Category: <span>John</span>

In John 2:18, the Jews asked Jesus for a sign of His authority to drive the money changers and animals from their temple. Jesus replied, “Destroy this sanctuary, and I will raise it up in three days” (John 2:19). John commented that after Jesus was raised from the dead, he and the others remembered Jesus’ words and believed what He had said (John 2:22). To the man who was born blind—and who was kicked out of the synagogue for confessing Jesus’ name before the Pharisees—Jesus said, “I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father” (John 10:17b-18). John arranged his Gospel as a drama culminating in an invitation to believe that Jesus had been raised from the dead, just as Jesus had predicted.

Based upon imagery from Psalms and Isaiah, Jews expected the Messiah would reign forever. In John 20:18, Mary announced to the disciples that she had seen Jesus, fulfilling expectations that the Messiah would have eternal life. In Psalm 16, the psalmist confidently asked God to care for him. The psalmist enjoyed God’s protection during the day and God’s counsel on his bed at night (Ps 16:5-8). And he was sure of the future, saying that God would not allow His Holy One to see the pit of Sheol but instead would give His Holy One eternal pleasures at God’s right hand in heaven (Ps 16:10-11). Isaiah announced that the child born to Israel would have a vast dominion and rule on David’s throne forever (Isa 9:7). The prophet noted that though God’s servant would suffer, God would prolong the days of His servant and satisfy the servant with the spoils of the victorious (Isa 53:10-12).

After Peter and John witnessed the empty tomb and departed, Mary Magdalene remained outside facing the tomb, and wept (John 20:11). While Mary was bearing her grief to the angels who had appeared in the tomb, Jesus interrupted her and asked, “Who is it you are looking for?” (John 20:15). Jesus addressed Mary by name and instructed her, “Go to My brothers and tell them that I am ascending to My Father and your Father—to My God and your God” (John 20:17). Mary did as the Lord had said, implicitly confirming messianic hopes expressed in Ps 16:10-11 and Isa 9:7; 53:10-12.

Throughout his Gospel, John revealed the sovereignty of the Son of God. Jesus was in perfect control of all the events of His public ministry, keeping in step with the will of the Father and resolutely maintaining the divine timetable that would culminate in His hour on the cross (John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1). John emphasized that Jesus’ trial and death were not isolated events but the fulfillment of what the Old Testament authors predicted concerning Israel’s kings and suffering leaders.

(1) In John 18:37, Jesus told Pilate that He was a king of a kingdom that did not have earthly origins, recasting some Old Testament expectations of Israel’s rulers. Moses predicted that once Israel entered Canaan they would want a king to rule over them just like the nations around them (Deut 17:14-20). Moses commanded that Israel’s king be a descendant of Abraham and a man of truth who would lead the people in the Lord’s instruction. David’s military strength established the expectation that God’s anointed would rule as God’s son and reign with might (Psalms 2, 45, 110). When Pilate asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews, Jesus responded that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:33-36). Jesus told Pilate that He came into the world to testify to the truth and that all who hear the truth listen to His voice (John 18:37). Jesus spoke the truth of God’s instruction to God’s people—in accord with Deut 17:14-20—but did not overthrow Israel’s political enemies as David had. Jesus came to overthrow the ruler of the world, the Devil (John 12:31; 16:11).

(2) In John 19:24, John said that Ps 22:18 was fulfilled when the soldiers cast lots to see who would get Jesus’ outer garment. In Psalm 22, the psalmist cried out because of his suffering and yet committed himself to trust God and praise God among His people. The psalmist felt forsaken by God (Ps 22:1; Matt 27:46//Mark 15:34) and endured mocking from those who saw his sufferings (Ps 22:7; Matt 27:39//Mark 15:29) and taunted him because he relied on God but still suffered (Ps 22:8; Matt 27:43). The psalmist was so destitute that his opponents even cast lots for his clothing (Matt 27:35//Mark 15:24//Luke 23:34//John 19:24). John interpreted the soldiers’ actions as the fulfillment of what the psalmist experienced.

