John tells the Good News about Jesus

An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Gospel of John

www.easyenglish.info

Marion Adams

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Words in boxes are from the Bible.

A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.

The author

Most people agree that John, Jesus’ *disciple, wrote the 4th *Gospel.

John’s father was called Zebedee. And John had a brother called James, who became also one of Jesus’ *disciples (Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:19-20; Luke 5:10). The family fished on Lake *Galilee. Zebedee owned a boat. He employed men to help with his business.

Jesus called John and James: the ‘sons of thunder’. Thunder is the loud noise that we hear during a storm. Perhaps he gave them this name because they became angry quickly. For example, they wanted God to destroy a village in *Samaria. This was because the people there had not wanted Jesus to enter the village (Luke 9:52-56).

Simon Peter, who was their partner in the business, became also a *disciple of Jesus (Luke 5:1-11). Simon Peter, James and John were Jesus’ special friends. They were the only *disciples with Jesus when he raised Jairus’ daughter from death (Mark 5:37). On another occasion, Jesus took Simon Peter, James and John up a mountain. There, they saw him as he talked with Moses and Elijah. They heard God’s voice. God said that Jesus was his Son. And they must listen to Jesus (Mark 9:2-12). And on the night before Jesus died, John and Simon Peter made the arrangements for the *Passover meal (Luke 22:8).

So John knew Jesus very well.

John did not refer to himself by his name in his *Gospel. However, there are many references to ‘the *disciple whom Jesus loved’. John did not mention this *disciple’s name. Many people think that this *disciple was John.

Some people think that John himself did not write the 4th *Gospel. They suggest that another person recorded John’s memories about Jesus. Most people agree that the author wrote this *Gospel about AD 85-90 but not later than AD 100. (‘AD’ refers to the years after Jesus was born. It is now AD 2006, although we do not write AD.) So AD 100 was 100 years after Jesus’ birth. John was a very old man then. It is possible that he dictated his *Gospel to another person. This was usual in the first century AD. Paul dictated some of his letters to his *churches. Someone else wrote the words for him.

Perhaps John wrote the words of his *Gospel himself. Or perhaps someone else recorded the stories that he told. It does not matter. We know that the 4th *Gospel contains John’s memories and ideas about Jesus.

The purpose of John’s *Gospel

John wanted his readers to believe ‘that Jesus is the *Messiah, God’s Son’ (John 20:31). That is why he wrote his *Gospel.

Matthew, Mark and Luke recorded many *miracles in their *Gospels. But John chose to record only 7 *miracles. He called them ‘*signs’. A *sign is something that gives evidence. The *miracles gave evidence that Jesus is God’s Son.

John also emphasised that Jesus was human. John recorded that Jesus was tired (John 4:6). John also recorded that Jesus needed food (John 4:31). Jesus was very sad when his friend Lazarus died. At that time, Jesus cried (John 11:35). On another occasion, Jesus became angry with the people who did business in the *Temple (John 2:15). And John also recorded that Jesus was *thirsty (John 19:28).

Jesus was not half human and half God. He was completely human and completely God, too.

Many people agree that John emphasised this for a particular reason. In the early *church, some people were teaching false beliefs about Jesus.

One group taught that Jesus was not really God. They said that he was just a man. They believed that the *Holy Spirit entered him at his *baptism. But before he died, the *Holy Spirit left him. Another group taught that Jesus was not really a man. They said that he did not have a physical body. They believed that he was a spirit. And they believed that he only seemed to be human. Both these groups were wrong!

John and the other *disciples had lived with Jesus for about three years. John knew that Jesus was a real man. Also John had seen the *miracles that Jesus did. John watched Jesus die on a *cross. And John had also seen Jesus after he (Jesus) had become alive again. John knew that Jesus had defeated death. And John had seen Jesus rise up to heaven.

So John knew that Jesus was a real man. But Jesus was and is also God’s Son. John wrote his *Gospel to prove this.

John and the other *Gospels

In many ways, John’s *Gospel is different from the other three *Gospels. John did not include any stories about Jesus’ birth or his *baptism. John only recorded 7 *miracles, which he called ‘*signs’. John did not include any parables (stories which Jesus told to teach something about God). But John recorded many long speeches that Jesus made.

The writer Eusebius (about AD 260-339) believed that John knew about the other three *Gospels. But when he read them, John had not yet written his *Gospel. He was still just talking to people about his life with Jesus. John agreed that the other *Gospels were true accounts.

But Jesus was already *preaching before King Herod put John the *Baptist in prison. The other *Gospels did not include an account of this. They recorded much about what Jesus did in *Galilee. Also, they recorded what Jesus did in *Jerusalem just before his death. But Jesus went to *Jerusalem at other times, too. So John provided the facts that were missing from the other *Gospels. He used information that they did not have. John’s account did not disagree with the other *Gospels. It added different information, so that we can understand more about Jesus.

The second century writer, Clement, from Alexandria, called John’s *Gospel a ‘*spiritual *Gospel’. In some ways, he was right. John did not record just facts about Jesus. John had thought much about what Jesus had said. And John had thought much about the *miracles that he had seen. He wanted to explain the *spiritual meaning of Jesus’ words and acts.

But John also included many physical details. For example, the loaves that Jesus used to feed 5000 people were ‘*barley loaves’ (John 6:9). He recorded the distance that the *disciples had travelled across the lake (John 6:19). And he remembered how the smell of the *perfume filled the house at Bethany (John 11:32). These details do not seem important. But they are memories of a person who was present at these events. So John’s *Gospel is not just a *spiritual book. It is the personal account of someone who had seen these events.

The Text

John Chapter 1

Jesus – the *Word who has always existed 1:1-5

Verses 1-2 The *Word here means Jesus. Jesus has always existed. He existed before he was born to Mary (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38 & 2:1-7). Before he lived on the earth, he was with God. He was God.

Jesus was with God the *Father, even when God created the world. And Jesus himself is God the Son. But there are not two Gods. There is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). This might seem difficult to understand. But Jesus himself said, ‘I and the *Father are One (one God)’ (John 10:30).

Verses 3-4 God created everything by means of the *Word. To create means ‘to think of something and then to make it’. This means that Jesus caused everything to exist. He gave *life to everything that God created. The word ‘*life’ is very important in John’s *Gospel. He used this word more than 35 times. In John’s *Gospel, ‘*life’ does not mean the period between birth and death. It does not mean just to have a physical body that is alive. It means that our spirits become alive too.

*Life is the opposite of death. When we *believe in Jesus as our *Saviour and our *Lord, he gives us *eternal life. Jesus lives in us now by means of the *Holy Spirit. When we die, we will not separate from him. We have *eternal life. This means that we will live with him in heaven.

But we must understand what it means to *believe in Jesus as our *Saviour and our *Lord.

1.         We must believe that Jesus is God’s Son.

2.         We must obey him.

3.         We must believe that he died on our behalf. All of us deserve a punishment because of our *sins. But Jesus had this punishment instead of us.

4.         We must confess our *sins to God.

When we believe all of this, we have his *eternal life in us.

‘Light’ is another important word in John’s *Gospel. He used it 21 times. Jesus called himself ‘the *light for the world’ twice (John 8:12; 9:5).

We need light to see our physical surroundings. Light shows us what things are really like. But John was not writing about the physical light that comes from the sun. He was writing about *spiritual *light. This *spiritual *light shows what we are really like. We have all done wrong things. But Jesus, who is the *light, shows us how to live. We need to follow the *light. This means that we must let Jesus guide us.

Verse 5 In John’s *Gospel, darkness means everything that is evil. *Sin is like darkness. It is *spiritual darkness. It is the opposite of God’s *light, who is Jesus.

‘The darkness has never understood the *light.’ People who do not *believe in Jesus do not understand his words. They do not recognise that he is God’s Son. They cannot understand what he offers to us all. They cannot understand why they should obey him. But in order to understand about Jesus, a person must first *believe in him!

‘And the darkness has never made the *light disappear.’ There have always been evil people in the world. But nobody has been able to destroy Jesus. People *crucified him. But he became alive again. When the *disciples told this good news about Jesus, people put them in prison. But the good news spread across the world. Even today, people hurt and kill *Christians. Such people want to destroy the *church. But the *church continues to grow. More and more people are hearing the good news about Jesus. The *light of Jesus continues to shine in the darkness. The darkness will never defeat it.

John the *Baptist tells people about the *Light 1:6-10

Verses 6-7 John the *Baptist was a *prophet. A *prophet is a person who speaks God’s messages to people. Luke included the account of John the *Baptist’s birth in his *Gospel (Luke 1:5-25, 57-66).

John the *Baptist lived in the desert. Crowds came to hear him speak. John the *Baptist told them that the *Messiah was coming. He told them how to prepare for this event. They had to be sorry about their *sins. Then, he *baptised them in the river called Jordan. This showed that they wanted to be *clean in their *hearts. This meant that they did not want to do bad things again.

Verse 8 John the *Baptist was not God’s *light. He was not the *Messiah. In his *Gospel, John emphasised this. Like all teachers at that time, John the *Baptist had his own *disciples (John 1:35). Perhaps some of these *disciples were saying that John the *Baptist was as important as Jesus. So, in his *Gospel, John wanted to emphasise that John the *Baptist was not as important as Jesus. God sent John the *Baptist to show people who Jesus was.

