John 10:1-6. The parable of the good Shepherd.
The Pharisees had understood the meaning of the Lord when he spoke of blindness, but they did not understand the parable of the good shepherd. Had they known that they were represented under the figure of thieves and robbers, how great would have been the ... read more
John 10:14-21. Christ concludes his discourse concerning the good shepherd.
In the conclusion of our Lord's interpretation of his parable there is no allusion made to the Pharisees. The only subject dwelt upon is the Good Shepherd's love for his sheep. Those who love their Shepherd must take particular delight in dwelling on th ... read more
John 10:22-30. Christ declares that he and his Father are one.
The feast of the dedication was not one of the three feasts ordained by God, but a feast instituted by man, to commemorate the purification of the temple after Antiochus Epiphanes, a heathen king, had defiled it by idols. This feast, however, was observed ... read more
John 10:31 to end. The Jews attempt to stone Christ for saying he was the Son of God.
What meekness our Savior showed when the wicked Jews took up stones to stone him! How touching was his appeal"Many good works have I shown you from my Father; for which of these works do you stone me?" He might make the same appeal to us now. When we n ... read more
John 10:7-13. Christ explains the parable of the good shepherd.
We are thankful to the Lord for having explained the parable of the good shepherd. Most parts of it can be interpreted with certainty, because they have been explained by the great Teacher.
Nothing can be plainer than the words, "I am the door of the ... read more
John 11:1-6. Christ receives a message from Martha and Mary
The conduct of our blessed Redeemer towards the beloved family at Bethany, sheds light upon his dealings with his saints now upon earth. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, were firmly attached to their Lord, and they could stand trials that weaker saints could no ... read more
John 11:17-27. Christ converses with Martha at Bethany.
How mingled were the feelings with which Martha went to meet her heavenly Friend! Joy she must have felt because he had come at lastgrief because he had not come sooner. It appeared to her an unfortunate coincidence that her brother should have been seiz ... read more
John 11:28-36. Christ goes to the tomb of Lazarus.
No other words could have conveyed such joy to Mary's heart as those that Martha whispered in her ear, "The Master has come, he calls for you." Yet her joy was mingled with bitter regrets that she had not heard the welcome tidings before Lazarus died. ... read more
John 11:37-44. The resurrection of Lazarus.
When Jesus was on earth how little was his conduct understood by men! Those Jews who, seeing his tears, said, "Behold how he loved him!" were mistaken in supposing that it was grief for Lazarus that caused them to flow; but those were more mistaken who ... read more
John 11:45-52. Caiaphas proposes that Jesus should be slain.
Some of our Savior's prayers have not yet been fulfilled; but the prayer he offered up at the tomb of Lazarus was granted immediately. He prayed not only that he might raise Lazarus, but also that the miracle might cause the people to believe that his Fa ... read more
John 11:53 to end. Christ retires to Ephraim.
The wicked suggestion of Caiaphas was immediately acted upon. The Pharisees took council together to put Jesus to death. Acceptable advice is soon followed. How great is the guilt of the man who suggests a wicked scheme! All the dark deeds that have ever ... read more
John 11:7-16. Christ sets out for Bethany.
It seems amazing that though the disciples had lived with the Lord three years, they continued to misunderstand his words. They supposed that his motive for not going to heal the afflicted Lazarus, was fear of the Jews. For when he said, "Let us go into ... read more
John 12:1-8. Mary anoints the Lord Jesus.
We have now reached the last week of our Savior's life. On the Saturday evening the Jewish Sabbath was over, and the new week beganthe most eventful week that had been known since the beginning of the worldthe most suffering week that the Son of man pa ... read more
John 12:20-26. Some Greeks desire to see Jesus.
Who were these Greeks that desired so much to see Jesus? They were Gentiles, brought up in the Greek religion, but who had forsaken it for the worship of the true God. We cannot wonder that they longed to see the great prophet of Nazareth, with whose prai ... read more
John 12:27-33. The Father answers his Son from heaven.
How wonderful a scene was this! The Father and the Son speaking to each other in the presence of men. Surely there must have been silence in heaven while this solemn communion was held! Such sounds had not been heard by an assembled multitude since the da ... read more
John 12:34-36. Christ exhorts the people to believe while they have the light.
While ministers are preaching, their hearers are often answering them in their own minds. Satan never fails to suggest objections against the truth to all who are willing to listen to his whispers. He did not fail to attempt to extinguish the light of the ... read more
John 12:37-41. Some refuse to believe.
