From the Pulpit—Video & Full Transcript

John 4:1-26: The Samaritan Woman
John 4:27-42: Reap!

Commentary

4 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 

1. Note that the Bible explicitly clarifies that Jesus was not baptizing people.  Even though it was a part of his ministry, he didn’t personally do the baptizing.  He only oversaw the process.
2. Why didn’t Jesus baptize?
   1. Some suggest that Jesus was more concerned with inspiring faith over baptizing each individual person, so he left the follow-up to the disciples.
   2. Some suggest Jesus prioritized inspiring faith over personally baptizing, leaving the act to disciples, though there’s not textual support for this.
   3. A stronger reason for Jesus’s reluctance to personally baptism is that He is the one who is supposed to baptize with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5).  Since the Holy Spirit had not yet been given by Jesus, the fullness of Christ’s baptism was not available.  This was more akin to John’s baptism for repentance, which only involved water.
3. “The reason why He baptized not Himself, had been already declared by John, He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. (Luke 3:16) Now He had not yet given the Holy Spirit: it was therefore fitting that He should not baptize.” -John Chrysostom, Hom. xxxi. 1

3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

1. Jesus’s rising fame created tension with the Pharisees.  Rather than allowing his ministry to the “anti-Pharisee” ministry, Jesus moved on to continue focusing on the truth that he needed to share, rather than just arguing in an increasingly hostile environment.   HE wasn’t afraid of the Pharisees.  He would engage with them again later, but he refused to allow himself to be reduced to their opposition.
2. “He was showing an example to them who were to believe in Him (that any one servant of God sins not if he retire into another place, when he sees, it may be, the rage of his persecutors, or of them that seek to bring his soul into evil; but if a servant of God did this he might appear to commit sin, had not the Lord led the way in doing it), that good Master did this to teach us, not because He feared it.” -Augustine of Hippo, Tractate 15 on John

4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 

1. Jesus traveled from Judea to Galilee and “had to” go through Samaria. While the route made geographical sense (Samaria lies near Israel’s borders; Galilee is an outlying enclave), most Jews would have found a way around it.  There was severe tension between the Jews and the Samaritans.
2. Sources of Tension between Israelites and Samaritans
   1. Similarity can create friction; groups that live in the same area with competing claims and identities often clash more easily than groups that are obviously different.
   2. Competing Religious Claims:
      1. Both the Jews and the Samaritans claimed to be true worshipers of God and the true Israel, considering the other’s claim illegitimate.
      2. The Samaritans only accepted the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) as Scripture, denying later prophetic books, which increased conflict with the Jews who affirmed other books as divinely inspired.
   3. Competing Identity Claims
      1. Samaritans said they were the true Israelites because they stayed in the land during the Assyrian exile.  Others were forced to leave because of the Assyrian policies, but the Samaritans found a way to stay and shepherd the area.
      2. The Israelites that returned after the exile saw the Samaritans as people who had compromised themselves by intermarrying and adopting Assyrian culture to appeal to the dominant culture, losing their real identity while others suffered exile for their faith. 

5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

1. “Jacob’s well was there,”
   1. Jacob’s well is not particularly famous.  There is nothing mentioned in Scripture about it.  Its importance comes from its owner, not any event that happened at it.  
   2. A modern equivalent might be something like “George Washington’s cornfield.”  Assuming such a place exists somewhere, nothing noteworthy happened there, but it’s notable because of the owner.
   3. “And what more proper place than Jacob’s well, for exposing the unlawful husband, i. e. the perverse law? For the Samaritan woman is meant to figure to us a soul, that has subjected itself to a hind of law of its own, not the divine law. And our Saviour wishes to marry her to a lawful husband, i. e. Himself; the Word of truth which was to rise from the dead, and never again to die.” -Origen, tom. xiii. c. 8
2. “It was about noon.”
   1. In first century Israel, women typically drew water in the morning to avoid heat and to catch up with one another at the well.
   2. The Samaritan woman arriving at noon likely indicates that she’s avoiding others.  As Jesus unfolds her story in the coming verses, it becomes increasingly obvious that she may be a social outcast and subject of gossip.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

1. “Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
   1. Jesus spoke directly to her, which broke social norms on several levels.  Firstly, Jews didn’t associate with Samaritans.  Secondly, men didn’t tend to speak to women alone without a husband, father or brother present to witness the propriety of the interaction.
   2. He asks her for a drink—a deliberate request for a favor.  Sociologists say that this is a good way to build rapport in a new environment.  By asking for help, you show that you see value in the other person and are vulnerable, which prevents you from appearing as some sort of social threat.
2. “living water”
   1. Jesus offers “living water,” a phrase carrying dual meanings in Greek: flowing, fresh water (spring/river) and spiritually vivifying water pointing to eternal life.
   2. English translations prefer “living water” to preserve the spiritual resonance; the woman initially interprets it as literal fresh water, focusing on convenience (not having to return to draw water).

