Joh 2:13-4:43 | TNotes | STEP | 2:13 Passover , an annual spring festival, commemorated Israel’s rescue from slavery in Egypt (Exod 12 ). Jews traveled to Jerusalem to participate in the festival (Deut 16:1-16 ). Because John refers to three Passover festivals (John 2:13 ; 6:4 ; 11:55 ), many conclude that Jesus had a three-year public ministry.

2:13 ^a Passover, an annual spring festival, commemorated Israel’s rescue from slavery in Egypt (Exod 12 ^b). Jews traveled to Jerusalem to participate in the festival (Deut 16:1-16 ^c). Because John refers to three Passover festivals (John 2:13 ^d; 6:4 ^e; 11:55 ^f), many conclude that Jesus had a three-year public ministry.
Summary for John 2:14-17: 2:14-17 ^g Those who came for Passover needed to have approved sacrifices for worship. From this need grew a considerable industry for selling animals and exchanging money, but this business was being conducted in the Temple. Jesus, like a prophet, demanded that God’s house be returned to its intended uses—worship, prayer, instruction, and sacrifice. This put Jesus at odds with the Temple leadership.

• The synoptic Gospels place the clearing of the Temple near the end of Jesus’ ministry (Matt 21:12-13 ^h; Mark 11:15-17 ⁱ; Luke 19:45-46 ^j). John might have placed his account of the event here to emphasize a connection with the miracle that transformed the water in purification jars into wine (John 2:1-11 ^k). The Temple and the stone jars were both instruments of purification in Judaism. Stone jars filled with water for ritual washing now contained Jesus’ wine, and a stone Temple dedicated to sacrificial purification would be replaced by Christ himself (2:19-21 ^l). Another view is that Jesus cleared the Temple at the beginning and again at the end of his ministry.
Summary for John 2:19-21: 2:19-21 ^m Destroy this temple: Herod the Great began reconstructing the Temple’s magnificent structure in 20 BC, and work on it continued until AD 64. This explains why Jesus’ audience was amazed when he claimed he could destroy and rebuild it in a few days. However, Jesus spoke figuratively of his own body as the temple where God was present (see 1:14 ⁿ, 51 ^o)—his body was destroyed and restored in three days through the resurrection, rendering the Jerusalem Temple and its services obsolete. Later, at his trial, Jesus’ symbolic reference to destroying the Temple was used as evidence of blasphemy (Mark 14:58 ^p).
2:22 ^q they believed: Witnessing a miracle from God can inspire belief, but it is not the deepest faith possible (20:29 ^r).
2:24 ^s John uses a play on words here. Because of his signs, many people trusted in Jesus (2:23 ^t), but Jesus didn’t trust them. This did not refer to specific people Jesus met in Jerusalem, but reflects his knowledge of all humanity.

‏ John 3

3:1 ^u John links 2:25 ^v and 3:1 ^w by referring to humanity as a whole (“human nature,” 2:25 ^x) and then to one specific man using the same Greek word (anthrōpos) in both verses.

• Nicodemus was saturated in religious knowledge and had witnessed Jesus’ work (2:13-24 ^y), but he had not experienced spiritual rebirth.

• a Pharisee: See study note on 1:24. He was elite, proud of his spiritual purity, and well educated in Jewish law.
3:2 ^z After dark: Nicodemus might have feared public association with Jesus. Night also symbolizes the realm of evil, untruth, and unbelief (9:4 ^aa; 11:10 ^ab; 13:30 ^ac).
3:3 ^ad born again: Or born from above. John’s expression “from above” (3:31 ^ae; 19:11 ^af) means “from God.” To experience spiritual rebirth, a person must be completely renewed through God’s power.

