Bible Commentaries

John 1:6 — the Baptist the writer stressed that God had sent him. The name "John" means "God is gracious." John was a prophet in the tradition of the Old Testament prophets who bore witness to the light (Exodus 3:10-15; Isaiah 6:8; Jeremiah 1:4; cf. John 3:17). He was a man, in contrast to the Word, who was God. The other Gospel writers described John with the words "the Baptist," but John the Evangelist did not. He probably called him simply John because this is the only John that

John 1:8 — Perhaps the writer stressed the fact that John the Baptist was not the Light because some people continued to follow John as his disciples long after he died (cf. John 4:1; Mark 6:29; Luke 5:33; Acts 18:25; Acts 19:1-7). "A Mandaean sect still continues south of Baghdad which, though hostile to Christianity, claims an ancestral link to the Baptist." [Note: Blum, p. 272.] Mandaism was a non-Christian type

John 10:12-13 — get out of it, not for the sake of the job itself. While a good shepherd may be willing to sacrifice himself for the safety and welfare of his sheep, a hireling will save himself when danger arises (cf. Jeremiah 10:21-22; Jeremiah 12:10; Zechariah 11:4-17). This is understandable since the shepherd who owns his sheep has a vested interest in them whereas a hired hand does not. Israel’s leaders acted like hirelings when they tried to preserve their own positions and willingly sacrificed Jesus.

John 12:19 — anything to stop Him at the moment. Hyperbolically they said the whole world had gone after Jesus. This is another ironic comment that John recorded for His readers’ instruction. Really relatively few people had truly believed on Jesus (John 12:37-43), but the whole world would go after Jesus as the Savior of the world to a greater degree than the Pharisees believed then (cf. John 3:16-17). Their unconscious prophecy (cf. Caiaphas’ unconscious prophecy in John 11:50) received a partial fulfillment

John 20:12 — positions of the two angels were of more consequence. It is interesting that cherubim stood at either end of the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:17-19). Evidently Mary had seen the angels earlier (Matthew 28:5-7; Mark 16:5-7; Luke 24:4-7). Their white apparel distinguished them as angels (cf. Acts 1:10), but Mary apparently did not recognize them as such. She responded to them as she would have responded to human beings, probably because she was in the shock of grief and was weeping

John 21:1 — as the Sea of Tiberias (cf. John 6:1). Evidently most of his original readers would have known it by this Roman name. John stressed the fact that Jesus revealed Himself throughout this Gospel (cf. John 1:31; John 2:11; John 9:3; John 17:6; John 21:14; et al.; 1 John 1:2; 1 John 2:28; 1 John 3:2; 1 John 3:5; 1 John 3:8; 1 John 4:9). Now Jesus gave another revelation of Himself to these disciples. They were to learn something new about Him from this revelation.

John 4:17-18 — apart. This implication is more probable in view of the woman’s present live-in arrangement with a sixth man. She was not living by the moral code of her religion. Perhaps this explains her coming to draw water alone at such an unlikely hour (John 4:6).

John 5:1 — that occasion to minister. John did not specify which feast it was. Elsewhere in his Gospel when John identified the feast in view he did so because the events and teaching that followed had relevance to that particular feast (cf. John 2:13; John 6:4; John 7:2; John 10:22; John 11:55). Here they did not. Consequently the identity of the feast is unimportant for the interpretation of the text. Hoehner favored one of the three pilgrim feasts that the Mosaic Law required Jewish males to attend: Passover,

John 8:20 — this encounter by identifying its setting (cf. John 6:59). The Jews apparently also called the court of the women the treasury because it contained 13 shophar (ram’s horn) shaped receptacles for the Jews’ monetary offerings (cf. Mark 12:41-42). [Note: Mishnah Shekalim 2:1; 6:1, 5.] Each one bore an inscription showing how the priests would use the gifts deposited therein. The last part of John 8:20 makes the point that if they could these leaders would have arrested and executed Jesus

Acts 13:48-49 — Luke again stressed that the results of the preaching of the gospel were due to God’s work (Acts 1:1-2). The Christian evangelists were only harvesting the wheat that God had already prepared. Acts 13:48 is a strong statement of predestination: those whom God had previously appointed to eternal life believed the gospel (cf. Ephesians 1:4; Ephesians 1:11). "Once again the human responsibility of believing is shown to coincide exactly with what

