Commentary on John 11:17-27, 32-36

International Bible Lessons
Sunday, May 20, 2012
L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.

The International Bible Lesson (Uniform Sunday School Lessons Series) for Sunday, May 20, 2012, is from John 11:17-27, 32-36. Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further follow the verse-by-verse International Bible Lessons Commentary (also known as the Bible Lesson Forum) below. Study Hints for Thinking Further discuss the five questions below to help with class preparation and in conducting class discussion. For additional International Bible Lesson Commentaries, see the complete and comprehensive International Bible Lessons Commentary Index. The weekly International Bible Lesson is posted each Saturday before the lesson is scheduled to be taught at http://InternationalBibleLessons.org and in The Oklahoman newspaper.

To help you prepare for teaching your class, you might find this revised International Bible Lesson from February 10, 2007, Your Greatest Vacation helpful. The Bible lesson is based on John 11:25-26, “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” [Also Available in Large Print: Your Greatest Vacation.]

The newest International Bible Lesson for Sunday, May 20, 2012 is Facts About Living Forever based on John 11:24, “Martha said to Jesus, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day’”

International Bible Lesson Commentary
John 11:17-27

(John 11:17)  When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

Because Lazarus was sick, his family sent for Jesus to come to heal him. He could have healed Lazarus from a distance, as He had healed others; instead, Jesus waited until Lazarus had died before returning to Bethany (John 11:1-6; Luke 7:1-10). To teach His disciples and others that He was the resurrection and the life, Jesus wanted to raise Lazarus from the dead in their presence. Jesus planned His arrival time, and Lazarus had definitely died when Jesus arrived outside Bethany.

(John 11:18)  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away,

In order to distinguish this Bethany from the Bethany were John the Baptist had preached and baptized Jesus and others, John identified this Bethany as being about 2 miles from Jerusalem. A Sabbath day’s journey was about 1 mile; therefore, someone could not travel to and from Bethany and Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Jesus ascended into heaven from Bethany (Luke 24:48-53).

(John 11:19)  and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother.

Jesus was a dear friend of Lazarus and his family. Jesus sometimes taught and dined in the home of Mary and Martha. Their home was large enough for many to gather to hear Jesus teach. Their family was influential, and many Jews came to console Lazarus’ sisters, some coming even from Jerusalem, for some returned to report to Jesus’ good deed to the Pharisees and chief priests (John 11:45-47).

(John 11:20)  When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home.

When Martha and Mary learned that Jesus was just outside the town, Martha left their guests and went to see Jesus. Martha was the sister who provided food and hospitality when Jesus taught in her home. Martha was the one who asked Jesus to tell her sister, Mary, to help her serve their guests (Luke 10:38-42). After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and about six days before Jesus’ last Passover celebration, Jesus returned to Lazarus’ home where Martha served His followers (including Lazarus ) dinner and Mary washed His feet (John 12:1-3).

(John 11:21)  Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

We can imagine Martha and Mary and their family and friends saying, “If only Jesus had been here,” over and over again to each other as they mourned Lazarus’ death, because Mary used the same words when she met Jesus (John 11:32). So they would not worry, perhaps they had also encouraged Lazarus and one another that Jesus would come and heal him before Lazarus died.

(John 11:22)  But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.”

Martha went directly to Jesus before He arrived at her home, because she knew that even though Jesus had gotten to them after Lazarus had died that He could still do something. She knew that Jesus was a man of prayer and He could ask God for anything and God always answered Jesus’ prayers. She expressed her complete trust in Jesus with her words.

(John 11:23)  Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Jesus’ words have at least two meanings. Jesus knew that Lazarus would rise again that very hour. He would heal Lazarus’ dead body and return Lazarus to his body that very day. But Jesus also wanted to make this a teaching time for His disciples, Martha, Mary, their family, friends, and all who would believe in Him (John 11:11-16).

(John 11:24)  Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

Jesus led Martha to express her faith in the resurrection of the dead. On the last day, the dead will rise again. This truth is an essential teaching of the Bible. However, Martha wanted more than the assurance of this truth from Jesus. She wanted Jesus to ask God to raise Lazarus now, but she did not say that directly.

(John 11:25)  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,

Jesus told Martha that He did not need to pray to have the power to raise Lazarus from the dead, because He himself was “the resurrection and the life.” He himself could do what she wanted in the situation. “I am” is another name for God, the name God gave Moses, and the name Jesus used of himself, especially in the Gospel of John. This is another one of the “I am” sayings of Jesus, where He calls himself God and claims to have the power of God to sustain life and raise life from the dead. Jesus did pray at the tomb, but for a reason different from what Martha said to Jesus in John 11:22. At the tomb of Lazarus, “They took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me’” (John 11:41-42).

(John 11:26)  and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus told Martha (and all believers) that He is the one to believe in, because He is God, the Son of God. People will die. If they die before Jesus returns, those who believe in Jesus will live (in heaven) and rise again and live on Earth. If we live “in Jesus,” if we believe “in Jesus,” then we will never die spiritually. We may leave our body behind when our body dies, but we will go to heaven and not die.

(John 11:27)  She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”

Martha affirmed her faith that she believed what Jesus said and she believed in Jesus. She called Jesus “Lord.” She declared that He was the “Messiah” they all expected to come someday. She declared Him to be the “Son of God,” as Jesus had told Nicodemus (John 3:16-18). She believed that Jesus had come from His kingdom in heaven into the world that He created.

John 11:32-36

(John 11:32)  When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Mary came to Jesus and Martha. She told Jesus what Martha had told Jesus. She too expressed her faith that Jesus had the power to heal her brother, but like Martha confined Jesus’ ability to heal to His actual physical presence with them – this would be natural and logical to conclude. Mary went with Martha to see Jesus after Martha told her that Jesus wanted her to come. Martha called Jesus, “the Teacher” (11:28).

(John 11:33)  When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.

Some scholars teach that Jesus was angry at death and the sorrow death brings, but He was not angry with himself as the Creator and the Giver of life. Jesus’ humanity moved Him to feel deeply the sorrow that humans feel when facing death.  Jesus knows exactly, from personal human experience, the feelings humans have when death separates them from a loved one.