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 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.”

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

17 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

1. Transition from physical thirst to spiritual thirst
   1. Jesus contrasts water that only provides for earthly needs (“whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again”) with the spiritual benefit of the water he gives, which becomes “a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
   2. He reveals awareness of her personal life: she has had five husbands and lives with a man who is not her husband. She’s been seeking fulfillment in relationships with men.  Not only has it not gone well, but it hasn’t quenched the thirst for meaning in her life.
   3. In the Jesus revolution of the 1970s, many young people that had sought their fulfillment in drugs or hippie counterculture found lasting fulfillment in Jesus.

19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

1. 1. “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain…”
      1. The woman shifts the whole conversation towards “religious” questions, shifting the tone from an honest conversation about her life to theoretical doctrinal debates.
      2. “From the truth which was becoming inconveniently personal she flew to that natural resort of the carnal mind, namely, to religions discourse upon points of outward observance”. -Spurgeon, Verse Expositions of the Bible

• “true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth”

1. 1. Jesus reframes the issue away from ethnicity, tradition, and location: “A time is coming…when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.”
   2. He isn’t vague on doctrine.  He acknowledges “salvation is from the Jews” but moves towards that bigger picture that he’s inviting her to participate in where people “worship the Father in spirit and in truth,” because “God is spirit.”
   3. Ethnic lineage and traditional sites are not the path to God; the Holy Spirit’s indwelling and truth-seeking are essential. He invites her to abandon religious formalism and be honest about what she really needs.  He knows her thirst and how she longs for God in her life.

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

1. Conversion doesn’t come from superior religious theory being explained well or being so nice for so long that someone just goes with it.  Conversion comes from a person encountering Jesus and knowing his power and his person directly.
2. This encounter gives us some key principles for evangelism.
   1. Talk to someone, even if it’s uncomfortable or seemingly strange.
   2. Build and honest rapport by letting yourself be vulnerable and seeing their gifts.
   3. Connect things that people know to what they don’t know yet.
   4. Lovingly help people see what they’re looking for can be found in Jesus.
   5. Avoid getting trapped in debates over little things.  Emphasize the big picture of what God is doing.
   6. Introduce people to Jesus personally.  His power is sufficient.

27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

1. The disciples return to find Jesus speaking with a Samaritan woman, which was socially unacceptable and potentially scandalous, but there’s no interrogation.  Instead, they trust that Jesus is up to something, and they can learn.
   1. We have to trust people that we hope to learn from.  A student learning algebra might be baffled at the sudden appearance of letters in a math equation, but if they accuse the teacher of making a mistake, they’ll miss an opportunity to learn.
   2. God knows everything and is the ultimate teacher, but how often do we really trust him when our life differs from what we expect?  If we accuse Him, we will miss what he’s doing. 

28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

1. Notice that she’s excited that he knew what she did, even though the knowledge he had was about how she had fallen short and failed to find what she wanted.  This potential messiah knew what she did, but still wanted to talk to her.  He was not only powerful, but he was merciful.
2. It’s likely the town knew her history well.  There’s no way she could have kept her messy marriages secret.  Drawing attention to herself in this way was a risk, but she’s willing to take it because of what Jesus means to her.
3. “The woman is almost turned into an Apostle. So forcible are His words, that she leaves her waterpot to go to the city, and tell her townsmen of them. The woman then left her waterpot, i. e. gave up low bodily cares, for the sake of benefitting others. Let us do the same. Let us leave off caring for things of the body, and impart to others of our own.” -Origen

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 

1. We’ve seen this from Jesus earlier in this chapter.  For the woman who was new to God, he took the example of water, something physical that she knew, to talk about what she was really thirsty for: a relationship with God.  Now, he talks to the disciples in a similar way about food.
   1. Water was eternal life, but food is doing the will of God and joining in that mission in the day to day.
   2. Many people think that metaphorical water is enough for their journey with God.  They KNOW that Jesus died for them, but then they don’t apply that knowledge to their daily life.  Life seems meaningless, trapped in routines, waiting for Jesus to come.  God invites us to daily mission and purpose to fill our hunger for meaning in this world.
2. “What wonder that the woman did not understand about the water? Lo, the disciples do not understand about the food!” -Augustine

35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

1. To a person who has done little farming, harvest might seem like the payoff at the end.  This is the chance to finally get the fruits of your labor!  But remember that the harvest season is one of the most labor-intensive parts of farming.  Farmers spend a lot of time rushing against the clock, working in the fields during harvest.
2. ‘One sows and another reaps’
   1. “This was a common proverb, by which he showed that many men frequently receive the fruit of the labor of others, though there was this difference, that he who has labored is displeased at seeing the fruit carried away by another, whereas the Apostles have the Prophets for the companions of their joy.” -John Calvin
3. This truth is not only true individually, but corporately.  Think about all the people at your local church that planted seeds so that you could harvest!  Decades of people worked hard so you can stand where you are.

