09 September 15, 2013, John 2;1-12 Jesus' First Miracle

JOHN 2:1-12
JESUS’ FIRST MIRACLE
SEPTEMBER 15, 2013
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
USA

http://www.warnbro.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Wedding-at-Cana.jpg

SEPTEMBER SCRIPTURE
MEMORY VERSE
Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore, brothers, by
the mercies of God, I urge
you to present your
bodies as a living sacrifice,

holy and pleasing to God;
this is your spiritual
worship.
Do not be conformed to
this age, but be
transformed by the
renewing of your mind,

that you may discern
what is good, pleasing
and perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:1-2

RON MUMBOWER
WEDNESDAY WORSHIP
SERIES (UNTIL OCT 30)
EMOTIONALLY
HEALTHY
SPIRITUALITY
AT 6:00 P. M. IN FSHE

John 2:1-12 KJV
1 And the third day there
was a marriage in Cana of
Galilee; and the mother of
Jesus was there:

2 And both Jesus was
called, and his disciples,
to the marriage.
3 And when they wanted
wine, the mother of Jesus
saith unto him, They have
no wine.

4 Jesus saith unto her,
Woman, what have I to do
with thee? mine hour is
not yet come.
5 His mother saith unto
the servants, Whatsoever
he saith unto you, do it.

6 And there were set there
six waterpots of stone,
after the manner of the
purifying of the Jews,
containing two or three
firkins apiece (20-30 gal.).

7 Jesus saith unto them,
Fill the waterpots with
water. And they filled
them up to the brim.

8 And he saith unto them,
Draw out now, and bear
unto the governor of the
feast. And they bare it.

9 When the ruler of the feast
had tasted the water that was
made wine, and knew not
whence it was: (but the
servants which drew the
water knew;) the governor of
the feast called the
bridegroom,

10 And saith unto him,
Every man at the beginning
doth set forth good wine;
and when men have well
drunk, then that which is
worse: but thou hast kept
the good wine until now.

11 This beginning of
miracles did Jesus in Cana
of Galilee, and manifested
forth his glory; and his
disciples believed on him.

12 After this he went
down to Capernaum, he,
and his mother, and his
brethren, and his
disciples: and they
continued there not many
days.

*The MacArthur New
Testament Commentary,
Copyright © Moody Press
and John MacArthur, Jr.,
1983-2007.
*J. Vernon McGee's Thru
The Bible

Wiersbe's Expository
Outlines on the New
Testament. Copyright ©
1992 by Chariot Victor
Publishing, an imprint of
Cook Communication
Ministries.

Copyright ©1994
Tony Warren
The Mountain Retreat!
Http://mountainretreatorg.net

John 2:1 KJV
1 And the third day there
was a marriage in Cana of
Galilee; and the mother of
Jesus was there:

The time is given here as
the third day.
It is thought that this was
probably late February or
early March in the year
A.D. 27.

“The third day” is a clear
reference to the
resurrection which God
had already been making
known through the Old
Testament prophecies.

Genesis 22:4 KJV
4 Then on the third day
Abraham lifted up his
eyes, and saw the place
afar off.

Jehovah-jireh –
the LORD will provide.
Pro – before
Video – to see
The LORD sees what we
need ahead of time and
has the provision ready.

http://marienelle.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/god-provides_t.jpg

Jonah 1:17 KJV
17 Now the Lord had
prepared a great fish to
swallow up Jonah. And
Jonah was in the belly of
the fish three days and
three nights.

Matthew 12:40 KJV
40 For as Jonas was three
days and three nights in
the whale's belly; so shall
the Son of man be three
the heart of the earth.

John had carefully chosen
Jesus’ first miracle of
changing the water into
wine in 2:1-11 and the
account of Jesus’ cleansing
the Temple in 2:12-25 to
tell of His resurrection.

Cana of Galilee is
probably to be identified
with modern Khirbet
Qana, an uninhabited ruin
about nine miles north of
Nazareth.

http://holylandarchive.com/section_images/CanaMap030817.jpg

http://wordincarnate.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/wedding_feast.gif
This wedding is a picture
of another wedding that is
coming.

http://jamestabor.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/CanaWedding2.jpg
Christ began His ministry
on this earth at a
wedding.

He will conclude it, as far
as the church is
concerned, with a
wedding between the
Lamb and His bride, the
church.

Revelation 19:7 KJV
7 Let us be glad and
rejoice, and give honour
to him: for the marriage of
the Lamb is come, and his
wife hath made herself
ready.

This is the first miracle
which Jesus performed.
Moses' first miracle was
turning water into blood.

Christ's first miracle was
turning water into wine.

The Law was given by
Moses, but grace and
truth came by Jesus
Christ.
What a contrast!

Unlike Western
weddings, which are paid
for by the bride's family,
in Eastern weddings, the
groom was responsible
for the expenses of the
celebration.

In Western weddings, the
bridegroom comes in first,
and, very candidly, not
many are interested in
him.
The only one who may
smile at him is his mother.

Then the bride, the
prominent one, enters
(“Here comes the bride!”)!
But in Eastern weddings it
is the bridegroom who is
the prominent one.

We see no mention of the
bride in John’s account of
the wedding at Cana
because the church, the
bride of Christ, was not
yet in the picture.

In Jewish life, the
wedding marked the
culmination of the
betrothal period.

During that period, which
often lasted for several
months, the couple was
considered legally man
and wife and only a
divorce could terminate
the betrothal.

They did not, however,
live together or
consummate the marriage
during that period.

On the night of the
ceremony (usually a
Wednesday), the groom
and his friends would go
to the bride's house.

They would then escort
the bride and her
attendants to the groom's
house, where the
ceremony and banquet
would be held.

The whole celebration,
which could last up to a
week, ended with the
actual wedding.

