PLEASE BE A BLESSING TO US!

Roof Contribution Announcement

 

Matthew 16:18 ESV

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

 

New Bethel AME Church is asking for your assistance, as we continue to maintain our local assembly for a place of fellowship and worship.  We have a goal to obtain funding to replace our roof by the end of this calendar year.  We are asking you to partner with us in making a monthly or one-time donation.  There are multiple ways to make your contribution.  Please feel free to give online via New Bethel’s website (http://www.newbethelameredtop.com), via the donate icon, Givelify, or mail your contribution to the address listed below. Please add the comment ‘roof donation’. We appreciate your continued efforts

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Sunday School Lesson

October 27

Lesson 9 (KJV)

Grateful Faith

 

Devotional Reading: John 13:3–11

Background Scripture: Luke 7:36–50

Luke 7:37–48

37. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

 

38. And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

 

39. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

 

40. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.

 

41. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

 

42. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?

 

43. Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
44. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

 

45. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

 

46. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

 

47. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

 

48. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

 

 

Key Verse

[She] stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.—Luke 7:38

Lesson Aims

1. Summarize the account of Jesus’ anointing by the woman of Luke 7.

 

2. Contrast the grateful behavior of the admittedly sinful woman with the ingratitude of the self-righteous Pharisee.

 

3. Suggest a specific action he or she can take in the coming week to display gratitude for forgiveness.

 

 

HOW TO SAY IT

alabaster	al-uh-bas-ter.
Bethany	Beth-uh-nee.
Capernaum	Kuh-per-nay-um.
Judea	Joo-dee-uh.
Nain	Nay-in.
Pharisees	Fair-ih-seez.

Introduction

1. Saying “Thank You”

Why is it so hard to say “thank you”? If you think it is not, then you are not the parent of a high school graduate who has received gifts of congratulations. If you are such a parent, you probably recall begging, pleading, cajoling—‌perhaps even threatening—to get the appropriate thank-you notes written!

Some people see a distinction between nongratitude and ingratitude. Robert Emmons, for example, makes a distinction between two attitudes that do not say thank you. Nongratitude is mere forgetfulness, but ingratitude is actively negative and meant to punish another. Others like Gina Barreca, however, see no gray areas: a person who is thankful says so, and one who isn’t, doesn’t. She considers laziness in saying “thank you” a symptom not of forgetfulness but of a lack of thankfulness. This in turn reveals deeper character flaws.

This debate can go on, but there is no question that showing gratitude is a virtue that befits the disciple of Jesus. When Jesus healed 10 men with leprosy, He was disturbed that 9 of them never thanked Him (Luke 17:11–19). Jesus’ obvious implication was that all 10 should have given thanks. So who is more likely to thank Jesus for His work: a religious leader or a notorious sinner?

1. Lesson Context

Jesus was invited to dine in the home of a Pharisee (Luke 7:36). The Pharisee’s motive for this invitation is not given immediately (see commentary on 7:40). He may have wanted a time of quiet conversation with Jesus (compare the Pharisee Nicodemus in John 3). More likely, the Pharisee had less than honorable intentions. By this time in Jesus’ ministry, the Pharisees have already shown themselves to be hostile to Jesus’ work. Luke 6:1–11 records two events in which they opposed Jesus. We might be surprised that Jesus accepted the invitation in the first place knowing the potential hostility of His host. If so, we’ll be even more surprised to learn that He accepts at least one more such invitation (Luke 11:37).

The Pharisee’s invitation in today’s lesson does not mention any other guests, not even whether Jesus’ disciples were invited. But apparently others were included in the invitation, perhaps additional Pharisees, since “they … sat at meat with him” and judged what they saw and heard while eating (Luke 7:49). Their presence as well as their attitude adds to our suspicion that Jesus was invited to this dinner as an occasion to mock or question Him in some way (see on Luke 7:44b, below).

This dinner party occurred not long after the centurion’s servant was healed (see lesson 8). The location is not stated; it could have been in Capernaum since that city was something of a headquarters for Jesus’ ministry (Matthew 4:13; Mark 2:1). While the healing of the centurion’s servant did occur in Capernaum (Luke 7:1–10), we know Jesus left there and was in Nain, where He raised a dead man to life (7:11–17). The dinner in the Pharisee’s home happens sometime after those events (7:36). Following today’s text, Jesus toured “every city and village” of Galilee (8:1), so the anointing in the Pharisee’s home could have been in nearly any of them.

