Expository Notes on John

• Ironside

  7 Sep 06, 17:34

  
  CHAPTER 5
  
  4 For, as supposed, an angel went down at a certain time into the pool, and stirred the water: then after the stirring of the water the first one who stepped in became cured of whatsoever disease he had.
  
  John 5:4 This was a common belief, but without any sound theological basis.
  
  8 Jesus says to him, Rise, take up your bed, and walk.
  
  John 5:8 Jesus did not go through a long ceremony of shouting, but just told the man to get up, carry his bed and walk. Bed here means a light and thin piece of straw bed, used by the poor.
  
  14 After these things Jesus finds him in the temple, and he said to him, Behold, you have become whole: sin no more, so that nothing worse will happen to you.
  
  John 5:14 Most likely, this particular sickness was due to a particular sin commited by the man.
  
  18 Therefore, because of this, the Jews sought more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath, but called God His own Father, making himself equal with God
  
  John 5:18 The Jews understood that Jesus claimed to have a unique
  relationship with God the Father indicated by the Greek word idion , thus making himself equal in being with the Father. This kind of relationship is not for any other human being. This is exclusive of the Lord Jesus Christ.
  
  19 Therefore Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, The Son will not do anything from himself, except what he sees the Father is doing: for whatever He does, the Son likewise does the same things.
  
  John 5:19 This verse does not teach that Jesus has no power to do anything. What Jesus meant was that he will not do anything apart from what the Father does. This teaches the complete unity of the Father and the Son.
  
  22 For the Father judges no one, but had given all judgment to the Son:
  
  John 5:22 The Son, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, is and will be the supreme judge of the eternal destiny of all human beings. The reason is he is the Son of Man, the Messiah – v. 27.
  
  23 That all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who has sent him.
  
  John 5:23 The honor given to the Father should also be the same honor given to the Son. What is this honor? Belief in the deity of the Son. If one does not believe that Jesus is God, equal in being with God the Father, then he consequently does not honor the Father.
  
  
• Ironside

  10 Sep 06, 20:24

  24 Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears my word, and believes in him who sent me, has everlasting life, and does not come into judgment ; but has passed out of death into life.
  
  John 5:24 This is a very strong passage on the subject of receiving eternal life. The condition is that one hears the word. The word "word¨ is singular and this refers to Christ's declaration about his person [His deity and Saviorhood]. Then he should believe in God the Father who sent him. This means believing the testimony of the Father concerning the person of the Son [His deity and Saviorhood]. Thus the condition of receiving eternal life is believing in the person of Jesus Christ, that He is God and Savior.
  
  Eternal life is a present possession of every genuine believer. He is no longer under judgment. Then he has passed from spiritual death unto life. And he stays on the side of life permanently because the verb "passed" metabebeken is in the perfect tense. Once a person receives eternal life he never reverts to spiritual death. He has eternal life forever.
  
• Ironside

  26 Sep 06, 00:42

  
  25 Truly, truly, I say to you, An hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God: and those who hear will live.
  
  John 5:25 This verse speaks of spiritual resurrection. Everyone who hears the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ through the proclamation of the Gospel and believes in Him will live. There is an immediate spiritual resurrection for every genuine believer.
  
  28 Do not marvel at this: for the hour comes, in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice,
  
  John 5:28 This verse now speaks of physical resurrection. There are two resurrections: resurrection unto life and resurrection unto judgment.
  
  Who are those who will be resurrected unto life? Those who have done “the good things”. Does this mean man’s good works will qualify him to be resurrected unto life? No! For we are saved by grace through faith and not of works- Ephesians 2:8,9. The good works are evidences of having believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as God. But those who will be resurrected unto judgment are those who have rejected Jesus Christ as God and Savior
  
  39 Search the scriptures; for you think that in them you have eternal life: and these are testifying concerning me.
  
  John 5:39 This verb “search” is in the imperative mood, thus a command. If we desire to receive eternal life, it is incumbent upon us to search the Scriptures, the Bible. The Bible points one to Jesus Christ.
  
  
• Ironside

  27 Sep 06, 22:20

  
  
  CHAPTER 6
  
  12 And as they were filled, he said to his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
  
  John 6:12 Some scholars doubt the historical reliability of the feeding of the five thousand. They call this a myth which was invented by Christians many years later. Other critics say that there was no real miracle.
  
  Challenged by the generosity of the boy, the rest of the people took out their own bread and fish and gave to others who had no food. But how would one explain the fragments which remained after the feeding? The only credible explanation is that a miracle indeed happened.
  