• Nicodemus interpreted Jesus’ words physically; he demonstrated that those in darkness, who do not have spiritual rebirth, cannot understand Jesus or other “heavenly things” (3:12 ^ag). Jesus sometimes used ironic misunderstanding as a teaching strategy.
3:5 ^ah John the Baptist baptized with water; Jesus baptizes with the Spirit (1:33 ^ai).
3:8 ^aj Wind translates the same word in Greek as spirit (Greek pneuma). The wind is an apt image for the Spirit, who is sent from heaven and cannot be contained or controlled.
3:13 ^ak There is great distance between this world and heaven (see 1:51 ^al; 3:31 ^am; 6:38 ^an, 42 ^ao). Jesus bridged that distance, validating his divine status by defeating death and returning to heaven (16:5-11 ^ap).
Summary for John 3:14-15: 3:14-15 ^aq Jesus was lifted up on the cross so that all people could understand the way of salvation, look to him in faith, and have eternal life.
Summary for John 3:16-21: 3:16-21 ^ar Because there are no quotation marks around Jesus’ speech in the Greek text, translators debate where Jesus’ speech ends and John’s commentary begins; 3:16-21 ^as might be John’s commentary. 3:16 ^at The truth that God loved the world is basic to Christian understanding (1 Jn 4:9-10 ^au). God’s love extends beyond the limits of race and nation, even to those who oppose him (see thematic note for The World at end of chapter).

• The Son came to save—not condemn (3:17 ^av)—men and women who habitually embrace the darkness (3:19-21 ^aw).
3:18 ^ax As light penetrates and exposes the world’s darkness, God’s judgment on the world has already begun. Those who see this light and recognize the tragedy of their own situation have the responsibility of believing in God’s ... Son (3:16-17 ^ay).
Summary for John 3:19-20: 3:19-20 ^az When people live in spiritual darkness, they do not desire to be enlightened by Jesus, “the light of the world” (8:12 ^ba; 9:5 ^bb). Evil and darkness do not ignore the light; they wage war against it, trying to bring it down. But the darkness cannot extinguish the light (1:5 ^bc). Those who refuse to believe live in darkness (cp. 13:30 ^bd) and stumble because they cannot see (11:10 ^be). In the end, however, their sins will be exposed (5:28-30 ^bf; Rev 20:11-15 ^bg).
Summary for John 3:22-36: 3:22-36 ^bh John the Baptist identifies Jesus as the one who is truly from above (3:31 ^bi); this requires John’s followers to shift their allegiance to Jesus. 3:22 ^bj Jesus spent some time ... baptizing: See 4:2 ^bk, which clarifies that Jesus’ disciples did the baptizing.
3:24 ^bl Before John was thrown into prison (see Matt 14:1-12 ^bm; Mark 1:14 ^bn; 6:14-29 ^bo; Luke 3:19-20 ^bp), he and Jesus worked in close proximity at the Jordan River. Once John was arrested, Jesus moved north into Galilee (Mark 1:14 ^bq).
3:26 ^br everybody is going to him: Jesus’ popularity made some of John’s followers envious.
Summary for John 3:27-35: 3:27-35 ^bs John the Baptist’s speech was inspired by two issues: (1) Some had questioned the legitimacy of his baptism (see 1:26 ^bt), and (2) his disciples were concerned that people were beginning to follow Jesus instead of John (3:26 ^bu).
3:29 ^bv John the Baptist saw Jesus as the bridegroom and himself as the bridegroom’s friend. His response deflected glory from himself and elevated Jesus’ stature.
3:31 ^bw Jesus had come from above, so he was uniquely able to reveal the Father (1:18 ^bx; 3:13 ^by).
Summary for John 3:34-35: 3:34-35 ^bz The Father gives the Son the Spirit without limit as a sign of his profound love (3:35 ^ca). It also illustrates Jesus’ divinity. John presents the one God as three persons (cp. 1 Jn 5:5-12 ^cb).
3:36 ^cc God gave the gift of eternal life, promising new life and intimacy in a present experience with God.

• Those who reject the Son will not see life. The world in its darkness stands under God’s angry judgment (Rom 1–3 ^cd).

Thematic note: The World
One of the most frequently used words in John is “world” (Greek kosmos). In Greek-speaking Jewish thought, kosmos refers to the heavens and the earth as created by God (Gen 1 ^ce; see also John 1:3 ^cf, 10 ^cg; 17:5 ^ch, 24 ^ci). John extends the concept to include the world of humanity (e.g., 1:10 ^cj; 3:16 ^ck).
Although it was created as good, the human world is hostile to God (1:10-11 ^cl; 3:19-20 ^cm; 12:37-41 ^cn). It is controlled by a darkness that cannot comprehend the light and, in fact, resists the light (3:19 ^co). The world is dead and needs life (6:33 ^cp, 51 ^cq), yet it hates the one who can save it (7:7 ^cr). The world is under the dominion of Satan (12:31 ^cs), who will one day be judged.
God loves the world of humanity, despite its hostility and rebellion against him. Jesus died to take away the sin of the world (1:29 ^ct; 3:16-17 ^cu; 1 Jn 2:2 ^cv). But God’s love for the world he created stands alongside his necessary judgment of the world (John 3:18-21 ^cw, 36 ^cx; 5:27-30 ^cy; 12:47-48 ^cz). Christ’s followers experience this same tension in their mission. We are called into the world to bring the message of God’s love, but we will experience conflict because the world will be hostile to our message (see 15:18-27 ^da; 17:13-26 ^db).