Each of the Gospels reports on an anointing of Jesus by a woman while Jesus was attending a dinner. As a result, some believe each reports on the same event. While showing some similarities, the anointing recorded in the other Gospels (see Matthew 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9; John 12:1–8) is almost certainly a separate, later event (see John 12:1). Each of the other accounts locates the event in Bethany in Judea (Matthew 26:6; Mark 14:3; John 12:1), while Luke’s account belongs to the Galilean ministry (Luke 4:14–9:51). John specifically identifies the woman as Mary of Bethany, whose reputation is certainly not that of a notorious sinner (compare Luke 7:37 with John 11:1–5, 28–32).

1. The Sinful Woman

(Luke 7:37, 38)

1. Arrival (v. 37)
2. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment.

 

Dinner parties, often hosted in a courtyard, frequently include people the host has specifically invited and others who come to listen to or see a guest of honor. Uninvited people are allowed to come and participate as spectators. This custom emboldens the woman to come to the dinner, even though she is known as a sinner. This suggests that she is a prostitute or adulteress. Likely there are several uninvited guests, and she is able to slip in unnoticed. She does not come out of curiosity or boredom; she comes on a mission to see Jesus.

The woman who anointed Jesus in Bethany (see the Lesson Context) also had an alabaster box (Matthew 26:7; Mark 14:3). This is one of the similarities that has led to the confusion of one event with the other. Such containers are appropriate containers for various oils, though other materials are also used.

Mark 14:3–5 establishes both the nature and value of the ointment in the other account. But no such specifics are noted in the scene before us. Even so, this may be a great sacrifice on her part.

For host and guests to sit while dining indicates a posture of reclining, the custom of the day. Low tables require that guests lie on their sides, leaning on their elbows and eating with their right hands. The significance of these facts is seen in the next verse.

1. Breakdown (v. 38)

38a. And stood at his feet behind him weeping.

Because the guests are reclining around the table, the woman has an opportunity to stand behind Jesus at his feet. The reason for her emotion is not readily known (see commentary on Luke 7:47, below). But her reaction to Jesus’ presence is obvious to everyone in attendance as she stands weeping.

 

38b. And began to wash his feet with tears.

 

After an unspecified length of time, the unnamed woman changes posture from standing to kneeling near Jesus. That’s the only way for her to be able to be in a position to wash his feet with tears.

 

38c. And did wipe them with the hairs of her head.

 

There’s more than meets the eye here as the woman uses the hairs of her head as a washcloth. Women’s hair of this era is meant to be bound up. Therefore this woman’s letting her hair down is quite a departure from propriety. This act further suggests that she is lost in the moment with Jesus. She does not consider what anyone else might see or think.

 

38d. And kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

 

Perhaps the woman has come intending to anoint Jesus’ head (compare Matthew 26:7; Mark 14:3). But for reasons unknown she does not do so. Instead, she anoints His feet, as Mary also will do (John 12:3; see Lesson Context).

This act of anointing Jesus recalls the definition of Messiah—“anointed one.” Priests, prophets, and kings experienced anointing in Israel. Jesus fulfills all these roles (Matthew 21:11; 27:11, 37; John 4:44; 18:37; Hebrews 7:23–28). Thus this anointing is more appropriate than anyone in the room (other than Jesus) realizes!

 

What Do You Think? What are some tangible, visible ways we can express gratitude to God?   Digging Deeper What expressions of such gratitude are best kept private, if any? Why?

1. The Host and His Guest

(Luke 7:39–43)

1. Pharisee’s Thought (v. 39)
2. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

 

The Pharisees frown on associations between “good” and “bad” people. A frequent complaint of theirs about Jesus is that He spends time with sinners. That was the issue after the calling of Matthew/‌Levi earlier (Luke 5:29, 30; compare 15:1, 2; 19:1–7). Shortly before this event in the Pharisee’s home, Jesus himself confirmed that He has a reputation as “a friend of publicans and sinners” (7:34).

The host (whose name is Simon, per the next verse) makes a mental note of Jesus’ “failure.” Likely Simon wants to discuss it with his friends later, though all other Pharisees in attendance no doubt have noticed as well. This criticizing thought betrays the Pharisee’s ulterior motive for inviting Jesus: Simon doesn’t want to learn; he wants to find fault. Perhaps Jesus’ Pharisee host was not present at the time when Jesus acknowledged being friends with sinners. Otherwise, Simon would know that Jesus does indeed spend time with sinners, even eating with them.