John the *Baptist was not the *light. But we can say that he reflected the *light. This was because he told people about Jesus. We can reflect God’s *light, too, when we tell people about Jesus.

Verse 9 Only Jesus can show us how to live. Only Jesus can guide us. So he is the genuine, perfect *light for all people.

Verse 10 The *Word has been in the world since the beginning. The *Word caused everything to exist. It is clear that God has made the earth. He continues to look after it. We can see this in the variety of plants and animals. We can see this in the beauty of nature. It is also clear that God made us. We are able to think and to reason. We can appreciate music and art. We have a conscience. None of this happened by chance. But still some people do not recognise that God is in the world. Even when God came into the world as a man, people did not recognise him. And even today, many people do not realise who Jesus is.

The *Word becomes a man 1:11-18

Verses 11-14 The *Word, who has always existed, entered the world at a particular point in time. He came to *Israel, the nation that God had chosen to be his special people. The *Jews knew all the *prophecies about the *Messiah. These *prophecies were in their *scriptures, which is the *Old Testament. The *Jews expected the *Messiah to come. They were waiting for him. But when he came, most of them *rejected him. They did not recognise him as the *Messiah. But some of them realised who Jesus was. They *believed in him. Like these people, when we trust Jesus, our spirits are born again. Then we become God’s children.

It does not matter where we are born. It does not matter where we live. God wants people from everywhere in the world to become his children. It does not matter how old or how young we are. Anyone who trusts Jesus can be born again (verse 12). When we *believe in Jesus, we join God’s family. We become new people in our hearts, our minds and our spirits. We will want to obey God. We will be calm in our minds and our hearts, even when bad things happen. We will know that God loves us. We will know that he is very close to us always.

‘We saw his *glory (verse 14).’ John and the *disciples had lived with Jesus during his time on earth. They had seen him do wonderful things by God’s power. They had seen God’s qualities in him. The *Greek word ‘saw’ means ‘to look carefully in order to understand something’. John was not writing about an idea or a dream. He had actually seen God in the form of a man.

‘It was the *glory of the *Father’s only Son (verse 14).’ All *Christians are God’s children. But there is only one person who has always been God’s Son. Jesus has a special relationship with his *Father.

Jesus was human, like us. But he had always existed, although not as a human person. He had been with God the *Father in heaven, before he was born. He showed us the truth about God. He showed us how much God loves us. God is kind to us, even when we do not deserve it.

Verse 15 John the *Baptist had told the people that the *Messiah was coming. When he saw Jesus, he recognised him as the *Messiah. John the *Baptist emphasised that Jesus was much more important than himself. Although Jesus was a man, he had always existed. John the *Baptist realised this.

Verses 16-17 When we trust Jesus, we will receive many *blessings. We cannot earn these *blessings. We do not deserve them. They are God’s free gifts to us.

God gave the *Law to Moses so that the people knew how to behave. The *Law emphasised God’s perfect moral standards. Nobody could obey all of the *Law’s rules. It was too difficult. However, Jesus emphasised that God wanted to forgive us. When we trust Jesus, God will forgive us.

Jesus did not come to replace the *Law. He came to make it complete. Before he came, people followed a set of rules. But we follow a person, Jesus. We have a relationship with him. He guides us to do the right things. He shows us how to please God. And also he gives us the power to obey God. This is because he lives in us by means of his *Holy Spirit.

Verse 18 God had spoken by means of Moses and the *prophets. But nobody had ever seen God. People knew only partly what God was like. However, by means of his Son, God had come down to earth.

John the *Baptist tells people about Jesus 1:19-28

Verse 19 John the *Baptist was an unusual man. He lived in the desert. He wore clothes that he had made from camels’ hair. He ate strange food (Matthew 3:4). His father Zechariah was a priest. Before John was born, an *angel had appeared to Zechariah. *Angels are God’s servants. They live with him in heaven. They bring messages to people from God. This *angel had told Zechariah that he would have a son. This son would do special work for God. He would have the *Holy Spirit in him from the time that he was born.

John the *Baptist was not a political leader. But he was a powerful man, because many people listened to his message. He told them to *repent and to receive *baptism. They saw that God had given authority to him. Therefore, they obeyed him. The people recognised that he spoke God’s instructions to them.

So when the *Jewish leaders heard about John the *Baptist, they sent some priests to him. These priests were very important, and they came with their helpers. The priests worked in the *Temple in *Jerusalem. The *Temple was the important place where the *Jews came to *worship God. The priests made *sacrifices and offered gifts to God on the people’s behalf. The priests had a very important job, so the people respected them.

Probably, the priests came to see John the *Baptist for several reasons. They were the leaders of the *Jewish religion. So perhaps they wanted to know if John the *Baptist was teaching wrong beliefs. They needed to know if he was a genuine *prophet. Also, perhaps they were jealous because John the *Baptist was popular with the people.

Verse 20 The *Jews were eager for the *Messiah to come. Most *Jews expected him to be a great military leader. They expected him to lead *Israel’s armies and to defeat all their enemies. Sometimes, men would pretend to be the *Messiah. They would persuade men to join them and to fight against the *Roman rulers. But the *Roman rulers always overcame them and punished them.

John was a very popular man who had God’s authority. So it was natural to think that he might be the *Messiah. But immediately, John said that he was not the *Messiah.

Verses 21-22 Elijah was a great *prophet. We can read about him in 1 and 2 Kings in the *Old Testament. Elijah had not died naturally. God had taken him up to heaven in a strong wind (2 Kings 2:11). The *Jews believed that Elijah would return. Then he would tell people that the *Messiah was coming soon. This was John the *Baptist’s message. But John the *Baptist told them that he was not Elijah.

God had promised to send another *prophet to the *Jews. This *prophet would be even greater than Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). This would be the greatest of all *prophets. The *Jews referred to this person just as ‘the *Prophet’.

Verse 23 The priests wanted to know who John the *Baptist was. But instead, John the *Baptist emphasised why he had come. He spoke a *prophecy from the Book of Isaiah (40:3). John the *Baptist called himself merely ‘someone who shouts in the desert’. He wanted people to concentrate on his message, not on himself. He wanted them to think about the *Messiah, not about John the *Baptist.

Verses 24-25 The *Pharisees were a group of *Jews who were experts on the *Law. They believed that people had to obey every part of the *Law. The most important *Jewish teachers had added many new rules to the *Law. This was so that people had rules for every situation. The *Pharisees said that these new rules were just as important as God’s rules in the *Law.

If a person wanted to become a *Pharisee, he had to make a special promise in front of three witnesses. He had to promise to obey the *Law. And he also had to promise to obey all the extra rules, in addition to the rules that God had made.

However, many *Pharisees became proud. They thought that they were better than other people. Both Jesus and John the *Baptist argued with them. This was because the *Pharisees obeyed the *Law for the wrong reasons. They wanted to impress other people. And the *Pharisees wanted people to think that they (the *Pharisees) were clever and important. They wanted people to think that they were very good. But they did not really care about God or about other people.

They wanted to know why John the *Baptist was *baptising *Jews.

Verse 26 John the *Baptist used water to *baptise people after they had *repented. They washed their bodies to show that they wanted to be *clean inside their hearts and minds. This did not mean that God had forgiven their *sins.

But the person who could forgive their *sins was coming soon. Actually he was among them, in the crowd. But they did not recognise their *Messiah.

Verse 27 Later, Jesus said that John the *Baptist was the greatest of all the *prophets (Luke 7:28). But John the *Baptist said that he was not good enough to be Jesus’ slave! We should be humble like John the *Baptist. Nobody is good enough to be Jesus’ slave. Jesus is God’s Son. We should always remember this when we serve him. We should never be proud. We should not think that we are important. However, Jesus calls us his friends, not his servants! (See John 15:14-15.) This is so wonderful.

Verse 28 John referred to two places called Bethany in his *Gospel. This Bethany was a village near to the river called Jordan. The other Bethany was near to *Jerusalem (John 11:18).

John says that Jesus is God’s Son 1:29-34

Verse 29 When John the *Baptist saw Jesus, he called Jesus ‘God’s *Lamb’. This is a very special name. It helped to explain why Jesus had come to the earth. Probably, John the *Baptist used this name for two main reasons.

Every morning and evening, the priests *sacrificed a *lamb in the *Temple. The *lamb was a *sacrifice for the people’s *sins (Exodus 29:38-42). Their *sins deserved punishment. So the *lamb died on their behalf. But the priests had to offer this *sacrifice twice daily, because people *sin all the time.

However, God provided the perfect *sacrifice: his Son, Jesus. When Jesus died on the *cross, he received the punishment for everybody’s *sins, for all time. People do not need to *sacrifice animals because Jesus was ‘God’s *Lamb’. If we believe this, we can ask God to forgive us. And if we are sincere, God will forgive us.

Also, John the *Baptist was probably thinking about the *Passover. At the *Passover, the people remembered the night that the *Israelites had left the country called Egypt (Exodus 12:11-13). God had told each family to kill a *lamb. Then, he told them to spread the blood on the entrances to their houses. That night, all the Egyptians’ oldest sons had died. (Egyptians were the people who lived in Egypt.) But the *Israelites’ oldest sons had lived. God had seen the *lambs’ blood on their houses, so he protected them. The *lambs’ blood had saved them from death.

