LISTEN TO JESUS: A HOUSE OF WORSHIP AND PRAYER

LISTEN TO JESUS

A HOUSE OF WORSHIP AND PRAYER

Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

JOHN 2:16

John 2:13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language defines Passover as follows:

P'ASSOVER, noun [pass and over.] A feast of the Jews, instituted to commemorate the providential escape of the Hebrews, in Egypt, when God smiting the first-born of the Egyptians, passed over the houses of the Israelites, which were marked with the blood of the paschal lamb.

Susie: At the specified time each year, the Jews would take an unblemished lamb to the temple to be sacrificed. If they did not own a lamb, one could be purchased with temple coins. Jesus. . . 

Susan: . . . who would ultimately be the final, perfect Passover Lamb . . .

Susie: . . . traveled to Jerusalem to participate in this ceremony. 

Susan: Jesus’s death on the cross as the final and complete sacrifice would end the need for the sacrificial system.

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

Susan: Jesus found merchants in the temple instead of true worshippers. Jesus could see the signs in their eyes because He sees into people’s hearts.

Susie: Not only were they profiting from the sale of animals to be sacrificed, but the exchange rate offered to replace Roman coins with temple coins was exorbitantly high, lining their pockets with a tidy profit. 

Susan: They were building their own affluence by robbing the people who desired to worship sacrificially. This egregious behavior troubled and angered Jesus to His very core.  

John 2:15-17 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; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Susan: We do not often think of Jesus as angry . . . 

Susie: . . . but He was so upset that He actually made a whip and used it to drive out the animals, threw tables over spilling the money, and rebuked the merchants. 

Susan: It seems that the fact that He was making a whip in the temple would have given the merchants a clue as to what He was about to do.  He was not only angry, but He was hurt. The outlandish, outrageous behavior offended Him. In His humanness it may have made Him physically ill. 

Susie: As God, Jesus was insulted by their blatant disregard for what should have been a holy atmosphere . . .

Susan: . . . and an affront to the purpose for which His house was built. 

Susie: The other three gospels record a time near the end of His ministry that Jesus cleansed the temple and reminded the merchants His Father’s house was designed to be a house of prayer. Apparently, this was a constant problem. It was an indicator that the hearts of many Jews were far from worshipping the Lord.

Susan: As a Holy God, Jesus must have been irate that the Temple continued to be desecrated in this way.

Psalm 69:9…for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

Susie: The temple was designed to focus all attention on God, a place of prayer and communion with Him. These merchants and money changers were using it for their own personal gain. Rather than serving the worshipers by providing healthy animals, they were robbing their fellow Jews by unfairly raising the prices. 

Susan: They were disobeying God by committing usury. They were more devoted to creating creature comforts for themselves than their obedience to God. Communion with the Lord should be our focus in worship, and really for every believer, every day. 

Susie: Nothing should be done that detracts from devoting ourselves to prayer, worship, and fellowship in the house of God.

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     The sanctuary (worship center) should be a place of prayer

·     We should focus our hearts and minds on the Lord and worship Him there

·     Our interactions with other believers should be fair and honoring to our Father

·     We should prepare our hearts for worship even before we arrive at church for corporate worship for our own benefit and the encouragement of others

LISTEN TO JESUS: DO WHATEVER JESUS SAYS

LISTEN TO JESUS

DO WHATEVER JESUS SAYS

John 2:1-2 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

Susie: John never refers to Mary by name but calls her “the mother of Jesus.” This distinguishes her from other people named Mary such as Mary Magdalene . . . 

Susan: . . . or Mary the sister of Lazarus and Martha.

Susie: The fact that both Mary and Jesus were invited to this wedding may indicate that the groom was a family member or close friend . . . 

Susan: . . . of one or both of them. 

Susie: The disciples may have known the bride or groom or may have been invited simply because they were accompanying Jesus everywhere. At this point, there were five disciples: Simon Peter, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, and presumably John.

John 2:3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

Susie: A wedding feast in Israel at this time could last as long as a week, so it is not surprising they could run out of wine in that amount of time. The groom was responsible for financing this elaborate affair, and it would reflect badly on him if his guests were not well taken care of. He would not want his new bride’s family to think he was “cheap!” Therefore, Mary points this out to her Son. Why would Mary tell Jesus rather than someone else? 

