3-11-12 Study Notes

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2:13-14 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. [14] In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.

  • Money changing was a common practice in the temple area because a certain special coinage was accepted by the priests for offering, and because of this, people who were coming from all over the area exchanged their coinage for this pure silver (more highly refined) coinage.
  • By the word “temple” here we understand that this area to be the “outer court”, otherwise known as “the court of the Gentiles.”
  • Some say that the reason for the exchange of coinage was because the priests wouldn’t accept coinage with Cesar’s image on it (because it would have been a pagan or idol image), but this is refuted aptly by Morris who says that the coinage they did accept had pagan markings on it as well.  The money exchangers would sometimes charge up to 12% commission on the exchange.
  • It is perfectly fine to have this convenience of money exchange and the selling of animals for sacrifice.  After all, it would be most difficult for travelers coming from foreign lands to bring their spotless animal to the temple.  But this is not what Jesus is objecting to.  He is not focused on what they are doing as much as where they are doing it.

2:15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.

  • It says that He made a “whip of cords”, which would have taken some premeditation on His part.  It could have taken at least an hour to make something like this.
  • Also He didn’t actually whip anyone – at least it is not recorded in the text that He whipped anyone.  Sproul notes, quite astutely, that, “the purpose of the whip was to drive the animals out of the temple complex” not to actually whip the people who were in the temple.  MacArthur agrees and adds, “Jesus was neither cruel to the animals (those who object to His mild use of force on them have never herded animals), nor overly harsh with the men.”
  • There has been a significant scholarly debate about the timing of when Jesus did this temple cleansing.  All of the synoptic gospels tell the story of Jesus cleaning the temple around the Passover time just before He was crucified.  Here John seems to very clearly indicate (by use of chronological language) that this temple cleansing occurred shortly after His ministry began.  Because of this, Morris, MacArthur, Sproul and others lay out a solid argument for there having been two times where Jesus cleansed the temple.
  • The differences between the record of this second cleansing and the one mentioned here in John are significant.  Beyond the significant difference of when the incidents are mentioned time-wise (the synopitics place this during the passion week, John places it at the beginning of Christ’s ministry), there are other particulars that don’t fit together to form only one event.

2:16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”

  • Here we see specifically the text that indicates that is the location or the selling that is the issue and not the selling itself.  Jesus is not declaring Himself to be against the sacrificial system here, nor is He railing against capitalism as some have supposed.  Jesus is bringing honor to God by reminding these men that God’s temple is a holy place.
  • I wonder if we treat our bodies, which are the temple of the living God, with as much zeal and respect…

2:17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

  • Sproul notes that, “Seeing Jesus cleanse the temple, His disciples connected His zeal to the zeal David had expressed.”  Jesus had this in common with His forefather, and David’s zeal and expression of love for God was a foreshadowing of Christ’s greater zeal.
  • David might not have had in mind the coming Messiah in Ps. 69, but the same Spirit who inspired David to write what he did also caused the disciples to see what they did in this Psalm, and that it was a foreshadowing of the greater zeal by a greater Son of David.
  • Not only was David’s zeal a pre-figuring of the zeal of Christ, but MacArthur notes that Christ’s zeal here was a pre-figuring of the zeal with which He will return at His second advent (Zech. 14:20-21).

2:18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”

  • They didn’t arrest Him, but simply demanded to see a miracle or sign of some kind to show that He was a legitimate prophet.  But, as MacArthur notes as well, the cleansing of the temple should have been sign enough!

2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

  • The response He gives is indeed a sign, though it is not the one they expected, nor did they understand what He meant.  For the sign He mentioned was the ultimate sign, the sign of the resurrection. The sign that would indicate that He was the Christ and had all authority in heaven and on earth to carry out His will and plan for mankind.

2:20-21 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”

  • At this point in time the Temple building wasn’t even done.
  • The temple that stood in Jesus’ day was the one built after the Jews returned from the Babylonian Captivity.
  • About 20 years before Jesus was born, Herod had begun a massive renovation project that was finally completed only a few years before the Romans destroyed it in 70 A.D.

2:21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.

John doesn’t leave us hanging, but explains to us what Christ had meant.  Certainly at the time of these words John could not have known what Jesus was talking about.  But now having several years past since these events, John is able to shed greater perspective on what Jesus was meaning.

