J—Jesus in Jerusalem

Journey through the Gospel of John from A to Z with rookie bloggers who are seeking 
to honor their good friend, Tina.

As we journey through John we should stop and observe a bit of the terrain that we are passing through. Geographically speaking, this gospel spans three major regions:  Galilee in the northern part of Palestine, Judea in the south, and Samaria in-between.

The other three gospels focus on Jesus' work in the north.  But John's gospel spends a fair amount of time in Judea, where Jerusalem and the temple were located.

Chapters 7 and 8 are primarily set at the temple where pilgrims gather to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, a commemoration of the time when God delivered His people from Egypt and they dwelt in tents.  This was a joyous week-long feast, rich in symbolism of water and of light. Jesus taps into those symbols to continue revealing who He is to the people of Israel.  One claim that He makes at this feast is issued as an invitation:

 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."  -John 7:37-38

This offer of living water is an echo of Messianic passages that were part of the scriptural readings for the feast. Jesus was identifying Himself as the Messiah here.  But even more than that, Jesus was identifying himself with the Temple itself. For the waters described in these Old Testament prophecies speak of the water flowing from the temple.

This would not be the first time that Jesus implied this. Jesus refers to his own body when he tells the Jews, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."  (2:19)  Later, when the dedication of the temple was being celebrated, Jesus tells the Pharisees that He is the one that has been "sanctified" or "dedicated" by the Father (10:36).

The beautiful meaning for us is clear.  Jesus IS where we meet God.  He IS the fulfillment of all that the Lord requires of us. 

This is the change that Jesus cued for the Woman at the Well when Jesus said, "a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem," instead it will be "in spirit and truth" (John 4:21,23).

The Temple is more than just a backdrop for this gospel. John's choice to focus on Jesus' travels to Jerusalem for feasts is very deliberate. It is a powerful symbol to teach us about our salvation. 

F—Faith

Journey through the Gospel of John from A to Z with rookie bloggers who are seeking to honor their good friend, Tina.

One of the most beautiful aspects of the Gospel of John is how it relates Jesus' interactions with a variety of people. Yesterday, we looked at how Jesus talked to Nicodemus, a spiritual leader who came to see Him at night.  Today, we see Jesus as the one who comes and initiates a conversation with a woman who is on the opposite end of the social ladder.  Where Nicodemus was the one pursuing answers, here we have a woman at Jacob's well who is avoiding answers.  While Nicodemus might be considered upright and moral, this woman would more likely be labeled "immoral" as she had had a string of husbands and was currently living with someone she wasn't married to.

John makes it clear that "Jews do not associate with Samaritans," reminding us that Jesus did not respect cultural barriers. Even though the culture didn't value her, He cared about this woman and persisted in seeking to reveal the truth to her—that He is the Messiah. Here, Jesus describes eternal life as water that He offers, living water that will abundantly flow from within the believer.

"Everyone who drinks this [well] water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  (John 4:13-14)

There is a marked contrast between the Samaritan woman's response and Nicodemus's.  He reacts with confusion, while she reacts with faith that does seem to spring up like a fountain from within—a fountain that refreshes everyone about her.

She testifies to her neighbors and challenges them to believe that He is the Christ. Her faith is somewhat contagious, leading her fellow townspeople to come to Jesus, spend time with Him, and then at last to believe.

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony... So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.  And because of his words many more became believers.  They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."   (John 4:39-42)

John writes this gospel to bring others to faith.  Like the woman at the well, John's faith in Jesus is contagious and refreshing.  Have you put your faith in Jesus?  Are you refreshing others with the living water of Jesus Christ?