December 7, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in our Advent readings from “The Life of Jesus”? Here’s today’s reading:
Day 7 in the Book: “The Life of Jesus“
The Beginning of Jesus’ Public Life
Read Sections 2.9 through 2.12 (pages 23-28)
This book is an account of Jesus’ life and teachings told through in chronological order from the four Gospels to create one continuous story.
*If you do not have a copy of the book please contact the church at (401)667-0775 and we can get you a copy.
Advent 2023 – Day 7
2.9: John’s commentary on Jesus at the Passover is interesting. John says that many believed in His name “when they saw the signs that He was doing”. But then John also says that Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people (a reference to the deity of Christ). John says that “he himself knew what was in man.”
Later in his gospel, John recounts an interaction between Jesus and Thomas, where Jesus allows Thomas to touch His wounds to help him believe. But he also tells him that “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
It seems in the first interaction mentioned, Jesus is in some ways protecting His ministry…it says He did not “entrust” himself to them. And yet, these are people who had professed belief in him, because of what they had seen him do. We see Jesus take this stance in other places too…John 4:48 for instance…but Jesus still heals the official’s son.
Jesus knows what is in us. He knows our hearts and our minds. He knows every single thing about us. There is great comfort in that, because we can come to Him with anything…acknowledge every sin, fear, failure, trial, and concern. Nothing will surprise or shock him, nothing is beyond his knowledge. He has known us before the foundation of time…every day of our lives is already fully known to Him. In Jesus, we can find our rest. Lord, I believe…help my unbelief! (Mark 9:24).
Section 2.10: – The interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus. I remarked in Wed night study last night how I love that Matthew provides two genealogies in the beginning of his gospel. The first is worldly. It is meant to help convince/persuade/prove to Matthew’s fellow Jews that Jesus is in fact the promised Messiah by showing the lineage of Joseph. But the other genealogy is presented starting in Matthew 1:18 and then again in 1:20. God reveals to Mary and then to Joseph (and to us all through His Word), that the child carried by Mary was in fact conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This same Spirit anoints Jesus at the beginning of His public ministry (John 1:32, Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10, Luke 3:22)
And this same Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. (Romans 8:11).
It is this very same Spirit that comes and dwells within every believer. The same Spirit that gives life to our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11). This is our eternal lineage as sons and daughters of God…and it is incredible to believe that God would adopt us as such. And yet, He isn’t done with us at adoption. He is completing the work He started in us…and what is that work? To make us like Christ…God is making us more and more like Jesus every day, and He has intended to do this in us since before the foundations of time…”to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
Staggering. Praise be to God. Come, Lord Jesus, come!
The temple where God resides was absolutely no place to conduct business. Never mind gouging people to purchase sacrificial animals at over inflated prices. Church should be a place where people come to receive help. Not to conduct business. Can’t imagine trying to profit from living hope by selling brushes. Totally wrong. Motive. Jesus knew what was in a man’s heart. Hearts are deceitful. Some of these people that were praising him would later yell. Crucify him!! Nicodemus. Was well versed in the Old Testament but couldn’t grasp the gift of Grace. As Jesus pointed out to him as religious leader and you don’t understand. As we have no control over our physical birth. We have no control of where the Holy Spirit will work. That’s Gods business. The wind blows where it may. The whole Bible in one. Verse. John 3:16. Love the story of the Samaritan women at the well. Jesus purposely travels through Samaria. Where Jews hated these people. Love this about Jesus. He did the opposite of what man woild do. The places he went and healed people. Ate with tax collectors who were hated. Spoke to prostitutes. Demon possessed. On and on. So where are we going with our ambassador position?
The Life of Jesus 2.9 to 2.12
I’m a bit of a history buff and I like how Jesus’s interaction with the Samaritan woman has more meaning when you consider the historical context of the Samaritans. They were the remnants of the Northern kingdom of Israel that rebelled against the southern kingdom of Judah after Solomon’s time. Some of Judah’s kings were righteous, but not a single king in Israel followed God; and if I remember correctly they also intermarried with the surrounding nations so the Jews have a lot of historical reasons for thinking that the Samaritan’s were impure.
It’s interesting that the women keeps referencing their shared history because the patriarchs were just as much the ancestors of the Samaritans as the Jews. And Jesus says that a time is coming where following God won’t be specific to one particular nation, but true worshipers from anywhere will worship the Father in spirit and truth. This reminds me of God’s promise to Abraham that He would use the Jews to bless all other nations.
