor. 15:22; [Heb. 9:27] 27 aMatt. 16:16; Luke 2:11; John 4:42; 6:14, 69 29 *See WW at Rev. 22:20. 30 1NU was still 31 aJohn 11:19, 33 1NU supposing that she was going 32 aMark 5:22; 7:25; Rev. 1:17 bJohn 11:21 33 *See WW at John 11:38. 35 aLuke 19:41 37 aJohn 9:6, 7 38 aMatt. 27:60, 66; Mark 15:46; Luke 24:2; John 20:1

40 a[John 11:4, 23] 41 1NU omits from the place where the dead man was lying 42 aJohn 12:30; 17:21 44 aJohn 19:40 bJohn 20:7 45 aJohn 2:23; 10:42; 12:11, 18 46 aJohn 5:15 47 aPs. 2:2; Matt. 26:3; Mark 14:1; Luke 22:2 bJohn 12:19; Acts 4:16 49 aMatt. 26:3; Luke 3:2; John 18:14; Acts 4:6 50 aJohn 18:14 1NU you 52 aIs. 49:6; Acts 10:45; 11:18; 13:46; [1 John 2:2] bPs. 22:27; John 10:16; [Eph. 2:14–17] 53 aMatt. 26:4; Luke 6:11; 19:47; 22:2; John 5:16

11:25 The fifth I am pronouncement declares Jesus to be the resurrection and the life. 11:38–44 The raising of Lazarus was not a resurrection from which followed endless physical life. That was reserved for the Father to initiate in His own Son’s resurrection, thereby inaugurating a new order of life to which all those in Christ are still

and for stern admonishment (Matt. 9:30; Mark 1:43).

39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you ➃ that if you would believe you would asee the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone 1from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 “And I know that You always hear Me, but abecause of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with agraveclothes, and bhis face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” The Plot to Kill Jesus 45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, aand had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and atold them the things Jesus did. 47 aThen the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, b“What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 “If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” 49 And one of them, aCaiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 a“nor do you consider that it is expedient for 1us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and anot for that nation only, but balso that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. 53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to aput Him to death.

looking forward in hope. Jesus restored Lazarus to physical life, which would cease at his subsequent death. As with all others who have died in Christ, Lazarus awaits the bodily resurrection promised to all who are Christ’s people. 11:40 See section 4 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 11:49 Caiaphas was high priest during A.D. 18–36.

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1465 54 aTherefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called bEphraim, and there remained with His disciples. 55 aAnd the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to bpurify themselves. 56 aThen they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?” 57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might aseize Him. The Anointing at Bethany Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, awhere Lazarus was 1who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. ➁ 2 aThere they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then aMary took a pound of very costly oil of bspikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 4 But one of His disciples, aJudas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for 1three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and ahad the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. 7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; 1she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 “For athe poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

The Plot to Kill Lazarus 9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, awhom He had raised from the dead. 10 aBut the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also,

54 aJohn 4:1, 3; 7:1 b2 Chr. 13:19 55 aMatt. 26:1; Mark 14:1; Luke 22:1; John 2:13; 5:1; 6:4 bNum. 9:10, 13; 31:19, 20; 2 Chr. 30:17; Luke 2:22 56 aJohn 7:11 57 aMatt. 26:14–16 CHAPTER 12 1 aMatt. 21:17; John 11:1, 43 1NU omits who had been dead 2 aMatt. 26:6; Mark 14:3; Luke 10:38–41 3 aLuke 10:38, 39; John 11:2 bSong 1:12 4 aJohn 13:26 5 1About one year’s wages for a worker 6 aJohn 13:29 7 1NU that she may keep 8 aDeut. 15:11; Matt. 26:11; Mark 14:7; John 17:11 9 aJohn 11:43, 44 10 aLuke 16:31

11 aJohn 11:45; 12:18 12 aMatt. 21:4–9; Mark 11:7–10; Luke 19:35–38 13 aPs. 118:25, 26 *See WW at Luke 6:28. 14 aMatt. 21:7 15 aIs. 40:9; Zech. 9:9 16 aLuke 18:34 bJohn 7:39; 12:23 c[John 14:26] 18 aJohn 12:11

11:55 This is at least the third Passover John mentions and undoubtedly supports the claim that Jesus’ ministry covered approximately three years. See note on 5:1. 12:2–8 See section 2 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 12:3 Spikenard: A valuable and fragrant ointment derived from the dried roots of the herbal plant called nard. By the first century A.D., it was already being imported from its native India in alabaster boxes. Because of its costliness, spikenard was used only for very special occasions. 12:8 Jesus did not belittle the poor, and His statement must be read against Judas’s reprimand of Mary’s extravagant devotion.

J O H N 12:18 11 abecause on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. The Triumphal Entry 12 aThe next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! a‘Blessed* is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!” 12:13 name, onoma (on-omah); Strong’s #3686: Compare “anonymous,” “synonym,” “onomatology.” In general, the word signifies the name or term by which a person or thing is called (Matt. 10:2; Mark 3:16; Luke 1:63). However, it was quite common both in Hebrew and Hellenistic Greek to use onoma for all that the name implies, such as rank or authority (Matt. 7:22; John 14:13; Acts 3:6; 4:7), character (Luke 1:49; 11:2; Acts 26:9), reputation (Mark 6:14; Luke 6:22), representative (Matt. 7:22; Mark 9:37). Occasionally, onoma is synonymous for an individual, a person (Acts 1:15; Rev. 3:4; 11:13).

14 aThen Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 “Feara not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.” 16 aHis disciples did not understand these things at first; bbut when Jesus was glorified, cthen they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. 17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 aFor this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.

Judas’s apparent concern for the poor, however, was only pretense. The disciples were to serve the disadvantaged, but in this case Mary practiced her servanthood on Jesus while He was still with them. 12:12–18 The pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for Passover had heard about Jesus’ raising of Lazarus and were convinced that Jesus was indeed the Messiah (v. 18). So they accompanied Him into the city, shouting praises to God and singing the words of Ps. 118:25, 26. Their euphoria, however, was at fever pitch because they expected their messianic hopes to be fulfilled along nationalistic lines. See notes on Matt. 21:1–11.

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J O H N 12:19 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, a“You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!” The Fruitful Grain of Wheat 20 Now there awere certain Greeks among those bwho came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, awho was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. 23 But Jesus answered them, saying, a“The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, aunless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much 1grain. 25 a“He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 “If anyone serves Me, let him afollow Me; and bwhere I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. 12:23–26 Servant, LEADER TRAITS. Of the several NT words translated “service,” diakoneo most characterizes personal service. In this text, Jesus calls for 1) willingness to die for Him, 2) willingness to follow Him, and 3) willingness to serve Him, as He speaks very personally: “serve Me,” “follow Me,” “My servant.” While the idea of “servantleadership” is a popular and significant concept, a more pivotal and first-essential idea is the “servant-follower.” What personal service has qualified a leader? In both the OT and NT, authentic ministry presupposes a leader has a record of personal service to someone: servanthood is the time-tested entrance prerequisite for trustworthy ministry. Since God’s Word seems to reveal such service as the basis for any advancement in leadership, we are wise to be cautious if such credentials are not found in a rising leader today. Examples:

1466 19 aJohn 11:47, 48 20 aMark 7:26; Acts 17:4 b1 Kin. 8:41, 42; Acts 8:27 21 aJohn 1:43, 44; 14:8–11 23 aMatt. 26:18, 45; John 13:32; Acts 3:13 24 a[Rom. 14:9]; 1 Cor. 15:36 1Lit. fruit 25 aMatt. 10:39; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24 26 a[Matt. 16:24] bJohn 14:3; 17:24; [1 Thess. 4:17]

27 a[Matt. 26:38, 39]; Mark 14:34; Luke 12:50; John 11:33 bLuke 22:53; John 18:37 *See WW at Luke 24:38. • See WW at Luke 7:50. 28 aMatt. 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22; 9:35 30 aJohn 11:42 31 aMatt. 12:29; Luke 10:18; [Acts 26:18; 2 Cor. 4:4] 32 aJohn 3:14; 8:28 b[Rom. 5:18; Heb. 2:9] 1Crucified *See WW at James 4:10. 33 aJohn 18:32; 21:19 34 aPs. 89:36, 37; Is. 9:6, 7; Mic. 4:7 35 a[John 1:9; 7:33; 8:12] bJer. 13:16; [Gal. 6:10]; Eph. 5:8 cJohn 11:10; [1 John 2:9–11] *See WW at John 12:46. • See WW at John 1:5. 36 aLuke 16:8; John 8:12 bJohn 8:59 37 aJohn 11:47

12:19 The ironic statement that the world was going after Jesus, spoken by the frustrated Pharisees, contrasts His success with their failure. 12:20–36 Jesus redefined His impending death. The sufferings of Jesus, and particularly His death, were the Father’s profoundest occasion to glorify Him. From the perspective of John, Jesus was not glorified in His resurrection and ascension as much as already in His sacrificial death on the cross. In v. 32 and its commentary in v. 33, we see that the Cross is at the heart of the church’s mission and message, which draws all peoples to Jesus.

1) Moses serves Jethro, caring for his flock (Ex. 3:1); 2) Joshua serves Moses as his assistant (24:13; Josh. 1:1); 3) Elisha succeeds Elijah, having become known as one who “poured water on the hands of Elijah” (2 Kin. 3:11); 4) David is Saul’s servant and armorbearer before replacing him as king (1 Sam. 16:21; 17:32). (2 Cor. 10:8/1 Cor. 4:1, 2) J.G.

