Articles from the Gospel of John

The meaning of some words is cheapened by the way we use them. The word “miracle” no longer has significance among Christians because we make statements such as, It was a miracle to find Oreos on sale or Finding a parking spot at the mall was a miracle today.

            In his book, The Case for Miracles, Lee Strobeldefines miracles this way: “miracles are outside the normal course of events. They’re a supernatural exception to the way the world usually works.”[1] Richard Purtill, who was professor emeritus of philosophy at Western Washington University taught that a “miracle is an event (1) brought about by the power of God that is (2) a temporary (3) exception (4) to the ordinary course of nature (5) for the purpose of showing that God has acted in history.”[2]

            In John 6 we read about one of many miracles that Jesus performed. Because of the miracles Jesus had already done “a large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick” (John 6:2).[3] This “crowd” included 5,000 men (John 6:10b). The two most recent miracles this crowd saw were the healing the son of a Royal Official (John 4) and healing a paralyzed man (John 5). Because a large group of people had been following Jesus for an extended period of time, the disciples and Jesus needed to find a way to feed these people.

            But there is a problem we learn about from Philip,“Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little” (John 6:7b). Two hundred denarii is the equivalent of $51,680 dollars to someone living in Washington state in 2022. (The NIV translates it as “more than half a year’s wages.”)[4] $51,680 would not be enough money to purchase enough bread for everyone to have some. Here, the problem according to Philip is simple: there’s not enough finances.

            We also learn about the problem from Andrew, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” (John 6:9). The five barley loaves of this young child were common in the Mediterranean diet. They were leavened a little, formed into small disks about 4-5 inches in diameter, and then baked. Imagine five small disks of bread with two small seasoned fish that was a meal for a small boy.

            Next Jesus speaks about the problem saying,“Have the people sit down” (John 6:10a). Thus far we’ve seen three “not enoughs.” There’s not enough money to buy food to feed the people.  There’s not enough food to feed the people. And there’s not enough faith. They are stuck. But Jesus essentially says, I am enough and in doing so He tells them to “sit down” which let them know a meal is about to come. (If you are going to have a snack you can stand; if you are going to eat a full meal you sit.) Having the people sit down also showed that the people are not participating in the preparation or provision of the meal.            

            “Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted” (John 6:11). This was a miracle following the true meaning of that word. It was supernatural and was an exception to the ordinary course of nature. The miracle was a defining moment for those who saw the Son of God supernaturally providing for needs that no one else could perform. And in the process shows that Jesus cares for us and meets our needs when we are in tough situations.   

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[1] Lee Strobel, The Case for Miracles (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 252.

[2] Richard L. Purtill, “Defining Miracles,” in In Defense of Miracles: A Comprehensive Case for God’s Action in History, ed. R. Douglas Geivett and Gary R. Habermas (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1997), 71. Quoted in Lee Strobel, The Case for Miracles (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 27.

[3] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

[4] So a denarii was roughly one day’s wage for the average worker. It represented 8 months of work since they worked six days per week. Now in our culture we work five days per week, so it’s roughly 10 months of work. And the average salary in Washington state is $62,020 per year. Which is $5,168 per month, which is $51,680 in our currency right now.

For more than three years I struggled with back pain every single day. I hoped a quick fix would remove it. Maybe an inversion table, an insole in my shoe, a pain pill, physical therapy, or a surgery. But none of those things I thought would help did. Instead, God provided a different solution (which I will share later).

            I’m sure you have pain too. Your pain might be physical like mine, or it might be emotional. A family member abandoned you. A best friend betrayed you. A coworker criticized you. Your pain might be spiritual. Someone in the church was legalistic and rigid with you. Someone from the church wasn’t there for you when you asked for help and needed it the most. Someone that was supposed to keep your confidence in the church spread your secrets to others.

            What I know about you and I is that we all have pain in our lives: physical, mental, or spiritual.

