John Bible Study - Lesson 21

John Bible Study - Lesson 21

Read the passage below using the 2 different Bible translations:

John 7:14-24 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Teaches at the Festival

¹⁴ Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. ¹⁵ The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?”

¹⁶ Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. ¹⁷ Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.¹⁸ Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. ¹⁹ Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

²⁰ “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

²¹ Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. ²² Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. ²³ Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? ²⁴ Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

John 7:14-24 New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁴ Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. ¹⁵ The people were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked.

¹⁶ So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. ¹⁷ Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. ¹⁸ Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies. ¹⁹ Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me.”

²⁰ The crowd replied, “You’re demon possessed! Who’s trying to kill you?”

²¹ Jesus replied, “I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. ²² But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) ²³ For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath? ²⁴ Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”

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?

·        Midway through the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles Jesus goes to the temple to teach. People were amazed by His in depth knowledge of God’s Word and ability to explain the meaning of scripture.

·        Jesus points to God, the one who sent Him, as the one who gave Him authority to teach and interpret the scripture.

·        Jesus points out that there are those who are in His midst that are trying to kill Him.

·        The crowd accuses Jesus of being demon possessed

·        Jesus points out the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders interpretation of the Law about the Sabbath

·        Jesus explains the importance of judging correctly

Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

·        People were amazed that Jesus was able to teach God’s Word because they were aware that He was not one of the Jewish religious leaders.

·        Those who know God and live under His guidance and direction will understand Jesus’ teaching and know His teaching is from God

·        Jesus’ great knowledge of scripture and His ability to teach it is representative of His divine nature. Jesus is God in the flesh, God’s Son, The Messiah:

John 1:1-4 New International Version (NIV)

The Word Became Flesh

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

John 1:14 New International Version (NIV)

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Matthew 17:1-5 New International Version (NIV)

The Transfiguration

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.² There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. ³ Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

⁴ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

⁵ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

 Matthew 1:23 New International Version (NIV)

 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

·        God sent Jesus to fulfill His plan of Salvation:

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.

·        Jesus wants us to honor God above all else. Human nature, in its self-centered state, is bent toward honoring ourselves over God

Revelation 4:11 New International Version (NIV)

 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 New International Version (NIV)

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

·        We are to honor God by living a life set apart to Him:

Romans 12:1 New International Version (NIV)

A Living Sacrifice

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

1 Peter 1:15-16 New International Version (NIV)

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Colossians 3:5 New International Version (NIV)

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Ephesians 4:22-24 New International Version (NIV)

²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

·        People make assumptions about things they don’t understand

·        A person saying Jesus was demon possessed represents a heart that does not accept God and His truth. It also represents a person blinded by false teaching. There was a lot of false teaching in Jesus’ day that continues on in our day.

·        The Jewish leaders plotted to discredit and kill Jesus

·        Today many people face persecution for their faith in Christ and are aware that we live in a world that continues to discredit Jesus.

·        Jesus said that His followers would be persecuted:  

John 15:18-25 New International Version (NIV)

The World Hates the Disciples

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

·        Jesus was accused of not following the Sabbath laws. However, the law was not meant to be a burden on people. Jesus followed the spirit of the law by doing good on the Sabbath.

Mark 3: 1-6 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

    

Matthew 12:12 New International Version (NIV)

How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

·       Jesus wants us to judge correctly

·       Jesus said to look beneath the surface so we can judge correctly.

·       We need to make judgments based on the discernment we get from the Holy Spirit and scripture that is interpreted correctly. It is easy to take scripture out of context in order to judge others actions.  We must be accountable for our own actions. (Read below)

1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 Living Bible (TLB)

²⁰ Do not scoff at those who prophesy, ²¹ but test everything that is said to be sure it is true, and if it is, then accept it. ²² Keep away from every kind of evil.

Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

·        Test everything you hear or read with God’s Word.

·        Ask the Holy Spirit to teach and reveal the meaning of God’s Word to you

·        Live by the Spirit of the law

·        Use Godly discernment when you make judgments

·        Live a God-centered life set apart to God

·        Live your life in such a way that God will receive glory

·        Don’t make assumptions about things you don’t fully understand

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:

·        Does my life reflect the Glory of God?

·        Do I judge correctly?

·        Do I live by the spirit of the law?

·        What are you using to base your truth on?

·        What areas of your life does God’s Word play an important role?

Have a great week…………….Dave