BOOK BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY
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BIBLE STUDY LESSON
For
the week beginning Sunday December 29, 2013
____________________________________________________________
AUTHORITY
ACKNOWLEDGED
(Submitting
fully to JESUS’ authority)
John
2
The, now famous, “wedding at the village of Cana” in Galilee,
that is recorded in John chapter 2, is regarded as the site of the first of the
“seven signs,
or miracles of the MESSIAH” that are recorded in his Gospel account. It was a “private miracle”,
known only to Jesus’ disciples, a few wedding servants and quests, and, to Mary,
the mother of JESUS.
Perhaps this event is unique to the Gospel of
John, because, of the four Gospel writers, only the Apostle John was actually present
at this wedding. John, perhaps, uses the word “sign” (semeion), instead
of “miracle” (teras), in order that he might draw away from the spectacle
of the event, so that we may be better able to focus on the significance
of the event.
The turning of the water into wine is also the
first of any of the “35 miracles of JESUS”
that are recorded in all
of the four Gospel accounts, combined. It occurred three days after JESUS’
calling of Philip and Nathanael. JESUS’ disciples, HIS mother, and, HIS
brothers were all invited. A wedding feast of this nature would typically last
for seven days, and it would begin following the groom’s taking of his bride to
his home, or, to his father’s home, for consummation of the marriage.
After all of the wine had been consumed
(v. 3), JESUS’ mother,
Mary, turned to HIM for help. In verse 4, JESUS’ response, and use of the word “woman” to respond to
HIS mother, in those days, was a polite term, even though it may not be
for us today. The expression “What have I to do with thee”, also
in verse 4, in the
Greek, was “a common expression that referred to a difference in relations,
or realms”. It also can be translated, “How does
that concern you and me?”, which would seem
more likely what JESUS was stating.
According
to Jewish custom, the host at a wedding feast always treated the guests with
wine, and the guest’s name was mentioned when the wine was poured. The
statement spoken by JESUS, “MY time has not yet come” (still in verse 4)
may simply mean nothing more than, “It is not MY turn to treat”. Of
course, it may also mean that “the time of HIS manifestation was up to GOD the
FATHER, and no one else”.
JESUS
did “treat”, however, and the water was miraculously turned into the best wine
of all. Six large stone water pots were there, that were normally used for Jewish
ceremonial purposes. Each pot could hold twenty to thirty gallons of water.
JESUS instructed the servants to fill the pots with water. After the pots were filled
to the brim with water, JESUS told them to dip some out and take it to the
master of ceremony. When the master of ceremony tasted the water that had now
been transformed into wine, he called the bridegroom over and said to him,
“Usually the host serves the best wine first, then, when everyone is full and
doesn’t care, he brings out the less expensive wines. But you have kept the
best until now”.
Some
scholars believe that all of this was a clear signal that Mary must now face the fact that her SON
JESUS was now committed totally to the will of HIS FATHER GOD, and to
the completion of HIS mission here on earth.
And although she had given birth to HIM, and raised HIM from a child, she
must now submit herself to JESUS as her LORD and SAVIOR, just like all the
rest of humanity
would have to do, in the process of time. And
while she did not
completely understand this at the time, she
had decided, from that moment on, to trust in HIM completely.
The, significance of this miracle is explained
by John, in verse 11 as “the initial manifestation of the glory of CHRIST to
men here on earth”. JESUS’ first miracle of transforming water into wine
at a joyful event such as this wedding was “a sign of the joy that HE would
bring to all mankind, through a transformation of hearts”. HIS ministry
would be a “transforming one”, and the transformation that
HE would bring, would come by way of the HOLY
SPIRIT.
Taking
up at verse 13, of chapter 2, we see that, unlike the three Synoptic Gospels
Matthew, Mark, and Luke, John’s Gospel account of JESUS’ cleansing of the
temple at Jerusalem comes at the beginning of JESUS’ ministry, rather than near
the end. This fact, and, the differences in their narrations, leads most
scholars to believe that there were probably two temple cleansings performed by
JESUS, during HIS three-year ministry, one at the beginning, which caught the
people by surprise, and a second in the third and final year, probably during
HIS “passion week”. This second cleansing probably contributed more
heavily to the Jewish leader’s plans and desires for JESUS’ death.