            In John 5 we read about a man that had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years (John 5:5). Many years he had hoped to be cured (John 5:7). The man had a mechanism by which he thought he could be cured, but that had not worked (John 5:2-4, 6). After seeing this man Jesus tells him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk” (John 5:8, NASB).[1] Then John tells us, “Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day” (John 5:9).

            Based on this man’s healing we learn that God sometimes fixes things in unexpected ways. We might be tight on money and think we need to get another job, but then God puts a friend in our life that shows us how to save money by cooking at home instead of eating out. We might have an old car that needs to be replaced, but the next thing we know we meet a mechanic that fixes our car for free. We might hate our job and think we need to find a new job, but then God gives us a new boss and the situation improves. Sometimes God fixes our problems in different and unique ways that we do not expect.             I told that story at the beginning of our time together about my back pain because after three years the pain slowly diminished. I wish could say that physical therapy helped it, a pill caused it to go away, or surgery was the way it diminished and it was cured. But, God has fixed it in an unexpected way: I have to keep it strong by exercising, stretch at night before I go to bed, monitor how I stand/sit/sleep, walk a lot, and eat an anti-inflammatory diet. God has almost fixed the problem, but it was not in the way I thought. I have learned—like that man lying next to the pool of water—God often fixes our problems in ways we don’t expect.

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[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

The evangelist Billy Graham shared the gospel with an estimated 215 million people.[1] Many of them responded by placing their faith in Jesus for salvation. While his sermon might have lasted only forty minutes in which someone accepted the gospel, I wonder how many of those people had people praying for their salvation for forty years.

            Rarely does someone accept the gospel the first time we share it with them. Often it takes years of conversations, prayers, and interactions with people before they accept the gospel.

            Jesus touches on this tension in the fourth chapter of John using an agricultural metaphor, “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor”(John 4:35–38, NASB).[2]

            In these verses I believe there are three lessons that Jesus is trying to teach to His disciples and to us.

            In this passage Jesus describes a harvest ready for His disciples’ time. Farmers in the first-century divided their agricultural year into six two-month periods: seedtime, winter, spring, harvest, summer, and a time of extreme heat.[3] This meant they had to wait a minimum of four months between sowing seeds and reaping the harvest. Barley is green when it’s growing, but when it ripens it turns from green to light brown. When Jesus says the fields are “white”(v. 35) He means the fields are extremely ripe. What Jesus is telling His disciples is that they don’t have to wait four months: the field is ready now! 

            In this passage Jesus describes a harvest His disciples didn’t sow. Jesus told them they would “reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor” (v. 38). The harvest Jesus describes is a harvest that was sowed by others before His disciples. Perhaps He’s referring to the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist, or His own miracles. 

            In this passage Jesus describes a harvest for us now. People in the twenty-first century wonder about God and are curious to learn more about who He is. They ask questions such as: Is there more to life than just a better job, bigger house, nicer car, and fancier vacations? Why do bad things happen to good people? How do I get through the difficulties of life?

            As we reap the harvest in front of us we benefit from someone else’s sowing. Let’s remember that the fields around us in our family, at work, and in our community are ripe and ready for harvest.

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[1] According to Samaritan’s Purse, Billy Graham preached the gospel to 215 million people in 185 different countries. See “Biography: Billy Graham” at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/media/bio-billy-graham/. Accessed May 6, 2024.

[2] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

[3] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995), 246-247.

Most of us are familiar with the story of the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. It’s an impactful story because most of us relate to her in some way.

            This woman had to face questions that most of us face in our lives. Am I worthy of salvation? If Jesus knew about my sin, what would he say? Have I done things so wrong that I can never be forgiven? My own family doesn’t want to be with me, why would God want me to be with him? If Jesus showed up, would he know who I was? Would he talk to me?