(John 11:34)  He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”

Jesus knew where Lazarus lay in the tomb, but with all the weeping Jews present, He was not going to walk directly to the tomb and leave them wondering how He knew where Lazarus was buried. No, having just arrived, Jesus asked a perfectly natural, human question that anyone would have asked in this situation.

(John 11:35)  Jesus began to weep.

Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; among other verses, John 11:35 supports this prophecy from Isaiah (see Isaiah 53:3). John shows Jesus loved Lazarus and He wept that the one He loved needed to go through the process of dying to go to heaven, a kingdom not of this world. He wept for those who had suffered separation from Lazarus because of his death. Paul wrote, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). Perhaps Jesus wept because He knew that to glorify God and answer the prayers of Martha and Mary He would need to bring Lazarus back from the glories of heaven and return him to Earth where he would die once again (we do not learn when Lazarus died again, but the enemies of Jesus plotted his death: John 12:10).

(John 11:36)  So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

Jesus loved Lazarus (John 11:3). Jesus loved Martha and Mary (John 11:5). He loved them and wept over their suffering, but He also knew that by their suffering and Lazarus’ death, God and the Son of God would be glorified (John 11:4). If we and those we love must suffer and die in this world, we can pray that God our Father and Jesus, the Son of God, will be glorified because of or in spite of our suffering and death. Jesus loves us even as He loved Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, and He will do what is best for us and all those concerned.

[Easy to Print: Commentary on John 11:17-27, 32-36]
[Easy to Print -- Large Print: Commentary on John 11:17-27, 32-36]

Five Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further

1. Why might God sometimes choose to delay in giving us what we want?

2. Why do you think people of all economic conditions and stations in life followed Jesus?

3. What truths about Jesus did Martha confess to Jesus? Do you believe these?

4. Why is it important to believe that those who die “will rise again in the resurrection on the last day”?

5. Why do you think Jesus wept? Is weeping a sign of lack of faith?

Teacher Study Hints for Thinking Further

[Easy to Print: Teacher Study Hints On John 11:17-27, 32-36]
[Easy to Print -- Large Print: Teacher Study Hints On John 11:17-27, 32-36]

Verse By Verse Study Guide Class Handouts

[Easy Print: How to Use the Verse By Verse Study Guides Below]

Verse By Verse KJV John 11:17-27, 32-36
Verse By Verse GNB John 1011:17-27, 32-36
Verse By Verse NRSV John 11:17-27, 32-36

[Comprehensive Index for the International Bible Lessons Commentary]
[Comprehensive Index for the International Bible Lessons]
[Bible Lessons Archives from 2007-2012 at the original: InternationalBibleLessons.com]

Books by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. for your Nook Reader and in Paperback:
How to Pray in the Spirit: Devotional Readings [John Bunyan / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb
How God Teaches Us to Pray: Lessons from the Lives of Francis and Edith Schaeffer
Francis and Edith Schaeffer: Expanded and Updated Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition Pb
Prayer Steps to Serenity The Twelve Steps Journey: New Serenity Prayer Edition Pb
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] E-book
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb

Books by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. for your Kindle Reader and in Paperback:
How to Pray in the Spirit: Devotional Readings [John Bunyan / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb
How God Teaches Us to Pray: Lessons from the Lives of Francis and Edith Schaeffer
Francis and Edith Schaeffer: Expanded and Updated Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition Pb
Prayer Steps to Serenity The Twelve Steps Journey: New Serenity Prayer Edition Pb
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] E-book
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb

Write your comments, suggestions, and thoughts on the Bible Lesson Forum. Read the International Bible Lessons at http://internationalbiblelessons.org.

You can drop me an e-mail note using the form on the Introduction page.

— © Copyright 2012 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.

Commentary on John 10:7-18

International Bible Lessons
Sunday, May 13, 2012
L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.

The International Bible Lesson (Uniform Sunday School Series) for Sunday, May 13, 2012, is from John 10:7-18. Five Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further follow the verse by verse International Bible Lessons Commentary below. The Study Hints for Thinking Further, which are also available on the Bible Lesson Forum, will aid teachers in class preparation and in conducting class discussion. For additional International Bible Lesson Commentaries, see the complete and comprehensive International Bible Lessons Commentary Index. The weekly International Bible Lesson is posted each Saturday before the lesson is scheduled to be taught at http://InternationalBibleLessons.org and in The Oklahoman newspaper.

These two International Bible Lessons may help you in your lesson preparation. The Gate Into The Kingdom of God, published on May 12, 2012, based on John 10:9 – “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture” and The Awesome Power of Jesus! first published on February 3, 2007, based on John 10:18 – “No one takes it [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.” [Note Availability: Large Print: The Awesome Power of Jesus! lesson.]

International Bible Lesson Commentary
John 10:7-18

(John 10:7)  So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.

Jesus compares His followers to sheep in order to illustrate some of the qualities of His followers, and also His ability and willingness to care for them. The sheep in the sheepfold know the true God and recognize when someone has been sent to them from God. The sheep are protected in an enclosure and the gate and enclosure protect the sheep from wild animals, thieves, and those that would harm the sheep. The enclosure and closed gate also protects the sheep from wandering away from the shepherd and getting hurt. The sheep are often in this enclosure at night, when shepherds are not in the field with them. Jesus is the gate to the protective enclosure; so, He will not admit anyone into His sheepfold that He does not approve of being there. The sheepfold is the Kingdom of God or the true Church of Jesus Christ as defined and described by the Bible.

(John 10:8)  All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them.

Prior to Jesus’ coming, some came to the Jews and claimed to be the Messiah. Throughout the Old Testament, we learn that some false prophets also came to the Jews and misled some of them, sometimes many of them. Jesus compared these false messiahs and prophets to thieves and bandits; liars who claimed to be sent from God. Those truly committed to following God according to the scriptures were not misled by these false messiahs and false prophets; these were God’s sheep. God said of His sheep, “For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD—the remnant of Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. Then they will pasture and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid” (Zephaniah 3:12-13). Some came after Jesus ascended into heaven, and they claimed to be the Messiah. Because of the leadership of a false messiah, the Jews rebelled and the Romans eventually destroyed Jerusalem. Even today, false prophets, false teachers, false messiahs, false religions deceive some, but not those in the sheepfold of God (who may be temporarily confused until God enlightens them by the Holy Spirit using the truth of the Bible).