Jesus Predicts His Death on the Cross 27 a“Now My soul is *troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, *save Me from this hour’? bBut for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 “Father, glorify Your name.” aThen a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” 29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, a“This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. 31 “Now is the judgment of this world; now athe ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 “And I, aif I am 1lifted* up from the ➀ earth, will draw ball peoples to Myself.” 33 aThis He said, signifying by what death He would die. 34 The people answered Him, a“We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer athe light is with you. bWalk while you have the light, lest *darkness *overtake you; che who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become asons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and bwas hidden from them. Who Has Believed Our Report? 37 But although He had done so many asigns before them, they did not believe in Him, 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:

12:31 The Cross dethroned Satan’s uncontested rulership in the world, further “binding” him (see text and note on Matt. 12:25–29 and Kingdom Dynamics on Col. 2:13–15). 12:32 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 12:37–50 Apart from the trial of Jesus, these were the Master’s last words addressed to a public broader than the circle of His disciples. There is a sense of finality ringing from these words—a last appeal, as it were. 12:38–40 See note on Mark 4:12.

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1467 a“Lord, who has believed our report?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” 39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: 40 “Hea has blinded their eyes and *hardened their hearts, bLest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.” 41 aThese things Isaiah said 1when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. Walk in the Light 42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but abecause of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 afor they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 44 Then Jesus cried out and said, a“He who believes in Me, bbelieves not in Me cbut in Him who sent Me. 45 “And ahe who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 a“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 12:46 darkness, scotia (skot-eeah); Strong’s #4653: Darkness, gloom, evil, sin, obscurity, night, ignorance, moral depravity. The NT especially uses the word in a metaphorical sense of ignorance of divine truth, man’s sinful nature, total absence of light, and a lack of spiritual perception. Light equals happiness. Scotia equals unhappiness. Scotia as spiritual darkness basically describes everything earthly or demonic that is at enmity with God.

47 “And if anyone hears My words and does not 1believe, aI do not judge him; for bI did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 a“He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges

38 aIs. 53:1; Rom. 10:16 40 aIs. 6:9, 10 bMatt. 13:14 *See WW at Mark 8:17. 41 aIs. 6:1 1NU because 42 aJohn 7:13; 9:22 43 aJohn 5:41, 44 44 aMark 9:37 b[John 3:16, 18, 36; 11:25, 26] c[John 5:24] 45 a[John 14:9] 46 aJohn 1:4, 5; 8:12; 12:35, 36 47 aJohn 5:45 bJohn 3:17 1NU keep them 48 a[Luke 10:16] bDeut. 18:18, 19; [John 5:45; 8:47] 49 aJohn 8:38 bDeut. 18:18 50 aJohn 5:19; 8:28 CHAPTER 13 1 aMatt. 26:2 bJohn 12:23; 17:1 cJohn 15:9 2 aLuke 22:3 1NU during supper 3 aMatt. 11:27; [John 5:20– 23; 17:2]; Acts 2:36; 1 Cor. 15:27; [Heb. 2:8] bJohn 8:42; 16:28 cJohn 17:11; 20:17 4 a[Luke 22:27; Phil. 2:7, 8] 6 aMatt. 3:14 7 aJohn 12:16; 16:12 bJohn 13:19 8 a[Ps. 51:2, 7; Ezek. 36:25; Acts 22:16; 1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 5:26; Titus 3:5; Heb. 10:22] 10 a[John 15:3; Eph. 5:26] 11 aJohn 6:64; 18:4 12 1understand 13 aMatt. 23:8, 10; Luke 6:46; [1 Cor. 8:6; 12:3]; Eph. 6:9; [Phil. 2:11]

13:2 Whether or not the supper was the Last Supper or the Passover meal described by the other Gospels is immaterial to John’s emphasis on the lesson Jesus taught in the washing of the disciples’ feet. 13:5 Usually a servant performed the menial task of washing the guests’ feet, but since no servant was present and no one else assumed the role, Jesus used the occasion to teach a lesson in humility and selfless service. 13:10 The disciples of Christ already enjoyed a special relationship to Him. Therefore, what is needed is not another “bath”

J O H N 13:13 him—bthe word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 “For aI have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, bwhat I should say and what I should speak. 50 “And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I aspeak.” Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet Now abefore the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that bHis hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He cloved them to the end. 2 And 1supper being ended, athe devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing athat the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He bhad come from God and cwas going to God, 4 arose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, a“Lord, are You washing my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you ado not understand now, bbut you will know after this.” 8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, a“If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and ayou are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For aHe knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.” 12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you 1know what I have done to you? 13 a“You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.

but cleansing from defilement contracted along the way. Not all refers to Judas. 13:13–17 Jesus was probably not seeking to institute a literal practice to be observed continually in the church, although some feel this to be the case. But He shows great concern that the meaning of true servanthood be well understood, that no one deem it beneath his dignity to perform the most menial of tasks for others. Ultimately, servanthood is a disposition of the heart and spirit, which expresses itself in concrete actions.

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J O H N 13:14 14 a“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, byou also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 “For aI have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 a“Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is *sent greater than he who sent him. 17 a“If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. Jesus Identifies His Betrayer 18 “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the aScripture may be fulfilled, b‘He who eats 1bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ 19 a“Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. 20 a“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” 21 aWhen Jesus had said these things, bHe was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, cone of you will betray Me.” 22 Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. 23 Now athere was 1leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. 25 Then, leaning 1back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to aJudas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 aNow after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. 29 For some thought, because aJudas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy those things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.

1468 14 aLuke 22:27 b[Rom. 12:10; Gal. 6:1, 2; 1 Pet. 5:5] 15 aMatt. 11:29; Phil. 2:5; [1 Pet. 2:21– 24]; 1 John 2:6 16 aMatt. 10:24; [Luke 6:40]; John 15:20 *See WW at 1 Cor. 12:28. 17 aMatt. 7:24; Luke 11:28; [James 1:25] 18 aJohn 15:25; 17:12 bPs. 41:9; Matt. 26:23 1NU My bread has 19 aJohn 14:29; 16:4 20 aMatt. 10:40; Mark 9:37; Luke 9:48; 10:16; Gal. 4:14 21 aMatt. 26:21; Mark 14:18; Luke 22:21 bJohn 12:27 cPs. 41:9; Matt. 26:46; Mark 14:42; Luke 22:48; John 6:64; 18:5; Acts 1:17; 1 John 2:19 23 aJohn 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20 1reclining 25 1NU, M add thus 26 aMatt. 10:4; John 6:70, 71; 12:4; Acts 1:16 27 aLuke 22:3 29 aJohn 12:6 31 aJohn 12:23; Acts 3:13 b[John 14:13; 17:4; 1 Pet. 4:11] 32 aJohn 12:23 33 aJohn 12:35; 14:19; 16:16– 19 bMark 16:19; [John 7:34; 8:21]; Acts 1:9 34 aLev. 19:18; Eph. 5:2; 1 Thess. 4:9; James 2:8; 1 Pet. 1:22; 1 John 2:7 *See WW at 2 Cor. 5:17. 35 a1 John 2:5 *See WW at Rom. 5:5.

13:23 Although this disciple is not named, there is no reason to doubt that it was John. 13:25, 26 The context implies a private dialogue between John and Jesus, unheard by the others. 13:27 Satan entered does not mean Judas became demonpossessed. It means rather that he came under Satan’s direct and unmitigated influence. 13:30 The statement that it was night has not only a literal meaning but a symbolic/theological meaning as well. To leave the fellowship of Jesus is to exchange the light for inevitable darkness.

The New Commandment 31 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, a“Now the Son of Man is glorified, and bGod is glorified in Him. 32 “If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and aglorify Him immediately. 33 “Little children, I shall be with you a alittle while longer. You will seek Me; band as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. 34 a“A *new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 13:34 Love As We Are Loved, CALL TO UNITY. The issue of unity is love— Christ’s love for us and our willingness to love others as the Lord loved us. Christ’s new commandment here presses us beyond our natural, human inclinations to the need for Christ’s inspiration. Christ’s love for us is not dependent on a quality in us that makes us lovable. He loves because He is love regardless of our strengths or weaknesses. That thought may be humbling to some who want to be chosen, called, and cherished because of their human credentials of talent, personality, or achievement. Christ’s love is not motivated by any of these human qualities, but it is grace-motivated. If we are to love in His way, we will have to take seriously that in 14:14 we are told we must ask for it, and in v. 16 we learn that the Holy Spirit must give us the power. In a world of quid pro quo, bartered manipulation, and facsimiles of love based on symbiosis, unity is not possible without Christ’s commandment and our willingness to receive His love for others. (Matt. 5:9/John 17:1–26) L.O.

35 a“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have *love for one another.” Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial 36 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him,

13:34, 35 Jesus picked up the theme of vv. 13–17, but now speaks of it as the new commandment to love one another. It is new because it presents a new standard—the love of Jesus. The servantlike, selfless love that Christians display toward one another witnesses to the world that they are true disciples. See text and note on Matt. 22:34–40. 13:36–38 Peter completely missed the main point of Jesus’ statement and was preoccupied instead with His departure and where He was going. But behind the overt question were likely the feelings of loss and abandonment. Life without the physical presence of Jesus was unthinkable for Peter.

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1469 “Where I aam going you cannot follow Me now, but byou shall follow Me afterward.” 13:36 follow, akoloutheo (akol-oo-theh-oh); Strong’s #190: To accompany, go along with, go the same way with, follow one who precedes. A is in union with, and keluethos is a road. Akoloutheo is being on the same roadway with someone. Since the word was used for soldiers, servants, and pupils, it can easily be transferred to the life of the Christian. In 78 Gospel occurrences it is used 77 times of following Christ. Metaphorically, it is used for discipleship (Matt. 9:9; Mark 9:38).