2:22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

  • Jesus says elsewhere that when He would leave, He would cause them to remember “all things” so that they would be able to tell others accurately about Him (John 16:13).

2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.

  • He stayed in Jerusalem for the whole of the Feast and that He was also starting to manifest many signs among the people.

2:24-25 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people [25] and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

  • He knew the depravity of men and that no one needed to prove that to anyone – it seemed as though it was common knowledge that men were/are sinful creatures.  But there’s also a subtle contrast here with the nature of man and the nature of the Son of Man.  No one needed to bear witness about what mankind was like, but bearing witness about Jesus is a theme throughout the book of John.

How do we teach this to our children?  If you were to tell your children on the way home today that you learned about how Jesus was and is the Word of God, what would you say?

EXAMPLE:  Today we learned about how Jesus drove all of the animals and moneychangers out of the Temple in Jerusalem.  He did this because He loved the temple and He loved the worship of God.  When we come to church, we need to be mindful of the fact that we’re entering into a holy place; a place that is special and consecrated (set apart for a special task) for the worship of God.  When we don’t take that seriously, its like us saying that we don’t take God seriously, and don’t care to worship Him in a serious way.  Jesus wasn’t like that though, He loved and revered God and wanted to make sure that others did as well.


3-4-12 Study Notes

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2:1-2 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. [2] Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.

  • This is said to be the final day in the series of the first seven days since Jesus started His ministry.  The “third day” is a reference to the third day since the call of Nathanael and indicates to us that the wedding was taking place on the 7th day of this series of first days of Jesus’ ministry.
  • The wedding was likely on a Wednesday because that was the day normally required by Jewish law/tradition for the weddings of a virgin.

2:3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”

  • To run out of wine was more than just an inconvenience, it was a major embarrassment. As John MacArthur points out, in this culture and at this time in history it was the groom and his family who were responsible for the cost and setup of the wedding celebration, which could last as long as a week.  It would have caused great angst to run out of wine, and reflected poorly on the groom and his family on a day that was supposed to be dedicated to joy.
  • But there was more than just embarrassment at stake here.  For Morris and MacArthur both point to the fact that “it was possible to take legal action in certain circumstances against a man who had failed to provide the appropriate wedding gift.
  • The wedding feast is a picture the great wedding feast we’ll have when the bride of Christ (the church) is presented to her groom (Christ).  On that day there will be no lack of anything, for we will have abundant joy in Christ.  Wine, as we see later, is a symbol of joy in the Bible, and Christ providing them abundant wine is a foreshadowing of the joy He provides His church during their time on earth, and then later at the consummation of His kingdom (Amos 9:13-15).
  • I don’t know exactly what Jesus had in mind here, but His compassion is certainly what shines through in the act itself.  I’m reminded of why He came, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

2:4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

  • It should also be noted that the title “woman” here seems irreverent, but is, in fact, a title of respect.  Boice likens it to “lady.”  MacArthur says the title is equivalent to “ma’am.”
  • What MacArthur sees in this statement is significant, it “signaled a major change in their relationship.”  He said the phrase “was a polite, but not intimate, form of address.”  MacArthur sums up the scene well: “The statement, coupled with Jesus’ addressing Mary as “Woman” instead of “Mother”, politely but firmly informed her that what they had in common in their relationship was no longer to be what it had been while He was growing up in Nazareth.  His public ministry had begun, and earthly relationships would not determine His actions. Mary was to relate to Him no longer as her son, but as her Messiah, the Son of God, and her Savoir.”
  • When He says “My hour”, He is referring to His death and glorification (He uses this throughout the gospels).  I think that MacArthur is correct in saying that, “this supports the possibility that Mary was knowingly asking Jesus to reveal Himself at that time.”
  • Jesus answers not the words of a man, but what is in their heart.  So here Jesus seems to be addressing Mary on the basis of the timeline of His ministry, where she had addressed Him on the matter of the wine, therefore it is logical to conclude that He read her to mean something in her heart that was not in her words.

