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CB LG Lesson 12 The Context Bible Life Group Lesson 12 March 17-23, 2014 John 5:22-6:40 Introduction to the Context Bible Have you ever wished the Bible was easier to read through like an ordinary book – cover to cover? Because the Bible is a collection of 66 books, it makes reading like an ordinary book quite difficult. Compounding this difficulty is the fact that the later writers of the New Testament, were often quoting or referencing passages in the Old Testament. In fact, much of the New Testament makes better sense only if one also considers the Old Testament passages that place the text into its scriptural context. You are reading a running commentary to The Context Bible. This arrangement of Scripture seeks to overcome some of these difficulties. Using a core reading of John’s gospel, the book of Acts, and the Revelation of John, the Context Bible arranges all the rest of Scripture into a contextual framework that supports the core reading. It is broken out into daily readings so that this program allows one to read the entire Bible in a year, but in a contextual format. Here is the running commentary for week twelve, along with the readings for week thirteen appended. Join in. It’s never too late to read the Bible in context! Week Twelve Readings Mar. 17 The Son as Judge Mar . 18 Witnesses to Jesus Mar. 20 Jesus as Provider Mar. 21 (Cont’d) Jn 5:22-5:29 Jn 5:30-5:47 Jn 6:1-6:15 Josh 1 Context: Jesus has been given Context: Jesus was attested to Context: God (Jesus) meets Josh 3-4 authority to judge. What does by Scripture as well as his works human needs, not simply Mrk 4:35-4:41 that entail? and the people of his day. spiritual ones. Luk 10:13-10:16 Deut 19:15-19:20 Matt 14:1-14:21 Pslm 50 Matt 17:1-17:13 Mrk 6:30-6:44 Mar. 22 Jesus – God’s Isa 16 Mrk 9:2-9:13 Luk 9:1-9:17 Manna Pslm 75 2 Pet 1:16-1:21 Num 9 Jn 6:22-6:40 Joel 3:1-3:12 Luk 7 2 Kgs 4 Joel 3:17-3:21 Malachi 3 Context: Jesus spoke of himself 2 Tim 4:1-4:8 Matt 11 Mar. 21 Jesus echoes God as the bread of Life, a term that Prov 12:2; 11:27; 15:3; 20:22 Jer 27-28 as Master of Nature had significant contextual Mar. 19 Witnesses to Jesus Jn 6:16-6:21 meaning for the Jews. (Cont’d) Jn 5:30-5:47 Context: God has always Pslm 105 controlled nature, not the other Ex 16 Jer 30 way around! Eph 1 2 Tim 3:14-3:17 1 Tim 1 Luk 11:14-11:32; 11:37-11:54 Matt 14:22-14:36 Jude 1:1-1:16 Mrk 6:45-6:56 Deut 5 Ex 13-14 Mar. 23 Off www.Biblical-Literacy.com © Copyright 2014 by W. Mark Lanier. Permission hereby granted to reprint this document in its entirety without change, with reference given, and not for financial profit. THE SON AS JUDGE (John 5:22-5:29) Mar. 17 John continues Jesus’ discourse on the relationship between God the Father and Jesus the Son discussing in John 5:22-5:29 the role the Son takes as judge. This must have been startling to Jesus’ listeners, for judgment of the earth, the final judgment of mankind, was clearly a judgment rightly owned and exercised by God as set forth in the Old Testament. While God is self-existent, humanity’s existence comes from God. This places God in the rightful position of judge of how humanity exercises the gift of life. For Jesus to explain that the Father gave such a position of judgment to him denotes not only the role of Jesus in supplying life (Jn. 5:26), but moreover the role of Jesus as God. Luke 10:13-10:16 This Luke passage demonstrates Jesus calling judgment upon several towns of Galilee (Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum) for unreceptiveness to the gospel. The judgment Jesus pronounces upon those cities reflected famous Old Testament judgment pronouncements upon ancient enemies of Israel – Tyre and Sidon. Psalm 50 This judgment Psalm reflects not only God’s role as judge of his people, but also God’s principals of judgment. The people thought of God as somewhat dependent upon them. Many of the pagan peoples thought of the gods as those who needed human attention, who feasted upon the aromas arising from the sacrifices of beasts or the evaporation of sacrificial blood, and who were generally just hyper-moody and more powerful reflections of the human condition. Not so God who revealed himself to Israel! He did not need their sacrifices of bulls or goats. He was the source of every beast on every hill and every bird that flew in the air. If God wanted or needed a goat, he had it! God was never interested in some sacrificial gift because God needed something. God was and remains always interested in hearts that seek him. Isaiah 16 This section of Isaiah’s prophecies sets out a lament for the judgment coming upon Moab. It shows God as judge and also offers an assurance of a day when oppression will end and a righteous judge will sit on David’s throne. While the people likely saw this as a prophetic word of a righteous earthly king that would protect Moab as a vassal state, the prophetic implications for those with an eternal understanding of the Messiah’s role as eternal judge is unmistakable. 2 Psalm 75 Here we have another judgment psalm casting God in the role as judge of all the earth. God’s judgment upon sin is reflected in the metaphor of a Cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs (Pslm 75:8). Jesus in the Garden before his crucifixion uses this same metaphor when he prays that God’s cup will pass from him (Matt 26:39). Because of this coming judgment, a judgment rightfully in the hands of God, nobody has a right to be proud, haughty, or boastful. We all live in the earth set for judgment by the self-existent God who called forth the earth and its inhabitants. Joel 3:1-3:12; 3:17-3:21 In this passage, we read strong judgments by God upon Tyre and Sidon, and by implication upon all who reject and oppress God’s people. God warns them to beat their iron farming implements into weapons, implying an earthly judgment first. But the judgment is far ranging beyond that. God sits above the earth and judges now and into the future. It is the future judgment that ensures a future peace and victory for God’s people. This passage is typical from the Old Testament and is one that the people of Jesus’ day would have know when Jesus announced to Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum that even Tyre and Sidon would have repented had they seen the signs seen by these Galilean towns. 2 Timothy 4:1-4:8 In this intimate letter written near the close of Paul’s life to his protégé and son in the faith Timothy, Paul wrote of his nearing death in a touching way. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Tim. 4:6-4:7). For Paul, this was not a fearful or dreaded ending. Paul knew that judgment was in the hands of his Lord Jesus Christ, and that was a reassuring thing for Paul. For this was the same Jesus that already laid up for Paul a crown of righteousness, the righteousness earned by Jesus and freely given to Paul and all who look to him and the day of his appearing. 3 Proverbs 12:2; 11:27; 15:3; 20:22 These proverbs reflect the earthly judgments that are set by God into the fabric of life itself (the “wisdom” God built into the base of the world). We read that God’s favor is upon those who do good, and his condemnation upon the evil (Prov. 12:2). Not surprisingly then, God’s favor comes upon those doing good while evil awaits those doing evil (Prov. 11:27). (Paul will later write similarly, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Gal. 6:7). Though we may not see this in real time, we should never doubt that God’s eyes are always open and always seeing evil and good (Prov. 15:3). We do not need, therefore, to take matters into our own hands to execute judgment as we see fit. God is the judge and will take care of things (Prov. 20:22). Mar. 18 WITNESSES TO JESUS (John 5:30-5:47) As we read this passage in John, some of the ideas seem foreign to us in the 21st century. Jesus is speaking in the 1st century Jewish culture’s equivalency of our court system. The process of needing multiple witnesses to establish truth of testimony is not something with which we are as familiar.
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