Lesson #09

JOHN 3:22-36
Lesson #09
THE TRANSITION FROM OLD TESTAMENT LAW TO NEW TESTAMENT GRACE

• Memory verse: John 3:33

• At the end of chapter 3, John returns to speaking about the ministry of John the Baptist. The action occurs with two groups baptizing people. One group is John the Baptist and his disciples who were baptizing in northern Samaria. The other group is Jesus and his disciples who were baptizing in Judea. Jesus, himself, did not baptize people, only the disciples. (4:2)
• The assumption is that Jesus’ disciples were doing the same kind of baptism as John the Baptist…a baptism of repentance to prepare the heart to receive Jesus as the Messiah.
• In humility John the Baptist moved his ministry from the Jordan river to northern Samaria leaving room for Jesus’ ministry.

• Read Joh 3:22-36

• “…John was not yet cast into prison.”

(24)

• The other gospels tell us that John the Baptist was put in prison after Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.
• The question of purification: (25)
• The doctrine of the Jews was one of external purification by keeping certain rituals.
• The message of John the Baptist was one of repentance.
• The message of Jesus was one of forgiveness of sins.
• Which produced the greatest purification? The forgiveness of sins by the blood of Jesus Christ is the obvious answer.
• John the Baptist knew this for he had said that Jesus was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
• The question of baptism: (26)

• “…the same baptizeth, and all men come to him

(Jesus)“ (26)

• The question by the disciples of John the Baptist assumes that baptism makes a person pure. As we have already discussed, water baptism does not purify the heart. It is an outward demonstration of what has already occurred in the heart when a person is born again.
• The jealous disciples of John the Baptist:
• Because John the Baptist pointed the way to Jesus, some of the followers of John the Baptist were now following Jesus. Those who remained faithful to John the Baptist were jealous.
• We have already discussed how some of the 12 disciples of Jesus were probably originally followers of John the Baptist.
• Why didn’t John the Baptist become a follower or a disciple of Jesus?
• John the Baptist was a transition figure between the Old Testament times and the New Testament Times. His purpose was not to become part of the New Testament church. He was only to be the transition between the two by pointing to Jesus. He continued to do that until, in God’s timing, he was beheaded for his testimony.
• The two keys to the humble spirit of John the Baptist:
• =1= John the Baptist knew precisely what his purpose was.
• =2= John the Baptist was comfortable with his role.
• These two facts tell us exactly why John the Baptist was not jealous. They also tell us how to avoid ministerial jealousy.
• No one person is given all the spiritual gifts and all wisdom.
• No one person has the capability of ministering to every other person.
• Read Rom 12:4-6a
• Because John the Baptist and we are human, we each have a measure of the Holy Spirit while Jesus had a full measure of the Holy Spirit on His ministry.
• Truths from John the Baptist’s ministry:
• True joy comes when, through obedience, God gets the glory. (29)
• Humility calls attention to Christ and not to self.
• The answer of John the Baptist:

• “…A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.”

(27)

• John the Baptist knew the source of life, of ministry, and of power. The source is God.
• It is God who convicts the heart of sin.
• It is God who forgives sin.
• All work for God is significant, but only Jesus Christ is preeminent.
• The parable by John the Baptist:

• “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.”

(29)

• Analyzing the parable:
• Who is the bride?
• It is the New Testament Church of Jews and Gentiles that is not in existence at the time John the Baptist spoke the parable. Therefore, it is a prophetic parable. (2Cor 11:2 Eph 5:25-27, 32)
• Who is the bridegroom?
• The bridegroom is Jesus Christ.
• Who is the friend of the bridegroom?
• The friend is John the Baptist himself.
• What is the message in the parable?
• The bridegroom, Jesus Christ, is someone special who will increase in importance. He has a bride, His New Testament church. The friend, John the Baptist, rejoices at this, even though the friend decreases in importance.
• All the attention should be directed toward the bridegroom, Jesus Christ, and His bride, the church.
• The symbolic aspects of the bridegroom and the bride are Old Testament illustrations of the Messiah and God’s people. (Isa 62:5 Jer 3 Eze 16 Hos 2)
• This symbolism carries forward into the New Testament. (Mat 9:15 Mar 2:19-20 2Cor 11:2 Eph 5:22-32 Rev 19:7 Rev 21:2)
• To reinforce the message of the parable, John the Baptist gives a contrasting parallel between himself and Jesus Christ. (30-34)

