2025 Bible Study Group

[GodfatherPartTwo]

John 4

40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41And many more believed because of His word; 42and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is truly the Savior of the world.”

The Samaritans and the woman place their faith in Christ. This idea of no teacher but God is a distinct promise of the New Covenant. John will employ it again in John 6 and 1 John. Jeremiah said that within the New Covenant, no man will tell his neighbor to know God because all will know God because God Himself will write His Law on their hearts and minds. That is to say, God is the one who converts the hearts and minds of men. Do not boast about how many people you have "led to Christ." All such boasting is vainglory and does nothing other than puff up men's pride. Either they believe in you or they believe in God. But be content that God may use you to further His kingdom and what we should say is "We have only done what was required of us" and not think higher of ourselves than we ought. Likewise, do not give the glory to men, so they aren't tempted to pride, but thank God.

48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”

Jesus says the word and the son of the man who came to Him was healed. Read His Word and see all the signs that God has already given. What more does He need to do to show men that He alone is worthy of their faith? And we would not even exist if it were not for His Word, so treat His Word as all-sufficient.

 

[GodfatherPartTwo]

John 5

16 And for this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” 18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

Jesus heals a lame man. When the Jews confront Jesus over doing this on the Sabbath, Jesus pointedly says that He is working, as opposed to resting which is what the Sabbath Law requires. There are a few ways to understand this:
Option 1: Jesus is truly breaking the Fourth Commandment and is therefore a sinner. This is ruled out immediately, though it is how the Pharisaical Jews would've understood it.
Option 2: Jesus is the Lord of the Law and is free to "set aside" the Law. I am not fond of this answer because it still emphasizes a discontinuity between the Law and the King.
Option 3: The Sabbath Law is not a prohibition against good works, but a prohibition against evil works, and thus, Christ is not breaking the Law by doing good works on the Sabbath. This is what I believe to be the best and most Biblically consistent understanding of not just this passage, but the Sabbath in general. Against these things, there is no law.

Jesus calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God is how the Jews understood lineage. The son becomes the father. The son is like the father. The Son of God is divine just like His Father is divine.

25 Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

The dead refers to non-believers. They will hear the Son of God and will come alive through faith.

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that bear witness about Me

The Scriptures refer to the Old Testament. The Jews believed that if they could fulfill all that the Law requires, they would have eternal life. They were correct. But they were wrong to believe that anyone could fulfill what the Law requires, so the only way for us to have eternal life is through faith in Jesus Christ. Thus, the Law will not grant eternal life to us because we are transgressors, which underscores all the more our need of Jesus.

45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. 46For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. 47But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?

The necessity of faith in Christ is not a new doctrine. We saw it in Genesis, which Moses authored. If the Jews really believed Moses as they claimed then they would've understood this. But Jesus' chief referent is in Deuteronomy 18:15: Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers; you shall listen to him.

Note the phrase: you shall listen to Him. At the Transfiguration, the Father told the Apostles: This is My Son, My Chosen One, listen to Him!

 

[GodfatherPartTwo]

John 6

This is the longest and one of the more difficult chapters in John.

14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had done, they were saying, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."

Jesus feeds the five thousand with fish and bread. It is worth noting that He gave thanks to God when He performed this miracle. He does His work from gratitude, not from obligation. Obligation speaks to something yet to be received, but gratitude speaks to something already received. That is the difference between Law and Grace. The people then recognize Jesus as the Prophet whom Moses prophesied in Deuteronomy 18. John belabors this point throughout His Gospel, that Jesus is the Prophet whom Moses prophesied. He sees Christ as greater than Moses; the Law came through Moses, but Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ. This would've been particularly hard-hitting to the original Jewish audience.

15 So Jesus, knowing that they were going to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Christ did not come to be an earthly king, though He is the true descendant of David and is the rightful heir to the throne. As He says, His kingdom is not from this world. He will be appointed King by true divine fiat, not by the will of the people. If Christ was made the king of Jerusalem, then He would not have been crucified, and if He would not have been crucified, then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled? But all of God's providence and foreordination ensured that, no matter what the will of man was, God's will would be carried out to the letter of His decree.

19 Then, when they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they daw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. 20But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

The Apostles rowed across the sea, saw Jesus walking toward them on the water, and became frightened. In Job 9, God is said to walk on water: He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. Jesus identifies Himself and tells the Apostles to not be frightened. It calls to mind Adam and Eve, who after becoming transgressors, hid themselves in fear after hearing God walking in the Garden. After Jesus enters the boat, the boat immediately reaches their destination, another miracle.

 

[Samseau]

Christ feeding the five thousand (and, another time, the four thousand), is a foreshadowing of how Christ feeds thousands every Sunday during the Eucharist. Instead of eating earthly bread, Christ's body is broken up infinite amount of times and distributed to the flock each and every Sunday.

