Grace and Truth
Chapter two of the Gospel of John tells of Jesus’ first public signs revealing Him as the Son of God. The first was at a wedding in Cana. The wine had run out and Mary, Jesus’ mother, asked Him to intervene.
This event was important even though it was only known by a few. Jesus revealed his authority by setting himself apart from His mother. He was not just an earthly son, He was the Son of God.
Warren Weirsbe points out that Mary didn’t place the focus on herself, but Jesus. She trusted Jesus to do what was right. What a wise example for us to follow as well! Because Jesus revealed his glory in this way, it gave the disciples a stronger foundation of faith. It is not that they simply believed in the sign that Jesus performed. Weirsbe writes that a sign is “something that points beyond itself to something greater. It was not enough for people to believe in Jesus’ works; they had to believe in Him and in the Father who sent Him.” The Harvest study writes, “the disciples had placed their faith in Jesus before this event, but now they were ready to follow Him anywhere.” May I be willing to do the same!
In his New Testament commentary, Warren Weirsbe compared the wine running out to the world’s joy. He writes, “the world’s joy always runs out and cannot be regained, but the joy He gives is ever new and ever satisfying. The world offers the best at first, and then, once you are “hooked”, things start to get worse. But Jesus continues to offer that which is best until we one day enjoy the finest blessings in the eternal kingdom.”
So often we look to money, material possessions, entertainment, experiences, relationships or personal status to fulfill us. These things are all of the world and only temporary when compared to eternity. It is only the things that God provides that are everlasting.
Following the wedding at Cana, Jesus traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Upon arriving at the temple he found men selling animals and exchanging money. While animals were needed for sacrifices, it was difficult for families who were traveling far to bring the animals with them. Weirsbe points out that this practice of selling animals was intended to be a convenience for the traveling families. The problem was that it didn’t remain a ministry, but grew into a business. Jesus was angry at what was being done in His Father’s house. He revealed His zeal for God by acting as judge and purifying the temple of the sin of greed.
Our worship is not to be simply a routine, impersonal act each week. God desires us to give willingly and cheerfully. John 4:24 tells us to worship “in spirit and in truth”. Weirsbe adds that “John’s purpose in writing this Gospel (was to show that) the legal system had ended and grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ. He is the new sacrifice and the new temple. New worship depends on inward integrity and not outward geography.”
That statement should hit us deep. Attending church each week is important because it is a specific time set aside to worship the Lord and hear the teaching of the Word. But, we can (and should) worship the Lord daily. By acknowledging His provision and work in our lives and living in such a way that brings Him glory and not ourselves, we worship Him.
Jesus performed miracles to draw people to Himself and to help them believe in Him. His desire was that all would come to repentance and follow Him. But, it wasn’t the miracle itself that would do this. Weirsbe writes, “Jesus always tied His miracles to the truth of His message.” He adds, “Seeing is believing is not the Christian approach. First we believe and then we see. Miracles lead us to the Word - the Word generates saving faith.”
The Harvest study points out that “the emphasis in John’s gospel in on Jesus’ message rather than on His miracles. Believing in a miracle or sign does not necessarily mean belief in Jesus. He knew what was in the heart of every man. The Lord looks into our hearts to see if we really do believe in Him! He doesn’t trust outward appearances and is not fooled by insincere professions of faith. He has a penetrating understanding of who we are and where we stand in Him.”
These are important things to grasp. We may go through the motions - attend church weekly, tithe, say we’ll pray for others - but it’s not those things that reflect true faith. God knows our hearts. He knows if we have truly surrendered ourselves to Him and are committed to following Him. We can’t be like those who made excuses as to why they couldn’t follow Jesus right then. (Luke 9:57-62; 18:18-30) They allowed earthly wealth, relationships and time to supersede a personal walk with the Savior
The study ended with the question: Is there anything in you that is standing between you and the Lord? We were directed to look at 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and to reflect on how we can keep our “temple clean”. When we allow ourselves to be truly transparent before the Lord, things will be revealed that we may not have realized are in us, or we may have buried deep because we are ashamed to admit. But thankfully, when “we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.” (1 John 1:9) We need not fear condemnation.
The theme of this lesson for me was grace and truth. In grace, Jesus fed the hungry, restored the sick and raised the dead. In truth He taught the Word which is what brings us to true, saving faith in Him. In my own personal application I am reminded that as a follower of Christ I am to live and speak the truth; but I need to do so with grace (love and compassion). May I grow in the area of grace!