In the same way, Jesus’ blood saves us from death. When we *believe in him, we will live in heaven after our death. Also, the blood of Jesus, God’s *Lamb, protects us from bad things. When the devil attacks us, we can have this protection. We need just to pray that the blood of Jesus will protect us.

Verses 30-34 Jesus was John the *Baptist’s relative (Luke 1:36). So John the *Baptist had probably known Jesus since they were children. But at that time, John the *Baptist did not understand that Jesus was the *Messiah. However, after Jesus’ *baptism, John the *Baptist did understand who Jesus really was.

The other *Gospels describe Jesus’ *baptism (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). But John did not record it. Perhaps he knew that people were already familiar with this story. So instead he wanted to emphasise the meaning of Jesus’ *baptism.

Jesus never *sinned. He was always good. So he did not need *baptism to show that he had *repented. But at Jesus’ *baptism, something special happened. John the *Baptist saw the *Holy Spirit come down from heaven. And he realised that Jesus was the *Messiah, God’s Son. The *Holy Spirit was like a white bird. The *Holy Spirit stayed with Jesus.

John the *Baptist said that Jesus would *baptise with the *Holy Spirit. After Jesus had returned to heaven, he sent the *Holy Spirit to the *disciples and other *believers (Acts chapter 2). The *Holy Spirit filled them and he gave them power to tell people the good news about Jesus. Also many other *believers received the *baptism in the *Holy Spirit (for example, Acts 10:44-48).

Jesus *baptises *believers in the *Holy Spirit still. We have only to ask him. When we receive the *Holy Spirit, we will also receive *spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). The *Greek word ‘to *baptise’ can mean ‘to flood’. When Jesus *baptises us in the *Holy Spirit, the *Holy Spirit fills us completely, like water in a flood.

Jesus and his first *disciples 1:35-42

Verses 35-37 Two of John the *Baptist’s *disciples left him and they followed Jesus instead. John the *Baptist expected this to happen. He had emphasised that Jesus was greater than himself. Then, he pointed out Jesus again to these two *disciples. But John the *Baptist was doing the work that God had sent him to do. He was pointing out who Jesus was. He wanted people to follow Jesus, not himself.

Verse 38 Jesus asked the two *disciples a very important question. He asked, ‘What do you want?’ It is a question that Jesus asks us, too. Some people want to get a lot of money. They want to buy a lot of things. Some people want to have an important job. Some people want to have power over other people. Some people want to have security.

But other people want to know God. They want to serve him and to obey him. They want to have the *peace that only he can give. They want this more than anything else. And they realise that a right relationship with God matters more than anything else.

However, the two *disciples did not answer Jesus’ question. Perhaps they did not really know what they wanted at that time. Instead, they asked him where he was staying.

Verse 39 Jesus answered, ‘Come and see.’ He invited them to spend time with him and to learn from him. He invited them to become his *disciples.

‘The time was about the 10th hour.’ The *Jews counted time from 6 o’clock. So many Bible teachers think that John means 4 o’clock in the afternoon. However, the *Romans said that the day started at midnight. So other Bible teachers think that John means 10 o’clock in the morning here.

Verse 40 Andrew was one of these two *disciples. The author did not name the other *disciple. It is likely that the other *disciple was John, the author of the *Gospel. This passage contains many details, such as the time when the *disciples met Jesus (verse 39). Also, John was writing in *Greek. But he recorded several words in *Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke. Perhaps he wanted to record the exact words that he had heard. When he met Jesus, everything changed for him. So he would remember everything about that wonderful day.

Verse 41 Andrew was very happy that he had found the *Messiah. Immediately, he wanted to tell this good news to his brother. But Andrew did not just tell Simon about Jesus. He brought Simon to meet Jesus. We should be like Andrew. If we know Jesus, we want other people to know him too. So we must tell people about him. We must introduce them to Jesus.

Verse 42 Jesus gave a new name to Simon. He said that people would call Simon ‘a rock’. Jesus meant that Simon’s *faith would be very strong. People would trust him. He would support people and he would help their *faith to increase. But Simon did not have all these qualities when he first met Jesus. Jesus was not describing Simon as Simon was then. Jesus was describing the kind of person that Simon would become. To emphasise this, Jesus did not often call Simon by the name ‘Peter’. In fact, we read about this only once during Jesus’ life on earth. But when Simon became a leader of the *church in *Jerusalem, everyone called him ‘Peter’.

Jesus knows the kind of person that we could become. But, like Simon, it takes time for us to become that person. God will allow us to have troubles and difficulties. We may be weak and we may fail often. We may make wrong or foolish decisions. But God will work for our benefit. He will teach us, and he will guide us. We must let God do this. We must give ourselves to him completely. We must allow him to rule over every part of our character and our circumstances. Then we will become the kind of person that God wants us to be.

Philip and Nathanael 1:43-51

Verses 43-44 John the *Baptist *baptised Jesus near Bethany which was in *Judea (a *province). Afterwards, Jesus decided to leave *Judea and to travel to *Galilee (the northern *province). He met a man called Philip there. Philip became Jesus’ *disciple. Philip was probably Andrew and Simon’s friend. They were all from Bethsaida, a town in *Galilee. Like Andrew, Philip wanted to tell the good news about Jesus to other people. So Philip went to find his friend called Nathanael.

The other *Gospels do not mention a *disciple called Nathanael. But they do mention a *disciple called Bartholomew, who was Philip’s friend. John did not mention Bartholomew. So it is likely that the names Nathanael and Bartholomew refer to the same person. Bartholomew was really a second name, which meant ‘Ptolemy’s son’. So probably Bartholomew’s first name was Nathanael.

Verses 45-46 Philip was very excited because he had found the *Messiah. But Nathanael was surprised that Jesus was from Nazareth (a town in *Galilee). Nathanael was from Cana, a town near to Nazareth. We do not really know why Nathanael insulted Nazareth. Perhaps the *Jews did not like the town because some *Roman soldiers were staying there. Or perhaps Nathanael thought that the *Messiah would come from a more important place than Nazareth.

However, Philip did not try to argue with Nathanael. Instead, he invited Nathanael to see Jesus for himself. We can learn from this. We cannot persuade people to become *Christians. We can argue with them about religion. But it is better just to tell the good news about Jesus. We can tell people what Jesus has done on our behalf personally. We can tell them that we know Jesus as our friend. He gives us *peace, whatever may happen to us. We can invite them to *believe in him. Then, they will know his power and his love. He will be their friend, too.

Verse 47 Jesus had never met Nathanael. But Jesus knew about him. He knew Nathanael’s character and attitudes. Jesus knows everything about us, too. He knows the good things and the bad things about us. We cannot hide anything from him. But still he loves us. Still he wants us to be his friends and to follow him.

Verses 48-50 *Fig trees have many leaves, so they provide much shade. People often sat under a *fig tree. There, they would think about God and the *scriptures. This was a common custom. Probably, Nathanael was doing this before Philip found him. Nathanael was surprised that Jesus knew this. It convinced Nathanael that Jesus was God’s Son and *Israel’s king. But Jesus said that Nathanael would see greater things than this. In fact, all the *disciples would see greater things. They would see how God would mend the relationship between himself and people. God would do this by means of Jesus’ death.

Verse 51 This strange description may be a reference to Jacob’s dream (Genesis 28:12). In this dream, Jacob saw a ladder that reached from earth to heaven. God’s *angels were going up and down on this ladder. Jesus is like this ladder, because he connects people to God. He opened the way to God. He did this by means of his *sacrifice of himself. But Jesus did not mean that *angels would actually climb on him. *Angels take messages to and from God. So Jesus meant that we can speak to God only by means of himself. Jesus is the only real connection between heaven and earth.

People’s *sin has ruined their relationship with God. And, since the first people, everyone has *sinned. But Jesus, by his death, would mend the relationship between people and God. Jesus does this for everyone who trusts him.

Jesus often referred to himself as ‘the Son of Man’. He did not explain what this meant. But the name has more than one meaning. It could refer to ‘the Son of Man’ in the book of the *prophet Daniel (Daniel 7:13-14). Daniel had a vision (a dream that God gives to a person when they are awake). He saw ‘someone like the Son of Man’ who ‘came with the clouds of heaven’. God gave this ‘Son of Man’ the power and authority to rule over everything in the world.

But ‘the Son of Man’ meant usually just ‘a human person’. Already Nathanael had called Jesus ‘God’s Son’ (verse 49). Just after this, Jesus called himself ‘the Son of Man’. It reminds us that Jesus was God. But he was also human.

John Chapter 2

Jesus changes water so that it becomes wine 2:1-12

Verses 1-3 Weddings were very special occasions. After the ceremony, the people went to a party. This party continued for a week. The guests ate and drank together. Everyone was very happy. But if there was not enough food or drink for the week, the bride and the bridegroom felt great shame. It was their duty to provide plenty.

It seems that Mary, Jesus’ mother, was a special guest at this wedding. There was a tradition that the bridegroom was John himself. This tradition also recorded that his mother Salome was Mary’s sister. We do not know if this is true. But Mary had some responsibility for the wedding, because she worried about the wine. And she had the authority to give orders to the servants.

