Grace Bible Church
Basic Training in Doctrine
March 3, 2009
The first journey of Jesus to Judea: winter A.D. 26. (John 1:29 – 51) The Lord is baptized and calls His first disciples.
Jesus returns to Galilee to Cana where He turns the water into wine; winter A.D. 26 to spring A.D. 27. (John 2:1 – 12)
The second journey to Judea for the Passover: spring A.D. 27 – winter A.D. 27 (John 2:13 – 4:3). Cleansing of the Temple; Nicodemus; Jews attempt division of John the Baptist and Jesus.
Jesus returns to Galilee, while on the way stopping to talk to the Samaritan woman: winter A.D. 27 – spring A.D. 28. (John 4:4 – 54)
A period of about 17 months (winter A.D. 27 – spring A.D. 29) is afforded the most space in the Synoptic Gospels; all of which is in Galilee. Matt 4:12 – 15:20; Mark 1:14 – 7:23; Luke 4:14 – 9:17
Jesus’ third journey to Judea for an unknown feast: spring A.D. 28. (John 5:1- 47)
During this journey, which is only accounted for in John 5, the Lord heals the lame man on the Sabbath who was lying beside the pool of Bethesda after which the Lord gave His great discourse on His divine authority.
“The woman then left” – aorist tense, indicating a sudden departure. She is so excited and has actually accepted Christ as her saviour; she has believed on Him.
The grace of God can take any curse and turn it into a blessing.
“Come” which is deute, a particle, a strong word in the Greek, then, “see,” is an aorist active imperative. She commands them to come.
When she said “is not” she used the particle that says, “It seems to me like, but I am not sure so you men should come and check.” It leaves some doubt so that they must check.
“Then they all went out,” aorist tense. This is an ‘effective’ aorist which means it is like they all went through the door at the same time. They all just charged for the gate.
“and they came” – imperfect middle indicative which means they didn’t all get there at the same time: “they kept on coming to him.”
Yet “In the meantime”, despite the great joy in our Lord’s heart over the greatest revival in Samaritan history, the disciples were really upset. Jesus won’t eat.
Deut 8:3
And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
Whatever you lack in your life today, God allows so that you will humble yourself and come to understand that all you need today are the words that come from the mouth of the Lord (BD).
The disciples have their heads down; they are concentrating on food because they are hungry. But Jesus isn’t eating, He is looking up the hill to the work that the grace of God is accomplishing; they are looking down at earthly frivolities.
COL 3:1-2
If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
Whenever Jesus thought about the cross He stopped eating, or wouldn’t eat, or didn’t eat. Even the contemplation of what the cross was going to mean stopped Him cold.
The disciples’ minds are linked to their taste buds and our Lord is thinking that His soul is linked to the cross.
What are our two greatest enemies? Ignorance and arrogance.
The will of the Father is going to be communication in a few minutes, but the will of the Father at the end of the line is going to be to bear the sins of the world. So then he has to add something – “and to finish His work.” (the Cross!)
The true harvest is at the top of the road to the bottom of the road filled with thousands of people – “white already to harvest.” It is people that the Lord mentions as the harvest – souls.
They were strangers at twelve noon but when the sun goes down they were old, old friends. They rejoiced together. They had been working together in the Lord’s service.
We are all in the service of the Lord, we play different positions on the team, and all are in this together.
He wants them to understand before this great evangelistic meeting starts and all this personal witnessing that the reason that they are going to have the privilege of leading people to Christ that day is because of that woman they passed on the hill.
As soon as they are converted there is the removal of a vicious, evil thing – social ostracism. They have a basis now for rapport – Bible doctrine, not compatibility of old sin natures.