Susan: Maybe Mary told Jesus because she knew going to any other person might cause gossip to start. She knew they could handle it judiciously and quietly. If the groom was a family member, maybe she was trying to save face.

Susie: Do you think she was expecting Jesus to do a miracle? 

Susan: She of all people knew Jesus was the Son of God due the miraculous nature of His birth and His arrival being heralded by the angel, Gabriel. 

Susie: She was there when He was conceived in her virgin womb. 

Susan: Gabriel had even told her that the child placed in her by the Holy Spirit would be the Son of the God. When she gave birth to Jesus in the stable, she beheld the worship of the shepherds and the wonder of the star.

Susie: Surely, she knew Jesus could do something about the lack of wine.

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

Susan: Jesus says, “Mom, it’s not time yet. Please don’t rush me.” 

Susie: He may have meant it was not time to reveal Himself through signs yet, or He may have been saying that the time of celebration when wine would flow freely had not yet come. Throughout the Gospel of John, we see Jesus saying that His time had not yet come. Calling her “woman” was not rude nor disrespectful. It was the equivalent of addressing her as “ma’am”. However, it did indicate He was responding as the Messiah rather than her son.

Susie: Jesus is shifting from His position as the son Mary to be raised to His position as the Son of God who must act according to the Father’s plan and time schedule. 

Susan: He moved from His human responsibilities to His divine mandate.

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

Susie: Undeterred, Mary instructs the servants to follow Jesus’ instruction. She has faith that He will remedy the situation somehow . . . 

Susan: . . . and that He will do the right thing. Mary knows her son and that He will do it out of respect for her and the fact that He would not want anyone to suffer embarrassment on his wedding day. 

Susie: She gives the servants advice that is still good for us today, “Do whatever Jesus says to do.”

John 2:6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

Susie: These stone pots kept the water from the impurities that would seep into clay jars, would have held at least 120 gallons! That’s some party! Jesus told the servants to fill them up. They followed Mary’s instructions and obeyed Him. This is another thing that makes me think Mary may have been a relative of the groom because her words carried weight with the servants.

Susan: They filled the jars to the brim which is how Jesus wants to fill those who believe with His Holy Spirit!

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

Susan: If I had been one of the servants, I might have said, “If you want it taken to the master of the feast, you take it! I’m not taking a chance on getting in trouble.”

Susie: Maybe they could smell the change of the water into wine, but I think they would still be apprehensive about its quality. However, they followed instructions.

John 2:9-10 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, 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.

Susie: The master of the feast had not seen what had occurred over at the water jars. He was amazed at the quality of the wine. 

Susan: He was surprised the groom had saved the best for last.

Susie: Apparently the groom was also unaware of the miracle that had transpired. Jesus had met his need before he even had to ask and even though he would have had no way of knowing Jesus could perform such a sign. Jesus does not do things half-way. 

Susan: Jesus is a “go big or go home” God.  

Susie: He can and does do much more than we can imagine. 

Susan: Jesus cared (and still does) about the ordinary concerns of ordinary people.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (KJV) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

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

Susie: This first sign or miracle of turning water into wine helped to solidify His disciples’ belief that He was the Messiah, the Son of God.

Susan: It helped to strengthen their confidence and trust in the reality of His divinity. 

Susie: Therefore, when He left the wedding, these five disciples, along with His mother and brothers continued following Him to Capernaum.

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     Jesus first miracle was not something spectacular like raising a dead man or casting out a demon. It was meeting a very practical need in a miraculous way. Do you ever wonder if we fail to recognize everyday miracles in our own lives?

·     Are things really “coincidental” or does our sovereign Lord orchestrate “circumstances” to guide us into His best for us?

·     Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus said. Do we follow that advice on a regular basis?

LISTEN TO JESUS - FASTEN YOUR SEAT-BELTS!

LISTEN TO JESUS

FASTEN YOUR SEAT-BELTS!

Follow me.

John 1:43

Behold an Israelite indeed,

 in whom is no guile!