2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

  • Boice points out that maybe Mary saw Jesus come to the wedding with disciples – at least 5 of them at this point I think.  As I mention above, she might have been thinking ‘This could be it! This could be His time where He is revealed as the Son of God!’
  • Whatever Mary was thinking, she obviously knew that it would be up to God.  So she simply instructed the servants to obey whatever Christ told them to do.  As R.C. Sproul says, “no one ever received better instructions from anybody in al of history than these servants received from the mother of Christ when she told them to follow Jesus’ orders.”

2:6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.

  • These stone water jars were huge, and were used to wash the hands of the guests as a way to purify themselves before the feast.  MacArthur notes that, “they believed that, unlike earthenware pots, they did not become unclean.”  Sproul notes, they used them “for the simple reason that the water contained in these pots would not become contaminated with bits of dirt (unlike the earthenware pots).”
  • This would have been about 180 gallons of fine wine!  That was more than enough.  So it is with the joy (which is what wine symbolizes, Ps. 104:14,15) with which Christ supplies our needs.  He gives us abundant joy and promises never to leave us hungry.  He doesn’t just give our needs though, so often He overflows our cup!

2:7-8 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. [8] And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it.

  • These servants are obedient to exactly what Jesus says, and their obedience marks both Jesus’ personal authority, as well as Mary’s authority as a person involved/tasked with helping with the wedding.
  • The master of the feast would have been like the best man or the emcee.

[9] When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom [10] and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

  • Why did people serve the best first?  Because people would have been too drunk to enjoy the new wine!  But Christ has the best last – I think this is a picture for the fact that heaven will be better than earth, and that it is better and sweeter (more joyful) to be last rather than first.
  • What is interesting to me is how many different things we see metaphorically developing here.  Morris says that “this particular miracle signifies that there is a transforming power associated with Jesus.  He changes the water of Judaism into the wine of Christianity, the water of Christlessness into the wine of the richness and the fullness of eternal life in Christ, the water of the law into the wine of the gospel.”

2:11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

  • Here we see plainly what the goal of the miracle was.  It was to manifest the glory of Jesus – miracles were done for people to believe in Jesus.  This miracle had the result of the disciples believing in Jesus, which leads me to wonder if they were not yet convinced to this point – in fact, sometimes I wonder how long it really takes them to be convinced!  He does so many miracles and yet we see their faith falter.

2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

  • Just imagining the internal family dynamic right now in Jesus’ family blows my mind.  What are the brothers thinking?  What is Mary thinking at this point?  It’s a new day for these men and women, for Jesus has begun His earthly ministry, and from this point forward millions of lives will be changed forever.

 

How do we teach this to our children?  If you were to tell your children on the way home today that you learned about how Jesus was and is the Word of God, what would you say?

EXAMPLE:  Today we learned about how Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding in Galilee.  Jesus provided so much wine, and it was so good, that the wedding guests were overjoyed.  The wine that Jesus made done by a miracle, and it can symbolize the miracle that He does in our hearts at salvation.  Jesus transforms our hearts from bland (and even dirty) water, into rich, delicious wine.  What is wine?  Wine is a rich, strong juice made from grapes that some adults enjoy.  Wine was a staple of most meals during Jesus’ time.  In the Bible, wine symbolizes joy.  So when Jesus provided the wedding guests with so much wine that they had tons left over, it was a picture of how much joy Jesus provides us when we trust upon Him for salvation.    

 

Good Friday Men’s Bible Study

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Join men from Christ Redeemer Church and Dublin Baptist Church as we gather at the home of Matt Parker, 638 Granville Road, Newark, OH 43055 to study God’s Word with the Secret Church Simulcast with Pastor David Platt, author of Radical.  Dinner will be provided starting at 6pm and the Bible Study will continue until 1am.  Please RSVP to Matt at matt@christredeemer.us or PJ at pjwenzel@gmail.com.

 “The Cross and Suffering”

Suffering is a sobering reality in a fallen world. Followers of Christ are not immune to adversity and affliction. On the contrary, there is a real sense in which following Christ means that trials and tribulations are more likely to come our way. As a result, whether walking through sickness, sorrow, pain, or persecution, the questions abound: Why am I suffering? Where is God when I suffer? How can I suffer well? When will my suffering end? How can God be good and allow such evil in the world? How can God be gracious and ordain such suffering in my life? During this Secret Church on Good Friday, we will explore these extremely profound yet deeply personal questions through the lens of Christ’s sufferings on the cross. In the process, we will come to a surprising discovery of how the gospel strengthens, sustains, supports, and ultimately satisfies us in the middle of suffering.