(John 10:9)  I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.

The sheep of God do not listen to or follow false prophets, false leaders, and false teachers. To come to God the Father and His sheepfold, the sheep of God come to the gate, Jesus, Who is the only gate into the sheepfold of God, and He is the Savior of the sheep who enter God’s sheepfold through Him. Those who truly seek the truth and the true God will find God and come to Jesus. God said, “When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the LORD” (Jeremiah 29:13-14). Jesus meets all the needs of God’s sheep, and Jesus protects them in the sheepfold (or Kingdom of God).

(John 10:10)  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

When we think of different people, groups, and religions that claim to represent God, we know of some that have become known for their killing and destroying. They steal the lives and possessions of those they kill and destroy. Jesus and the true Church of God do not do this evil to others: they love God and their neighbor. Jesus gives life. He gives abundant life. He came into the world to save.

(John 10:11)  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Jesus added “shepherd” to the illustration of himself as the “gate.” The “gate” admits and protects those qualified to enter the sheepfold (the sheep, those Jesus has saved).  The “shepherd” defends, feeds, and leads the sheep of God out into the world to serve God and share the gospel. To protect and save the sheep of God, the “Good Shepherd” sacrificed His life when He died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus not only saves God’s people from external enemies (physical and spiritual), but also from the eternal consequences (and often the temporal consequences) of the foolish, evil, and wrong choices the sheep of God have made. Notice how Jesus defined a “good” person and what this means when He called himself “the ‘good’ shepherd:” “Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone’” (Mark 10:18).

(John 10:12)  The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

The hired hand has no financial investment in the owner’s flock of sheep. Hired hands work for wages, and the owner of the sheep pays them for their service. Hired hands may reason that the possibility of injury or death in protecting the sheep of someone else is something they should avoid when weighed against what they are being paid as laborers. Hired hands are working for wages and not for the welfare of the sheep. Hired hands will not do what Jesus does, only Jesus can and will do what Jesus does.

(John 10:13)  The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.

Jesus said that He was not a hired hand. Jesus is the owner of the sheep. Jesus owns the sheepfold of God. He cares for His sheep. Unlike a hired hand, if a sheep is lost, He is the One Who suffers the loss (so Jesus does not lose His sheep, He finds them and carries them back to the sheepfold: see Matthew 18:12-14!). His sheep are valuable and important to Him and to His Father personally. Jesus risked His life; He gave His life and died to save His sheep; He rose from the dead, and still fights against the enemies of His sheep to protect and save them.

(John 10:14)  I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

Jesus is not an absent owner of His sheep. Jesus does not leave the care of His sheep to hired hands. Jesus is with His sheep and in a relationship with His sheep, so He knows the needs of His sheep personally, and each one of His sheep know Him. He is good to spend time, to spend eternity, to care for His sheep and all their needs. As they read the Bible, the Holy Spirit helps His sheep hear His voice, know Him, and follow Him.

(John 10:15)  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.

Jesus knows God the Father intimately, just as in any loving father and son relationship. Jesus compared the knowledge He has of His sheep and their knowledge of Him to this closeness of a loving family, to the closeness He has to His Father. The sheep belong to the Father and the Son, and the Son chose to lay down His life in death to save their sheep and bring more sheep into their fold.

(John 10:16)  I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Jesus had other sheep that were not Jews. During His ministry, He also had Samaritans and other Gentiles, including some Roman soldiers, come to believe in and follow Him. Throughout the last 2000 years, different people from nations and languages all around the world have heard the voice of Jesus when someone has shared the truth of the Bible and Jesus with them, and they have come into his flock of sheep. Eventually, God’s flock will inherit the earth and Jesus will be their Shepherd, for Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

(John 10:17)  For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.

The word “loves” in this verse means very satisfied and happy with someone because love for God and others motivates their attitude, thoughts and actions. The Father loved Jesus for Who Jesus is as the Son of God, and He also loved Jesus because of what Jesus did and the reasons for why Jesus did what He did (Love was the grand motive of Jesus for everything He said and did). Jesus does not teach that the Father would not love Him under certain circumstances, because Jesus is the Father’s Son. But if Jesus chose not to obey the Father and not to follow the agreement that they made in heaven before Jesus came into the world, then the Father would not be happy with His decision and would not “love” His disobedience and failure to die a sacrificial death.

(John 10:18)  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

When Jesus died on the cross, the devil or wolves in sheep’s clothing did not take Jesus’ life from Him in the sense of being a victor over Him in death. Roman soldiers hanged Jesus on the cross to murder him, so they needed to be forgiven for their sin, and Jesus prayed they would be forgiven by His Father (see Luke 23:34). But Jesus chose the exact moment of His death (when His atoning sacrifice was finished). Jesus also chose the exact moment to rise from the dead on the first resurrection Sunday. Because His Father commanded Him to do these things, Jesus chose His moment of death and the moment of His resurrection. By doing so, Jesus was obedient to His Father and not disobedient. Jesus obeyed His Father when He chose to remain on the cross and allowed himself to be mocked when some sneered, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him” (Matthew 27:42).

[Easy to Print: Commentary on John 10:7-18]
[Easy to Print -- Large Print: Commentary on John 10:7-18]

Five Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further

1. Why do you think “thieves and bandits” is a good description of false messiahs, false prophets, false teachers, and false religious leaders?

2. As the sheep of God, what are some things we can do so we do not get tricked into listening to religious, spiritual, or psychological “thieves and bandits”?

3. What are some things God has done and does for His sheep to keep them safe?

4. Why does Jesus speak so pointedly of there being only one gate, only one flock of sheep, and only one good shepherd?

5. Why might it have been important for Jesus to teach that His Father had commanded Him to use His own power when He laid down His life in death and when He took it up again in rising from the dead?

