Southern
The Gospels
James A. Turner
Hello, students. When our time was up for the last class session, I believe we had just completed the reading of the first chapter of John. And I believe I stated that we would continue with the reading of John for several chapters. So we begin tonight with chapter two. I would like to remind us that John the Baptist had pointed out Jesus as, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, verse twenty‑nine. And then verse thirty‑five, on the next day two of his disciples were standing and he looked on Jesus and said to them, behold the Lamb of God, and those two followed Jesus. Those two were, the writer John, and Andrew, Peter's brother. Andrew went and found his brother Simon and Jesus renamed him Peter. We read in verse forty‑three of chapter one that on the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he findeth Philip, and Philip went and found Nathanael, and Nathanael said can there be any good thing to come out of Nazareth. Philip said come and see. As Nathanael was going to Jesus, Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said to him, behold an Israelite indeed in who is no guile. So it was a very complimentary statement that Jesus made about Nathanael. Nathanael responded to Jesus. Whence knowest thou me? And Jesus told him; while you were still under the fig tree I saw thee. We have that wonderful confession that Nathanael made, which is evidently the first confession that Jesus is the Christ. "And Nathanael answered Jesus saying, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. And Jesus said, because I said unto thee, I saw thee underneath the fig tree, you'll see greater things than these; that you'll see the heavens open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." Verse fifty‑one would be referring to the second advent of Christ. When Christ comes in the Second Advent, he will be coming with his holy angels.
Chapter two.
"And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee." I believe that would be the third day after the apostle John, the writer of the book, and Andrew had followed Jesus, and Andrew had gone and found his brother Peter, and then Jesus had called Philip, and Philip had called Nathanael. On the third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus also was bidden and his disciples to the marriage. And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said unto him, they have no wine. That must have been an embarrassing situation. At least it would have been had Jesus not turned the water into wine. Such a thing would be a very embarrassing thing today, to have a big wedding and not have enough refreshments for the guests that had been invited. Whether there were more guests that went than expected or what, I am made to wonder as to why they gave out of wine. When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine Does not that imply that Mary, the mother of Jesus, had concluded that Jesus had the power to do something about it? When we read from Luke, we read about Mary pondering the things that were said by various ones in her heart, beginning from the very beginning.
According to Luke, Jesus was about thirty years of age when he started teaching, so she had a long time to ponder many things and by this time, she has come to the conclusion that he is able to perform miracles. So she said to him, When the wine failed, they have no wine. And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come." Evidently, he had not planned to start performing any miracles at that particular time. But notice what Mary said to the servants. "His mother saith unto the servants, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. Now there were six water pots of stone set there, after the Jews manner of purifying containing two or three firkins apiece." I believe I read that a firkins is ten gallons, the NIV reads each holding twenty or thirty gallons. "Jesus saith unto them, fill the water pots with water." Count it at the very least then, two firkins are twenty and six water pots, so that would be a hundred and twenty gallons of wine at the minimum. And three firkins apiece, six times thirty would be a hundred and eighty. Verse seven, "Jesus saith unto them, fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the ruler of the feast. And they bear it." Now, notice that this wine is better than the wine that they served the first time. "And when the ruler of the feast had tasted the water now had become wine." The one in charge of the feast, the steward, the footnote in my Bible says. "And knew not whence it was, but the servants that had drawn the water knew; the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when men have drunk freely, then that which is worse: Thou hast kept the good wine until now." I bet that bridegroom wondered about that matter. Did he not do anything about what had happened? But at least the steward, the one in charge of the feast, knew that that wine was better than the first wine. It is said that that was the pattern, that they put forth the best wine, and then after the people had been drinking for a while, they would not notice any difference when an inferior wine was served. But anyway, Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine. I take it that that wine must not have had a very high alcohol content! Grapes, when they ferment, would have some alcohol content. But I think you have to add several things to give it much kick, sugar and yeast, maybe. I am not in the wine‑making business, but I have either read or heard people tell that you have got to put other ingredients into it before it has a very high alcohol content. And I would guess that this did not have a very high alcohol content, or it looks like many would have gotten drunk before they left that feast. "This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him." Now, everything we a re reading here in the first few chapters are peculiar to the book of the gospel of John. It looks like he intended to record a number of things that the other gospel writers did not record, and the other writers do not give this one. They do not say when Jesus performed his first miracle. There is no conflict between John and the other gospel writers in that sense. But from John, we know then that this was his first miracle was turning water into wine. And since he manifested his glory and his disciples believed on him, I believe it would be referring to Andrew and John and Peter and Philip and Nathanael in verse eleven there. Those are the ones that had been mentioned.
