John 9 16

Chapter 9
* The Lord Jesus Christ healed six blind men that are recorded in scripture:
Matthew 9:27-30 – Two men healed in one step of touching their eyes.
Mark 8:22-25 – One man healed in four steps. Jesus spit on his eyes and put His hands
on the man for him to see partially. Then He put His hands on the man again and made
him look up and the man saw clearly.
Luke 18:35-43 – Two blind men healed (we know the number from Matt. 20:29-34
where the number is given, while Mark and Luke give the details about one named
Bartimaeus – Mark 10:46-52). This time there is only one step in healing and that step is
Christ “speaking” the word. In other words, Jesus healed without touching in this case.
This is unknown in the modern Charismatic movement.
John 9:1-7 – This blind man was healed with four steps. Jesus spat on the ground, made
clay, applied it to his eyes, and sent him to wash in a pool of water.
* There was never any set pattern of healing or repeating over and over again of the
phrase, “In Jesus’ name! In Jesus’ name!” while shouting. All such foolishness has only
been developed recently in the last 100 years. It is not found in the Bible.
vv. 1-2) Notice that the Pharisees had some strange beliefs that people have kept until this
time today. They believed in a type of Calvinism (before the birth of Calvin) that
suggested the baby in the womb could be punished by God for things that he would do in
the future. And they believed that the child could inherit sickness because of the sins of
his parents. Some Pharisees also believed that the child could sin in the womb before
birth. We know from clear scripture that all these beliefs are heresy. However, there are
people today that believe some or all of these lies.
* Hindus even use this verse to say that the man is being reincarnated and that is why he
could have sinned previously. It would be sin committed in “a previous life.” This is
proved to be a lie by Hebrews 9:27. A man dies once and then he goes to the judgment.
v. 3) REMEMBER THIS VERSE! This shows that God allowed a boy to be born blind
and live blind to bring glory to Himself. God did not hate the boy. There are many
circumstances in life that we complain about, but God is receiving glory and honour from
these very things. Our job is to be thankful for ALL things (Romans 8:28), and when we
are thankful God receives more honour (Heb. 13:16-17).
* This proves that not all sickness and problems are from the devil or from sin. Some
problems are from the Lord and for His glory. Many people make the mistake of giving
Satan credit for something that God has caused. This makes it dangerous to judge the
cause of a thing when there is no way to know what caused the thing. The safe thing to
do is to always give glory to God and always be thankful to Him. Notice that THE

DEATH of Simon Peter brought glory to God (John 21:18-19). He was murdered by
wicked men that hate God (and Jesus Christ glorified God in His death).
v. 4) A Christian should never waste time because it is more valuable than money and
impossible to replace. A day is coming called the “day of the Lord,” and it will be great
darkness (night) for the lost (Isaiah 13:6, 9-11; Joel 2:1-2). It includes the battle of
Armageddon and the destruction of God’s enemies on earth.
v. 5) John 1:5-9
v. 6) As a potter molds clay, the Creator of the universe was probably forming the part of
the eye that was needed for the man to see properly. Amazing! Modern medical science
has nothing to offer in comparison to what the Lord can do.
v. 7) The Bible does make comparisons between salvation and water (but not baptism).
For example, see chapter 4:10, 13-14. Jesus Christ referred to salvation as “living water.”
vv. 8-12) This is a great lesson on soul winning for the new convert. This man simply
told the facts about what happened to him. A person does not have to know a lot about
the Bible to start witnessing. He should start with what happened to him. Through the
book of Acts, we see Paul using this method over and over again.
vv. 13-15) Again, the man simply gives his personal testimony.
v. 16) The Pharisees were hypocrites. They were not concerned with the facts and the
person in need being healed. THEY WERE ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT
DAY IT WAS! See Romans 14:6.
* This is one of the three places in the book of John that says Christ caused “a division”
(7:43 and 10:19 are the other verses).
v. 17) The Pharisees showed their lack of concern for the truth by going away from the
facts and asking the man his opinion. He had more understanding than the Pharisees
because he knew that Jesus was at least a Prophet.
vv. 18-19) They were looking for a different answer than the one given by the man.
vv. 20-22) No one was concerned about the truth. They were only concerned about being
put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents were careful about their answer.
vv. 23-24) They were trying to force him to deny what really happened.
v. 25) A person might not understand a lot about theology and doctrine to KNOW that
something has happened in their soul. Again, this is a good lesson for the new convert.
He can simply tell people, “I know that I have passed from death unto life and now I can
see.”

vv. 26-27) This is a great answer. The fact is that by telling the story over and over the
Lord is receiving more glory. The Pharisees did not realize that they were bringing more
honour to the Lord when they hoped to deny Him. This is the normal result when men
think they are more clever than God.
vv.28-29) This is another lie. They did know where Jesus was from. The Old English
word “fellow” was used to refer to “a despised person.”
v. 30) The man was mocking the Pharisees for claiming to be ignorant of such a great and
powerful person as Jesus Christ.
v. 31) Here the word “sinner” is used in the OT sense. In the NT, everyone is a sinner.
However, in the NT the word sinner is sometimes used to refer to a sinner that is living
apart from the Law (Gal. 2:15).
vv. 32-33) Now the man is preaching to them and the message does make sense.
v. 34) The Pharisees were self-righteous and truly blind spiritually. Due to the fact that
they could not answer his arguments, they simply accused him of being blind because of
sin. In pride, they acted as if they were “better” than this man because they were never
physically blind. This is easy for a person to do when they are not having the problems
of a suffering person. The book of Job highlights this type of self-righteousness in Job’s
companions.
v. 35) In the modern corrupt versions, “Son of God” is changed to “Son of man.”
Corruptions are common in Satanic Bibles when a sinner is coming to receive salvation
(Luke 23:42 and Acts 9:5-6 – the word “Lord” is removed; Acts 8:37 – the verse
containing salvation is removed).
vv. 36-38) The Lord is moved when someone genuinely worships Him (2 Chronicles
5:12-14). The man was saved when he believed on Jesus Christ. The book of John
emphasizes “believing” for salvation even BEFORE the death of Christ is recorded in
chapter 19. This is different from the other three Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, and
Luke.
v. 39) Jesus Christ laid a foundational rule of Christianity. Many things in Christianity
are backwards from the way the world and lost people see things. For example, a man
might appear poor physically, but he is rich spiritually. Again, a man might appear great
and honoured, but the Lord resists him because he is proud (James 4:6). You might try to
protect your own interests and do things your way, but you will find out that you lost
everything in eternity.
* The Roman Empire thought that persecution would destroy the Christian church. They
did not expect that persecution would cause the number of Christians to multiply and
make the church stronger. Christianity is very backwards to what people think.

v. 40) They were starting to understand that Jesus was talking about them.
v. 41) The preaching of Jesus Christ was exposing their sin (John 15:22-24). Instead of
agreeing with Him, they continued to try to cover their sin. If you will admit your sin,
then it can be removed from your soul (Prov. 28:13). If you are proud and say, “I can
see,” then your sin remains on you!
Chapter 10
* Ten is the Gentile number. And here in chapter 10:16, we see Jesus Christy mention
the “other sheep” (Gentiles) that are outside of the “fold” (Israel).
* Verses 1-6 are a parable to the Pharisees (v. 6). The understood the things that Jesus
was talking about, but they did not understand what those things were a picture of in the
spiritual world.
a). “Door” – there is a literal “door” in the universe – Rev. 4:1
1. You must go through the door on God’s terms – Ps. 24:7-9
2. Jesus Christ is the Door of salvation – v. 7
b). “Sheepfold” – probably Israel, but could be all saints – Ezek. 34:1-16
c). “Porter” – the Church Age pastor that is working “in the night.”
d). “Sheep” – God’s people (Israel and the Church). They are the most ignorant
animal on earth for their size. They cannot clean themselves. They cannot be
“driven” as cattle, but must be “led” by a shepherd. They refuse to follow the
voice of a stranger. They get lost easily and can even die from falling into a small
ditch because the will not try to get up. They are too ignorant to eat food if it is
not easily found right in front of them.
* In leading people, a pastor must allow the preaching, and the Bible, and the Holy Spirit
to lead God’s people. He cannot “drive” God’s people to the right place.
v. 1) There are so many “other ways” to reach heaven being taught today for salvation.
The Lord uses strong language to call the teachers and preachers of these other ways
“thieves,” and “robbers.”
v. 2) Jesus Christ came down from heaven through a literal door in the heavens.
v. 3) This will happen at the Rapture when Jesus Christ leads the church up through this
literal door and into heaven.