Acts 18:24-26 — gift for communicating and defending the faith, and enthusiasm (cf. Romans 12:11). "The way of the Lord" is another description of the Christian faith (i.e., the gospel; cf. Acts 9:2; Acts 16:17; Acts 18:26; Acts 19:9; Acts 19:23; Acts 22:4; Acts 24:14; Acts 24:22). Apollos was proclaiming what he knew of the gospel in the Ephesian synagogue, but he did not know about Christian baptism. He only knew about John the Baptist’s baptism that expressed repentance for sins (cf. Acts 19:3).

Romans 8:34 — unrighteous (Acts 17:31), but He will not condemn the elect. Paul cited four reasons. First, He died for us and thereby removed our guilt. Second, He arose from the dead and is therefore able to give life to those who trust Him (cf. John 11:25; John 14:19). Third, He has ascended to the position of supreme authority in heaven where He represents us (Romans 8:29). Fourth, He presently intercedes to the Father for our welfare (Hebrews 4:14-16; Hebrews 7:25; cf. Romans 8:26). The fact that Jesus Christ

1 Corinthians 10:25-26 — It was not wrong to eat meat that pagans had offered in sacrifice to an idol. Any food for which one thanks God thereby becomes acceptable for human consumption, assuming it is wholesome (1 Corinthians 10:30; cf. 1 Timothy 4:3-5). This was a very un-Jewish viewpoint coming from a Jew. As earlier in this epistle and elsewhere in his writings, Paul appealed to Scripture for a supporting summary statement (Psalms 24:1; Psalms 50:12). Remember Paul was talking about distinctions

1 Corinthians 12:11 — The more unusual gifts that appear toward the end of this list attracted the Corinthians. Some gifts were probably more common at one place and in one church than were others depending on the Spirit’s sovereign distribution (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:4-5). Some were probably more common at some times than at others, too, as the Spirit bestowed them.

Galatians 2:4-5 — Galatians 2:4 introduces another reason Paul went up to Jerusalem (Galatians 2:1). Evidently representatives of the false teachers (counterfeit Christians) had entered Paul’s arena of ministry representing themselves as true Christians. But they had opposed

Titus 1:1-4 — I. SALUTATION 1:1-4 As usual, Paul began this letter with comments that not only introduced himself and greeted his reader but also set the tone for his emphasis in what followed. The emphasis in this section is on Paul’s duty and the nature of his message rather

Philemon 1:6 — We should probably understand Paul’s prayer request for Philemon to be that his sharing with others, which was an outgrowth of his faith, would become even more energetic (cf. Philippians 1:5; 2 Corinthians 8:4). Paul would give him an opportunity shortly. This interpretation includes another possible interpretation, namely, that Christ might be increasingly visible through his life. As Philemon’s appreciation of God’s grace toward him grew, he

James 1:16 — tempting him to commit murder. God prevented him from slaying his son (Genesis 22:12). This was a test of Abraham’s obedience, not a solicitation to sin. James clarified God’s purposes and methods in the following two verses (cf. Galatians 4:7). James 1:15 warns against yielding to temptation by reminding us of the judgment of God, and James 1:17 warns us by reminding us of the goodness of God.

James 3:1-12 — A. Controlling the Tongue 3:1-12 It is particularly the misuse of the tongue in Christian worship that James addressed (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:3; 1 Corinthians 14:27-39). From the subject of idle faith, James proceeded to discuss idle speech. ". . . in his usual ’rondo’ manner [James] returns to the theme of speech (James 1:19; James 1:26) and warns his true Christians of the dangers of the tongue

1 John 3:3 — In the meantime we anticipate seeing and knowing Jesus Christ fully, and that anticipation has a purifying effect on us now (cf. 1 John 2:1; 1 John 2:6; 1 John 2:29; 1 John 3:7; 1 John 3:16; 1 John 4:17; Matthew 5:8). [Note: See Wayne A. Brindle, "Biblical Evidence for the Imminence of the Rapture," Bibliotheca Sacra 158:630 (April-June 2001):149-50.] Similarly in the future seeing and knowing Christ will have a completely purifying effect