"He has blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts." These words have perplexed many minds. Does a merciful God blind the eyes of his creatures? We thought it was He who took away the heart of stone, and gave the heart of flesh. And so it is. All goo ... read more
John 12:42, 43. Many who believe, refuse to confess Christ.
It is very profitable to observe what temptations have overcome men in past times. None can estimate the force of temptation, excepting those who are actually under its influence. Even those temptations by which we ourselves have once been overcome, appea ... read more
John 12:44 to end. Christ declares himself to be the light of the world.
The most glorious light that ever shone upon this world was now about to set. While his beams were still visible, a voice was heard saying, "I am come a light into this world, that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness." This is the last i ... read more
John 12:9-19. Christ is honored and hated the more on account of Lazarus.
It was on the Saturday evening that the Lord Jesus supped at Bethany, and was anointed by Mary. The next day was not the Jewish Sabbath. That Sabbath began at six o'clock on Friday evening, and concluded at six o'clock on Saturday evening. It was on Sun ... read more
John 1:1-5. The Word
Who is the Word spoken of in these verses? He is the Son of God. He is called the WORD, because he makes God his Father known to us. How is it that our thoughts are made known to our fellow creatures? By our words. Thus the unseen Father is made known to ... read more
John 1:12-13. The sons of God
We know that when the Lord Jesus came into the world, the greater part of men despised and rejected him; but there were a few who received him. They believed in him; that is, they received Jesus into their hearts. And now observe what a glorious privilege ... read more
John 1:14-18. The testimony of John.
In the beginning of this chapter we read of a great wonder, that the Word was with God, and yet was God. We cannot understand how this could be. In this passage we read of another wonder, yet we are so much accustomed to hear it, that we almost forget to ... read more
John 1:19-34. The record of John concerning Christ.
During the time of the Lord's temptation, John was preaching in the wilderness. Many supposed he was the promised Savior; for though he did no miracle, (John 10:41,) he was evidently a very wonderful prophet. There were in Jerusalem seventy chief men, wh ... read more
John 1:35-42. Andrew leads Simon to Christ.
It was with great delight that John the Baptist pointed sinners to the Savior. He had no greater joy than to see men leave him to follow Christ. On one occasion he saw the Lord, probably at some distance from the place where he stood, and he pointed him o ... read more
John 1:43 to 51. Philip leads Nathanael to Christ.
It is very interesting to know how holy men were brought to the knowledge of Christ. In this passage we have an account of the means by which Philip and Nathanael were first led to their Savior. Jesus himself found Philip, and said, "Follow me." Have we ... read more
John 1:6-11. The Witness.
Before the Lord Jesus came into the world, God sent a man called John to be a witness to him. He is called the Baptist, and was not the same John who wrote the history we are now reading.
John the Baptist was a faithful preacher, a burning and a shinin ... read more
John 2:1-10. Jesus turns water into wine.
The Lord Jesus began his ministry by a miracle. Several of his disciples beheld this display of his power. It is probable Nathanael was one of them; for though he is not mentioned in the list of the twelve apostles, it is generally supposed that Bartholom ... read more
John 2:11-17. Christ purifies the temple.
After working his first miracle, the Lord Jesus went to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, but he did not take up his abode there at present. Highly favored city, to be so early and so often visited by the Son of God! Truly she was exalted unto heaven, so grea ... read more
John 2:18 to 25. Christ speaks of the temple of his body.
How could the Jews desire a sign of Christ's right to clear the temple of the traders? What could have enabled him to send out these profane men but the power of God? Was not that a sign of his authority? Yet still the Jews, or the chief men of Jerusalem ... read more
John 3:1-8. Christ's conversation with Nicodemus.
What can be so interesting as to hear how the Savior instructed a person who desired to know the way of salvation! What a privilege Nicodemus enjoyed when he talked alone with the Son of God! What a privilege we enjoy when we read the account of this conv ... read more
John 3:22-36. John's testimony about Jesus.
How little did the Jews understand the character of John the Baptist! Some of them thought that he would be jealous of the Lord Jesus. How was that possible, when he came into the world to bear witness to Him, and to persuade men to believe in Him? Some p ... read more
John 3:9-21. The conversation concluded.
Nicodemus was very ignorant of the meaning of the Scriptures; he knew the words, but not the things spoken of. He had no idea that a change of heart was necessary. He ought to have known it, because he had often read the words of the prophet Ezekiel, "A ... read more
John 4:1-15. Christ's conversation with the woman of Samaria.