(3) In John 19:36-37, John said that the condition of Jesus’ body when He died fulfilled Scripture. When the soldiers came upon Jesus’ cross, since they noticed that He was already dead, there was no need to break Jesus’ legs and hasten death. Moses commanded that when Israel sacrificed the lamb at Passover, they could not break any of its bones (Exod 12:46; Num 9:12). In Psalm 34, David extolled the Lord for delivering him when David pretended to be insane in the presence of the king of Gath (1 Sam 21:10-15). David remembered that the Lord cared for him and looked upon him at a time when he was needy and threatened. David said, “He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken” (Ps 34:20). John testified that Jesus’ legs were not broken but that His side was pierced—and that also fulfilled Scripture. In Zech 12:10 the prophet wrote that when God extended His grace upon His people and restored them in Jerusalem, they would awaken to their spiritual senses and recognize that they had pierced God by rejecting His instruction. John viewed Zechariah’s prophecy in light of Jesus’ body on the cross. In John 19:36-37, John wrote that the soldiers refrained from breaking Jesus’ legs but one of them pierced Jesus’ side to be sure that He was dead.

In John 13-16, Jesus informed His disciples of His mission to reveal God and reconcile those the Father had given Him. In His intercessory prayer in John 17, Jesus synthesized some of the macro themes of Scripture’s storyline.

(1) In John 17:3, Jesus described the Father as the only true God, reinforcing Israel’s understanding of monotheism. The opening verse of Genesis, “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” laid the foundation for Israel’s understanding that there is only one God. In Gen 1:2 and 1:26, the concept of God includes multiple persons. God’s promises to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3; 15:1-16) were made in and of Himself. When God called Moses and led Israel out of Egypt, God established His supremacy over the gods of the Egyptians (Exod 3:1-15; 8:18-19). After the exodus, Moses sang, “LORD, who is like You among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, revered with praises performing wonders?” (Exod 15:11). In the first commandment of the Decalogue, the Lord told His people, “Do not have other gods besides Me” (Exod 20:3). Israel’s idolatry with the golden calf in Exodus 32 contradicted God’s revelation of Himself to His people. In Deut 6:4, Moses said, “Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.” During the reign of Ahab, in 1 Kings 18, God showed His supremacy as the only true God by answering Elijah’s prayer when Elijah organized the two altars on Mount Carmel. After the Lord consumed the soaked altar, the people cried out, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!” (1 Kgs 18:39). Daniel portrayed Israel’s God as the one true God, the Ancient of Days, and noted that certain figures like the son of man (Dan 7:13-14) and the angel Michael (10:10-11:1; 12:1-4) had a special relationship with God. In John 17:3, Jesus said that eternal life consisted of knowing the Father and the One the Father had sent, Jesus Himself. In what followed in Jesus’ prayer, Jesus portrayed the Father as unique and above all while also describing His own uniqueness as the One sent by the Father to reveal the Father and return to the Father. In John 17, Jesus qualified Israel’s concept of monotheism in relation to His incarnation. The Father sent Jesus, His divine Son, to reveal Him and secure redemption for all those whom the Father had given to Him. Jesus’ prayer reinforces Jewish monotheism while also presenting Himself as a Person distinct from the Father, but equal in divinity.

(2) In John 17:5, 11, and 13, Jesus spoke of going to the Father out of the world, reflecting Old Testament imagery of God’s transcendence over the world. God’s speech acts of creation in Genesis 1 portrayed Him as distinct from and over what He created. God’s word of judgement through Noah in Gen 6:9-8:22 reinforced the theological framework of the early chapters of Genesis. God was distinct from the world but had a personal interest in human behavior and the ability to alter the natural elements as He wished. When the Lord appeared to Moses at the burning bush in Exod 3:1-15, the Lord revealed Himself as holy, distinct from creation. In the second commandment, the Lord told His people to avoid making any idol that could represent Him (Exod 20:4-6; Deut 5:8-10). God’s transcendence over creation was reinforced when His glory temporarily filled the tabernacle Moses and Israel made in the wilderness (Exod 40:34-38) and the temple Solomon constructed in Jerusalem (1 Kgs 8:10-13). When Solomon dedicated the temple, he confessed that though God dwells in the heavens, the temple was also a special place for His name to be represented among His people (1 Kgs 8:27, 30, 43, 49). Isaiah said that God’s throne is in heaven and earth is His footstool (Isa 66:1; Acts 7:49-50). Jesus asked the Father to glorify Him in His presence (John 17:5), because He was leaving the world and going to the Father (John 17:11, 13; 14:2-4, 27-31). Jesus asked the Father that those who believed could be with Him and the Father and see His glory (John 17:24; 14:6).