"After
this he went down to
Beginning with verse fourteen, we
have Jesus cleansing the temple. Only
John records about his cleansing the temple early during his ministry. "And
he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and dove, and the
changers' of money sitting."
And they made money on changing the money of the comers that were coming
from a distance, and they would buy animals to offer on those occasions. You can think of the people at the farthest
distances north and south from
Verse nineteen, "The Jews therefore answered." I would like for you to notice that John uses the term Jews in most cases referring to those in authority, those that were members of the Sanhedrin court and those maybe with other positions of authority, so far as the Jews are concerned. The Pharisees are among some of the ring leaders of the Jewish system, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees, especially, started hating Jesus real soon, because they had come up with their own traditions, and this is wrong and this is wrong when the scriptures did not say that those things were wrong. When Jesus then violated their traditions, that made them mad. And so they go to him and they want to know why he is doing it. "The Jews therefore answered and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things." When he cleansed the temple during the last week of his ministry, they went to him and said, by what authority doest thou these things and who gave thee this authority? This is a different occasion of that last week. "What sign showest thou unto us seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them. Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body." They thought that he was talking about that temple that had been built by Herod, which took forty‑six years to build. When those returnees from Babylonian captivity returned, they built another temple. It must have been very inferior to the temple that Solomon had built (Ezra 3:8-13). But the time came when they built another temple that is sometimes referred to as Herod's temple. It was built in such a way that it was not to interfere with the Jewish system of worship, but it was in the building over a period of forty‑six years, and evidently was one of the finest buildings to be found anywhere during that day. Jesus was talking about the temple of his body when he said destroy this temple, and it will be raised up in three days, and of course, in three days after his death his body was raised up.
Verse twenty‑two, "When therefore he was raised from
the dead, his disciples remembered that he spake
this; and they
believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said." So it is a long time before the disciples
have full understanding of what Jesus meant when he said destroy this temple, and
in three days I will raise it up again.
When Christ was raised from the dead, then they understood what he
meant, and it says they believed the scripture and the words which Jesus had
said. "Now
when he was in
Now, chapter
three. In the first part of
this chapter Nicodemus, one of the rulers of the Jews, goes to Jesus by night,
and this is not recorded by either of the other gospel writers.
"Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of
the Jews: The same came unto him by
night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from
God: For no one can do these signs, that
thou doest, except God be with him." Nicodemus is stated as a ruler of the
Jews. That would have meant that he was
a member of the Sanhedrin court, the highest court of the Jewish people. Some
have surmised that he probably came to Jesus by night because he may have not
have wanted the other Pharisees to know that he was going to Jesus to talk to
him. That might be the case and it might
not be the case, but at least he may have been very busy like Jesus and went to
him by night. He is speaking not only on behalf of himself but on behalf of others
because he said, "Rabbi, we
know that thou art a teacher come from God.
For no man can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him." It looks like to me it would be very logical
to conclude that he is referring to other members of the court, that we know
that you are a teacher come from God.
And we know that no ordinary man can do the things that you are doing
except God be with him. Notice that Jesus moves immediately to talk to
Nicodemus about the new birth. Why? I think the proper conclusion is that
Nicodemus was in a lost condition.
Remember Luke
Please turn to Romans the eighth chapter, and let us read a few verses. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." But notice there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. How does one get into Christ? Faith is necessary, repentance is necessary, and confession is necessary. And then upon the basis of that kind of faith, repentance and confession, one is baptized into Christ, and so there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death." Made him free from the bondage of sin and the Old Testament law. And the Old Testament law left a man in the flesh, but under the law of Christ there must be a spiritual birth, a new creation in Christ. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Now, all of those who have not obeyed Christ are walking after the flesh, they are not walking after the Spirit. "For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death." (Spiritual death) But the mind of the Spirit is life and peace. (Spiritual life and peace with God). Because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God. For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. And they that are in the flesh cannot please God." I have heard people reason that before I obey the gospel, I am going to see if I can live a Christian life, and if I can live the Christian life, then I will obey the gospel. That just will not work, because as long as a man is in the flesh, he goes the way of the flesh. Here Paul says, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. "But you are not in the flesh. (Speaking to Christians). But in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead." Meaning that old sinful, fleshly man is put to death.