2 And both Jesus was
called, and his disciples,
to the marriage.
3 And when they wanted
wine, the mother of Jesus
saith unto him, They have
no wine. John 2:2-3

http://new.rejesus.co.uk/images/area_uploads/mels_passion/humanity.jpg
They have no wine.

The mother of Jesus was at
this particular wedding.
That both she and Jesus
attended suggests the
wedding involved relatives
or friends of the family
(Jesus’ brother?).

That would explain why
Mary seems to have been
more than just a guest, but
apparently had some
responsibility for helping
with the celebration.

For example, she was
aware of the situation
regarding the lack of
wine, and took the
initiative to solve the
serious problem.

A major crisis loomed at
the wedding celebration
when the wine ran out
because the supply was
insufficient for whatever
reason.

Such an embarrassing
faux pas could have
stigmatized the couple
and their families for the
rest of their lives for
failing to meet their
responsibilities.

Thus Jesus' turning the
water into wine was not
just a sensational miracle,
designed only to amaze
His audience with His
power.

All of His miracles met
specific needs, such as
opening blind eyes or
deaf ears, delivering those
oppressed by demons,
feeding hungry people, or
calming a storm.

This miracle met the
genuine need of the
family and their guests,
who otherwise faced a
social catastrophe.

Mary informed Jesus of
the situation and had high
expectations for Him to
help.
She remembered what
Gabriel had told her
before she conceived.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z3YF9OJ4Vfs/UWb4JZR2WaI/AAAAAAAAAxs/jgEoAySoVO4/s1600/Mary+%2526+Gabriel.jpg

She had heard about John
the Baptist baptizing Him
and the dove coming
down on Him and God’s
voice saying, “This is My
Son in Whom I AM well
pleased.”

http://hischarisisenough.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/jesusbaptism1.jpg

What is it that God was so
pleased with?
Jesus hadn’t done any
miracles, He had not yet
begun His public
ministry.

Jesus spent 30 of His 33
years getting to know
God and giving God His
whole heart, soul and
mind (Matthew 22:37).

Along with the other
Jews, Mary expected the
Messiah.
2,000 years from Adam to
Abraham
2,000 years from Abraham
to Jesus

It had been 400 years
since the last prophet
when John the Baptist
came on the scene so there
was an expectancy among
the people, including
Mary.

John 2:4 KJV
4 Jesus saith unto her,
Woman, what have I to do
with thee? mine hour is
not yet come.

Jesus' abrupt and startling
reply,
“Woman, what does that
have to do with us?”
signaled a major change
in their relationship.

*Woman was a polite, but
not intimate, form of
address, much like the
English word “Ma'am.”
*It was a common title of
respect which Jesus used
at other times.

John 19:26 KJV
26 When Jesus therefore
saw his mother, and the
disciple standing by,
whom he loved, he saith
unto his mother, Woman,
behold thy son!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xksUuokfyo4/UTNFZwT5jRI/AAAAAAAAAdE/mxmKMpR7UgY/s320/2013+Faith+Church+Final+Words+behold.jpg

Jesus' reply, “what have I
to do with thee?”
(lit., “What to Me and to
you?”) is an idiomatic
expression which asks
rhetorically what the two
parties in question have

in common, and has the
effect of distancing them.
It was the Hebrew way of
saying,
“You don’t understand”.

The statement, coupled with
Jesus' addressing Mary as
“Woman” instead of
“Mother,” politely but firmly
informed her that what they
had in common in their
relationship was

no longer to be what it
had been while He was
growing up in Nazareth.
*His public ministry had
begun, and earthly
relationships would not
determine His actions.

Mary was to relate to Him
no longer as her son, but
as her Messiah, the Son of
God, and her Savior
(Matt 12:47-50; Mark 3:31-
35; Luke 11:27-28).

Jesus did not say “No” to
her.
He was telling her that
what she was asking
would not accomplish
what she was hoping for.

Http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YqB55SffEJ4/Tf64cbIBj5I/AAAAAAAAAkc/pcyp02b-Crc/s1600/PrinceOfPeace
This will not persuade the
nation of
Israel that I am
the Messiah.

The phrase “My hour has
not yet come” refers to
Jesus' death and
glorification (7:6,8,30; 8:20;
12:23,27; 13:1; 16:32; 17:1;
Matt 26:18,45; Mark
14:35,41). Six hours!

Jesus made it clear that
He would act according to
God's timetable, decreed
before the foundation of
the world, not hers or any
man's (John 7:2-8).

It was not the appointed time
for Jesus' full messianic glory
to be revealed; yet the
miracle He would perform
would make His divine
power unmistakable, and
preview His glory to come.

http://newoma.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/0-jesus-profile-in-the-clouds.jpg

The dark hour of the cross
would precede the full
revelation in His glorious
messianic kingdom where
wine, emblematic of joy
and gladness, will
abound.

John 2:5 KJV
5 His mother saith unto
the servants, Whatsoever
he saith unto you, do it.

Undeterred by the mild
rebuke (Matt 15:22-28),
and aware that He was
not saying no to the
request, Mary said to the
servants, “Whatever He
says to you, do it.”

That’s the best words of
advice anyone could ever
hear!
“Whatever He says to
you, do it!”

http://www.gci.org/files/MiracleCana_small.jpg

John 2:6 KJV
6 And there were set there
six waterpots of stone,
after the manner of the
purifying of the Jews,
containing two or three
firkins apiece (20-30 gal.).

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OFlWO2iqQJY/UGyRI3qs7yI/AAAAAAAAAHs/CtIb0Tayic0/s320/clay-jars1.jpg

*Six signifies work and
wine signifies blood.
*The stone waterpots
represent Christ’ body.
*Without the shedding of
blood, there is no
cleansing (purifying).

Exodus 17:6"Behold, I will
stand before thee there
upon the Rock in Horeb;
and thou shalt smite the
Rock, and there shall
come water out of it, that
the people may drink..."