(3) In John 17:15, Jesus prayed that the Father would protect the disciples from the evil one, referencing Satan’s destructive powers in the Old Testament. In Gen 3:1-7, Satan slandered God’s good word to Adam and Eve, tempting them to eat the forbidden fruit so that they would be like God in knowing good and evil. The Lord said that Eve’s sin would result in hostility between humanity and Satan. The Lord allowed Satan to test Job, afflicting Job’s family and his person (Job 1:6-2:10). The Lord allowed Satan to tempt David’s pride and David initiated a census of his warriors, inciting the Lord’s wrath on David and Israel (2 Samuel 24). In one of Zechariah’s visions, the prophet saw Satan accusing Joshua the high priest until the time when the Lord intervened to rebuke Satan and remove Joshua’s guilt so that the priest could perform his duties in the pure clothes the Lord provided for him (Zech 3:1-5). In John 17:15, Jesus prayed, “I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one.” In the flow of Jesus’ prayer, protection from the evil one included sanctification by the word of God’s truth (John 17:17).

In the Farewell Discourse, Jesus prepared His disciples for the formation of a new community. Toward that end, Jesus commanded them to pursue the closest possible union with Himself, to love one another, and to be strengthened by the ministry of the Spirit. In John 15-16, Jesus taught about Himself, the Father, and the Spirit in light of God’s instruction to Israel in the Old Testament.

(1) In John 15:1-17, Jesus described Himself as the vine, reflecting Old Testament imagery that portrayed Israel as the vine God planted in Canaan. God established Israel in Canaan so that they would bear fruit to Him there and reveal His greatness to the surrounding nations (Deut 4:1-8; Psalm 67). In Psalm 80, the psalmist described Israel as the vine that the Lord uprooted from Egypt and planted in Canaan. But the psalmist lamented that the Lord broke down the barriers protecting the vineyard, allowing foreigners to ravage Israel. The psalmist cried out, “Return, God of Hosts. Look down from heaven and see; take care of this vine, the root Your right hand has planted, the shoot that You made strong for Yourself” (Ps 80:14-15). Isaiah prophesied that though God had given Israel all the nation needed to thrive as a fruitful vine, Israel yielded only worthless grapes for the Lord (Isa 5:1-2; 27:2-6). Jesus’ point in the metaphor of the vine was that whereas the descendants of Jacob had failed to maintain covenant loyalty to God’s expectations, He Himself had been faithful. Jesus thus presented Himself as the source of true spiritual fruitfulness. Jesus exhorted His disciples to value Him and His teaching and to bear fruit—not the least of which would be answered prayer (John 15:7-10). Having disclosed Himself and the Father’s will to the disciples, Jesus addressed them as friends and commanded them to love one another (John 15:15-17).

(2) In John 15:25, Jesus quoted Ps 69:4 to express that the world unjustly hated Him and the Father. In Psalm 69, the psalmist cried out to God to deliver him from those who opposed him with mocking and insults and hatred. Because zeal for God’s house consumed the psalmist (Ps 69:9a; John 2:17) and he bore the reproaches of those who spoke against God (Ps 69:9b; Rom 15:3), he cried out to God for help. The psalmist’s opponents hated him without cause (Ps 69:4). Jesus told the eleven that because of identification with Him, the world would hate them (John 15:18-25). The world would treat Jesus’ followers just as they did the Son and the Father—hating them for no reason (John 15:25; Ps 69:4).

(3) In John 15:26-16:15, Jesus described the ministry of the Spirit in accord with the personification of wisdom in Proverbs 8. In Proverbs 8, Solomon portrayed wisdom as God’s active agent revealing the right path for His people. Wisdom’s lips speak truth (Prov 8:7). Wisdom provides instruction from God (Prov 8:10). Wisdom was present when God established the limits of the ocean (Prov 8:27-29; Gen 1:2). Jesus said that the ministry of the Spirit would include counseling the disciples, reminding them of His truth, and convicting the world of sin (John 15:26-16:15). Jesus told the disciples that in light of the difficulty that would come upon them for identifying with Jesus, “It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). Jesus promised that the Spirit would declare to the disciples the truth of the Son—which Jesus had received from the Father (John 16:12-15).