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.

42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

1. The least likely people in the least likely place provide the first real example of people being excited and hungry for what Jesus is doing.
2. When we feel discouraged, we sometimes assume that Christ has done his best work in the past and there is nothing left to look forward to.  If Jesus can cause such a stir in Samaria through a woman with little social capital, what can he do in our lives?

From the Pulpit—Video & Full Transcript

John 3:1-21: Born Again
John 3:22-36: John’s Final Testimony

Commentary

3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.

1. Profile of Nicodemus
   1. “A Pharisee”- Nicodemus was a Pharisee, part of a Jewish group that was known for zealous, legalistic teaching of God’s law, often missing its true meaning.
   2. “A member of the Jewish ruling council”- He was a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council.  There were traditionally only 71 scholars in the Sanhedrin, so his influence and power were exceptional.
   3. “Nicodemus”- His name is Greek, not Hebrew.  Jews with Greek names in this timeframe were influenced from the Greek culture that spread throughout the region during Alexander the Great’s reign.  Jews that spoke Greek were disproportionately likely to be from urban centers, have access to wealth and travel, and have had access to quality education.
   4. Given these details, Nicodemos was someone who likely thought he knew everything!  He had a good education on how to think incorrectly.  It’s very likely that he was arrogant, given how many worldly accolades he had.

 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

1. Despite his background and influence, something compelled Nicodemus to seek Jesus.  There was something about this “Jesus” teacher that evaded him, and he had to know what it was.
2. He met Jesus at night, indicating a desire for secrecy to protect his reputation.
3. He addressed Jesus as “Rabbi,” a title he also held, approaching the meeting as a peer-to-peer discussion (“teacher to teacher”) to explore “finer points of religious philosophy.”

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

1. In response to Nicodemus’s formal introduction, Jesus immediately and authoritatively declares, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they’re born again.”
   1. “Truly, truly” (amen amen) is a doubled emphatic in Greek—an exclamation, not filler.  Jesus isn’t theorizing!  He’s making a serious, decisive statement.
2. Jesus’s directness is tailored to Nicodemus’s arrogant, know-it-all demeanor.  He wants to shake him out of his stupor!
3. “Take away whatsoever seemeth thee good, reputation, fortune, friends, health, only give me this, to be born of the Spirit, to be received among the children of God!” -John Wesley

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

1. Nicodemus’s question isn’t sincere.  Metaphor long before Jesus’s time.  To ask this question in a way that implies that Jesus is literally demanding someone to go back into their mother’s womb is intentionally obtuse, misunderstanding on purpose to suggest that Jesus is being absurd.

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 

1. Many interpreters assume that Jesus is referring to baptism, but Nicodemus wouldn’t have understood what Jesus meant if that was the intended analogy since Christian baptism doesn’t exist yet. Jesus’s words needed to be comprehensible, and they would have been to someone who knew Scripture as well as Nicodemos.  Water and the Spirit are both well-established symbolically throughout Scripture.
   1. Water: Symbolizes repentance and cleansing (Psalm 51:7: “Wash me and I will be whiter than snow”; Ezekiel 36:25: “I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean”).
   2. The Spirit: Represents God’s creative power at work in the world and in people (Genesis 1: Spirit hovering over the waters; Judges 6:34: Spirit coming upon Gideon; 2 Samuel 23:2: Spirit speaking through David).

6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 

7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

1. Jesus compares the Spirit’s work to the wind: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.”
2. This illustrates that one can experience and feel the effects of God’s Spirit without fully grasping the “finer points” of doctrine.

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

16 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. 

