Author: michael

John 2:13-25 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.

Here we see that the Passover of the Jews is approaching, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He saw people selling cattle, sheep and doves in the temple courts, and money changers sitting there. At that time, those people selling animals used for the sacrifice and people used the money exchanged to pay for the temple tax. The Lord Jesus entered the temple courts, drove out all the traders in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the stools of the dove sellers, and said, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’ ” The temple of God is a place for prayer, a place where people worship God and listen to God’s word, not a market place. What Jesus did made the disciples remember what the Old Testament said: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (Psalm 69:9), showing zeal for the house. The Jews asked him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. His body is the temple. In order to save the world, the Lord Jesus was crucified and resurrected three days later. After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the church came into existence. The church is the temple of God, the body of Jesus Christ, and Christ is the head of the church.
When Jesus celebrated the Passover in Jerusalem, he performed many miracles to heal the sick. Many people believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, because he is the Son of God, he knows everything, he knows the hearts of all people. The purpose of the miracles of the Lord Jesus was to make people believe in him, turn to him, and be his disciples.
We rarely see the Lord Jesus doing things like cleaning the temple. He was merciful to the tax collectors and sinners, they repented after they came to him and listened to his teachings, and he was severe to the self-righteous Pharisees, who saw many miracles Jesus performed, but still opposed him. Only the Lord has the authority to judge, and we cannot stand in his position to judge others.
May God bless you and your family.

John 2:1-11 2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 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.” ⁴ “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” ⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he 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. 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.” 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.

Here we see that a wedding took place in Cana, Galilee, Jesus’ mother was invited, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the feast. The wedding at that time sometimes lasted for several days. The wine was gone, which was embarrassing to the host. Jesus’ mother was very concerned and told Jesus about it and was expecting him to perform miracles. The Lord Jesus hadn’t planned to perform miracles, but he did it anyway because of her mother’s request. Here we see the importance of prayer and the importance of intercession. Sometimes the Lord did not intend to do it, because of our intercession, He did it. This was the first miracle performed by Jesus, which was to turn water into wine, and his disciples believed in him. The purpose of the miracles of the Lord Jesus is to make people believe in Him.

In the original Greek, the Lord Jesus called his mother Mary “woman”. This is not disrespectful. Let’s look at the following verses:
²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” ²⁷ and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. (John 19:26-27)
Here we see that when the Lord Jesus was on the cross, once again called his mother “woman” , and told his disciple John that Mary was his mother, and he told Mary that John was her son. So Mary is not only the mother of Jesus, but also the mother of Jesus’ disciples.
May God bless you and your family. 😊

John 1:35-51 35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 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. 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). 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). 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 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. 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.” 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.”

Here we see that two of John’s disciples followed Jesus. John the Baptist drew people to the Lord Jesus, not to himself. Two disciples who heard John’s words and followed Jesus, one of them was Simon Peter’s brother Andrew. He told his brother Simon: “We have found the Messiah.” Messiah means Christ, the Anointed one, the one anointed with oil, the one anointed with the Spirit of God, Messiah means the Savior. The Old Testament prophesied the coming of the Messiah. Micah 5:2 prophesied the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem. Matthew 2:23 tells us that the Lord Jesus grew up in Nazareth, Galilee. The Old Testament prophesied that he was called Jesus of Nazareth. The Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but grew up in Nazareth. When Philip went to Nathanael and told him that they have met the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael said, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael said this because the Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah was born in Bethlehem, not in Nazareth. But when the Lord Jesus told Nathanael that before he saw him, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” He believed, because he knew that the Lord Jesus knew everything. Jesus said to him: “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 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.” The Son of Man here is the Lord Jesus, who is both the Son of God and the Son of Man. As mentioned earlier, he was with God from the beginning, and he is both God and man. Then what does it mean when the Lord Jesus said “you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.” Let’s look at the following verses:
12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway Read more