The Old Testament
Concealed, is the
New Testament
Revealed!

Proverbs 25:2
"It is the Glory of God to
conceal a thing: but the
honour of Kings is to
search out a matter."
He that hath ears to hear,
let him hear.

1st Corinthians 10:4
"And did all drink the
same spiritual drink: for
they drank of that
spiritual Rock that
followed them: and that
Rock was Christ."

Christ is the true Rock
that the water of salvation
comes from, and the Rock
in Horeb merely was a
shadow, casting a
spiritual picture of it.

And that is why these
waterpots in John chapter
2 from where wine would
come, are meticulously
pointed out as being of
stone.

True purification is from
Christ.
Six Stone waterpots
signifying that it is by the
"work" of Christ's blood
that the people will have
this purification.

We drink the wine of
communion to illustrate
our communion with
Christ in His saving work
on the cross.

In the smiting of Christ,
and His work shedding
His blood, our impurities
are taken away, that we
might enter into the
Sabbath of Rest.

Isaiah 53:4
"Surely He hath borne our
griefs, and carried our
sorrows: yet we esteem
Him stricken, smitten of
God, and afflicted."

Hebrews 9:22
"And almost all things are
by the law purged with
blood; and without
shedding of blood is no
remission".

*The blood is the true
wine of which Christ
spoke, which was not yet
ready for the Woman (the
Church).
*It was not yet Christ's
hour to go to the cross.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIHIueZonvI/TzP2PSYcWJI/AAAAAAAAE14/QdHx8oMcR5Q/s1600/Jesus+on+the+cross+for+us.jpg
It was not yet time for the
true wine to come forth.

Mary was asking for
literal wine for the people
of the marriage supper,
but Jesus was talking
about the wine which was
His shed blood, for the
marriage of the Lamb.

The Jews used stone
waterpots to hold the water
used for ritual purification
because they believed that,
unlike earthenware pots
(Lev 11:33), they did not
become unclean.

These were large pots,
containing 20 or 30
gallons each.

Such a large amount of
water was needed not
only to accommodate the
guests, but also because
the cooking and eating
utensils had to be washed
(Mark 7:4).

John 2:7 KJV
7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill
the waterpots with water.
And they filled them up to
the brim.

Mary's faith and confidence
in her Son were not
misplaced.
As she had foreseen, He
responded by commanding
the servants, “Fill the
waterpots with water.”

Jesus often began with
whatever was at hand.
In response, they filled
them up to the brim.

This seemingly
insignificant detail, that
the water was up to the
very top, shows that
nothing was added to the
water, and that what
followed was indeed a

transformation miracle.
By ordering the jars to be
completely filled before
He transformed the water
in them into wine, Jesus
also displayed His
magnanimous grace.

Such a large amount of
wine (120 to 180 gallons)
was more than enough to
last for the rest of the
celebration.

Jesus not only rescued the
bride and groom from an
embarrassing situation,
but the leftover wine also
provided them with a
generous wedding
present.

http://www.freeldsart.com/images/clipart/cup-runneth-over-c.gif
My cup runneth over!

John 2:8 KJV
8 And he saith unto them,
Draw out now, and bear
unto the governor of the
feast. And they bare it.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-8ouVHjsQk/UGyZe_WbpsI/AAAAAAAAAIM/H_HsLBtKm6Q/s320/canawaterintowine01.jpg

Jesus took empty water
pots and He had them
filled with water.
Then as they ladled out
the water, the miracle
took place!

When they took the water
and served it to the
guests, it became wine.
This holds a great
spiritual lesson for you
and me.

We are the body of Christ.
Jesus uses us as vessels
(water pots) today.
We're just beaten and
battered common water
pots.

We're not attractive nor
fancy vessels but He
wants to use us.
He wants to fill us with
water.
What is the water?

J. Vernon Magee says that
the water is the Word of
God.
Jesus wants to fill you and
me with the water of the
Word of God.

Then, after He fills us
with the water of the
Word of God, He wants
us to ladle it out.

When we ladle it out,
when the water leaves the
water pots and gets to
those for whom it is
destined, it becomes wine.

It becomes the wine of joy
through the working of
the Holy Spirit.
We are told, "And be not
drunk with wine, wherein
is excess; but be filled
with the Spirit"(Eph. 5:18).

The Holy Spirit takes that
water and performs a
miracle in the life of an
individual.
People are saved by just
hearing the Word of God.

John 2:9-10 KJV
9 When the ruler of the feast had
tasted the water that was made
wine, and knew not whence it
was: (but the servants which
drew the water knew;) the
governor of the feast called the
bridegroom,

10 And saith unto him, Every
man at the beginning doth set
forth good wine; and when men
have well drunk, then that which
is worse: but thou hast kept the
good wine until now.
John 2:9-10 KJV

Surely it was the sweetest,
freshest wine ever tasted.
This wine did not come
from the normal speed of
the process of
fermentation.

Water is being changed
into wine every day in
every vineyard on earth
but it is a long, slow
process.

Every miracle of Jesus is a
short circuit of a natural
process.
C. S. Lewis wrote:
“Each miracle writes for
us in small letters
something that God has

already written, or will
write, in letters almost too
large to be noticed, across
the whole canvas of
Nature."
C. S. Lewis

Miracles in books of
fiction are an invasion
into nature from an alien
power but Christian
miracles are by the
invasion of a Power which
is not alien.

Christian miracles are
when God’s power enters
the picture, not a king but
the King of nature and its
processes.

Jesus transformed a non-
living, inorganic
compound (water) into a
living, organic compound
(wine) and it is a picture
of His resurrection and of
ours.

This first miracle teaches
us that salvation is
through the Word of God.
Note the four symbols
here.