Everyone must desire to know what our Savior thought fit to say to a poor ignorant woman, whom he met beside a well. He was always watching for opportunities of doing good to the souls and bodies of men. Though He was weary, and doubtless hungry and thirs ... read more
John 4:16-24. Jesus and the woman of Samaria continued.
When the Lord said, "Go call your husband and come here," the woman may have thought that he knew nothing about her circumstances; but his next words showed that he was acquainted with her whole history. Why then did he desire her to call her husband? H ... read more
John 4:25-38. The spiritual harvest.
The ignorant Samaritan woman was much struck with the conversation of the stranger sitting by the well. It put her in mind of the promise she had heard of a Messiah, who would come into the world and instruct men. She seems at length to have desired instr ... read more
John 4:39-54. The conversion of the Samaritans, and the healing of the nobleman's son.
Some of the Samaritans were longer in believing than others. Some believed on account of the woman's testimony, othersnot until they had heard him themselves. We know it is best to believe without hesitation, for Jesus once said, "Blessed are those who ... read more
John 5:1-9. The miracle at the pool of Bethesda.
Can we hear of this pool without being reminded of that fountain for sin which Jesus has provided in his Gospel? This pool was called Bethesda, which signifies "House of mercy." And has not Jesus opened a house of mercy in his Word? The poor sick people ... read more
John 5:10-16. Christ's interview with the restored paralytic.
We have in this history an instance of the bitter hatred of men to the truth. Why did the Jews accuse Jesus of having broken the Sabbath? Was it because they reverenced that day? By no means. We may judge of their respect for the Sabbath by their regard f ... read more
John 5:17-30. Christ's defense of himself before the Sanhedrin.
This is part of our Lord's defense of himself against the Jews. We know not in what place he made this defense. Some think he made it before the great council of seventy people, called the Sanhedrin; and others think He made it in the temple. But all mus ... read more
John 5:31-39. The defense continued.
It is supposed that Jesus at this time was standing in the presence of the great council of the Jews, called the Sanhedrin. He had been accused of having healed the paralytic on the Sabbath-day; and then of having made himself equal with God. Did he deny ... read more
John 5:40 to end. The defense concluded.
Thus ended the Savior's defense of himself before the chief Jews. These last verses we may call the application of the sermon. How forcibly could He speak to the conscience, who is himself like a two-edged sword, piercing to the dividing asunder of the s ... read more
John 6:22-29. The multitude seek Jesus from interested motives.
It must be remembered that when Jesus walked on the sea to his disciples, he left a great multitude on the other side of the lake. These people had been fed by him in the evening; but afterwards many of them had remained near the mountain, to which he had ... read more
John 6:30-34. They ask him to give them bread.
Our Lord frequently took occasion from circumstances to explain spiritual truths. Once, when sitting by a well, he instructed a woman who came to draw water, and exhorted her to seek for living water. Now Jesus was speaking to people who had shown a gre ... read more
John 6:35-40. Christ declares himself to be the bread of life.
Among the crowd who surrounded the Lord while he taught in the synagogue, there were some who believed not, (ver. 64.) But there were some who would come to him, and be his crown forever. This he knewthis was his consolation among all the taunts and jeer ... read more
John 6:41-58. He promises to give his flesh and blood for the world.
To what unbelieving earthly hearts Christ addressed this heavenly discourse! The Jews murmured, because they could not understand the truths he declared. They said that Jesus did not come from heaven, and the reason they alleged for thinking so was, that ... read more
John 6:59-65. He explains the spiritual meaning of this declaration.
We find that many of the disciples of Jesus were offended by his discourse concerning his own flesh and blood. We must remember that all the followers of Christ were called disciples, whereas only twelve were called "apostles." The twelve apostles are n ... read more
John 6:66 to end. He asks the apostles whether they will go away.
No minister ought to be surprised when people are offended by his sermons, seeing that some were so much displeased with this discourse of the blessed Jesus, as to walk no more with him. What was the doctrine that gave offence? It was this, "No man can c ... read more
John 7:1-13. The brethren of Christ reproach him.
Such was the conduct of sinners to the Lord of glory when he was upon earth. His brethren (that is, his relatives) refused to believe in him, and treated him with scorn. They ventured to dictate to him who possessed all wisdom, saying, "Depart hence, and ... read more
John 7:14-29. Christ defends himself for healing on the Sabbath day.
In these verses we have a fresh instance of the insulting manner in which Jesus was treated upon earth.
He was despised for his want of a learned education. "How knows this man letters?" exclaimed the Jews scornfully, "having never learned!" Soon a ... read more
|