Teacher Study Hints for Thinking Further

[Easy to Print: Teacher Study Hints On John 10:7-18]
[Easy to Print -- Large Print: Teacher Study Hints On John 10:7-18]

Verse By Verse Study Guide Class Handouts

[Easy Print: How to Use the Verse By Verse Study Guides Below]

Verse By Verse KJV John 10:7-18
Verse By Verse GNB John 10:7-18
Verse By Verse NRSV John 10:7-18

[Comprehensive Index for the International Bible Lessons Commentary]
[Comprehensive Index for the International Bible Lessons]
[Bible Lessons Archives from 2007-2012 at the original: InternationalBibleLessons.com]

Books by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. for your Nook Reader and in Paperback:
How to Pray in the Spirit: Devotional Readings [John Bunyan / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb
How God Teaches Us to Pray: Lessons from the Lives of Francis and Edith Schaeffer
Francis and Edith Schaeffer: Expanded and Updated Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition Pb
Prayer Steps to Serenity The Twelve Steps Journey: New Serenity Prayer Edition Pb
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] E-book
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb

Books by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. for your Kindle Reader and in Paperback:
How to Pray in the Spirit: Devotional Readings [John Bunyan / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb
How God Teaches Us to Pray: Lessons from the Lives of Francis and Edith Schaeffer
Francis and Edith Schaeffer: Expanded and Updated Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition Pb
Prayer Steps to Serenity The Twelve Steps Journey: New Serenity Prayer Edition Pb
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] E-book
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb

Write your comments, suggestions, and thoughts on the Bible Lesson Forum. Read the International Bible Lessons at http://internationalbiblelessons.org.

You can drop me an e-mail note using the form on the Introduction page.

— © Copyright 2012 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.

Commentary on John 6:22-35

International Bible Lessons
Sunday, May 6, 2012
L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.

The International Bible Lesson (Uniform Sunday School Series) for Sunday, May 6, 2012, is from John 6:22-35. Five Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further follow the verse by verse International Bible Lessons Commentary below. The Study Hints for Thinking Further will aid teachers in class preparation and in conducting class discussion. For additional International Bible Lesson Commentaries, see the complete and comprehensive International Bible Lessons Commentary Index. The weekly International Bible Lesson is posted each Saturday before the lesson is scheduled to be taught at http://InternationalBibleLessons.org and in The Oklahoman newspaper.

To help you prepare for your class,  you might find this revised International Bible Lesson from January 20, 2007, Jesus is the Bread of Life helpful.  The Bible lesson is based on John 6:35, Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” [Note Availability: Large Print: Jesus is the Bread of Life lesson.]

A new International Bible Lesson Work For What Endures will be published on May 5, 2012, based on John 6:27, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.“

International Bible Lesson Commentary
John 6:22-35

(John 6:22)  The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.

The Sea of Galilee was the same as the Sea of Tiberius. Jesus worked a miracle and fed a crowd in Tiberius, and He had food left over for His disciples; therefore, the crowd wanted to make Him a king by force. Jesus sent His disciples on the head of Him by boat to Capernaum in Galilee. Then, unseen by the crowd, Jesus walked on water, got into their boat, and travelled with them to the other side of the sea. The crowd did not know where Jesus had gone.

(John 6:23)  Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

News travels fast, even overnight. Many learned that Jesus had fed a crowd after saying a prayer; John described Jesus’ prayer as giving thanks. The people who were fed by Jesus wanted to make Him king for selfish reasons. The news about Jesus and their desires motivated others to come by boat to the place where Jesus had fed the crowd (many hoping to find Him still there). Since the crowd had not seen Jesus get into the only boat available with His disciples, they assumed He was still nearby.

(John 6:24)  So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

After searching diligently for Jesus, the crowd got into the newly arrived boats and went to Capernaum in Galilee (where Jesus had made His home). They were probably motivated to find Jesus because of the free food that He had given them. The free food that He gave them was easier to get than food from fishing, from harvesting grain, or from baking bread. With Jesus’ abilities, they knew they would not need to work again, so they wanted to make Him their king.

(John 6:25)  When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”

When they found Jesus, they addressed Him as Rabbi, which means Teacher. John shows that the crowd knew Jesus had no boat available to Him, and He had not left with His disciples to go to Capernaum. They had no explanation for His appearing in Capernaum (other than a miracle). It was highly improbable that He could have gotten there when He did other than by a miracle.

(John 6:26)  Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

For various reasons, Jesus did not answer them directly by saying, “I walked on water, and met My disciples in the boat.” They probably would not have believed Him. They might have wanted Him to prove He could walk on water by walking on the water in their presence. He ignored their question (a possible example for us at times), and told them what they needed to hear. The crowd did not recognize His deeds as signs that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. Rather, they wanted free food.

(John 6:27)  Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”

Too many people want something for nothing. Others work with a single-minded focus on acquiring more and more material possessions and money. Jesus warns against this single-minded ambition or attitude. “The food that endures for eternal life” is Jesus himself. Jesus will give us an eternal relationship with Him if we believe in Him. Jesus’ signs proved that God the Father set His seal endorsement on Him.

(John 6:28)  Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”

Because they believe Jesus is a teacher, they question Him as though He were a traditional rabbi. They keep their focus on themselves, “What must we do” (perhaps in order to get from God the things they want, because they are pleasing God by doing God’s works). They are looking for rules by which to live or good works they can do that will make them right or keep them right with God, so they will deserve His blessings. Jesus wants them to turn their focus from themselves and what they can do, and instead turn their focus on Him, to Who He is as the Messiah that God the Father promised to send them, to receiving the cleansing from sin and forgiveness of sin that He came to give believers in Him, to receiving the gift of eternal life through faith in Him, and eventually to what He can do through them in order to do the works of God in His strength and wisdom.

(John 6:29)  Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

God the Father sent Jesus, but Jesus does not tell them directly that they need to believe in Him in order to do the work of God (He says this indirectly). Jesus speaks with humility and He wants them to seek the truth and discover the truth; the truth that the way of eternal life is to turn from selfishly focusing on ourselves and turning our focus on Jesus, because of Who He is (Son of God and the Messiah). If they believe in Him, they will do what He says.

(John 6:30)  So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?