John signified that the final stage of Jesus’ ministry was about to begin as Jesus washed His disciples’ feet just before the Passover Festival. The foot-washing episode anticipated the Passover meal, where Jesus taught the disciples to follow His pattern of self-sacrificial love. Passages from the Old Testament cast a framework for understanding Judas’s betrayal of Jesus and Jesus’ command that His disciples love one another.

(1) In John 13:18, Jesus said that Ps 41:9 was fulfilled when Judas betrayed Him. In Psalm 41, the psalmist recounts how his enemies have risen up against him, plotting deceitfully to cause him harm. In Ps 41:9, the psalmist lamented that one of his own friends—one with whom he had enjoyed table fellowship—had turned against him. After Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet and taught them that they should follow His example of loving, servant leadership (John 13:1-17), Jesus said that He was not speaking to all of the twelve gathered there but only to eleven of them. “I know those I have chosen,” Jesus said, “But the Scripture must be fulfilled: ‘The one who eats My bread had raised his heel against Me’” (John 13:18b). Troubled in spirit, Jesus stated plainly that one of the twelve would betray Him. All of the disciples became troubled as well, wondering who it would be. Jesus identified His betrayer by dipping bread into the cup and giving it to Judas. Satan entered Judas and Judas departed the room at night to betray Jesus (Matt 26:20-25//Mark 14:17-21//Luke 22:21-23//John 13:21-30).

(2) In John 13:34-35, Jesus elevated the standard of the love command in Lev 19:18. In Leviticus 19, Moses commanded Israel to represent God in their ethical and cultic practices. They were to have integrity in how they dressed, farmed, and treated one another. In Lev 19:18, Moses said, “Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community but love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus’ teaching in John 13:34-35 reflected Lev 19:18 but also expressed the new covenant He would establish in His forthcoming death and resurrection. First, Jesus instituted a new standard for love amongst His followers saying that they should love each other just as He loved them. Second, Jesus stated that as His followers demonstrated sacrificial love for each other, all peoples would recognize that they were followers of Jesus.

(3) In John 14:2-4 and 23, Jesus stated that He and the Father would dwell with those who believed His word and obeyed, reflecting Moses’ statements that God would dwell among His people in Canaan. In Deuteronomy, Moses summarized and applied the covenant God made with Israel on Mount Sinai in Exodus 19-31. In Deut 4:1-9, Moses told Israel that God had given them the law so that they would go into Canaan and dwell there to represent Him in the eyes of the nations. As those nations observed Israel living according to the old covenant, they would recognize God’s presence among His people. In Jesus’ final address, He did not promise His disciples a plot of land on earth, but God’s presence with them wherever they would go, saying, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). Jesus promised His followers an eternal home in heaven, announcing, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-4).

Jesus demonstrated His deity by raising Lazarus from the dead. Despite Jesus’ greatness, the Jewish leadership sought to destroy Him. Taken together, statements from the Psalms, Isaiah, and Ezekiel portrayed the Messiah as One who was powerful over life and death yet rejected by His people—and the events of John 11-12 brought the psalmist and two of Israel’s prophets together in concert, proclaiming that Jesus was the Messiah.

(1) In John 11:25, Jesus proclaimed that He was the resurrection and the life, describing Himself as the agent of regeneration in accord with Ezek 37:1-14. Ezekiel prophesied of the Lord’s grace that would come upon His people to forgive their sins and awaken them to new spiritual life. The Lord brought Ezekiel to a valley filled with dry bones and commanded him to prophesy to the bones that they would come alive by his word. While Ezekiel spoke, the bones were animated with tissue. When the prophet commanded the four winds to give breath to the bodies, the bodies came to life. The Lord told Ezekiel that He was going to open graves so the dead of Israel would come out alive. He said, “You will know that I am the LORD, My people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them” (Ezek 37:13). When Jesus learned that His friend Lazarus had died, He wept (John 11:35). But this was more than an emotional moment for Jesus. If Jesus were merely filled with compassion for His friend, He could have healed Lazarus from a distance. The resurrection of Lazarus is an illustration of Jesus’ sovereignty to give life. When Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life” in John 11:25, He clarified that He was capable of what the Lord proclaimed of Himself in Ezek 37:13.