A. A thirsty crowd.
Isn't this a picture of the
lost world today?
They are tasting the
world's pleasures but
finding no personal

satisfaction, and what
fulfillment they have
eventually runs out.
The Bible invites thirsty
sinners to come to Christ
for salvation and
satisfaction.

B. Empty waterpots.
Representing the human
heart, which is hard and
empty.
The Word of God
compares the human

being to a vessel (2 Cor
4:7; 2 Tim 2:20-21).
The sinner's life may look
lovely on the outside, but
God sees it is empty and
useless unless He is able
to work a divine miracle.

C. Filled with water.
Water for washing is, in
the Bible, an image of the
Word of God.
(See Ephesians 5:26;
John 15:3.)

All that the servants had
to do was fill the empty
waterpots with water,
which is like the servant
of God filling the heart of
the unbeliever with the
Word.

It is not our job to save
souls, but it is our job to
give people the Word and
let Christ perform the
miracle of salvation.
3 things going to Heaven

D. Water to wine.
When the sinner's heart
has been filled with the
Word, then Christ can
perform the miracle and
bring joy.

In Acts 8:26-40, Philip
filled the Ethiopian with
the Word, and when the
man believed, the miracle
of salvation took place.

The Ethiopian went his way
rejoicing.
Note John 1:17-
"The law came through
Moses"; in the OT, water was
changed to blood (Ex 7:19),
which indicates judgment.

But Christ turned water
into wine, which speaks
of grace and joy.
Wine symbolizes the Holy
Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

John 2:11 KJV
11 This beginning of
miracles did Jesus in Cana
of Galilee, and manifested
forth his glory; and his
disciples believed on him.

Salvation is the beginning
of miracles, for after a
person is saved, God
performs one miracle after
another for him; and the
miracles we experience
bring glory to Christ.

This beginning of miracles
is a sign, it tells you
something that you would
not otherwise know
because it was hidden.
It reveals or manifests His
hidden glory.

The sign pictures the
combination of human
and divine activity.
Men fill water pots but
only God can turn it into
wine.

Men do the ordinary, the
commonplace, the normal
activity but God touches it
and brings it to life and
gives it flavor and
fragrance and joy!

That’s the meaning of the
sign (miracle) and it was
an indication of what the
ministry of Jesus was
going to be like.

Whenever He touches a
human life – not only
while He was on earth but
also down through all the
centuries to come, and
even today!

Bring God into your
situation and all the
humdrum, common
activities are touched with
a new power that makes
them fragrant, flavorful,
enjoyable, and delightful.

John 2:11b KJV
11 His disciples believed
on Him

Here is One Who took
simple water and made it a
source of joy!
The world tells us that youth
is the time when you taste
the wine and enjoy life and
find excitement and
adventure.

But how do you feel when
you have all of your
family together in one
place and everyone is
laughing and enjoying
each other and loving
each other?

You want to thank God
and tell Him, “But You
have saved the best for
last!”

Everything works out in
the end, if it hasn’t
worked out, it means that
it is not the end yet.

There is no record that
any of the servants who
witnessed Jesus' turning
the water into wine
followed Him, only His
disciples (John 2:12).

Amazingly, Jesus seems
to have left Cana with
only the disciples who
came there with Him,
despite having performed
a miracle, the likes of
which had not happened

God created flour and oil
in the days of Elijah and
Elisha (1 Kings 17:8-16; 2
Kings 4:1-7).

The obvious deduction
that He was the Messiah
escaped them; they saw
the sign, but missed what
it pointed to.

As he does with all
unbelievers, Satan
“blinded their minds . . .
so that they might not see
the light of the Gospel of
the glory of Christ, Who is
the image of God”2 Cor 4.

Israel was ignorant of its
own Messiah. "There
stands One among you
Whom you do not know,"
said John the Baptist in
John 1:26.

This wedding feast is a
picture of the nation: the
wine had run out, the
people's supply was
emptied, yet their Messiah
stood there to help them.

The six waterpots were
used for ceremonial
cleansing (see Mark 7:3),
but the Jewish ceremonies
could not help the
spiritually bankrupt
nation.

It was without joy (wine is
a symbol of joy in the
Bible - see Ps 104:15 and
Judg 9:13) and without
hope.

The people had external
ceremonies, but they had
nothing to satisfy them
within.

Christ will one day bring
joy again to Israel, when it
receives Him as its King.

Israel will be wedded
again to its God (see Isa
54 and Hos 2), and the
wine of its joy will run
freely and Christ's glory
will be revealed (John
2:11).

Until that day comes,
Christ must say to Israel,
"What have I to do with
thee?" (John 2:4).

The nation has rejected
Him, and it will not
receive Him until that day
when He returns in glory
and power.

The Practical Lesson
How to serve Christ.
Mary's words should be
heeded by all who would
serve Christ:

"Whatever He says to
you, do it" (2:5).
It must have seemed
foolish for the servants to
fill those waterpots, but
God uses the foolish
things to confound the

mighty (1 Cor 1:27).
If we would see men
saved, then we must obey
Christ and give men the
Word of God.

It is not entertainment or
recreation that saves
souls, but the preaching
and teaching of the Word.
If we do our part, Christ
will do the rest.

*The servants knew where
the wine came from, but
the "important people" at
the feast did not.
*When a person serves
Christ, he or she learns
His secrets. (Amos 3:7)

We are Christ's servants
and His friends (3:29;
15:15), and He tells us
what He is doing.

It is better to be a humble
servant of Christ and
share in His miracles than
to sit at the head table at
the greatest feast.

We should use every
opportunity to serve
Christ, "in season and out
of season."
Jesus brought glory to
God at a wedding feast.

Jesus Displays His Deity
John 2:12-25

John 2:12-25 KJV
12 After this he went down
to Capernaum, he, and his
mother, and his brethren,
and his disciples: and they
days.