Jesus told them to “believe in” the One God sent. The crowd did not recognize His feeding them as the sign that God the Father sent Him, directed Him, and empowered Jesus’ ministry as the Son of Man (a humble title and claim with Messianic meaning that Jesus used for himself). They wanted Him to work miracles and then directly claim that His miracles proved they could believe what He taught. When God sent Moses to Egypt to free His people from slavery, Moses worked miracles to prove to the Hebrews and to Pharaoh that God had sent Him; still, the people complained against Moses during his working of miracles in Egypt and in the wilderness. These people wanted Jesus to do the same things (or similar miracles) as Moses, but Jesus was greater than Moses and He would be and do greater things than Moses.

(John 6:31)  Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

The crowd wanted free food daily that they did not need to work to acquire or save. They believed Moses had led their ancestors out of Egypt. Moses had enriched them from the possessions the Egyptians gave them before they left Egypt. Moses gave them manna and quail six days a week (they only needed to save enough for the Sabbath, so they would not collect food on the Sabbath, but keep it holy). They wanted Jesus to do the same and even more than Moses had done. They wanted free food and freedom from the Romans, who enslaved them physically. Jesus came to free them spiritually from their slavery to sin and Satan so they could serve God out of loving and joyful hearts, and do the works of God that would bless many because they loved their neighbors.

(John 6:32)  Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.

Jesus corrected their misunderstanding. Moses had not given their ancestors what they thought; rather, God the Father had given them all these blessings through Moses, a servant of God. Jesus, the Son of God, wanted them to keep their focus on God the Father, because He sent Jesus from heaven and Jesus is the true bread Who gives eternal life. The manna that God the Father gave them through Moses, His servant, would never last longer than two days (over the Sabbath) and the manna gave them physical life and sustenance only. Jesus is the true spiritual bread that a person can take into themselves spiritually through faith in Jesus; then, they can live forever with Jesus in loving, joyful service of God and others forever.

(John 6:33)  For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Jesus came down from heaven (from a higher place literally and spiritually) into the world. Jesus gives life to the world, so anyone who comes to Him and believes in Him can have life. The life that Jesus gives involves moral and spiritual transformation and growth; just as physical bread sustains physical life and physical growth.

(John 6:34)  They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Continuing to misunderstand Jesus, the crowd wanted blessings, food, “things” from Jesus. The crowd focused on the material and physical (which Jesus also gives as the Word of God that created and creates all things). The crowd wanted Jesus to feed them, and so much the better if Jesus met all their needs now and also gave them a life that would never end.

(John 6:35)  Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Jesus told them that their focus should not be on the bread or drink or “things” He can give them; instead, their focus should be on Him, for He is the bread of life. He gives himself to them, not something other than himself. The question remains, “Will they receive Him?” Jesus is the Gift of God. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Nothing that God has ever sent or given to the world is more important than Jesus, the Son of God. Knowing Jesus, believing in Jesus, having an eternal relationship with Jesus and God the Father should be our focus; not “earthly things” or “spiritual things,” but Jesus our Lord and Savior and God our Father.

[Easy to Print: Commentary on John 6:22-35]
[Easy to Print -- Large Print: Commentary on John 6:22-35]

Five Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further

1. What are some things Jesus did (or refused to do) when showing and telling the truth about himself so He would not appear arrogant, egotistical, or self-centered?

2. Why did Jesus allow His disciples see Him walk on water, but did not walk on water in front of a crowd for them to see Him walk on water?

3. How did Jesus give God the Father the glory and honor for feeding the crowd?

4. What did Jesus say that the crowd was seeking when they came to Him? What are some people seeking when they come to Jesus today?

5. Who does Jesus tell the crowd to believe in? Who does Jesus want people to believe in today? What are some of the results of believing in this person?

Teacher Study Hints for Thinking Further

[Easy to Print: Teacher Study Hints On John 6:22-35]
[Easy to Print -- Large Print: Teacher Study Hints On John 6:22-35]

Verse By Verse Study Guide Class Handouts

[Easy Print: How to Use the Verse By Verse Study Guides Below]

Verse By Verse KJV John 6:22-35
Verse By Verse GNB John 6:22-35
Verse By Verse NRSV John 6:22-35

[Comprehensive Index for the International Bible Lessons Commentary]
[Comprehensive Index for the International Bible Lessons]
[Bible Lessons Archives from 2007-2012 at the original: InternationalBibleLessons.com]

Books by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. for your Nook Reader and in Paperback:
How to Pray in the Spirit: Devotional Readings [John Bunyan / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb
How God Teaches Us to Pray: Lessons from the Lives of Francis and Edith Schaeffer
Francis and Edith Schaeffer: Expanded and Updated Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition Pb
Prayer Steps to Serenity The Twelve Steps Journey: New Serenity Prayer Edition Pb
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] E-book
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb

Books by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. for your Kindle Reader and in Paperback:
How to Pray in the Spirit: Devotional Readings [John Bunyan / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb
How God Teaches Us to Pray: Lessons from the Lives of Francis and Edith Schaeffer
Francis and Edith Schaeffer: Expanded and Updated Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition Pb
Prayer Steps to Serenity The Twelve Steps Journey: New Serenity Prayer Edition Pb
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] E-book
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb

Write your comments, suggestions, and thoughts on the Bible Lesson Forum. Read the International Bible Lessons at http://internationalbiblelessons.org.

You can drop me an e-mail note using the form on the Introduction page.

— © Copyright 2012 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.

Commentary on John 9:1-17

International Bible Lessons
Sunday, April 29, 2012
L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.

The International Bible Lesson (Uniform Sunday School Series) for Sunday, April 29, 2012, is from John 9:1-17. Five Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further follow the verse by verse International Bible Lessons Commentary below. The Study Hints for Thinking Further, which are also available on the Bible Lesson Forum, will aid teachers in class preparation and in conducting class discussion. For additional International Bible Lesson Commentaries, see the complete and comprehensive International Bible Lessons Commentary Index. The weekly International Bible Lesson is posted each Saturday before the lesson is scheduled to be taught at http://InternationalBibleLessons.org and in The Oklahoman newspaper.

To enhance a class discussion, or to begin or close your class, read the International Bible Lesson, for April 29, 2012, to your class Do God’s Works While You Can, based on John 9:4, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.”

International Bible Lesson Commentary
John 9:1-17

(John 9:1)  As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth.

