John Bible Study - Lesson 22
Read the passage
below using the 2 different Bible translations:
John
7:25-44 New International Version (NIV)
Division
Over Who Jesus Is
25 At that point
some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are
trying to kill? 26 Here he is, speaking publicly,
and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really
concluded that he is the Messiah? 27 But we know
where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he
is from.”
28 Then Jesus,
still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me,
and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he
who sent me is true. You do not know him, 29 but
I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”
30 At this they
tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had
not yet come. 31 Still, many in the crowd believed
in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more
signs than this man?”
32 The Pharisees
heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and
the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.
33 Jesus
said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to
the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but
you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
35 The Jews said to
one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he
go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the
Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You
will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you
cannot come’?”
37 On the last and
greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud
voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever
believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living
water will flow from within them.” 39 By this
he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to
receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had
not yet been glorified.
40 On hearing his
words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”
41 Others said, “He
is the Messiah.”
Still
others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 Does
not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and
from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” 43 Thus
the people were divided because of Jesus. 44 Some
wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.
John
7:25-44 New Living Translation (NLT)
Is
Jesus the Messiah?
25 Some of the
people who lived in Jerusalem started to ask each other, “Isn’t this the man
they are trying to kill? 26 But here he is,
speaking in public, and they say nothing to him. Could our leaders possibly
believe that he is the Messiah? 27 But how could he
be? For we know where this man comes from. When the Messiah comes, he will
simply appear; no one will know where he comes from.”
28 While Jesus was
teaching in the Temple, he called out, “Yes, you know me, and you know
where I come from. But I’m not here on my own. The one who sent me is true, and
you don’t know him. 29 But I know him because I
come from him, and he sent me to you.” 30 Then the
leaders tried to arrest him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his
time had not yet come.
31 Many among the
crowds at the Temple believed in him. “After all,” they said, “would you expect
the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?”
32 When the
Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the
leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus.33 But
Jesus told them, “I will be with you only a little longer. Then I will
return to the one who sent me. 34 You will search
for me but not find me. And you cannot go where I am going.”
35 The Jewish
leaders were puzzled by this statement. “Where is he planning to go?” they asked.
“Is he thinking of leaving the country and going to the Jews in other
lands? Maybe he will even teach the Greeks!36 What
does he mean when he says, ‘You will search for me but not find me,’ and ‘You
cannot go where I am going’?”
Jesus
Promises Living Water
37 On the last day,
the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone
who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who
believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of
living water will flow from his heart.’” 39 (When
he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to
everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because
Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
Division
and Unbelief
40 When the crowds
heard him say this, some of them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet
we’ve been expecting.” 41 Others said, “He is the
Messiah.” Still others said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from
Galilee? 42 For the Scriptures clearly state that
the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village
where King David was born.” 43 So the crowd was
divided about him. 44 Some even wanted him
arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.
Note:
Here are the 3
questions for you to answer. I have given some basic answers below the
questions to help you understand the passage. Answer the questions first
yourself before you look at my answers. Take a moment before you begin and ask
God to help you understand what you are reading.
3
questions to answer:
1. Content: What
is this passage about?
2. Lesson: What
do I learn from this passage?
3. Application: How
can I apply what I have learned to my life?
Answers
to the questions above and some background:
Content: What is this passage about?
·
The people of Jerusalem questioned whether or
not Jesus was the Messiah.
·
Jesus affirms He has authority to teach in the
Temple and this authority comes from God
·
The Jewish leaders tried to arrest him; but no
one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come
·
Many among the crowds at the Temple believed
in him due to His ability to perform miracles
·
The Pharisees sent Temple guards to arrest
Jesus
·
Jesus explains he will be going away
(Referring to the Cross, Resurrection and eventual Ascension back to Heaven)
·
This statement by Jesus that He would be
going away was confusing to the Jewish Leaders
·
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit
·
After the crowds heard Jesus speak, some were
convinced He was the Messiah others were
not cause they questioned whether or not the Messiah could come from Galilee
Lesson: What
do I learn from this passage?
·
The
People had doubts Jesus was the Messiah due to the fact that Jesus was born to
earthly parents. People believed that the Messiah would not have a father or mother;
He would be without a genealogy, and without a beginning of days or end of
life. Since Jesus had earthly parents some people could not reconcile Jesus
being the Messiah. In the Old Testament the Messiah was equated with the appearance
of the King of Salem, Melchizedek. The
“king of Salem” means “king of peace.” In Hebrews 7 Melchizedek represented a
type of Christ figure.
Hebrews
7:1-3 New
International Version (NIV)
Melchizedek
the Priest
This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning
from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,2 and
Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king
of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of
days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
Who
is Melchizedek:
Melchizedek, whose name
means “king of righteousness,” was a king of Salem (Jerusalem) and priest of
the Most High God (Genesis 14:18–20; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6–11; 6:20—7:28). Melchizedek’s sudden appearance and disappearance in the
book of Genesis is somewhat mysterious.