  The purpose of the miracle was to validate the prophetic authority of the Lord. Read v. 14.
  
• Ironside

  29 Sep 06, 13:27

  
  20 But he says to them, I Am; do not fear.
  
  John 6:20 This act of the Lord when he walked on the water was another sign of his prophetic authority. He sought to demonstrate to the disciples that He is “I Am”. This is based on the Greek ego eimi. This is from the Hebrew ehyeh which is the Name of God in the Old Testament as uttered by the Lord in Exodus 3:14. The translation “It is I” by other versions diminishes the theological significance of the name uttered by the Lord about himself.
  
  27 Do not work for the food which is perishing, but for the food which is enduring to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give to you: for Him has God the Father sealed.
  
  John 6:27 The Lord exhorted the people to give priority to the food which endures to everlasting life. This means they should seek the Lord who is the bread of life, rather than the physical food which he gave them.
  
  29 Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.
  
  John 6:29 What is the work of God which people must do inorder to be saved? It is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that God is working inorder that you and I will be led to believe in Jesus Christ. Once we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we must also seek to lead others to believe in Him.
  
  
• Ironside

  20 Oct 06, 21:58

  
  
  35 And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life: he who comes to me will never hunger; and he who believes on me will never never thirst.
  
  John 6:35 This is a very powerful verse. Jesus is the Bread of life. See also v. 48. The Lord said that anyone who comes to him in sincere and genuine faith will never hunger. The word “never” is a translation of the Greek double negative ou me which is the strongest emphatic negation. Then the Lord also said that those who come to him will never, never thirst. Why this double translation “never, never”? Because the Greek has ou me and popote meaning “never,ever”.
  
  So those who genuinely have received eternal life will never look for another life because they have been and will always be satisfied.
  
  37 All those the Father gives me shall come to me; and he who comes to me I will never cast out.
  
  John 6:37 All those who have come to believe in Jesus Christ have first been given by the Father. This means every believer is a gift of the Father to the Son. See also v. 65 and John 10:29. Then He will never cast out those who came to Him. Again the double negative ou me is used here.
  
  
• Ironside

  21 Oct 06, 19:10

  The texts
  
  39 And this is the will of the Father who sent me, that out of all whom he has given me I should not lose any , but should raise him up at the last day.
  
  40 And this is the will of him who sent me, that every one who sees the Son, and who believes in him, should have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
  
  The Notes
  
  John 6:39,40. Those who have received eternal life are promised with all certainty that they will be raised to a glorified eternal existence at the last day, referring to the time of the rapture of the believers.
  
  The Texts
  
  50 This is the bread who came down from heaven, that anyone may eat of it, and not die.
  
  51 I am the living bread who came down from heaven: if anyone eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread which I will give is my flesh, which I will give on behalf of the life of the world.
  
  52 The Jews therefore argued among themselves, saying, How can this one give us the flesh to eat?
  
  53 Then Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.
  
  54 He who eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
  
  55 For my flesh is truly food , and my blood is truly drink.
  
  56 He who eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, abides in me, and I in him.
  
  57 Even as the living Father has sent me, and I live through the Father: so he who eats me, even that one shall live through me.
  
  58 This is that bread who came down from heaven: not as your fathers who ate the manna, and they died: so he who eats this bread will live for ever.
  
  The Notes
  
  John 6:50-58. This passage has been used as the basis for the practice of “eating the body and drinking of the blood of the Lord” during the eucharist. But if properly interpreted, this passage simply teaches that inorder to receive eternal life, one must appropriate the Lord Jesus by faith for he gave his body and shed his blood in behalf of sinful humanity.
  
  The teaching that the priest can turn the wafer into the actual flesh of Jesus Christ and the wine into the actual blood of Christ during the eucharist is not taught in the Scripture. For, according to this teaching, during the eucharist, Jesus goes through another act of sacrifice. But the Bible very clearly teaches that Jesus Christ suffered only once and therefore does not need to die again- see Hebrews 7:27. And he can no longer die because He has now a glorified body.
  
  Thus the celebration of the communion in many other churches is a commemoration, a remembrance of the cross-event, not a re-enactment.
  
• Ironside

  22 Oct 06, 13:41

  
  
  63 It is the Spirit who makes alive; the flesh does not profit anything: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
  
  John 6:63 This verse is the explanation of the Lord regarding the allegory of eating his flesh and drinking his blood. It is not the flesh and blood which must be ingested, but the words which Jesus spoke. For flesh does not profit, but it is the Holy Spirit who gives life through the words spoken by the Lord.
  