Romans chapter six beginning with verse three, "Know ye not, that so many of us were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried by baptism into his death: That like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be raised also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that the old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed." And so when a person obeys the gospel, baptism into Christ is that final act that puts one into Christ and gives him salvation. It is at that point that the old man of sin is put to death. Of course, that does not mean that that new man in Christ is not going to have anymore trouble of keeping the flesh under control, but all past sins are forgiven. He is a new creation in Christ, and he is to keep that old fleshly man out of the way. Remember Jesus said, Matthew 16:24, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me Romans 8:11, But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you." And so do you see the parallel between the new birth here as Jesus taught to Nicodemus, and the eighth chapter of Romans, that those who have obeyed Christ are not in the flesh, they are a new creation in Christ.
Back to 3:6, "That which is born of the flesh is
flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born anew.
The wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the voice there of, but knowest
not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth, so is
everyone that is born of the Spirit." The Spirit tells a person what to do in order
to be saved. And, again, in Romans
Now, he begins and talks about his coming death on the cross, and this is during that early part of his ministry, and Jesus talks to Nicodemus about his coming death on the cross. Jesus came to die for the sins of the world. He knew just exactly how he would die. John is the only one that gives us that about Jesus telling about him being lifted up and, of course, meaning being lifted up on the cross. Verse thirteen, "And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man who is in heaven." I gave you a handout, with thirty quotations from the book of Matthew, where Jesus refers to himself as the Son of man. So here talking to Nicodemus, he refers to himself as the Son of man. "No one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him may have eternal life." Remember there is no salvation out of Christ. In John 14:6 he says, I am the way, the truth and the light. No man cometh under the Father except by me. In John 3:14, he is talking to Nicodemus about his coming death upon the cross. Do you remember the Old Testament background for the statement made in verse fourteen, where Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up? Do you remember where it is found? STUDENT: Numbers.
BROTHER TURNER: Yes,. In the book of Numbers, chapter twenty‑one.
STUDENT: 21:9, somewhere around there.
BROTHER TURNER: Okay. We will pick up, talking about Numbers chapter twenty‑one. (A brief recess was taken.)
Well, it is time for us to begin
our second period of this third Class Session.. Have you turned to the twenty first chapter
of the book of Numbers? Moses had sent
messengers from Kadesh to the king of
STUDENT: Satan.
BROTHER TURNER: Yes, the Lord is going to have victory over
Satan when he goes into the grave, because sin brought physical and spiritual
death. So Jesus, when he goes into the grave will by his resurrection, gain victory over
the strong man. "Now is the judgment of this world: Now shall the prince of this world be cast
out. And I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all men unto myself." Now, notice that John tells us the
meaning. "But
this he said, signified by what manner of death he should die." And so three times, and remember this, it is
peculiar only to the gospel of John, but that surely adds to our understanding
to know that Jesus knew just exactly how he was going to die, that he was going
to die by crucifixion. He talks to
Nicodemus about it here in the early days of his ministry. Like he stated there, of course, Christ
dreaded the cross. He was in a body of
flesh, and the nails driven in the cross would hurt him just like it
would hurt any other human being. As he
stated there, to save me from this hour, but for this hour I have come, and Christ came to be the sin offering for
man. You remember that decision was made
even before God made man Ephesians 1:3-6.
So get the full meaning then of John
Now believeth is used many times,
speaking of everything that a person must do in order to be saved. There are many who still kind of pull it out
of context and reduce it down to an intellectual faith. But you give attention to the whole chapter, there is more to it than that. "That
whosoever believeth in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have
eternal life. For God sent not the Son
into the world to
judge the world but the world should be saved through him." So he did not send Christ to condemn
the world, he sent Christ to save the world.
"He that believeth on
him is not judged." Or not
condemned, according to what version you are reading from. He
that believeth not hath been judged already or been condemned already,
because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God. Don't you think there are millions of people
out there in a lost condition, and they really do not know that they are in a
lost condition? They would reason well,
I have not said yes to Satan, but they have not said yes to Christ. Unbelief is disobedience! And a man has been judged already if he does
not believe on the name of the only begotten Son of God. So condemned already if he
does not believe. Of course, if a
man comes to a point of faith and does as the Lord commands him, then he will be
saved, but as long as he goes that way of unbelief he will be condemned. So all a person has got to do is just refuse
to believe the Lord and he will enter into that terrible place that no man
wants to enter if he does not turn to the Lord in real faith and
obedience. So he that believeth not hath
been judged or condemned already because he has not believed on the name of the
only begotten Son of God. "And this is the judgment that the
light is coming to the world."
Christ is the light. "And men love the darkness rather than the
light, for their works were evil."