Because Jesus allows this woman to touch His feet and anoint Him, the Pharisee thinks that Jesus must not realize that this woman is a sinner. Since Jesus does not know her character, so Simon’s thinking goes, then He cannot be a prophet. A prophet would know such things! But Simon the Pharisee operates from a false premise: he cannot establish what Jesus knows or does not know about the woman because Jesus has already demonstrated a willingness to associate with sinners (see on Luke 7:47, below).

 

What Do You Think? How should we respond, if at all, when others question our associating with certain people?   Digging Deeper In what circumstances should we heed the challenge of other believers about such associations?

An Unexpected Answer

I began my Christian college teaching career at a small college in the Midwest. In those days, Christians tended to see moral issues in more black-and-white terms than today. For example, in regard to alcohol, the consensus among most Christians was that it absolutely should be avoided.

In this cultural setting, someone hypothetically asked the president of the college, “Would the school accept a million-dollar gift from the brewery down the road?” The president answered, “If the brewery wanted to give the school a million dollars, we’d baptize it and use it for God’s glory!” His answer was tongue-in-cheek, but it didn’t sit well with the questioner.

The Pharisee expected Jesus to confirm his prejudice against others and affirm his black-and-white view of the world. The Lord looks a bit deeper into human hearts than we can! What assumptions do you hold that Jesus might call into question?

—C. R. B.

1. Jesus’ Parable (vv. 40–42)
2. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.

 

The name of the Pharisee is delayed until this point. In Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts of an anointing, the host is also named Simon (Matthew 26:6; Mark 14:3; contrast John 12:1, 2). Though this could lead to the conclusion that these are the same events, one very significant detail sets Luke’s account apart from those of Matthew and Mark. In the latter two accounts, Simon is referred to as a “leper,” not a Pharisee. The fact that he is called a leper and yet is able to host a social occasion suggests he has been healed by Jesus. Such a person would be unlikely to treat Jesus as will the host of this dinner (see on Luke 7:44–46, below).

Jesus’ attention-getting Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee serves to rouse the man from his faulty chain of thinking. Jesus wants the man’s full attention, and He gets it.

 

41. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

 

Pence is the plural of penny. One coin represents a day’s pay for a common laborer (see Matthew 20:2). Five hundred pence, then, represents about a year and a half’s wages. Even so, the lesser debt here is still significant.

To repay the debt, either borrower would have to make substantial sacrifices. The one owing fifty pence could perhaps make enough such sacrifices to repay the debt. The other borrower, however, is certainly beyond his ability to repay; he will never scrimp and save enough.

 

42a. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both.

 

The parable ends with a dramatic surprise. For one borrower, this goodwill produces a convenience: he no longer has to worry about being extra frugal for a few months to save up the 50 pence he owes. For the other, it is lifesaving. Hopelessly in debt, he and his family faced the specter of being sold into forced servitude to repay the debt (see Matthew 18:25).

 

What Do You Think? What modern metaphors or analogies might we use to help someone understand the depth of God’s grace and forgiveness?   Digging Deeper What are some dangers in using such a technique?

42b. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?

 

The lender shows love to both borrowers by forgiving the debt. Such generosity expects a response of love in return. The question assumes that one or the other will feel greater love.

1. Simon’s Response (v. 43)
2. Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

 

Simon recognizes that greater forgiveness inspires greater love. He may not yet see that he is about to be rebuked for his own evil thinking in regard to Jesus (see commentary on Luke 7:39, 47).

III. The Guest

(Luke 7:44–48)

1. On Hospitality (vv. 44–46)

44a. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman?

 

Of course Simon sees the woman! He has just been regarding her with contempt (see Luke 7:39). Simon might realize now that Jesus is about to turn the tables.

 

44b. I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

 

Jesus calls attention to Simon’s own failures as a host. He has not accorded his guest the usual comforts demanded by cultural mores of hospitality. The host must provide water and a servant to wash his guests’ feet. Simon has not done that, at least not for Jesus. (One wonders whether the others at the table have received this kindness.) Jesus’ feet would have remained dirty and dusty were it not for the actions of the woman.

