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| John 4:43-45 |
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Lesson # John 4:43-45 Study Material - John 4:43-45 You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. John 4:43-45 43 And after the two days He went forth from there into Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast. From Samaria, Jesus resumes His journey to Galilee, and this is where the other gospel books of Matthew 4, Mark 1, and Luke 4 resume in the chronology of our study. To date we have not seen the crowds following Jesus, but in the next few segments of these books, the crowds begin to form. And the crowds do not come from Jerusalem, but from elsewhere in the country. Jesus is headed for Cana in Galilee and then to Nazareth later. This is where word of John's imprisonment will come to Him, in Matt. 4. For now Jesus travels north from Samaria into Galilee, but he does not stop at Nazareth. He continues on to Cana. His home, the place where He was raised for most of His youth, was Nazareth. But as the verse says, 'a prophet has no honor in his own country'. Though He was raised in that place His reputation was not a good one. Even his brothers, other sons of Mary and Joseph, did not believe in Him, John 7:5. At least at first. If you are not wanted in a given place, then it is generally best to remain away from that place so as not to raise conflict and difficulties. Avoiding conflict is the best course of action generally. But there are times that brute force is necessary. The second advent is the best example of the ultimate brute force which Christ will bring on the entire world. But for now avoidance is the best course of action. Christ's time is not yet here. And that time is the Cross. There are still a couple of years to go for preaching and teaching, and demonstrating that even the presence of God on this earth will not sway many people to believe in Him. His words, His miracles, even the most dramatic of miracles fall short of changing the minds of the most stubborn of unbelievers, and the most stubborn of negative believers. Also, even the most positive believers had gaps in their Biblical knowledge and understanding. The Cross was a total shock when it happened. Their loss was a result of their lack of doctrine and their lack of remembrance of doctrine. So what does all this have to do with these verses? Jesus stayed two days in Samaria. They were positive, but only to the extent to which Jesus had come to 'their' town. They had not seen the miracles because they did not go to the feasts in Jerusalem. In that respect they were out of Gods will for their lives. They were not true to doctrine. The people of Galilee, and in Cana specifically, had made the journey to Jerusalem. The long journey, even through Samaria, where there were bad feelings between the Jews and the gentiles of Samaria. If Jesus had been a movie star, or perhaps a sports star, then there would have been crowds following Him wherever He went. People seem to glorify those things that are of the least importance in life. Bible doctrine represents the assimilation of food for the thought and health of the soul. Entertainment is for satisfying the emotions of the soul. The emotions do not think, but are designed to respond to thought, with appreciation for whatever it is you are enjoying at the moment. Emotions are designed to follow thought, not initiate it. The Galileans remembered the miracles in Jerusalem. They did not soon forget what they had seen there. Though those in Jerusalem had seen and heard Jesus, and had generally rejected Him, there were many in other parts of the country who did believe in Christ. By this time the Pharisees were generating their plans against John the Baptist, and not turning their attentions toward Christ. Christ was not a threat yet, but an opportune distraction away from John. So with all these events happening more or less concurrently, Jesus was now headed for Cana, where we was received. But, again their reception was not based on doctrine, but on what they had seen in the way of miracles. Thus the focus of their thoughts were on miracles rather than doctrine. Jesus will take note of this in verse 48. Miracles are designed to gain your attention so that you will get with a program of learning doctrine. Miracles are not the end of ones learning process. It is popular to talk about someone who has performed some fantastic feats such as a superstar might. But here is the 'Son of God', presenting people with the most fantastic opportunity to converse directly with God. To learn His doctrine, to learn His wisdom. But what people are interested in is not advancing in their spiritual life, such advancement which would benefit them for all of eternity, but they are interested in the miracles. The solutions of temporary events like the healing of a disease, or sight, or healing, and such things. Later the miracles will become even more dramatic to teach the very power of God. The dead will come back to life. The general reception of this is the desire for still more entertainment, more healing, and doctrine gets pushed back to the back burner. The thrust of the Bible is certainly to gain ones salvation, but that takes only a moment of time in ones life. The biggest thrust of doctrine is to advance the believer to spiritual maturity. It is good to remember doctrine, but this remembrance is intended to help you apply doctrine to your daily life, and not just be some emotional bandaid for your down moments in life. We do not live by our emotions, but by rational thought. And rational thought needs to have a solid foundation in Bible doctrine, not events of entertainment. 
Now is the time to post a prayer. End Of Lesson Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth. |