Men’s Bible Study–Secret Church

Bowling this Saturday!

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Hey everyone!  Here are the details for the upcoming bowling party this Saturday.  Please RSVP to PJ at pjwenzel@gmail.com by WEDNESDAY!

When: 4pm-6pm this Saturday the 3rd

Where: Plain City Lanes and Pizza, 325 Jefferson Ave., Plain City, Ohio 43064         

FOOD: All you can eat pizza and pop for the following rates:

  • 6& Under $9.50
  • 7-17 Years $13.00
  • 18 & Older $14.00

DIRECTIONS: Columbus 270 to Dublin

  • Watch for the “Marysville” exit sign
  • Take the Marysville exit – west on RT 33/161. Go 2-3 miles to the Plain City/Post Road exit.
  • Turn left at the bottom of the ramp:
  • RT 161 West 4-5 miles into Plain City.
  • Go thru the first traffic light then go to the
  • second light and turn left.
  • We are on the left hand side on RT 42 (South).

BESIDE THE DER DUTCHMAN RESTAURANT

     

                           

2-26-12 Study Notes

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1:43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”

  • Note the divine imperative here.  He doesn’t ask, He tells Philip to “follow me.”  This reminds me of the efficacious work of the Spirit when He calls us to follow Christ – He lifts the blinds on the windows of our heart and causes us to see Christ for who He is.

1:44-45 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. [45] Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

  • Again we see that Philip and the other disciples are convinced (at least very nearly convinced) that they have found the Messiah.  This connoted both an understanding of the law and the prophets, and an attitude of expectation at Jesus’ arrival.
  • Nathanael is said to be the same person as Bartholomew.  Bartholomew was a surname and Nathanael was a given name.

1:46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

  • Nazareth was not a very important town, but it doesn’t seem that Nathanael’s opinion was necessarily universal.  As Morris says, “It is not a famous city, but we have no reason for thinking it was infamous. We should probably understand Nathanael’s words as the utterance of a man who could not conceive of the Messiah as coming from such an insignificant place.”

1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

  • This is the first of two statements where Jesus seems to show a sort of super-human intellect.  But it is more than intellect of a “super-human” kind.  It is obviously knowledge that only the Divine Being could know.
  • The fact that Jesus used the term “Israelite” is interesting because its not the word used most in this gospel – usually the word “Jew” is used, but Jesus is using the covenant name of the nation and the one closely identified with Jacob – significant because Jacob is the character that best ties in this whole final passage.
  • When Jesus says there is no “guile” or “deceit” in Nathanael, it harkens our minds back to Jacob who was himself a deceiver.  Jesus is basically saying, ‘here is an Israelite in whom there is no Israel!’  He is praising Nathanael for being a straight-forward type of guy.

1:48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

  • This says something of the divine knowledge of Jesus during His time here on earth.  There is an ongoing argument among scholars as to how much Christ knew or could have known in his humanity.  Some ask the question: if he was fully human, how could his human mind have known what The Deity knows?  The question is worth asking, though we may never know the answer.  It is certainly obvious from the Scriptures that Jesus knew a lot – though it is my opinion from reading the Bible throughout the years that He didn’t use His full omnipotence while on earth.  For example, while on earth He said that only the Father knew the date of His second coming.  It is this kind of statement that leads me to think that He laid aside some of His divine omniscience.

1:49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

  • Note the way that Nathanael ties the two concepts of the “Son of God” and the “King of Israel” together.  I like this because it signifies both His deity and His humanity.  It also signifies His authority and kingship.
  • Keep in mind that Nathanael had just been identified as an “Israelite”, and now Nathanael is identifying Jesus as the “King of Israel” – he is submitting to His authority.
  • And by the reaction we read here, he seemed to understand right away that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies.