As Jesus traveled with His disciples, God arranged for Him to meet a man born blind. God arranged this meeting so Jesus could heal him; and by healing him, Jesus could do the work of God. The blind man would receive his sight, and Jesus would reveal the compassion and power of God through His words and works.

(John 9:2)  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

The disciples saw the man as an object for theological discussion. They assumed, as did most people in Jesus’ day, that disease and suffering were the direct result of someone’s sins. They wanted to know if either of his parents or both had sinned, or if the blind man had sinned while in the womb. Some Gentiles believed that a person could sin in a former life, but the Bible does not teach this belief.

(John 9:3)  Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.

Jesus refused to make this man an object for theological discussion, and denied that anyone’s sins were the cause of this man’s problems. Jesus taught that disease and suffering are not always God’s punishment or the natural result of human sin. God’s works can be revealed in the life of any person with a disability. God did have compassion for the man and through Jesus would heal him.

(John 9:4)  We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.

Rather than condemn someone or try to discover the sin that caused their suffering, Jesus wanted His followers to leave those questions with God. Instead, Jesus’ followers should commit themselves to doing the works of God while they have the time and opportunity, to bringing a compassionate, healing touch and word as Jesus would do to help those suffering. Believers can do God’s work when helping in a person with a disease or disability. There will be times when times are so bad that this will be almost impossible (as when Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried prior to his resurrection and the empowering of His disciples to continue His work in the power of the Holy Spirit).

(John 9:5)  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

As long as Jesus was conducting His earthly ministry with His disciples, He himself was the light and truth of the world. He showed the way. The world was darkened when Jesus was in the tomb. After He rose from the dead, He was once again the light, life and truth for His disciples, and He explained the Bible and His work to them.

(John 9:6)  When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes,

The man born blind most likely did not know that he was the object of observation and discussion by Jesus and His disciples. What Jesus did for the man, He first explained to His disciples was the work of God. Jesus’ work was similar to that of a medical doctor making a medicine that He could use to work a miracle. The work of doctors and medicine can be a work of God as Jesus shows.

(John 9:7)  saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.

Jesus initiated this healing. However, the blind man needed to respond with faith in order to be healed. John may have written a condensed version of what Jesus said to the man, but in faith the man had to go publicly to a pool to wash his eyes. He did not go home in disbelief to wash his eyes. Instead, he obeyed Jesus exactly as Jesus said; therefore, he was healed and able to see for the first time.

(John 9:8)  The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?”

God’s works began to be revealed to more than just the blind beggar when he returned to where he used to sit and beg. When he returned, he could see. And this raised questions, because his neighbors and those who saw him before did not see Jesus heal him. If they were to learn about Jesus healing the man, he would need to tell them as the witness to the healing.

(John 9:9)  Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.”

Some could not believe that a man born blind could be healed; so, they said the man was someone else. Others who had actually paid attention to the beggar, other than just pass him by and not see him as a person, saw that indeed he was the beggar born blind who could now see. The man confirmed this fact.

(John 9:10)  But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”

Both groups of people, both the believing and the unbelieving, wanted to know how the man could see now. Jesus had worked so quietly that they had not observed what Jesus had done when He spoke to the man and put His medicine on His eyes. They only learned about Jesus healing the man after the man returned to the place where he had begged and was now able to see. Jesus also worked quietly when He turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana.

(John 9:11)  He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.”

The man born blind told exactly what happened. He is an example of a trustworthy witness. Because he was blind, he had not seen Jesus, but he knew the man who touched and spoke to him was Jesus. The man testified that he had obeyed Jesus exactly as he was told, and the result was receiving his eyesight. What he described was Jesus making a medicine, that he had to wash off at a certain pool of water before he could be healed.

(John 9:12)  They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

Since the man did not know what Jesus looked like, and since Jesus chose to go on His way, no one there knew where Jesus had gone. Jesus had worked a miracle to do the work of God in this man’s life. He did not work a miracle to draw a crowd or compel belief in Him. Jesus knew that over time the man who obeyed Him would learn more about Him; that is the situation with everyone who wants to learn more about Jesus. Loving and obeying Jesus will result in learning more about Jesus.

(John 9:13)  They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.

Rather than praise God for healing the man through Jesus’ medicine and Jesus’ command to the man to go wash his eyes, some in the crowd wanted to make the man a matter for theological discussion and judgment. Therefore, they took the man who had been born blind to the Pharisees, who were the enemies of Jesus.

(John 9:14)  Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.

Jesus consistently put love and obedience to God in first place. Jesus consistently chose to do the works of God; what His heavenly Father wanted Him to do. Rather than follow the human traditions of the religious leaders of His day, whenever He had the opportunity, Jesus consistently took compassionate action to help others.

(John 9:15)  Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.”

The man told the Pharisees that Jesus had practiced medicine on the Sabbath – their most holy day. The Pharisees applied the law of Moses so strictly with their traditions and restrictions that they made healing someone or performing an act of mercy on the Sabbath illegal. The man told them that he had obeyed Jesus and therefore he could see.

(John 9:16)  Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided.

Some of the Pharisees had so distorted the teachings of Moses and the Old Testament that they condemned Jesus. They made disobeying their manmade laws the same as disobeying God and the Scriptures. Others, knowing that sinners cannot work miracles or do the work of God while sinning simply, could not believe that Jesus was not from God.

(John 9:17)  So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”

Since they were divided in their theological dispute, they asked the man who he thought had healed him. He testified that a man of God, a prophet, had healed him. He would most likely have known about many healings in the Hebrew Scriptures that were done by the prophets. So, he concluded from the evidence of his healed eyes and examples from Scripture that Jesus was a prophet. In the future, he would learn even more about Jesus (see John 9:35-38).

[Easy to Print: Commentary on John 9:1-17]
[Easy to Print -- Large Print: Commentary on John 9:1-17]

Five Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further

1. How might Jesus’ attitude and response toward the man born blind be a good example for His followers today when we remember that Jesus said, “He was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him” (John 9:3)?

2. Can you think of some examples from history or your own experiences when and where it was easier to do the work of God rather than at a later time and place? What does this teach you and your church?

3. What are some works of God that followers of Jesus can do today that they might not be allowed to do later “when night comes”?

