Dig In:
Dig Deeper:
Chapter Summary
v1-11 - The first miracle that John records is Jesus turning water into wine.
Theories abound as to whether or not this particular miracle involving wine has some sort of allegorical meaning. I don't think it does.
Jesus is reluctant to get involved,
because at this point in His ministry, He doesn't want attention.
Besides, we don't need to look for some mysterious meaning behind each miracle, for John tells us exactly why Jesus performed the miracles ("signs") that John records: they were meant to "reveal His glory (v11)."
v12-22 - The 'wine making miracle man' persona of Jesus doesn't last long once Jesus enters into Jerusalem.
Remember yesterday as we dug deeper into chapter 1, we learned that John put emphasis on the fact that Jesus came to 'dwell among us (1:14)' just as God dwelled with His people in the temple.
This temple cleansing scene reinforces the fact that God was no longer dwelling in the temple,
but that He'd been replaced by a profitable religious system run by the establishment.
John doubles down on the Jesus/temple theme by recording Jesus' assurance that He would rebuild the torn down 'temple' in three days, which of course is a reference to the time He would spend in the grave before His resurrection.
v23-25 - One thing we'll notice in John's gospel is that he has a unique way of expressing people's faith. This is seen twice in this chapter:
v11 - "his disciples believed in him."
v23 - people... believed in his name."
In English, those phases don't seem so odd, but the way they're written in Greek is different than it typically would be.
The grammar John uses emphasizes the object of belief, not the subject.
If it's been awhile since you've studied grammar, here's the difference:
The disciples believed - emphasizes that it was the disciples who believed.
The disciples believed in him - emphasizes that their belief and faith was placed in Jesus.
What this means for you is that you must strive to be more than just a person of faith, for all people have faith in something. Rather, you must strive to know all you can about Christ, and put your faith in Him.
We could literally translate what John writes as they 'believed into Jesus."
OLD TESTAMENT REFERENCE: Jesus quotes Psalm 69:9 as He overturns the tables in the temple. Read v5-12 to get the context and see how even this pointed to Jesus' coming sacrifice.
Discuss:
Use the comment box below to discuss one or more of these questions:
EYE FOR DETAIL—From what you recall seeing in this chapter, try answering the following question without looking at your Bible: In verse 20, the Jews in Jerusalem mentioned to Jesus how long it had taken to build their temple. How many years was it?
Question 1 taken from The Complete Bible Discussion Guide: New Testament
Follow the AAA Prayer Pattern:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Jesus is the image of the Father's glory (v11)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will help you place your faith into Him (v11, 23)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