Verses 4-5 Probably, Mary’s husband Joseph had died. This would explain why Jesus lived with his mother and his brothers until he was 30 years old. As he was the oldest son, it was his duty to look after the whole family. So Mary expected that Jesus would help her to get some more wine. Then the party could continue. And the bride and the bridegroom would not be ashamed.

But Jesus was thinking about other things. He said, ‘My time has not come yet’ (verse 4). He was the *Messiah, but he had not shown this yet. So ‘my time’ could refer to the time when he would do this. Or it could refer to his death on the *cross. Jesus knew that he had come to the earth for a special purpose. He never forgot this.

But still Mary was sure that Jesus would help. So she told the servants to obey his instructions.

Verse 6 John was not writing only for the benefit of the *Jews but also for the benefit of the *Gentiles. So he explained why there were pots of water in the house. The *Jews believed that to touch certain things made people *unclean inside their hearts and spirits. So they washed their hands before and during a meal to make themselves *clean again. Also they washed their feet before they entered a house. However, these 6 pots held a very large quantity of water. So it was not likely that the water was for people to wash their hands and feet. It was more likely that the water was for a ceremony called the Mikvah. The Mikvah was a ceremony for women who had had a baby, or after menstruation (when a woman bleeds monthly).

Verses 7-8 Jesus told the servants to fill the pots with water. Then he told them to take out some water. And he told them to give it to the host. The word ‘host’ here means the man who was responsible for the party. He was like a chief waiter. Jesus had made the water change. It had become wine!

The servants obeyed Jesus’ strange instructions. However, they did not know what would happen. Sometimes, we do not understand why Jesus asks us to do a certain thing. But when we obey him, something wonderful happens.

Verses 9-11 People always drank the best wine first at a wedding. But Jesus’ wine was even better! So the host thought that the people had been drinking the cheaper wine first instead.

This *miracle showed that Jesus had power over nature. It showed that he spoke with authority. And wonderful things happened when people obeyed him.

Verse 12 Capernaum was an important city. It was by the shore of Lake *Galilee. It was on a major route for trade. It had a *Roman garrison (building where soldiers live). People paid their taxes to the *Roman government in Capernaum, too. Matthew was collecting taxes when Jesus asked him to become his *disciple (Matthew 9:9). Several of Jesus’ other *disciples lived there (Matthew 4:13-19). Jesus stayed in Capernaum while he was *preaching in *Galilee. However, he said that the people there did not have much *faith (Matthew 11:23; Luke 10:15).

Jesus goes to the *Temple 2:13-25

Verses 13-15 Jesus and his *disciples travelled south to *Jerusalem for the *Passover. The *Passover was the most important *Jewish *festival. The *Passover *festival happened every year in the spring.

Many *Jews travelled to *Jerusalem to offer *sacrifices in the *Temple at the *Passover.

4 *courtyards surrounded the main part of the *Temple. The outer *courtyard was called the *Gentiles’ *Courtyard. This was where the merchants and the *moneychangers did business.

The merchants sold animals for *sacrifices. Animals for *sacrifices had to be perfect, without a mark or a spot on them. The *Temple employed officials. These officials examined the animals that people brought for *sacrifices. But the officials were not fair or honest. They accepted only the animals that people had bought from the *Temple. They *rejected any animals that people had bought from places outside the *Temple. So this forced everyone to buy animals from the *Temple. But these animals cost much more than usual. They were very expensive, so that the merchants made a big profit.

This was not the only thing that was unfair. Every *Jew had to pay a tax to the *Temple. This tax paid for the daily ceremonies there. But people had to pay this tax with special coins. So when visitors came, they had to go to the *moneychangers. The *moneychangers took the visitors’ coins and gave them the special coins. But the *moneychangers charged the visitors a lot of money for this service. Like the merchants, the *moneychangers were greedy and they made a big profit.

The merchants and the *moneychangers did not care that the *Temple was a holy place. They did not come to *worship God there. They came to earn a lot of money for themselves! They charged the people too much for their services. They were unfair to the people who had come to *worship God.

When Jesus saw them, he forced them all to leave the *Temple. He was very angry. The merchants and the *moneychangers did not respect God’s house. And they did not respect the people who came to *worship him there.

Verse 16 Matthew, Mark and Luke also recorded this incident. They reported Jesus’ words slightly differently. Jesus said that God’s house had become a place for thieves to hide. But Mark added some extra words. Jesus also spoke some words from Isaiah 56:7: ‘People will call my house a place of *worship for all nations.’ ‘All nations’ referred to the *Gentiles.

The merchants and the *moneychangers did business in the *Gentiles’ *Courtyard. *Gentiles who wanted to *worship God came into this *courtyard. The *Jews allowed them to do this. But they did not allow the *Gentiles to go any nearer to the main *Temple. So, for the *Gentiles, this *courtyard was the only place in the *Temple where they could pray. But it was very difficult to pray because it was so noisy! So *Gentiles who wanted to *worship God could not do this. Probably, this was another reason why Jesus was angry.

People offered *sacrifices so that God would accept them. But these *sacrifices of animals did not solve the problem of human *sin. Many of the *prophets had written about this (for example, Isaiah 1:11-17; Jeremiah 7:22; Hosea 5:6). People had to offer *sacrifices often because they continued to *sin. Jesus had come to end the old system of *sacrifices of animals. He had not come to change God’s *Law. He had come to complete what God’s *Law asked people to do. This was because he was the perfect *sacrifice. His death solved the problem of human *sin. He died on behalf of everybody. He suffered the punishment for all our *sins.

Verse 17 These words were from Psalm 69:9.

Verse 18 Jesus’ words and acts caused a shock to the *Jewish leaders. Only someone who had God’s authority had the right to do this. So they asked Jesus to prove whether or not he had God’s authority. They asked him for a *sign; that is, a *miracle.

Verses 19-21 The *Temple was the place where God lived among his people. The *Jews knew that God was everywhere. But he was present in a special way there in the *Temple.

The *Temple was on a hill above the city. King Solomon had built the first *Temple there in 959 BC. (‘BC’ refers to the time before Jesus’ birth. So 959 BC means 959 years before Jesus’ birth). But *Israel’s enemies had destroyed Solomon’s *Temple several centuries later. The *Jews built another *Temple in 516 BC. Then in 28 BC, the ruler Herod the Great started to add many more walls and buildings to it. This third *Temple was magnificent. It had taken 46 years to build.

But Jesus was not referring to the *Temple that Herod had built. Jesus meant that God had come to live among his people in a new way. God was living among them as a man. This man was Jesus. His body was the new *Temple. This was what John meant in John 1:14.

Jesus knew that the people would kill him. So he said, ‘Destroy this *temple.’ But he knew also that he would defeat death. On the third day after his death, his body would become alive again. This is the meaning of ‘I will build it again in three days.’

Verse 22 But on this occasion, nobody understood what Jesus really meant. It was only after his *resurrection that the *disciples realised the real meaning of his strange words.

Matthew, Mark and Luke’s accounts of this incident are towards the end of their *Gospels. They recorded that it happened during the final week of Jesus’ life. But we must remember that John emphasised what Jesus did in *Jerusalem. He recorded that Jesus went to *Jerusalem several times and he even stayed there for several months. But Matthew, Mark and Luke emphasised what Jesus did in *Galilee. They only recorded his final visit to *Jerusalem.

All 4 accounts of this incident record the same main facts. They are all accurate descriptions of what happened in the *Temple. But the writers wanted to emphasise what happened and why. When the incident happened was less important to them.

However, there is another explanation. Perhaps Jesus chased the merchants and the *moneychangers out of the *Temple on more than one occasion. So perhaps John’s account is a record of what happened on a different occasion.

Verses 23-25 Many people *believed in Jesus because he did *miracles. But they did not have a real *faith that would last. They *believed in him for the wrong reasons. They saw that he had power. They wanted to know how they could benefit from this power. Jesus knew this. When there was trouble, they would not continue to *believe in him. Jesus knew this, too. They were following him because he was popular. They would leave him when he became unpopular. Some of them would probably oppose him.

Jesus knows what is in everyone’s hearts. He knows if our *faith is real and sincere. He knows if we really love him. It is not always easy to follow Jesus. Other people may hate us or even hurt us because of our *faith in him. But when we know Jesus personally as our friend, our *faith will always be real and sincere.

John Chapter 3

Jesus teaches Nicodemus 3:1-21

Verses 1-2 Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was a group of 70 *Jewish leaders, plus the *High Priest. The *Romans ruled the *Jews. But they allowed the *Jewish leaders to make decisions about certain legal matters and also matters about their religion. These 70 *Jewish leaders came from rich and important families. Nicodemus was also a *Pharisee (see note on John 1:24-25).

There are two possible reasons why Nicodemus came to see Jesus at night. Perhaps he did not want the other *Jewish leaders to know that he had spoken to Jesus. Jesus was not popular with the *Jewish leaders. He often argued with them in public. But perhaps there was another reason. *Jewish teachers taught that the best time to study God’s *Law was at night. Jesus was very busy all day. He was a popular teacher and crowds followed him. So maybe Nicodemus wanted to discuss important *spiritual matters in private, when Jesus was alone.

