I would suggest starting with reading A Christian's Guide to Studying and Applying the Old Testament.
Survey:
Since there is little question by Jewish or Christian sources as to the authorship of this book, we will accept it as having been written by the prophet Jeremiah. Still, there is no direct statement of such, so this is not absolute.
The first four chapters of the book were written in the form of an acrostic poem (in Hebrew) mourning the destruction of Jerusalem. The style is very complex. There are actually 5 poems in the book, conveniently seen in the modern chapter divisions.
The book is still used liturgically by many in Judaism to commemorate Jerusalem's destruction in 586 B.C. (and A.D. 70).
The setting for the book is the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem from 588-586 B.C., ending on July 19, 586 B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar overran the city. On August 15, the city and its all-important temple were burned.
Hermeneutical (Interpretation) Notes:
Understand that the purpose and genre here point to a poem of utter lament for the destruction of Jerusalem. This was an individual writing poetry expressing his deepest feelings, albeit by inspiration of God. Don't let this taint the rest of your understanding of Scripture in a melancholy tone. The reason for the sadness was sin that brought judgment, but there is hope in the Lord. This is a truth that is all over the Bible.
Contribution to the Body of Scripture:
This book is important because it provides very real insight into the consequences of sin and hope for restoration. It also shows the special relationship between God and His nation of Israel (though again, this should not be transferred directly to the church today).
Text for Today: Lamentations 1:1 (NKJV)
How lonely sits the city
That was full of people!
How like a widow is she,
Who was great among the nations!
The princess among the provinces
Has become a slave!
Note how far the "princess" has fallen. Like a saddened widow or a ruler whose role has been reversed to serve, Jerusalem (and more broadly, the southern half of Israel- Judah) is in a sad state. This will be more fully explored, including its causes and hope for relief, in the following poetic dirges.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Devotional Thoughts on Lamentations
- Introduction to Lamentations
- 3/9/2011 Devotional Thoughts from Lamentations... The Misery of Jerusalem (Lamentations 1
- 3/11/2011 Devotional Thoughts from Lamentations... God's Anger with Jerusalem for Sin (Lamentations 2)
- 3/13/2011 Devotional Thoughts from Lamentations... Hope Based on God, Part 1 (Lamentations 3:1-36)
- 3/14/2011 Devotional Thoughts from Lamentations... Hope Based on God, Part 2 (Lamentations 3:37-66)
- 3/16/2011 Devotional Thoughts from Lamentations... The Leaders' Fall (Lamentations 4)
Friday, March 4, 2011
3/5/2011 Devotional Thoughts from John... Another Sign for the Jews (John 4:43-54)
Text: John 4:43-54 (NKJV)
43 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.
46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” 49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!” 52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. 54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.
Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:
Verses 43-45 are really a different sub-section than what follows, but they are lumped in here due to size and content. This section is a transition between the previous and following large sections, and it is particularly scrutinized by interpreters. It is seemingly nonsensical, in that, Jesus's maxim and the reality did not match up. The best understanding of it that I have seen is that, "all will be simple and natural if we fill up the statement thus: 'He went into the region of Galilee, but not, as might have been expected, to that part of it called ‘His own country,’ Nazareth (see Mk 6:4; Lu 4:24)."1 Basically, he went into the region of Galilee (think a county in modern America) but not his hometown. I can't say definitively that this is the best interpretation, but I believe it is the best that I have seen.
Moving on to the meatier section of this second sign in Cana, we see Jesus's first documented healing miracle in John, who applied this as more than just a miracle but a sign from God to clarify the authenticity of who Jesus really was. Here, Jesus demonstrates that He is more than a physician or someone with just power that could be physically transferred. Jesus heals the nobleman's son simply by the power of His word. This hearkens back to Creation in Genesis 1, where God spoke and it was. This is a sign of His divinity. As is typical of Jesus's miracles regarding healing, belief is associated with the one making a request. This belief in Jesus spreads to his entire household.
This sign is not only just a proof of His divinity, but it is given specifically for the Jews as a sign (verse 48 and 1 Corinthians 1:22).
