Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the Gospel of John, although they are a bit better formatted than former efforts. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses and encourages you through this material. I’m not sure of the condition of the world at the time of this publication. But at the time of its writing, fall 2009 through late spring 2010, things are looking increasingly bleak with the economy, health care and unemployment, there is a renewal and increase of racism, and godly principles of living being disregarded, there are floods in India, earthquake and tsunami in Samoa. Are these the first stages of birth pains? The last? God only knows. And He is very busy these days. Seek His wisdom. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming to deliver His people and judge the wicked…Stacey
Take a few minutes to pray and savor chapter 2 of the book of John. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations…
2:1-11 – First piece of evidence for Christ – Jesus turns water into wine, the best wine. This shows Jesus as the Master of quality!
This was a private, not a public miracle.
Wine was a symbol of joy among the Jews. To run out at a wedding was a social blunder. According to the study “When The Good News Gets Even Better”, there have been recorded lawsuits of the bride’s parents suing the groom’s for this offense.
Each clay pot held 20-30 gallons of undrinkable water!
Why does John include this miracle? Because it was the first. And it was the first one he witnessed with his own eyes.
John 21:25 says that Jesus did many other things that weren’t included in this gospel. What do we specifically learn about Jesus from this miracle?
What does this encounter teach us?
Jesus is social. He’s attending a wedding, after all.
Jesus is approachable. His mother appeals to Him when the party ran out of wine. Notice that she didn’t tell Jesus how to handle the situation, but merely mentioned what was wrong. Shouldn’t we pray like that?
Jesus can take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. This speaks about the change of water to wine, and the change that He brings about in us when we come to Him.
Jesus is compassionate and concerned for the little things that affect us. This oversight would have embarrassed and damaged the reputation of the bridegroom.
Jesus is responsive to our intercession for others. Mary’s request was for someone else.
Jesus is obedient. His Father laid down the law in the ten commandments, and Jesus honored His mother in acting on her request.
2:1 – The third day – the third day of what? Jesus’ time with the new disciples?
2:2 – Who were Jesus’ disciples at this point?
2:3-5 – We must persist in our belief that Jesus can and will act on our behalf. We must also limit our involvement by bringing a situation to His attention and then letting Him deal with it!
2:5 – Why does Mary tell the servants to do whatever Jesus asks? Why did Mary assume that Jesus would act when He told her that His time had not yet come? The way this account reads, she didn’t even flinch before telling the servants to do whatever Jesus said. Did she rely on His obedience to her?
2:6 – Why did Jesus perform this miracle even though His time had not yet come? Is it that God is flexible in His plan for us? Is it that He can be moved to act? Is it that our firm belief in His ability to act, our faith, encourages Him to act? Perhaps Jesus acted for an even simpler reason: He was honoring His Father and His mother.
2:9-10 – Why was it important to say that the master of the banquet didn’t know where the wine had come from? So that the reader would know this was a real miracle, not a set-up? So the compliment would be considered genuine, not off-handed? Can you think of another reason John would include this information?
2:12 – Why mention the trip to Capernaum? It wasn’t on the way from Cana to Jerusalem.
2:13-17 – See Malachi 3:1-4. How does this moment when Jesus clears the temple seem to be a fulfillment of that passage?
2:14-16 – See Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46. What similarities exist in these parallel accounts? What additional information do you glean from these passages? What does this tell you about the perspective of the writer, John? How does this knowledge enhance your understanding of the event?
2:19 – Jesus’ comment to the Jews about them destroying the temple and Him raising it up in three days will come back to haunt Him at His trials before the crucifixion. First of all, what did Jesus mean by this? (See verse 21 for a hint.) Now read Matthew 26:61, 27:40 and Mark 14:58, 15:29. How was Jesus misquoted? How did those who quoted Him miss His message?
2:24-25 – There is a difference between being a critical person and a critical thinker: judgment and analysis.
2:24 – Jesus wouldn’t entrust Himself to them – what does this mean? I believe that He “entrusts Himself to me” every time He reveals something about Himself to me.
2:25 – Were men trying to tell Jesus how they were? Obviously, He doesn’t need us to do this. He’s God and He knows us better than we know ourselves!
• The book of John is called the “Love Gospel”. How have you seen God’s love at work in this chapter of scripture and how will you apply it to your life this week?
• What attributes of God do you see in this book?
• What verse of scripture seemed to be God speaking directly to you? What is He teaching you in these verses? How does He want you to respond?
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