            The big idea of this story—and I think the reason that John puts it in his gospel—is that Jesus has eternal life that He offers to everyone and anyone can have that eternal life. And when we accept that eternal life we have a testimony (regardless of our good or bad past) that should be used to bring others to share in the eternal life that we enjoy

            Jesus tells this woman,“Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:13–14, NASB).[1]

            In John 4 we learn that Jesus is offering living water to everyone. Notice a few words here. He says “everyone” (v. 13) and “whoever” (v. 14). He’s not saying, “A Jew” or “a righteous person” or a “Gentile that has converted to Jewish faith.” He’s saying everyone: Samaritans, Greeks, Romans, Sinners, righteous, men, women, “everyone”is able to come to this living water.

            John puts Jesus’s words in the strongest way possible to say a negative. The text, “shall never thirst” is a translation from the Greek which reads, ou me dipsesei, which means “no not ever.” This type of Greek construction describes something that won’t happen. There is a guarantee of Jesus that once we accept this offer, we’ll never need anything ever again. 

            In John 4 Jesus declares He’s the Savior of the world. Notice if we jump to the end of the story it says Jesus is “savior to the world” (v. 42). This is John’s way of reminding us that this was his whole purpose in writing this gospel. John makes it clear that Jesus came to bring salvation for people of all races, and this story brings out that truth. The Savior is sufficient for John the Baptist, Jesus’s disciples, Nicodemus, and the Samaritan woman. John’s telling us that the Savior—the Messiah—has arrived and he’s offering salvation to everyone in everyplace.  

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[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Something was stirring in the minds and hearts of people. When Jesus cast out the money changers and animal sellers at the temple in Jerusalem a lot of people rejected Jesus as soon as He showed up. But others were interested in learning about who He was and what He was doing.

            One of those interested people was a religious man named Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee (John 3:1), ruler of the Jews (John 3:1), and teacher in Israel (John 3:10). He approached Jesus at night and asked Jesus what must be done to be born again (John 3:3). Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5, NASB).[1]

            Nicodemus was confused. The word “water” here likely refers to the ministry of John the Baptist, who was baptizing people in water as part of their repentance for their sins. And “Spirit” refers to the means that someone is indwelled by God and saved by God. This means that Nicodemus needs to repent in order to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. 

            Jesus gives an illustration of the difference between Nicodemus’s religion and God’s regeneration. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:6–8, NASB).
            As a religious leader Nicodemus and his friends tried to control people and their religion. But Jesus says God has arrived and the Spirit of God is moving in a new way.

            There’s a wordplay here that we miss. The word for Spirit and wind are the same word in Greek: pneuma which can mean “Spirit” or “wind.” And Jesus uses the word to describe how the wind blows where it wishes compared to how the Spirit works in His own way in which He wishes. Just like the wind works in unknown and unseen ways, the Spirit of God is working in new and unseen ways. Just as humans cannot control the wind, neither can humans control the Holy Spirit. Just as being born again is a mysterious and unseen act, so is the work of the Spirit.             J. Vernon McGee writes about this verse, “I can’t tell you exactly how the Spirit of God operates, but I can surely tell when He is moving in the lives and hearts of His people.”[2] That’s exactly what Jesus is saying here: the Spirit of God is moving in a way that no one can control and might not always understand. While the Pharisees tried to control people and religion, God and his Holy Spirit saves and regenerates who He wants.

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[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

[2] J. Vernon McGee, John 1-10 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 56, emphasis added.

There was a serious problem at a wedding in Cana of Galilee in the first century when the supply of wine ran out. This was a breach of etiquette in ancient near eastern culture. The groom was responsible to provide wine at his wedding celebration. There are some ancient documents that indicate a groom could face legal and financial punishment from members of a community if he didn’t provide food and wine for a week of celebration after a wedding.

            Jesus’ mother, Mary, went to Jesus and declared the problem and also asked for Jesus’ help. “When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Whatever He says to you, do it’” (John 2:3–5, NASB).[1]

            Here Mary recognizes the authority of Jesus to do what He desires. She knew He would do something so she goes to the servants at the wedding and essentially says, “get ready!” When there is a problem we need to prepare for Jesus’ help like Mary did. We don’t say, “God, here I am. Fix it.” We need to cooperate with God as He fixes it.