The Pharisee’s failure to extend the usual courtesies of a host to a guest gives credence to the idea that the host has no intention of honoring Jesus. In contrast, the sinful woman has corrected Simon’s inhospitable reception by honoring Jesus in a most humbling way.

 

45. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

 

Customary hospitality also includes a greeting with a kiss. It shows a measure of affection, as one would expect from a well-intentioned host to his guests. Once again, the woman has supplied what was lacking on Simon’s part. Kissing Jesus’ feet and not His cheek demonstrates her humility and devotion.

 

What Do You Think? What additional hospitality can our church provide to ensure that all visitors feel welcome?   Digging Deeper To what extent, if at all, should worship services be planned to benefit unbelievers? Why?

46. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

 

To anoint another’s head with oil goes beyond the normal treatment of a guest. It is reserved for very close friends or someone whom a host especially wants to honor (compare Psalm 23:5.) This contrast demonstrates the point of the parable. The woman has supplied not just what is lacking in the treatment of Simon’s guest. She has added a special blessing that shows great love. She is not able to anoint Jesus’ head, but she has done what she could with the resources she has.

Blindsided

“I sure didn’t see that coming!”

According to those who keep track of the changes in the English language, the term blindside was first employed as a verb as early as 1960. It was used to describe a situation in a football game when, for example, a member of the defense came up from behind the quarterback or a receiver and tackled him before the target was aware of the tackler’s presence.

The term has come to have many uses since its sports-related beginning. We’ve all been in situations where news blindsided us. It could have been news of a loved one’s death, or it might be the sudden, unexplained breakdown of our heretofore perfectly running automobile.

We could say that Jesus sometimes used His parables to blindside His listener. He told Simon a story that seemed to come out of thin air. By the time Jesus finished, however, there was no way Simon could escape the conviction of Jesus’ words.

Do you need to be blindsided by Jesus for Him to get your attention?

—C. R. B.

1. On Forgiveness (vv. 47, 48)
2. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

 

Jesus here proves that He knows exactly what kind of woman has been attending Him. Her sins … are many, to be sure. But she shows a great measure of love that suggests she knows she has been forgiven.

Jesus’ declaration refutes Simon’s unspoken thought that Jesus does not possess the divinely given awareness of a prophet (see commentary on Luke 7:39, above). Jesus’ parable serves also as a rebuke to Simon’s objection that Jesus should not allow a “sinner” to touch Him. Simon never voices that contention aloud, so how does Jesus know that Simon objects to Jesus’ allowing a “sinner” to touch Him? Jesus shows He not only knows who the woman is; He also knows what Simon is thinking!

Just as likely, the woman has come in faith. Her gracious acts of anointing and kissing Jesus’ feet are done with some manner of expectation on her part. Simon, on the other hand, feels no need for anything from Jesus, least of all forgiveness. Simon believes himself to be righteous—more righteous than most people. Thus he loveth little.

 

48. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

 

Jesus not only accepts her gift; He stands up for her. He exonerates her before the scorning crowd. He sends her home with a blessing!

 

What Do You Think? What can we do to help fellow believers who have difficulty accepting the fact that God has forgiven them?   Digging Deeper How will we know when sharing Scripture passages is not working and we need to supplement with a different witness?

One wonders whether Jesus says this as much for the benefit of the others at the table as for the woman. One can only guess what the woman feels as she leaves Simon’s house. She must have come with considerable fear and trepidation. But her awareness of her need had driven her to seek out Jesus personally (compare Matthew 9:20). She must have known that she would be scorned by the Pharisee and many, if not all, of his other guests. To be able to honor Jesus is enough for her to face them all.

Luke 7:49 (not in our lesson text) records the reaction of those guests. It’s along the lines of, “Who does this Jesus think he is?” This is the second time Jesus has declared forgiveness of sins for someone (see Luke 5:20). The witnesses’ response is the same both times (5:21).

On the earlier occasion, Jesus defended His authority to forgive sins (Luke 5:22–26). Here He seems to ignore the critics. It’s the woman who is important. He turns back to the woman and says, “Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace” (Luke 7:50).

Conclusion

1. Showing Gratitude

How do we say “thank You” to Jesus? Today’s text suggests we do so by acts of kindness. Of course, we cannot minister directly to Jesus, as the grateful woman did at Simon’s house. But we can minister to our peers. We express our gratitude to God by kind acts to others (Luke 10:25–37; James 1:27; 1 John 4:20, 21). At least, we do if we are truly grateful! If God’s grace and forgiveness toward us have produced in us the kind of love they produced in this woman, then that love will show in our treatment of other people. We will show our gratitude by being gracious.