4. Why do you think Jesus made a paste to heal the man’s eyes rather than simply touch his eyes and heal him at the moment He spoke to him?

5. What good example or examples does the blind man give us when he washed his eyes at the pool of Siloam and was able to see after he washed them?

Teacher Study Hints for Thinking Further

[Easy to Print: Teacher Study Hints On John 9:1-17]
[Easy to Print -- Large Print: Teacher Study Hints On John 9:1-17]

Verse By Verse Study Guide Class Handouts

[Easy Print: How to Use the Verse By Verse Study Guides Below]

Verse By Verse KJV John 9:1-17
Verse By Verse GNB John 9:1-17
Verse By Verse NRSV John 9:1-17

[Comprehensive Index for the International Bible Lessons Commentary]
[Comprehensive Index for the International Bible Lessons]
[Bible Lessons Archives from 2007-2012 at the original: InternationalBibleLessons.com]

Books by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. for your Nook Reader and in Paperback:
How to Pray in the Spirit: Devotional Readings [John Bunyan / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb
How God Teaches Us to Pray: Lessons from the Lives of Francis and Edith Schaeffer
Francis and Edith Schaeffer: Expanded and Updated Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition Pb
Prayer Steps to Serenity The Twelve Steps Journey: New Serenity Prayer Edition Pb
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] E-book
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb

Books by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. for your Kindle Reader and in Paperback:
How to Pray in the Spirit: Devotional Readings [John Bunyan / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb
How God Teaches Us to Pray: Lessons from the Lives of Francis and Edith Schaeffer
Francis and Edith Schaeffer: Expanded and Updated Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition Pb
Prayer Steps to Serenity The Twelve Steps Journey: New Serenity Prayer Edition Pb
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] E-book
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb

Write your comments, suggestions, and thoughts on the Bible Lesson Forum. Read the International Bible Lessons at http://internationalbiblelessons.org.

You can drop me an e-mail note using the form on the Introduction page.

— © Copyright 2012 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.

Commentary on
John 4:7-15, 23-26, 28-30

International Bible Lessons
Sunday, April 22, 2012
L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.

The International Bible Lesson (Uniform Sunday School Series) for Sunday, April 22, 2012, is from John 4:7-15, 23-26, 28-30. Five Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further follow the verse by verse International Bible Lessons Commentary below. The Study Hints for Thinking Further, which are also available on the Bible Lesson Forum, will aid teachers in class preparation and in conducting class discussion. For additional International Bible Lesson Commentaries, see the complete and comprehensive International Bible Lessons Commentary Index. The weekly International Bible Lesson is posted each Saturday before the lesson is scheduled to be taught at http://InternationalBibleLessons.org and in The Oklahoman newspaper.

To enhance a class discussion, or to begin or close your class, read the International Bible Lesson, for April 22, 2012, to your class Why We Worship the Father, based on John 4:23, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.”

International Bible Lesson Commentary

John 4:7-15

(John 4:7)  A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

The Samaritans were descended from those who remained in the Kingdom of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) after it was destroyed in 722 BC and the 10 northern tribes were dispersed among other nations and peoples. The survivors who remained in that area intermarried with the foreigners that the Assyrians brought to live in the conquered northern kingdom. The Samaritans believed in and practiced the teachings of the first five books of the Old Testament (their scriptures). They believed in the prophecies Moses recorded about a coming Savior, the Messiah. Samaritans exist today and make an effort to offer sacrifices according to the five books of Moses.

(John 4:8)  (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.)

The shortest distance to travel from Galilee to Jerusalem and back was to go through Samaria, the former northern kingdom or former Kingdom of Israel. The disciples carried a common purse that Judas kept as their treasurer. They would stop from town to town as they traveled to buy food. Though the Jews and Samaritans were prejudiced against each other, they could both obey the law of Moses regarding food regulations.

(John 4:9)  The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)

Bible scholars speculate about the profession of this woman who had been married more than once. Perhaps because of her moral character, she did not want to go to the well with the other women in the city. She was alone with Jesus when He asked her for a drink, and He would have drank the water she drew out of her container. Jews would seldom if ever do this, for they would be afraid to become ritually unclean.

(John 4:10)  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

Jesus was “the gift of God” – remember “God gave His only Son” (John 3:16). Jesus was the expression of the merciful, forgiving love of God for all people – even Samaritans and people of questionable moral character. Jesus was the Messiah, Who was asking her for a drink. If she had known these things, she would have asked Jesus to meet her moral and spiritual needs.

(John 4:11)  The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?

The Samaritan woman spoke freely and openly with Jesus. She did not know what Jesus meant by “living water.” She only knew of one water – the water in the well and she saw that Jesus had no way to draw out that water. She probably deducted that Jesus meant a water other than the Samaritan well water, but she probed Him for clarification.

(John 4:12)  Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?”

The Samaritans honored Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (the same as the Jews). God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. The descendents of 10 of Israel’s 12 sons (10 of the 12 tribes of Israel) composed the kingdom of Israel. The woman did know about and believe in the Messiah that God was going to send, because His coming is foretold in the Bible books accepted by the Samaritans and there was much Messianic expectation everywhere at that time. She wanted to know if Jesus was greater than their greatest ancestor, Jacob, who became the father of the 12 tribes. She could think of no one greater than Jacob other than the Messiah who was to come.

(John 4:13)  Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,

First, Jesus spoke to her about the physical water that meets physical needs. We know that after we drink physical water we will need more physical water later and our body will tell us when we need to have a drink of water. On a deeper level, the teachings of Moses and the law of Moses that the Jews and Samaritans both accepted would not completely and forever satisfy their spiritual thirst.

(John 4:14)  but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”

Jesus came to give spiritual water, spiritual truths, and a spiritual presence with God that will totally and forever satisfy our spiritual needs. When we take Jesus and His teaching into our hearts, mind, and soul, then the truth and presence of Jesus keep satisfying us more and more and give us the blessings of eternal life now and forever.

(John 4:15)  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

After hearing Jesus, the woman kept her attention on physical water. Before the next verse in this International Bible Lesson, Jesus talked to her about her past relationships and moral character. Many people today take running water in their homes for granted, and this woman naturally wanted to avoid the labor of drawing water from a well and carrying it back to her home.