Verses 3-4 The other three *Gospels contain many references to God’s *kingdom. But this verse is the only place where we read the phrase ‘God’s *kingdom’ in John’s *Gospel.

God’s *kingdom is not a country that has borders. It is not in one particular place. Perhaps the best description of God’s *kingdom is in the *Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). This is the prayer that Jesus taught us to say. In this prayer, we ask for God’s *kingdom to come to the earth, so that everyone will obey God. The *angels in heaven obey God. We ask that this will happen on the earth, too.

The writer William Barclay said that God’s *kingdom is a society. In this society, people do everything that pleases God. God’s *kingdom has begun already. Because when a person *believes in Jesus, they join God’s *kingdom. In the future, God’s *kingdom will come completely to the earth. This will happen when Jesus returns to *judge the world. Evil things will not happen then (Revelation chapters 21 and 22).

Jesus told Nicodemus that there is only one way to enter God’s *kingdom. A person has to be born again. These *Greek words can mean also ‘born from above’. This is because Jesus was not talking about the birth of our physical bodies. He was talking about our spirits.

When we *believe in Jesus, we are sorry because of our *sins. We realise that we can never be good enough for God. We know that our *sins deserve punishment. But Jesus suffered that punishment on our behalf. He has paid the price for our *sins. So when we accept him as our *Lord, God forgives our *sins. And he accepts us. Then the *Holy Spirit enters us and God begins to change us. Our spirits are born again! Our spirits become alive. We know that God is real. We love him and we want to please him. We become different people inside our hearts.

Everyone who has been born again belongs to God’s *kingdom. It does not matter where a person lives in the world. It does not matter whether that person is rich or poor. It does not matter whether that person is young or old. The colour of that person’s skin does not matter. God accepts everyone who *believes in his Son, Jesus.

‘I tell you the truth’ (verse 3). Jesus used the phrase ‘I tell you the truth’ often, when he wanted to emphasise very important statements.

Verses 5-7 ‘By means of water and the *Holy Spirit’ (verse 5). Jesus said that a person needs two births. The first is the natural birth of the body. This happens by means of one’s parents. The second birth is a *spiritual birth. Only the *Holy Spirit can make this happen.

We cannot get this new *life for ourselves. Only the *Holy Spirit can give it to us. It is a gift from God (see Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6).

Verse 8 Jesus said that the *Holy Spirit is like the wind. Actually, the words for ‘wind’ and ‘spirit’ are the same in both *Hebrew and *Greek. Like the wind, the *Holy Spirit is invisible (something that we cannot see, although it is there). Like the wind, the *Holy Spirit can go anywhere and everywhere. Like the wind, we can feel the effects of the *Holy Spirit. And like the wind, we cannot control the *Holy Spirit.

We cannot explain how the *Holy Spirit gives to us this new birth. It is a mystery. We can never really understand it. We just know that it is true. It happens!

Verses 9-11 Nicodemus was a very clever man. He knew the *Scriptures well and he taught people about them. But he did not understand what Jesus was teaching him. Because he was clever, he realised this. He was wise enough to ask Jesus some questions. Nicodemus really wanted to learn and to understand. Jesus explained things to him, because Nicodemus was honest and sincere. However, people do not have to be clever to *believe what Jesus said. They just have to have *faith in him. His words are all true!

Jesus used the plural ‘we’ in verse 11. Some people think that he was referring to the *disciples. But the *disciples had known Jesus only for a short time. So perhaps Jesus was including God the *Father and the *Holy Spirit with himself.

Verse 12 Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus meant about the second birth. But Jesus had explained it well. The word ‘you’ in this verse is plural. So Jesus was referring to everyone who did not understand him.

Although the second birth is a *spiritual matter, it happens here on the earth. But some people did not understand this. So they would not understand the things that happened in heaven. (See also John 12:44-50.)

Many people today do not understand what Jesus taught about *spiritual matters. It is not because they are not clever. Often, it is because they do not want to understand. Perhaps they are too proud. Or perhaps they are too lazy!

Paul wrote about this matter in his letter to the *church in Corinth (an important city). He wrote that the *Holy Spirit helps us to understand *spiritual matters. If the *Holy Spirit is not present in a person’s spirit, that person cannot understand *spiritual matters (1 Corinthians 2:13-16).

But when we understand, we have to do something about it. It affects us. We must choose whether to obey Jesus or not.

Verse 13 Jesus, the Son of Man, is the only connection between heaven and earth. He was in heaven but he came down to live with us on the earth. After his death and *resurrection, he returned to heaven. And now he lives in our spirits by means of the *Holy Spirit.

Verses 14-15 This verse refers to an incident in the *Old Testament (Numbers 21:8-9). The *Israelites were wandering in the desert. They had complained about God. So he sent many snakes to punish them for their bad attitude. The snakes bit and killed many people. Then God told Moses to make a metal snake. He told Moses to put it on the top of a pole. When the snakes bit the people, the people had to look up at the metal snake. If they did this, they would not die.

*Sin is like a snake’s bite. A bite poisons our bodies. And *sin ruins our lives. But God has provided a way to cure us. He has provided a way to save us from *sin and death. Jesus said that people would lift him up, like the metal snake. He was referring to the time when they would put him on the *cross. They would lift him up on the *cross for everyone to see.

We must look up at him on the *cross. In other words, we must trust him, because of what he did on the *cross. We must believe that he will save us from *sin and death. For the *Israelites, the only way to cure the snake’s bite was to look at the metal snake. And the only way to free us from the results of our *sin is to look at Jesus on the *cross. When we look at the *cross, God rescues us from the results of our *sins. In other words, we must trust Jesus to save us from the punishment for our *sins. He died so that God would forgive us. There, at the *cross, Jesus took away our *sin.

Verse 16 This is probably the most famous verse in the Bible. It expresses in only a few words what *Christians *believe. It tells us the main reason why God sent his Son to die on our behalf. There are several reasons why God did this.

He did it because he is fair. If people do wrong things, they deserve a punishment. So Jesus suffered our punishment in our place.

He did it because he is *holy. God cannot accept us, because we *sin. But Jesus, who never *sinned, took our place. He died instead of us. When we believe this, we receive Jesus’ *righteousness as our own. So when God looks at us, he chooses to see Jesus’ *righteousness instead of our *sin.

But this verse emphasises the main reason why God sent Jesus to die. It was because God loved us all so much.

Love is more than just one of God’s qualities. His nature is love. God does everything because he loves. God’s love always reaches out to us, the people that he has made. God’s love is never selfish. He gave to us the most precious thing that he had: his only Son.

‘*Eternal life’ does not mean just life that continues without an end. Many people have miserable lives. Many people are poor, or hungry, or ill; or they suffer with pain. It would be bad if this kind of life continued without an end. But *eternal life means the wonderful *life that God gives to us by means of Jesus. He gives it to us now. It is our promise that we will live *forever, even after our death. In *eternal life, there is no more death, or disease. There is no enemy or *sin. Bad things do not happen. Our life on the earth is only a short part of our life with God. After we die, we will live this wonderful *life with him always.

*Eternal life is God’s free gift to us. We cannot earn it. There is only one way to receive it. We must *believe in Jesus. ‘To *believe in’ means more than just to know that Jesus is God. Even the devil knows that! (For example, Luke 4:33-34; James 2:19.) It means that we must trust Jesus completely. Only Jesus can save us from the results of our *sins. We must let him rule every part of our lives completely. He has a plan for each one of us. We must believe that all his words in the Bible are true. We must obey him. We must believe that he gives us the power to change our characters. He will make us become more like him, if we let him.

Verses 17-21 God sent Jesus to rescue us from the results of our *sins. He did not send Jesus to punish us. But that does not mean that everyone will avoid punishment. It is our choice. Jesus showed us the bad things that we do. He is the meaning of the *light from heaven. But some people prefer to continue to *sin. They do not want to change what they do. So they do not want to know Jesus. They *reject him and they *reject the *Christian message. However, other people become *Christians because they want to change. They do not still want to hide their *sin. Instead, they want to obey God and to do good things. So they are happy to come to Jesus.

John the *Baptist talks more about Jesus 3:22-30

Verses 22-30 At this time, both John the *Baptist and Jesus’ *disciples were *baptising people. But they were in different places. However, it seems that more people were going to Jesus instead of to John the *Baptist. And it seems that John the *Baptist’s *disciples were worried about this. Probably, they did not like it because they were loyal to their teacher. Probably, they expected him to be jealous of Jesus.

But John the *Baptist was not jealous. He knew that God had given him a special job to do. He had to prepare people for the time when the *Messiah came. John the *Baptist had to guide people to Jesus. So because people were going to Jesus instead of him, John the *Baptist had been successful. This did not upset him and he was not jealous. He was very happy!

To show what he meant, John the *Baptist talked about a wedding. It is very likely that he chose this idea on purpose. In the *Old Testament, writers often used the idea of a wedding to show how God loved his people, called *Israel. The writers wrote that God was like a bridegroom. *Israel was his bride. This is because he had chosen *Israel to belong to him in a special way. He wanted *Israel to be loyal to him.

Also, in the *New Testament, the *church is called ‘the bride of *Christ’ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:22-32).