1. Prayer

O God, thank You for forgiving our many sins. May we show our love and gratitude by our loving treatment of one another. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

1. Thought to Remember

Thankfulness may consist merely of words.

Gratitude is shown in acts.

 

KID’S CORNER

How We Grow in Faith

Sunday, October 27, 2019

John 2:13-25

 

John 2:13-25

(John 2:13) The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

After Jesus’ first sign in Cana of Galilee, He went to Capernaum and then to Jerusalem with His disciples. This was the first Passover that Jesus attended with His disciples. At the Passover, He could teach many who came to Jerusalem for the feast; people He might not meet going from town to town and teaching in synagogues, on hillsides, or in homes. He was arrested two or three years later at the last Passover that He celebrated with His disciples, after He cleansed the temple once again. Jerusalem was considered the center of the universe, so the Jews always went “up” to Jerusalem; much as people today speak of going up to a larger city from a small town regardless of geographical elevation.

(John 2:14) And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.

The area in the Temple where the selling for sacrifices was taking place was reserved for worshiping God. God could not be worshiped rightly and reverently while buying and selling was taking place. The religious leaders sold offerings and exchanged foreign coins as a method to make money for themselves. Those bringing money from their home countries needed to change them into Temple shekels, and the religious leaders and moneychangers reaped a tremendous profit from the business. Many Roman coins had the face of the Roman emperor engraved upon it, and that type of coin was considered idolatrous and could not be offered in Temple worship. It had to be changed! The priests determined what animals and coins were acceptable for gifts according to their laws and traditions. People who traveled from far away to worship would wait to buy their sacrifices and exchange their coins at the Temple, and then give their gifts. However, animals to be sacrificed had to be without blemish, and the priests in the Temple could easily reject a sacrifice brought to the Temple; therefore, the moneychangers could sell an already approved animal in the Temple at a higher price. Though wealthy pilgrims might be cheated in the currency exchange and the cost of the animals; it was probably more convenient for them to buy their animals in Jerusalem rather than travel a long distance with them. On the other hand, poverty-stricken worshipers would suffer the most, for without the required offerings many would not be allowed to worship in the Temple. Temple offerings were important to the economy of Jerusalem, but they were not designed to make the chief priests and Levites wealthy. But even today some people become religious leaders for the wrong reasons.

(John 2:15) And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;

A whip would probably be needed because the sellers of animals and the moneychangers would not have left easily in response to a simple request from Jesus (or they did not leave after He requested them to leave—we are not told all the details.) Of course, Jesus could have simply moved them all out by the power of his voice, even as He commanded a storm to be still or cast demons out of a person, but He chose a means more adapted to His purpose. He demonstrated true righteous anger, the anger of our God. You might imagine the moneychangers crawling around on the floor for their spilled coins; therefore, Jesus had to drive them out with a whip to get them to leave. Sometimes our conscience, the truth of the Bible, and the convicting work of the Holy Spirit are all three needed to drive us away from our sinful practices and toward obedient faith in Jesus Christ.

(John 2:16) and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”

The doves were sold to the poorest people for them to sacrifice. Doves are often a sign of peace. The Holy Spirit descended as a dove on Jesus when He was baptized. Jesus’ concern for justice for all people is apparent, plus His concern that His Father’s house was being desecrated. The Temple was His Father’s house, literally HIS Father’s house. The LORD wanted the Temple built for people to learn of God and worship God. Jesus’ body was also the Temple of God, and His heavenly Father intended for people to learn about God and Jesus, the Son of God, from Jesus’ teaching and example. Since our bodies are the Temple of God, God expects us to use our bodies rightly as an example and for teaching about Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. God will discipline us when we refuse to use our bodies as His Holy Temple. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, the Apostle Paul wrote: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.”

(John 2:17) His disciples remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.”