1. This particular verse is an elemental part of the Christian faith.  It’s the most commonly-known verse in the entire  Bible.  Rather than approach it with the assumption that we know it, it’s good to think through it slowly.  Having come so far, do we still align with the very basics that we set out with?
   1. “For God”: In a world like ours, it is a bold claim to know something true about God.  Who can say what is true or false about God?  But the core of Christianity is to know who God is… and who he isn’t.
   2. “so loved”: God’s primary motive is love, not anger or sadness.
   3. “the world”: God’s love extends to all creation—plants, animals, and people—not just humanity.
      1. Dostoyevsky discussed true love for the world beautifully in his novel, The Brothers Karamazov: “Love all God’s creation, the whole of it and every grain of sand in it. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you have perceived it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day, and you will come at last to love the world with an all-embracing love…. Treasure this ecstasy, however absurd people may think it.” -Dostoyevsky
   4. “that he gave”: God has not begun this relationship with us by demanding anything, but by freely giving to us grace upon grace.
   5. “His one and only son”: his most precious possession.
   6. “that whoever”: A universal invitation open to anyone from a beggar in India to a bureaucrat in China and everyone in between
   7. “believes in Him”: Belief means full, trusting surrender of one’s life to Jesus, not just intellectual assent.
   8. “shall not perish”: God intervenes to save us from the perishing caused by our own sin.
   9. “but have eternal life”: New life that begins now, not only after death.
2. “Men who love much will give much, and you may usually measure the truth of love by its self-denials and sacrifices. That love which spares nothing, but spends itself to help and bless its object, is love indeed, and not the mere name of it. Little love forgets to bring water for the feet, but great love breaks its box of alabaster and lavishes its precious ointment.  Consider, then, what this gift was that God gave.” -Charles Spurgeon

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 

1. It can be uncomfortable to acknowledge that God openly condemns those who don’t believe in his Son, but we need to address this uncomfortable reality.  If we don’t acknowledge that we’re condemned without Jesus, how can he be a savior?  What is he saving us from? 
2. Some people say God is stingy for not giving us multiple ways to be saved.  That isn’t reasonable.
   1. Imagine a person $5 million in debt who complains that a blank check from a benefactor requires them to walk a block to the bank.
   2. Or imagine a person falling off a cliff who criticizes their rescuer for offering a hand instead of a rope or a helicopter.
   3. In both cases, the one needing salvation is entitled; the savior is not stingy.

19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

1. Evil-doers “hate the light” and avoid exposure. US Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” in reference to the simple fact that corruption grows where there is no visibility and accountability.
2. Belief must be embodied in deeds; evidence of new birth should be visible.

22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 

1. Note that according to John 4:2, Jesus didn’t personally baptize anyone.  His disciples did it for him while he oversaw it.

23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

1. John’s disciples are worried that Jesus is now stealing John’s ministry!  Not only is he baptizing people, something that John literally has a title about, but he’s drawing bigger crowds!
2. Ministries built on ego or a sense of territory do not reflect the kingdom of Heaven.  Many such “ministries” exist to this day, much to the sadness of God.

27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”

1. In his response, John submits to the authority of Jesus.
   1. John’s response to his disciples reveals a fundamental truth about the prophets: prophets are people who submit.  
      1. The image of a prophet being a wild man standing at the edge of society, unwilling to submit to church authorities isn’t accurate.  They only refuse to submit to authorities who have abandoned God’s word.  
      2. When leaders stop submitting to God, they lose their authority, and prophets arise as God’s true spokesmen.
   2. Conversations about “submitting” to anyone in our culture can be very jarring and even offensive!  Submission seems as though it’s against our core expectations to live as free people in this world!
      1. Modernity tends to defines freedom via “negative freedom”–you’re free from external obligations when making choices.
      2. The Bible presents a definition of freedom that might be called positive or teleological freedom–you’re free to live well and be what you were made to be through the grace of God.
      3. We can only understand how submission can lead to freedom if we understand freedom on God’s terms.  Through modern expectations, submission to anyone would seem tyrannical, but on Biblical terms, freedom requires you to submit to God and to others in your life.
   3. The willingness to submit that John models is important for every Christian today as well.  The Bible speaks often about submission.  
      1. Colossians 3:20: “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord,” 
         1. Notice that there is no age limit specified in the text.
      2. Colossians 3:18-19 reads “Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.  Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.”
         1. Uncomfortably enough, the passage doesn’t advocate for mutual submission.  The language for each gender is intentionally different.
         2. Ephesians 5 explains the husband’s role in greater detail: “Love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” This is servant leadership—putting his wife first, himself second. To exploit this authority is to abuse one’s spouse.
      3. Colossians 3:22: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything… work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
         1. The idea of getting rid of slavery would have been ridiculous to most people in the ancient world.
         2. Athenaus’s comedy, “The Banqueting Sophists” includes a section where people theorize about a world without slaves, but it would require automata, or items that move themselves.  They imagine a world where you could just tell objects, “Table, lay yourself! … Cup, pour yourself!”
            1. Depressingly enough, this seems to be somewhat prophetic–slavery in our world mostly ended with the advent of the Industrial Revolution
         3. For Christian slaves, the question would have been, should we stage a violent uprising?  That’s what is being addressed in submission.  The answer is no.
         4. For Christian slaveholders, The Book of Philemon shows that slavery is incompatible with Christianity as Paul encourages a master to treat his runaway slave both as a brother, a partner, and as he would treat Paul himself (v. 16-17)
      4. Many other examples can be found throughout the Bible, in reference to civil authority, religious authority, and so forth.  If it does not disobey God to submit, Christians are encouraged to submit
2. “He must become greater; I must become less.”
   1. This especially sums up the way John has completely submitted to God.  He knows that his authority must give way to Christ’s. He doesn’t sabotage Jesus–he makes room.
   2. As God becomes greater in us, we don’t become less ourselves but more truly ourselves, the people we were made to be, freed from sin’s distortion. This is good, though it may frighten us at first.
      1. “Imagine turning a tin soldier into a real little man. It would involve turning the tin into flesh. And suppose the tin soldier did not like it? He is not interested in flesh: all he sees is that the tin is being spoilt. He thinks you are killing him” -CS Lewis