Well said Sean, Mark, and Josiah. I am also a kind of history buff. I am not sure how I can add much more. I think that even though Nicodemus didn`t fully understand about God`s grace at least he came to Jesus to understand and try to learn more about the scriptures. He wasn`t so set in his thinking and what he knew to not be open to the truth. Like most of the Pharisees who condemned Jesus and wanted to kill Him because what He taught didn`t line up with their narrow mindedness about the scriptures. God forbid that any of us would be that way. When we have questions scripture is always the best answer to answer scripture. Take it in context and see how other scripture answers it. While writing this I was reminded about John Wesley and his brother Charles. How both of them were ministers and teaching people about Christ. They were doing everything to please Christ so they would go to Heaven but they were totally missing it for neither one of them knew the Lord in their hearts. They knew about Christ but didn`t know Him. It was after their conversions that the Lord actually blessed them. John kept getting kicked out of churches because he dared called the people sinners and that they could only be saved by grace with faith in Christ alone. Not by their works. It eventually led him to open air preaching where he led many to Christ. And Charles wrote many of the great hymns that we have today. That would be having the whole scripture. Recently I have been listening to a old Christian series which made for children. Yesterday I listened to one of them with our four year old , Ava. She liked it. The series is Torch Lighters on U Tube. We listened to Amy Carmichael where she served in India. I also like the story of the Samaritan woman. knowing all the history of the Jews and the Samaritans as Josiah shared is so important when you realize why Jesus waited for her to come to the well. He had his disciples into town for food so He could talk to her one on one. What love the Saviour has for each of us. After leaving she couldn`t wait to tell everyone about Jesus that He is the Messiah. May we in our own lives always be sharing Jesus. God bless all.
One other comment about Nicodemus. In John 19;38-42. Both he and Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus away to be in the tomb. Both were secret believers. God bless you all.
Wow, this section was jammed packed, huh? Jesus was passionate about things being done right, especially when it came to the proper worship of God. It is important to recognize that Jesus cleansed the temple twice. This time early in His ministry, mentioned in John, and then at the end of His ministry and life here on earth, mentioned in the synoptic gospels. A dynamic not mentioned here is that they probably set these tables up in the court of the gentiles, the outer court of the temple. So part of what Jesus is addressing is there disregard for the tempe being a place where everyone could worship, not just Jews. And how significant this statement that Jesus did not entrust Himself to people because He knew what was inside them. It is similar to how we should conduct ourselves. That our ultimate trust is in God and so we really don’t need people to be anything particular, for us to be ok. This doesn’t make us cynical or doesn’t cause us to avoid people, but to keep them in their proper place. I approach people as an influencer, but am wise about who I allow to influence me.
And all the good and bad you can say about Nicodemus. Good that he seeks Jesus out…but at night, presumably so as not to be seen. And he is so darkened by the law and the external nature of adherence to it, that he doesn’t understand spirit that is an essential aspect of what God is and what He calls man to. It is the Spirt that gives life and power. It is spirt that connects us to God and it is only by virtue of spiritual rebirth that we can be saved. And I for one am glad that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn us but to save us, and part of that salvation is shining the light on us so we can be acclimated to it, rather than fleeing it to protect our sinfulness. As my father had in his Bible, this book will keep you from sin, and sin will keep you from this book.
And what a start contrast the unlearned John is to the scholarly Nicodemus. John gets it. He gets his role and Jesus’ role and he understands spirit. To be upset about more people following Jesus is seeing that situation from a human, physical perspective. But if that is the way God’s plan is to unfold, and he knew that from the start, than all this is a good thing. Jesus was to increase and the preparer was to decrease. Such a good mantra for us to have in our lives as well!
And then we have the Samaritan woman. She is steeped in tradition that makes culture and geography the central issue between she and Jesus. And it is no surprise that Jesus speaks again about spirit because that and truth are what matter to God, not the culture or location of the worshipper. It really does point out various things we make worship about that is not about our hearts and the fellowship with God that worship fosters and enlightens. Jesus also exposes her sin and brokenness that would lead to the marital dynamics that have defined her life. And yes Messiah is the One who would fix it and make it all right….even uniting Jew and Samaritan….oh, and by the way….you are talking-to Him! Awesome!
Funny as Jesus tries to explain something eternal to a great scholar like Nicodemus, he struggles with the idea of new life or life after death here on earth and yet simple John and this Samaritan woman full of hurt and sin so easily accepts the same message!
I probably re-read this section 5x to decide how to comment. Sometimes it’s hard to summarize or follow one point!
What John the Baptist says about Jesus really aligns with pastor’s teachings the past few weeks.
“The one who comes from above is greater than all others……but the one who comes from heaven is greater than all others….God sent him, and he tells people what God says. God gives him the spirit fully. The Father loves the son and has given him power over everything.”