37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will alay down my life for Your sake.” 38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not acrow till you have denied Me three times. The Way, the Truth, and the Life “Let anot your *heart be *troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many 1mansions; if it were not so, 2I would have told you. aI go to prepare a place for you. 3 “And if I go and *prepare a place for you, aI will come again and receive you to Myself; that bwhere I am, there you may be also. 4 “And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5 aThomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” to him, “I am athe way, bthe ➃ 6 Jesus said cthe life. dNo one comes to the truth, and ➄ Father eexcept through Me.

36 aJohn 13:33; 14:2; 16:5 b2 Pet. 1:14 37 aMark 14:29–31 38 aJohn 18:25–27 CHAPTER 14 1 a[John 14:27; 16:22, 24] *See WW at Rev. 2:23. • See WW at Luke 24:38. 2 aJohn 13:33, 36 1Lit. dwellings 2NU would I have told you that I go or I would have told you; for I go 3 a[Acts 1:11] b[John 12:26] *See WW at Rev. 21:2. 5 aMatt. 10:3 6 a[Heb. 9:8; 10:19, 20] b[John 1:14, 17; 8:32; 18:37] c[John 11:25] d1 Tim. 2:5 e[John 10:7–9] 7 aJohn 8:19

The Father Revealed 7 a“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

9 aCol. 1:15 *See WW at Acts 1:7. 10 aJohn 10:38; 14:11, 20 bJohn 5:19; 14:24 11 aJohn 5:36; 10:38 12 aLuke 10:17 13 aMatt. 7:7 bJohn 13:31 *See WW at Matt. 7:7. 14 1NU ask Me

14:1–4 In 13:36 Jesus responded to Peter’s question individually; now He answers the same question for all the disciples. 14:2 Mansions literally means “dwelling places.” A better translation is “rooms,” conveying the idea that there is ample space in heaven for all who come to Jesus as Savior. 14:6, 7 See section 4 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 14:6 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 14:6 The sixth I am pronouncement is threefold, with the last two expressions explaining the sense in which Jesus is the way . . . to the Father. He is the truth about God and the very life of God. As such, He reveals truth to us and gives life to us. 14:12–14 See section 4 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John.

J O H N 14:14 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you *so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? aHe who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 “Do you not believe that aI am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you bI do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, aor else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. The Answered Prayer 12 a“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who ➃ believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 a“And whatever you *ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be bglorified in the Son. 14 “If you 1ask anything in My name, I will do it. 14:12, 13 Expect “Greater Things,” PATHWAY OF MIRACLES. A vital key to walking in the pathway of God’s miracles is to stay available to the implications of Jesus’ words here. When blessing comes in your work, service, or ministry, it is tempting to accept that this is “all” God has for you—to find it easy to stop and rest, rather than keeping your hand to the plow (Luke 9:62). Instead, refuse to allow the blessings of God’s grace on your work to lead you to think that He may not be ready to do even more in your life. He does not call you to attempt to produce more, but to ask and believe Him for more—for greater works He has in store for us to receive and, by His grace, achieve for His kingdom’s purposes and glory. Keep your heart set and ready for the next advance for His kingdom! (Is. 2:17/ Matt. 6:33*) P.C.

14:12 The promise is not that disciples of Jesus will perform works that are greater in value or significance than His. Rather they are greater in scope and number, in these respects: 1) Because He was crucified, Jesus’ earthly ministry was limited to only a few years, but after the Resurrection and Pentecost, His ministry was and continues to be multiplied through Spiritempowered believers. 2) Our works include the preaching of the gospel, resulting in the blessings of justification, reconciliation, and the gift of the Holy Spirit coming to humankind—all postResurrection manifestations of Christ’s reign (see 5:20). 14:13 Prayer offered in the name of Jesus is in accord with His revealed nature and purpose and has the full weight of His authority behind it.

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J O H N 14:15 Jesus Promises Another Helper a“If you love Me, 1keep My command➂ 15 ments. 16 “And I will pray the Father, and aHe will *give you another 1Helper,* that He may abide with you forever— 14:16 another, allos (al-loss); Strong’s #243: One besides, another of the same kind. The word shows similarities but diversities of operation and ministries. Jesus’ use of allos for sending another Comforter equals “one besides Me and in addition to Me but one just like Me. He will do in My absence what I would do if I were physically present with you.” The Spirit’s coming assures continuity with what Jesus did and taught.

1470 15 a1 John 5:3 1NU you will keep 16 a[John 15:26; 20:22]; Acts 2:4, 33; Rom. 8:15 1Comforter, Gr. Parakletos *See WW at Acts 20:35. • See WW at John 15:26. 17 a[John 15:26; 16:13; 1 John 4:6; 5:7] b[1 Cor. 2:14] c[1 John 2:27] 18 a[Matt. 28:20] b[John 14:3, 28] 19 aJohn 16:16, 22 b[Rom. 5:10; 1 Cor. 15:20; 2 Cor. 4:10] 20 aJohn 10:38; 14:11 21 a1 John 2:5 1reveal

17 a“the Spirit of truth, bwhom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you cand will be in you. 18 a“I will not leave you orphans; bI will come to you. Indwelling of the Father and the Son 19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but ayou will see Me. bBecause I live, you will live also. 20 “At that day you will know that aI am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 a“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and 1manifest Myself to him.” 14:21 manifest, emphanidzo (em-fan-id-zoe); Strong’s #1718: A combination of en, “in,” and phaino, “to cause to shine,” thus, to appear, come to view, reveal, exhibit, make visible, present oneself to the sight of another, be conspicuous. In v. 21, emphanidzo is the self-revelation of Jesus to believers. A secondary meaning of the word is to declare, make known (Acts 23:15, 22; 24:1; 25:2, 15).

14:21 Loving God’s Word As Jesus’ Follower, THE WORD OF GOD. Jesus completely aligned His life and will with the Father’s (8:29), which indicates His total allegiance to the Father’s Word and commandments. He also said He disapproved of any attitude that would reduce respect for or teach less than full obedience to the entirety of God’s revealed Word (Matt. 5:17–19). Thus, in this text, when He explicitly links His disciples’ love for Him as Savior with their will to keep His commandments, we conclude Jesus’ clear intent: If we love Him, we will love His Father’s Word, also. In John 5:39 our Lord declares that the knowledge of the Scriptures is the pathway to knowing Him well. Further, upon His resurrection, He unveiled the fullness of His own Person as revealed in the OT (Luke 24:27). These texts cluster to teach us: To follow Christ, to know Him, and to grow in insight as people walking with the Resurrected Lord, a basic and continuing requirement is a steadfast commitment to hearing, heeding, and studying the Bible. (1 Cor. 3:1–5/James 1:23-25) J.W.H.

22 aLuke 6:16; Acts 1:13 *See WW at John 14:21. 23 a2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 3:17; [1 John 2:24]; Rev. 3:20; 21:3 24 aJohn 5:19 26 aLuke 24:49 bJohn 15:26 c1 Cor. 2:13 dJohn 2:22; 12:16; 1 John 2:20 1Comforter, Gr. Parakletos *See WW at John 15:26. 27 aLuke 1:79; [John 16:33; 20:19; Phil. 4:7]; Col. 3:15 *See WW at Luke 1:79.

14:15–24 See section 3 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 14:15 The verb keep is not imperative, but future (see marginal note). Those who love Christ will prove their devotion by their obedience. 14:18 Jesus refers to His coming in the Person of the Holy Spirit (see 16:16). 14:21 Loving Jesus Christ finds its most comprehensive expression in obeying Jesus’ commandments, which are also the

22 aJudas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will *manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, aand We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and athe word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. The Gift of His Peace 25 “These things I have spoken to you ➅ while being present with you. 26 “But athe 1Helper,* the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will bsend in My name, cHe will teach you all things, and bring to your dremembrance all things that I said to you. 27 a“Peace* I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give

Father’s commandments. A Christianity satisfied with less may be convenient, but is too cheap to be biblical. 14:25, 26 See section 6 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 14:26 The ministry of the Holy Spirit is predominantly Christoriented, a part of which is to teach and remind the disciples of what Jesus taught in person. The Spirit, then, is never selfserving. One way He teaches us is through gifts of teachings (see text and notes on Rom. 12:7, 8; Eph. 4:8, 11).

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1471 to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 “You have heard Me asay to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because 1I said, b‘I am going to the Father,’ for cMy Father is greater than I. 29 “And anow I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 “I will no longer talk much with you, afor the ruler of this world is coming, and he has bnothing in Me. 31 “But that the world may know that I love the Father, and aas the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

➁ ➄

The True Vine “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 a“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He 1takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear bmore fruit. 3 a“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 a“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much afruit; for without Me you can do bnothing. 6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, ahe is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 “If you abide in Me, and My words aabide in you, byou1 will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 a“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; bso you will be My disciples.