Jesus first cleansed the Temple at the beginning of His ministry. Then, finding things back the way they were three years later when He went to His last Passover with His disciples—seeing that the evil religious leaders were again desecrating His Father’s house—He drove them out again. The Holy Spirit reminded the disciples of this prophecy in Psalms 69:9: “It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” This verse was interpreted as a Messianic prophecy, which Jesus fulfilled when He cleansed the Temple. Jesus did have a fiery zeal for the honor of His Father in heaven, and He demanded that those who represented His Father truly represent His Father by leading people to worship God in spirit and in truth (see John 4:23). The priests and moneychangers insulted God by their behavior in the Temple, and they also insulted Jesus during His ministry and eventually used the Roman authorities to murder Him. Jesus made judgments that required the use force sometimes to enforce the proper worship of God. The evil religious leaders in Jerusalem would not respond to reason, to the Scriptures, or to Jesus’ divine authority; so, for the sake of the true worshipers who came to the Temple, Jesus used force to drive out the moneychangers, the sheep, the cattle, and the doves that made His Father’s House anything but a House of Prayer. As our Savior from sin and condemnation, who chose to die sacrificially on the cross for us, Jesus chose to use no force against those who arrested, tried, and crucified Him. About forty years later, in AD 70, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and killed more than a million people, including many of the religious leaders. Thus, Jesus words to the Samaritan women were fulfilled: “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” (John 4:23).

(John 2:18) The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?”

When John wrote about “the Jews,” he usually meant the religious leaders. Jesus and His disciples were also Jews. Rather than seeing and doing what was right because it was right or according to the true meaning of the revealed Law of God in their scriptures, these religious leaders wanted some sign that Jesus had the authority force them to do what was right according to the Law of God. They wanted to maintain their authority to take advantage of others, and Jesus’ actions threatened their power and wealth—they worshiped money instead of God. Some people will only do what is right when forced to by a higher authority or higher power or a person stronger than themselves. For some, might makes right; they will only bow to someone mightier than themselves. These religious leaders wanted some sign that Jesus was of greater authority and had more power than they did; for they would only stop insulting God if someone could make them stop. As Jesus foretold; eventually, the Roman stopped them.

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

Because these leaders had no interest in doing what was right or honoring to God, Jesus refused to say anything that would lead them into more wrongdoing—attack or stone Him, for example—it was not His time to die. In addition, He needed to teach His disciples and other followers many more truths, and He did not want them scared away by these religious leaders before He completed His teaching. He knew that the Holy Spirit would remind His disciples of His words and interpret their true meaning for them.

(John 2:20) The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”

The Jewish leaders misinterpreted Jesus, as He intended. At the same time, He wanted to plant a seed of truth in the minds of His disciples, a truth that the Holy Spirit would help them recall later after His death and resurrection. The Jews thought of Herod’s Temple (the temple Herod had begun to rebuild). Jesus spoke of His human body as the Temple of God. The bodies of all those who love and follow Jesus are also Temples of God.

(John 2:21) But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

Note: in John 2:19, Jesus said, “I will raise it up.” By killing Jesus’ body on the cross, Jesus, the Son of God, was not killed as Spirit or as God. Within three days, He himself raised up His human body from the dead. His body would be glorified, a glorified human body, able to appear inside locked rooms or create and cook fish around a campfire. Only God, the Son of God, could raise himself up from the dead. When believers die, they will need God to raise them from the dead; they will not be able to do that for themselves as Jesus could do that for himself. Jesus will raise from the dead all those who love and trust Him as Lord and Savior.

(John 2:22) So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

Those who refuse to do the right things and reverence God will not understand the Scriptures rightly, just as the religious leaders did not understand Jesus’ meaning in this situation. But after Jesus was raised from the dead, the Holy Spirit helped His disciples to remember (see John 14:26). The disciples believed the Scripture they had at that time (the Old Testament) and the words Jesus spoke. He proved He spoke the truth when He raised himself from the dead. Today, the Holy Spirit still helps believers understand and properly apply the Bible’s teachings.

(John 2:23) Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.

Jesus is the Son of God and the promised Messiah. Perhaps no greater proof of Jesus’ divine nature is needed, but of course there are greater proofs, than the realization that the Temple guards did not rush into the Temple immediately during Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple to arrest Him and have Him tried and executed for what they would have considered an attack on their place of worship. Jesus could pass through hostile crowds set on His murder and Jesus could still raging storms on the sea with a word (see Luke 4:16-30 & Mark 4:37-41). Jesus had no problem protecting himself from arrest without visibly saying or doing anything. Rather than Jesus being arrested and put on trial, for His hour had not yet come, Jesus performed many signs in Jerusalem during the Passover festival. John called the miracles of Jesus “signs.” As signs, they amazed people and always met people’s real needs. Jesus did not do miracles as a magician to attract followers, as Simon the magician did in Samaria (see Acts 8:9-24). As signs, Jesus’ miracles revealed the true nature and character of Jesus as the Son of God, who showed forth God’s love, mercy, compassion, the motivation to help and save others, and the power of God. As John shows and tells us more signs of Jesus, we will learn more about Jesus and worship Him.