This event was important even though it was only known by a few. Jesus revealed his authority by setting himself apart from His mother. He was not just an earthly son, He was the Son of God.
Warren Weirsbe points out that Mary didn’t place the focus on herself, but Jesus. She trusted Jesus to do what was right. What a wise example for us to follow as well! Because Jesus revealed his glory in this way, it gave the disciples a stronger foundation of faith. It is not that they simply believed in the sign that Jesus performed. Weirsbe writes that a sign is “something that points beyond itself to something greater. It was not enough for people to believe in Jesus’ works; they had to believe in Him and in the Father who sent Him.” The Harvest study writes, “the disciples had placed their faith in Jesus before this event, but now they were ready to follow Him anywhere.” May I be willing to do the same!
In his New Testament commentary, Warren Weirsbe compared the wine running out to the world’s joy. He writes, “the world’s joy always runs out and cannot be regained, but the joy He gives is ever new and ever satisfying. The world offers the best at first, and then, once you are “hooked”, things start to get worse. But Jesus continues to offer that which is best until we one day enjoy the finest blessings in the eternal kingdom.”
So often we look to money, material possessions, entertainment, experiences, relationships or personal status to fulfill us. These things are all of the world and only temporary when compared to eternity. It is only the things that God provides that are everlasting.
Following the wedding at Cana, Jesus traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Upon arriving at the temple he found men selling animals and exchanging money. While animals were needed for sacrifices, it was difficult for families who were traveling far to bring the animals with them. Weirsbe points out that this practice of selling animals was intended to be a convenience for the traveling families. The problem was that it didn’t remain a ministry, but grew into a business. Jesus was angry at what was being done in His Father’s house. He revealed His zeal for God by acting as judge and purifying the temple of the sin of greed.
Our worship is not to be simply a routine, impersonal act each week. God desires us to give willingly and cheerfully. John 4:24 tells us to worship “in spirit and in truth”. Weirsbe adds that “John’s purpose in writing this Gospel (was to show that) the legal system had ended and grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ. He is the new sacrifice and the new temple. New worship depends on inward integrity and not outward geography.”
That statement should hit us deep. Attending church each week is important because it is a specific time set aside to worship the Lord and hear the teaching of the Word. But, we can (and should) worship the Lord daily. By acknowledging His provision and work in our lives and living in such a way that brings Him glory and not ourselves, we worship Him.
Jesus performed miracles to draw people to Himself and to help them believe in Him. His desire was that all would come to repentance and follow Him. But, it wasn’t the miracle itself that would do this. Weirsbe writes, “Jesus always tied His miracles to the truth of His message.” He adds, “Seeing is believing is not the Christian approach. First we believe and then we see. Miracles lead us to the Word - the Word generates saving faith.”
The Harvest study points out that “the emphasis in John’s gospel in on Jesus’ message rather than on His miracles. Believing in a miracle or sign does not necessarily mean belief in Jesus. He knew what was in the heart of every man. The Lord looks into our hearts to see if we really do believe in Him! He doesn’t trust outward appearances and is not fooled by insincere professions of faith. He has a penetrating understanding of who we are and where we stand in Him.”
These are important things to grasp. We may go through the motions - attend church weekly, tithe, say we’ll pray for others - but it’s not those things that reflect true faith. God knows our hearts. He knows if we have truly surrendered ourselves to Him and are committed to following Him. We can’t be like those who made excuses as to why they couldn’t follow Jesus right then. (Luke 9:57-62; 18:18-30) They allowed earthly wealth, relationships and time to supersede a personal walk with the Savior
The study ended with the question: Is there anything in you that is standing between you and the Lord? We were directed to look at 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and to reflect on how we can keep our “temple clean”. When we allow ourselves to be truly transparent before the Lord, things will be revealed that we may not have realized are in us, or we may have buried deep because we are ashamed to admit. But thankfully, when “we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.” (1 John 1:9) We need not fear condemnation.
The theme of this lesson for me was grace and truth. In grace, Jesus fed the hungry, restored the sick and raised the dead. In truth He taught the Word which is what brings us to true, saving faith in Him. In my own personal application I am reminded that as a follower of Christ I am to live and speak the truth; but I need to do so with grace (love and compassion). May I grow in the area of grace!
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