2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES
Wednesday in the Word
Second Baptist Church
May 21, 2025
John 1:35-Chapter 2:22
In our last meeting, we introduce the gospel of John. Let’s do some recall. Where did John begin his gospel? What are some things John says about Jesus? What does John say about John the Baptist? How does John the Baptist’s ministry show us how to do ministry today? What messianic title did John the Baptist give Jesus? Verses 35-37. Perhaps the greatest reflection on John’s (the Baptist) character is the way in which he encourages his disciples to cease following him and to begin following Jesus as the Messiah. When John the Baptist sees Jesus, he identifies Him to his two disciples as the “Lamb of God.” The two disciples with John at that time leave John and set out after Jesus. This is precisely what John intended. He couldn’t be happier that Jesus was taking some of “his” disciples. He knew this is what he has been called to do–to prepare men to leave him and to follow the Messiah.
Verses 38-39. The two disciples came along side of Jesus and Jesus asks them what they want. The two disciples respond with their own question concerning where Jesus was staying. Their question spoke volumes. They were saying to Jesus that we want to know where you stay so we can stay there as well. They were saying with their question that we were ready to follow you wherever you stayed or went. Jesus responded by telling them to come and they followed him to the place where he was staying.
Verses 40-42. Andrew was one of the two disciples that began to follow Jesus. After spending time with Jesus, Andrew immediately goes and gets his brother Simon. Andrew tells Simon that they have found the Christ or Anointed One. When Simon reaches Jesus, Jesus gives Simon the name Peter meaning rock. Peter is not a rock at this point, but he will become one after the Lord is finished with him. Jesus sees us as what we will be and not what we were or are at the present. That is encouraging.
Verses 43-49. The next day Jesus finds Philip and calls him to follow as a disciple. Philip goes to tell his brother Nathanael that he has found the Christ. He told Nathanael that the Christ is Jesus of Nazareth the son of Joseph. Nathanael is a little puzzled by the fact that Jesus is from the slums of Nazareth. Philip still takes Nathanael to come and see Jesus. As they approach, Jesus calls out to Nathanael and tells him about his character. These words stop Nathanael in his tracks. He has not yet met Jesus, nor even talked with him, and yet Jesus describes his heart and his character accurately. Nathanael wonders how Jesus knows him. Then Jesus says he saw Nathanael under the fig tree earlier. People would often sit under fig trees and pray or meditate on God’s word. Nathanael knows Jesus was not there and the only way he could have seen him was by the Spirit of God. It is possible that Nathanael had a vision or a dream and when Jesus referred to it he recognized that Jesus was aware of something that only Nathanael and God knew. Nathanael quickly declares the Jesus is the son of God.
Verses 50-51. Jesus responds to Nathanael’s declaration by letting him know that he believed because Jesus referred to a revelation he had. Jesus wanted to let him know that he would see even greater signs than that. Jesus describes that he would see angels ascending and descending on the Son of God.
The first miracle of Jesus. This miracle is significant for it marks the entire ministry of Jesus. The turning of the water into wine is significant because it represents the marriage of the old covenant and the new covenant. This miracle symbolizes the way in which God would now replace the law with grace and replace the ceremony with the spirit. What Jesus will show is that the best that God has to offer didn’t come earlier, but later. Jesus is that very thing that replaces the things in our lives that could not satisfy and were always coming up short. This wedding miracle is a sign pointing to Jesus as the new thing that God is doing. This miracle shows us that Jesus is that new and better covenant that God is offering. A covenant not based on our works or our power, but on his supernatural power. Our satisfaction and salvation are based on God’s generous gifts; not our good deeds.
Chapter 2:1-2. We find Jesus in Cana attending a traditional Hebrew wedding. According to the Jewish history, the wedding would take place on a Wednesday if the bride was a virgin and on a Thursday if she was a widow. The bridegroom and his friends made their way in procession to the bride’s house. This was often done at night, when there could be a spectacular torchlight procession. There were speeches and expressions of goodwill before the bride and groom processed to the groom’s house, where the wedding banquet was held. Jesus is invited as a Blend or relative. His mother is there in an assisting capacity which would lead us to believe the wedding is of a family member. Up till this moment, Jesus is just an invited guest, he is not involved in the wedding, just a guest at the banquet. There is a difference between an invitation and getting involved. An invitation, just request one’s presence, but involvement looks for one’s presence to be felt. As the wedding continued, the wine was beginning to run out. Either no more wine is available, or there is no money to buy more wine. This would be a most embarrassing outcome for the groom’s family. Some scholars record that one could be sued for running out of wine. Mary went to her son and requested that he do something since there was no more wine. Mary knew what to do when the wine ran out. No one else went to Jesus. Wine running out is a metaphor of our efforts coming up short or our circumstances no longer able to sustain us.