 

[GodfatherPartTwo]

John 6

The latter half of the chapter covers the Jews seeking Jesus for more bread, and His teaching that He is the true bread. I am not a Sacerdotalist and do not have a Eucharistic understanding of this text, nor was this text universally understood by the early church fathers to be about the Eucharist: https://twoedgedsword.blogspot.com/2006/10/eucharist-john-6-and-early-church.html?m=1 Rather, I propose that Jesus' teaching is better understood with how it connects to the earlier part of the chapter, namely Jesus feeding the five thousand with fish and bread, as He had not even instituted the Eucharist yet at this point in His ministry, nor is wine mentioned.

26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

Some of the Jews who were fed sought Jesus out. Jesus says that they did not believe in the sign savingly, that it pointed to Christ's true identity, for they did indeed eat, but did not have faith.

33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”

Once more, they interpret Jesus literally, failing to understand his figurative speech.

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. 36But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out. 38For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39Now this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

Verse 35 is key. Coming to Jesus = never hungering. Believing in Jesus = never thirsting. To eat His flesh is to come to Him. To drink His blood is to believe in Him. Everyone whom the Father has chosen will come to Jesus, and everyone who comes to Jesus, Jesus will never cast out, He will raise them up on the last day. He gives an order of salvation just as Paul did in Romans 8. There is no coming to Jesus, believing in Him, then being cast out.

43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop grumbling among yourselves. 44No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT BY GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

The Jews began grumbling over His claims, but Christ doubles down. No one is able to come to Jesus unless the Father draws them. He then quotes Jeremiah and Isaiah, those in the New Covenant shall all be taught by God. That is, they all will be converted by God.

52 Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” 53So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58This is the bread which came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

The Sacerdotalists particularly love the force of verse 53, so they may hold the Eucharist as a legal obligation over their parishioners heads. But why do they not give equal force to verse 58? Even within the Scripture, there are people who have taken the Eucharist and died. But there is no one who has placed their faith in Christ that died.

61 But Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples were grumbling at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? 62What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? 63The Spirit is the One who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would abetray Him. 65And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

Jesus's words are spiritual, not fleshly. They did not like His teaching that no one is able to come to Him unless the Father grants it to them, so they left. Verse 65, literally, He kept saying to them, repeating it over and over: no one can come to Him unless the Father grants it to them.

67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go?” 68Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

Note how the Apostle's response in verse 69 mirrors back to verse 35: we have come and believed. They already have eaten the Bread.

 

[Tippy]

John 5- Jesus heals a lame man

Jesus heals a sick man which apparently breaks the sabbath rules and then he reveals himslef to be God's son.

'the father judges no one' part is a little confusing as isn't God involved in deciding who is a sinner and who is not let alone his judgements in the OT?

The people who listen to the message will get eternal life. And even the Dead will rise again, creating walking dead zombie images in my mind I have to say.

Some referenes to Moses writing about him in scripture as a rebuke to 'scripture heads' not believing in Jesus. Question, what exactly did Moses write about Jesus and when?

 

[Gazza]

John 5- Jesus heals a lame man

Jesus heals a sick man which apparently breaks the sabbath rules and then he reveals himslef to be God's son.

'the father judges no one' part is a little confusing as isn't God involved in deciding who is a sinner and who is not let alone his judgements in the OT?

The people who listen to the message will get eternal life. And even the Dead will rise again, creating walking dead zombie images in my mind I have to say.

Some referenes to Moses writing about him in scripture as a rebuke to 'scripture heads' not believing in Jesus. Question, what exactly did Moses write about Jesus and when?

I must say that the whole topic of being judged and having judgment pass you by has often confused me over the years. I can never really get a clear understanding of who does, and who doesn’t stand before the throne of God and has to give an account of himself? I know we aren’t judged for our “good works”, however the bible says we will be rewarded for them? As a believing Christian, do we completely bypass judgment and only those that are headed for hell (non believers), stand before God or Jesus before the gavel falls?

 

[GodfatherPartTwo]

John 7

5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him.

There is debate over Jesus's siblings. The Scripture not only says that He had brothers but Matthew refers to His sisters as well. The question is if these are half-siblings or something else. There was a spurious text that influenced the early church known as the Protoevangelium of James, written a century after the Gospels. It says that Mary was aiparthenos, ever-virgin. The ascetics favored this and had various explanations for Jesus's brothers. They would say they were His cousins or His step-brothers. I am not convinced of this and rather take the New Testament at face value, that the Lord did indeed have siblings by blood.

7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I bear witness about it, that its deeds are evil.

Throughout the Scriptures, the devil is presented as a prosecuting attorney. He is the accuser of the brethren. On the flip side, Jesus takes on a similar role in that He testifies that the world's deeds are evil.