13 And the Jews' passover
was at hand, and Jesus went
up to Jerusalem.
14 And found in the temple
those that sold oxen and
sheep and doves, and the
changers of money sitting:

15 And when he had made
a scourge of small cords,
he drove them all out of
the temple, and the sheep,
and the oxen; and poured
out the changers' money,
and overthrew the tables;

16 And said unto them
that sold doves, Take
these things hence; make
not my Father's house an
house of merchandise.

17 And his disciples
remembered that it was
written, The zeal of thine
house hath eaten me up.

18 Then answered the
Jews and said unto him,
What sign shewest thou
unto us, seeing that thou
doest these things?

19 Jesus answered and
said unto them, Destroy
this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up.

20 Then said the Jews,
Forty and six years was
this temple in building,
and wilt thou rear it up in
three days?

21 But he spake of the
temple of his body.

22 When therefore he was
risen from the dead, his
disciples remembered that
he had said this unto them;
and they believed the
scripture, and the word
which Jesus had said.

23 Now when he was in
Jerusalem at the passover,
in the feast day, many
believed in his name,
when they saw the
miracles which he did.

24 But Jesus did not
commit himself unto
them, because he knew all
men,

25 And needed not that
any should testify of man:
for he knew what was in
man.

BEGIN
The MacArthur New
Testament Commentary,
Copyright © Moody Press
and John MacArthur, Jr.,
1983-2007.

In this passage, John
continues this theme
through three vignettes
that each illustrate an
aspect of Christ's deity.

Individually, they show
His passion for reverence,
His power of resurrection,
and His perception of
reality.

Collectively, they
underscore the inscrutable
reality of His divine
nature.

Passover and
Cleansing the Temple

John 2:12-14 NASB
12 After this He went
down to Capernaum, He
and His mother
and His brothers and
His disciples; and they
stayed there a few days.

13 The Passover of the
Jews was near, and
Jesus went up to
Jerusalem.

14 And He found in the
temple those who were
selling oxen and sheep
and doves, and the money
changers seated at their
tables.
John 2:12-14 NASB

Upon His arrival, Jesus
would have found
Jerusalem teeming with
Jewish pilgrims from all
around the Roman world,
there to celebrate this
foremost of Jewish feasts.

Because of the multitudes
who came, Passover
meant big business for
Jerusalem-based
merchants.

In the temple complex,
where they had set up shop
(probably in the court of the
Gentiles), vendors were
selling oxen and sheep and
doves, and the money
changers seated at their
tables.

Since it was impractical for
those traveling from distant
lands to bring their own
animals, the merchants sold
them the animals required
for the sacrifices—at greatly
inflated prices.

The money changers also
provided a necessary
service.

Every Jewish male twenty
years of age or older had
to pay the annual temple
tax (Ex 30:13-14; Matt
17:24-27).

But it could be paid only
using Jewish or Tyrian
coins (because of the
purity of their silver
content), so foreigners had
to exchange their money
for acceptable coinage.

Because they had a
monopoly on the market,
the money changers
charged an exorbitant fee
for their services (as high
as 12.5 percent [F. F.
Bruce, Eerdmans, 1983].

What had begun as a
service to the worshipers
had, under the corrupt
rule of the chief priests,
degenerated into
exploitation and usury.

Religion had become
external, crass, and
materialistic; the temple
of God had become a
“robbers' den” (Matt
21:13).

As He surveyed the
sacred temple grounds
now turned into a bazaar,
Jesus was appalled and
outraged.

The worshipful
atmosphere that befitted
the temple, as the symbol
of God's presence, was
completely absent.

What should have been a
place of sacred reverence
and adoration had
become a place of abusive
commerce and excessive
overpricing.

The sound of heartfelt praise
and fervent prayers had been
drowned out by the bawling
of oxen, the bleating of
sheep, the cooing of doves,
and the loud haggling of
vendors and their customers.

John 2:15-17 NASB
15 And He made a scourge
of cords, and drove them all
out of the temple, with the
sheep and the oxen; and He
poured out the coins of the
money changers and
overturned their tables;

16 and to those who were
selling the doves He
said, “Take these things
away; stop making My
Father’s house a place of
business.”

17 His disciples
remembered that it was
written, “Zeal for Your
house will consume me.”
John 2:15-17 NASB

Realizing that the purity
of temple worship was a
matter of honor to God,
Jesus took swift and
decisive action.

Making a scourge of cords
(probably from those used
to tie the animals), He
drove all the merchants
out of the temple, along
with their sheep and oxen.

In addition, He poured
out the coins of the money
changers and overturned
their tables, an amazing
feat for one man in the
light of the resistance that
must have come.

Jesus' display of force
would have immediately
created pandemonium in
the temple court: the
animal sellers frantically
chasing their beasts,
which were running

aimlessly in all directions;
the startled
moneychangers (and, no
doubt, some of the
bystanders) scrambling
desperately on the ground
to pick up their coins;

those who were selling the
doves hastily removing
their crates as Jesus had
commanded them; the
temple authorities rushing
to see what all the
commotion was about.

Yet Jesus was neither
cruel to the animals (those
who object to His mild
use of force on them have
never herded animals),
nor overly harsh with the
men.

Apparently the uproar He
created was contained
enough not to alert the
Roman garrison stationed
in Fort Antonia, which
overlooked the temple
grounds.

Watching Romans may
have found some
satisfaction in this assault
on the temple system and
its leaders, who gave
them so much grief.

*At the same time, the
intensity of His righteous
indignation was
unmistakable.
*Christ would not tolerate
any mockery of the spirit
of true worship.

His indignant words to those
who were selling the doves,
“Take these things away; stop
making My Father's house a
place of business,” applied to
all who were polluting the
temple and corrupting its
intended purpose.