1:50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”

  • In this verse we’re given a hint from Jesus that the best is yet to come.  This is a fitting statement for the beginning of what would end up being the most exciting and world-altering three years ever lived by a man on earth.  Jesus’ ministry here on earth was a shower of one miracle after another.  Teaching after teaching by Christ flowed forth the divine wisdom with a profundity that forever changed the course of history for humanity.

1:51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

  • This is a clear reference to Jacob’s ladder – which is amazing to see the fulfillment of this from thousands of years prior (Gen. 28:10-17).  According to Jonathan Edwards, the passage serves as an analogy to what Christ fulfilled in bringing to us in Salvation and the Covenant of Grace.
  • The sleep that Jacob takes symbolizes death (spiritual death), and the rock he lays his head upon symbolizes Christ. The ladder is God’s Salvation and the Covenant of Grace, which was ushered in with Christ.  The ladder is the only way to heaven, though men desire to make their own ladders of self-righteousness, which only lead to destruction.  The rungs of the ladder are the ordinances and promises of God – they are strong enough to keep us and hold us as we climb upwards toward heaven.  The ladder, of course, leads to heaven.  It takes us to God who is far above the earthly sin and trouble of this life.
  • As Christians it is our mission each to day to climb the ladder.  Edwards says, “don’t rest is what you’ve attained.”  He also points out that there is great happiness – ultimate happiness – awaiting us at the top of the ladder, and that every man desires to reach that happiness.  Our souls all desire to be happy in God.
  • Lastly, let’s examine this title, “Son of Man.”  As Morris reminds us, “In the gospels it is used by Jesus as His favorite self-designation, occurring in this way over 80 times.
  • The term is derived from Daniel 7:13-14.  So why did Jesus like this title?  Leon Morris gives us four reasons:
  1. “Because it was a rare term and one without nationalistic associations. It would lead to no political complications.”
  2. “Because it had overtones of divinity”
  3. “Because of its societary implications.  The Son of Man implies the redeemed people of God.”
  4. “It had undertones of humanity. He took upon Him our weakness.”
  • Morris concludes, “It was a way of eluding to, and yet veiling his Messiahship, for His concept of the Messiah differed markedly from that commonly held.”

 

How do we teach this to our children?  If you were to tell your children on the way home today that you learned about how Jesus was and is the Word of God, what would you say?

EXAMPLE:  Today we learned about how the first disciples were called.  We also learned about the name that Jesus liked to use for himself (the Son of Man).  The title ‘Son of Man’ indicates that Jesus is divine, and that He’s also human.  The Jews who were listening to Jesus teach would not have thought much about this title (for older children: it was a title disassociated with any preconceived political or society notions) so they wouldn’t have had any incorrect thoughts about who Jesus was or who He was describing Himself to be.  We also learned about how Jacob from the Old Testament saw a ladder reaching all the way to heaven.  On the ladder there were angels going up and down – almost like a stairway.  Jesus said to His disciples that they would see angels walking up and down “on” the Son of Man – on Him!  What Jesus meant by this was that He was the great ladder (or stairway) that connected heaven and earth.  Our only way to get to heaven is by Jesus and His salvation.   

 

 

Getting to Know Jonathan Edwards

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This week we’ll be learning about Jacob’s Ladder, and how Christ fulfilled the dream that Jacob had had hundreds of years before He stepped foot on earth.  The man who probably best described this vision and its full meaning, was Jonathan Edwards.

Most modern Christians have never studied much of what Edwards had to say, or who he was.  So I thought it would be helpful to provide a brief sketch of who this brilliant man was, so that you may more fully appreciate what he has to teach us in our study through the book of John.  To do this, I’m going to post below some excerpts from a few sources, but mostly from John Piper’s short Biography of the man which can be found by clicking here.

Chuck Colson says this about Edwards, “The western church – much of it drifting, enculturated, and infected with cheap grace – desperately needs to hear Edwards’ challenge. . . . It is my belief that the prayers and work of those who love and obey Christ in our world may yet prevail as they keep the message of such a man as Jonathan Edwards.”

Edwards was an 18th Century puritan preacher who is perhaps best known for his sermon “Sinners in the hands of an angry God.” Many of you were probably made to read this sermon in high school – even if you went to a secular school.  Edwards is often demonized as a puritan who was himself angry at sinners, and concentrated most of his preaching powers on scaring people into the kingdom of heaven.  The truth, as is often the case, couldn’t be further from this ill-conceived caricature.