vv. 4-5) This brings up the question, “Why can a professing Christian fall into the trap of
believing the heresies of cults?” The answer appears to be that they are not truly saved
people. However, sometimes a genuinely saved person gets into false doctrine because
he was never discipled.
v. 6) They understood what a sheep, a shepherd, a thief, and the other things in the story
were in real life. But they did not understand what these things represent in the parable.
v. 7) Now the Lord gives the explanation. He is the Door of the Sheep.
v. 8) The word “all” here does not refer to every living person that ever lived. It refers to
“all false prophets and false teachers” that came before Christ.
v.9) The way to be saved is clear. A man enters into salvation when he enters in at The
Door, Jesus Christ.
* Some people believe that the passage teaches a person can lose salvation. However, a
Christian will enter into heaven through the door in the universe (at death or the Rapture),
then he will return out of that very door with Christ at the Battle of Armageddon as part
of an army (Song of Solomon 6:10; Rev. 19:14). And the gates of the heavenly city, New
Jerusalem, will never be closed in eternity (Rev. 21:25-27). In other words, the person
that has entered by The Door, Jesus Christ, will be able to “go in and out” as the verse
says.
v. 10) The “thief” in this verse is the devil. Satan enjoys torturing and hurting anyone
(See Ezekiel 32:30-31). If God allowed it, the devil would cause you to be in pain and
suffering right now.
* Jesus Christ is the total opposite of the devil. He wants you to have eternal life and joy,
and He wants you to have abundant life now.
v. 11) Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, but He is hated by the world. Remember that
Egypt is a picture of the world system and read Genesis 46:34.
* There are 7 Shepherds in the Bible: 1. Abel, 2. Jacob, 3. Joseph, 4. Moses, 5. David, 6.
Antichrist (Zech. 11:17), 7. Jesus Christ.
v. 12) An “hireling” is a pastor that is greedy of money and has no real concern for the
sheep. A “wolf” is a “false prophet” (Matt. 7:15). In the tribulation, the antichrist will be
the pastor (“idol shepherd”) of the One World Religion, and there will be a “false
prophet” at his side (Rev. 20:10).
v. 13) An “hireling” can be noticed because when things get hard on the congregation, he
runs away. The wolf comes to devour the sheep and because the hireling has not fed
them with sound doctrine the flock is easily destroyed. This is why it is so important to
have strong, grounded congregations that will stand. We do not want to be in the number
of hirelings that do not really care for the sheep.

v. 14) Jesus Christ knows His sheep “personally” (2 Tim. 2:19). And His sheep know
Him in a personal way. That is the reason the Biblical Christianity is not “a religion.” In
a religion, people know rules and traditions without personally knowing the Lord. They
only understand a “representation” of the Lord through the religious system. That proves
that “religion” is NOT a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This verse shows us that
we Christians are not religious people. We simply KNOW the Lord in a real way!
v. 15) The fact that Jesus Christ knows the Father and we know Jesus (v. 14) means that
we do not need Mary, or the so-called “saints,” or a so-called “priest” to help us contact
God.
v. 16) The “fold” refers to Israel. The “other sheep” are Gentile outsiders (Eph. 2:12).
However, all saved people whether they are Jews or Gentiles in the Church Age are
together in the Body of Christ (Eph. 2:14).
* In the OT, if a Gentile wanted to receive the truth and know the true God, then he had
to go to the Hebrews (Exodus 12:7-49; Leviticus 16:29-30; 24:22). The Jew had the true
words of God, the true Law of God, and the true sacrifices that pleased God, and so on.
The Gentiles were the “strangers” dwelling among the Hebrews.
* This same system of the Jew being “on top” will be repeated in the Millennium (Isaiah
19:18-25; Zech. 8:20-23). The Gentiles have always worshiped false gods and the true
God was with Israel. Now, during the Church Age, God has taken the Gospel to the
Gentile (Acts 28:28), and the Gentiles are coming to the Light of Israel (Is. 49:6; Is. 60:3;
Acts 13:47), Jesus Christ.
v. 17) Jesus Christ PROVED that He was God by the cross and the resurrection. We
should love Him for WHO He is and not only for what He DID for us.
v. 18) Jesus Christ could have lived forever because He had no sin. He “laid down” His
life and “gave up the ghost.”
* Any man can die, but only Jesus could lay His life down and “pick it up” again!
v. 19) This is the last of the three times that John records a “division” because of Jesus
Christ (7:43 and 9:16). Sayings like John 14:6 cause divisions. Jesus Christ did not give
a “wide” way of teaching and salvation. He said, “I am the way.” That is very simple,
but people refuse the simple things in the Bible to keep their complex religions.
* Jesus Christ is very narrow. People today accept anything and everything and THAT is
why they are deceived and confused. The Lord did not receive or agree with everything.
He said it is a “narrow way” of salvation in Matthew 7:13-14. There is no way that a real
Christian can accept anyone that comes and claims to teach the Bible. A real Christian
will stay close to the Bible and to Jesus Christ, and he must refuse everything contrary.

vv. 20-21) This proves that there is no “middle ground” with Jesus Christ. You must love
Him or you hate Him. You must say that He is God manifest in the flesh or you must say
that He was a lying blasphemer. People that try to take a middle position between these
two positions PROVE that they hate Jesus Christ.
v. 22) The feast mentioned here is probably not one of the OT feasts, but a feast that was
invented later. The Feast of Lights was a remembrance for the purification of the temple
when it was purified from the defilement by Antiochus Epiphanes in 164 BC on
December 25th. Antiochus went into the temple at Jerusalem and offered a sow (female
pig) on the altar. This was blasphemous because the pig is an unclean animal and was
forbidden in the Jewish religion. When the temple was purified from this defilement the
feast that was celebrated was this Feast of Lights.
*The above information is assumed to be correct because this feast took place in the
“winter” of Palestine. The only other option would be a feast of dedication before the
Passover because there would still be some cold weather at that time.
* Devotionally, the mention of “winter” refers to Christ starting to “close the door” on
Israel (Jer. 8:19-20).
v. 23) The Temple that Solomon built after the death of David was an awesome thing. It
was probably the finest structure ever built on earth. But it was destroyed by
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. Remember that there were three Babylonian
“deportations” that took Jews out of their homeland as slaves (606 BC, 598 BC, and 586
BC).
*However, when Babylon took over Jerusalem and destroyed the temple they left
“Solomon’s porch” in its original place. It was “an outer court” around the eastern side
of the temple. It was a very, beautiful thing and more than 200 meters long. When the
Jews went back and rebuilt the temple under Ezra and Nehemiah they must have built in
such a way that this porch was still in its proper place. See Ezra 3:11-12 and understand
why the old men were crying while other people shouted for joy. The older people cried
because they had seen the magnificent temple built by Solomon and they knew that the
rebuilt temple was nothing in comparison to it.
v. 24) Men always point the finger of blame at God. When Christ told them plainly in
8:58-59, they wanted to kill Him. He told them another time in 5:17-18. How could they
accuse Him and be honest people? Impossible!
vv. 25-26) The problem was that they were lost people and they were without
understanding because of sin.
* John Calvin used this verse to prove that people cannot be saved because they are
unable to believe on Christ. He taught that God did not choose them and that is why they
are lost. HOWEVER, God wants “all” men to believe and repent (Acts 17:30). Jesus
Christ gave them a chance to believe and they refused to believe on Him (6:36-40).

vv. 27-29) These are some of the greatest verses on Eternal Security. We are secure
forever because we are “in Christ” and Jesus Christ is in the Father. Therefore, we are
now made “one” with God. It is not possible for the Christian to lose his standing.
v. 30) This is one of the plainest verses in the Bible. It proves that Jesus Christ IS God
Almighty. You can always find a heretic because he starts his Bible teaching with
“unclear verses.” You will never find a heretic that wants to begin teaching the Bible in
this verse. He will start in Acts 2:38 or somewhere in Ecclesiastes.
* Modern versions corrupt this verse by changing “my Father” to “the Father.” Why
would anyone want to deny that Jesus said, “My Father” when talking about God the
Father? This is obviously the work of an unclean spirit that wants to belittle Jesus Christ.
v. 31) Now Jesus told them who He was AGAIN in a “plain way” as they requested. So
why are they taking up stones? It is because they hate the truth! We meet the children of
these people today.
vv. 32-33) Many people (especially Jehovah’s Witnesses) go about saying, “Jesus never
claimed to be equal with God, but He only claimed to be the Son of God.” If that is true,
then why did these Jews understand Jesus to say that He was “making Himself God?”
They were not ignorant of what He was saying. He was claiming to be equal with God
and that is the reason that they wanted to kill Him.
vv. 34-35) This is a reference to Psalm 82:6-7. In Psalms, the fallen angels are called
“gods” with a small “g.” They will be judged in the future (1 Corinth. 6:3), and they will
be punished in eternal fire “like men.”
* Notice that Jesus calls the Psalms “scripture.”
v. 36) Christ’s case is that if the fallen angels were called “gods,” then why is it
blasphemy for Him to refer to Himself as “the Son of God.” After all, He is actually “the
Son of God!” Amen!
vv. 37-38) We have seen previously in the book of John other statements similar to this.
vv. 39-40) Again, Christ escaped out of their hands when they wanted to kill him (like in
8:59). There are about 10 attempts to kill Jesus Christ recorded in the Gospels (Matt.
2:16; 12:14; Mark 3:6; Luke 4:28; John 5:16; 7:30, 44; 8:59; 10:31; 11:47, 53). Once
again, “His time” to die had not yet come.
vv. 41-42) John the Baptist evidently did a very, good job of proclaiming Jesus as King
of Israel. The problem was with the religious leaders of Israel (Mark 12:37).
Chapter 11

