Sun., Oct. 17 Bible Class Notes — John 1:35-42

John 1:35-42

     Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

v. 35  Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

       The author once again mentions the day, a peculiarity of his.

       John the Baptist was standing with two of his disciples, one of whom was Andrew (v. 40), when Jesus arrived. As Jesus approached, John proclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  (The significance of this statement was discussed last week).

Note the message: "Behold the Lamb of God!" The preceding day no mention is made of anyone having been affected by it. Today, two converts are joined to Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:14-17  Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.  (15)  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:  (16)  To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?  (17)  For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

1. We must always preach Christ.

2. We must always point men to Christ

     - not to a church
     - not to a denomination
     - not to a man
     - not to a religion (a system of belief)
     - not to a rite

3.  We must preach Christ honestly (2Cor. 2:17)

4.  We must preach with integrity, leaving the results to God.    (2Cor. 2:15-16)

v. 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

      - John spoke
      - the disciples heard
      - the disciples followed Jesus

this is what happens in true conversion

       - preaching is the ordained means of reaching the lost (1Cor. 1:17-18; 1Cor. 1:21)
        not by our silent witness
        not by musical productions
        not with puppets and clowns

       - hearing is required; faith is founded on fact

       - following is a natural step and the initial step in discipleship.

v. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

"What seek ye?"

Matt. 11:7-9

There is no tone of displeasure or reproach

His question should generate:

      - self-examination: what are your motives for following me?

      - focus: what is it that you really want from me?

      - authenticity: what do you hope to gain by me?

(which is to say, being interpreted) = shows this Gospel was written with  the Gentiles in view, the expression being unnecessary for Jews.

Rabbi = teacher

"where dwellest thou?" — they were not so much curious as to where his residence was but wanted to discourse more with the One whom their former teacher had just proclaimed to be the Lamb of God, the long-expected Messiah.

v. 39 He saith unto them, Come and [you shall] see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

Jesus immediately invites them to his abode, wherever that was. He may have been residing with someone or perhaps he was living in a cave or under a lean-to. At any rate, his new disciples would have no illusions of grandeur regarding their new master and his designs for Israel.

Tenth hour — about 4 P.M.

v. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42a And he brought him to Jesus.

Andrew was one of the two disciples; who the other was we are not told. Most theologians believe it was John. 

The first instance of personal evangelism recorded in the New Testament.

He first findeth his own brother Simon

Should not our own families lay heavily on our hearts?

New converts should be quickly, but wisely, introduced to personal evangelism. This can and should be done with family members, for charity begins at home.

"We have found [Eureka] the Messiah." — Andrew, though poor and uneducated, was familiar with the tenets of the Jewish religion.

His exclamation is one of joy — Eureka!

Messiah (Heb) or Christ (Gr) = Anointed One.

v.42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

And he brought him to Jesus.

Barnes:     “Cephas - This is a Syriac word, meaning the same as the Greek word Peter, a stone. The stone, or rock, is a symbol of firmness and steadiness of character - a trait in Peter’s character after the ascension of Jesus that was very remarkable. before the death of Jesus he was rash, headlong, variable; and it is one proof of the omniscience of Jesus that he saw that Peter ‘would’ possess a character that would be expressed appropriately by the word ‘stone’ or ‘rock.’

Women Teaching and Preaching in the Assembly

TWO PASSAGES DETERMINING THE LEGITIMATE BOUNDS OF MINISTRY FOR WOMEN IN THE CHURCH

to address a specific problem in the church, written circa 2001

Women’s role in ministry has expanded both to their benefit and to the benefit of the church. The church has come to realize that women are joint heirs, along with men, of Jesus Christ, they are fellow-servants and gifted with the same gifts as are given to men. The church is beginning to come to terms with Paul’s statement in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Some, perhaps under the influence of the Women’s Liberation Movement, have come to the conclusion that because in Christ there is neither male nor female that women are free to minister equally with men. Is that what Paul allows? Is that what he means? Are the traditional proscriptions of women preaching, teaching, and leading worship in mixed assemblies cultural taboos or truly mandated by God?

Two passages, written by Paul, seem to indicate that women are not to be leaders in assemblies in which men are present. They are 1 Corinthians 14:34,35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-14.

First Corinthians 14:34,35 says, “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also says the law. ³⁵ And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.”

The wording is clear and unambiguous. “Let your women keep silence in the churches.” Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of the English language can exegete that sentence. Nor is it a question of inaccurate translation. Of ten English translations checked, all ten agreed with each other and with the translation cited. The problem is not with understanding; it is with obedience to an unequivocal command. Paul says, just so there is no confusion, “it is not permitted unto them to speak.” The New International Versions says, “They are not allowed to speak.” This statement reinforces the first.