As John Piper says, “Most of us don’t know that he is considered now by secular and evangelical historians alike to be the greatest Protestant thinker America has ever produced. Scarcely has anything more insightful been written on the problem of God’s sovereignty and man’s accountability than his book, The Freedom of the Will.”

In his book, ‘The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards’, Steven Lawson notes that, “All Christian writing is influenced, to one extent or another, by the theological foundations upon which the author stands. Edwards’ writings, including his ‘Resolutions,’ rested squarely upon ‘Reformed theology in its English Puritan form.’ This theological system, which emphasized God’s glory and absolute sovereignty,’ provided a structural framework for Edwards’ thought.’ In short, Edwards was a ‘convinced Calvinist’; he had drunk deeply from the wells of Scripture and had tasted the supreme authority of God to his soul’s satisfaction.”

The influence that Edwards had on America, and the cause of Christ here in the relatively young colonies was profound.  As Piper says, “Does any of us know what an incredible thing it is that this man, who was a small-town pastor for 23 years in a church of 600 people, a missionary to Indians for 7 years, who reared 11 faithful children, who worked without the help of electric light, or word-processors or quick correspondence, or even sufficient paper to write on, who lived only until he was 54, and who died with a library of 300 books – that this man led one of the greatest awakenings of modern times, wrote theological books that have ministered for 200 years and did more for the modern missionary movement than anyone of his generation?”

For current leaders like Piper, Edwards has been a great source of inspiration.  “Alongside the Bible, Edwards became the compass of my theological studies. Not that he has anything like the authority of Scripture, but that he is a master of that Scripture, and a precious friend and teacher”, Piper says.

Piper describes the balance between studying the Bible and practical living as portayed by Edwards:

Edwards did not pursue a passion for God because it was icing on the cake of faith. For him faith was grounded in a sense of God which was more than what reason alone could deliver. He said,

A true sense of the glory of God is that which can never be obtained by speculative [reasoning]; and if men convince themselves by argument that God is holy, that never will give a sense of his amiable and glorious holiness. If they argue that he is very merciful, that will not give a sense of his glorious grace and mercy. It must be a more immediate, sensible discovery that must give the mind a real sense of the excellency and beauty of God. (Works, II, 906)

In other words, it is to no avail merely to believe that God is holy and merciful. For that belief to be of any saving value, we must “sense” God’s holiness and mercy. That is, we must have a true delight in it for what it is in itself. Otherwise the knowledge is no different than what the devils have.

Does this mean that all his study and thinking was in vain? No indeed. Why? Because he says, “The more you have of a rational knowledge of divine things, the more opportunity will there be, when the Spirit shall be breathed into your heart, to see the excellency of these things, and to taste the sweetness of them.” (Works, II, 162, see p.16)

But the goal of all is this spiritual taste, not just knowing God but delighting in him, savoring him, relishing him. And so for all his intellectual might, Edwards was the farthest thing from a cool, detached, neutral, disinterested academician.

As we continue to learn and to study together, I hope you will continue to grow by reading and meditating upon the Word of God, but will also take some time to reflect upon the great lessons we’ve learned from men like Jonathan Edwards.

To ready more about this great Godly man, see below for some resources:

‘The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards’ – Steve Lawson’s short Edwards Biography

‘Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography’ – Biography by Ian Murray

‘The Freedom of the Will’ – Edwards’ most famous book on Election

‘Religious Affections’ – The book that probably most influenced Piper’s view of God and what it means to be joyful in God.

‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ – famous sermon by Edwards on the need for repentance and salvation by Jesus Christ

‘The Spirit of Revival’ – Longish article by RC Sproul on the marks that identified the revival that Edwards lead in the 18th Century.

Learning a Catechism

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Last Sunday morning I mentioned that we have been teaching our children a shortened/adapted version of the WSC (Westminster Shorter Catechism).  I wanted to provide you parents with some reasons why we do this, along with some resources for teaching your children a catechism as well.