In Psalm 110,
a messianic psalm written by David (Matthew 22:43), Melchizedek is presented as a type of Christ. This theme is
repeated in the book of Hebrews, where both Melchizedek and Christ are
considered kings of righteousness and peace. Hebrews 7:3 says that Melchizedek was “without father or mother, without
genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God,
he remains a priest forever.” (Excerpts from Answer in Genesis)
·
So the confusion about
the Messiah was based on the belief that the Messiah would not have had parents
or have been born. If the people would have read and understood the prophet
Isaiah, they would have realized that Jesus
had a supernatural birth.
Isaiah
7:14 New International Version (NIV)
Therefore
the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a
son, and will call him Immanuel.
The Gospel of
Matthew confirms this:
Matthew
1:18 New International Version (NIV)
Joseph
Accepts Jesus as His Son
This
is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged
to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Matthew
1:20-23 New International Version (NIV)
20 But after he had
considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and
said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,
because what is conceived in her is from
the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a
son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took
place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to
a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
·
Jesus explains: the people were blind to the fact that He
had been sent by God and was given authority to share the Good News of
Salvation
John
1:1-14 Living Bible (TLB)
1 1-2 Before anything else existed, there was
Christ,* with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. 3 He created everything
there is—nothing exists that he didn’t make. 4 Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to
all mankind. 5 His
life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never
extinguish it.
6-7 God sent John the Baptist as a witness to the fact
that Jesus Christ is the true Light. 8 John
himself was not the Light; he was only a witness to identify it.
9 Later on, the
one who is the true Light arrived to shine on everyone coming into the world.
10 But although he made the world, the world didn’t
recognize him when he came. 11-12 Even in his own land and among his own
people, the Jews, he was not accepted. Only a few would welcome and receive him.
But to all who received him, he gave the
right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust him to save
them. 13 All
those who believe this are reborn!—not a physical rebirth resulting from
human passion or plan—but from the will of God.
14 And
Christ became a human being and lived here on earth among us and was full
of loving forgiveness* and truth. And some of us have seen his glory*—the glory
of the only Son of the heavenly Father!*
·
Many among the crowds at the temple were
convinced Jesus was the Messiah based on the miracles He performed. Others,
like the Jewish leader, sought to arrest Him.
·
Unless God gives the gift of faith a person
will not be able to embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Ephesians
2:8-9 New International Version (NIV)
For it is by
grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so
that no one can boast.
·
We cannot save
ourselves. Faith given by God plays the major role in salvation:
Romans
1:17 New International Version (NIV)
For
in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by
faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
·
Salvation is a
work of God:
Ephesians
2:4-5 New International Version (NIV)
4 But because of
his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made
us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
·
The
Pharisees were puzzled by Jesus’s words about His going away
·
Today
many people struggle with the concept of Jesus paying the price for our sin.
·
In
the Old Testament God had put in place a sacrificial system that would forgive
sin temporarily. Jesus’ one time sacrifice on the Cross would never have to be
repeated.
Hebrews
7:27 New Living Translation (NLT)
Unlike those
other high priests, he (Jesus) does not need to offer sacrifices every day.
They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But
Jesus did this once for all when he
offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins.
·
Jesus promises to
provide (living water) the Holy Spirit:
John
14:15-17 New International Version (NIV)
Jesus
Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me,
keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
advocate to help you and be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot
accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him,
for he lives with you and will
be in you.
John
4:14 New International Version (NIV)
but whoever
drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give
them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
·
Even though Jesus
had lived in Galilee He was born in Bethlehem and did come from the royal line
of David:
Micah
5:1-2 Living Bible (TLB)
Mobilize!
The enemy lays siege to Jerusalem! With a rod they shall strike the Judge of
Israel on the face.
2 “O Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are but a
small Judean village, yet you will be the birthplace of my King who is alive from everlasting ages past!”
Matthew
2:1 New International Version (NIV)
After
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in
Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to
Jerusalem
Jeremiah
23:5 (NIV)
"The
days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will
reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.
Matthew
1:1 New Life Version (NLV)
The
Families Jesus Came Through
These are the
families through which Jesus Christ came. He came through David and Abraham.
·
The crowd was
divided on whether Jesus was the Messiah. We can see that God’s Word affirms Jesus is God’s
Son, the Savior/Messiah:
Matthew
3:16-17New International Version (NIV)
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went
up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And
a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am
well pleased.”
John
3:16 New International Version (NIV)
For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Application: How
can I apply what I have learned to my life?
·
Ask
God to help you understand the divine nature of Jesus.
·
Read
Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6
·
Make
sure you have received Jesus’ offer of living water: eternal life, marked by
the indwelling Holy Spirit by receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior
Don’t forget:
John’s main purpose
in writing this Gospel:
·
To
tell the world that Jesus is the Messiah for the Jews and Gentiles
·
The
events were recorded so that we might believe and have eternal life
John 20:30-31 New International Version (NIV)
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in
the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have
life in his name.
Questions
to ponder:
·
What
is holding you back from living a life devoted to God?
·
Does
the Holy Spirit guide your life or are you relying solely on your own wisdom and
strength.
·
Do
you desire to make significant changes to your character?
·
Is
there any sin in your life you need to turn away from?
·
Will
you let the Holy Spirit change you from the inside out?
Have a great
week…………….Dave