So John the *Baptist said that his situation was like a wedding. Jesus was like the bridegroom because he was the most important person. John the *Baptist was like the bridegroom’s friend. At a *Jewish wedding, the bridegroom’s friend had many duties. For example, this friend arranged the wedding and he sent out the invitations. But he had one special duty. He had to guard the bride’s bedroom. He did not allow anybody to enter. He opened the door only when he heard the bridegroom’s voice (verse 29).

So John the *Baptist was pleased because he had done his duty. People were coming to see Jesus, God’s Son. John the *Baptist wanted this to happen. As Jesus became more important, John the *Baptist would become less important. This did not matter to him. He had obeyed God and he had done his work well.

God’s Son, who comes from heaven 3:31-36

Verses 31-36 These may be the words of John the *Baptist. Or they may be the words of John, who wrote this *Gospel. Often, in this *Gospel, it is difficult to know when the author has added his own words. But this does not matter. The passage is very important anyway.

It emphasises clearly that God’s Son is superior to everyone, even to the greatest human teacher. Human teachers know only what it is like to live in this world. So they can speak only ‘the world’s language’ (verse 31). But Jesus knows what heaven is like. He had come from there to the world. He returned to heaven after his *resurrection and he is there now. He came to tell us the truth about God. God himself sent his Son. And God’s Son knew God’s thoughts, so he spoke God’s words.

In the *Old Testament, the *Holy Spirit came and remained with certain people. This was so that they could do special work for God. Now, all *Christians have the *Holy Spirit in them. But the *Holy Spirit was in Jesus in a special way. Because Jesus was God, there were no limits to the *Holy Spirit’s power in him (verse 34).

But not many people believed what Jesus told them. However, the people who did believe received *eternal life. This is still true today. Anyone who *believes in Jesus has *eternal life. They have it now, not just after their death. They can enjoy the wonderful quality of life with God from the moment that they *believe in Jesus.

However, we must remember that there is a choice. If people do not *believe in Jesus, they have chosen to *reject God. They have *rejected his gift of *eternal life. They have chosen death. God loves them. But it is their choice that God *condemns them. This is because they have *rejected his love.

God designed people so that we would be able to make decisions for ourselves. He does not force us to *believe in Jesus. He does not force us to receive *eternal life. He offers it to us. But we must choose it or *reject it. That is why it is important to tell people about Jesus. But it is their choice whether they *believe in him or not.

John Chapter 4

Jesus talks to a woman in *Samaria 4:1-26

Verses 1-3 Jesus had just started his public work. But already some *Jewish leaders were opposing Jesus. Probably, they were jealous because he was so popular. Later, Jesus argued with these leaders in public. But he knew that, at this particular time, it was not right to do this. So he left *Judea.

Verse 4 *Galilee was in the north. The most direct route was through *Samaria. The journey took about three days. But most *Jews would not go this way. They preferred to travel round *Samaria. This journey took twice as long. This was because the *Jews hated the *Samaritans. The *Samaritans hated the *Jews, too. They had been enemies for centuries.

However, the *Jews and the *Samaritans shared the same *ancestors. About 720 BC (years before Christ), *Israel’s enemies had entered *Samaria. They had defeated the *Israelites who lived there. Then they had taken most of these *Israelites to another country. They had brought many foreigners to *Samaria. It was not possible to take all the *Israelites away. Some *Israelites had remained in *Samaria. And they had married the foreigners, who *worshipped false gods.

The *Jews did not allow their people to marry foreigners who *worshipped false gods. Their *Law did not allow this. So the *Israelites in *Samaria lost their right to be called *Jews.

However, Jesus did not avoid *Samaria. Instead, he chose to travel through it.

Verses 5-6 These verses emphasise that Jesus was human, like us. He was tired from the long journey. He needed a drink, too. So he sat down by Jacob’s Well while his *disciples went into the town.

This well was on a piece of ground that Jacob had bought (Genesis 33:18-19). The well was very deep, so Jesus could not get a drink from it with his hands.

It was about the 6th hour. Many Bible teachers think that John means midday. However, other Bible teachers think that John means 6 o’clock in the evening here. (See note on John 1:39.)

Verses 7-9 A *Samaritan woman came to the well. The well was the place where women gathered to talk together. But it was likely that they would refuse to talk to this woman. They would not respect her, because she had been married many times. And now she was living with a man who was not her husband (verses 17-18).

But Jesus talked to her. This was very unusual. She was a *Samaritan, and *Jews did not usually talk to *Samaritans. Also, this *Samaritan was a woman. Strict *Jewish teachers would not speak to a woman in public. Some *Pharisees even closed their eyes when they saw a woman in the street. The *Pharisees would have thought that this particular woman was very wicked. But Jesus did not care about what people thought. He cared about people!

The woman was very surprised when Jesus asked her for a drink. This was because usually *Jews would not talk to *Samaritans. But Jesus needed something that the woman had. He needed a drink of water. And Jesus had something that the woman needed, too. But she did not realise this.

Verses 10-12 Jesus offered to her ‘the water that gives *life’. He did not mean physical water. The ‘gift’ (verse 10) that he referred to was God’s *Spirit. This was what the *Greek word for ‘gift’ always meant in the book of Acts. The ‘water that gives *life’ means the *Holy Spirit. Jesus also linked the idea of water and the *Holy Spirit in John 7:37-39.

Our bodies need water to stay alive. And our spirits need the *Holy Spirit to stay alive, too. The *Holy Spirit is like a fountain in us. The *Holy Spirit supplies us with everything that we need to live as *Christians every day.

But the woman thought that Jesus was referring to physical water. The *Greek words for ‘the water that gives *life’ also meant water from a stream, rather than still water. Of course, water from a stream was better than still water. It was cleaner and clearer.

So the woman asked Jesus how he could get any water without a bucket. She thought that he would not use her bucket. She thought this because he was a *Jew. She also thought that Jesus was insulting the *Samaritans’ well. They were proud of it because Jacob had made it. But Jesus seemed to say that he was greater than Jacob. This was because he could provide better water. Of course, Jesus was much greater than Jacob. And he could provide something much better than physical water. He could provide *eternal life for those who asked him.

Verses 13-14 In his reply, Jesus explained the difference between physical water and the water that he was offering. Our bodies get hungry and *thirsty. But our spirits get hungry and *thirsty too, for God. When we drink water, we are soon *thirsty again. The water only gives us temporary satisfaction. But the water that Jesus offers, (the *Holy Spirit), gives us permanent satisfaction in our spirits. We have the *Holy Spirit inside us always to give us what we need *spiritually. And we know also that we have *eternal life by means of the *Holy Spirit.

Verse 15 However, the woman did not understand that Jesus was talking about *spiritual matters. She did not want to come to the well every day. She wanted an easier life. But Jesus does not offer us an easier life. Instead, he offers to change us inside our hearts. He helps us to overcome our problems and difficulties.

Verses 16-18 Suddenly, Jesus changed the subject. The conversation became personal. The woman had to think about her past and also her present situation. Neither was good. She had been married 5 times. The *Jews did not approve of people who married more than three times. Also, this woman was living with a man who was not her husband. And Jesus knew all about her. But still he talked to her. He offered her the gift of *eternal life.

Verses 19-20 The woman said that Jesus was a *prophet. This was because he knew about her situation. Then she quickly changed the subject of the conversation. Perhaps it had become too personal for her!

She started to talk about the correct place to *worship God. The *Jews and the *Samaritans both *worshipped God, but there were differences between their religions. The *Samaritans’ *scriptures consisted of the first 5 books of the Bible, which contained the *Law. The *Jewish *scriptures included many other books: the whole of the *Old Testament. The *Samaritans believed that the mountain called Mount Gerizim in *Samaria was the correct place to *worship God. But the *Jews *worshipped God in the *Temple in *Jerusalem.

Verses 21-26 However, it did not matter where people *worshipped God. It was their attitude that mattered.

‘God will save the world from the results of *sin by means of the *Jews’ (verse 22). God had chosen the *Jews to be his own special people. He had promised to *bless the whole world by means of the *Jews (Genesis 12:3). In the *Old Testament, the *prophets had reminded the *Jews that they belonged to God in a special way. The *prophets had also written about the *Messiah, who would come from King David’s family. The *Samaritan woman probably knew these *Jewish *scriptures. But she did not realise that the *Messiah was speaking to her! (verse 25)

Jesus said that God was looking for people to *worship him. But he wanted them to *worship him sincerely. We can *worship God anywhere. He is *Spirit. This means that he is everywhere. It does not matter where we *worship him.

But God sees inside our minds and our hearts. He knows if we are *worshipping him with our spirits as well as with our bodies. He knows why we are *worshipping him. Some people *worship God for the wrong reasons. Perhaps they just want him to do something for them. Or perhaps they *worship him because it is their duty. But they do not really want to *worship him.

But God wants people to *worship him because of who he is. The *Holy Spirit helps us to *worship God like this. So we need to ask for the *Holy Spirit’s help.

The *spiritual harvest is ready! 4:27-38

Verse 27 Jesus’ *disciples were surprised that Jesus was talking to a woman. This was because of the *Jewish teachers’ rules (see note on verses 7-9). But the *disciples did not dare to ask him about it. During their time with Jesus, he did many things that surprised them. And he often surprised other *Jewish teachers too. But the *disciples realised that Jesus had special authority from God. He did not obey the rules that people made. He obeyed only God.

