John Series Part 16 The Revelation Of Jesus, The New Master John 3:22-36 Series

John Series Part 16 THE REVELATION OF JESUS, THE NEW MASTER John 3 22 36

(3:22–36) Introduction: this passage does one thing—it points to Jesus Christ as the New Master, the One whom God has set before man as the only Master worthy of serving.

1. The setting for the revelation (vv.22–26).

2. Answer 1: Jesus alone was God’s appointed Messiah (vv.27–28).

3. Answer 2: Jesus alone was the Bridegroom (vv.29–30).

4. Answer 3: Jesus alone was from above—from heaven (v.31).

5. Answer 4: Jesus alone was God’s Spokesman (vv.32–34).

6. Answer 5: Jesus alone had the Spirit without limit (v.34).

7. Answer 6: Jesus alone determines man’s destiny (vv.35–36).

1 (3:22–26) Jesus Christ, Baptized: the setting for the revelation. After His interview with Nicodemus, Jesus moved out into the country districts of Judaea.

a. Jesus and His disciples were baptizing. The word tarried (dietriben) means to spend time with. It has the idea of spending much time in sharing and ministering. Note the statement: He baptized. This is the only place in Scripture where Jesus is said to baptize, though strictly speaking it was His disciples who actually did the baptizing (Jn. 4:2). It was His baptizing that set the ground for what was now to happen.

b. John and his disciples were also baptizing in Aenon, which was near to Salim. Nothing is known about either place beyond what is mentioned here.

People began to flock from John to Jesus. This decline in John’s popularity gave the religionists an opportunity to attack John. They attacked him by asking his disciples a crucial question, and in their questioning, they stirred the two basic questions of life.

c. The religionists questioned the purifying value of John’s baptism. They thought he must be a sham, a false prophet. If John’s baptism were really cleansing the people’s hearts and giving them a sense of cleanliness, why were the people now flocking to Jesus? If his baptism were really meeting the people’s needs, they would continue to come to him for cleansing. Instead, they were deserting him and flocking to Jesus.

This charge, of course, cut John’s disciples to the core, so they asked John why all men were now turning to Jesus instead of remaining with him.

Note how the question of purifying strikes at the two basic questions of life.

1) There is the question of purifying and cleansing. Can the human heart really be cleansed? Can the need of men for cleansing really be met?

2) There is the question of supremacy, of a man’s Master in life. Who is man to follow? To whom should men turn for cleansing? To other men such as religious leaders, or to Jesus Christ?

Thought 1. Note two tragic facts.

(1) Every man seeks the cleansing of his heart from someplace. He seeks release from sensing wrong and failure; He seeks some dissolving of guilt. However, few seek cleansing in Christ. They seem to seek cleansing everywhere except in Christ:

? in religion

? in attending church enough to salve their conscience and give a feeling of acceptance by God

? in giving to charity

? in doing some good deed for others

? in being loyal to some good man’s teaching or leadership

(2) Every man follows some master and gives his allegiance to something, whether person or thing (see Mt. 6:24; Lu. 16:13; Ro. 6:16).

Thought 2. Note a significant point: only Christ can purify a man’s heart and give him true cleansing from sin.

2 (3:27–28) Jesus Christ, Messiah—Ministers: first, Jesus alone was God’s appointed Messiah. John answered the questions by pointing to Jesus Christ. He alone was Messiah, God’s appointed One.

a. God is the One who appoints men.

? He is God, so He has the right to appoint men

? He calls men to be His servants

? He appoints those men to a particular service and equips those men with gifts

No man can receive a true appointment, a true service, or a true gift unless it is given from heaven, that is, from God Himself. All appointments and gifts that have not come from heaven are false.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (Js. 1:17).

“And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability” (Mt. 25:15).

“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us” (Ro. 12:6).

“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Co. 4:7).

“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit” (1 Co. 12:4).