Most have heard that Jesus came to bring the message that God loves us, and he does. Jesus also came to bring righteousness and justice as he demonstrated when he drove the money changers out of the temple in Mark 11:17 “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations,’ but you have made it a cave of robbers!” We may have many things to say about God, Jesus, Christianity, and our own beliefs, but John the Baptist understood in John 3:30 It is necessary for that one to increase, but for me to decrease”. Our role is not to defend our position or denomination, but to point others to Jesus Christ because He is the savior, He is over all, and in John 3:36 “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life—but the wrath of God remains on him”.
Whatever He Says to You, Do It!
He Drove Them All Out
John 2:12–22
Jesus had been to Jerusalem for the Passover many times before. In fact the Passover was “One of the three pilgrimage festivals during which all Jews were to travel to Jerusalem to worship at the temple (Exod 12:1–28)”.1 And it wasn’t that these functions were wrong in themselves, in fact, “The provision of cattle, sheep and doves, and the exchange of money were all necessary for temple worship. Pilgrims who had traveled up from Galilee (a journey of about 90 miles), for example, could not bring animals for sacrifice with them. Pilgrims traveling from other countries would need to change their money into Tyrian coinage, the prescribed currency (Mishnah, Bekorot 8:7)”.2
It isn’t clear why Jesus reacted at this Passover but his action was driven by two factors: First, “The only place, then, where Gentiles could come and pray in the temple was the court of the Gentiles, and this had been turned into a noisy market”.2 and second, what seemed like extortion because the “People who had traveled from a great distance for the festival could hardly have brought their sacrificial offerings with them; traders took advantage of that by selling animals for sacrifice … People likely paid exorbitant prices”.3 and Jesus response makes this clear as recorded in
Mark 11:17 And he began to teach and was saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations,’ but you have made it a cave of robbers!”
Many Believed Because They Saw His Signs
John 2:23–25
Unless Someone is Born From Above
John 3:1–15
God Loved the World
All Are Coming to Him!
John 3:22–29
As Jesus has begun his ministry and has called his disciples, he is baptising, but this is a work that had been carried on by John the Baptist in
John 3:23 Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and they were coming and were being baptized.
Here is one of the challenging areas for us, we want to be rewarded for our efforts, we want to hold on to our work and see it expand. In John 3 25 “John’s disciples” noticed what Jesus was doing and spoke up because he was encroaching on their territory in
John 3:26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, about whom you testified—look, this one is baptizing, and all are coming to him!”
John understood that Jesus was the answer, the Messiah, and responds first that God has a plan that we are following in
John 3:27 John answered and said, “A man can receive not one thing unless it is granted to him from heaven!
Yes, this is as it should be, all should come to him. We are simply pointing the way to him as John himself, “the friend of the bridegroom” in
John 3:29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine is complete.
We are not, as the natural man thinks, contending with other people keep what is ours, to hold onto our space because there isn’t enough for all of us. With God, there is more than enough for all and in God’s kingdom, we are all to direct others to Jesus Christ. It is God that establishes the work of our hands in
Psalm 90:17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish for us the work of our hands, yes, the work of our hands, establish it.
The One Who Comes From Above Is Over All
John 3:30–36
Jesus came to the earth to demonstrate God’s love for us, to pay the price for the sin of the world, and ultimately to take his place as Lord of all. John the Baptist recognized that in
John 3:30 It is necessary for that one to increase, but for me to decrease.”
We each have a part to lay in God’s kingdom and his plan of redemption and that is to point others to Jesus Christ as it says in
John 3:36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life—but the wrath of God remains on him.
We often hear this message about the gift of God, the salvation of God through Jesus Christ, but we seldom hear this other part of the message, “the wrath of God remains on him”. Yes, God loves us. Yes, God’s desire is that all be saved, Yes, God has extended salvation to all, but to all that will receive it. There are though, some that will refuse as it says in
2 Thessalonians 2:10 and with every unrighteous deception against those who are perishing, in place of which they did not accept the love of the truth, so that they would be saved.
Study Verses
- John 2:12–22 He Drove Them All Out
- John 3:22–29 All Are Coming to Him!
- John 3:30–36 The One Who Comes From Above Is Over All
Today’s Reading
- John 2:1-25
- John 3:1-36
References
- 1. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Jn 2:13). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
- 2. Kruse, C. G. (2003). John: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 4, p. 100). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
- 3. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Jn 2:14). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