31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 

1. John’s witness to Jesus affirms God’s truth; whoever accepts Jesus’s testimony isn’t doing anything wild!  They’re just certifying that God is doing exactly what he said he would do.
   1. Affirming God’s truthfulness in worship and Scripture reading is a daily opportunity.

34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

1. Submission to the authorities we can see helps us submit to the authorities we can’t see until they’re fully revealed in their glory
   1. IfJesus entered the room, radiant with heavenly rays, wearing an otherworldly crown and the finest robes imaginable, the ONLY response would be to kneel and submit.  To do anything else would be absurd!  But if we don’t prepare our hearts for that moment, we’ll miss it.
2. “[H]e who denies God the glory of redemption, in addition to his folly, has robbed the Lord of the choicest jewel of his regalia, and aimed a deadly blow at the divine honor. I may say of him who despises the great salvation, that, in despising Christ, he touches the apple of God’s eye. “This is my beloved Son,” saith God, “hear ye him.” Out of heaven he saith it, and yet men stop their ears and say, “We will not have him.” Nay, they wax wrath against the cross, and turn away from God’s salvation. Do you think that God will always bear this?” -Charles Spurgeon

From the Pulpit—Video & Full Transcript

John 2:1-12: Water into Wine

Commentary

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,

1. Weddings were major, joyous feasts (see Song of Songs for more on the topic).  The presence of Jesus and his disciples implies they were joyful, welcomed guests who enhanced celebrations.

2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

1. The shortage threatened severe social embarrassment for the hosts: in a culture where weddings were grand, hospitality was important, and emotions ran high, guests could feel insulted if provisions fell short, harming the young couple’s social relationships and reputation.

4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

1. Jesus calls Mary “woman,” rather than “mom.”  There’s some distance here that’s appropriate for his public ministry.  He’s not about to do a chore for his mom!  He’s acting by the will of his heavenly Father. 
2. Jesus frames his timing (“my hour”) as divinely set.  The miracle will proceed on God’s terms, not anyone else’s.

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

1. Mary tells the servants, “Do whatever he tells you,” showing her absolute confidence that Jesus will act.  It’s also good advice for discipleship today: do whatever Jesus tells you.

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

1. Notice that Jesus offers no explanation for what he’s asking for, but the servants still fill the jars to the brim!  Their faith is impressive, given that what Jesus is asking for appears to make no sense.
2. Jesus involves the servants and water in this miracle, rather than producing wine ex nihilo (out of nothing) for spectacle; their actions and resources become the ordinary material he transforms into the extraordinary.  For the disciple, any action can be a part of the miraculous work of God.  Many are, if we pay attention.

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

1. There is no singular “alakazam” moment where the water miraculously changes in a puff of smoke.  Instead, the miracle just happens without anyone quite being able to pinpoint the exact moment, much like the mercy of God is not always clear at first when it enters into our life, but it is not long before it is recognized.
2. The first person to notice is the master of the banquet.  He is not a follower of Jesus, nor is he someone that Jesus seems to be particularly familiar yet, and yet he can verify the goodness of the miracle.  Real miracles don’t need to be hidden, nor do they require believers to see their goodness.  Their goodness is evidenced by all.
3. Jesus ensures that joy does not run out.  As Fyodor Dostoevsky puts it in The Brothers Karamazov, “He has made himself like one of us and shares our joy and turns our water into wine, so that the joy of the guests shall not cease.”

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

1. Wedding as metaphor for the soul’s relationship to God
   1. Throughout Scripture, weddings symbolize preparation, purity, and lifelong union with God; Cana’s setting connects Jesus’s mission to restoring and binding souls to God.
2. Banquet as eschatological celebration
   1. Jesus often uses banquet imagery in parables to depict the grand celebration at the end of time when the faithful rejoice with God.
   2. Cana anticipates this eschatological joy: not dour or harsh, but celebratory.
3. Wine as joy and Jesus’s gift
   1. Wine frequently symbolizes joy (Psalm 104:15; Judges 9:13). At Cana, Jesus ensures joy where circumstances were turning shameful.
   2. Jesus’s first miracle establishes him as the bringer of joy, transforming scarcity into abundance and elevating ordinary water into superior wine.

¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

¹⁸ The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

²⁰ They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

²³ Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. ²⁴ But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. ²⁵ He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

From the Pulpit—Video & Full Transcript

John 1:1-18: Prologue
John 1:19-24: Baptism
John 1:35-51: Reaching Out

Commentary

Introduction

1. John is one of the four Gospels
   1. Matthew emphasizes fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies; 
   2. Mark emphasizes Jesus as servant who suffers;
   3. Luke emphasizes Jesus’s humanity; 
   4. John emphasizes Christ’s divinity
2. John is often recommended for new Bible readers alongside Philippians, but just because it’s good for beginners doesn’t mean there’s not tremendous depth for everyone.
   1. “Consider, then, brethren, if perchance John is not one of those mountains concerning whom we sang a little while ago, I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence shall come my help. Therefore, my brethren, if you would understand, lift up your eyes to this mountain, that is, raise yourselves up to the evangelist, rise to his meaning.”  -Augustine of Hippo, Tractates on John, Tractate 1
3. The depth of God reflected in John’s prologue helps address a common critique of Christianity: “It’s about a magical guy in the sky that grants wishes.”
4. John’s opening, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” immediately displays the complexity and depth of the Christian understanding of God, which even language strains to fully express.
5. “John is symbolized by an eagle. The other three Evangelists, concerned with those things which Christ did in his flesh, are symbolized by animals which walk on the earth, namely, by a man, a bull calf, and a lion. But John flies like an eagle above the cloud of human weakness and looks upon the light of unchanging truth with the most lofty and firm eyes of the heart.” -Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John, Prologue, 11

1 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. 

1. John 1:1 parallels Genesis 1:1 (“In the beginning…”).  John is retelling the story, but answering a question that haunted mankind from the beginning: who is “us?”
   1. Genesis 1:26: “Let us make mankind…” 
   2. Many answers that people have proposed (God is talking to angels (not creators) or humanity (not existent) or the Earth (an object, not a being)) are deeply inadequate.
   3. John reveals “the Word” (Jesus pre-incarnate) as with God and as God—revealing the foundation of the Trinity.
2. “The Word” refers to Jesus before His incarnation.
   1. In the original Greek that John was writing in, “The Word” is “Logos.”  That word carried important and distinct meanings for both Jewish and Greek audiences:
   2. For a Jewish reader: “Logos” meant “the word,” resonating with the Old Testament’s emphasis on knowing and keeping God’s word.
   3. For a Greek audience: “Logos” meant the “plan,” “blueprint,” or “wisdom” behind the universe—what philosophers sought to understand.
   4. By using “Logos,” John tells both groups that the thing they loved and were looking for had come to find them: Jesus. 
3. “A word is always something that proceeds from an intellect existing in act; and furthermore, that a word is always a notion (ratio) and likeness of the thing understood.” -Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John, Lecture 1, 25

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 

1. By using that term, “logos,” John affirmed that Jesus was both the creative word of God (the spoken word in Genesis) and the blueprint of creation.

4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

1. “The darkness has not overcome it” can also be translated “the darkness has not understood it.” Both are good translations.
2. The world’s darkness (frustration, cruelty) persists because people haven’t understood Jesus. But that darkness can’t overcome the light and hope that is Jesus.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

1. The John in verse 6 is John the Baptist, not the Gospel’s author. Throughout the book of John, the author doesn’t refer to himself by name.  Instead, he calls himself, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”
2. John the Baptist’s role was to witness to the light (Jesus), serving as a herald announcing the King’s arrival.
3. A herald prepares people to receive the king properly. The fact that Jesus’s herald was a crazy guy on society’s fringe shows how little the world understood God or was ready to receive Him.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 

1. Imagine a parent visiting their child, only for the child not to recognize them at all.  That’s what it was like for God coming to us.

12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

1. Some might object that we’re all “children of God” because God made us.  
   1. God doesn’t just want to be our father in the smallest sense!  He wants to be our father in the fullest sense!  He wants to be the one we count on in every situation
   2. A good father isn’t just the person who helps us to exist, but the one who nurtures us, protects us, and cares for us.
   3. God invites us to be in a personal relationship with him so we can be His child in the fullest sense.

14 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.

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 

1. In Hebrew culture, older writers received greater respect.  By conceding to Jesus’s age, John the Baptist is showing that Jesus is the ultimate authority that he doesn’t can’t give any credibility to.  He already has ultimate credibility.