Love and Joy Perfected “As the Father aloved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 a“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My

➀9

28 aJohn 14:3, 18 bJohn 16:16 c[John 5:18; Phil. 2:6] 1NU omits I said 29 aJohn 13:19 30 a[John 12:31] b[John 8:46; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet. 1:19; 2:22] 31 aIs. 50:5; John 10:18; Phil. 2:8 CHAPTER 15 2 aMatt. 15:13 b[Matt. 13:12] 1Or lifts up 3 a[John 13:10; 17:17]; Eph. 5:26 4 aJohn 17:23; Eph. 3:17; [Col. 1:23] 5 aHos. 14:8; [Gal. 5:22, 23] b2 Cor. 3:5 6 aMatt. 3:10 7 a1 John 2:14 bJohn 14:13; 16:23 1NU omits you will 8 aPs. 22:23; [Matt. 5:16]; John 13:31; 17:4; [Phil. 1:11]; 1 Pet. 4:11 bJohn 8:31 9 aJohn 5:20; 17:26 10 aJohn 14:15

J O H N 15:16 Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and athat your joy may be full. 15:11 Fullness of Joy, CHRISTLIKENESS. Jesus points the way to joy, a divine quality of character that is possessed and given only by God. It is rooted in relationship with the Holy Spirit, not in earthly or material things. Christlike joy is seen in the description of His, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). Joy is derived from the confidence that the price of dying to our will holds the inevitable certainty of eventually realizing the triumph of His. For Jesus, bringing sons and daughters into fellowship with the Father was His delight, though the Cross was the means to that eventual joy (2:10). This very trait was prophesied of Messiah: “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied” (Is. 53:11). Thus, the Savior’s “food” (that is, His fulfillment) was to do the will of God and accomplish His work (John 4:34). (Matt. 9:36/Is. 9:6) F.P.

11 a[John 16:24]; 1 John 1:4 12 aJohn 13:34; 1 John 3:11 bRom. 12:9 13 aEph. 5:2; 1 John 3:16 *See WW at John 11:11. 14 a[Matt. 12:50; 28:20]; John 14:15, 21; Acts 10:42; 1 John 3:23, 24 15 aGen. 18:17 16 aJohn 6:70; 13:18; 15:19; 1 John 4:10 b[Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15; Col. 1:6]

14:28, 29 Losing the physical presence of Jesus through His death was a necessary condition of His spiritual return. 14:30 Satan, the ruler of this world (see note on 1 John 5:19), had no foothold in the life of Jesus and no authority over Him. 15:1–8 See sections 2 and 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 15:1–8 The fruit that the heavenly vinedresser looks for in His people is Christlikeness (see Gal. 5:22, 23). In order to be productive, a branch must submit to pruning, that is, to the beneficent discipline of the Father (v. 2; see Heb. 12:10) and must maintain an abiding union with the vine (vv. 4, 5). 15:1 This seventh I am and the last self-designation in this Gospel is repeated in v. 5, describing the relationship between Jesus and His disciples. Its background is Is. 5:1– 7, where Israel

12 a“This is My bcommandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 a“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his *friends. 14 a“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, afor all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 a“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and bappointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should

is compared to a vineyard under God’s loving care. But unlike Israel, Jesus is the true [real or genuine] vine. 15:2 The fruitless branch, which does not abide in the vine (v. 6), is destroyed. The immediate reference was probably to Judas, but the idea applies to all pseudo-believers (see Matt. 15:13). 15:7–11 When we abide in Christ, our prayers are effective (v. 7), we glorify God in our fruitbearing (v. 8), we demonstrate our discipleship (vv. 8–10), and our joy becomes full through experiencing Christ’s own joy within us (v. 11). 15:9–14 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 15:15 The servant-master and son-father terminology describes the believer’s relationship to Christ and to the Father quite vividly. But none is quite as profound as when Jesus called His disciples friends, because it speaks of mutuality and love. 15:18–25 Godless secular society is hostile toward Christ and

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J O H N 15:17 remain, that whatever you ask the Father cin My name He may give you. 17 “These things I command you, that you love one another. The World’s Hatred 18 a“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 a“If you were of the world, the world would *love its own. Yet bbecause you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 “Remember the word that I said to you, a‘A *servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. bIf they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 “But aall these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 a“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, bbut now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 a“He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 “If I had not done among them athe works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have bseen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 “But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, a‘They hated Me without a cause.’ The Coming Rejection 26 a“But when the 1Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, bHe will testify of Me. 15:26 Helper, parakletos (parak-lay-toss); Strong’s #3875: From para, “beside,” and kaleo, “to call,” hence, called to one’s side. The word signifies an intercessor, comforter, helper, advocate, counselor. In nonbiblical literature parakletos had the technical meaning of an attorney who appears in court in another’s behalf. The Holy Spirit leads believers to a

1472 16 cJohn 14:13; 16:23, 24 18 a1 John 3:13 19 a1 John 4:5 bJohn 17:14 *See WW at John 21:15. 20 aJohn 13:16 bEzek. 3:7 *See WW at Rev. 19:5. 21 aMatt. 10:22; 24:9 22 aJohn 9:41; 15:24 b[James 4:17] 23 a1 John 2:23 24 aJohn 3:2 bJohn 14:9 25 aPs. 35:19; 69:4; 109:3–5 26 aLuke 24:49 b1 John 5:6 1Comforter, Gr. Parakletos

27 aLuke 24:48 bLuke 1:2 CHAPTER 16 1 aMatt. 11:6 *See WW at Matt. 11:6. 2 aJohn 9:22 bActs 8:1 3 aJohn 8:19; 15:21 1NU, M omit to you 4 1NU their 5 aJohn 7:33; 13:33; 14:28; 17:11 6 a[John 16:20, 22] 7 aActs 2:33 *See WW at John 15:26. 8 aActs 1:8; 2:1–4, 37 *See WW at John 1:29. • See WW at Matt. 5:22. 9 aActs 2:22 10 aActs 2:32 bJohn 5:32 11 aActs 26:18 b[Luke 10:18] 12 aMark 4:33 13 a[John 14:17] bJohn 14:26

His followers, simply because Christian standards are in opposition to the world’s system. 15:26 Another of the Christ-oriented functions of the Spirit is to witness about Him. That witness will be authentic because God’s Spirit is the Spirit of truth. 15:27 In response to the antagonism of the world, believers bear witness concerning Christ through the power of the Spirit. 16:7 The loss of the bodily presence of Jesus will be more than compensated by the coming of the Holy Spirit. 16:8–11 See section 6 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 16:8–11 The ministry of the Spirit to unbelievers is that of con-

greater apprehension of gospel truths. In addition to general help and guidance, He gives the strength to endure the hostility of the world system.

27 “And ayou also will bear witness, because byou have been with Me from the beginning. “These things I have spoken to you, that you ashould not be made to *stumble. 2 a“They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming bthat whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. 3 “And athese things they will do 1to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. 4 “But these things I have told you, that when 1the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit 5 “But now I ago away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 “But because I have said these things to you, asorrow has filled your heart. 7 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the *Helper will not come to you; but aif I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 “And when He has acome, He will con- ➅ vict the world of *sin, and of righteousness, and of *judgment: 9 a“of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 a“of righteousness, bbecause I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 a“of judgment, because bthe ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, ➅ abut you cannot bear them now. 13 “However, when He, athe Spirit of truth, has come, bHe will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

viction. Specifically, He uses their unbelief to prove the gravity of sin (v. 9), the triumphant work of Christ to prove the availability of righteousness (v. 10), and the defeat of Satan to prove the solemn certainty of judgment (v. 11). 16:12–15 See section 6 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 16:12, 13 Earlier, Jesus promised the apostles that the Spirit would remind them of His teachings (14:26). Now He promises them that the Spirit will guide them into further truth, which they could not bear at that time. Both promises were fulfilled in the writing of the NT. The Holy Spirit also fulfills that work in granting believers today an understanding of that truth (see 1 Cor. 2:14, 15; Eph. 1:17, 18).

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1473 14 a“He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 a“All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He 1will take of Mine and declare it to you. 16:14, 15 Relaying the Ministry of Jesus, GOD’S POWER MINISTRY. Jesus’ life and character demonstrate how to minister to others as the Holy Spirit enables us: 1) Have a righteousness that goes beyond and is deeper than traditional religion (see Matt. 5:1— 7:29, especially 5:20). 2) Teach the things Jesus taught, in the way He taught them, always staying in tune with the Father (John 5:19; 6:38; 7:16; 8:28). 3) Do the things He did in the manner in which He did them. Jesus treated people with dignity (Luke 7:36–50), was motivated by compassion (Matt. 9:35–38), and never did anything to selfishly draw attention to Himself (8:4) or to perform based on others’ agendas (16:1–4). 4) Work with Jesus to see all nations (groups of people) become His followers (28:19, 20).

14 aJohn 15:26 15 aMatt. 11:27; John 3:35 1NU, M takes of Mine and will declare 16 aJohn 7:33; 12:35; 13:33; 14:19; 19:40–42; 20:19 bJohn 13:3 18 1understand 20 aMark 16:10; Luke 23:48; 24:17 bLuke 24:32, 41 21 aGen. 3:16; Is. 13:8; 26:17; 42:14; 1 Thess. 5:3

16:22 take, airo (ahee-roe); Strong’s #142: To bear away, take away, carry off, lift from the ground, remove, and take up. The verb is quite common in the NT and in addition to a literal use, it is used of Christ’s taking away sin (1:29; 1 John 3:5), of believers’ putting aside negative attitudes (Eph. 4:31) and taking up a cross (Matt. 16:24), and of the Devil’s snatching away the word of God from hearers.

23 “And in that day you will *ask Me nothing. aMost assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 “Until now you have asked nothing in ➃ My name. Ask, and you will receive, athat your joy may be bfull.

(1 Cor. 12:1–11/Acts 9:32–35) T.H.