Jesus' reference to God as
His Father was a reminder
both of His deity and His
messiahship; He was the
loyal Son purging His
Father's house of its
impure worship

(an action that prefigures
what He will again do at
His second coming [Mal
3:1-3; cf. Zech 14:20-21]).

Several years later, at the
end of His ministry,
Christ would again
cleanse the temple (Matt
21:12-16; Mark 11:15-18;
Luke 19:45-46).

The cleansing recorded in
the Synoptic Gospels took
place during Passion
Week; the one recorded
by John came at the outset
of Jesus' public ministry
(cf. John 2:11-13).

The details of the two
accounts also differ
significantly.

In the Synoptics, Jesus
quotes the Old Testament
as His authority (Matt
21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke
19:46); in John He uses
His own words (2:16).

Moreover, John does not
mention Jesus' prohibition
against using the temple as a
shortcut (Mark 11:16) nor
Jesus' significant judicial
statement: “Behold, your
house is being left to you
desolate!” (Matt 23:38).

And the Synoptics do not
mention Jesus' remarkable
challenge, “Destroy this
temple, and in three days
I will raise it up” (John
2:19)—although they do
refer to it in the accounts

of His trial before the
Sanhedrin (Matt 26:61;
Mark 14:58; cf. Matt 27:39-
40; Mark 15:29-30).

Watching in amazement
as their Master dispersed
the temple merchants, His
disciples remembered that
it was written in Ps 69:9,
“Zeal for Your house will
consume me.”

Jesus' resolute passion
and unwavering fervor
was clear to all who saw
Him.

His righteous indignation,
stemming from an
absolute commitment to
God's holiness, revealed
His true nature as the
Judge of all the earth (cf.
Gen 18:25; Heb 9:27).

Like David, who penned
the messianic Ps 69, Jesus'
zeal for pure worship
found expression in His
concern for God's house.

And also like David, Jesus
suffered as a result,
personally feeling the
pain when His Father was
dishonored.

The second half of Ps 69:9
reads, “The reproaches of
those who reproach You
have fallen on me.”

The Jewish leaders never
forgot Jesus' assault on the
heart of their religious
enterprise and on the very
seat of their power.

In fact, Christ's two
physical cleansings of the
temple, along with His
constant verbal assaults
on their hypocrisy, were
more than enough
motivation to cause them

to pursue His crucifixion
so vehemently. Not
surprisingly, His
followers were also later
accused of threatening the
temple (Acts 6:13-14;
21:28; 24:6).

JESUS' POWER OF
RESURRECTION
John 2:18-22

John 2:18-22 NASB
18 The Jews then said to
Him, “What sign do You
show us as your authority
for doing these things?”

19 Jesus answered them,
“Destroy this temple, and
in three days I will raise it
up.”

20 The Jews then said, “It
took forty-six years to
build this temple, and will
You raise it up in three
days?”

21 But He was speaking
of the temple of His body.

22 So when He was raised
from the dead,
His disciples remembered
that He said this; and they
believed the Scripture and
the word which Jesus had
spoken.
John 2:18-22 NASB

The Jews who confronted
Jesus were probably
members of the temple
police force,
representatives from the
Sanhedrin, or both.

Arriving to investigate the
commotion in the temple
court, they demanded of
Him, “What sign do You
show us as Your authority
for doing these things?”

Their question was not a
request for information,
but a challenge to His
authority.

Jesus had taken it upon
Himself to disregard their
dominion and regulate
the temple activities, and
they wanted a miraculous
sign as proof of His
authority for doing so.

Interestingly, although
they challenged His right
to do what He did, the
Jewish authorities did not
arrest Jesus.

Taken aback by His bold
display of authority, they
may have wondered if He
were a prophet, like John
the Baptist.

Their demand for a sign,
however, was foolish; the
messianic act of single-
handedly cleansing the
temple was itself a clear
sign that God had a
message for them.

In their hard-hearted
unbelief, the Jewish
leaders repeatedly asked
for such signs, yet they
never accepted the ones
they were given.

As John later wrote, “But
though He had performed
so many signs before
them, yet they were not
believing in Him” (John
12:37).

The fact that the temple
authorities demanded a
sign also exposed the
wickedness of their
hearts.

They knew that their
greedy, corrupt
commercialization of
temple worship was
wrong, even though they
obstinately refused to
admit it.

Jesus' enigmatic reply,
“Destroy this temple, and
in three days I will raise it
up,” baffled the Jewish
authorities (and, for the
time being, His own
disciples as well, v. 22).

Like His parables, this
veiled statement judicially
concealed the truth from
hostile unbelievers, whose
spiritual blindness resulted
from their own unbelief
and rebellion against God.

Unbelievers' failure to
understand Jesus'
message is a theme that
runs throughout John's
gospel.

The authorities were
astonished by Jesus' reply.

Their response betrays a
mixture of shock and
indignation: “It took
forty-six years to build
this temple, and will You
raise it up in three days?”

The temple of Jesus' day
was not Solomon's
temple, which the
Babylonians had
destroyed (Ezra 5:12).

Rather, it was the postexilic
temple, rebuilt after the
Babylonian captivity was
over, under the leadership
of Zerubbabel, Jeshua,
Haggai, and Zechariah
(Ezra 1-6).

Many centuries later,
around 20 B.C., Herod the
Great began an extensive
reconstruction and
expansion of the postexilic
temple.

Ironically, those
reconstruction efforts
were not completed until
shortly before A.D. 70—
when the postexilic
temple itself was
destroyed by the Romans.

The Jews were
incredulous; how could
Jesus possibly accomplish
in three days' work what
had already taken forty-
six years and was still not
finished?

As the account of His trial
a few years later before
the Sanhedrin indicates
(Matt 26:61; Mark 14:58),
the Jewish authorities
completely missed the
point of Jesus' statement,

incorrectly applying it to
the Herodian temple.
But as John points out,
Jesus was speaking of the
temple of His body.