Passages for Further Study
Gen 6:11-12 ^dc; Pss 2:1-6 ^dd; 9:8 ^de; Isa 61:11 ^df; 66:16 ^dg; Matt 5:14 ^dh; 13:38-40 ^di; John 1:9-10 ^dj; 3:16-19 ^dk; 7:7 ^dl; 8:12 ^dm; 14:17-19 ^dn; 15:18-19 ^do; 16:7-9 ^dp, 33 ^dq; John 17:5-26 ^dr; Acts 17:31 ^ds; 1 Cor 1:20-28 ^dt; 3:3 ^du; 6:2 ^dv; 2 Cor 5:19 ^dw; Eph 2:2 ^dx; Col 2:20 ^dy; Jas 4:4 ^dz; 2 Pet 1:4 ^ea; 2:20 ^eb; 1 Jn 2:15-16 ^ec; 4:3-5 ^ed

‏ John 4:1-43

Summary for John 4:1-42: 4:1-42 ^ee At a historic well in Samaria, Jesus offered himself as living water. Jesus engaged and confronted people with the revelation of God, and they either followed or fell away.

• The Samaritan woman contrasted with Nicodemus at every turn: a woman (not a man), a Samaritan (not a Jew), a sinner (not righteous), and an outcast (not one of Israel’s rabbis). While Nicodemus fell silent and never responded to Jesus’ challenges (3:1-21 ^ef), this woman acknowledged Jesus as Lord, remained in the light, and exhibited signs of discipleship (see 1:35-51 ^eg).
4:2 ^eh Jesus himself didn’t baptize anyone but left water baptism to his disciples. After his glorification on the cross (7:37-39 ^ei), Jesus baptized people in the Holy Spirit (1:33 ^ej; Acts 2:4 ^ek).
4:3 ^el After John the Baptist had been imprisoned (see Mark 6:14-29 ^em), Jesus left Judea (cp. Mark 1:14 ^en).
Summary for John 4:4-6: 4:4-6 ^eo In going north to Galilee, Jesus took the less-preferred route through Samaria. Samaria had a long history of tension with Judea (see 2 Kgs 17:24-41 ^ep; Ezra 4:1-5 ^eq; Neh 4 ^er; 6:1-19 ^es). In Jesus’ day, harsh racial and cultural conflict existed between Jews and Samaritans. Jews normally avoided Samaria by first going east to Jericho, then following the Jordan Valley north.

• Sychar was probably in the region of Shechem. Jesus had come to Jacob’s well; Jacob had owned land near Shechem (Gen 33:18-19 ^et).
4:7 ^eu Due to the heat, it was customary for the women to draw water in early morning or evening. However, this woman lived in isolation, separated from her community. Jesus was compassionate toward outcasts.
4:9 ^ev The woman was surprised because social taboos would keep a Jewish teacher like Jesus from speaking to her (4:18 ^ew). However, Jesus did not let social taboos constrain him from giving her what she truly needed.
4:10 ^ex Shechem had no rivers and thus no living water (see thematic note for Living Water at end of chapter). However, Jesus was speaking symbolically: This gift from God was the Holy Spirit (7:37-39 ^ey).
4:11 ^ez Jacob’s well was more than 100 feet (30 meters) deep and required a long rope for drawing water. The woman misunderstood Jesus’ words because she was still in darkness.
4:12 ^fa our ancestor Jacob: The Samaritan woman appealed with reverence to the sacred traditions attached to the well rather than to the presence of God before her.
4:14 ^fb The notion of a fresh, bubbling spring was a powerful image in the dry climate of Israel. Those who come to God will neither hunger nor thirst (see Isa 49:10 ^fc; 55:1-3 ^fd; Jer 2:13 ^fe).
4:15 ^ff The woman asked Jesus for this water, but she did not grasp the spiritual implications of his words. To overcome the spiritual barrier, Jesus addressed her sin (4:16-18 ^fg).
Summary for John 4:16-18: 4:16-18 ^fh Immorality blocked the woman’s understanding. Her marital affairs, including having five husbands, underscored her sinful life.
Summary for John 4:19-20: 4:19-20 ^fi The woman dodged Jesus’ moral probing and brought up the historical ethnic division between Jews and Samaritans. 4:19 ^fj a prophet: Jesus revealed knowledge about the woman (4:16-18 ^fk) that was inaccessible to the average person (cp. 1:48 ^fl).