At
the time of the annual Jewish Passover, JESUS went up to Jerusalem, as was HIS
custom, and visited the temple, most likely to teach and preach. However, in
the “court of the Gentiles”, the outermost court of the temple, the Jews
had begun a tradition of buying and selling animals used for sacrifices at the
temple, during Passover. They rationalized these activities, as providing a
convenience for the pilgrims, who had journeyed into Jerusalem from afar, and
needed lambs, or doves, or, needed their currency changed over to the local
currency so that they could participate in the Passover rituals and celebrations.
Unfortunately,
like all of the best-laid plans of men, abuses soon developed, and pilgrims
became, more often than not, victims of scams and high prices, by corrupt
dealers and merchants. For instance, they had even begun to charge an
admission fee, or dues, in order to enter into the temple during Passover.
When
JESUS saw all of this corrupt activity, taking place in the House of GOD, HE
made HIMSELF a whip from some ropes and chased all of the merchants and
moneychangers, and their livestock, out of the temple. HE then walked over to
those who sold doves and instructed them to take their birds and leave the
temple also, because they were turning the house of GOD into a marketplace that
was attracting robbers and thieves.
When
the angry Jewish leaders, who were, no doubt, getting their cut from the temple
proceeds, asked JESUS, “What right did HE have to clear the temple?”,
and, to show them a miraculous sign if HIS authority came from the LORD,
JESUS responded by telling them to “Destroy this temple, and in three days I
will raise it up”.
Now
it had been 46 years since King Herod the great had started rebuilding on the
temple that Zerubbabel and his crew had constructed, following the Israelites
70-year stint in Babylonian captivity. Herod had decided that he would restore
the temple back to the glorious state that King Solomon had brought to it,
during his prosperous reign. However, the temple that JESUS spoke of was the
temple of HIS OWN body, a statement that the spiritual-less Pharisees were
incapable of hearing, and actually, so too were HIS disciples, at that time.
The disciples, however, did recall this statement after JESUS’ Resurrection,
and because of the many miraculous signs and wonders that JESUS performed at
the Passover, many other people were also convinced that HE was truly the
MESSIAH. However, JESUS didn’t trust them, because HE knew what people were
like. After all, HE was present at the beginning of creation (John 1:1),
and so no one needed to tell HIM about human nature.
JESUS
disrupted the ungodly activities that were taking place at the temple in
Jerusalem because it had become a den of robbers and thieves whose
greatest sin was, that, they were blocking the poor, who couldn’t afford
their services, from worshiping GOD in the temple during Passover.
Notice
how differently JESUS handled those who sold doves (John 2:16). The dove was
mostly used by the poor as an acceptable sacrifice for Passover worship, but
their product may have been hard for the poor to acquire because of temple
admission fees, and the exorbitant money exchanging fees, that were required
before the purchase. JESUS was not protesting against the sacrificial
system itself, however, here the purpose of the sacrifices was being
lost to the criminal element. Then too, the merchants were also
transacting their business inside the temple in the only area where the
Gentiles were permitted to enter, thus, they were also blocking their
opportunity and right to worship peacefully.
And
so, even though the dove merchants were providing a similar temple service for
the poor, they were still, in tandem with the other merchants, blocking another
segment of GOD’s people from worship, in this case, the Gentiles. Here in this
passage, JESUS is clearly showing us that GOD will not hold blameless, anyone,
who blocks another human being, made in HIS spiritual image, from worshipping
HIM, at any time, not in the Christian Church of the first century, and
certainly not in the Christian Church today. And JESUS’ authority will be
acknowledged, in HIS OWN Church, and eventually, in all the world.
A
Sunday school lesson by,
Larry
D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER-
Official Website