1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. (1997). A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments (Jn 4:44). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Applications:
Again, belief, specifically in Jesus as the saving Son of God, is the primary application here.
Other Studies from John
43 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.
46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” 49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!” 52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. 54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.
Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:
Verses 43-45 are really a different sub-section than what follows, but they are lumped in here due to size and content. This section is a transition between the previous and following large sections, and it is particularly scrutinized by interpreters. It is seemingly nonsensical, in that, Jesus's maxim and the reality did not match up. The best understanding of it that I have seen is that, "all will be simple and natural if we fill up the statement thus: 'He went into the region of Galilee, but not, as might have been expected, to that part of it called ‘His own country,’ Nazareth (see Mk 6:4; Lu 4:24)."1 Basically, he went into the region of Galilee (think a county in modern America) but not his hometown. I can't say definitively that this is the best interpretation, but I believe it is the best that I have seen.
Moving on to the meatier section of this second sign in Cana, we see Jesus's first documented healing miracle in John, who applied this as more than just a miracle but a sign from God to clarify the authenticity of who Jesus really was. Here, Jesus demonstrates that He is more than a physician or someone with just power that could be physically transferred. Jesus heals the nobleman's son simply by the power of His word. This hearkens back to Creation in Genesis 1, where God spoke and it was. This is a sign of His divinity. As is typical of Jesus's miracles regarding healing, belief is associated with the one making a request. This belief in Jesus spreads to his entire household.
This sign is not only just a proof of His divinity, but it is given specifically for the Jews as a sign (verse 48 and 1 Corinthians 1:22).
1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. (1997). A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments (Jn 4:44). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Applications:
Again, belief, specifically in Jesus as the saving Son of God, is the primary application here.
Other Studies from John
3/4/2011 Devotional Thoughts from John... The Conversion of the Samaritans (John 4:39-42)
Text: John 4:39-42 (NKJV)
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:
So, here we pick back up into the narrative of the Samaritans. Looking back to verses 29 and 30 from two days ago, we saw that the original woman was not totally convinced but excitedly called the villagers out to meet Jesus. They people of Sychar rushed out to meet Jesus. In the intervening minutes (?) between her departure from the well and their arrival, Jesus taught the disciples a thing or two.
Anyway, verses 39 and 42 paint an interesting picture. How is it that the people believe because of the word of the woman but then say they believed not because of what she had said? We have to follow the chronological pattern here. First, they had casual, superficial belief because of what she said. Basically, "Oh wow. That's amazing. I need to go check that out." After they talk with Jesus, they really believe. Their knowledge before Jesus was incomplete, but He has now taught them what they needed to know. These people became the foundation of the church in Samaria.
A key phrase for the author of this book, John, is "Savior of the world," occurring only here and 1 John 4:14. This is a very important phrase but needs to not be misinterpreted. This "Samaritan Confession" does not say that Jesus is the Savior of the world in the sense that everyone will actually be saved (universalism). It is theoretically possible, but we know from the entirety of the rest of the Bible that all people are not saved. In fact, there are more who will go to Hell than will go to Heaven (Matthew 7:13-14). What this attribution does mean is that Jesus is the only one who can save the world. He is their Savior, whether or not they accept Him and thus enjoy the benefits of Him.
How powerful the words of Jesus to turn this village to Him from this encounter and what compassion to spend such time with people that the Jews rejected!
Applications:
Do not judge people by anything but the Gospel. Spiritually there are only two categories that matter: Saved followers of Jesus and those on their way to Hell. Ethnicity, race, socio-economic status, smell, gender, and everything superficial must be laid aside for the Gospel. This sounds really easy to get behind, but it can be harder to apply. When that "less desirable" person comes into church wearing clothing you feel is inappropriate and smelling like alcohol, do you simply see a person who needs to hear the truth in love? That is where the rubber meets the road.
Praise Jesus today for who He is. He is God, He is the promised one, and He is the Savior of the world. Without Him, you and I would be on our way to Hell with no hope.