* There are two reasons why Jesus allowed Lazarus to die and be raised from the dead.
One reason is so that God could receive glory (v. 4). The other reason is so that souls
would be saved (12:10-11). These things are connected because when a person gets
saved it glorified God. And when God receives glory people get saved (12:32).
vv. 1-2) The event recorded in verse two had not yet happened. John is recording ALL of
these events years after they happened and he is simply mentioning the people related to
Lazarus. The actual event of the anointing of Jesus is recorded in Matthew 26 and Mark
14 or much closer to the time of the crucifixion. However, in Matthew and Mark, the
Bible simply says, “a woman” anointed Jesus for His burial. Here in John, the name of
the woman is given (Mary). Her name is mentioned here to explain which Mary that she
is. There are six “Mary’s” in the NT:
1. Mary, the mother of Jesus, 2. Mary Magdalene (out of whom were cast seven devils-
Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2), 3. Mary, the mother of James and Joses, 4. Mary of Bethany, 5.
Mary, mother of John Mark and sister to Barnabas (Acts 12:12), 6. Mary of the house
church at Rome and helper to Paul (Rom. 16:5-6). See the Scofield note number one on
page 994 for more information on these “Mary’s.”
vv. 3-4) This chapter makes it clear that NOT all sickness is punishment from God.
Some sickness is “a blessing from God.” The Charismatics teach that all sickness is from
the devil. In this way, they have similar beliefs with witchcraft. However, Jesus Christ
said that this sickness was to glorify God (because He would raise Lazarus from the
dead).
* When Jesus said that this sickness was “not unto death,” He was referring to “final
death.” Jesus knew that He would raise Lazarus from the dead.
v. 5) Jesus Christ’s love or lack of love for Lazarus had nothing to do with his death. We
know that Christ loved Lazarus, but he stilled allowed pain and suffering in Lazarus’ life.
The Lord had a greater plan than the family could understand. The blessing was better
for them when He raised Lazarus from the dead, than if He simply healed him. Why
don’t Charismatics try to do that? They have claimed to raise the dead, but the problem
is that there have never been any eyewitnesses to such miracles and no confirmation from
qualified doctors that the people were actually dead people. Lazarus had been buried for
some days.
v. 6) The two days that Christ remained in the same place without going back to Judea
represent the Church Age of 2,000 years. The two thousand years of the Church Age are
a mystery. There was no prophecy in the OT of the 2,000 years (or two days) of Church
Age. However, Christ will return AFTER the Church Age (meaning after being gone for
2,000 years or two days). See Hosea 6:1-2 with 2 Peter 3:8.
vv. 7-8) By now, we understand that no one was able “to murder” Jesus Christ. He
would only die when it was time for Him to “give up” His life as a Sacrifice. No man
could stone Him because He is the Almighty.

v. 9) Jesus Christ was working the works of His Father while there was time (see 9:4).
The “light of the world” is referring to the sun, but the spiritual application is to Christ
being “the Light of the world.”
v. 10) This is referring to “spiritual darkness.” See 1 John 2:8-11.
v. 11) The soul is NEVER said “to sleep” in the Bible. The body of the believer is said
“to sleep” at death. Dead bodies of saints arose in Matt. 27:52-53. They were said to be
“sleeping in the graves.” Christians that are dead and buried at the time of the Rapture
are said to “sleep in Jesus” (1 Thess. 4:13-16).
* The Watchtower Society teaches the heresy of “soul sleep,” but the soul LEAVES the
body at death (Genesis 35:18; 1 Kings 17:17-21). They teach that the body and soul are
the same thing. However, the soul is INSIDE the body of the man (2 Corinth. 5:1, 6, 8).
vv. 12-14) Jesus Christ explains the meaning of “Lazarus sleepeth.” The disciples often
misunderstood what the Lord was saying.
* Notice that Christ knew the state of Lazarus without receiving any news from Bethany.
A common man would not able to know such things.
v. 15) Again, we see that the death of Lazarus led some people to believe on Jesus Christ.
The Lord was glad that He was not there because no one ever died in His presence.
v. 16) Thomas became forever known as “doubting Thomas” because of his remarks after
the resurrection (John 20:24-28). However, this verse in chapter 11 is the “high point” in
the Christian life of Thomas. At this time he was so close to the Lord that he was willing
to die with Christ! The Christian must “die daily” in order to be close to the Lord (1
Corinth. 15:31; Col. 3:5).
v. 17) This is a type or picture of Christ coming to earth and finding man had been “dead
in sin” for four days (4,000 years).
* In verse 6, we see that Christ remained two days before returning to Judea. But here we
see that Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. What happened to the other two days? It is
hidden or it is a mystery. Again, the two hidden days represent the Church Age as a
period of 2,000 years that was hidden in OT prophecy.
* The Church and the Church Age were hidden things until they were revealed to the
Apostle Paul (Eph. 3:1-6).
v. 18) Bethany is a little more than 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Jerusalem.
vv. 19-20) Martha was always the one working and staying busy. Sometimes she was too
busy to sit still and listen to the Lord. Mary was always found sitting at the feet of Jesus
and learning something. However, this time Mary was in the wrong for not getting up to

go meet Jesus. Martha did the right thing in going out to meet the Lord. Therefore, she
received the explanation from the Lord (vv. 21-26), but Mary received no answer (vv. 32-
34).
vv. 21-22) Martha’s words showed the faith that she had in the power of Jesus Christ.
Her position was to say, “Lord, I know you can do anything, but will you do this?”
vv. 23-24) Martha thought that Jesus was talking about the future resurrection. The OT
Jew believed in a future resurrection for every individual and for the nation of Israel.
* The amazing thing is that a born again believer comes up before “the last day.” The
last judgment is for lost people.
vv. 25-26) This is a reference to the Rapture (the resurrection of saved people BEFORE
the last day). “…though he were dead, yet shall he live…” refers to dead saints that will
be raised at the Rapture. “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die”
refers to living saints at the Rapture that will be taken without ever dying. Enoch in the
OT was a type of the living saint at the Rapture.
vv. 27-28) Martha knew that her sister spent a lot of time at the feet of Jesus learning.
Therefore, she might have gone to Mary to ask the meaning of what Jesus told her.
v. 29) Finally, Mary comes to the Lord as she should have done earlier.
v. 30) The Lord was very slow to come to the place where Lazarus was buried.
Throughout the Bible, we find that the Lord is never in a hurry. He allowed 4,000 years
to pass after the fall of men before sending a Saviour. However, the devil knows that he
has “a short time,” and he is the spirit of rushing to do things (Rev. 12:12). A Spirit-filled
person is willing to wait on the Lord to work.
v. 31) Martha called Mary “secretly,” (v. 28) so the Jews did not know where Mary was
going.
v. 32) She said the same thing to the Lord that her sister said, and she waited for a
response. But because she sat still and did not run to meet the Lord like her sister ran, He
refused to answer her.
v. 33) Jesus Christ was not the average man who simply has a body, soul, and spirit. He
is part of the Godhead (a divine body, soul, and spirit), AND He had a human body, soul,
and spirit. This “groaning” was from His human spirit.
v. 34) The Lord asks many questions in the Bible. But He never asks because He lacks
knowledge (see v.14). Rather, He asks questions to cause men to confess and admit
certain things.