Verses 28-30 The woman wanted to tell her neighbours all about Jesus! She was in such a hurry that she left her pot next to the well. Her words convinced the people, so they wanted to meet Jesus, too.

Verses 31-34 The *disciples had gone into the town to buy food. They were all hungry because of their long journey. So they were probably worried because Jesus did not want to eat.

Jesus was completely human. He needed to eat and to drink. But food was not the most important thing to him at that moment. He told them, ‘I have food to eat.’ He was not referring to actual food. He was referring to his work for God. This was the most important thing to him. This was what satisfied him more than anything.

But the *disciples did not understand what he meant. They thought that he was talking about actual food. In John’s *Gospel, often conversations that Jesus had were like this. Firstly, Jesus said something that the person or people misunderstood. For example, Nicodemus misunderstood what Jesus meant about a second birth (John 3:4). And the *Samaritan woman thought that Jesus was talking about actual water (John 4:13-14). Then, Jesus slowly explained the real meaning until the person or people understood.

In these verses, he explained to the *disciples what was most important to him. Even as people need food to live, Jesus needed to do God’s work. It was as essential to him as food. Many times in his *Gospel, John wrote that God sent Jesus. Jesus never forgot that he had special work to do for God. This work would finish with Jesus’ death on the *cross and his *resurrection.

Verses 35-36 The *Jews had many proverbs. Proverbs were wise things that people said. And the *Jews often wrote them down so that they could remember them. Jesus repeated a common proverb: ‘4 months must pass before the harvest’. It meant that people could not harvest crops immediately. They had to wait for seeds to grow after they had sown them. The grain was not ready to harvest for several months.

Sychar was in a region where many fields of grain grew. This region is still famous because of its grain. So Jesus told his *disciples to look at the fields near to them. Again, Jesus was using familiar, physical things to explain *spiritual principles (see John 2:1-11; 4:7-13).

The *Samaritan woman had just rushed away to tell people about Jesus. And immediately, they were coming to find him. So some experts suggest that, at that moment, the people from Sychar were coming through the fields. This was because Jesus was not talking about an actual harvest of grain. He explained that he was talking about a harvest of people. These people were not just the *Jews. They were all the people who *believed in Jesus. The workers were those who worked for Jesus, to spread the good news about him.

Jesus needs people to work for him today. People who work for Jesus are glad. They are doing God’s work. They get ‘good wages’ because God rewards them. ‘Good wages’ does not refer to money in particular. It refers to any of God’s *blessings. All the workers are happy at the same time, because it is always time for the harvest. We may tell someone about Jesus. At that time, it is as if we are sowing a seed. We have to wait for a seed to grow. But we do not always have to wait for people to *believe in Jesus. There are people who are ready to *believe immediately. We must not miss any opportunity to share the good news about Jesus.

Verses 37-38 Then, Jesus reminded them about another common proverb (wise things that people said). A person cannot gather a harvest unless someone has sown the seeds first. The ‘other people’ that Jesus referred to were probably the *prophets in the *Old Testament and John the *Baptist. They had prepared the people to *believe in the *Messiah, Jesus.

We need to remember this when we tell people about Jesus. If someone *believes in him, we should not claim the honour for ourselves. Perhaps other people prepared that person to *believe. Or perhaps we tell someone about Jesus, but that person does not *believe in him. However, we must not allow this matter to disappoint us. That person may hear about Jesus again and then that person may become a *Christian. We may never know that we prepared that person to *believe. *Christians are like a team. We work together with the same purpose: to spread the good news about Jesus. Sometimes we see the results of this. And sometimes we do not see the results.

Many *Samaritans *believe in Jesus 4:39-42

Verses 39-42 The woman did two things. She told other people about her personal experience of Jesus. Then, she invited them to meet him themselves (verse 29).

We can learn from this. When we tell people about Jesus, our personal experience of him is very important. Because when a person becomes a *Christian, that person is not merely agreeing to follow the rules of a religion. In fact, that person is beginning to know Jesus as a personal friend. So we must introduce people to Jesus, so that they can know him in this way, too.

The *Samaritans asked Jesus to stay in the town so that they could know him better. They *believed in him because they had met him. He had spoken to them. They had their own personal experience of him. They did not *believe just because of what the woman had told them. A person cannot know Jesus by means of another person’s experience of him. We must tell other people what Jesus has done for us. But also we must invite them to meet him and to have their own personal experience of him.

The *Samaritans called Jesus ‘the *Saviour of the world’ (verse 42). This name for Jesus appears only in this verse and in 1 John 4:14. But John did not make it up. In the *Old Testament, people called God ‘*Saviour’. Many *Greek gods were also called ‘*Saviour’. And at the time that John wrote his *Gospel, the *Roman *Emperor was called ‘*Saviour of the world’. But only Jesus deserves this special name. He is more than just a good man, or a wise teacher. He is the only person who can save people from the results and the power of their *sins. Jesus saves us from the punishment that we deserve. He changes our characters from bad to good, so that we become more like him. He gives to us real hope for the future. And the hope that Jesus gives will never disappoint us.

Jesus goes to *Galilee 4:43-45

Verses 43-45 After his short stay in *Samaria, Jesus left Sychar and he continued his journey to *Galilee. Jesus had lived in *Galilee since he was a child. His family lived there still. It was his ‘own country’. And the people there were pleased to see him. But he said another proverb (see note on verses 35-36): ‘Everywhere, people respect a *prophet, except in his own country.’ There are two possible reasons for this.

1.         *Judea was the real home of every *Jew, because *Jerusalem was there. But the *Jewish leaders in *Jerusalem were not pleased to see Jesus. So, when Jesus referred to ‘his own country’, perhaps he meant *Judea and especially *Jerusalem.

2.         The people in *Galilee greeted Jesus gladly because of what he had done in *Jerusalem. They had heard about the *miracles and they wanted him to do *miracles for them. However, perhaps Jesus knew that their *faith was not sincere. Perhaps they only wanted to meet Jesus because they wanted to get something from him. Perhaps they did not care who Jesus really was. Perhaps they did not care why he had come to the earth.

Jesus cures an official’s son 4:46-54

Verses 46-47 The news about Jesus and the wonderful things that he had done had spread through *Galilee. This was why an official travelled from Capernaum (a town in *Galilee) to see Jesus in Cana. Capernaum was about 32 kilometres (20 miles) from Cana.

Probably this official worked for Herod Antipas, who was the ruler of *Galilee. Herod ruled on behalf of the *Roman government. This official had a very important job. So probably it surprised people that he had travelled so far to see Jesus. Before his public work began, Jesus was a carpenter (a man who makes things from wood). But the official did not care what people thought. His son was dying. And the official knew that Jesus could help his son. The official was humble. He had legal authority over Jesus. But still the official called Jesus ‘Sir’ (verse 49). People thought that the official was more important than Jesus, because of his important job. But the official made himself less important. He realised that Jesus had a different kind of authority.

Verses 48-49 It seems that a crowd had gathered. This is because the word ‘you’ (verse 48) is plural. Jesus knew that these people just wanted to see a *miracle. So perhaps he spoke these words to the crowd. Or perhaps he included the official, to see if his *faith was sincere. The official could have become angry. He could have left. That would have meant that his *faith was not sincere. But instead, the official stayed. Again, he asked Jesus to come with him to Capernaum. He wanted very much for Jesus to cure his son.

Verse 50 But Jesus did not go with him. Instead, Jesus told him that his son would live. The official’s *faith was sincere, because he trusted Jesus completely. He could not see that his son was well again. But he believed Jesus’ words. So he obeyed Jesus and he returned to his home immediately.

This is real *faith: to believe in a *miracle before we see it happen. Jesus hears us every time that we pray to him. We must believe that he will answer our prayers. He can do much more than we can imagine! (See Ephesians 3:20-21.)

Verses 51-52 It did not matter that the official’s son was about 32 kilometres (20 miles) away in Capernaum. Jesus was able to cure him by means of the authority of his words. When Jesus lived on the earth, he could be only in one place at a particular time. But distance does not affect Jesus’ power. His power has no limits! We can pray to him anywhere. He will hear us and he will answer us. We can pray for people and situations on the other side of the world. He can answer our prayers. And we can never be so far away that he cannot help us!

‘at the 7th hour’. Many Bible teachers think that John means 1 o’clock. However, other Bible teachers think that John means 7 o’clock here. (See note on John 1:39.)

Verse 53 It is wonderful to see how much the official’s *faith had increased. Firstly, he had believed that Jesus could help his son. So he had asked Jesus to come with him to Capernaum. Secondly, he had believed Jesus’ words that his son would live. He had obeyed Jesus and returned to his home. Thirdly, he saw what had happened to his son. Then he *believed in Jesus completely and his family also *believed.

Verse 54 This *miracle affected more than just one man and his family. It was a *sign for all people. This includes us, as we read about it. It teaches us about the nature of genuine *faith. Firstly, we must believe Jesus’ words in the Bible. Then we shall see *miracles happen.

