John - Week 32

Claim to Be God 

READ 

John 10:31-33 

31 Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. 32 Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?” 33 They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”  

There are some today who say that Jesus never claimed to be God. Those living face-to-face with Him, however, understood clearly He claimed to be God. Would you rather believe the deniers today or the eyewitnesses as recorded by the apostle John? Note that they were admitting He had done good works, and many that would be called miracles today. Even though His works proved He was telling the truth; they discounted all of that because of His claim to be God. 

REFLECT 

Think of the treasure you hold in your hand when you have a Bible. You not only have the eyewitness report of those who believed in and followed Jesus for three years, such as John who was writing this Gospel, but the eyewitness comments of the unbelievers. Thank God also for all those who gave their efforts—and some their lives—to enable you to have a Bible in your own language. 

RESPOND 

Reread John 5:16-18 where there is recorded another incident in which the Jewish leaders clearly understood that Jesus claimed to be equal with God. Does this help you answer those who say Jesus never claimed to be God?  

Evidence 

READ 

John 10:34-38 

34 Jesus replied, “It is written in your own Scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people, ‘I say, you are gods!’35 And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God’s message were called ‘gods,’ 36 why do you call it blasphemy when I say, ‘I am the Son of God’? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world. 37 Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work. 38 But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.” 

Jesus here referred the Jewish leaders to their own Scriptures, now called the Old Testament. The reference is to Psalm 82:6 where the leaders are referred to as “gods.” If that was true of these lesser human beings, certainly there was nothing wrong with Jesus claiming to be the “Son of God.” If that was too much for His listeners, Jesus asked them to believe the evidence of His “miraculous works” that revealed He was God. That is because the Father was in Him and He was in the Father.” 

REFLECT 

Consider the authority God has granted to human leaders, but they remain accountable to Him. Think also about this testimony of Jesus that He was fully human and fully God at the same time. Theologically this is called the “hypostatic Union” because it refers to the combined natures of God and Man in the one person—the Lord Jesus Christ. 

RESPOND 

See passages in the New Testament that tell of the authority God has given human leaders and the responsibility of believers in Christ to pray for them. Two such passages are Romans 13:1-5 and 1Timothy 2:1-5. Did you notice the reasons we should pray for the leaders? 

Beyond the Jordan 

READ 

John 10:39-42 

39 Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them. 40 He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile. 41 And many followed him. “John didn’t perform miraculous signs,” they remarked to one another, “but everything he said about this man has come true.” 42 And many who were there believed in Jesus. 

The tumult caused by the presence of Jesus was great in Judea, which was west of the Jordan River. East across the River, however, there was much less attention paid to Him. Even there, however, the people had different opinions about Him. Some knew of John the Baptist but admitted he did not perform miracles as Jesus did. To them this was the indication that Jesus was the Son of God and Savior of the world. 

REFLECT 

Think how you can use the miracles of Jesus to help show others He had supernatural ability because He was God. The Gospel of John is a source you can use.  

RESPOND 

Read John 2:1-11; 4:46-54; 5:1-9; 6:1-14; 6:15-21; 9:1-7; 11:1-44; 21:1-13. These references are a record of 8 miracles Jesus performed. Have someone else do this with you. These reveal the supernatural character of Jesus. 

Lazarus Is Sick 

READ 

John 11:1-3 

11 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.” 

This brings us to the seventh miracle that Jesus did as recorded by John in his Gospel. Bethany, the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, was a favorite place for Jesus to visit and stay. Jesus was there often so the three of them were His dear friends. Think how comforting it is to a family to be reminded that they are dear friends of Jesus. This applies to each Christ-follower today. When one is suffering illness, it can be said to Jesus, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.” 

 REFLECT 

Think of some Christ-followers you could contact to remind them of this verse that was said to Jesus about his friend Lazarus.  

RESPOND 

Take action by writing a note this week to a believer in Christ you know who needs to be reminded that Jesus considers that person to be a dear friend. You could even add in your note that you will be praying for the person and reminding Jesus, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.” 

For the Glory of God 

READ 

John 11:4-7 

4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days. 7 Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.” 

Jesus looked beyond the immediate by giving the long-range purpose of God. He said that the sickness of Lazarus was for the glory of God so even He might receive glory from it. When you hear a dear friend is very sick, your impulse would be to go quickly to visit. Not so in this case with Jesus, He stayed where He was for two more days before telling the disciples He was ready to go back to Judea. Remember that He and His disciples are on the east side of the Jordan River when Jesus receives this news about Lazarus. Bethany was in Judea just a few miles from Jerusalem. 

REFLECT 

Think about the times you have faced difficulties. Does it help you to remember from this passage that God may have a purpose to bring glory to Himself through them? Think about past problems and how they eventually turned out. Were you able to praise the Lord for what He had done? 

RESPOND 

The book of Exodus, written by Moses, tells of the plagues God sent on Egypt to cause the Pharaoh to be willing to let Israel leave the land. There were 10 plagues in all. Read Exodus 10:1-2 that shows God’s ultimate purpose in the plagues.