Other Studies from John
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:
So, here we pick back up into the narrative of the Samaritans. Looking back to verses 29 and 30 from two days ago, we saw that the original woman was not totally convinced but excitedly called the villagers out to meet Jesus. They people of Sychar rushed out to meet Jesus. In the intervening minutes (?) between her departure from the well and their arrival, Jesus taught the disciples a thing or two.
Anyway, verses 39 and 42 paint an interesting picture. How is it that the people believe because of the word of the woman but then say they believed not because of what she had said? We have to follow the chronological pattern here. First, they had casual, superficial belief because of what she said. Basically, "Oh wow. That's amazing. I need to go check that out." After they talk with Jesus, they really believe. Their knowledge before Jesus was incomplete, but He has now taught them what they needed to know. These people became the foundation of the church in Samaria.
A key phrase for the author of this book, John, is "Savior of the world," occurring only here and 1 John 4:14. This is a very important phrase but needs to not be misinterpreted. This "Samaritan Confession" does not say that Jesus is the Savior of the world in the sense that everyone will actually be saved (universalism). It is theoretically possible, but we know from the entirety of the rest of the Bible that all people are not saved. In fact, there are more who will go to Hell than will go to Heaven (Matthew 7:13-14). What this attribution does mean is that Jesus is the only one who can save the world. He is their Savior, whether or not they accept Him and thus enjoy the benefits of Him.
How powerful the words of Jesus to turn this village to Him from this encounter and what compassion to spend such time with people that the Jews rejected!
Applications:
Do not judge people by anything but the Gospel. Spiritually there are only two categories that matter: Saved followers of Jesus and those on their way to Hell. Ethnicity, race, socio-economic status, smell, gender, and everything superficial must be laid aside for the Gospel. This sounds really easy to get behind, but it can be harder to apply. When that "less desirable" person comes into church wearing clothing you feel is inappropriate and smelling like alcohol, do you simply see a person who needs to hear the truth in love? That is where the rubber meets the road.
Praise Jesus today for who He is. He is God, He is the promised one, and He is the Savior of the world. Without Him, you and I would be on our way to Hell with no hope.
Other Studies from John
Thursday, March 3, 2011
March 3, 2011: A Pastoral Interpretation of the SCOTUS Ruling on Westboro Baptist
While this doesn't actually have a direct connection to analyzing the SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) opinion in Albert Snyder, Petitioner v. Fred W. Phelps, Sr., et al., 562 U.S. 09-751 (2011), I do feel that it is very important for me to clarify my moral and spiritual objections to the actions of Westboro Baptist Church. What they have done is doctrinally unsound (what special revelation do they have to affirmatively make such claims for God?). Even if one were to accept their doctrinal position, their method of communication is thoroughly unprofitable and full of hate. That being said, I do support their right to the freedoms of speech and religion within the extant reasonable boundaries as ensured in this SCOTUS majority opinion.
I want to take here a brief look at the implications of this case for churches, ministers, and individual Christians in America.
The most obvious application from this perspective is that the First Amendment rights of free speech and freedom of religion were upheld by SCOTUS. I think that this point is actually quite clear, and as such, I will belabor it no further.
A second point, one less obvious but of great import, is the impact that this decision has on mitigating the effect of hate speech laws on the right of individual citizens and religious groups to proclaim condemnation on those who participate in the sin of homosexuality as taught in the Bible. Chief Justice John Roberts, author of the binding majority opinion, navigated three key points to come to this legal decision:
Certainly this is not a complete ablution of the law in protecting homosexuality from hate speech, but it does give priority to the First Amendment and recognizes the line of free speech on a topic of moral significance to the nation and the individual / religious organization. Churches, ministers, and individual Christians still should not engage in verbally targeting individuals suspected of involvement in the practice, and they should know that such actions are not legally protected in this decision. Confrontation with the teaching of the Bible is acceptable (such as in the case of church discipline / excommunication, acceptance for membership, etc.) and should also be recognized as such.