v. 35) The Almighty Creator of the universe actually cried. You can know a lot about a
person by the things that make them laugh and the things that make them cry.
1. The Lord cried because of the results of sin here at the death of Lazarus.
2. The Lord cried because of the rebellion of Jerusalem and its future destruction in Luke
19:41-44.
3. The Lord cried in Gethsemane because He hates sin and He had to “become sin” to
save the world (Luke 22:39-44; Heb. 5:7-9).
Laughter of God:
1. The Lord laughs at wicked men that planned to overthrow Him. When He ruins their
plans and sees them in fear He laughs at them (Psalm 2:1-4).
2. The Lord laughs in the day of judgment at men that mocked and laughed at Him
(Psalm 37:9-13; Prov. 1:24-29).
vv. 36-37) Christ’s were so incredible that many people already believed that He could
raise the dead. So there was no excuse for anyone to remain in UNBELIEF!
vv. 38-39) The Lord could have caused Lazarus to pass through the stone or He could
have moved the stone without touching it. However, God wants to USE men to do His
will and His work. He wants you to DO something. Do not sit around and wait for God
to do everything. The Lord has a job for everyone to do.
v. 40) This part of the conversation with Martha was not previously recorded. However,
it might be that Martha was told about what Jesus had said in 11:4, and He was referring
to that.
vv. 41-42) Christ prayed out loud so that others could hear and the Father would be
glorified. Remember, His goals were that men might believe and that the Father might
receive glory. These are the two reasons why he prayed out loud instead of silently.
v. 43) Jesus Christ yelled in a loud, powerful voice (Rev. 1:15). His words are “spirit and
life” (6:63). If the Lord had not called Lazarus by name, then ALL the dead would have
raised up (5:25).
v. 44) Again, the Lord uses men to loose Lazarus. This is like God uses us to win souls
or to allow a lost man to be freed from the chains of sin.
*Here, Lazarus is a picture of a lost man that is given life (eternal life). He has spiritual
life, but there are still some things in life that must be “put off” (Eph. 4:22-24).
* Christ Raised Three Dead People that Represent Different Things:

1. Luke 8:49-55 – Represents a person being saved at a young age without being
corrupted by sin. Therefore, the girl rose up “straightway.” She received life and now
she was immediately ready to get up and do something.
2. Luke 7:11-15 – Represents a middle aged person getting saved and they have half of
their life to give to God. Therefore, the young man “sat up.” He did not “jump up” as
the younger person that got saved.
3. John 11:44 – Lazarus represents an older person that gets saved and he has a lot of life-long
habits and hindrances. Therefore, Lazarus was unable to do anything to loose
himself. He needed to be “loosed” from those things as only the Lord can loose a man.
vv. 45-46) Here we see the two responses that people have to the truth, salvation, and
Jesus Christ. Some believe and some resist the truth and continue in unbelief.
* Christ mentioned in Luke 16:28-31 that even when someone raises “from the dead” it
does not influence everyone to believe. Some people remain in unbelief in spite of great
miracles.
v. 47) The enemies of Jesus Christ confessed that His miracles were real. Why did they
not believe on Him? He is still doing miracles today and He is still raising the dead.
v. 48) Here we see the answer to the question, “Why did the Pharisees not believe on
Him?” They were only concerned about being in power. They were jealous that Jesus
would become the national leader (Mark 15:9-10). The Pharisees did not care if Jesus
was the Messiah or not. They only wanted to keep control.
* However, they could not stop Christianity from increasing and multiplying. Their own
plan worked against them.
vv. 49-50) Caiaphas did not realize that he was making a prophecy of the blood
atonement of Christ. God uses lost men for His own purposes many times and they do
not even know that God is using them. The Lord used the Assyrian (Isaiah 10:5-7), and
Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 25:8-1) to punish Israel.
v. 51) Again, he was not aware of what he was doing.
v. 52) This refers to both Jews and Gentiles.
v. 53) Up to this point, the Pharisees had hoped to discredit Christ and prove Him to be a
common man. But after He raised Lazarus publicly there was no way for them to refuse
His claims of Messiah. Therefore, the only thing left for them to do was to kill Him.
v. 54) Again, the timetable of God is not quite ready.

v. 55) This is the forth Passover mentioned in Christ’s life. Now we are at the end of His
three and a half year ministry.
* The “purifying” mentioned is the OT Jewish process of purification. Numbers 9:6-10
gives the rules for purifying if one touched a dead body.
vv. 56-57) These verses need no explanation.
Chapter 12
v. 1) We are now entering the final week of Christ’s life. He died on 14th ABIB (April)
as the Passover Lamb. This is on our Thursday, the week before He died on Wednesday.
Remember, for the Jews Friday would begin at 18:00 hours on our Thursday.
v. 2) Lazarus is one of the people sitting and eating supper. Not long before this, he was
dead and buried! What an amazing thing! However, he is not anyone special. He is
simply one of several people eating with JESUS CHRIST. The important person is the
Lord and no one compares to Him.
v. 3) Things that can be learned from Mary anointing Jesus:
1. It costs you something to serve Jesus Christ (v.3).
2. A true act of worship cannot be hidden (v. 3).
3. Love for Christ brings opposition (vv. 4-5).
4. Worshipping God is more important than helping other people (vv. 7-8).
5. Do what you can do while you have time (v. 8).
* Matthew 26:6 says that Mary anointed His head, but she obviously anointed His head
and feet. Matthew 26:8 says “they” were complaining, but we learn in John 12 that Judas
stirred up the discontentment.
vv. 4-6) This passage explains a lot about people. When a man resists a sacrifice for God
and says that the money should be “spent on the poor,” then that is a wicked man. If a
man REALLY has genuine concern for people, then his concern would start from a deep
love for God. In that case, he would not resist a sacrifice to God. The wicked man resists
the sacrifice for God and suggests that the gift be given to the poor so that he can steal
some of it! This happens regularly in Africa. People would know these things if they
read the Bible.
v. 7) Jesus Christ NEVER refused worship. Simon Peter, Paul, and angels refused to be
worshipped in the Bible, but Christ never refused. This shows the great sin of the Roman
Catholic Popes who allow men to bow down to them and kiss their feet. If they were
holy men, then they would refuse the worship and command people to worship the Lord.
This is “that spirit of antichrist.”
v. 8) Poverty will never be done away with until the Millennium. People waste their time
and money trying to abolish poverty when Christ said it would always be here.

* Never allow a chance to do something for Christ to pass you by. You might not have
another chance. If Mary had not anointed Christ at this time, then it would have been too
late.
vv. 9-11) It is hard to imagine, but these men wanted to kill a man that had risen from the
dead! They did not fear the Lord and say, “If Jesus can raise the dead, and then we are
fighting someone too powerful.” No! They were foolish. They decided to kill Christ
AND they wanted to kill the one that he raised from the dead!
vv. 12-14) This is the “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem. Christ no longer told people to
keep the secret that He is the Messiah. Now He accepts open, public worship. Now He
comes into Jerusalem as King of Israel as prophesied.
* Verse 13 is from Psalm 118:25-26.
v. 15) This quote is from Zechariah 9:9. But notice that Matthew leaves out the words
“having salvation.” Why? Because the “salvation” is a reference to the Second Coming
of Christ and the national salvation of Israel. At His first coming, Christ did not save
Israel nationally because they rejected Him.
v. 16) This shows one of the works of the Holy Spirit (“to bring all things to
remembrance”).
vv. 17-19) The Pharisees were afraid that their plans were being ruined.
v. 20) Gentile converts to the Jewish religion were allowed to come to the feasts (Acts
2:8-11).
vv. 21-22) This is a preview of the Church Age (Gentiles coming to Jesus Christ).
v. 23) Finally, the time has come for Christ to be revealed as Messiah and for Him to be
rejected and crucified.
v. 24) The phrase “corn of wheat” is referring to a “kernel of wheat.”
* For the Christian life to be lived properly, you must die to “the outside” or the flesh.
That is like this “corn of wheat” going into the ground and dying. You cannot live the
Christian life without being “hurt.” Self must die! Earthly passions, desires, goals, and
dreams must die! Without death, no fruit will be brought forth (John 15).
vv. 25-26) If you “let go” of your own will, then God will bless you. If you try to “hold
on” to your own will and way, then you will lose and be discouraged. The only thing you
will have is the emptiness of YOURSELF! The best thing to do is sacrifice your own
will and let the Lord control your life. Then you will have try joy and fulfillment.

v. 27) Here we see the inner conflict of Jesus Christ. The Lord had never known sin, but
He would soon “become” the SIN OF THE WORLD (2 Corinth. 5:21). He did not want
to “become sin,” but He knew that “for this cause” He came into the world. This is why
there was a conflict inside His heart.
vv. 28-29) The voice of God sounds like “thunder.” 2 Samuel 22:14; Job 37:1-5; Psalm
29:3-9.
v. 30) The sound of the voice of God was for the benefit of the people that stood by, not
for Christ.
v. 31) The reference to the “world” is talking about the “world system.”
* Calvary seals the destruction of the devil as a fact that is certain to be completed.
However, Satan’s destruction is not complete until Revelation 20 and 21. But in God’s
mind, things can be “done” a long time before they actually happen because the Lord
KNOWS exactly what will happen in the future.
* Four stages of the Fall of Satan:
1. From the 3rd heaven to the 2nd heaven (Prince of the power of the air) in eternity past.
2. From the 2nd heaven to the 1st heaven (or earth) during the Tribulation (Rev. 12:3-4).
3. From the earth to being cast into the pit for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:2-3).
4. Finally, cast into the eternal Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10).
vv. 32-33) Again, we see that Christ being “lifted up” refers to the crucifixion, not to
“praising the Lord” as the Charismatics use it.
* This is a good verse to convince Calvinists when they try to use John 6:44 to say that
some men are not “drawn” to salvation. This verse says that “all men” are drawn to Jesus
Christ because He was lifted at Calvary.
v. 34) The Jews could only think of the prophecies about “the kingdom” coming and the
Messiah ruling. They did not understand that there are two kinds of prophecies. Some
prophecies are about the suffering of the Messiah and some are about the exaltation of the
Messiah.
* Notice that Christ did not even answer them because He had told them over and over
and over.
vv. 35-36) Again, Christ’s discussion has nothing to do with what they asked Him. He
started a discussion that we have seen many times in the book of John. There are so
many references in John to Christ being the Light of the world.
v. 37) They had no excuse for their unbelief.