Most of the people of the world do not want the truth preached to
them, and some will persecute those who
try. Why? Because the light condemns
the way that they are living. If
we wonder why there is so much ignorance of the word of God, especially in
John 3:22, "After these things came
Jesus and his disciples into the
You may need to highlight verse
twenty‑four, "For John
was not cast into prison."
That will remind you that in the other gospels, I think if it were just
left to them, that we would conclude that Jesus did not start his ministry
until after the death of John. But here
we see that Jesus is already preaching while John is preaching. "And
John was baptizing in Enon near Salim,
because there was much water there." You remember when Jesus was baptized of John,
when they came up out of the water, the Spirit as a dove descended upon
him. And here John was baptizing in Enon near to Salim, because there
was much water there. So
the kind of baptism that required much water. Philip and the eunuch came to water, and the
eunuch said, see here it is water, what doth hinder me to
be baptized. And Philip said, if thou believest with all thine heart,
thou mayest, according to the King James
reading, the eunuch said, I believe
that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God.
And then Philip baptized him. And
when they came up out of the water, the Spirit called away Philip that
the eunuch should see him no more, but the eunuch went on his way rejoicing. In Colossians 2
So Jesus was teaching before John was put into prison. "There arose therefore a questioning on the part of John's disciples with the Jews about purifying. And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou hast bore witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him." Evidently some of the disciples of John are jealous of Jesus. Some of them may have stayed jealous of him. They are expecting John to not be pleased by what they tell him, but John was pleased to know what Jesus was doing. Verse twenty‑seven, "John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it hath been given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him." He was just the one to make the way for Christ. "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: But the friend of the bridegroom, that standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: This my joy therefore is made full." And so John is speaking of himself as the friend of the bridegroom, and, of course, Christ is the bridegroom. The church is the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:23-32), and so John said, I rejoice greatly. So he was not sad. It did not make him sad to know that Jesus was baptizing, and that nearly all the people going to him, but he was glad. And so he says, this my joy therefore is made full. "He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: He that is of the earth is of the earth: And of the earth he speaketh. He that cometh from heaven is above all." So John, I believe, is comparing himself with Jesus, I am just of the earth, but he is from heaven, and he is above all. I am just glad to be a friend of the bridegroom. "But what he hath seen and heard, of that he bears witness: And no man receiveth his witness. He that hath received his witness hath set his seal on this that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: For he giveth not the Spirit by measure." It looks like to me that verse thirty‑four means that Jesus had the Spirit, the Holy Spirit in a full manner. "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life: But he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth in him." Now, the American Standard reads different from the King James and some other versions on verse thirty‑six. Lewis, read verse thirty‑six from the King James?
STUDENT: "He believeth on the Son have everlasting life: And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
BROTHER TURNER: All right. They carry the same meaning. He that believeth not the wrath of God abides on him. So he is condemned as already stated in verse eighteen, he that believeth not on him is condemned already. But the American Standard says, he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life. Of course, again belief is used in that sense of a person being ready to do everything that the Lord has commanded him to do in order to be saved. Keep in mind Hebrews 5:8‑9, "Though he were a Son yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." Unless people are willing to believe in such a way as to obey, then they do not have the kind of faith that it takes for them to be saved. Absolutely faith is necessary, but it is that kind of faith that causes a man to obey. Remember Abraham is a great example of people who walk by faith. When God told him to do something, he rose up early in the morning to do it. He was always ready to do just exactly as God had instructed him to do.
Chapter four,
"When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard, that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John, (although Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) he left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee." Why would he be departing? Jesus knew that those Pharisees were bent on killing him. Of course, he knew that they would finally do that, but it was not time for him to die on the cross. And so he leaves Judaea and goes again into Galilee. "And he must needs pass through Samaria. So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. And Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey, sat thus by the well: And it was about the sixth hour." Now, the sixth hour of Jewish time would be twelve o'clock our time. The sixth hour of Roman time would be six o'clock in the morning or six o'clock in the afternoon. It is debatable, some would say, that John could use Roman time in one instance and Jewish time in another, but it looks like to me it would be more logical for him to use the same time in all the passages. I am guessing that it would be talking about six o'clock in the evening. The travel wore Jesus out, and being wearied with his journey sat by the well. "It was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman therefore saith unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew asketh drink of me, who is a Samaritan woman? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans." Why did the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans?
The bad feelings the Jews and Samaritans had
developed and brewed over many centuries of time. It may be that some of you
like to know about the long history of this development of the deep seated
enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans. Please let me try to brief several
hundred years of history, then you can read the key references, and get better
acquainted with some of the primary facts about this.