The sign He would give
them would be far greater
than simply
reconstructing a
destroyed building:

An evil and adulterous
generation craves for a
sign; and yet no sign will
be given to it but the sign
of Jonah the prophet; for
just as Jonah was three

the belly of the sea
monster, so will the Son of
Man be three days and
three nights in the heart of
the earth.
(Matt 12:39-40; cf. 16:4)

The sign He would give
was His own resurrection,
which even His disciples
did not immediately
understand (cf. 12:16).

It was not until He was
raised from the dead that
His disciples remembered
that He said this; and they
believed the Scripture and
the word which Jesus had
spoken.

His death as the ultimate
sacrificial Lamb would
render the Jerusalem
temple obsolete (cf. 4:21;
Matt 27:51); and His
resurrection as the
triumphant Lord would

lay the foundation for a
new, spiritual temple in
its place—namely, the
church (1 Cor 3:16-17; 2
Cor 6:16; Eph 2:19-22).

Throughout his gospel, John
generally uses the singular
Scripture to refer to a specific
passage (cf. 7:38,42; 10:35;
13:18; 19:24,28,36-37); if that
is the case here, he is
probably referring to Ps 16:8-
11 (cf. Acts 2:25-28; 13:35).

He may, however, be
making a general
reference (cf. 20:9) to the
Old Testament prophecies
regarding Christ's death
and resurrection (cf. Luke
24:27,44-47).

In any case, it was not
until after the resurrection
that the disciples
understood everything
clearly.

Only then did they make
sense of this prophecy
and recognize Jesus'
resurrection power as a
clear indication of His
deity.

JESUS' PERCEPTION
OF REALITY
John 2:23-25

John 2:23-25 NASB
23 Now when He was in
Jerusalem at the Passover,
during the feast, many
believed in His
name, observing His signs
which He was doing.

24 But Jesus, on His part,
was not entrusting
Himself to them, for He
knew all men,

25 and because He did not
need anyone to testify
concerning man, for He
Himself knew what was
in man.
John 2:23-25 NASB

These three verses serve
as a bridge between the
account of the cleansing of
the temple and the story
of Nicodemus, which
immediately follows.

Though brief, this section
has profound implications
concerning the nature of
saving faith.

Jesus remained in
Jerusalem for Passover
and the Feast of
Unleavened Bread that
immediately followed.

During that time, He
performed a number of
miracles that are not
specifically recorded in
Scripture (cf. 20:30; 21:25).

As a result, many believed
in His name, observing
His signs which He was
doing.

They thought He might be
a prophet (cf. Matt 21:11;
Luke 7:16), or even the
conquering Messiah they
were expecting (cf. John
6:14-15,26).

But such faith was
shallow, superficial, and
disingenuous.
It was not true saving
faith, as John's play on
words indicates.

Believed in verse 23 and
entrusting in verse 24
both come from the same
Greek verb, pisteuo.

*Though they believed in
Jesus, Jesus did not
believe in them; He had
no faith in their faith.
*Jesus “regarded all belief
in Him as superficial
which does not have as its

most essential elements
the consciousness of the
need for forgiveness and
the conviction that He
alone is the Mediator of
that forgiveness”.

Although many claimed
to believe, Jesus knew that
mere intellectual assent
proves nothing; even the
demons have such faith
(James 2:19).

James 2:19 KJV
19 Thou believest that
there is one God; thou
doest well: the devils also
believe, and tremble.

Like the seed that fell on
rocky and thorny ground,
those who possess such
faith hear the Word, and
initially receive it with joy
(Matt 13:20).

But because their hearts
are never truly changed,
they fall away when
affliction comes (v. 21), or
when worldly riches
beckon (v. 22).

Without question, the
difference between
spurious faith and saving
faith is crucial.

It is the difference
between living faith and
dead faith (James 2:17);
between the wicked, who
“go away into eternal
punishment” and “the
righteous who enter into

eternal life” (Matt 25:46);
between those who will
hear, “Well done, good
and faithful slave. . . .
Enter into the joy of your
master” (Matt 25:21) and
those who will hear,

“I never knew you; depart
from Me, you who
practice lawlessness”
(Matthew 7:23).

Jesus did not embrace the
false faith manifested by those
who witnessed His signs,
because He knew all men, and
therefore did not need anyone
to testify concerning man, for
He Himself knew what was in
man.

He knows the true state of
every heart.
He saw in Nathanael the
heart of an honest, true
seeker (1:47); He saw in these
people a superficial façade—
a mere outward attraction to
His spectacular signs (cf. 6:2).

Genuine saving faith goes
far beyond that.
It demands wholehearted
commitment to Jesus as
the Lord of one's life (Matt
16:24-26; Rom 10:9).

Jesus' lordship goes hand
in hand with His deity.

As the God of the
universe, He is worthy to
be worshiped and obeyed
—reverently adored as the
King of kings and the
Lord of lords (Rev 19:6;
Phil 3:10).

The three vignettes in this
passage (vv. 12-25)
underscore His deity with
unmistakable clarity. As
God He single-handedly
cleansed the temple with
messianic zeal; as God He

accurately predicted His
own resurrection; and as
God He truly knew the
contents of men's hearts.

At the same time, these
three accounts also
picture the process of
salvation.

The first scene, the
cleansing of the temple,
graphically depicts God's
hatred of sin and
impurity.

The second scene, the
discussion of Jesus'
resurrection, reveals that
God provides new life in
Christ, Who “was raised
because of our
justification” (Rom 4:25).

And the final scene, the
shallow belief of the
people, reveals that God's
provision of salvation
comes only through
genuine saving faith.

BEGIN
J. Vernon McGee's Thru
The Bible

After this he went down
to Capernaum, he, and his
mother, and his brethren,
and his disciples: and they
days [John 2:12].