Sorrow Will Turn to Joy 16 “A alittle while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, bbecause I go to the Father.” 17 Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” 18 They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not 1know what He is saying.” 19 Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? 20 “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and alament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into bjoy. 21 a“A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon

J O H N 16:31 as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 “Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and ayour *heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

22 aLuke 24:41; John 14:1, 27; 20:20; Acts 2:46; 13:52; 1 Pet. 1:8 *See WW at Rev. 2:23. 23 aMatt. 7:7; [John 14:13; 15:16] *See WW at Matt. 7:7. 24 aJohn 17:13 bJohn 15:11 25 aJohn 7:13 27 a[John 14:21, 23] bJohn 3:13 28 aJohn 13:1, 3; 16:5, 10, 17 30 aJohn 21:17 bJohn 17:8

16:14 The Spirit’s ministry is not only directed to believers and to the world, but also to Christ. What the Spirit teaches He draws from and conveys in the authority of Christ, and glorifies Christ in all that He does. True ministry in the Holy Spirit never serves a private agenda. Rather, working in us and through us, He never exalts Himself, but He continually glorifies Christ who glorifies the Father. 16:16 The first little while speaks of the remaining hours before the Crucifixion, while the second reference is to the com-

Jesus Christ Has Overcome the World 25 “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you aplainly about the Father. 26 “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 a“for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and bhave believed that I came forth from God. 28 a“I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.” 29 His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! 30 “Now we are sure that aYou know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this bwe believe that You came forth from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?

ing of the Holy Spirit, which afforded a more intimate fellowship with Christ than an earthly acquaintance (see 14:18; 16:7). 16:20–22 Their temporary grief at the separation caused by His death will be lost in the joy of a spiritual reunion. 16:23–28 The Holy Spirit will increase their knowledge of spiritual things and will enhance their prayer life. See note on Rom. 8:26. 16:24 See section 4 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John.

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J O H N 16:32 32 a“Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, beach to his 1own, and will leave Me alone. And cyet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 “These things I have spoken to you, that ain Me you may have peace. bIn the world you 1will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, c I have overcome the world.” 16:33 tribulation, thlipsis (thlip-sis); Strong’s #2347: Pressure, oppression, stress, anguish, tribulation, adversity, affliction, crushing, squashing, squeezing, distress. Imagine placing your hand on a stack of loose items and manually compressing them. That is thlipsis, putting a lot of pressure on that which is free and unfettered. Thlipsis is like spiritual bench-pressing. The word is used of crushing grapes or olives in a press.

Jesus Prays for Himself Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, athe hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,

1474 32 aZech. 13:7; Matt. 26:31, 56; Mark 14:27, 50; Acts 8:1 bJohn 20:10 cJohn 8:29 1own things or place 33 a[Is. 9:6; Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:14] b2 Tim. 3:12 cRom. 8:37; [1 John 4:4] 1NU, M omit will CHAPTER 17 1 aJohn 12:23

17:1–26 The Miracle of Oneness, CALL TO UNITY. Unity is Christ’s miracle of oneness. In this chapter, we hear His prayer for the same oneness for His disciples that He has with the Father. He and the Father share the same purpose, plan, and power. Christ often reminds us that He came not to do His own will but to do the Father’s will (Mark 14:36; John 6:38). Likewise, our unity is dependent on sharing the priority of seeking and doing the Lord’s will. His desire for us is to reach those who do not know Him so that they, too, may become one with us and others who have accepted Him as Lord of their lives (John 17:21). The equation of oneness is profound, and yet, very simple: One plus one plus one equals one—Christ, ourselves, and another equals oneness. It is Christ in our brother or

2 aDan. 7:14; Matt. 11:27; John 3:35; [Phil. 2:10; Heb. 2:8] bJohn 6:37, 39; 17:6, 9, 24 1M shall 3 a[Is. 53:11]; Jer. 9:23, 24 b1 Cor. 8:4; 1 Thess. 1:9 cJohn 3:34 4 aJohn 13:31 b[Dan. 9:24]; John 4:34; 19:30 cIs. 49:3; 50:5; John 14:31 *See WW at 1 John 2:5. 5 aProv. 8:22– 30; John 1:1, 2; Phil. 2:6; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3 1Lit. alongside 6 aPs. 22:22 bJohn 6:37 cEzek. 18:4; Rom. 14:8 1revealed 8 aJohn 8:28 bJohn 8:42; 16:27, 30 cDeut. 18:15, 18

16:33 Even in the midst of persecution there is joyful peace in the certainty of Christ’s victory. See note on Rom. 8:17. 17:1–26 This chapter, rather than Matt. 6:9–13, might more properly be called “the Lord’s Prayer.” The prayer contains a threefold petition—that He may be glorified (vv. 1–5), that the apostles may be sanctified (vv. 6–19), and that the church may be unified (vv. 20–26). 17:1–5 The petition of Jesus for Himself is not selfish, since His desire is to glorify the Father. To glorify Him is to make Him

sister who reaches out to the Christ in us. We are united in and through Him. It is a miracle of the indwelling Christ. (John 13:34/1 Cor. 13:1–13) L.O.

2 a“as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He 1should give eternal life to as many bas You have given Him. 3 “And athis is eternal life, that they may know You, bthe only true God, and Jesus Christ cwhom You have sent. 4 a“I have glorified You on the earth. bI have *finished the work cwhich You have given Me to do. 17:4 Ultimate Purpose of Revival, REVIVAL. To glorify God the Father on Earth was Jesus’ express purpose. To prepare for and live in revival, it is imperative that we possess this same desire to glorify God. He will not share His glory with another (Is. 42:8); but to and through those who are consumed with a passion to know God and give all the glory to Him, He will manifest the glory of His Person, His power, and His presence. Glorifying God is the Holy Spirit’s intent in revival (John 16:14). As churches are revived and cities transformed by the mighty workings of the Holy Spirit, all the glory will be given back to the Father. (Luke 15:11–24/Acts 17:6) G.F.

5 “And now, O Father, glorify Me together 1with Yourself, with the glory awhich I had with You before the world was. Jesus Prays for His Disciples 6 a“I have 1manifested Your name to the men bwhom You have given Me out of the world. c They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 “Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 “For I have given to them the words awhich You have given Me; and they have received them, band have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that cYou sent Me.

known. Jesus would soon be manifested as the Savior of the world through His atoning death. Believers in Him will know God and thus possess eternal life. 17:6–19 Although He does not pray that His immediate disciples may be removed from the world, He does pray that they will be kept from the world’s evil through the Father’s name (vv. 6–16). He also prays that they might be sanctified, that is, set apart for the ministry of truth (vv. 17–19).

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1475 9 “I pray for them. aI do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 “And all Mine are Yours, and aYours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 a“Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, bkeep1 through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one cas We are. 12 “While I was with them 1in the world, aI kept them in 2Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and bnone of them is 3lost* cexcept the son of 4perdition, dthat the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 “But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 “I have given them Your word; aand the world has hated them because they are not of the world, bjust as I am not of the world. 15 “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but athat You should keep them from the evil one. 16 “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 a“Sanctify1* them by Your truth. bYour word is truth. 18 a“As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 “And afor their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

9 a[1 John 5:19] 10 aJohn 16:15 11 aJohn 13:1 b[1 Pet. 1:5] cJohn 10:30 1NU, M keep them through Your name which You have given Me 12 aHeb. 2:13 b1 John 2:19 cJohn 6:70 dPs. 41:9; 109:8 1NU omits in the world 2NU Your name which You gave Me. And I guarded them; (or it;) 3destroyed 4destruction *See WW at Luke 9:56. 14 aJohn 15:19 bJohn 8:23 15 a1 John 5:18 17 a[Eph. 5:26] bPs. 119:9, 142, 151 1Set them apart *See WW at John 10:36. 18 aJohn 4:38; 20:21 19 a[Heb. 10:10] 20 1NU, M omit will 21 a[Gal. 3:28] bJohn 10:38; 17:11, 23 22 a1 John 1:3 b[2 Cor. 3:18] 23 a[Col. 3:14] 24 a[1 Thess. 4:17] bJohn 17:5

Jesus Prays for All Believers

for these alone, but also ➀ 20 “I do not pray 1

for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 a“that they all may be one, as bYou, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 “And the aglory which You gave Me I have given them, bthat they may be one just as We are one: 23 “I in them, and You in Me; athat they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 a“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; bfor You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

25 aJohn 15:21 bJohn 7:29; 8:55; 10:15 cJohn 3:17; 17:3, 8, 18, 21, 23 26 aJohn 17:6 bJohn 15:9 *See WW at John 12:13. CHAPTER 18 1 aMark 14:26, 32 b2 Sam. 15:23 2 aLuke 21:37; 22:39 3 aLuke 22:47–53 4 aJohn 6:64; 13:1, 3; 19:28 5 aMatt. 21:11 bPs. 41:9 1Lit. the Nazarene

17:20–26 In His final petition Jesus prays for the unity of all believers of subsequent generations. The oneness He requests is not an organizational but a spiritual unity, which, will be visibly manifested in the life of the church and will bear witness to the divine mission of Christ. The church’s unity will reach its consummation in heaven (vv. 24–26). 17:20–23 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 18:1 The Brook Kidron, often dry in summer but rain-swollen in winter, runs along the eastern side of Jerusalem, past the

J O H N 18:7 25 “O righteous Father! aThe world has not known You, but bI have known You; and cthese have known that You sent Me. 26 a“And I have declared to them Your *name, and will declare it, that the love bwith which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” 17:4–26 Growth in Glorifying God, GROWTH. Jesus’ use of “glory” transcends the word’s use as commonly expressed. Describing the glory of and His glorifying of God (Greek doxazo¯ ), He means to make known; to make or leave a favorable impression or opinion. Jesus’ life clearly did that: He glorified the Father, displaying on Earth the splendor of a wondrously favorable impression of the Father. When humankind saw Jesus, we saw the Father (14:9). But further, Jesus explains how He glorified God: He “finished the work” the Father gave Him to do. To glorify God, then, is to complete an assignment—to do those things He has called, chosen, appointed, and anointed us to do. (1 Tim. 3:16/1 Pet. 5:8) K.U.