v. 38) The quote is from Isaiah 53:1.
vv. 39-40) The key to understanding these verses is to realize that God knows the hearts
of men. Therefore, if a man is dishonest and despised the truth, then God will send that
man a lie to blind him.
* Examples:
1. Matthew 13:10-15 – Jesus spoke in parables because he knew that these men refused
to believe the prophets. If they hate the truth, then He makes it difficult for them to hear
the truth.
2. Exodus 7:3-4 – God hardened Pharoah’s heart because Pharoah had already made his
decision to disobey and not believe God Almighty (Exodus 5:1-7). Pharoah took the first
step of unbelief and hardening his heart. God only added to what Pharoah already
wanted.
3. 2 Thess. 2:11-12 – God allows men in the tribulation to be deceived and believe a lie.
Why? Because the hated the truth and would not receive it before the church was
raptured.
v. 41) Isaiah 6:1
v. 42) Obviously, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were in the number, but it appears
that they were not alone. There are no rewards for this type of Christian.
v. 43) Loving the praise of men is the cause for some of the greatest sins that a man can
commit. To be a truly, dedicated Christian, one must not fear man and one must not love
the praise of man.
v.44) This has been mentioned several times in John.
v. 45) Again, the Lord Jesus Christ claims to be one with the Father (10:30; 14:9).
* The only part of God that man will ever see is “the Image of God,” Jesus Christ.
vv.46-48) Many men spend their time “correcting” the words of God. What a surprise it
will be when they find out the words of God will judge them!
vv. 49-50) The Word (Christ) and the words (Bible) both come from the Father.
Chapter 13
* This chapter covers the betrayal of Jesus Christ by Judas Iscariot (the son of perdition).
It should be compared to Revelation 13 and the coming antichrist (the son of perdition).
The chapter numbers in the King James Bible are not “coincidence.” The Spirit of God
obviously led in the numbering of verses and chapters.

v. 1) Though Jesus Christ created the universe, He is concerned about every individual.
v. 2) This shows a Roman Catholic that “taking the sacrament of Holy Communion” will
not help a person avoid Hell (vv. 18,27; Acts 1:25). Judas Iscariot took part in the supper
and he did not leave before eating (see Luke 22:17-21). Some false teachers say that
Judas was present at the beginning, but left before eating the Lord’s Supper. That is not
true.
* Some churches practice “closed communion” and will not allow visitors or non-members
to partake. However, Christ did not give this as an example. The Lord said that
Judas was “a devil” (John 6:70-71), but He still allowed him to take part in the Lord’s
Supper.
* In other words, the church and the pastor should not make rules for who can take the
Lord’s Supper and who cannot take it. An announcement can be made to explain that a
person should be saved and in proper fellowship with the Lord. However, the church
should not “police” the congregation and force people to abstain or leave. 1 Corinthians
11 makes it clear that the decision is to be made by each individual. And the pastor or the
church cannot know the heart of most individuals. Therefore, the individual person is
responsible for themselves and should approach the Lord’s Supper with fear and
trembling.
* The terms “Holy Communion,” “Mass,” “Sacrament,” and “Eucharist” are not found in
the scriptures and it is not proper for a Bible believing Christian to use these terms in
reference to the Lord’s Supper.
vv. 3-4) This is a picture of Christ putting of His eternal glory and humbling Himself to
become a human being. This is the position that most Christians fear to take (Phil. 2:5-
8).
vv. 5-6) Simon Peter had the most sensible response. It only makes sense to refuse the
Creator of the universe to put Himself lower than one’s self. Peter wanted to serve the
Lord rather than being served by Him.
v. 7) This verse makes it clear that Christ was not establishing “an ordinance of foot
washing.” If that were the case, then He would not have said, “You do not know what I
am doing.” Obviously, they knew that He was washing their feet. However, they did not
understand the “hidden meaning” until after the resurrection.
* The Lord was trying to teach them to humble themselves and SERVE one another (v.
14). Jesus Christ humbled Himself by coming down to earth and leaving His glory in
heaven. Lack of humility will destroy your life and ministry (1 Peter 5:5).
v. 8) You must be careful with using the word “NEVER.” Simon Peter repented of this
comment immediately when he heard the words of Christ.

v. 9) This is a very, fitting fulfillment of the parable in Matthew 21:28-32. Simon Peter
was like the son that said, “I go not,” but he repented and went. Judas Iscariot is like the
son that said, “I go,” but went not!
vv. 10-11) Christ is referring to salvation. If a man is saved, then he is washed in the
blood totally and forgiven of his sins (STANDING). However, a Christian needs daily
forgiveness after salvation. This is not part of salvation, but it keeps him in close
fellowship with the Father (STATE).
* Judas was present at the foot washing and Christ was referring to him as the unclean
one.
v. 12) Again, there must be a hidden meaning BEHIND the obvious thing of foot
washing.
v. 13) Notice this is John 13:13, the number of rebellion. And it is talking about Judas
Iscariot. He was the one that always called Jesus, “Master.” Every time the Bible
records Judas addressing Christ, he calls Christ, “Master.” The other disciples addressed
Christ as “Lord.”
* After a man has received Christ as his Saviour, he should make Christ the Lord of his
life. Jesus Christ should be Lord of every area of your life.
vv. 14-15) The example given by Christ was not an example of “literal foot washing.”
The example He gave was one of being a humble, servant to the brethren.
v. 16) This is another verse that the Watchtower Society would love to use for saying that
Christ was a lesser, created god. However, Jesus Christ is referring to Himself in “a
human state.” There was a part of Christ (the divine nature) that was totally equal with
God. In other words, Christ temporarily limited Himself with a human body. That does
not mean that Christ had ONLY a human nature. He had both a human nature and a
divine nature. Do not be deceived.
v. 17) A Christian will not be a joyful, happy person if he neglects to DO what Christ
says. The “practical application” of scripture is just as important as or MORE important
than knowledge of the scripture. “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving your own selves.” (James 1:22)
v. 18) This prophecy is recorded in Psalm 41:9 and Psalm 55:12-14. The Lord Jesus
Christ chose Judas Iscariot as a disciple (Luke 6:12-16) to fulfill scripture.
* This is the strongest verse against “closed communion.” Remember, “closed
communion” is the teaching that only “members of a local church can take the Lord’s
Supper.” See notes on 13:2.

v. 19) This is another proof that Jesus Christ is God. This verse agrees with the
comments of Jehovah in Isaiah 44:7; 46:9-10; 48:3-5. Only God can make prophecies
and fulfill them 100% of the time. Christ wanted to tell them things that would happen
BEFORE they happened. This is the same way that Jehovah God of the OT handled
things.
*The Watchtower Society said that Christ would return in 1914, 1918, 1925, and other
times. Their inability to prophesy truly shows everyone that they are lying prophets
(Deut. 18:22).
v. 20) This verse should be a comfort to a soul winner. When a person rejects you and
your message, they are actually rejecting God the Father and God the Son. The problem
is that men hate God. Therefore, some people despise the message that we bring.
vv. 21-23) This is a reference to the Apostle John (See 21:20-24). John received
revelation that the other disciples did not receive. Why? He is a picture of the NT
church (1 Thess. 5:1-5). Therefore, John received special revelation about Judas, as the
church receives special revelation about the last days and the antichrist.
v. 24) Simon Peter is a unique character. He really wanted to know which disciple would
be the traitor. So he says to John, “Hey, ask Jesus who it will be.”
v. 25) The Jewish and Middle-eastern custom was to eat while reclining on a thing like a
bed (See Esther 7:7-8). That is why John was able to lay his head on Christ’s chest. He
probably sat on the floor and put his head up on Christ’s chest while Christ lay on the
bed.
v. 26) Christ did tell John the identity of the betrayer. There is a possibility that the Lord
will reveal the identity of the antichrist to the church just before the Rapture. The church
definitely has great knowledge about the events of the last days (the books of Daniel and
Revelation).
v. 27) Notice that the devil does not waste time when he receives permission to destroy
someone (Job 1:12). Satan can come into a person’s body and take possession of it (Acts
5:3- Ananias and Sapphira).
vv. 28-29) Notice that only John knew that Judas would betray Christ. The other
disciples did not have that light.
v. 30) Judas waited until it was dark to perform his evil plan (Luke 22:53). That is just
like the character of the devil.
vv. 31-32) These verses need no explanation.
v. 33) The followers of Christ were Jews, but notice that Christ addresses them separately
than “the Jews” that rejected Him. Why? This is probably a reference to the “leaders of
the Jewish nation.” They were the ones that rejected Him.