First in chapter eleven and twelve of I Kings we read about God dividing the kingdom of Israel into two kingdoms when Rehoboam, Solomons son, took over the reigns of government after Solomon. God divided the kingdom into two kingdoms because idolatry had been established on a broad scale during Solomons reign, and there is strength in unity for wrong doing like there is strength in unity in doing as the Lord instructs us to do. Solomon had married many foreign women (I Kings 11:1-13) contrary to Gods law (I Kings 11:2; Deuteronomy 17:14-17) and these foreign wives turned away his heart after other gods. And Solomon even built places of worship for these women to worship their idol gods.
God had the prophet Ahijah to tell Jereboam the son of Nebat that God was going to give him ten of the northern tribes of Israel (I Kings 12:26-40). Ahijah was wearing a new garment when he met Jeroboam, and he tore it into twelve pieces and gave him ten, and told him that God was going to give him ten of the twelve tribes. He also told him that if he would be faithful that God will build you a sure house, as I built for David. The stupidity of Rehoboam contributed to the division of the kingdom (I Kings 12:1-18), but when he assembled 180,000 chosen warriors out of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin to fight against the ten tribes, God sent Shemaiah to tell him, Thus says the Lord, you shall not go up or fight against your kinsmen the people of Israel. Return everyman to his home, for this thing is from me (I Kings 12:21-24). The date given for this division is 931 years before the advent of Christ.
Jeroboam did not exercise proper faith in Gods promise. He reasoned that, if this people go up and offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then, the heart of the people will turn again to Rehoboam --------- and they will kill me. (I Kings 12:27).--- He took counsel, and made two calves of gold --And set one in Bethel and the other in Dan. The people had brought calf idolatry out of Egypt (Exodus 32:1-20), and it pleased most of the people of the ten tribes to go worship before those golden calves (I Kings 12:28-33). The calf idolatry was made the established religion of the Northern Kingdom. Even Jehu, the king that God chose to strike down the house of Ahab, and have the dogs to eat his wicked wife Jezebel who had killed many of the Lords prophets (II Kings 9:1-10:31; I Kings 16:29-17:4; 18:1-46) even he did not stop the calf idolatry. II Kings 10:31 reads, he did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin. A running statement made about the kings of Israel is, that they walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin (I Kings 15:2, 16: 25-26) which means that they continued with that calf idolatry as the engine of the state.
The people in Israel , the people of the ten tribes, turned from God to the worship of idol gods on a larger scale sooner than the kingdom of Judah. We read about Israel being carried away into Assyria Captivity in II Kings 17:2-21 and the reasons are given as to why they were carried into captivity. One major reason was that they even burned their children as sacrifices to their idol gods (II Kings 17:17; Psalms 106:34-38). The time of this caring away was in the sixth year of King Hezekiah of Judah (II Kings 18:9-12) and the date given is 722B.C. The final caring away of Judah into Babylonian Captivity was 136 years later which was 586 B.C. See II Kings 24:17-25:12. By this time Judah had gone the way of idolatry as bad if not worse than Israel. The fact that Judah had four good reform kings must have prevented Judah from going so far away from God into Idolatry until 586 B.C. You can read about the reforms of Asa in (I Kings 15:8-24), of Jehoshaphat (I Kings 15:24-22:50), of Hezekiah (II Kings 16:20-20:21), and of Josiah (II Kings 21:24-23:30).
When Israel was carried into
captivity the Assyrians brought Gentiles into the cities of Samaria, and the Lord sent lions among them, which
killed some of them. The leaders of the government of Assyria decided
the lions were killing the people was because they
do not know the law of the god of the land. The king
commanded that one of the priests be sent back and
teach them the law of the god of the land (II Kings 17:25-28). These
people were ready to fear the Lord
in the sense of just accepting him as the god of the land. II
Kings 17:34 reads, To this day they
do according to the former manner. They do not fear the Lord, and they
do not follow the statutes or the ordinances or the law or the commandments
which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob whom he named Israel.
After the second caring away of Judah into
Babylonian Captivity (II Kings 24:8-17) Hananiah, a
false prophet, was telling the people that the Lord was going to bring back
king Jeconiah, or Jehoiachin,
and all the exiles from Judah within two years (Jeremiah 28:1-10). Jeremiah
wrote a letter to the exiles in Babylon to warn them of the deceitful prophets
among them and to tell them, For thus says the Lord; when seventy years
are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my
promise and bring you back to this place (Jeremiah 29:1-10).