(2) In John 12:13, the crowds welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem by proclaiming Ps 118:25-26. Psalm 118 portrayed the psalmist’s thanks to the Lord for empowering His people to victory over their foes. The psalmist described the celebration that took place in Jerusalem after the gates of the Lord’s city were opened wide (Ps 118:19-20). Though the nations had rejected Israel, the Lord chose to build His kingdom through Israel, His cornerstone (Ps 118:22-23). The psalmist described God alone as the Savior of His people. It was thus altogether right for the psalmist to say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD” (Ps 118:26), heralding God’s salvation. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds rejoiced (John 12:12-19). To Jesus, the crowds exclaimed Ps 118:26, waving palm branches in their hands (Matt 21:8-9//Mark 11:8-10//Luke 19:36-38//John 12:13) and proclaiming Jesus the King of Israel.

(3) In John 12:15, John interpreted Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem riding on a donkey as a fulfillment of Zech 9:9. Zechariah proclaimed that God wanted the hearts of His people and he urged the returned exiles to repent. The prophet announced that the Lord would avenge the sufferings of His people by judging their foes and setting a mighty king over Israel. In Zech 9:9, Zechariah said, “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, Zechariah’s prophecy was realized (Matt 21:5//John 12:15). But the disciples did not connect Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem with Zech 9:9 until after Jesus was glorified (John 12:16), underscoring Jesus’ death and resurrection as the interpretive peak upon which the New Testament writers understood the Old Testament.

(4) In John 12:37-41, John fused Isa 53:1 and 6:10 to explain why so many had rejected Jesus despite the signs He did before them. In Isaiah 53, the prophet described the ironic state of the Lord’s servant. He was God’s chosen, wise leader but He was not attractive in appearance and was rejected by the people. So, when the people rejected the Lord’s Servant they were rejecting the One through whom God had willed to reveal His power (Isa 53:1). John noted the connection between Isa 53:1 and 6:10. Though God revealed Himself through Jesus, through Jesus’ ministry God blinded the hearts of many of the Jewish people so that they would not believe. Isaiah’s ministry experience in Isa 6:10 anticipated Jesus’ ministry. In this way, Isaiah saw Jesus’ glory and prophesied of Him (John 12:41).

John arranged his Gospel such that the miracles Jesus performed were a springboard for His messages about His redemptive mission. Jesus’ portrayal of Himself in John 9-10 fulfilled prophesies of Israel’s Messiah in the Old Testament.

(1) In John 9:5 Jesus said that He was the light of the world, echoing expectations that the Messiah would bring light and salvation to both Israel and the nations. During Ahaz’s crisis due to the Assyrian advance, the Lord promised that after judging His people, he would “bring honor to the Way of the Sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations” (Isa 9:1b). There the Lord would send a great light so that the people of the north—those who had walked in the darkness of the Lord’s discipline—would experience renewal (Isa 9:2). When Isaiah prophesied of the Lord’s coming Servant, he said that the Lord would make His Servant a light for the nations, to bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth (Isa 49:6). In Isa 51:4, he exhorted Israel to pay attention to the Lord because the Lord was about to make His justice a light for salvation to the nations. In John 9:1-2, Jesus’ disciples asked Him to explain the cause of the man’s blindness. Had this man sinned to deserve the physical challenge or was it the sin of the man’s parent that caused the blindness? Jesus said, “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him. We must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:3b-5). In John 1:5, John noted that Jesus was the light shining in the darkness. Though Israel loved darkness rather than light and rejected Jesus’ teaching (John 3:19-21; 8:12-13), Jesus was yet revealing God through His miraculous signs like the healing of the blind man.

(2) In John 9:35-41, Jesus described Himself as the Son of Man in language Daniel used to describe the Son of Man in Dan 7:13-14. In Daniel 7, the Lord gave Daniel a vision of the kingdoms that would rule the earth in the days to come. After the fourth kingdom, Daniel saw the Ancient of Days take His place as ruler of heaven and earth (Dan 7:7-12). Then Daniel saw the Ancient of Days give ruling authority to one like a son of man who would rule with complete dominion over every tribe and people forever (Dan 7:13-14). The Son of Man in Daniel’s vision exhibited divine authority to rule and judge. After the Pharisees interrogated the man born blind, Jesus found him in the temple and revealed Himself as the Son of Man. And the man who was blind worshipped Jesus (John 9:35-38). Some of the Pharisees heard Jesus’ conversation with the man and scoffed. Jesus demonstrated His authority as the Son of Man, judging them for their sin (John 9:40-41).