1. Albert Snyder, Petitioner v. Fred W. Phelps, Sr., et al., 562 U.S. 09-751 (2011), 2.
2. Ibid., 5.
3. Ibid., 8.
4. Ibid.
To read the SCOTUS majority opinion authored by Chief Justice Roberts, please click here.
I want to take here a brief look at the implications of this case for churches, ministers, and individual Christians in America.
The most obvious application from this perspective is that the First Amendment rights of free speech and freedom of religion were upheld by SCOTUS. I think that this point is actually quite clear, and as such, I will belabor it no further.
A second point, one less obvious but of great import, is the impact that this decision has on mitigating the effect of hate speech laws on the right of individual citizens and religious groups to proclaim condemnation on those who participate in the sin of homosexuality as taught in the Bible. Chief Justice John Roberts, author of the binding majority opinion, navigated three key points to come to this legal decision:
- "The Westboro picketers carried signs that were largely the same at all three locations.They stated, for instance: ...'God Hates Fags,' 'You’re Going to Hell,' and 'God Hates You.'"1
- "Whether the First Amendment prohibits holding Westboro liable for its speech in this case turns largely on whether that speech is of public or private concern, as determined by all the circumstances of the case."2
- "The 'content' of Westboro’s signs plainly relates to broad issues of interest to society at large, rather than matters of 'purely private concern.'”3
Certainly this is not a complete ablution of the law in protecting homosexuality from hate speech, but it does give priority to the First Amendment and recognizes the line of free speech on a topic of moral significance to the nation and the individual / religious organization. Churches, ministers, and individual Christians still should not engage in verbally targeting individuals suspected of involvement in the practice, and they should know that such actions are not legally protected in this decision. Confrontation with the teaching of the Bible is acceptable (such as in the case of church discipline / excommunication, acceptance for membership, etc.) and should also be recognized as such.
1. Albert Snyder, Petitioner v. Fred W. Phelps, Sr., et al., 562 U.S. 09-751 (2011), 2.
2. Ibid., 5.
3. Ibid., 8.
4. Ibid.
To read the SCOTUS majority opinion authored by Chief Justice Roberts, please click here.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
3/2/2011 Devotional Thoughts from John... The Disciples Learn about Obeying the Will of God (John 4:27-38)
Text: John 4:27-38 (NKJV)
27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” 28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.
31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:
Chronologically inserted, this interlude between the interaction of Jesus and the Samaritans serves as an important lesson for His band of followers then and us today. Tomorrow, we will pick up the Samaritans in a dense couple of verses.
Again, we see the tense relationship between the Jews and Samaritans as His disciples are taken aback by His interaction with this woman. Concluding this initial dialogue, she ran back to her town, still unsure if He really was the Christ, and called the people out to meet Him.
His disciples are initially concerned with His human welfare. Everyone needs to eat and they had been traveling, so the disciples urged Him to eat. Having already established that Jesus was/is God, John used the hunger of this passage to reaffirm that was a human (in addition to His previous thirst and fatigue). As with the Samaritan woman, He took this mundane human task and made it into a spiritual lesson. Still not really "getting it," the disciples wonder who brought Him this food secretly.
Jesus took the opportunity to teach the vital lesson- He was here to accomplish God's will. As water pictured the giving of spiritual life, now food shows that which sustains us spiritually. Expanding on this and applying it beyond Himself onto His followers, Jesus calls the disciples to look at the fields ready to harvest. This was metaphorical promotion of a spiritual concept- the incoming Samaritans (verse 30) were the field ready to harvest. Jesus, having sowed the seed of truth about Himself, points out that the disciples should be ready to explain this to the people of Sychar and plead with them to follow Him. The people, evidenced by their description as being ripe, were ready to accept Him. This certainly must have felt somewhat odd to the Jewish disciples who had been raised to look down on the Samaritans as spiritual inferiors but now were sharing spiritual equality in following Jesus. We have to remember that everything Jesus said and everything recorded in Scripture was done purposefully. The fact that He had to point out to the disciples that these Samaritans needed the message reflects the fact that they didn't get it. They didn't see the Samaritans as a mission field. To them, they were just dirty, lowly Samaritans. Jesus was teaching the disciples to look at people with spiritual lenses on our glasses, seeing past the physical and looking solely at spiritual needs.