(John 2:24) But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men,

Because of Jesus’ miracles and cleansing of the Temple, thus saving people from extortion when they went to worship the LORD, the people would have publicly proclaimed Jesus as Messiah and would have tried to make Him a political king over Jerusalem and Judea, which would have led to war with Rome. But Jesus did not come into the world to set himself up as a political leader. Instead, Jesus came to teach people the truth about God and reality, to save people from their sins and grant them eternal life, to die on the cross, ascend into heaven, sit at the right hand of God the Father, and do even more after He comes again.

(John 2:25) and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

As the Son of God, Jesus knew the moral character, the motivations, and the thoughts of everyone. No one surprised Jesus by what they said or did. He knew He came to save sinners, and He knew not to entrust himself to the desires of sinners. Jesus knew that if He allowed the people to try to make Him into the political messiah that they envisioned that the more He taught them the truth and explained the purposes of His mission on earth the more they would turn from following Him, eventually leading them to reject Him (which indeed happened when His hour came). Jesus had much more to teach and show His disciples. He would not allow the crowds to do with Him as they wished or determine His destiny.

How We Grow in Faith

Sunday, October 27, 2019

John 2:13-25

 

Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. (John 2:19, 22—KJV)

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. (John 2:19, 22—NASB) Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (John 2:19, 22—NRSV) During the first Passover that Jesus celebrated with His disciples, He cleansed the temple (made of stone that King Herod had built) by driving out money changers, sheep and cattle. When the religious leaders questioned Jesus’ authority to cleanse their temple, He told them that if they destroyed “this temple” (speaking of His body) that He would raise it up in three days. During the last Passover that Jesus celebrated, the religious leaders arranged His crucifixion and destroyed “this temple.” Notice that Jesus said He himself would raise up “this temple,” “His body,” from the dead. As the Son of God, Jesus had the power to raise up His dead human body without help, glorify His body, and make His body the temple of God once again. Before the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus, John said, “for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead” (John 20:9). Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He taught the disciples some truths about His destiny that they only understood after He rose from the dead. They remembered many facts about Jesus and His applications of the Scriptures to himself only after they received the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised—that God the Father sent in Jesus’ name (see John 14:26; 20:22). Christians grow in faith as they study the scriptures Jesus studied (the Hebrew Scriptures), and as they seek to understand Jesus’ words, His life, death, and resurrection, and the Apostles’ writings in the New Testament.

Thinking Further

How We Grow in Faith

Sunday, October 27, 2019

John 2:13-25

Name ________________________

 

1. When Jesus began His ministry in Jerusalem, He found people selling animals for sacrifices in the temple, which He had seen every time He visited Jerusalem from the time He was a child growing up into manhood. How might He have felt during all those years prior to cleansing the temple?

 

 

2. Why do you think Jesus began His ministry in Jerusalem by first cleansing the temple?

 

 

3. How might the selling of animals for sacrifices have begun with good intentions and then eventually become corrupted?

 

 

4. Today, in what ways might a church become a marketplace and have an adverse effect upon the worship and service of God?

 

 

5. Why do you think Jesus purposely gave the temple authorities an obscure answer about the temple and His body?

 

 