John 1:29-34 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! 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.” 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.’ ³⁴ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

Here John the Baptist says that the Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. In the Old Testament, if someone sinned, they had to offer animals sacrifice such as lambs or other animals as a sin offering so that their sins would be forgiven. In the New Testament, animals sacrifice is no longer required as a sin offering. In order to save the world, God sent his only son, Jesus Christ, into the world, he was crucified on the cross. As the lamb of God, he became the sin offering for the world. He is sinless and became the sin offering for the world in order to save the world, which showed the great love of God. The name Jesus means God saves, that is, he will save his people from their sins. Here again John the Baptist talked about Jesus was before him, that is, Jesus was with God in the beginning. John testified again that he saw the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending from heaven, remain on Jesus. God sent John to baptize people with water, and God said to him, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’  John saw it with his own eyes, it proved that Jesus was the Son of God. Here we see once again that God is the Trinity, namely Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father told John that the Holy Spirit would descend like a dove on the Son, Jesus, the Son of God, and Jesus would baptize people with the Holy Spirit.

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.(Acts 2:38)
Here Jesus’ disciple apostle Peter wanted people to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ so that their sins would be forgiven. And they should receive the Holy Spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit will indwell on them, live in them, and live in their hearts. When a person is baptized and born again and be saved, he is waking on the path to heaven and to eternal life.
May God bless you and your family. 😊

John 1:15-28 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.’”) 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. 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.” ²¹ They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 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?” 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.’” 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.” ²⁸ This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John the Baptist was a prophet sent by God. He was the forerunner of Jesus Christ, preparing the way for the coming of Jesus. He said “He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.” Last time we saw that Jesus was with God in the beginning, so he was before John the Baptist. The Lord Jesus also said:before Abraham was born, I am.  He was also saying that he was with God in the beginning. John the Baptist went on to say that the laws of the Old Testament were given through the prophet Moses, while the grace and truth of the New Testament were from Jesus Christ. Both John the Baptist and Jesus’ disciple John testified that Jesus Christ is full of grace and truth. No one has ever seen God. Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of the Father, has revealed the Father. Jesus also said that when people see him, they see the Father, The Son Jesus revealed the Father.
When someone asked John the Baptist who he was, he said that he was not the Christ, nor the Old Testament prophet Elijah, nor the Prophet. Who is the Prophet?  In the Old Testament it was prophesied that the Prophet would come, the Prophet is Jesus. Isaiah in the Old Testament prophesied the coming of John the Baptist. John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord Jesus, and John the Baptist baptized with water, asking people to repent so that their sins would be forgiven. This is also the message that the Lord Jesus wants his disciples to preach, that is, the repentance and forgiveness of sins. When a person confesses his sins and repents, God will forgive his sins. John the Baptist testified that Jesus who came after him, the straps of whose sandals he was not worthy to untie. The Lord Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. When people believe in the Lord and be baptized. They are baptized with the Holy Spirit, they receive the Holy Spirit, and be born again and be saved.
May God bless you and your family. 😊

John 1:1-14 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. 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. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it 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. 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. 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. 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.

We are going to study Gospel John. Gospel John was written by Jesus’ close disciple John inspired by the Holy Spirit. The first verse says: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Who does the Word here refer to? From the context, we know that the Word here refers to Jesus. Jesus was with God in the beginning. He is God. In the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, that is, Jesus is the Son, or the Son of God. John continued to say that: All things were created through Jesus. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind, He is the life, the source of life. Jesus became flesh. He is the light of the world. When the light came to the world, the world did not recognize him, and people did not receive him. Those who receive him and believe in his name receive the Holy Spirit, are born again from the Holy Spirit and are saved, and become the children of God. When the Lord Jesus came to the world, his disciples John and others saw his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. He was full of God’s love and mercy. He is the truth, the incarnation of the truth, he is the Word, the Word of God, the incarnation of the Word of God.
May God bless you and your family. 😊