The reasons for doing this are simple: everyone needs to learn to think correctly about God through a right understanding of doctrine…even kids!  Catechisms were created to summarize the doctrines of Christianity in small, easy to learn sections. With scriptural proofs and scholarly research behind each “question and answer” segment, the catechism has been the learning tool of millions of Christians (young and old) for hundreds of years.  It’s only been in the last few decades (from what I can tell) that the evangelical church has stopped emphasizing the need for this kind of teaching.  The result has been profound.  Children don’t know what their purpose is for living, what God’s purpose was in creation, what Jesus wants for/from their lives, or why we believe in the core truths of Christianity.

I would strongly urge you to start teaching your children a solid catechism – and start reviewing the answers and questions yourselves!

The fruit of our work in this area usually comes at times when Chloe wonders about her purpose in life or why God made this or that.  A typical conversation sounds like this:

ME: Chloe, isn’t that flower beautiful!

CHLOE: Yes, it sure is!

ME: Who made that flower?

Chloe: God did

ME: That’s right!  Why do you think He made that flower though?

Chloe: For His own glory!

ME: What else did God make?

Chloe: All things!

You get the idea – the catechism helps children know the correct response to questions about life and matches it up with what they are learning in the Bible – it creates a framework from which they can piece together, at a young age, God’s sovereignty and attributes, and learn to give Him glory.

Here are some links to the catechisms that I know to be doctrinally solid – some might be for older children or adults.

Small Children’s Catechism (this is what we use with Chloe – there’s a Young Children’s Catechism as well, but after this one, you might as well just to straight to the WSC)

The Westminster Shorter Catechism (this is what I memorized in high school and is great for young adults on up)

The Heidelberg Catechism (terrific catechism for young adults on up)

Properly Interpreting Scripture

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In class this past Sunday I mentioned a good rule for interpreting Scripture – namely that we should interpret the difficult, less clear passages by the more passages in Scripture that are explicit.  We should always interpret the implicit by the explicit.

I mentioned that this method of interpretation falls under what is called ‘The Analogy of Faith’ which puts forth the idea that all Scripture should be interpreted by Scripture because there are no contradictions in Scripture.  J.I. Packer notes that, “The Word of God is an exceedingly complex unity.”

R.C. Sproul says, “the supreme arbiter in interpreting the meaning of a particular verse in Scripture is the overall teaching of the Bible.” If we come across a word or phrase that seems to contradict what we see plainly tough in other parts of Scripture, then we need to ask ourselves if we’re reading this verse correctly and begin to test our thoughts against what we know is plainly taught in other parts of Scripture.

Lastly, if you are stumped by a passage of Scripture, it is helpful to seek guidance from those who are wiser than you are.  This is why Biblical commentaries are written, and why leaders in the church are supposed to help the layperson clearly understand the scripture.  This was the even the case in the Old Testament (see Nehemiah 8:8).

More resources on correctly interpreting Scripture:

A short article by Sproul explaining some of his methods (START HERE)

R.C Sproul’s series (there is also a book) called ‘Knowing Scripture’ (all levels of maturity)  Here’s a link to the book.

A longer article by J.I. Packer on interpretation (more advanced)

A few good Bible Commentaries for your own personal study are:

Matthew Henry – good for all levels, though the english is older

Crossway’s Individual Bible Commentaries – good for a serious student

Warren Wiersbe Commentary Set – good for beginners

Believer’s Bible Commentary – good for all levels

John MacArthur’s Commentary Set – good for the serious student

Calvin’s Commentary Set – good for the advanced student

2-19-12 Study Notes

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1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

  • The “Lamb of God” designation harkens back to the Old Testament sacrificial system in which a lamb was used as a sin offering for the people (Lev. 5:5-7).  Jesus has come to make propitiation for our sins – He will be our sacrifice.  I also like the passage with Abraham and Isaac where Abraham was going up to Mt. Moriah to sacrifice his son Isaac as a good parallel (Gen. 22:7-8). Mt. Moriah is said to be the location of present day Jerusalem and many have speculated on the possibility of Abraham’s sacrificial site in Gen. 22 as the same place where Christ died.  What an amazing thing to meditate on!
  • In the second part of the passage we see a potential interpretive difficulty in that we read the Jesus is going to take “away the sin of the world.”  This passage isn’t teaching Universalism.  When John says that the Lamb will take “away the sin of the world” he is saying that Christ is humanity’s only savior and that He will not discriminate based on Jew or Gentile.  Every tribe and nation will hear the world of the Lord before the great and awesome day of His second coming.
  • But how can we know that John is talking about the “world” in this way and not teaching universalism?  We learn this through the simple principle of interpretation called the Analogy of Faith.  The Analogy of Faith (analogia fidei) teaches us that all scripture must be interpreted by scripture (NOTE: the term can also have broader theological implications, but here we mean only the most basic of interpretive principles). One principle of this hermeneutic is that we interpret the less clear portions of scripture by the ones that are more clear in order to decipher the proper meaning and rule out incorrect inferences.