Discussion and Thinking Further

1. When Jesus began His ministry in Jerusalem, He found people selling animals for sacrifices in the temple, which He had seen every time He visited Jerusalem from the time He was a child growing up into manhood. How might He have felt during all those years prior to cleansing the temple? We know that when Jesus was twelve, He told His parents that He knew the temple was His Father’s house: “He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’” (Luke 2:49). He may have felt angry every year when He saw His Father’s house being so dishonored, but His time to begin His ministry had not yet come. He knew He had to wait for His Father’s perfect timing before He could clean His Father’s house from the moral and spiritual corruption that He saw there. From John’s Gospel, we see that cleansing His Father’s house was one of His top priorities.
2. Why do you think Jesus began His ministry in Jerusalem by first cleansing the temple? Jesus may have established a Biblical principle when He cleansed the temple, which was the focal point for the worship of God. Possibly, Peter applied this principle to the church at a later point in time when he wrote, “For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, what will be the end for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17). Until God brings judgment (perhaps through a divinely inspired prophet or other divine means) people have little hope when the highest and most respected religious leaders and teachers are morally and spiritually corrupt and misleading and teaching false doctrines and false interpretations of the Bible.
3. How might the selling of animals for sacrifices have begun with good intentions and then eventually become corrupted? Some sincere people or religious leaders might have thought (or might have been led by God to think) that they could truly serve devout pilgrims coming to worship God in Jerusalem by providing sacrificial animals and currency exchange for them near or inside the city of Jerusalem. Over time, perhaps as the original intention was forgotten or ignored, this service to pilgrims might have been moved into the temple for the convenience of all. Eventually, making money for the religious leaders or “temple treasury” became the prime motive instead of worshiping God. The temple because as noisy as any commodities exchange or livestock auction or pen, which would make the devout, reverent, and quiet worship of God impossible.
4. Today, in what ways might a church become a marketplace and have an adverse effect upon the worship and service of God? A church might begin with a library, and then begin selling books to make money for buying more books for the library, to help church members grow spiritually and have outreach books and resources to help others come to know Christ and the Bible better. Eventually, this and other means of selling other items might be seen as a means for funding world missions, then supporting other church programs, until fund raising and selling becomes a prime focus for some instead of worshiping God and learning more about the ways of Christ for the individual believer and the church.
5. Why do you think Jesus purposely gave the temple authorities an obscure answer about the temple and His body? He knew by their question that they were not motivated by what was right or by the will of God. If He had spoken clearly to them, they would have stoned Him immediately for blasphemy or challenging their power as temple authorities. If He had not answered wisely, they might not have taken the time to have a mock trial and crucify Him as the Old Testament foretold. He would never have been able to teach the truth about God His Father and himself as the Son of God, if He had been killed too soon. He spoke obviously in a way that His disciples would later remember that would strengthen their faith in Jesus as Prophet, Savior, and Risen Lord.

Word Search

How We Grow in Faith

Sunday, October 27, 2019

John 2:13-25

Name ________________________

 

C F E C A L P T E K R A M R Z

B X H O I G R C L J B N T E Y

I E T D X A H W P D E V A V R

G F U G I A S K M W I L J O L

P I N S N E T Z E J Q F Z S G

J O E G L S E G T S X B C S E

B E E Q C B Y R B V U I E A N

Y R R L O E G A H P W S O P T

S T G U N L S N D T K N E V R

R J K O S C W C H P W H Y J U

O N M V U A M S E L L I N G S

L T Z N M T L F H C U S C K T

X D V L E T R E O A W R A J X

M H E Y P L Y D M E T E W F Q

D W V O R E X G J L S V D H G

 

Passover

Jews

Jerusalem

Temple

Selling

Cattle

Money

Changers

Marketplace

Zeal

Consume

Three

Days

Raise

Entrust

 

True and False Test

How We Grow in Faith

Sunday, October 27, 2019

John 2:13-25

Name ________________________

 

Circle the True or False answers. Correct the False statements by restating them.

1. Jesus did not want to go to Jerusalem for the Passover, because He preferred to stay in His father’s home in Nazareth. True or False
2. Jesus said it was okay to sell cattle in the Temple, but not doves, because the priests could make more money selling cattle than doves. True or False
3. Money changers in the Temple could easily defraud those who needed to change their Roman coins into coins acceptable for Temple offerings. True or False
4. As Jesus was making a whip out of cords, He might at the same time have been calling the money changers and sellers to repent. True or False
5. Jesus told the money changers to take their money home and never come back to worship in the Temple again. True or False
6. Jesus called the Temple His Father’s House. True or False
7. Jesus spoke of His body as a Temple. True or False
8. The Temple in Jerusalem had been under construction forty-six years when Jesus drove the money changers out of the Temple. True or False
9. Jesus told the Pharisees and the Sadducees that His Father would raise up His dead body after three days. True or False
10. Jesus knew what was in His disciples, but He simply could not figure out the Pharisees and the Sadducees. True or False

 

 True and False Test Answers

1. False
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. False
6. False
7. True
8. True
9. False
10. False

 

 

Prayer

O God, thank You for forgiving our many sins. May we show our love and gratitude by our loving treatment of one another. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.