2016 "The Gospel of John" Lesson 4, Q3-Q5

John 3:1-8.

Q3a. verse 3 explain why Jesus talked to Nicodemus about being born again before saying anything else to him~

Because Jesus knew the subject that was in Nicodemus mind. The subject was the kingdom of God, which was the Messiah who will come and deliver them from Romans’ reign. That’s why Jesus showed Nicodemus he was completely wrong.

Q3b. learn about Nicodemus from his answer to Jesus in verse 4~ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked.

Jesus is talking spiritual and Nicodemus is taking it literally. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Therefore, it must be spiritually reborn of water and the spirit.

Q4. what Jesus meant by the word “flesh” in verse 6~

Human, be perishable, limited live, of death.

Q5a. List ways Jesus described someone who has not yet experienced spiritual birth. Why is new birth so essential?

³“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.

Who cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁵“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

Who cannot enter the kingdom of God.

John 5:24  “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

Who will be judged and die.

Ephesians 2:1, 5. Made Alive in Christ

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Q5b. From what Jesus told Nicodemus, can anyone know whether they are “born again” or not? Do you know if you are born again?

We come by simple childlike faith, and we put our faith in Jesus Christ, accept Him us our savior then we are born again.

2016 "The Gospel of John" Lesson 3, Q6~Q8

John 2:13-17.

Jesus Clears the Temple Courts

Q6. Which Jewish festival did Jesus travel to Jerusalem to celebrate? How might this festival explain the sale of ani­mals and presence of money changers? (See Exodus 12:1-11, 24-28; Deuteronomy 14:24-26; 16:5-7.)

It was the Passover and the festival of unleavened bread.

Deuteronomy 14:24-26

24 But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), 25 then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.

Q7. What lesson about anger do you learn from Jesus’ actions?

Jesus’ emotion was described as “zeal”.

“Zeal for your house will consume me.”

His anger was pure and completely justified because at its root was concern for God’s holiness and worship. Because these were at stake, Jesus took quick and decisive action.

Q8a. What Messianic prophecy did Jesus’ actions cause His disciples to remember?

Psalms 69:9, for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

Q8b. Jesus’ actions also fulfill the prophecy in Malachi 3:1-4

3 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years. 

2016 "The Gospel of John" Lesson 3, Q3~Q5

John 2:1-12.

Q3a. ~ the problem that occurred at the wedding and the embarrassment it could have caused?

At the wedding Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother worried the guests won’t be happy if they didn’t have enough wine to drink, so she asked Jesus because she knew he’s capable to help.

Q3b. ~ beginning, was Jesus’ mother’s thinking perfectly in tune with her son’s mind? 

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied.

“My hour has not yet come.”

A: No, Jesus’ mother was thinking different from her son’s mind. The timing for Jesus’ glory was not yet come.

Q4. ~ Jesus revealed about Himself in His first miraculous sign? 

Jesus had 6 empty jars of stone filled with water, which He then turned into wine. The master of the banquet proclaimed the wine Jesus had made to be superior to the wine they had served earlier, saying they had saved the best for last.

Look at the symbolism: These six stone jars normally held water used for ceremonial cleansing, an important part of Old Covenant life.  Now they contained wine, which is often associated with the New Covenant due to the Lord’s Supper.

What’s more, the wine these jars now contained was superior to the wine the wedding guests had been drinking before, just as the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8:6).  This miracle symbolized nothing less than the Mission of the Messiah; changing the empty way of man’s religion into a living, joyful, relationship with the Lord, as demonstrated by the wedding celebration.

The miracle may also be interpreted as the antitype of Moses' first public miracle of changing water (the Nile river) into blood. (Exodus 7:14-25) This would establish a symbolic link between Moses as the first savior of the Jews through their escape from Egypt and Jesus as the spiritual savior of all people.

Q5. ~ Jesus revealed His glory through this sign?

1, Jesus revealed His glory through this sign about the timing ~ for Jesus’ glory was not yet come in John 2. In John 12:23, the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

2, Jesus' glory is revealed in his Transforming ~ This sign is a transformation: water changed, water transformed into wine. It fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 25:6, on this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. He is the transformer.

3, Jesus' glory is revealed in his Transferring ~Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant. Hebrews 8:13, By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated (aging) will soon disappear. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!