Betrayal and Arrest in Gethsemane When Jesus had spoken these words, aHe went out with His disciples over bthe Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. 2 And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; afor Jesus often met there with His disciples. 3 aThen Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. 4 Jesus therefore, aknowing all things that would come upon Him, went for ward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” 5 They answered Him, a“Jesus 1of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.” And Judas, who bbetrayed Him, also stood with them. 6 Now when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Then He asked them again, “Whom are

Garden of Gethsemane and the Mt. of Olives. One coming from Jerusalem had to cross the Kidron to reach Gethsemane. 18:5, 6 I am He: On the surface these words simply identified Jesus in terms of His Galilean hometown. Just as the other “I am” sayings in John, however, this one also revealed Jesus as God. This explains the impact of His words on the troops, who are involuntarily smitten by this momentary unleashing of His inherent power as God.

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J O H N 18:8 you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,” 9 that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, a“Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none.” 10 aThen Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink athe cup which My Father has given Me?”

1476 9 a[John 6:39; 17:12] 10 aMatt. 26:51 11 aMatt. 20:22; 26:39 13 aMatt. 26:57 bLuke 3:2 cMatt. 26:3 14 aJohn 11:50 1advantageous 15 aMark 14:54 bJohn 20:2–5 1M the other 16 aMatt. 26:69 17 aMatt. 26:34 20 aLuke 4:15 bJohn 6:59 cMark 14:49 1NU all the Jews meet *See WW at Acts 4:31.

Before the High Priest 12 Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. 13 And athey led Him away to bAnnas first, for he was the father-in-law of cCaiaphas who was high priest that year. 14 aNow it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was 1expedient that one man should die for the people. Peter Denies Jesus 15 aAnd Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did banother1 disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. 16 aBut Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. 17 Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am anot.” 18 Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself. Jesus Questioned by the High Priest 19 The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, a“I spoke *openly to the world. I always taught bin synagogues and cin the temple, where 1the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing.

21 aMark 12:37 22 aJer. 20:2 1Lit. gave Jesus a slap, 24 aMatt. 26:57 bJohn 11:49 25 aLuke 22:58–62 27 aJohn 13:38 28 aMark 15:1 bActs 10:28; 11:3 1The governor’s headquarters 29 aMatt. 27:11–14 30 1a criminal *See WW at Luke 23:25. 32 aMatt. 20:17–19; 26:2 bJohn 3:14; 8:28; 12:32, 33

18:13 Although Caiaphas was high priest at the time of the arrest of Jesus, Annas, the ex-high priest, exercised greater influence and authority. 18:15 The other disciple has traditionally been identified as John, the writer of this Gospel, who preferred not to divulge his name (see 13:23; 19:25–27). 18:19 In a trial it was illegal for the accused to be interrogated, lest he incriminate himself. Guilt must be established by witnesses.

21 “Why do you ask Me? Ask athose who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.” 22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by astruck1 Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Do You answer the high priest like that?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?” 24 aThen Annas sent Him bound to bCaiaphas the high priest. Peter Denies Twice More 25 Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. aTherefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” 27 Peter then denied again; and aimmediately a rooster crowed. In Pilate’s Court 28 aThen they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. bBut they themselves did not go into the 1Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. 29 aPilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If He were not 1an evildoer, we would not have *delivered Him up to you.” 31 Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” 18:31 judge, krino (kree-no); Strong’s #2919: Compare “criterion” and “critic.” To separate, decide, examine, question, select, choose, resolve, make an opinion, determine, decide favorably or unfavorably, pronounce judgment.

32 athat the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, bsignifying by what death He would die.

18:22 The Jews again violated their own law in striking Jesus. 18:28 The Praetorium was the residence of the Roman procurator, in this case, Pilate. During the main Jewish festivals, the Roman governor would reside in Jerusalem in order to forestall any possible uprising. While plotting murder, the religious authorities were careful not to defile themselves ceremonially. 18:32 If the Jews had been allowed to carry out the death penalty, Jesus would have been stoned.

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1477 33 aThen Pilate entered the 1Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” ➀ 36 aJesus answered, b“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” 18:36 world, kosmos (kosmoss); Strong’s #2889: Compare “cosmic,” “cosmogony,” “cosmopolitan.” Originally, kosmos was orderly arrangement, decor, adorning, beauty, symmetry, and the regularity of the world order. Kosmos later focused on “the Earth” (contrasted with heaven) and the secular world. Often in the NT the word describes a world system alienated from and opposed to God, lying in the power of the Evil One. 18:36 John’s Writings, TERMINOLOGY OF THE KINGDOM. John is the only gospel writer who records these words of Jesus: “My kingdom is not of this world.” Near the end of the first century, when John was writing his Gospel, Christians were often assailed with the accusation that their goals were not spiritual, but political. The Roman Empire was being filled with reborn citizens of a heavenly kingdom, but their “kingdom of God” terminology could be misunderstood. Thus, John adopts the phrase “eternal life,” as much to show the new quality of life Jesus Christ has brought as to describe its quantity. The idea of “eternal life” describes a divine dimension of life available to mankind, as well as a destined duration of “everlasting” endlessness. The words “eternal life” occur 15 times in John’s writings, “the kingdom of God” only 6. Some have thought John’s relatively infrequent use of “kingdom of God” suggested this message application was confined only

33 aMatt. 27:11 1The governor’s headquarters 36 a1 Tim. 6:13 b[Dan. 2:44; 7:14]; Luke 12:14; John 6:15; 8:15

J O H N 19:6 to the time of Jesus’ ministry and the birth of “the church age.” Notwithstanding the fact that the birth of the church did introduce a new era in human history, the message of “the gospel of the kingdom” was not changed. For example, see the thrust of its being taught/preached throughout Acts (20:25; 28:23, 30, 31). (Matt. 19:23, 24/Col. 1:27, 28) J.W.H.

37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, athat I should bear bwitness to the truth. Everyone who cis of the truth dhears My voice.” 38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, a“I find no fault in Him at all.

37 a[Matt. 5:17; 20:28; Luke 4:43; 12:49; 19:10; John 3:17; 9:39; 10:10; 12:47] bIs. 55:4; Rev. 1:5 c[John 14:6] dJohn 8:47; 10:27; [1 John 3:19; 4:6] 38 aIs. 53:9; Matt. 27:24; Luke 23:4; John 19:4, 6; 1 Pet. 2:22–24 39 aMatt. 27:15–26; Mark 15:6– 15; Luke 23:17–25 40 aIs. 53:3; Acts 3:14 bLuke 23:19 CHAPTER 19 1 aMatt. 20:19; 27:26; Mark 15:15; Luke 18:33 3 aIs. 50:6 1NU And they came up to Him and said 4 aIs. 53:9; John 18:33, 38; 1 Pet. 2:22–24 6 aActs 3:13

18:33–38 The dialogue between Pilate and Jesus clarifies the true nature of the Lord’s kingship and emphasizes its abiding relevance. 18:36 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of John. 19:5 Behold the Man was not meant as a title of honor but was a mingling of pity and scorn. Pilate regarded the claims of Jesus as more fit for ridicule than for serious legal action.

Taking the Place of Barabbas 39 a“But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 aThen they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” bNow Barabbas was a robber. The Soldiers Mock Jesus So then aPilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3 1Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they astruck Him with their hands. 4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, athat you may know that I find no fault in Him.”

Pilate’s Decision 5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!” 6 aTherefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”

19:6 Crucifixion was the most hideous Roman method of execution, reserved only for slaves and criminals. The victim generally was nailed or tied to a crossbeam which was then mounted to an upright wooden pole. Crucifixion was despised and therefore not practiced by the Jews. Their disgust with this form of punishment is evident in Deut. 21:23: “He who is hanged is accursed of God.”

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J O H N 19:7 7 The Jews answered him, a“We have a law, and according to 1our law He ought to die, because bHe made Himself the Son of God.” 8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” aBut Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have 1power to crucify You, and 1power to release You?” 11 Jesus answered, a“You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore bthe one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” 12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s *friend. aWhoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.” 13 aWhen Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the *judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now ait was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, a“We have no king but Caesar!” 16 aThen he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus 1and led Him away. The King on a Cross 17 aAnd He, bearing His cross, bwent out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 18 where they crucified Him, and atwo others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. 19 aNow Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Then many of the Jews *read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was

1478 7 aLev. 24:16 bMatt. 26:63–66 1NU the law 9 aIs. 53:7 10 1authority 11 a[Luke 22:53] bRom. 13:1 12 aLuke 23:2 *See WW at John 11:11. 13 a1 Sam. 15:24 *See WW at Matt. 27:19. 14 aMatt. 27:62 15 a[Gen. 49:10] 16 aLuke 23:24 1NU omits and led Him away 17 aMark 15:21, 22 bNum. 15:36 18 aIs. 53:12 19 aMatt. 27:37 20 *See WW at Mark 13:14.

near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ ” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” 23 aThen the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: a“They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things. Behold Your Mother 25 aNow there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of bClopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and athe disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, b“Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her ato his own home.