(3) In John 10:11, Jesus proclaimed that He was the good shepherd, reflecting shepherd imagery of the Old Testament. In Num 27:17, after the Lord forbade Moses to enter the Promised Land, Moses asked the Lord to raise up another leader for Israel so that the people would not be like sheep without a shepherd. Joshua shepherded Israel and after the period of the Judges, the Lord established David as His anointed shepherd (1 Sam 16:12-14; 2 Sam 5:1-5; Ps 89:19-37). In Psalm 23, David proclaimed that the Lord was his shepherd, and Ezekiel described the Lord as the ultimate shepherd of His people (Ezek 34:7-31). When Jesus proclaimed that He was the good shepherd who would lay down His life for His sheep (John 10:11), He portrayed Himself as the embodiment of all that Moses, Joshua, and David exhibited in their leadership, but also more. Jesus’ self-offering reflected the Lord’s zeal to rescue His people in accord with Ezek 34:12. By rescuing the man born blind in John 9, Jesus showed His zeal to save and He would show it finally at the cross—as the lamb of God (John 1:29).

(4) In John 10:34, Jesus quoted Ps 82:6 to argue for His deity. In Psalm 82, the psalmist described God as the ruler of a divine assembly. God confronted the rulers around Him because they were judging unjustly, ignoring the needs of the oppressed and the poor. Though God had addressed the rulers around Him as gods, sons of the Most High, He proclaimed that they would die like any other ruler (Ps 82:6-7). Jesus took the psalmist’s phrase, “you are all Gods,” and applied it to the people of Israel who had received God’s word. The people of Israel were to be God’s ruling partners over creation, as the Lord had said in Psalm 8, but Israel failed in their stewardship. Jesus thus argued from the lesser to the greater: if the people of Israel could generally be addressed as gods, how much more could Jesus—God in the flesh, the One sent from God—proclaim His deity? The Jews responded by attempting to seize Jesus, but He alluded their grasp (John 10:39).

Each Gospel writer noted that as Jesus’ ministry progressed, the Jewish leadership opposed Him more sharply. The Jewish leadership saw Jesus as their opponent because Jesus presented Himself as the fulfillment of Judaism itself. In Jesus, a new era had dawned in which the very fabric of Judaism would be woven together around Himself. In John 7-8, John structured Jesus’ message at the Feast of Tabernacles—including His analysis of the patriarch Abraham—so as to portray Jesus as the focal point of Israel’s faith.

(1) In John 7:10, Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles where He described the work of the Spirit in terms used also by the prophets. Along with Passover (Exod 12:1-28, 43-13:16; Lev 23:5-8; Deut 16:1-8) and Pentecost (Exod 23:16, 34:22; Lev 23:15-22; Deut 16:9-12), Tabernacles (also called the Festival of Booths or Ingathering) was one of the major festivals Jews celebrated according to the Mosaic law (Exod 23:17; 34:22). The Festival of Tabernacles celebrated God’s provision as Israelites brought the first of their produce as an offering to the Lord (Exod 23:16; Lev 23:34-36; Deut 16:13-17). “On the last and most important day of the festival” (John 7:37), Jesus cried out for those who were yet hungry and thirsty to come to Him. Even after days of reflecting upon God’s providence to the wilderness generation and in their own day, some who gathered in the temple were yet empty, unsatisfied. Jesus said that what He had to offer was greater than anything that they had been known before. “The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him” (John 7:38). Isaiah prophesied of God’s grace upon His people saying in Isa 55:1, “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat!” In Ezek 36:16-37:14, Ezekiel prophesied that the Lord would renew His people by cleansing them and placing His Spirit upon them. “I will put My Spirit in you, and you will live” (Ezek 37:14), he said. In John 7:39, John said that Jesus’ promise of streams of living water flowing out of those who believed in Him was a reference to the Spirit. Jesus’ description of the Spirit’s ministry anticipated His further teaching on the Spirit where Jesus informed His disciples that He would send them another Counselor to help them after He departed (John 12:23; 14:15-26; 16:5-15; 20:21-23). Jesus and the Spirit could satisfy the spiritual hunger and thirst that no Jewish festival could quench.