Could this be a cultural proscription that no longer applies? I hardly think so. It may be to answer any such objection that the Holy Spirit had the apostle append the reason to the command. But before doing that Paul amplifies this prohibition by saying the women “are commanded to be under obedience.” Ever since Eve persuaded Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit there has been a tension between the roles of men and women. This is even as the Lord God said to Eve: “I will greatly multiply your pain and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16). The latter part of that verse implies that the woman’s desire would be to rule over her husband. However, God says, the opposite would be true: the man will rule over the woman. This is that obedience or submission that Paul reminds the women of in 1 Corinthians 14:34.

Is this construction far-fetched? I don’t think so. In fact, an identical construction is found in the next chapter. In this case God is addressing Cain’s annoyance over his rejected offering. God advises him, “If you do well, shall it not be lifted up? and if you do not well, sin couches at the door: and unto you shall be its desire, but you are to rule over it.” Genesis 4:7.

Women’s silence in the church is a sign of an obedient spirit. Women who speak out in the assemblies of the church reveal an unsanctified and rebellious spirit. Paul even says that it is improper for women to ask questions in a public forum about the teaching in a church. This they are to do through their husbands and that at home. And then he adds, “it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” Some variant translations of shameful are “inappropriate, improper, and disgraceful.”

The apostle Paul also addresses this issue with his protégé Timothy: “Let a woman learn in quietness with all subjection. But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness. For Adam was first formed, then Eve; and Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled has fallen into transgression:” 1 Timothy 1:11-14.

Here, the argument follows that of the 1 Corinthians passage. Paul refers back to the Creation order and to the woman being easily deceived. The injunction is the same: “I permit not a woman to teach … but to be in quietness.” The submission issue is also raised: “nor to have dominion over a man.” The reasons given are not cultural, but trans-cultural. They are founded in the early days of human history. Women, simply stated, are to be quiet in the public assemblies of the church.

These two passages prohibit women from teaching and preaching in mixed assemblies, from leading worship, from giving “testimonies,” from giving “a word from the Lord,” and any number of other things which incorporate any aspect of teaching (however well disguised) and dominion (i.e., leadership) over men. They do not prohibit these same functions to women-only groups, or private activities.

With these views the more trusted commentators and biblical scholars of the church throughout the ages agree. It is only since the Age of Aquarius that the broader spectrum of the Church has capitulated to the world and has given insubordinate women a public platform.

Popcorn prayers

“Let’s all pray popcorn prayers,” the preacher said at prayer meeting one evening. That was the first time I had ever heard that expression so I asked, “What are popcorn prayers?” He politely responded that popcorn prayers are when you go around the room and everybody prays a sentence prayer. I immediately made the connection: small and without substance.

Later I asked why he chosen to pray these non-prayers. I was told it was because we had a number of new believers who did not know how to pray and he did not want them to be overwhelmed or intimidated by people praying longer prayers.

Like so many things we do, that sentiment sounds good but has disastrous results: we end up with people addicted to popcorn. In church after church across America we have people who claim to have been Christians for years who could not pray their way out of a paper bag.

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.’ And he said unto them, ‘When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.’” (Luke 11:1-2). Today's churchmen would do well to follow Jesus’ example. Instead, when their disciples come to them wanting to learn how to pray they say, “Just pray a popcorn prayer.”

Popcorn prayers are not prayers at all. They are brainless mutterings. They go against the whole nature of prayer, which is to pour your heart out to God. Now, I have nothing against short prayers. The shortest prayer recorded in the Bible was only three words long, both in the Greek and in English. That prayer was Peter’s cry to Jesus after Jesus had commanded Peter to come to him on the water: “Lord, save me.” That was a real prayer. It was from the heart. It was sincere. It had pathos. It was direct. It was a cry of distress to God.

Enter the average American church today and listen to the praying. It is weak and anemic. It is often inane and wandering, little more than pious words strung together with no thought of what is coming next. If we talked to our Congressman like that we would get ushered out of his office hastily, yet we come before the Sovereign Lord of all the universe and blather.

The way to teach new and immature believers how to pray is not using popcorn prayers. The way to teach new and immature believers how to pray is to follow the example of the Master pray-er. But before we can teach others how to pray we must first learn at the Master’s feet ourselves. Weak prayers come from weak pray-ers. Weak prayers are symptomatic of a careless and distant walk with God.

Sure, new believers may feel uncomfortable praying and should not be forced to run before they learn to walk. New believers need mature examples to follow. This is no less true in the school of prayer than in any other discipline. Pastors: give them meat, not popcorn.