16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

1. In Exodus 33:20, God says, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
   1. This is because He is utterly holy and beyond comprehension.  Our sinful, mortal minds couldn’t handle it
   2. Even though it’s incomprehensible, God made Himself knowable by coming down to our level as Jesus to restore our broken relationship with Him.
   3. This prologue is highly abstract!  Not everyone is comfortable with abstract thought.  If you’re not, here’s the core takeaway: seek a relationship with God.  In spite of your smallness and his vastness, he wants to know you.  Pray to him.

19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

1. The narrative shifts back chronologically from the opening eighteen verses (which served as an overview of the Book of John) to the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry.
2. What is happening to John in this verse is a public interrogation, not a respectful inquiry. Their goal was to discredit John. If he denied having authority, people might stop following him. If he claimed authority, they could report him to the Romans as a troublemaker. 

21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

1. The authoritative figures that are being addressed here are all in Scripture.  The second coming of Elijah is in Malachi 4:5, the coming of the prophet is in Deuteronomy 18:15, and prophecies about the coming messiah are found throughout the Old Testament (especially Isaiah).

22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

1. The Pharisees’ may be villains in these passages, but they were also people with real, legitimate concerns.
   1. The Roman-Jewish historian Josephus recorded four individuals in the first century who claimed to be the Messiah, raised armies, and fought the Romans, all of whom understood the Messiah as a military figure.
   2. A later false messiah, Simon Ben Kosiba, led a rebellion in the early second century that resulted in the Romans destroying Israel, renaming it Syria Palestine, and scattering the Jewish people. Israel did not reappear on maps until after World War II.
   3. The Pharisees were justifiably worried that a false messiah would bring destruction, but while trying to prevent this, they tragically overlooked the true Messiah.

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

1. John seems surprisingly comfortable given the circumstances! He knew he wasn’t “the one.”  He was just there to point to the person who was.  
   1. How often do we carry the burden of having to be “the one” rather than pointing to the person who genuinely is?
2. He identifies himself using Isaiah’s words: “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” (Isa 40:3)
   1. Untying sandals was considered such a lowly task that even rabbis were forbidden from asking their disciples to do it (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Ketubot 96a)  John’s statement signifies his profound sense of unworthiness compared to the greatness of Jesus.

24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

1. The practice of baptism existed before John, rooted in Old Testament purification rituals, such as priests washing in a basin before approaching the altar in the tabernacle and later bathing in the temple.
2. John brought this practice to the people, applying the principle of purification to prepare for God’s approach in the form of Jesus.
3. John’s baptism was a symbolic act. He explicitly states, “I baptize with water,” indicating it was just water and held no special divine power. It was a good thing to do, encouraging people to recognize their sinfulness and need for God’s purification.
4. “John answered, I baptize with water. As if to say: You should not be disturbed, if I, who am not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, baptize; because my baptism is not completive but imperfect. For the perfection of baptism requires the washing of the body and of the soul; and the body, by its nature, is indeed washed by water, but the soul is washed by the Spirit alone.” -Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John, Lecture 13, 244.

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 

1. The title “Lamb of God” connects Jesus to a rich scriptural history of lambs being sacrificed so that others might live: the ram that died in Isaac’s place, the Passover lamb whose blood protected the Israelites, and the lambs sacrificed for forgiveness in the temple.
2. John identifies Jesus as “the” ultimate Lamb who will provide the final sacrifice.
3. The use of the singular “sin” (not “sins”) is significant. Sins are the symptoms (wrong actions), but “sin” is the underlying disease or “rot in our soul” that began with Adam and Eve. Jesus came to eliminate the root cause, not just the symptoms.

30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

1. Why would the sinless Jesus need to be baptized? Common reasons for baptism (joining the church, receiving the Holy Spirit, washing away sin) do not apply to Him.  Surely Jesus could have revealed himself to John the Baptist in other ways.  Why was this way fitting?
   1. John’s baptism was purely symbolic, which means a lot of the answers (the bestowal of the Holy Spirit, joining the Body of Christ, etc.) don’t apply here.  It really is a matter of symbols: why would a sinless person symbolically ask for purification?
   2. The 18th-century monk Nikodemos of Athos speaks to this in his prayers: “Jesus, being God, had no need for purification, but he suffered purification for me,” (Prayers to Our Lord Jesus Christ).
   3. Jesus gained nothing from baptism; it was an act of humility. His glory is repeatedly revealed through such humble acts: the infinite God being born in a small human body, in a manger; and ultimately dying a humiliating death on a cross.
   4. “And why must the Lord be baptized? Because many there would be to despise baptism, that they might appear to be endowed with greater grace than they saw other believers endowed with…. [T]he Lord was willing to be baptized by a servant, as if addressing His chief sons: Why do you extol yourselves? Why lift yourselves up because you have, one prudence, another learning, another chastity, another the courage of patience? Can you possibly have as much as I who gave you these? And yet I was baptized by a servant, you disdain to be baptized by the Lord.”  -Augustine of Hippo