One might wonder about the phrase "white unto harvest" and that does seem a little hard to picture what exactly was going on. "Ok, so what's up with white fields? What is He talking about or what is the significance?" Well, the disciples would have looked over at the agricultural fields nearby Sychar and been confused- the fields were still 4 months from being white from the ripe grain on the top of the stalks. This was likely a secular proverb of the region showing the time between planting and harvest. The fields were likely barren or had little green nubs pointing up. He is sounding a little crazy to His disciples for the moment, but Jesus was really teaching them to stop looking at the things of this world as discussed in the paragraph above. As He often did, He turned something on its head to make people think. "What is He talking about?" He also now has the disciples looking for a large white area to indicate readiness for harvest, and out comes this large group of Samaritans likely dressed in traditional white (in addition to being tradition, it makes the most sense in the context). The Samaritans there were ripe for the spiritual harvest, as the disciples would have likely now realized. I envision this situation playing out where Jesus is talking to His disciples for a couple of minutes as the woman rushed back into the village (distance likely hundreds of yards at most), them being confused as He starts verse 35 and looking for white fields, the Samaritans wearing white coming into sight out of the village as verse 38 finishes, and the disciples having the light go on- "Ohhhhhh, He was talking about the Samaritans."
The application from this passage should not be too generalized here, as the field visible to the disciples (Sychar) is that which was ripe and ready to harvest. There are many future "fields" that would not be ripe to harvest (e.g. Matthew 10:14). Ripeness is dependent on the sowing of good seed (rightly sharing the Biblical truth of the good news of Jesus) and good soil (people willing to accept the good news of Jesus). Not all fields we approach are ready to harvest. Based on this passage in the context of the New Testament (Matthew 10:13-14 and Acts, for examples), we should seek fields with good soil and focus our evangelistic efforts there.
Applications:
Share the good news of Jesus! Assuming that you have accepted Him through belief / faith, it is now a primary responsibility of yours to share that with others. Share the good news and seek people ready to respond to it.
Thank those (directly and to God) who have already shared the good news of Jesus in your community. You are a blip on the spiritual time line of that community, and, in America, there are those who have gone before you. They have planted seeds on which you are able to work.
Other Studies from John
27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” 28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.
31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:
Chronologically inserted, this interlude between the interaction of Jesus and the Samaritans serves as an important lesson for His band of followers then and us today. Tomorrow, we will pick up the Samaritans in a dense couple of verses.
Again, we see the tense relationship between the Jews and Samaritans as His disciples are taken aback by His interaction with this woman. Concluding this initial dialogue, she ran back to her town, still unsure if He really was the Christ, and called the people out to meet Him.
His disciples are initially concerned with His human welfare. Everyone needs to eat and they had been traveling, so the disciples urged Him to eat. Having already established that Jesus was/is God, John used the hunger of this passage to reaffirm that was a human (in addition to His previous thirst and fatigue). As with the Samaritan woman, He took this mundane human task and made it into a spiritual lesson. Still not really "getting it," the disciples wonder who brought Him this food secretly.
Jesus took the opportunity to teach the vital lesson- He was here to accomplish God's will. As water pictured the giving of spiritual life, now food shows that which sustains us spiritually. Expanding on this and applying it beyond Himself onto His followers, Jesus calls the disciples to look at the fields ready to harvest. This was metaphorical promotion of a spiritual concept- the incoming Samaritans (verse 30) were the field ready to harvest. Jesus, having sowed the seed of truth about Himself, points out that the disciples should be ready to explain this to the people of Sychar and plead with them to follow Him. The people, evidenced by their description as being ripe, were ready to accept Him. This certainly must have felt somewhat odd to the Jewish disciples who had been raised to look down on the Samaritans as spiritual inferiors but now were sharing spiritual equality in following Jesus. We have to remember that everything Jesus said and everything recorded in Scripture was done purposefully. The fact that He had to point out to the disciples that these Samaritans needed the message reflects the fact that they didn't get it. They didn't see the Samaritans as a mission field. To them, they were just dirty, lowly Samaritans. Jesus was teaching the disciples to look at people with spiritual lenses on our glasses, seeing past the physical and looking solely at spiritual needs.