30 So they were seeking to seize Him; ayet no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

After Jesus showed the Jews to be hypocrites for their misunderstanding of the Sabbath, they tried to kill Him, but it was not permitted until the appointment time.

46 The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken like this!” 47The Pharisees then answered them, “Have you also been led astray? 48Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him?

The people believe in Jesus and so do the officers sent by the Pharisees to arrest Him. The Pharisees appeal to their own authority, that none of them believe in Jesus. Right after this, Nicodemus, a chief Pharisee, makes a defense for Christ, that the Pharisees were not persecuting Him according to the Law's standard, so they rebuke him as well.

 

[Wutang]

I must say that the whole topic of being judged and having judgment pass you by has often confused me over the years. I can never really get a clear understanding of who does, and who doesn’t stand before the throne of God and has to give an account of himself? I know we aren’t judged for our “good works”, however the bible says we will be rewarded for them? As a believing Christian, do we completely bypass judgment and only those that are headed for hell (non believers), stand before God or Jesus before the gavel falls?

I heard something from a pastor recently about how while salvation isn't earned you do receive rewards in the form of "crowns" as a reward which is something that is given to you on top of salvation. Rewards and being saved are two different things so getting rewards doesn't violate the idea of salvation being a free gift that is unearned. Is there any other commentary on this from reputable theological sources?

 

[GodfatherPartTwo]

I heard something from a pastor recently about how while salvation isn't earned you do receive rewards in the form of "crowns" as a reward which is something that is given to you on top of salvation. Rewards and being saved are two different things so getting rewards doesn't violate the idea of salvation being a free gift that is unearned. Is there any other commentary on this from reputable theological sources?

You already see this in John when Jesus says those who did the good deeds will enter into a resurrection of life. Justification is indeed by faith alone. But we work in Sanctification and earn rewards in that. The locus classicus text for this would be 1 Corinthians 3: Each man's work will be tested by fire. Paul isn't talking about Hell, and he certainly isn't talking about Purgatory, but he is saying that whatever work each man does for the Church will be tested by fire and that which is pure will remain as a reward to him.

Maybe a useful analogy is that God bought the ticket and took you to His resort. Now that you are at His resort, there are voucher programs there for you to get the most out that resort.

I do not expect my reward in Heaven to even begin to compare to the reward that such men as the Apostles and Prophets received. Yet I do expect that I will be perfectly content to have been brought in regardless.

 

[Samseau]

There is debate over Jesus's siblings. The Scripture not only says that He had brothers but Matthew refers to His sisters as well. The question is if these are half-siblings or something else. There was a spurious text that influenced the early church known as the Protoevangelium of James, written a century after the Gospels. It says that Mary was aiparthenos, ever-virgin. The ascetics favored this and had various explanations for Jesus's brothers. They would say they were His cousins or His step-brothers. I am not convinced of this and rather take the New Testament at face value, that the Lord did indeed have siblings by blood.

Mary was a temple virgin who with elderly parents needed to be married to someone who would respect her as a temple virgin. All women needed to be married or else they had no property rights or any way to support themselves. So she was married to Joseph, who was much older than her, most likely a widow himself with many children from a previous marriage.

We can infer most of this from the Bible because Joseph disappears from the Gospel after Jesus grows up. This implies Joseph has already passed away. This can be confusing but it's understandable if one knows the laws and customs of the time. Some women lived monastic lives, and they were called temple virgins. These virgins still needed a way to support themselves, so marrying to them an older man who would respect their virginity was probably the most common and ideal solution.

Most of what we know about Mary comes from tradition through John, who was given care of Mary at the cross ("Behold, your mother!")

What was written down wasn't included in the gospel but it was still passed down through writings and oral teachings until it was put together in a more comprehensive format. The Gospels themselves state they cannot even begin to list all of the incredible details and miracles of Christ's life. What we see in the gospels is but a snap spot and cannot be understood to be complete.

 

[GodfatherPartTwo]

John 8

John 8 contains the Pericope Adulterae, the woman caught in adultery. It and the longer ending(s) of Mark are the two largest textual variants in the New Testament. This one is especially problematic because of how late into the manuscript tradition it takes to show up, though it does have patristic commentary on it that's older than it's oldest manuscript. Another problem is that it shows up in some manuscripts of Luke. These are evidences that it was not part of the original text. Newer Bible translations will place it in brackets to inform the reader. Most pastors will make a personal choice to preach from it or not. Personally, I refrain from the bracketed texts. The narrative of John even flows better without it. The Pharisees that Jesus begins talking to in John 8:12 are the same Pharisees that John was just talking about at the end of John 7.

18 I am He who bears witness about Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness about Me.”

One of the divine claims of Jesus. Jesus has many 'I Am' sayings in John. In this one, Jesus is self-attesting. The Jews understood that only God could be self-attesting as men needed witnesses for their claims according to the Law. But even though Jesus's self-attesting authority is sufficient, He also has the attestation of the Father.