John 4:23-26

(John 4:23)  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.

Jesus answered her questions about the proper location for worship. He told her that physical locations for worship are not important. With billions of people becoming followers of Jesus during the past 2000 years, physical location could not be important for this many people to come together for worship. Where the place of worship is essential at various times in some religions, sometimes hundreds of worshipers are trampled to death as they gather together or disperse. Worshiping God “spiritually” and “truthfully” and as “the Father” from the heart and mind is important to God, and always will be important to God the Father.

(John 4:24)  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

God is Spirit, not a golden calf or any other physical representation of God. God is not material, but spiritual. So, believers must worship God with their mind on the basis of the truth about God, the truth revealed by the Bible. Jesus came to reveal the truth about God. In worship, we mentally thank God for the truth He has revealed in Jesus, and praise Him for Who He is and what He does.

(John 4:25)  The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.”

With this statement, the woman revealed her faith in the Messiah who was to come. She believed what the Bible taught about the Messiah and His coming in as much of the Bible as the Samaritans claimed to be inspired by God (the first five books, also known as the five books of Moses). She believed that when the Messiah came, He would proclaim the truth that would explain and settle all theological arguments. When she expressed her faith in the truth she knew, Jesus confirmed her belief and pointed to himself as the Messiah.

(John 4:26)  Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”

In this verse, Jesus boldly proclaimed to her that He was the Messiah; furthermore, as the Messiah He was speaking to her, a Samaritan woman, and He was clarifying and explaining and settling once and for all time her theological questions. Others may have these or similar questions later, and these are the answers of the Messiah on how to worship God the Father, and that true worship is of God the Father according to Jesus’ teachings.

(John 4:27)  Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” (Verse 27 was not included in the original lesson, but is here.)

The disciples expressed the typical viewpoint of both men and Jews. In this verse, they did not express the ideas of Jesus and His way of treating either women or Samaritans. They had not been with Jesus long enough to recognize the fact that Jesus did not hold any prejudice or resentment against those of a different gender or race. God and Jesus loved the world, and Jesus did not come to condemn the world. He came to save everyone who would believe in Him, and that included women and Samaritans (and those of all races).

John 4:28-30

(John 4:28)  Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people,

When the woman heard Jesus claim to be the Messiah that they expected (and not because the disciples had said anything to her), she went back into the city and spoke to the people. When Jesus had told her that “salvation is from the Jews,” He was not being racist or claiming the Jews were superior to Samaritans (see John 4:22). Rather, Jesus was explaining that the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah (which was in the southern kingdom). This was a fulfillment of prophecy by Jacob as recorded by Moses (see Genesis 49:8-10).

(John 4:29)  “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?”

Jesus fulfilled, would fulfill, and will completely fulfill the prophecy in Genesis 49:8-10. He was of the tribe of Judah. He was a Jew. He was the long-expected Messiah. He was the fulfillment of the prophecy given by their ancestor Jacob in Genesis. The woman did not claim that Jesus was the Messiah, because she knew she would not be believed (perhaps because of her past actions). She told them what Jesus had done for her (both Jesus and the townspeople knew her past). Then, she asked them a question (as though seeking their help), so they could go and meet Jesus and decide for themselves based on their experiences.

(John 4:30)  They left the city and were on their way to him.

The people of the city at that time expected that the Messiah would come someday. They believed; they had faith. But none of them had met the Messiah. On the basis of their faith in their scriptures and the woman’s testimony about what Jesus had done, they left the city to meet Jesus. He spoke to those who came to Him. John recorded the result of their meeting Jesus, “Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world’” (John 4:39-42).

[Easy to Print: Commentary on John 4:7-15, 23-26, 28-30]
[Easy to Print -- Large Print: Commentary on John 4:7-15, 23-26, 28-30]

Five Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further

1. When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman, what example did He give?

2. Why do you think Jesus emphasized that what He had to give her was “the gift of God”?

3. What type of worshipers does God the Father seek?

4. Why do you think Jesus revealed to her directly, instead of indirectly as He often did with some, that He was the Messiah?

5. Why might the woman’s testimony about Jesus and what He had done have influenced the townspeople to go out and meet Him? Why was her question more important to them than if she had simply declared that she had met the Messiah?

Teacher Study Hints for Thinking Further

[Easy to Print: Teacher Study Hints On John 4:7-15, 23-26, 28-30]
[Easy to Print -- Large Print: Teacher Study Hints On John 4:7-15, 23-26, 28-30]

Verse By Verse Study Guide Class Handouts

[Easy Print: How to Use the Verse By Verse Study Guides Below]

Verse By Verse KJV John 4:7-15, 23-26, 28-30
Verse By Verse GNB John 4:7-15, 23-26, 28-30
Verse By Verse NRSV John 4:7-15, 23-26, 28-30

[Comprehensive Index for the International Bible Lessons Commentary]
[Comprehensive Index for the International Bible Lessons]
[Bible Lessons Archives from 2007-2012 at the original: InternationalBibleLessons.com]

Books by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. for your Nook Reader and in Paperback:
How to Pray in the Spirit: Devotional Readings [John Bunyan / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb
How God Teaches Us to Pray: Lessons from the Lives of Francis and Edith Schaeffer
Francis and Edith Schaeffer: Expanded and Updated Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition Pb
Prayer Steps to Serenity The Twelve Steps Journey: New Serenity Prayer Edition Pb
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] E-book
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb

Books by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. for your Kindle Reader and in Paperback:
How to Pray in the Spirit: Devotional Readings [John Bunyan / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb
How God Teaches Us to Pray: Lessons from the Lives of Francis and Edith Schaeffer
Francis and Edith Schaeffer: Expanded and Updated Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition E-book
Prayer Steps to Serenity: Daily Quiet Time Edition Pb
Prayer Steps to Serenity The Twelve Steps Journey: New Serenity Prayer Edition Pb
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] E-book
Principles of Prayer [Charles Finney / L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.] Pb

Write your comments, suggestions, and thoughts on the Bible Lesson Forum. Read the International Bible Lessons at http://internationalbiblelessons.org.

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— © Copyright 2012 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.