            If we are struggling to pay our bills and we ask Jesus for help, we need to prepare for Jesus to help us by preparing a budget. If our health is getting worse and we ask Jesus for help, we need to do everything that our doctor says will get us better. If our marriage is on the rocks and we ask Jesus for help, we need to seek counseling to get us ready for the transformation He might make in our marriage.

            When there is a problem we also need to obey God’s promptings to us to help others like the servants did. “Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the waterpots with water.’ So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, ‘Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.’ So they took it to him” (John 2:6–8, NASB).  Reading these three verses reminds us that when God puts someone on our mind or heart, we need to reach out by inviting her to coffee, call to check in, send a card in the mail, or stop by their house to check on him or her. We need to act when God works in us and shows us who needs help, just as the servants obeyed Jesus.

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[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

A model from Los Angeles contacted me on Instagram asking me to give him my Instagram handle name. He wrote, “I’ll pay you for your name on Instagram.” I responded and asked how much he would offer. (I was not going to accept the money, but I was curious how much he’d offer). After he offered several hundred dollars I responded, “I’m a Christian. You can have it for free. Jesus has been good to me and blessed me with so much. You can just have my name for free.”

            I used that interaction as an opportunity to point him to the light of Jesus. This is a ministry—pointing others to the Light of Jesus—we all have and it was the ministry of John the Baptist too.

            We live in a dark world. Even non-Christians that don’t have faith in God can agree that the world is a dark place. Because of that we need to use every opportunity to point people to the light of Jesus. The people John was writing to understood this too. John the Apostle wrote his gospel at a time when the other original disciples of Jesus had been killed because of their faith in Christ. John was the only one left alive. John writes in his gospel that God sends life seen as light. “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:4–5).[1]

            God sent someone to testify about the light, “There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man” (John 1:6–9). This man who “testified about Him” (John 1:15a) we call John the Baptist. Now there’s a few important points here we need to understand about John as we relate ourselves to him.

            Like John, we are not the Light. Jesus was the Light. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Jesus was the light, not John the Baptist. And we need to remember we are not the light, but Jesus is.

            Like John, we are supposed to point to the Light. In John 1:7a we are told about John the Baptist’s position, “He came as a witness to testify about the light.” God sent John the Baptist to help the people understand who Jesus was and what Jesus came to do. John was the interpreter for the people. This is a good reminder for us because it’s not enough to just hand someone a Bible and walk off. We can’t just read them a verse and expect them to get saved. We have to help them interpret what they read and hear about Jesus.

            Like John, we won’t always be successful, but should always be faithful. John failed, in many ways if you think about it. First, he failed to get the Jews[2] to recognize Christ when He came. John had one job to do: point to the Messiah and say, “here he is!” Many did not recognize Christ when He showed up. Second, John the Baptist also failed because some people started following him instead of looking for the Messiah. In Acts 8:25 and Acts 19:1-7 Paul encounters men who still call themselves disciples of John the Baptist more than 20 years after Jesus’s resurrection and ascension to heaven![3] Even though John the Baptist wasn’t always successful, he was faithful. And we too, should be faithful to our calling to point people to the light. We tell people we are praying for them, we send them cards that have Scripture on them, and we spend time with them.

            When I told that man on Instagram about Jesus he did not reply, Yes, I want to follow Jesus. But I was faithful to my calling to point people to Christ—to the light—whenever possible. I did what John the Baptist did: I tried to point someone to the light at every opportunity available. And that’s all our job too!

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[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

[2] It does not appear that any of the five groups of Jews (Essenes, Herodians, Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots) alive in the first century followed John the Baptist’s ministry

[3] Those same followers of John the Baptist exist today. They call themselves “Mandeans” and claim to be descendants of John the Baptist.