Verses 4-5. Jesus asks his mother why she would involve him in this matter. Jesus tells his mother that his time to reveal himself had not come yet. Jesus doesn’t say he will or will not grant her request. His mother simply turns to the servants and informs them that they are to do whatever Jesus asks them to do. Mary shows great faith. She doesn’t have to tell Jesus what to do, whatever he does will be great. How often have we told the Lord how to handle something instead of just submitting to the Lord taking care of it as he saw fit? Mary did not consider the details of what needed to be done. Leave the details to the Lord. He has this.
Verses 6-7. The Old Testament Law required various washings, but to the Pharisees and some others this was not enough. According to Mark 7:1-5 the Pharisees had many rules with regards to washing. A traditional Jewish wedding ceremony might have required many ceremonial cleansings. To facilitate these washings, a substantial amount of water was kept on hand. Nearby are six large stone water pots. Each pot has a capacity of between 20 and 30 gallons of water, a total of around 150 gallons. Jesus instructs the servants to fill each of the six water pots to the brim with water. Normally the water that was used for washing wasn’t the water that many would use as drinking water. Nevertheless, the servants obey Jesus. 400 cups in each, 4800 servings. Wine is 98% water. 2% is acids, sugar, flavors and ingredients.
Verses 8-11. Jesus then instructs the disciples to take the wine to the banquet captain. This is the person who was responsible for the event. He would be seen now as a wedding coordinator. When the banquet captain taste the wine, he is shocked. He calls for the groom and tells him that this is quite unusual for the best wine to be brought out at the end. Typically the good wine would be used first, and when the guests became tipsy, the cheap wine would be inserted to save money since the people would be too drunk to know that they were getting the cheap stuff. This practice of switching the wine is symbolic of what the devil does. The devil slowly seduces us with something that seems good only to switch it with something of lesser quality when we are too far gone to recognize we are being tricked. Jesus does the opposite of the devil by giving you better instead of worst. This was the first miracle of Jesus that led his disciples to put their faith in him.
Verses 12-14. Jesus leaves the wedding and travels with his disciples and family to Capernaum for the Passover festival. When Jesus arrives in the temple, he sees the activities in the courtyard of the gentiles and decides he will run the merchants out. The merchants and money changers were using a sacred space to make profits for themselves. They were selling products at inflated prices and giving low rates of exchange for foreign currency used by pilgrims wishing to purchase items for sacrifices. They merchants were profiting off the people’s desire to serve God. (see Deut. 14:22-27) These pilgrim worshipers would have to pay the half-shekel temple tax in the coinage of the temple, and thus foreign monies were unacceptable and had to be exchanged for the proper coins. These worshippers also had to offer up their sacrifices, and for many of these travelers, the only solution was to buy a sacrificial animal there in Jerusalem. Those who attempted to bring their own sacrificial animals may very well have had them “rejected” by the temple priests and thereby were forced to purchase “approved” animals at much higher prices. The animals were originally sold outside the city, but by the time of Jesus, the priests had figured a way to profit by having their own approved vendors who would sell the animals that they would approve. The same gouging no doubt took place at the money-exchangers’ tables.
Verses 15-16. Jesus sees this brazen display of profiteering and decides to make a whip and run theses so called businessmen out of the temple courts. Jesus chastises the people for turning the place of worship and praise into a place of profit. The house of God is not a place of profit but praise. These men had turned a convenience into an opportunity to cheat and profit. Churches are for worship; markets are for profit,
Verses 17-22. The Jews questioned Jesus concerning his authority to run the merchants out of the temple. Jesus tells them that he will demonstrate his authority one day by rebuilding the temple after it is destroyed. Of course he wasn’t talking about the actual temple, but he was talking about his resurrection The Jews responded by saying it took 46 years to build the temple so he could he rebuild the temple in 3 days. It wasn’t until after his death and resurrection that his disciples remembered and believed these words.
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