During this time period the Babylonian
government fell to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:1-30). In the first year of
Cyrus, king of Persia, the prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled and Shesbazzar the prince of
Judah was chosen by King Cyrus
to led back to the land of Israel the first company of returnees of about
50,000 people including their servants (Ezra 1:1-11). Note from Ezra 2:2 that Shesbazzar the prince of
Judah, is called Zerubbabel, who
was the grandson of King Jechoniah, who was carried to Babylon in 597 BC in the second
carrying away to Babylon (Matthew 1:12). Zerubbabel
not only led the returnees back, but he was also appointed as their first
governor by king Cyrus (Ezra 2:64-
The Samaritans were enemies of the Lords people
when they started building a second temple, but They approached Zerubbable
and the heads of fathers houses and said to them, Let us build with you; for
we worship your God as you do and we have been sacrificing to him ever since
the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us
here (Ezra 4:1-2). Several
writers have reasoned that Zerubbabel and the elders
made a mistake when they rejected their offer (Ezra 4:4), but not so! They were
not true worshipers of God (I Kings
After the offer of the idolaters was rejected
they showed their wrath against the builders. They hired counselors, or paid
lobbyist, against them from the day of Cyrus even until the reign of Darius
king of Persia (Ezra 4:4-24) until they were stopped from building on the
temple. God then sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to encourage them to
start building on the temple again, but these adversaries still tried to
prevent them from building (Ezra 5:1-6, 6:1-5), but because of the
encouragement of Haggai and Zechariah they continued their work until the
temple was completed. (Haggai 1:1-15, 2:2-4, 29, 2:15-19; Zechariah 1:1-17,
4:1-10).
In the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah was sent to rebuild the walls of
Jerusalem, and to build the city, and again these people tried to prevent the
work (Nehemiah 2:1-9, 2:18-20, 4;1-9, 4:21-23, 6:1-9). In the thirty-second
year of the reign of king Artaxerxes \, Nehemiah went
back to the king -----for sometime and while he was gone Eliashib, the high priest, prepared for one of these
enemies, Tobiah, a large chamber in the temple, and
when Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem he threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber (Nehemiah 13:4-9). Note also that one of the sons of Eliashib became the son-in-law of Sanballet
the Hornite, therefore I cast him from me, because they had
defiled the priesthood (
At a later date those enemies built a rival
temple to the temple in
Well, I guess we have chased that rabbit long
enough, and we better get back to chasing the fox. We
had a kinsman who was a big foxhunter, and he frequently let his hounds out at
our house. There were several wooded areas near our house, more woods than
fields, and evidently there were a number of foxes in those wooded areas. One
night the dogs chased one up under our house, and then, I think I remember
correctly, that they killed it out in the dirt road that went by our house.
That house that I was born in, and lived my first eighteen years in is still
standing, and nearly every time I go to see my sister I go by that house either
going to or back from. But in regard to chasing the rabbit, that Noah McMickens had a favorite hound that he called Old Blue, and
he made out like he could tell whether the pack was still chasing a fox or just
a rabbit by the different bark of Old Blue!
Back to John 4:7. There
cometh a woman of
Verse
fifteen; she did not want to have to draw her water. "Jesus
saith unto her.
Go, call thy husband, and come hither." Notice how Jesus knows every person. "The
woman answered and said unto him, I have no husband. Jesus saith unto
her, Thou saidest well, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom
thou now hast is not thy husband."
Shacking up, right? "And
this hast thou said truly."
And it is at this point that she perceives that he is not an ordinary
man when he told her that she had had five husbands and the one that you now
have is not your husband. "The woman saith
unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet." Now, notice what she said, "Our fathers worshipped in this
mountain, and you say that in
We
were down to verse twenty of chapter four of John. "Our
fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye say, that in
After
the death of Sarah (Genesis 25:1-6), Abraham married Keturah and had six sons
by her, and evidently nations of people came through those sons, but the point
is that Christ would come of that line of Isaac and Jacob and not through the
others. So salvation in that respect was
of the Jews, that Christ would come of the descendants of the Jewish
people. The gospel was first preached to
the Jewish people. According to the
Lord's instruction, ye shall be my
witnesses in
Verse
twenty‑two again, "Ye
worship that which ye know not: We
worship that which we know: For
salvation is from the Jews. But the hour
cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall
worship the Father in Spirit and in truth:
For such doth the Father seek to be his worshipers. God is a Spirit: And they that worship him must worship him
in spirit and in truth."