John Chapter 5

Jesus cures a sick man 5:1-15

Verse 1 All adult *Jewish males had to go to three *festivals. These *festivals were called the *Passover, *Pentecost and the *Festival of Shelters. Many experts on the *New Testament think that John was referring to *Pentecost in this verse. In his *Gospel, John showed that Jesus attended these special *Jewish *festivals. Jesus followed the rules about this. It is clear that he loved to *worship God with his own people.

Verse 2 The pool called Bethzatha was well-known. People believed that the water there had the power to cure people. The pool was in the city, near to the hill where the *Temple was. Archaeologists (people who dig to find ancient buildings and objects) have uncovered it in recent times. Tourists visit it today. So we know that John’s description of it is accurate.

Verses 3-4 After John wrote his *Gospel, people made copies of it. Then, people made copies of these copies. And that is why we can read the *Gospel today. This is how all ancient books have come to us. The *New Testament books are some of the most accurate ancient books that we have. Experts know this because they compare all the different copies of the *New Testament books. People made these copies at different times and in different places. But they are almost completely the same. This proves that they are accurate copies of the original books.

However, sometimes some copies leave a verse out, or have extra verses. Verse 4 is an extra verse that appears in some copies of John’s *Gospel. The verse is: ‘They were waiting for the water to move. Sometimes, an *angel of the *Lord came down. The *angel would stir the water. After this, the first person to get in the pool became well again.’

So this was the reason why so many sick people were lying near to the pool. They believed that *miracles could happen there.

Verses 5-7 But Jesus did not cure all these people. Instead, he spoke to just one man. Jesus knew what was inside the man’s heart. He knew that the man had *faith.

Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be well. This seems like a strange question, because the man had been ill for 38 years. But Jesus wanted to get the man’s attention. He wanted the man to look at him. This was necessary to make the man’s *faith become alive. Then, Jesus could cure him. This reminds us about how we make our *faith become alive. We must look towards Jesus on the *cross. We do not do this with our physical sight. We do it in our hearts and our spirits (see note on John 3:14-15).

Verses 8-10 Jesus told the man to do what seemed to be an impossible thing. He told him to stand up. The man had been ill for 38 years and probably he was lying down during all that time. But nothing is impossible for God. The man got up and he began to walk immediately!

The people who were watching would have been very surprised. But the *Jewish leaders were angry. This was because the man was carrying his mat on the *Sabbath. This was not wrong in God’s *Law. God had simply told the *Jews that they must not work on the *Sabbath. It was a special, holy day (Exodus 20:8-10). But the *Jewish leaders had added many extra rules about the *Sabbath. These rules explained what ‘work’ meant. The *scribes had a list of 39 different types of work. The man was carrying his mat. This was a type of work.

Probably, however, they were using this as a mere excuse for their anger. Probably, they were jealous of Jesus. They could see that God’s power was working through Jesus. And they knew that God’s power was not working by means of their own efforts to follow their strict rules. The *Jewish leaders were not pleased that the man was well again after 38 years. So they told him that he was doing something wrong.

Verses 11-14 The man had a reason why he was carrying his mat. He said that Jesus had told him to do it. But the man did not use Jesus’ name, because he did not know Jesus. So the man only knew Jesus as the man who had cured him. And Jesus had gone immediately. Probably, he did not want to attract the crowd’s attention at that time.

Instead, Jesus wanted to speak to the man in private. He found the man in the *Temple. Jesus told the man that he must not continue to *sin. Perhaps there was a connection between this man’s illness and a particular *sin. God’s power had cured the man’s body. Now he needed to *repent. He needed to ask God to forgive him. Then he would be well in his spirit, too.

Verse 15 After this, the man went back to the *Jewish leaders. He told them that Jesus had cured him. He wanted them to know that Jesus had done this wonderful *miracle. This was because the *Jews were eager for the *Messiah to come. They wanted him to defeat the *Romans. And such a *miracle showed that Jesus was the *Messiah. Probably, the man thought that the *Jewish leaders would be excited. But they were angry!

When Jesus cured people, sometimes he urged them to keep this a secret (for example, Matthew 9:27-31; Mark 2:40-45). He did this because they expected a different kind of *Messiah. They expected a military leader who would defeat the *Romans. Later, they even tried to force Jesus to be their king (John 6:15). But he escaped from them. He was following God’s plan, not their plan.

 

Jesus tells the people that he is God’s Son 5:16-30

Verse 16 Jesus had done a wonderful *miracle. But the *Jewish leaders did not care about that. They cared only that Jesus had not obeyed one of their rules. But Jesus explained that God never stops his work. On the 7th day after God created everything, he rested (Genesis 2:2). But he rested only from his work of creation (that is, when God made everything out of nothing). If he had rested from all activities, the earth could not continue to go round the sun! God does not need to rest, because he does everything perfectly and without effort. However, people do need to rest. This is why God gave the *Sabbath as a special, holy day. But the *Jewish leaders had made it into a day when people had to follow many rules.

Verses 17-18 Jesus’ reply to the *Jewish leaders made them very angry. In fact, they hated him so much that they wanted to kill him. He said that God, his *Father, never stopped his work. So that was why Jesus had to work, too. Even on the *Sabbath, God continued to love people. So when Jesus cured people on the *Sabbath, he was doing God’s work. Jesus was saying that his work was really God’s work. And he was saying that he was *equal with God.

This upset the *Jewish leaders and it caused them to feel angry. They understood Jesus’ words. And Jesus was saying that he was God. The *Jews *believed in one God. But Jesus did not mean that he was another god. He was God’s Son and so he had a very special relationship with God, his *Father.

The *Jewish leaders had a choice. They could believe that Jesus was God’s Son. Or they could say that he was insulting God. It was a very serious crime to insult God. They chose to accuse Jesus of this crime.

We have the same choice today. Jesus said that he was God’s Son. We can believe what he said. Or we can say that his words are lies. We do not have any other choice.

Verses 19-20 In this passage, Jesus continued to explain more about his special relationship with his *Father. Jesus was *equal with God. But Jesus was also in complete unity with God. Jesus obeyed his *Father completely. So Jesus wanted only what his *Father wanted. All Jesus’ desires were the same as God’s desires. Jesus lived in the way that God wanted. Jesus did only what God wanted. When we look at Jesus, we are really looking at God.

Jesus obeyed his *Father because of the perfect love between them. And Jesus wants us to obey him, God’s Son, because then we are obeying God. We have unity with Jesus by means of the *Holy Spirit. So we must do only what Jesus wants. Our desires should be the same as his desires. Our relationship with Jesus should be like Jesus’ relationship with God, his *Father. We obey Jesus because we love him. When we have a decision to make, we should ask Jesus what to do. We should talk to him often, by means of prayer. Jesus prayed often. Then he knew what his *Father wanted him to do.

‘The *Father will show the Son even greater things to do than this’ (verse 20). Jesus had cured one man by means of a *miracle. But he would do even more wonderful things than this!

Verses 21-22 Most *Jews believed that, in the future, God would make dead people become alive. Then he would punish those who had done bad things. And he would reward those people who had obeyed his laws.

But verse 21 has another meaning. It could refer also to people who are *spiritually dead. Because after a person accepts Jesus as their *Saviour and their *Lord, they become *spiritually alive. Jesus gives *eternal life to them.

God has made Jesus the judge of every person who has ever lived on the earth.

Verse 23 Everyone has a choice. We can choose to believe that Jesus is God’s Son, our *Saviour and our *Lord. Or we can *reject him. But if we *reject him, then we *reject God also. We do not respect God if we *reject his Son.

Verse 24 We receive *eternal life when we decide to *believe in Jesus as our *Saviour and our *Lord. This new *life begins at that moment (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our physical bodies will die. But when Jesus returns to the earth, our bodies will live again. But we will not have the same kind of bodies. We will live with Jesus always (1 Corinthians chapter 15). So we ‘have already passed out of death and into *life’.

Verse 25 In this verse, Jesus was referring to people who were *spiritually dead. People who *believed in him received *eternal life. But he was also referring to people who were physically dead. When he was on the earth, Jesus made several dead people become alive again. He will come to the earth a second time. Then, all *Christians who have died will become alive again (1Thessalonians 4:16).

Verses 26-27 God had given the authority to Jesus to *judge all people. This was because Jesus was the ‘Son of Man’ (see also John 1:51). In the book of Daniel, there is a description of ‘someone like a son of man’ (Daniel 7:13-14). This person has authority over the entire world. A ‘son of man’ also meant a human person. Jesus was one of us, a human person, but he was also God. So he has the right to *judge us.

Verses 28-29 When Jesus returns to the earth, all dead people will become alive again, both *Christians and non-*Christians. (Non-Christians are people who are not real *Christians.) Death is not the end for non-*Christians. All those who have chosen to *reject Jesus during their lives will not live with him always. They will spend all the future apart from him. They chose this when they refused to *believe in him.

Verse 30 God is completely *holy and perfect. He knows everything about everyone. He knows everyone’s personal situation. We can hide nothing from him. And he loves everyone. When God *judges people, he will be completely fair. We can be confident about that. So Jesus’ judgement will be completely fair, because he has the same mind and the same heart as his *Father.

The evidence that Jesus was telling the truth about himself 5:31-38

Verse 31 In this passage, Jesus spoke about evidence as if he was in a court of law. He wanted to convin