John 1:47

Before that Philip called thee,

when thou wast under the fig tree,

I saw thee.

John 1:48

Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou?

 thou shalt see greater things than these.

John 1:50

Verily, verily, I say unto you,

 Hereafter ye shall see heaven open,

 and the angels of God ascending

and descending upon the Son of man.

John 1:51

John 1:43-44 The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

Susan: Philip was from the same home town as Andrew and Peter . . . 

Susie: . . . possibly one of their “homies.” We do not know if they knew each other prior to following the Lord, but they might have since John made a point to say they were from the same place. Why would Philip just leave and follow Jesus? 

Susan: The Bible does not really tell us, but perhaps seeing Andrew and Peter following Jesus, Philip knew there must be something special and worthy of following about this Man. Their endorsement gave him confidence in Jesus.

John 1:45-46. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

Susie: We do not know how much interaction with Jesus Philip had before declaring to Nathanael that Jesus was the one foretold by the prophets. Still he refers to Jesus as the son of Joseph from Nazareth.   

Susan: Nazareth was a small town of no significant prophetic consequence. 

Susie: It was also a place looked down upon by those from Galilee. Therefore, Nathanael has a hard time believing the Messiah could come from such a place. But Philip persists and insists that he “come and see” for himself. Apparently these first followers believed that just a few moments in the presence of Jesus could convince their friends to follow Him as well. 

Susan: It is as if they were thinking, “When you hear Him, you will know without reservation that He is that One we have been awaiting so long!”

John 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

Susie: Nathanael was curious enough to follow Philip to Jesus. 

Susan: The first thing that Jesus says about Nathanael is that he is honest and above reproach. 

Susie: This is their first meeting, but Jesus makes a statement about his inner character.

John 1:48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

Susie: Nathanael demands to know how Jesus could know him so well. 

Susan: He is shocked and surprised because they have not spent any time together. To know that a person is honest usually means you have spent time with them and seen them in difficult situations when they are squeezed resulting in their true character oozing out. 

Susie: Jesus tells Nathanael that he saw him sitting under the fig tree before Philip even approached him. 

Susan: Jesus is not only saying, “I saw you with my eyes” even though He is omnipresent and omniscient (everywhere-present and all-knowing). When Jesus sees a person, he does not only view their physical shell. He sees right through them, into the core of their being.

John 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Susie: Apparently, the fig tree was some distance away from Jesus so that He could not humanly, physically have seen Nathanael. So now Nathanael is convinced Philip was telling him the truth. 

Susan: Nathanael addresses Jesus as Rabbi which means Teacher. He is probably expecting Jesus to set up an earthly Kingdom where He rules and reigns in Israel as King. 

Susie: After meeting Him, Nathanael now believes enough to declare Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.

John 1:50-51 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Susie: I almost picture Jesus laughing heartily as he says, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe?” 

Susan: I picture Him having a good belly laugh as well. He basically says, “If that amazed you, you haven’t seen anything yet! You better put your seatbelt on!” 

Susie: Of course, they didn’t have seatbelts yet, but you get the gist. Jesus knew that Nathanael and the other disciples would be witnesses to incredible signs and wonders, up to and including raising people from the dead! As Jacob saw the angels descending and ascending on a ladder to Heaven (Genesis 28:12), the disciples would see many proofs that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.

Susan: Jesus’s favorite term for Himself was “Son of Man” . . . 

Susie: . . . which referred back to Daniel’s prophecy concerning the end times:

Daniel 7:13-14 (NIV) “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Susie: The term “Son of Man” also indicates Jesus’s position as the bridge between God and man.  As the perfect God-Man, fully human yet fully divine, Jesus communicates with mankind on behalf of the Father.

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     Are we convinced that people will desire to follow Jesus if they can only see Him for themselves?

·     What are we doing to “show” people Jesus?

·     How did Jesus “reveal” Himself to you? Was it through reading the Bible? Hearing the word preached? A friend sharing the good news as Andrew and Philip shared? Are you willing to ask the Lord to use you to reveal Him to others?

·     Once we surrender our lives to follow Jesus, we can look forward to seeing Him do marvelous things as well!