One might wonder about the phrase "white unto harvest" and that does seem a little hard to picture what exactly was going on. "Ok, so what's up with white fields? What is He talking about or what is the significance?" Well, the disciples would have looked over at the agricultural fields nearby Sychar and been confused- the fields were still 4 months from being white from the ripe grain on the top of the stalks. This was likely a secular proverb of the region showing the time between planting and harvest. The fields were likely barren or had little green nubs pointing up. He is sounding a little crazy to His disciples for the moment, but Jesus was really teaching them to stop looking at the things of this world as discussed in the paragraph above. As He often did, He turned something on its head to make people think. "What is He talking about?" He also now has the disciples looking for a large white area to indicate readiness for harvest, and out comes this large group of Samaritans likely dressed in traditional white (in addition to being tradition, it makes the most sense in the context). The Samaritans there were ripe for the spiritual harvest, as the disciples would have likely now realized. I envision this situation playing out where Jesus is talking to His disciples for a couple of minutes as the woman rushed back into the village (distance likely hundreds of yards at most), them being confused as He starts verse 35 and looking for white fields, the Samaritans wearing white coming into sight out of the village as verse 38 finishes, and the disciples having the light go on- "Ohhhhhh, He was talking about the Samaritans."
The application from this passage should not be too generalized here, as the field visible to the disciples (Sychar) is that which was ripe and ready to harvest. There are many future "fields" that would not be ripe to harvest (e.g. Matthew 10:14). Ripeness is dependent on the sowing of good seed (rightly sharing the Biblical truth of the good news of Jesus) and good soil (people willing to accept the good news of Jesus). Not all fields we approach are ready to harvest. Based on this passage in the context of the New Testament (Matthew 10:13-14 and Acts, for examples), we should seek fields with good soil and focus our evangelistic efforts there.
Applications:
Share the good news of Jesus! Assuming that you have accepted Him through belief / faith, it is now a primary responsibility of yours to share that with others. Share the good news and seek people ready to respond to it.
Thank those (directly and to God) who have already shared the good news of Jesus in your community. You are a blip on the spiritual time line of that community, and, in America, there are those who have gone before you. They have planted seeds on which you are able to work.
Other Studies from John
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
3/1/2011 Devotional Thoughts from John... Jesus, Living Water (John 4:1-26)
Text: John 4:1-26 (NKJV)
1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria.
5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:
Here, we see Jesus gaining His first recorded foreign (non-Israelite) followers. Traveling in the land of Samaria was avoided as much as possible by Jews of Jesus's day. The Samaritan people were originally half-Jewish, and the Israelites saw them as traitorous and lowly. As would be expected, the Samaritans were pretty inhospitable to Jews in their land. The Samaritans practiced a pseudo-Judaism, attempting to do things their way and in their places. When forced to travel through Samaria, it was evidently custom for Jews to avoid any contact with the Samaritan people. This is the setting for verses 7-9 where Jesus shocked the woman by speaking to her. Jesus's ministry is a shocking one, from what to He said to whom He said it.
As He often did, Jesus used one of the mundane things of life to teach a spiritual lesson. The drawing of water from a well served that purpose here. Not directly referencing the water in His allusion to the gift of God in verse 10 (see John 3:16). On a superficial level, Jesus's statement of "living water" would refer to a spring-fed well that was consistently supplied. The well referenced here was more of a gathering place for water that was run off from rains and was thus seasonal. I think the woman's reaction in verse 11 reflects that her first thought was superficial. "Hey, this guy found a spring we didn't know about? Sweet!" Jesus expands the metaphor though, and she begins to get it. Verses 13-14 reveal that this living, flowing water Jesus mentioned was not a physical spring, but something spiritual that only He could provide. No physical water can permanently quench thirst, but Jesus is using this metaphorical analogy to show Himself as the giver of eternal life (water being often used to symbolize life for obvious reasons).