23 aLuke 23:34 24 aPs. 22:18 25 aMark 15:40 bLuke 24:18 26 aJohn 13:23; 20:2; 21:7, 20, 24 bJohn 2:4 27 aJohn 1:11; 16:32 28 aPs. 22:15 1M seeing 29 aMatt. 27:48, 50 30 aJohn 17:4 31 aMark 15:42 bDeut. 21:23 cEx. 12:16

19:13 The Pavement, also called Gabbatha (“an elevated place”), was a raised platform upon which Pilate sat in judgment. Archaeologists identify it with an excavated Roman pavement that formed the courtyard of the Tower of Antonia. 19:14 Preparation Day was the day immediately prior to a particular festival, the Passover in this case. Since all religious festivals began on the Sabbath, Preparation Day was Friday. 19:17 The victim was forced to carry only the crossbeam to the place of execution. 19:19–22 It was customary to place the charge for crucifixion over the victim’s cross. One would suspect a charge of sedition. Pilate’s bitter irony achieved a measure of revenge

It Is Finished 28 After this, Jesus, 1knowing that all things were now accomplished, athat the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and athey filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, a“It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. Jesus’ Side Is Pierced 31 aTherefore, because it was the Preparation Day, bthat the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a chigh day), the Jews asked Pilate

against those who had entrapped him into a condemnation of Jesus. 19:25–27 To the very last, Jesus’ earthly life demonstrated the priority He placed on love and concern in relationships. 19:30 It is finished: The Greek tense indicates that the work of redemption has been completed once for all and its results are abiding continuously. 19:31–33 Jewish law dictated that the bodies of executed criminals be removed from sight before sunset (Deut. 21:23). When the legs were broken, the victims could no longer ease the strain on their arms and chests, causing a greater constriction in their chests, which hastened death.

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1479 that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately ablood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is atrue; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may bbelieve. 19:35 testimony, marturia (martoo-ree-ah); Strong’s #3141: Compare “martyr.” Witness, historical attestation, evidence, judicial or general certification. The word describes a testimony based on what one has seen, heard, or knows. The English word “martyr” comes from the Greek root, with the implication that a witness is willing to die for his belief.

36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, a“Not one of His bones shall be *broken.” 37 And again *another Scripture says, a“They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb 38 aAfter this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, bfor fear of

34 a[1 John 5:6, 8] 35 aJohn 21:24 b[John 20:31] 36 a[Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12]; Ps. 34:20 *See WW at Rom. 16:20. 37 aZech. 12:10; 13:6 *See WW at Acts 4:12. 38 aLuke 23:50–56 b[John 7:13; 9:22; 12:42]

39 aJohn 3:1, 2; 7:50 bMatt. 2:11 40 aJohn 20:5, 7 41 *See WW at 2 Cor. 5:17. 42 aIs. 53:9 bJohn 19:14, 31 CHAPTER 20 1 aMatt. 28:1–8 bMatt. 27:60, 66; 28:2 *See WW at John 12:46. 2 aJohn 21:23, 24 bJohn 13:23; 19:26; 21:7, 20, 24 *See WW at John 21:15. 3 aLuke 24:12 5 aJohn 19:40

19:34–37 Whether or not the blood and water may be joint symbols of redemption and evidences of the humanity of Jesus (see 1 John 5:6–8), John sees the piercing of Jesus’ side as a fulfillment of prophecy. 19:38, 39 Both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were members of the Sanhedrin and had apparently become covert disciples of Jesus. 20:1–10 The first day of the week: The Resurrection distinguishes Christianity from all other religions. In commemora-

T H E

D E A T H

O F

J O H N 20:5 the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 39 And aNicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of bmyrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and abound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a *new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So athere they laid Jesus, bbecause of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby. The Empty Tomb Now on the afirst day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still *dark, and saw that the bstone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the aother disciple, bwhom Jesus *loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” 3 aPeter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw athe linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in.

tion and celebration of this event, Christians gather on Sunday to worship the resurrected Lord. The graveclothes were not unwound or disarranged, but still retained the shape they had when they covered the body, the upper layer having fallen on the lower from the weight of the spices, and the head wrapping separated from the rest by the length of the neck. Apparently the body had simply passed through the burial shroud. 20:2 The other disciple was John, the writer of this Gospel.

J E S U S

Aspect of Jesus’ Death The world viewed Jesus’ death as a scandal and as foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18–25). The church understood His death as fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

In obedience to His Father (18:11) Announced by Himself (18:32; see 3:14) In the place of His people (18:14) With evildoers (19:18) In innocence (19:6) Crucified (19:18) Buried in a rich man’s tomb (19:38–42)

(19:42)

Old Testament Reference Psalm 40:8 Numbers 21:8, 9 Isaiah 53:4–6 Isaiah 53:12 Isaiah 53:9 Psalm 22:16 Isaiah 53:9

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J O H N 20:6 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he *saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and athe 1handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8 Then the aother disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not 1know the aScripture,* that He must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord 11 aBut Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two *angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 aNow when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and bdid not know that it was Jesus. 20:14 saw, theoreo (theh-ohreh-oh); Strong’s #2334: Compare “theater,” “theory,” “theoretical.” To behold, view attentively, perceive, look with a prolonged and continuous gaze. Theoreo conveys looking with a purpose, with interest, and with close scrutiny.

15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away,

1480 6 *See WW at John 20:14. 7 aJohn 11:44 1face cloth 8 aJohn 21:23, 24 9 aPs. 16:10; Acts 2:25, 31; 13:34, 35 1understand *See WW at John 5:39. 11 aMark 16:5 12 *See WW at Matt. 4:11. 14 aMatt. 28:9; Mark 16:9 b[Luke 24:16, 31]; John 21:4 16 aJohn 10:3 1NU adds in Hebrew 17 aMark 16:19; Luke 24:5; Acts 1:9; 2:34–36; Eph. 4:8–10; Heb. 4:14 bPs. 22:22; Matt. 18:10; Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:11 cJohn 16:28; 17:11 dEph. 1:17 18 aMatt. 28:10; Luke 24:10, 23 1NU disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” 19 aMark 16:14; Luke 24:36; John 14:27; 1 Cor. 15:5 bJohn 9:22; 19:38 cJohn 14:27; 16:16; Eph. 2:17 1NU omits assembled *See WW at 1 John 4:18. 20 aActs 1:3 bJohn 16:20, 22 *See WW at Matt. 10:1. 21 a[Matt. 28:18–20]; John 17:18, 19; [2 Tim. 2:2]; Heb. 3:1 22 *See WW at Acts 7:33. 23 aMatt. 16:19; 18:18

20:12 See note on Luke 24:4. 20:17, 18 Do not cling to Me reinforces the now changed condition that is to exist between Master and disciple, a condition which Jesus tells Mary will be fully inaugurated with the Ascension. There is no justification for the carnal presumption asserted by sinful minds that some amorous feelings existed between Mary Magdalene and Jesus. There is neither any evidence that she had been a prostitute (only that she had experienced a great deliverance, Luke 8:2), nor that her age was even approximate to Jesus’ age. Her companying with a group of older women argues otherwise, John 19:25. 20:19 Closed doors were not a barrier to the risen Lord (see v. 26). 20:20 The appearance of the risen Christ dispelled the fears of the disciples. They were convinced that He was the same Jesus who had been crucified a few days earlier, as the scars in His hands and side showed. 20:21–23 The commissioning of the disciples to the mission of

tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, a“Mary!” She turned and said to 1Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet aascended to My Father; but go to bMy brethren and say to them, c‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to dMy God and your God.’ ” 18 aMary Magdalene came and told the 1disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. The Apostles Commissioned 19 aThen, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were 1assembled, for bfear* of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, c“Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He ashowed them His hands and His side. bThen the *disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! aAs the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the *Holy Spirit. 23 a“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

20:21 sent, apostello (ap-os-tellow); Strong’s #649: Compare “apostolic.” To commission, set apart for a special service, send a message by someone, send out with a mission to fulfill, equip and dispatch one with the full backing and authority of the sender.

Christ is what made them “apostles,” or “sent-forth ones.” The empowerment for such mission comes through the Holy Spirit, poured out upon all believers at Pentecost. See note on 3:32–36. 20:22 Breathed: The allusion to Gen. 2:7 is unmistakable. Now Jesus breathed life into His own. Some interpret the statement Receive the Holy Spirit as symbolic and as anticipating Pentecost. Others understand the Greek to denote immediacy in the sense of “receive right now,” and view the day of the Lord’s Resurrection as marking the transition from the terms of the Old Covenant to those of the New Covenant. The old creation began with the breath of God; now the new creation begins with the breath of God the Son. 20:23 The disciples are to preach both the way of salvation and the way of damnation explaining how sinners can be forgiven and the danger of rejecting the gospel. Whether or not the hearers’ sins are forgiven depends on their acceptance or rejection of Christ.

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1481 20:22 The Holy Spirit and the New Birth, HOLY SPIRIT FULLNESS. Jesus’ words “Receive the Holy Spirit” help to set in context two different works of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life. First, here on Easter night, the disciples do, in fact, “receive the Holy Spirit” as “the Spirit of life” (Rom. 8:2). Jesus’ word is direct and unequivocal: “Receive”; and in doing so, the disciples are “born again” (John 3:3) by the Holy Spirit’s regenerating work in them (Rom. 8:11–17). This passage parallels the breath of the Father on Adam in the first creation, as Jesus breathes on them and the “new creation” is begun (2 Cor. 5:17). Second, however, on Pentecost the work of God’s Spirit as the Spirit of power (Is. 11:2, “might”) is to enable Jesus’ disciples for ministry—witness and service—to fulfill their mission to the world.