* In the Body of Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile. However, the Lord does make a
separation between His flock and “the Jews” here.
v. 34) Notice that there are New Commandments in the New Testament. The SDA only
thinks of the Ten Commandments when he sees the word “commandment.”
v. 35) Notice that “love of the brethren” is not an evidence of salvation, but an evidence
of DISCIPLESHIP!
v. 36) Simon Peter always wanted ANSWERS. But John would watch and listen.
v. 37) Simon Peter loved the Lord, but sometimes he got “in the flesh.” He did not
realize that sometimes his zeal was used by the devil in an effort to break the scripture
(Matthew 16:21-23).
v. 38) Simon Peter was willing to die for Christ, but he failed to LIVE for Him. Self-denial
and persecution are much more difficult than giving one’s life in real, physical
death. If it was only to die in a moment of execution, then Peter was willing to do it. The
problem is the enduring of torture or the discipline to crucify one’s self daily. We all
have failed the Lord in a miserable way. Peter is a great example of a man that has a
second chance to be a dedicated child of God.
Chapter 14
v. 1) Jesus Christ is more concerned about the sheep than Himself. He was going to die
soon, but He made it a point to speak words of comfort to His followers. The disciples
believed in the Father without seeing Him. Now they would be forced to believe on
Christ in the same way because He was going away.
v. 2) The modern, corrupt Bible versions change the word “mansions” to “rooms.”
* The “Father’s house” is in the third heaven (Rev. 21:14-21) and it is called “New
Jerusalem.” It will “come down” from God out of heaven. It is FAR too large to fit in
the place of the earthly Jerusalem. It is 2,400 kilometers in length, breadth, and height.
In other words, it would cover most of the Middle East, not only Israel.
* During Christ’s earthly ministry the Pharisees made the physical temple known as “My
Father’s house” into a den of thieves (Matt. 21:13). Therefore, Christ referred to that
temple as “your house” (Matt. 23:37).
v. 3) The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is one of the greatest things in the Christian life.
It is our promise of “the life that is to come” (1 Tim. 4:7-8). If we do not have that hope,
then the Christian would be forced to live his life in a totally unscriptural way.
Therefore, the “blessed hope” of Christ’s return is “the entire essence of the Christian
life.”

* Notice that it is not an angel that will take us home to heaven. No! It is Christ Himself
that will come carry us home to heaven!
vv. 4-5) Even though the disciples has been with Jesus Christ for more than three years
they were still not 100% clear on many things. This shows that we should be patient with
the people that we disciple. It takes time for people to grow.
v. 6) There is no other phrase like this spoken in all of human history by a person. It is
true that some “churches” or “organizations” have made this claim. But never has a
person in their right mind stood up and claimed to be the ONLY way of salvation for all
mankind. There have been “mad men” that have made such statements. But never has a
religious leader stood up and made this claim. Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa,
Mohammed, Buddha, the Virgin Mary, Charles Taze Russell, Mary Baker Eddy, and
others have taught many different things. But NONE of them claimed to be THE WAY,
THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE in themselves! Jesus Christ made this claim and then
proved it by dying for the world.
* Adam lost all three of these things (the way, the truth and the life). Therefore, Jesus
Christ, “the last Adam,” came and restored these things.
1. THE WAY:
a. The OT picture showed that “the way” into the “holiest” had not been
manifested (Heb. 9:6-9).
b. Following this “way” can bring persecution (Acts 9:1-2).
c. People speak evil of “this way (Acts 19:9).
d. This “way” causes “a stir” (Acts 19:23).
e. There are other “ways” of salvation that are called “the ways of death” (Prov.
14:12; 16:25).
2. THE TRUTH:
a. Many religious leaders “hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18).
b. Many religious leaders “change the truth of God into a lie” (Rom. 1:25).
c. Most men “do not obey the truth” (Rom. 2:8).
3. THE LIFE:
a. This is not just day-to-day, physical life (James 4:14).
b. Jesus Christ gives “abundant life” (John 10:10).
c. Lost people are “alienated from the life of God through ignorance” (Eph. 4:17-
18).
v. 7) Christ explains that they saw “the image of God” when they saw Him (Col. 1:15).

vv. 8-9) This is one of the clearest verses in the Bible on “The Diety of Christ.” The
Lord told them plainly that HE IS GOD! It is amazing that many people today continue
in ignorance, saying, “Jesus claimed to be ‘the Son of God,’ but He did not claim to be
God.” Those people have not read or believed the Bible.
v. 10) Notice how the “words of God” and “the works of God” are closely related.
v. 11) Men rejected the “words,” so Christ told them to believe “the works.”
v. 12) This is probably a reference to the fact that the disciples had a ministry that
reached much farther “geographically” than Christ reached in His earthly ministry. The
Lord stayed in an area only about 9 miles square during His earthly ministry. However,
the works being done by His disciples are actually being done by the Lord Himself.
v. 13) This is a reference to the fact that the Lord is doing “the works” that we ask Him to
do in the ministry. In other words, He is doing the saving of souls and other spiritual
things that His disciples pray for “according to His will.”
v. 14) This is a requirement for answered prayer (along with the requirements of “bearing
fruit” in John 15:16). This requirement is that we ask “in Christ’s name” and that “the
Father receives glory in the Son” through the answer to prayer (see v. 13 and 1 Peter
4:11).
*Anytime you pray, you must realize that the Father only listens because of the finished
work of Jesus Christ on Calvary. Therefore, you MUST acknowledge the Son when you
pray.
v. 15) Notice that the verse does NOT say, “If you want to be saved, then keep My
commandments.” NO! It is a reference to “discipleship.” If a saved man LOVES the
Lord, then he will obey the Lord (see v. 21) and be a disciple.
vv. 16-17) The Holy Spirit is revealed in this chapter (see also verses 26 and 27). He was
working in the OT, but here we see a great change in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. In
the NT, the Holy Spirit lives in the body of the believer and He abides in the believer
forever. This is different than the OT because the Holy Spirit was coming “on” men and
LEAVING men in the OT (1 Samuel 16:14; Psalm 51:11).
*Notice that the Holy Spirit is “a person,” not “a force” or “a power.” He can be
“grieved” like a person (Eph. 4:30).
v. 18) The Holy Spirit is “the person of Jesus Christ” living in the believer. When talking
about “another Comforter” being sent, Christ said, “I will come to you.” Notice that “the
Spirit of God” is called “the Spirit of Christ” (Romans 8:9).
vv. 19-20) This is a reference to the future at the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). That is when
the disciples knew that Christ was in them because the Lord gave them “visible
evidence” to make them KNOW that the Holy Spirit lived in them.

v. 21) Again, this is NOT salvation (see notes on verse 14). Christ said that LOVE is
shown by keeping His New Testament commandments.
v. 22) Again, like verses 4-5, it is obvious that the disciples did not understand what
Christ was saying. Many of these things are very clear to us because we have a
completed Bible. At this point, the disciples did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit or a
completed Bible.
v. 23) The Lord’s answer to the question is similar to Matthew 28:19-20. In Matthew,
Christ promised “to be WITH” the believer that fulfills the Great Commission.
Obviously, the Lord lives in every believer, but He is with a soul winner “in a special
way” or IN FULNESS.
* In this way Matthew 28:19-20 is like the promise in John 14:23. The Lord promises
that the Father and the Son will abide with the believer “in a special way,” if the believer
loves Christ and keeps His words.
v. 24) Where does this put people that correct, change, and twist the Bible? They do
NOT love Jesus Christ! This is also true of Christians that refuse to obey the Bible and
live a holy, disciplined life.
* God accused Israel of “spiritual adultery” when they worshipped other gods (Jeremiah
3:1-3), and they departed from loving God. Notice also that God held back the rain as a
curse against the nation for their sins. We obviously see the same punishment in this
region because Christians involve themselves in witchcraft and generations of people
have refused to repent of this sin.
vv. 25-26) Notice that the Holy Spirit is A TEACHER. When Christ went away the Holy
Spirit continued to teach the disciples the things that Christ had started to teach them.
The disciples did not understand or remember everything that Christ taught. But the
Holy Spirit helps with such things.
* In Acts 1:15-17, Simon Peter was given supernatural understanding BY THE HOLY
SPIRIT about OT prophecies of Judas Iscariot. In Acts 2:25-32, Simon Peter again was
given special understanding about prophecies of Christ’s death and resurrection. In other
words, when Christ went away the Holy Spirit began to help the disciples to become clear
in understanding MANY things that Jesus was telling them while He was on earth.
THE HOLY SPIRT:
1. Abides forever (John 14:16).
2. Reproves of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8).
3. Guides into all truth (John 16:13).
4. Leads the believer (Rom. 8:14).
5. Gives assurance (Rom. 8:16).