(2) In John 8:39-58, Jesus portrayed Abraham as a witness to His mission and eternality. In Gen 12:1-3, the Lord called Abraham and promised him both land and lineage. The Lord affirmed these promises in a covenant ceremony in Genesis 15. Throughout the history of Judaism, Abraham was seen as a paramount figure, the father of the people of God. Jesus’ comments about Abraham in John 8 established Abraham’s greatness only in relation to Jesus. Jesus proposed that although His opponents were physical descendants of Abraham, they were yet enslaved to sin—a claim they considered an oxymoron (John 8:31-34). They understood that being in the family line of Abraham was inextricably linked with spiritual freedom. God’s covenant of land and lineage to Abraham implied that Abraham’s descendants were the true heirs of Canaan—despite the contemporary Roman domination or historic lapses of national independence. For the Jews of Jesus’ day, being in the line of Abraham was the basis of spirituality, salvation. They were frustrated when Jesus proclaimed in John 8:55 that His Jewish opponents had never known God. Jesus did not disparage Abraham but described Abraham’s pivotal role in the storyline of Scripture. “Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day; he saw it and rejoiced!” (John 8:56), Jesus said, and told His opponents, “I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).

References to the Old Testament punctuate Jesus’ miracles and sermons in John 6. Jesus fed the 5,000 (Matt 14:13-21//Mark 6:30-44//Luke 9:10-17) just as the Lord fed Israel with manna in the wilderness. But Jesus promised that the food He had would provide eternal life. On foot Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee (Matt 14:22-36//Mark 6:45-52) to escape the crowds that sought another meal. When they found Him, Jesus proclaimed that if anyone listened to God, they would listen to Him.

(1) In John 6:30-31 the crowds following Jesus after He fed the 5,000 asked Him for another sign and cited Ps 78:24 to imply they wanted more food. Psalm 78 recounts Israel’s wilderness wanderings and sin. Though God’s people failed to heed His word, the Lord remained faithful. After Israel entered Canaan, the Lord gave David to Israel so that he would be their king and expand Israel’s territory in Canaan. When the crowds found Jesus, they quoted Ps 78:24, “He rained manna for them to eat; he gave them grain from heaven,” to justify their demand for another sign (John 6:31). Since their fathers had enjoyed such miraculous verification of God’s blessing upon them in the wilderness, should not Jesus—who claimed to be sent from God—provide the same to His followers? Jesus said, “I assure you: Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the real bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:32-33). Jesus expanded the crowd’s view of Ps 78:24, urging them to look beyond even the profound miracles of old and to look to Him as the true bread from heaven.

(2) In John 6:45, Jesus quoted Isa 54:13 to argue that one could only understand the Old Testament by heeding His teaching. Predicting the future glory of Jerusalem, Isaiah said, “Then all your children will be taught by the LORD, their prosperity will be great” (Isa 54:13). In John 6:45, Jesus capitalized on Isaiah’s prophecy that in the future day of grace, the descendants of Jacob would receive direct instruction from God. Jesus had been sent from God as the bread of life (John 6:35). But Jesus quoted Isa 54:13 as a validation of not only His role as the teacher sent from heaven, but also the fact that only those who are drawn by God respond to His teaching. Jesus said that His ministry was in full accord with the work of the Father.

(3) In John 6:49, Jesus told the crowds that the manna their fathers ate in the wilderness did not sustain them unto eternal life. After the exodus, each day the Lord provided Israel manna to eat as they traveled toward Canaan (Exod 16:12-36). The daily provision of manna was the Lord’s means of testing His people and reminding them that they needed to walk by faith in His sustaining power. But Israel failed to walk by faith when the scouts grumbled that the people in the land were too strong for them or the Lord (Num 13:1-14:38). Israel even complained about the manna the Lord provided each day (Num 21:4-5). Manna did not sustain the people to eternal life but testified that, though God was gracious and faithful, Israel was hard-hearted. Among those registered by Moses and Eleazar, only Joshua and Caleb would enter the land; everyone else died in the wilderness (Num 26:63-65). Jesus said to the crowds who were chasing Him for another meal, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh” (John 6:51).