So he moved His
headquarters to
Capernaum, and, as far as
I can tell, that continued
to be His headquarters
during His ministry of
three years.

Notice that John labels
this feast the "Jews'
passover."
It is no longer the
"...Lord's passover..."
(Exod. 12:27).

It is the Jews' passover --
merely a religious feast,
quite meaningless, just a
ritual to go through.
The One of Whom the
Passover speaks has now
come.

"… For even Christ our
passover is sacrificed for
us" (1Cor. 5:7).

Now we find that He
cleanses the temple.
He did this twice.
One cleansing was at the
beginning of His ministry
and one again at the end
of His ministry.

And found in the temple
those that sold oxen and
sheep and doves, and the
changers of money sitting
[John 2:14].

Why did they have such a
system?
Why did they do this?
Because they were
making religion easy.

They would take the Roman
coinage, which had an effigy
of Caesar and the imprint of
paganism on it, and they
would exchange that for
Jewish coinage which could
be used in the temple.

So they were there for the
convenience of the
worshipers.
Also, they changed large
coins into smaller ones.

Not only did they make
religion easy, but they
also made religion cheap.
I recognize that we ought
not to overemphasize
money in the church and
should not beg, but I'll tell

you something that is
more intolerable than
that.

I tell you, the Lord was
rough.
There is no question about
that.
I don't like the pictures we
have of an anemic-looking
Christ.

The artists don't seem to
realize who He was.
The disciples remembered
the verse from Psalm 69:9.

This psalm is quoted
seventeen times in the
New Testament and is
one of the six most quoted
psalms in the New
Testament.

It is quoted again in John
15:25 and John 19:28-29.
The other psalms which
are frequently quoted are
Psalms 2, 22, 89, 110, and
Psalm 118.

The word that He used for
destroy is luo which
means "to untie."
He is, of course, referring
to His own human body.

John 2:20
Then said the Jews, Forty
and six years was this
temple in building, and
wilt thou rear it up in
three days? [John 2:20].

The temple at that time
was Herod's temple.
It was still in the process
of being built, and it had
already been under
construction for forty-six
years.

There is a specific use of
words in the Greek here
that I want you to see.
In verses 14 and 15, when
it tells of Jesus cleansing
the temple, the word used
for temple is hieron which

refers to the temple as a
whole.
Specifically, it was the
outer court of the temple
which Jesus cleansed.

The word Jesus uses in
verse 19 and the Jews
repeat in verse 20 is naos
which refers to the inner
sanctuary of the temple.

This word can also be
used in reference to the
body as Paul does in
1 Corinthians 6:19 when
he says that the holy place
today is not a temple
made with hands but that

our body is the temple
(naos) of the Holy Spirit.

The Jews were asking the
Lord whether He really
meant that He would
destroy this temple, but,
of course, our Lord meant
the temple of His body.

But he spake of the temple
of his body [John 2:21].
Jesus said that if they
destroyed this temple, He
would "raise it up."

The word He used was
egeiro, which John uses
five times in his Gospel.
Its actual meaning is "to
wake up" and, each time
the word is used, it refers
to awaking from the dead.

Paul used the same word
in his sermon in Antioch
of Pisidia where he used it
four times.

It refers to the
resurrection of Christ, and
it refers to the resurrection
of believers also.
It is used in reference to
the restoration to life of
Lazarus.

It was a "waking up."
That is the picture which
we have in this word
egeiro.
That is precisely what He
meant when He spoke of
the temple of His body.

But His disciples didn't
understand that, and it
was not until after His
resurrection that they
recalled it and referred to
it.

Jesus Interviews
Nicodemus In Jerusalem
(second Word)
John 2:23-25
Now we are coming to
something that is
intensely interesting.

Actually, we should read
from verse 23 right on into
chapter 3 where we have
the story of Nicodemus.
All of this took place in
Jerusalem during the time
of the Passover.

John 2:23
Now when he was in
Jerusalem at the passover,
in the feast day, many
believed in his name,
when they saw the
miracles which he did.

A great many folk read
that and say, "My, isn't it
wonderful that people
were believing on Him."
But it wasn't wonderful,
friend, because theirs was
not saving faith at all.

They merely nodded in
assent when they saw the
miracles that He did.
So notice what follows.

John 2:24-25
But Jesus did not commit
himself unto them, because
he knew all men,
And needed not that any
should testify of man: for
he knew what was in man.

The language that is used
here is saying that He did
not believe in them.
You see, they believed in
Him, but He didn't
believe in them.

In other words, to put it
very frankly, their faith
was not a saving faith,
which He realized, of
course.
He knew what was in
their hearts.

This is always a grave
danger today for those
who say they believe in
Jesus.
What do you mean when
you say you believe in
Jesus?

Do you mean that you
believe in the facts of the
gospel?
The important question is:
Do you trust Him as your
Savior who died for your
sins?

Was He raised for your
justification?
Is He your only hope of
heaven?

This crowd was
interested, and when they
saw Him perform
miracles, they believed.
They had to -- they saw
the miracles.

But Jesus didn't believe in
them.
He knew their belief was
not genuine "because he
knew all men."
He knew what was in the
human heart.

He didn't need anyone to
testify to Him of man
because He knew what
was in man.

In other words, the Lord
Jesus didn't commit
Himself unto the mob
there.

The great company
believed on Him, but He
didn't entrust Himself to
them.

When Nicodemus came to
Him at night, our Lord
did commit Himself unto
him because this man's
faith was genuine.

It is unfortunate that the
movement here is broken
by a chapter break.
—J. Vernon McGee's Thru
The Bible

09 September 15, 2013, John 2;1-12 Jesus' First Miracle

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09 September 15, 2013, John 2;1-12 Jesus' First Miracle