23 And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. 24Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

Another claim to divinity by Jesus. The 'I Am' saying, in the Greek, more immediately refers to Isaiah than it does Exodus, which is what most people think of when they hear it.

Isaiah 43:10 So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no god formed, And there will be none after Me. 11 I, even I, am Yahweh, And there is no savior besides Me.

28 So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing from Myself, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. 29And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

Some have said that John cannot be properly understood without seeing how John relies on Isaiah. I think this is correct. Jesus does claim to be God, in no uncertain terms to anyone familiar with the Old Testament. Jesus is the good Son, He always does the things that please the Father. I wish that were true of us.

 

[GodfatherPartTwo]

John 8

31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly My disciples; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s seed and have never yet been enslaved to anyone. How is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

In John, there is a distinction between past tense 'believed' and present tense 'believing' to separate false faith from true faith. These Jews had believed until Christ told them that they were slaves of sin and not free. The Jews tell on themselves when they say they have never been enslaved. Part of the Passover ritual was designed to appropriate their former slavery in Egypt to themselves. God prophesied to Abraham that his seed would be enslaved in Egypt. Not only this, but they were under occupation by Rome. Their statement would be like an American saying "we have never fought for our freedom." It's a denial and a dull misunderstanding of their cultural identity and heritage.

39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, you would do the deeds of Abraham. 40But now you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do.

The Jews seek to kill Christ and Abraham did not do this. What did Abraham do instead? Remember in Genesis that when God visited Abraham, Abraham welcomed Him as a most honored guest. He believed in Him and worshiped Him. Whoever treats Christ as Abraham treated Him is a true son of Abraham, that is by faith. Whoever persecutes Christ and seeks to kill Him and His disciples is a son of Satan.

43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

Lest we think that only Jews are the sons of Satan, remember that Paul says that we too were children of wrath, following the prince of the power of the air. No one can hear God unless he has been born of God and those who are born of God have been set free indeed. There is no neutral ground between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. If we are not for Christ then we are against Him.

51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death—ever.” 52The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death—ever.’ 53Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?”

The non-believers are so satanic that the Son of God appears to them as demonic. They live in the upside down world of the devil. They do not proclaim eternal life for the prophets, but say they died. They do not believe in the Son, God, the resurrection, any of it.

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

Abraham saw Jesus's day, I believe, when God visited Abraham. Jesus claims divine pre-existence; before Abraham became, I Am, to which the Jews pick up stones to stone Him. Liberal scholars today may not understand that Jesus was claiming divinity, but the Jews who tried to stone Him certainly did.

 

[Gazza]

John 8

John 8 contains the Pericope Adulterae, the woman caught in adultery. It and the longer ending(s) of Mark are the two largest textual variants in the New Testament. This one is especially problematic because of how late into the manuscript tradition it takes to show up, though it does have patristic commentary on it that's older than it's oldest manuscript. Another problem is that it shows up in some manuscripts of Luke. These are evidences that it was not part of the original text. Newer Bible translations will place it in brackets to inform the reader. Most pastors will make a personal choice to preach from it or not. Personally, I refrain from the bracketed texts. The narrative of John even flows better without it. The Pharisees that Jesus begins talking to in John 8:12 are the same Pharisees that John was just talking about at the end of John 7.


One of the divine claims of Jesus. Jesus has many 'I Am' sayings in John. In this one, Jesus is self-attesting. The Jews understood that only God could be self-attesting as men needed witnesses for their claims according to the Law. But even though Jesus's self-attesting authority is sufficient, He also has the attestation of the Father.


Another claim to divinity by Jesus. The 'I Am' saying, in the Greek, more immediately refers to Isaiah than it does Exodus, which is what most people think of when they hear it.


Some have said that John cannot be properly understood without seeing how John relies on Isaiah. I think this is correct. Jesus does claim to be God, in no uncertain terms to anyone familiar with the Old Testament. Jesus is the good Son, He always does the things that please the Father. I wish that were true of us.

 

[Gazza]

I often wonder what percentage of modern day jews will actually ever come to a saving faith through Christ our Lord? So many parts of scripture that make me think that it can’t be too many (“you are of your father the devil”, “let His blood be upon us and our children”. I mean, where’s the revival? Has there ever been one? Are we going to get one? I see nothing but wickedness in them.

 

[GodfatherPartTwo]

John 9

39And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” 40Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “Are we blind too?” 41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Jesus heals a blind man. The Pharisees rebuke the blind man but he puts his faith in Christ. We again see two realities: Mercy and Judgement. The ones who do not see may come to believe, grace for them. The ones who see will be blinded, wrath for them. This is judicial hardening. As Paul says in Romans, a partial hardening has come over Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has been brought in. Do not be wise in your own estimation, it's due to the will of God.