References to Old Testament events and individuals in John 4-5 reinforced that Jesus had a distinct perspective on Israel’s history. The Samaritan woman and the Jewish leadership confidently cited the Old Testament to explain their actions. Jesus stated that He was greater than Jacob and free to operate at full vigor on the Sabbath. In Jesus, a new day had dawned.

(1) In John 4:12, the Samaritan woman asked Jesus if He thought Himself greater than Jacob. After Jacob peacefully departed from Esau in Genesis 33, he purchased a section of land in Canaan and set up an altar to God to acknowledge God’s power in bringing him safely back to the land (Gen 33:16-20). God had shown Himself faithful to Jacob just as Jacob hoped when he swore to the Lord that he would make the Lord an altar after returning from Padam-aram in pursuit of a wife (Gen 28:18-22). The Samaritans cited the Lord’s blessing on Jacob outside of Jerusalem to reinforce their claim on God’s blessing even though they lived north of Jerusalem. For the Samaritan woman and her people, the land of Jacob was the land of promise. When the Samaritan woman asked Jesus if He considered Himself greater than Jacob, Jesus replied that those who drank of Jacob’s well continued to thirst, “but whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again—ever!” (John 4:14). Jesus promised that the water He gives would become a source of water springing up for eternal life. Jesus’ statement to the Samaritan woman anticipated His teaching in the temple when He said, “The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within Him” (John 7:38).

(2) In John 4:21-24, Jesus told the Samaritan woman that worship of God was not bound to Jerusalem, referencing Jerusalem’s importance as the center of worship in the Old Testament. Israel’s religious life was centered on the tabernacle that Moses constructed according to the word of the Lord in Exodus 33-40. The tabernacle provided a mobile worship center for Israel as they traveled to Canaan and took the land. Israel set the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant in Shiloh. When Samuel judged Israel, Shiloh became the center of Israel’s worship (1 Samuel 1-2). After the Philistines captured the ark, the Lord intervened and compelled the Philistines to return it to Israel and it was brought to Kiraith-jearim (1 Sam 5:1-7:1). David brought the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam 13:1-16:6). After David took the military census in 1 Chronicles 21, the Lord confronted David and the angel of the Lord exacted God’s wrath on the people. The Lord told David to set up an altar and offer a sacrifice to atone for his sin and appease God’s wrath. David did so on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. The Lord’s wrath ceased while David sacrificed there and David said, “This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel” (1 Chron 22:1). David instructed Solomon to build the temple in Jerusalem. When Solomon dedicated the temple, he asked God to hear the petitions His people prayed toward the temple in Jerusalem, establishing Jerusalem as the center of Israel’s worship (2 Chron 6:12-42). But when the Assyrians destroyed Israel and repopulated the land with foreigners, the cities of Samaria were filled with mixed races and mixed religion (2 Kgs 17:24-41). The people in Samaria began to worship the Lord away from Jerusalem and it was in Samaria at Jacob’s well that Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman in John 4. When Jesus told her that the hour had arrived when true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and truth without regard to Jerusalem or the northern Samaritan worship center (John 4:21), He established a new viewpoint on Israel’s religious practices.

(3) In John 5:1-15, Jesus healed a lame man on the Sabbath and then described the Sabbath as a day when He and the Father were working. The Sabbath commands of the Old Testament were based upon God’s creative power and perfection in Gen 2:1-3. As Israel rested on the seventh day, they would show the world that the Lord cares for His people (Exod 20:8-11; Deut 5:12-15). Therefore, those who violated the Sabbath defamed God and were to be executed (Num 15:32-36). The Jewish leadership confronted Jesus for healing the lame man and telling him to carry his bedroll on the Sabbath (John 5:16). Jesus challenged their notion of God’s creative activity and what they believed about Him, saying, “My Father is still working, and I am working also” (John 5:17).

(4) In John 5:41-47, Jesus told His opponents that they should listen to Him since Moses wrote about Him. On the plains of Moab, just before Israel entered the Promised Land, Moses said, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him” (Deut 18:15). In John 5:41-47, Jesus concluded His self-defense before the Jews by stating that Moses spoke of Him. God had raised up a prophet from among Israel; Jesus came to His own, John said, but His people did not receive Him (John 1:11).