1:30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’

  • Even though John the Baptist was born before Jesus, he makes the point that Jesus still existed before he did.

1:31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

  • Two important points are being made here by John.  First, even though there were cousins, John didn’t know that Jesus was going to be the Messiah.  Second, God had specifically sent John to go and baptize in order that people’s hearts would be made ready (as we’ve already spoken about earlier), but also so that Jesus would be revealed as the Messiah.

1:32-33 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. [33] I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

  • It’s significant that God confirmed the ministry of Jesus with a sign and even more significant that He confirmed the ministry with the outpouring of His Spirit upon Jesus.  He did the same thing for the disciples in Acts 2:1-6.  Note how in Acts 2:5-6 we learn that “men from every nation under heaven” were dwelling in Jerusalem and how the disciples had begun to speak in tongues (that is, in the native languages of these different men) in order to declare Christ to them.  This fits perfectly with what was mentioned earlier, that Christ came to save the world.
  • This verse is rich with symbolism.  The dove (Matt. 3:16) is a symbol of peace and reminds us of the peace that Christ brought into the world.  Peace between God and mankind – reconciliation.

1:34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

  • John ends the passage by summing up the identity of Jesus: the Son of God.  We see this same designation throughout the New Testament, and it’s the designation that affirms His deity and His role as Messiah.

1:35-37 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, [36] and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” [37] The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

  • This is the transferring of his disciples to Jesus.  MacArthur notes that it may not be a formal or official transference at this point in time, but it’s the beginning of John pointing them toward Jesus.  

1:38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

  • Note the early designation of Jesus as “Rabbi.”  The disciples immediately took Him for a teacher of the law.

1:39-41 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. [40] One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. [41] He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).

  • In verse 38 they call Him “teacher” but here, as they talk amongst themselves and spread the word about Jesus, they are starting to say in very definite terms, that He is the long awaited Messiah, the Savior they have been waiting for.

1:42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

  • Over the course of most of human history, the name of a person has held varying significance.  In the Biblical era, the name of a person held a great deal of meaning, and when God encountered men in the Old Testament He often changed their names to reflect the new kind of life they were going to have as one of His children.  I think specifically of Abram having his name changed to Abraham.  It’s significant that Christ would often refer to Peter using the old name “Simon” when he had need of rebuke or correction (or when the author was simply identifying a more basic component of Peter’s life – like describing who his mother in law was, or whose home they were staying in etc.).  When Peter acted correctly, Jesus would often refer to him by his new nickname – Peter the “rock.”
  • MacArthur makes the point that “Peter was exactly like most Christians – both carnal and spiritual.  He succumbed to the habits of the flesh sometimes; he functioned in the Spirit other times.”

 

How do we teach this to our children?  If you were to tell your children on the way home today that you learned about how Jesus was and is the Word of God, what would you say?

EXAMPLE:  This morning we learned about how the Bible calls Jesus the ‘Lamb of God’ because Jesus was God’s perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind.  In the Old Testament, a lamb was used as an offering to God to atone for sin.  To “atone” is to make right with someone (in this case God).  When the people of the Old Testament offered up their sacrificial lamb, it had to be a perfect lamb with no blemishes.  That’s why the Bible calls Jesus the Lamb of God, because Jesus lived a perfect life.  He never sinned.  What was the sacrifice that Jesus made? He died on the cross for our sins.  When He did that, He atoned for our sins, which means we were made right with God.  But not everyone was made right with God…who is give this gift?  Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and confess (verbally speaking what you believe in your heart) Him as Lord (leader) of their lives.