  69 And we have believed and have known that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
  
  John 6:69 These words of Peter are eloquent revelation of his permanent faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. The verbs “have believed” and “have known” are both in the perfect tense in Greek which means that the core disciples have permanently believed and have personally known Jesus as the Son of the living God. Having believed in Jesus Christ, they never desired to follow another person for in v. 68 Peter said, “You have the words of eternal life”
  
• Ironside

  23 Oct 06, 16:57

  
  
  5 For not even his brothers believe in him.
  
  John 7:5 Before his death and resurrection, his half-brothers did not believe in the Lord. But after his resurrection, James and Jude became believers in Jesus Christ. They wrote two of the 27 books of the New Testament. See I Corinthians 15:7; Matthew 13:55; James 1:1; Jude 1.
  
  15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How does this man know higher knowledge, having never studied?
  16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but from him who sent me.
  17 If any one desires to do his will, he will know concerning the doctrine, whether it is of God, or I speak from myself.
  
  John 7:15-17 The Jews were surprised that Jesus possessed higher knowledge even if he did not have a formal education in the rabbinical schools. The reason is stated in v. 16. His knowledge came from the Father who sent him. We too can acquire higher theological learning if we do the will of the Father. This means to surrender our lives to Him and then by studying the Bible, the Word of God.
  
  
• Ironside

  25 Oct 06, 19:58

  
  27 But we know this one from where he is: but when Christ comes, no one knows from where he is.
  
  41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Will Christ come out of Galilee?
  42 Did not the scripture say, That the Christ comes of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?
  
  52 They answered and said unto him, Are you also of Galilee? Search, and see: for no prophet has been raised out of Galilee.
  
  John 7:27,41-42;52. The reason why they had difficulty accepting that Jesus was the Messiah despite the signs which he performed was that Jesus came from Galilee. It is true that he grow up in Nazareth of Galilee, but we know that he was born in Bethlehem and that he was a descendant of David. What hindered them from believing in Jesus Christ as their Messiah was their confused teachings of the origin of the Messiah. Had they studied the Scriptures and the real facts of His birth, they would have believed in Him. Again, this emphasizes the importance of knowing the Bible concerining the person of the Lord Jesus inorder to be saved. To know Him [His person and His work on the cross] is life eternal.
  
  
• Ironside

  10 Nov 06, 20:07

  
  37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any one thirsts, let him come to me, and drink.
  
  38 He who believes in me, even the scripture said, out of his inner being shall flow rivers of living water.
  
  39 But he spoke this concerning the Spirit, whom they that believe in him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet poured out because Jesus was not yet glorified.
  
  John 7:37 This verse teaches the great promise of the Lord that if anyone is ever thirsty for true meaning in life, he can come to the Lord and he can drink of the water of life which is eternal life – see John 4:10,14. See also Revelation 22:17; Isaiah 55:1. The only condition is: come, come only to Christ by faith.
  
  John 7:38 Coming to Christ means believing in Christ. When a person sincerely and genuinely believes in Christ, then out of his being will flow rivers of living water. This means an abundant life, not primarily physically and financially but spiritually. The true believer will have an inner peace and joy which will overflow in his relationship with others and in his struggles with the challenges and adversities of living in this world. No other person promises this except Jesus Christ.
  
  John 7:39 Water here in this passage refers to the Holy Spirit. Once a person believes in Jesus Christ, then the Holy Spirit will dwell and remain in his inner being. Even his body will become His temple – see I Corinthians 6:19. The assurance that the Holy Spirit will be poured out on all those who believes is on the basis of Christ’s death, resurrection and glorification in heaven. In full measure, the Holy Spirit has been poured out not only upon the believing Jews, but also upon the rest of believing humanity. The Holy Spirit does not only dwell in the inner being of the believer, but equips him with gifts and power to live for God and serve Him.
  
  
• Ironside

  11 Nov 06, 19:36

  
  
  CHAPTER 8
  
  11 She said, none, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more.
  
  John 8:11 The story of this adulterous woman is a beautiful illustration of divine forgiveness. While some critics doubt the authenticity of the account, yet this is an eloquent background to the statement of the Lord in John 8:12 that He is the light of the world.
  
  The Lord did not approve of her adultery. But because the accusers left, so the Lord said that neither will he condemn her to be stoned to death. However the Lord told her to go back to her house and commanded her to stop sinning. Those who received forgiveness of their sins should know that they are also commanded to stop practicing sin.