• As the woman’s understanding of Jesus unfolded, her names for him became increasingly well informed. Earlier she recognized him as a Jew (4:9 ^fm) and called him sir (4:11 ^fn, 15 ^fo, 19 ^fp). Later she thought he might be the Messiah (4:29 ^fq). Finally, the people of the village recognized him as Savior of the world (4:42 ^fr). Her growing understanding of Jesus’ identity is a testimony to John’s readers (see 20:31 ^fs).
4:20 ^ft The Samaritans worshiped at Mount Gerizim, which towered above Shechem. Both were important Old Testament locations (see Gen 12:6-7 ^fu; 33:19 ^fv; Deut 11:29 ^fw; Josh 8:33 ^fx; 24:1 ^fy, 25 ^fz, 32 ^ga).
Summary for John 4:21-22: 4:21-22 ^gb Jesus affirmed that the Jews had preserved the right understanding of the one you worship.

• salvation comes through the Jews: God gave the Jews a special relationship with him, and the Messiah was to be a Jew (see also Rom 9:4-5 ^gc).
4:24 ^gd in spirit and in truth: One Greek preposition governs both words (literally in spirit and truth) and makes them a single concept. True worship occurs as God’s Spirit reveals God’s truth and reality to the worshiper. Jesus Christ is the Truth (14:6 ^ge; cp. 14:17 ^gf; 15:26 ^gg).
4:26 ^gh I Am the Messiah (Greek reads “I am, the one speaking to you”): Jesus’ phrase was unusual and emphatic, and it suggests identity with God (see 8:58 ^gi; Exod 3:14 ^gj).
Summary for John 4:27-30: 4:27-30 ^gk The woman was tentative about Jesus’ identity (4:29 ^gl), yet she ran to the village and told everyone to come and see. Testifying to others is a mark of discipleship (see 1:39 ^gm, 46 ^gn).
Summary for John 4:32-34: 4:32-34 ^go While Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman, the disciples were gone buying food (4:8 ^gp); now they urged Jesus to eat. Jesus continued to speak symbolically, but they did not understand him (4:33 ^gq). Later, when the disciples received the Spirit, they understood (2:22 ^gr). Jesus received his nourishment from doing what his Father told him to do (see 5:30 ^gs; 6:38 ^gt; 7:18 ^gu; 8:50 ^gv; 9:4 ^gw; 10:37-38 ^gx; 12:49-50 ^gy).
4:35 ^gz Four months between planting and harvest: Jesus cited a local parable to contrast the natural harvest with his own. It was harvest time in Samaria, and the fields were ripe. Jesus, however, had planted seed at the well and now was already reaping the harvest of belief among the Samaritans (4:39-42 ^ha).
4:38 ^hb others: Jesus might have meant John the Baptist, or he might have been referring to the work he had just done with the Samaritan woman.
Summary for John 4:39-40: 4:39-40 ^hc Many Samaritans: The religiously sophisticated “chosen people” in Jerusalem did not respond to Jesus with faith (ch 3 ^hd). By contrast, many Samaritans believed in Jesus because of the testimony of this outcast woman.
4:42 ^he The Samaritans had experienced for themselves that Jesus was true. Their name for Jesus, Savior of the world (also used in 1 Jn 4:14 ^hf), demonstrated that the Samaritans were keenly aware of their distance from Judaism. Jesus’ ministry was not simply for Jews, but for all people (John 1:4-12 ^hg; cp. 12:20-26 ^hh).