6. Makes intercession for the saints (Rom. 8:27).
7. Baptizes believers into the Body of Christ (1 Corinth. 12:13).
v. 27) A saved man receives REAL peace and comfort through the Holy Ghost. The
world cannot provide genuine peace. The peace of the world is a cheap, fake peace.
* 2 Samuel 13:1-15 is a perfect example of the peace offered by the world. Amnon
thought that if he could have Tamar, then he would have everything he wanted in life. 2
Sam. 13:14-15 shows what happens when a man finally gets “what he wants” in the
world system. When Amnon was finally able to have sex with Tamar he was not
satisfied. The world, the flesh, and the devil are unable to truly satisfy a man. The man
must continue to have more and more sin without ever being satisfied. Truly, the man
never has peace because he is looking in the wrong place. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can
satisfy the soul of a man and bring peace and comfort to a soul.
v. 28) Christ said that He would go away “and come again.” This has two references.
The obvious meaning is that Christ will actually return to earth at the Rapture and the
Second Advent. However, Christ also said that He would “come to” His disciples in the
person of the Holy Ghost (v. 18).
v. 29) See notes on 13:19.
v. 30) The “prince of the world” is the devil, the “god of this world” in 2 Corinth. 4:4.
v. 31) The events in the next five chapters only take about one day (24 hours). In other
words, Christ is saying that He is going to obey the Father and die for the wins of the
world.
Chapter 15
* The context of this chapter is DISCIPLESHIP, not salvation (see v. 8).
v. 1) If there is a “True Vine,” then there must be a “false vine.” See Deut. 32:31-33.
The false vine and “wine of poison” is a picture of the MASS. 1 Corinthians 10:16-20
makes a comparison between “the cup of the Lord,” and “the cup of devils.” The “cup of
the Lord” is obviously a reference to the Lord’s Supper.
* The RCC (Roman Catholic Church) claims to transform the elements (bread and wine)
into the “literal body and blood of Christ.” This is a wicked sacrifice of devils because
the drinking of literal blood is forbidden throughout the Bible (Lev. 17:10-15; Acts
15:20, 29). And eating the literal body of Jesus Christ cannot help you get saved (John
6:63). The TRUTH is that Christians are the body of Christ (1 Corinth. 10:17). Jesus
Christ Himself is the True Vine that saves the souls, but the RCC Mass is a vine of
poison that will destroy the soul that believes in it!

v. 2) For a Christian to “bear fruit” he must stay attached to “the vine” (Christ). The
branch that cannot bear fruit of itself (v.4) represents a Christian trying to live the
Christian life in the power of the flesh.
* The branch “taken away” is not a Christian that loses salvation, but it is a Christian that
loses his fellowship (or his day-to-day state as being a disciple). See v. 8. Only a
Christian can bear fruit and become a disciple. This chapter is not explaining how to be
saved, but how to be a disciple AFTER you are saved. Simon Peter lost his discipleship
(not his salvation) when he denied the Lord (See Mark 16:7).
* THREE STAGES OF FRUIT BEARING:
1. Bear fruit (v. 2)
2. More fruit (v. 2)
3. Much fruit (v. 5)
* These three things compare with other references to Christian growth like Mark 4:8
(30, 60, and 100), and Rev. 17:14 (called, chosen, and faithful). It seems that there are
three stages of Christian growth and fruit bearing.
* The “purging” is the “pruning” process of removing dead stems and small sprouts that
steal the life (and nutrients) from the healthy, strong branches. It is a painful process for
the branches to be pruned (Christians – v. 5), but it is the best thing for them. This is a
picture of trials and difficulties in the Christian life. They might be painful, but they keep
us close to Christ (the Vine).
v. 3) The reference to being “clean” refers back to “the purging” of verse two. The word
of God is obviously involved in the cleaning (purging) process that removes hindrances
and sin from our lives (Eph. 5:26-27). The purging should be done daily and it prevents
future problems from becoming too big. In the same way, the word of God cleanses in a
“preventative” way (Psalm 19:7-14; Psalm 119:9-11).
v. 4) A man is dead and useless without Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 5:12).
v. 5) The disciples of Jesus Christ are the branches that are “abiding” in the Vine. Christ
can bring forth “much fruit” through a man that is walking in the Spirit, but there is no
genuine fruit in the life of a Christian who walks after the flesh.
* The fruit is NOT soul winning, but it is the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22-23). It is an
INNER LIFE of abstaining from sin and sinful thoughts.
v. 6) Charismatics use this verse to say that you can lose salvation. But this is the
Judgment Seat of Christ for believers. How do we know that
* At the judgment for lost people being cast in the lake of fire, you must notice that the
ANGELS gather the lost and throw them into fire (Matt. 13:38-42). But in John 15:6, it

says that “men” gather these branches. This is talking about a Christian at the Judgment
Seat of Christ. He is judged as being useless, fruitless, and dead AS A CHRISTIAN!
See 1 Corinth. 3:13-15. Notice that he is “withered.” He dried up in his Christian walk
because he did not stay close to Jesus Christ.
v. 7) Obedience is a requirement to answered prayer. This is the only way that “your
will” can become like “God’s will” (1 John 5:14). If the word of God is put into your
heart each day, then God will put His desires in YOUR heart (Psalm 37:4). If you delight
in the Lord, then he will change your desires and you will begin to desire the same things
that the Lord desires.
v. 8) This verse explains the chapter. Jesus Christ is talking about the way to become a
disciple, not the way of salvation. A disciple is “one who disciplines himself” (1 Peter
4:14-16).
vv. 9-10) Again, these are NT commandments (see vv. 12 and 17). There is no mention
of the OT Law or the Ten Commandments in this chapter.
*John is the “Apostle of Love.” He mentions “love” 57 times in this book and 46 times
in 1 John. In the entire books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, “love” is only mentioned 35
times combined. John obviously had a great love for Jesus Christ that we should follow
as an example. One secret to being a disciple is to “abide in Christ.” The word “abide”
is used 9 times in John 15:1-10!
v. 11) The world can give you a “laugh,” or a joke or a comedian. But only the Lord
Jesus Christ can give a person genuine JOY. Notice the Lord wants you to have fullness
of joy by “the things He has spoken to you.” If you want fullness of joy, then you must
get it through the word of God!
v. 12) How did the Lord love you? Jesus Christ loved you when you were no good and
had no concern for Him at all. Now we are commanded to love the brethren and many
times they seem to be some of the worst people on earth. We must love them in spite of
their poor character. The stronger Christian is commanded to edify the weaker saint
(Rom. 15:1-3).
v. 13) The Lord should have thrown all of us in Hell, but He is rich in mercy. He died for
us when we were ungodly, rotten, and lost. Now we should deny ourselves for His sake
and for the sake of other Christians with whom we have had problems.
v. 14) Notice that there is a condition put on “friendship” with the Lord. You must be
obedient.
* Only one OT saint was called “the friend of God.” In James 2:23, Abraham is called
the “friend of God.” Why? God KNEW that Abraham would be obedient to Him and
would command his children to obey the Lord (See Genesis 18:16-19).
v. 15) A friend has “inside knowledge” of secrets that a servant does not have.

v. 16) Calvinists use this verse to say that you have no free will to chose Christ as your
Saviour, but there are too many verses COMMANDING a man to receive Christ for this
to be a serious argument. Calvin used this to say that “the elect” were chosen before the
foundation of the earth, but actually saved people were not chosen as “the elect.” God
chose lost sinners and Christ dies for ungodly sinners (Rom. 5:6-8). So the whole system
of Calvinism is straight from the pit of Hell!
* The verse SAYS that Christ chose disciples (and He did chose them in Matthew 10:5-
7), and He did ordain that they bring forth fruit. And they did bring forth fruit and that
fruit remains until this very day!
* God chose that ALL men be saved. The devil chose for all men to be damned! Each
individual now has the choice to receive salvation though Jesus Christ or reject it!
* Devotionally speaking, this verse gives us a guide for our discipleship. The goal is to
produce “fruit that remains.” It is not enough to disciple one person. That disciple must
again produce a disciple and so on, if we are to have fruit that remains in the next
generation.
v. 17) The Lord says this again (v.12) with EMPHASIS… “I command you!”
v. 18) This obviously refers to “the world system.” That same system that hated Jesus
Christ continues to hate His followers up until now.
v. 19) Why does the world hate Christ and Christians? It is simple. It is the same reason
that Cain killed Abel. The fact that we are accepted by God WITHOUT religion or
works, but only through faith in Jesus Christ is a condemning thing to the world. Our
testimony and our witness say to them, “You are wrong. You are damned!” Abel did not
have to say that to Cain. It was too obvious, so Cain hated him and killed him. This is
the “offence of the cross” talked about in Galatians 5:11.
v. 20) It is totally impossible for a real, mature Christian to be friendly with this world
(and the world’s religious system). If the world loves you, then you are the enemy of
God. Many saved people have joined the Ecumenical Movement and they have become
SAVED enemies of God!
* If you live right and your heart is right with God, then you will have persecution in one
form or another (2 Timothy 3:12).
v. 21) There are many “religious people” that hate true Christianity because they simply
do not know the Lord. They think they are “helping God” by fighting against true
Christians (see 16:2). They are deceived.
v. 22) This is a SPECIFIC SIN, rejecting Jesus Christ (see 16:9). In many countries
today, there are still people in darkness that have not heard the Gospel in a clear way.