Now Jesus really has her attention, but He is about to blow her mind. In verses 16-18, He reveals His divinity by telling her that of which He could have no human knowledge. This sets the table for what He is about to reveal to her.
Salvation is "of the Jews" as provided through Jesus, Himself a Jew. His obvious knowledge of Scripture, His claim to divinity, His prophetic ability, and the time in which He lived all have now led the woman to her statement that the promised, Anointed One (Messiah, or Christ) was coming. "Could it be him?" she probably was thinking to herself. Jesus immediately acknowledges that He is the Promised One of Israel who brought spiritual, living water to provide eternal life for those who would follow Him.
We will see in our study of the next section that the woman was not entirely convinced at this point, but she calls the people of her city to come out and here Jesus out.
Applications:
The primary application here is that of accepting Jesus as Savior. He is the giver of eternal life, not the church or some person. He alone had the right to do so as God, and the sinless Son of Man who paid our debt of sin. The woman in the passage is undergoing a transformation of her mind, seeing Jesus go from a Jewish man, to a wise teacher, to a prophet, to the Son of God. We similarly must go through a transformation in our minds from seeing Jesus as _________ to being the Son of God who provides our salvation.
Other Studies from John
1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria.
5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:
Here, we see Jesus gaining His first recorded foreign (non-Israelite) followers. Traveling in the land of Samaria was avoided as much as possible by Jews of Jesus's day. The Samaritan people were originally half-Jewish, and the Israelites saw them as traitorous and lowly. As would be expected, the Samaritans were pretty inhospitable to Jews in their land. The Samaritans practiced a pseudo-Judaism, attempting to do things their way and in their places. When forced to travel through Samaria, it was evidently custom for Jews to avoid any contact with the Samaritan people. This is the setting for verses 7-9 where Jesus shocked the woman by speaking to her. Jesus's ministry is a shocking one, from what to He said to whom He said it.
As He often did, Jesus used one of the mundane things of life to teach a spiritual lesson. The drawing of water from a well served that purpose here. Not directly referencing the water in His allusion to the gift of God in verse 10 (see John 3:16). On a superficial level, Jesus's statement of "living water" would refer to a spring-fed well that was consistently supplied. The well referenced here was more of a gathering place for water that was run off from rains and was thus seasonal. I think the woman's reaction in verse 11 reflects that her first thought was superficial. "Hey, this guy found a spring we didn't know about? Sweet!" Jesus expands the metaphor though, and she begins to get it. Verses 13-14 reveal that this living, flowing water Jesus mentioned was not a physical spring, but something spiritual that only He could provide. No physical water can permanently quench thirst, but Jesus is using this metaphorical analogy to show Himself as the giver of eternal life (water being often used to symbolize life for obvious reasons).
Now Jesus really has her attention, but He is about to blow her mind. In verses 16-18, He reveals His divinity by telling her that of which He could have no human knowledge. This sets the table for what He is about to reveal to her.
Salvation is "of the Jews" as provided through Jesus, Himself a Jew. His obvious knowledge of Scripture, His claim to divinity, His prophetic ability, and the time in which He lived all have now led the woman to her statement that the promised, Anointed One (Messiah, or Christ) was coming. "Could it be him?" she probably was thinking to herself. Jesus immediately acknowledges that He is the Promised One of Israel who brought spiritual, living water to provide eternal life for those who would follow Him.
We will see in our study of the next section that the woman was not entirely convinced at this point, but she calls the people of her city to come out and here Jesus out.
Applications:
The primary application here is that of accepting Jesus as Savior. He is the giver of eternal life, not the church or some person. He alone had the right to do so as God, and the sinless Son of Man who paid our debt of sin. The woman in the passage is undergoing a transformation of her mind, seeing Jesus go from a Jewish man, to a wise teacher, to a prophet, to the Son of God. We similarly must go through a transformation in our minds from seeing Jesus as _________ to being the Son of God who provides our salvation.
Other Studies from John
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