32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 

1. What was once a purely symbolic, natural act became more than natural, now carrying the power of the Holy Spirit to bestow grace, unite a person with the body of Christ, and wash away sin.
2. Note that there is no reason to expect two baptisms.  Some traditions insist that you need one “water baptism” and one “baptism of the Spirit” (generally identified by strong feelings in the believer), but Ephesians 4 is explicit that there is only one baptism. Jesus has transformed baptism, not added a second baptism.

34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.

1. Matthew 11:11”Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
   1. John was the greatest of “those born of women,” or those born by purely natural means.
   2. Through baptism, believers are made part of the “Kingdom of Heaven” and are greater than John the Baptist
2. Just as Jesus transformed water and a human body into something more than natural, He transforms believers into more than natural people by giving them the Holy Spirit.

Four Accounts of Calling

1. These next four stories all show different disciples being called into ministry by Christ:
   1. Andrew and Peter join Jesus through intellectual inquiry 
   2. Peter follows Jesus because of a personal invitation from someone he trusts
   3. Philip joins Philip abruptly because of his experience meeting Jesus
   4. Nathanael overcomes his skepticism after seeing a miracle
2. The close proximity of the stories help illustrate the diverse ways that people come to faith in Christ

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.

1. In the ancient world, discipleship was immersive—students followed a teacher to observe how they lived and embodied their teachings. This approach emphasizes that profound truths should transform one’s whole life, not remain abstract. The speaker contrasts this with modern education’s focus on fact acquisition and suggests discipleship offers a valuable lesson in witnessing wisdom lived out.

36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

1. John refrains from retaining disciples for personal benefit (labor, prestige). Instead, he directly points them to Jesus, modeling ministry that prioritizes others’ growth over personal gain.
2. This contrasts with common tendencies of leaders to hoard followers; John advocates sending people to the best source for their development.

37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

1. “It was about four in the afternoon” (verse forty) is a pretty specific detail.  This, along with the fact that John never names himself in his gospel and this particular disciple is unnamed, suggests this unnamed disciple was John.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 

1. In his book The Inviting Church, church growth expert Roy Oswald asked a number of congregants why they worshipped at the church they did if they weren’t raised there. 
   1. 86% started attending because a friend or family member invited them; 
   2. 6% came because of a program; 
   3. 6% were invited by a pastor, 
   4. 2% due to advertising.
2. Peter’s journey is statistically common!  So many people relate to Peter, but the Church needs more Andrews to invite others.
3. Peter (originally Simon) comes to Jesus through his brother Andrew’s invitation: “We have found the Messiah!” Andrew is only mentioned twelve times in the Bible, and four of those are just in lists!  Of the remaining eight narrative mentions of Andrew, he’s bringing people to Jesus in three of them. He has a gift for connection and evangelism. The Church needs its Peters and Pauls, but we also need our Andres!

42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

1. Jesus renames Simon to Cephas (Aramaic for “stone”; translated into Greek and then English as “Peter”), signaling a break from old to new identity and commissioning him as a “rock” on which Jesus will build his ministry. This affirms Peter’s gifts and shows that Jesus is giving him meaningful work.
   1. Everyone wants to make a difference in the world!  We are not just called to sit in pews for Jesus, but change the world for Him.

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

1. Philip’s calling is incredibly abrupt! Jesus says, “Follow me,” and Philip does just that. The abruptness suggests an immediate, vivid experience with Jesus that was enough to get Nathaniel to worship Jesus without a prior relationship.  For some, a direct encounter is decisive.

44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

1. Nathanael resists at first, ignoring the ties that Philip makes to the prophets and Moses.  fixating on the detail that he’s from Nazareth, and that’s not a particularly reputable town.  Philip wisely avoids debating issues that don’t really matter and instead invites him to “come and see.”  His goal is not to win a debate, but to win Nathanael over to Christ by introducing them.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

1. Jesus greets Nathanael as “an Israelite in whom there is no deceit,” showing that he knows his character, and says that he saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him.  Given Nathanael’s reaction, obviously this wasn’t a mere overhearing of someone else’s conversation; it was miraculous!

50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

1. In verse 51, Jesus is referencing Genesis 28 (Jacob’s ladder) to declare himself the bridge between Heaven and Earth.  If knowing a name is so impressive to Nathanael, he should be ready to see the full nature of the Son of Man, which is infinitely more miraculous.