John the Baptist	Jesus Christ
He is of the earth	He comes from above
He is earthly	He is heavenly
He is not above all	He is above all
He speaks of earthly things	He speaks of what He has seen and heard in heaven. He speaks the Words of God.
He has a small measure of the Holy Spirit	He has a full measure of the Holy Spirit
He must decrease	He must increase

• “…he that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth…”

(31b-32a)

• John ends the chapter with the idea that Jesus is the only one who has seen the kingdom of God. John began the chapter with Nicodemus who wanted to see the kingdom of God. Jesus proceeded to tell him how that was possible.
• Remember that one of John’s purposes in writing this gospel is to tell us what Jesus said in light of who He is.
• Why must John the Baptist decrease?
• John the Baptist is the last Old Testament prophet. He is from a vanishing age, the age of law.
• John the Baptist did not have a long ministry. He was arrested and beheaded early in Jesus’ ministry. He served his purpose, and God took him home to heaven.
• With the birth of the church in Acts 2, a new age of grace emerges. Both John and Jesus announce this change and transition into a new age where God will work differently. (Mat 9:16-17)

The Old Testament Age of Law	The New Testament Age of Grace
Behavior was controlled by the law of the 10 commandments written on stone	Behavior is controlled by the indwelling Holy Spirit who writes God’s law on man’s heart
Purification was external	Purification is internal by action of the Holy Spirit

• “He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.”

(33)

• “set his seal”

• This is a legal phrase which means that if you believe something is yours, you press your personal signet or seal into warm wax and thus declare that you own it.
• It is used here to affirm that if a person truly believes that Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh, he will identify himself with it by receiving Jesus into his heart and life. That action validates the truth of the Word of God.
• What do we learn about Jesus in this passage?
• God, the Father, loves Jesus, the Son. (35)
• God, the Father, has put everything in Jesus’ hands. (35)
• This is not possible unless Jesus is God. The Greek text implies Jesus’ possession of everything, as well as the fact that everything is at His disposal to do with it what He wants.
• Belief on (not in) the Jesus, the Son, brings eternal life.
• What is the difference between belief “on” Jesus and belief “in” Jesus?

• “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life…”

(36)

• Belief “on” Jesus means to put your whole trust and faith on Him. It is a saving faith kind of belief that Jesus spoke about with Nicodemus at the beginning of the chapter.
• It is the kind of faith that abandons everything to place the whole weight of your life on this one person, Jesus Christ.
• Belief “in” Jesus is mental assent. It is a mental agreement that Jesus was an historical figure who walked the earth 2,000 years ago. It can even include a belief in the fact of the resurrection. However, this kind of belief does not change the heart to cause a person to be “born again”. This kind of belief does not bring eternal life.
• Read Jam 2:19
• This verse (36) gives an answer to those who are not positive whether they will be in heaven or not. There are some who say you cannot be positive. The words in verse 36 are positive. Therefore, every person can know for sure whether he has eternal life or not. If you have, as your possession, Jesus Christ in your heart, you have put your seal on the contract and will inherit eternal life. (1Joh 5:12)
• “…he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

(36)

• The consequences of not believing “on” Jesus Christ:
• This person does not have eternal life with God.
• This person suffers the eternal wrath of God because his sins are not forgiven.

• Application:
• All believers in Jesus Christ need to continually examine their attitude about themselves. The model is John the Baptist.
• A successful life means that we discover God’s personal calling on our life and obey what God has called us to do. However, it also means we have the wisdom to recognize the things we cannot do, and the determination to avoid being what we are not supposed to be, and the insight to give God the glory and the preeminence.

HOMEWORK
John 4:1-26
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Joh 3:22-36
• Find in this last lesson the two keys to a humble spirit. On which of the two does God need to do the most work in your life?
• Preparation for Joh 4:1-26
• Read Joh 4:1-26
• What do you discover in this passage that supports the following statements:
• For the outsider, there is acceptance.
• For the ignorant, there is teaching.
• For the sinner, there is forgiveness.
• For the seeker, there is fulfillment.
• What did Jesus mean by verse 23, to worship in spirit and in truth?
• Why did Jesus openly say he was the Messiah in verse 26 when in the other gospels he frequently said, “tell no one” (Mat 16:20)?

• Memory verse: John 4:24