But these Jews “had no cloak” (or covering) for their sin. They saw the Lord and heard
Him speak and they had no excuse for rejecting Jesus Christ. Most Africans that live on
the Copperbelt will have no excuse in the day of judgment. They have not received the
truth because they are “willingly ignorant” and they love their sin!
v. 23) This shows the problem of the Jehovah’s Witness. He thinks that he respects the
Father by making the Son lower. He does not realize that his hatred for the Son reflects
his true hatred for Jehovah God!
v. 24) In other words, there was no EXCUSE for these Christ-rejecting Jews. Again, the
SIN is a specific sin of rejecting Jesus Christ (as in v. 22 and notes).
v. 25) This is true for the hatred the world has for Christ and His followers. There is no
cause for such hatred.
* The verses that are fulfilled are from Psalm 35:19 and 69:4. The verses apply in two
ways. They apply to Saul hating David for no real cause and they apply to the rejection
of Christ.
v. 26) All three persons of the Godhead are mentioned in this verse TWO TIMES! The
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not working “independently” of one another (see 16:5
and 16:13).
* Notice one of the works of the Holy Spirit… “he shall testify of me (Christ)!” This is
scriptural proof that the Charismatic is NOT led by the Holy Spirit!
v. 27) The Holy Spirit will compel a man to “witness for Jesus Christ.” A man that
refuses to witness is not filled with the Holy Spirit! Amen!
Chapter 16
v. 1) At the end of chapter 15, Christ gave a very, negative message. Now He is
explaining that the reason He said those things (15:18-24) was to prepare them for
persecution. He did not want the disciples to be surprised when persecution came.
* Psalm 119:165 says that the man who loves the word of God will never be offended by
anything that “God says.” Jesus spoke the truth and He knew that people would be
offended. In other words, the true message from God is offensive by itself. We should
not TRY to offend anyone because they will already be offended by the TRUTH (2
Corinth. 6:1-3).
v. 2) Again, we see a very, negative message. It is no wonder that many of His disciples
went back and followed Him no more. However, we have seen the fulfillment of this
prophecy. In the Dark Ages, the Catholics believed that they were serving God by
murdering and torturing Bible believing Christians. Even today, the Muslims believe that
they are serving God by killing Christians and Jews (God’s people).

* This practice of killing God’s servants started with the Jews by killing the OT prophets
and killing Jesus Christ and His disciples (Luke 13:34).
v. 3) The lost, self-righteous Jew, the Catholic worshipper of Mary, and the deceived
Muslim that worships Allah (the moon god) all have one thing in common. They are
tricked by the devil and they have no true knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. That is
why they hate and kill God’s people.
v. 4) The Holy Spirit did remind the disciples of these things after the resurrection. That
is how the group of cowardly men turned into courageous lions. They were shaking in
fear at the trial and crucifixion, but they were preaching with great boldness after the
resurrection. Why? They remembered (by the Holy Ghost) that Jesus explained all this
before it happened and they had great confidence that they were doing the right thing.
We should have that same confidence today.
v. 5) Now they understand this saying.
v. 6) They were still not clear about the great victory that Christ would win over sin and
death. It would only be clear AFTER the resurrection.
v. 7) The Holy Spirit is “a person” that came to live inside the believer on the Day of
Pentecost in Acts 2.
vv. 8-9) Notice the job of the Holy Spirit and it will explain something to you about
salvation. For lost people, the Holy Spirit convicts them of ONE SIN to bring them to
salvation. That sin is “not believing on Jesus Christ.” So obviously, the damning sin is
NOT murder, adultery, polygamy, or drinking. The damning sin is neglecting to believe
on Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Lost people might feel guilty about many other sins, but
when it comes to being truly saved the Holy Spirit does not convict a man about church
attendance or baptism. The man might DECIDE to try other ways of salvation, but if the
Holy Spirit is convicting him then he will be convicted about rejecting Jesus Christ.
v. 10) The righteousness of Jesus Christ was proven when He rose from the dead and
went back to His Father (Rom. 1:4). The Holy Spirit shows a man that human
righteousness is useless.
v. 11) The Holy Spirit convicts a man about judgment because a lost man will spend
eternity in a place “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). “Ye are of your
father the devil…”
v. 12) The Lord knows to not give a man too much information at one time (Mark 4:33-
34).
vv. 13-15) The NT ministry of the Holy Spirit is a beautiful thing. He guides into all
truth. He does not speak of Himself, but He speaks about Christ.

* This is proof that the modern Charismatic movement has no relationship to true, Bible
believing, NT Christianity. It is truly a movement that was born from “another spirit” (2
Corinth. 11:4).
* The Holy Spirit shows us things to come. And He glorifies Jesus Christ.
vv. 16-19) In these verses, we see the phrase “a little while” used 7 times. This is a
reference to Israel in the Tribulation (7 years) suffering and desiring that the time of
punishment be finished. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ appears and the suffering of
Israel is over. Notice how the Lord said three times, “A little while and ye shall see me.”
This refers to Christ’s appearing at the end of the Tribulation.
* The three times that Christ mentions going away and coming again matches the three
appearances of Christ after the resurrection in John 21:14.
v. 20) This verse has two applications. The world will rejoice over the death of Christ
while the disciples would weep. Then the “sorrow being turned into joy” is a reference to
the resurrection and a reference to the Second Advent at the end of the Tribulation.
v. 21) Again, there are two applications of this verse. The new birth (John 3) is compared
to the labour and travail of a woman because of the death of Christ that makes the new
birth possible. And the national rebirth of Israel is also compared to a woman giving
birth. Christ passed through death to purchase salvation for individual Christians and the
Jewish nation as a whole. Israel will also pass through the death and destruction of the
Tribulation before its national rebirth.
* A woman passes through “the valley of the shadow of death” in giving birth. There is
never a time that a person is closer to death than when a woman gives birth. But when
the child is born, the lady forgets the pain and suffering because of the joy of life.
vv. 22-23) This is a reference to the resurrection. “That day” after the resurrection, the
disciples were given understanding of many things Christ said. Before “that day” they
were still “in the dark” about many of the sayings of Christ.
v. 24) In the NT we pray in Jesus’ name. Before this time, the OT Jew was coming to
Jehovah in their own righteousness and claiming their own holiness in asking requests
(Psalm 7:8; Psalm 18:20, 24). We are told plainly in the NT that we have no
righteousness of our own (Rom. 3:10). Therefore, this is a “new thing” in the NT.
v. 25) Everything became clear after the resurrection, and even clearer in Acts 2.
vv. 26-27) After the resurrection, the NT Christian can go directly into the throne room of
the Father and ask things straight from the Father “in Jesus’ name.” These verses prove
the Catholic system of praying “through saints” is unbiblical. Christ Himself said, “I say
NOT unto you, that I will pray to the Father for you.” You simply pray to the Father on
your own through the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus Christ.

v. 28) The Lord Jesus Christ totally fulfilled His mission to earth and returned home to
heaven.
v. 29) The disciples thought that this statement was very understandable. But Christ’s
comment in verse 31 shows that they really were not getting it.
vv. 30-31) The great test would be a bit in the future. Who would stay with Him when
He would be crucified? The disciples that were scattered all came back after the
resurrection. But one disciple, Judas Iscariot, NEVER believed.
v. 32) The fact that all the disciples denied the Lord shows that something was lacking in
their faith. But they had believed on the Lord (except Judas). They were saved men that
had a lack of faith. It sounds like the saints in this day in which we live.
* Even Peter, James, and John denied the Lord. No one stood with Christ in His
humiliation.
v. 33) The NT promise to the Christian is one of constant, personal trouble if he is doing
right. This is contrary to the strange “prosperity gospel” of the Charismatics. See 2
Thess. 1:4.
* The blessing of the NT saint is that the presence of Jesus Christ will be with him in all
his trouble. Amen.

John 9 16

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John 9 16