So Jesus is telling the Samaritan woman that it will not be long until
the place of worship will not make any difference. Now,
She
believed that he was the Messiah! "So
the woman left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the people, Come, see a man, who told me all
things that ever I did: Can this be the
Christ?" So she goes to the
city, and the people follow her back to hear Jesus. "And they went out of the city, and were
coming to him. In the meanwhile the disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi,
eat. But he said unto them, I have meat
to eat that ye know not. The disciples
therefore said one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto
them, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his
work." Wouldn't you say that
he was saying to apostles, that I have work that is more important than eating
a physical meal.
I am going to be teaching those that are coming! Verse
35, "Say not ye, There are yet
four months, and then cometh the harvest? Behold, I say unto
you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already unto
the harvest." There are many
fields today that are white unto harvest.
On another occasion, Jesus was moved with compassion as he taught the
multitudes who were perplexed like sheep without a shepherd, and he said, pray that the Lord of the harvest that he
may send forth laborers into his harvest (Matthew
In
regard to the enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans, it is said that many
of the Jews would go east of the
Verse
46, "He came therefore again unto Cana of Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son
was sick at
Chapter
Five
"After these things there was a feast
of the Jews; and Jesus went up to
STUDENT: "After this there was a feast of the
Jews; and Jesus went up to
BROTHER TURNER: It doesn't say what feast. It is probably
another Passover feast. "Now
there was in
Verse seven, "The sick man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: While I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk. Straightway the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked. Now it was the Sabbath on that day, so the Jews said unto him that was cured, it is the Sabbath and it is not lawful for thee to take up thy bed." They would circumcise a child that was eight days old on the Sabbath, and if they had a sheep to fall into the pit, they would get him out on the Sabbath, but it was not right for this man who had been healed to carry his bed! Note again, how John uses the Jews, referring to those in leadership positions. They had tried to dictate what they thought could be done and not be done on the Sabbath. According to their traditions, they had a lot of things that were wrong for man to do on the Sabbath day that was not wrong. "It is the Sabbath and it is not lawfully to take up thy bed. But he answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
Verse 11 They asked him, who is the man that said unto thee, Take up thy bed and walk? But he that was healed knew not who it was: For Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in the place. Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, thou art whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee So his infirmity was because of wrongdoing. "The man went away and told the Jews." Again, it must be talking about those that were in the place of authority, that he told that it was Jesus, who had made him whole. And for this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the Sabbath. "But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh even until now, and I work for this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him; because he not only break the Sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God." Now, some might be ready to say that Jesus actually broke the Sabbath day. He did not any more break the Sabbath day than he spoke with blasphemy when he said that God is his Father. But according to them, according to the Jews, according to the Pharisees, they were ready to accuse him when he healed, of breaking the Sabbath day, as we will notice when we read from the other gospels. "For this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only break the Sabbath, And remember that his disciples had not broken the Sabbath day when they were eating ‑‑ when they were pulling the heads off the grain and rubbing the husk off with their hands and eating on the Sabbath day. But they accused them of breaking the Sabbath. "Because he not only break the Sabbath, but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what things he seeth the Father doing: for whatsoever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner." So Jesus is saying, I do like my heavenly Father does. "For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: And greater works than these, will he show him that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth the dead, and giveth them life; even so the Son of man also giveth life to whom he will." Jesus is speaking of spiritual life in Him, which leads to eternal life.
Verse 22, "For neither doth the Father judge any man, for he hath given all judgment unto the Son." So Christ will be the judge when he comes in the Second Advent. II Corinthians 5:10 reads, for we must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may give an account to the things which he had done in the body, according to that which he hath done, whether it be good or bad. So God has given all judgment unto his Son. John 5:22, "For neither does the Father judge any man, for he giveth all judgment unto the Son." Matthew 25:31 ff, when he comes in the Second Advent, before him will be gathered all nations and he shall separate them like a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. So God has granted all judgment unto his Son."That all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father that sent him."
Now, Jesus talks about a
spiritual birth in verses twenty‑four and twenty‑five or two
resurrections, a spiritual resurrection, and then in the same chapter a bodily
resurrection. So please keep in mind
John 5:24‑25 is a spiritual resurrection in Christ. It is conditional on man's heart of hearing
the voice of the Son of God and doing what His voice commands. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth him that sent me,
hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but have passed out of death
into life." That means out of
spiritual death into life in Christ. Remember that all accountable
persons have sinned. Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God." But the man
who hears the voice of Christ can pass out of death. Death is a separation; in physical death the
soul is separated from the body, in spiritual death the person is
separated from God because of sin, (Isaiah 59:1‑2). "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, the hour cometh, and now is,
when the dead shall hear."