24 aJohn 11:16 27 aPs. 22:16; Zech. 12:10; 13:6; 1 John 1:1 bMark 16:14 29 a2 Cor. 5:7; 1 Pet. 1:8 1NU, M omit Thomas *See WW at Matt. 5:3. 30 aJohn 21:25 *See WW at Rev. 16:14. 31 aLuke 1:4 bJohn 19:35; 1 John 5:13 cLuke 2:11; 1 John 5:1 dJohn 3:15, 16; 5:24; [1 Pet. 1:8, 9] *See WW at 2 Tim. 4:22.

(Luke 24:49/Acts 1:5–8) S.G.B.

Seeing and Believing 24 Now Thomas, acalled the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and areach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be bunbelieving, but believing.” 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, 1“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. aBlessed* are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” That You May Believe 30 And atruly Jesus did many other *signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 abut these are written that byou may

CHAPTER 21 1 aMatt. 26:32; Mark 14:28; John 6:1 2 aJohn 20:24 bJohn 1:45–51 cJohn 2:1 dMatt. 4:21; Mark 1:19; Luke 5:10 3 1NU omits immediately 4 aLuke 24:16; John 20:14 5 aLuke 24:41 6 aLuke 5:4,6, 7 7 aJohn 13:23; 20:2 12 aActs 10:41 14 aJohn 20:19, 26

20:30, 31 John states both his method and his purpose in writing. 21:1–14 The appearances of the risen Christ in ch. 20 took place in the vicinity of Jerusalem. But this one was in Galilee, where the disciples had returned to their secular occupation as

J O H N 21:14 believe that Jesus cis the *Christ, the Son of God, dand that believing you may have life in His name. Breakfast by the Sea After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the aSea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, aThomas called the Twin, bNathanael of cCana in Galilee, dthe sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and 1immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples adid not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then aJesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” 6 And He said to them, a“Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 7 Therefore athat disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” 11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. 12 Jesus said to them, a“Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. 14 This is now athe third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

fishermen. The miraculous catch of fish and breakfast with their Master convinced them of who He was, and yet left them too awed to spoil with words the wonder of His presence and actions.

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J O H N 21:15 Jesus Restores Peter 15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of 1Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I 2love You.” He said to him, a“Feed My *lambs.” 21:15 love, phileo (fill-eh-oh); Strong’s #5368: Compare “philharmonic,” “philosophy,” “philology.” To be fond of, care for affectionately, cherish, take pleasure in, have personal attachment for. Jesus asked Peter twice if he had agape love. Peter answered with phileo, which at that moment was all he had to give. Later, when the Holy Spirit imparted to him the fuller understanding of agape love, Peter used the agape/ agapao words nine times in his writings.

16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of 1Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I 2love You.” aHe said to him, “Tend My bsheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of 1Jonah, do you 2love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you 2love Me?” And he said to Him, *“Lord, aYou know all things; You know that I 2love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

1482 15 aActs 20:28 1NU John 2have affection for *See WW at Rev. 6:1. 16 aHeb. 13:20 bPs. 79:13 1NU John 2have affection for 17 aJohn 2:24, 25; 16:30 1NU John 2have affection for *See WW at John 6:68.

18 aActs 12:3, 4 19 a2 Pet. 1:13, 14 b[Matt. 4:19; 16:24] 20 aJohn 13:23; 20:2 bJohn 13:25 22 a[Rev. 2:25; 3:11; 22:7, 20] 1desire 24 aJohn 19:35 *See WW at Acts 26:22. • See WW at John 19:35. 25 aJohn 20:30 bAmos 7:10 *See WW at John 18:36.

21:15–19 After his threefold denial of Jesus, Peter needed special attention. In his reply to Jesus’ threefold question Do you love Me? Peter uses a less emphatic word, not daring to claim a complete devotion. In the third form of the question, Jesus uses the same word for love that Peter had used, inquiring if Peter even had the affection that he claimed. Peter can only appeal to the Lord’s divine knowledge as proof of his sincerity. The ultimate call

18 a“Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 19 This He spoke, signifying aby what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, b“Follow Me.” The Beloved Disciple and His Book 20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple awhom Jesus loved following, bwho also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If I 1will that he remain atill I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” 23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?” 24 This is the disciple who atestifies* of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his *testimony is true. 25 aAnd there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, bI suppose that even the *world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

for Peter to follow his Master epitomizes the Lord’s threefold commission for him to be a shepherd to the sheep. 21:20–23 The emphasis does not rest on the rather mysterious reference to the fate of the beloved disciple but on the individualization of the call to discipleship. The specifics may vary from one individual to another, but the demand for obedience is the same.

TRUTH-IN-ACTION T H R O U G H J O H N Letting the Life of the Holy Spirit Bring Faith’s Works Alive in You!

TRUTH JOHN TEACHES

➀ Growing in Godliness To the NT disciple, godly living is living in, through, and for Jesus. Godliness includes these three elements: love, obedience, and unity. By living godly lives, we learn to see things as God does and adopt His Word as our only standard.

ACTION TEXT 7:24 12:32 15:9–14 17:20–23 18:36

JOHN INVITES Judge spiritual things by spiritual standards, not by appearance. Exalt Jesus in your life and service to draw men to Him. Recognize that love obeys Jesus and lays down its life for others. Commit yourself to the unity of the church. Practice Christian citizenship, but realize that the world system is often opposed to God’s kingdom.

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TRUTH JOHN TEACHES

➁ Cultivating Dynamic Devotion John’s Gospel introduces the Holy Spirit as the key to a truly dynamic devotion to God. It anticipates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who will become the very energy of the believer’s devotional life. The Holy Spirit will maximize prayer and worship, minister through the Lord’s Supper, and enable believers to continually draw their lives from Jesus Christ Himself.

➂ Pursuing Holiness

Obeying Jesus is evidence that we love Him and are His disciples. Our obedience is vital to holy living. The Holy Spirit teaches us and gives us understanding of the Scriptures, enabling us to obey the Lord.

ACTION TEXT

JOHN INVITES

4:21–24

Worship God frequently, with your spiritual language as well as your understanding. Draw on Jesus’ life and healing while partaking of His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. Do not allow your ministry for Jesus to distract you from your more important ministry to Him. Reject independence from God. Nurture an increasingly deepened relationship with Jesus Christ.

6:53–58 12:2–8 15:1–8

2:5 5:16–23 7:17, 18 14:15–24

➃ The Walk of Faith

A key word in John’s Gospel is “believe.” Faith is important to our understanding of Scripture and to the Spirit’s activity in our lives. Faith, like love, evidences itself in obedience. Faith approaches God boldly to receive from Him.

➄ Living the Christ-in-You Life The Gospel of John is uniquely structured around seven “I am” sayings. Most of these sayings are linked to a miracle that brings further revelation of that truth through the manifestation of the Spirit. We are to know Jesus in spirit and in truth. To walk in faith we must know the truth of who Jesus is and experience by the Spirit the reality of that truth. It is vital that our faith be more than just head knowledge, but that our hearts and lives are affected by that truth. Faith is not static but dynamic.

10:37, 38 11:40 14:6, 7 14:12–14 16:24 6:5–13, 35, 48–51

Practice instant obedience to God and His Word. Follow Jesus’ example in Scripture, knowing that He did only what He saw the Father doing. Determine to obey the Lord. Align your will with His will. Know that you show your love for Jesus by obeying Him. Diligently keep God’s Word, and steadfastly abide in His presence. Believe in the miracles of Jesus. Understand that the glory of God is revealed to those who believe. Recognize that Jesus is the only way to God. Know Jesus to know God. Pray for and expect the “greater things” ministry of the church. Do not neglect to ask the Father for those things you need to live and do His work.

Feed on Jesus, the Bread of Life. Do this practically through regularly celebrating communion and reading the Word of God. 8:12; 9:1–7 Follow Jesus who is the Light of the World; in Him is the light of life. The light of Jesus brings sight to both the spiritually and physically blind. Do the works of Jesus while there is still opportunity. 10:7–18 By faith enter into abundant life through Jesus, who is the Door. Understand that only through Jesus will you find eternal life, because Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gave His life for you. 11:1–44 Believe in Jesus who is the resurrection and the life. The raising of Lazarus from the dead was a demonstration of the glory of God and showed Jesus’ power over death. We no longer need to fear death because Jesus has overcome it and offers us eternal life (Heb. 2:14, 15).

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TRUTH JOHN TEACHES

ACTION TEXT 14:6

15:1–8

➅ Guidelines for Growth

in the Spirit John’s Gospel introduces the Holy Spirit’s role in spiritual growth. The New Birth and the baptism with the Holy Spirit endow the believer with the life and gifts of the Holy Spirit, including the ability to pray in Spirit power. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher, Helper, Advocate, and Guide. He is our source of true spiritual understanding. He lifts up Jesus and builds up believers, enabling them to live the Christian life.

3:3 14:25, 26 16:8–11 16:12–15

JOHN INVITES Come to the Father through Jesus. Jesus is the Way to God that you have sought. He is the Truth for which you have searched. He is the Life for which you have longed. Abide in Jesus, the True Vine. Remain in Him, staying continually present with Him. Then you will experience growth, maturity, and productivity for the kingdom of God. Understand that perceiving the kingdom of God and entering it are impossible without spiritual rebirth. Understand that the Holy Spirit enables God’s people to understand and live by the truth. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring conviction to people’s hearts. Understand that is one of His primary ministries. Understand that knowing the truth of God’s Word is made possible by the Holy Spirit.