Those that are dead in sin. "Shall
hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live."
Do you see how this is a conditional resurrection? And they that hear the
voice of Christ and obey his voice. "They
that hear shall live." And
remember Ephesians 2:1, "And
you did he make alive, when you were dead in your trespasses and
sins." The Ephesians
Christians had been separated from God because of sin. Paul had preached the gospel to them, and
they had obeyed the gospel, and they had received that gift of God, salvation
by their obedience. "You did he make alive, when you were
dead in your trespasses and sins."
Verse
26, "For as the Father hath life in himself; even so he gave he to the Son
also to have life in himself; he gave him authority to execute judgment, because
he is the Son of man. Marvel not at
this: For the hour cometh,
in which all that are in the tombs." Now, here is the other resurrection, and that
is the bodily resurrection from the grave.
And so he talks about both resurrections, a
spiritual resurrection in Christ, and the resurrection that will come in that
last day when the Lord comes in his second advent. "Marvel not at this, for the hour cometh." So do not marvel when I say that I can give
life to those who hear, for the day is coming when my words are going to raise
the dead. Marvel not at this: For
the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tomb, shall hear his voice, and
shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection
judgment." Or the resurrection of condemnation. We have an Old
Testament reference that reads with the same meaning as verse twenty‑nine. It is from the book of Daniel. Chapter twelve and verse three, "They that sleep in the dust of the earth
shall awake." I can't get
it all exactly right, can you? Daniel 12:2, "And
many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." God said through Daniel that the time must
come when they that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. So let us read those verses again, twenty‑eight
and twenty‑nine. "Marvel not at this: For the hour is cometh, in
which all that are in the tomb shall hear his voice. And
shall come forth." Verse twenty‑nine
shows that includes those who have obeyed Christ and those who have not
believed and obeyed him. "Shall
come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life." Of
course, that would be those who have accepted and been faithful to Christ. "And
they that have done evil."
Those are the ones that followed Satan.
"Unto
the resurrection of judgment.
Verse
30, I can of myself do nothing: As I hear, I judge: And my judgment is righteous; but because I
seek not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." So when Christ pronounces judgment, he will be
pronouncing as God has instructed him to do.
"But if I bear witness
of myself, my witness is not true. It is
another that beareth witness of me; and I know that
the witness which he witnesseth
of me is true." And, of
course, God had witnessed of Christ several times. "Ye
have sent unto John, and he hath borne witness unto the truth. But the witness whom I receive is not from
man: Howbeit I say these things that ye may be saved. He was the lamb that burneth
and shineth; and ye were willing to rejoice for a
season in his light." He is talking about John
the Baptist that he was a lamp to them that burneth
and shineth?
And for a while they rejoiced for a season in his light, but then
evidently turned around. "But the witness which
I have is greater than that of John: For
the works which the Father hath given me to accomplish, the very works that I do,
bear witness of me, that the father hath sent me." All of the signs and wonders that Jesus was
doing bear witness of the fact that he was from the Father. "The
father that sent me, he hath borne witness of me." God had borne witness of Christ by the voice
from heaven on several different occasions.
"Ye have neither heard
his voice at any time, nor seen his form.
And ye have not his word abiding in you:
For whom he sent, him ye believe not. Ye search the scriptures." It would be talking about the Old Testament
scriptures. "Because you think that in them ye have
eternal life: And these are they that
bear witness of me." And so
they were searching the scriptures, but they did not listen to what the
scriptures were saying to them. They
bore witness of Christ, but they were rejecting him. "And
you will not come to me, that ye may have life.
I receive not glory from men. But
I know you, that ye have not the love of God in yourselves. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive
me not: If another shall come in his own
name, ye shall receive him. How can ye
believe, who receive glory one of another, and the glory that cometh from the
only God you seek not?" So
they put their glory in men, and many people do that today. They glory in men and listen to men, rather
than to God as taught in the Bible. "Think not that I will accuse you to
the Father: There is one that accuses
you, even Moses, in whom ye have set your hope.
For if ye believe Moses, ye would believe me. For he wrote of me." And I believe he would be referring
especially back to Deuteronomy 18:15-18, the verses that we called attention to
a while ago. "But if you believe not his writings, how
shall ye believe my words? After these things Jesus went away to the
other side of the sea of Galilee, which is the
The