Introductory remarks:
"The marriage feast among the Jews was an occasion of great gladness and festivity but also of serious import. It was preceded by fasts in pious families. The betrothal of twelve month's duration or less before marriage, was affected through legal proceedings, and was considered as sacred and binding as the marriage ceremony itself. On the evening of the marriage, the bride was led from her paternal home to that of her husband, accompanied by music with the distribution of oil and wine among friends and nuts among the children, and led by the 'friends of the bridegroom, who bore torches and lamps, myrtle branches and chaplets of flowers.' The veiled bride on arrival was led to the bridegroom, the marriage formula pronounced, and the legal documents signed. This was followed by the washing of the hands, and finally the marriage feast, which might last a day and sometimes a week" (The Words and Works of Jesus Christ - J. Dwight Pentecost).
The Wedding at Cana
Verse 1, "And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:"
LGT "And the third day a marriage festival took place in Kana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there:"
"And the third day"
There are a lot of speculations as to the significance of the third, and as you know how I am inclined to stay away from all speculation; I will agree with some conservative scholars that say John is recording this event from the last event of 1:43, when Jesus found Philip in Galilee and told him to 'come and follow me.'
"There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee;"
The phrase 'was a marriage' is (gamos egeneto) and means lit. A marriage festival took place (Analytical Greek Lexicon). In Cana of Galilee is the town of Nathanael.
"Cana, the home of Nathanael (21:2), has been traditionally identified with Kefr Kenna, 4 miles from Nazareth on the road to the lake. There both Greek and Roman churches claim to mark the site of the changing of water into wine; the visitor is given (for a small donation I am sure) a miniscule drink of wine to commemorate the occasion. But a more probable location is Khirbet Qana, a ruined village some 9 miles north of Nazareth. This is supported by Josephus's information that Cana, where he had his headquarters when he took up his military command in Galilee in ad 66, lay in the plain of Asochis, (Josephus Life 86,207) which includes Khirbet Qana but not Kefr Kenna" (The Epistles and Gospel of John F.F. Bruce).
"And the mother of Jesus was there:"
John never mentions Mary by name, probably for the same reason that John the Baptist disappeared when Christ began His ministry with the statement, 'I must decrease in order that He may increase.' The Gospel of John centers on the person of Jesus Christ and Christ crucified, and not as the church in Rome centers on Mariolatry. The 'mother of Jesus was there', may be a reference that she was a relative of the family arranging the marriage feast, and was already there helping.
Verse 2, "And both Jesus was called, and His disciples, to the marriage."
LGT "And Jesus was also invited and His disciples there,"
Jesus was a friend of the family and His disciples were also invited in His honor.
Verse 3, "And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto Him, They have no wine."
LGT "And when the wine ran short the mother of Jesus said to Him, they have not wine."
It was the custom of the day for a marriage celebration to last a week or more, and this was an embarrassing situation for the host; Mary probably was on the entertainment committee, so she went to Jesus for help. It would be very difficult to believe that Mary had no idea of the supernatural powers her Son possessed. Some commentators believe Mary came to Jesus to get Him and His disciples to leave, but I think this is really quite ridiculous, for I believe she really knew He could help. This is the same Mary that the angel Gabriel announced to her that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit the Messiah, so it is hard to believe that she was ignorant of who he was, and what He was capable of. I don't think Mary was expecting her Son to perform a miracle, but she knew He was capable of solving very complex situations, for she knew full well that He confounded the religious leaders in the Temple when He was only twelve years old. Christ had not performed a miracle to this point, so I don't think this is what she was thinking of. Mary was just saying to her Son, Help!
"What did Mary mean by her statement? First of all, it is well to call attention to the fact that this was a very poor family. They simply didn't have enough refreshments. Bengal in his commentary said that, when she told the Lord there was no wine, it was a gentle hint for Him and His disciples to depart. Calvin writes it was a suggestion for Him to occupy the minds of the guests with a discourse. It would be just like John Calvin to suggest that, by the way. If you have ever read Calvin's Institutes, you know they are profound, but boring. If Calvin had been there, he would have given them a discourse and probably put them all to sleep! However, I do not think that the context here would permit either interpretation. I don't believe it was a hint for Him to leave nor a suggestion to occupy the minds of the guests. I think that very candidly she is saying, 'perform a miracle. This would be an appropriate occasion" (T.T. B. J. Vernon McGee).
Verse 4, "Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come."
LGT "[And] Jesus saying to her, What to me and to you, woman? My hour is not yet come."
"Woman, what have I to do with thee?"
There are several good lessons to be learned from this phrase. First, Christ is saying that He is no longer under the parental authority of His Mother, and that He is going about His Fathers business, possibly cutting the family ties, next, He will answer his mothers request but only indirectly through the servants; the reason for this is that no one would get the impression that Christ would never refuse the request of His 'Divine Mother', not then nor in the ages to follow. Finally, whatever Christ will perform He will receive all the glory, and not transfer it to the 'Blessed Virgin' as is taught in the Roman Catholic Church.
"Mine hour is not yet come."
Christ will help out His mother in her awkward situation, but He lets her know that it is not time for Him to manifest His Messiah-ship.
"This phrase marks a crisis whenever it occurs, especially of His death (7:30; 8:20; 12:23; 13:1 17:1). Here apparently it means the hour for public manifestation of the Messiah-ship, though a narrower sense would be for Christ's intervention about the failure of the wine. The fourth Gospel is written on the plane of eternity (W. M. Ramsey) and that standpoint exists here in this first sign of the Messiah" (WPNT A. T. Robertson).
This certainly puts down all the speculations of the superstitious legends that were bandied about down through Church History how that Jesus as a child would make clay pigeons and then speak to them and they would fly away, and other like miracles. The Scriptures are silent of the childhood of Jesus, as we should also be.
Verse 5, "His mother saith unto the servants, Whatever He saith unto you, do it."
LGT "His mother saying to the servants, Whatever He may say to you, do."
"Whatever He saith unto you, do it."
The Lord answered the request of His mother, but as stated above, through the servants or waiters. Mary knew her Son, and she respected Christ, as The Messiah, and His statement 'not yet come'; Mary knew Jesus could and would help, she knew her Son, but she also respected Him (Robertson).
"We are taught generally by these words, that if we desire any thing from Christ, we will not obtain our wishes, unless we depend on Him alone, look to Him, and, in short, do whatever He commands. On the other hand He does not send us to His mother, but rather invites us to Himself" (John Calvin's Comm. on The Gospel of John).
(This comment of Calvin's must be kept in context to appreciate it. Calvin was a Protestant Church Reformer during the sixteenth century and was very much opposed to the Papal System of worshipping saints and especially the mother of our Lord, Mariolatry. In short, the church in Rome taught that Christ had such a deep reverence for His mother that he would never refuse one of her requests, and therefore, we should pray to Mary in order to get what we desire. There is absolutely no Scriptural ground for this idea, as there isn't any for most of what the Vatican teaches).
Verse 6, "And there were set there six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece."
LGT "And there were there six water vessels placed according to the purification of the Jews holding a measure two or three."
"And there were set six water pots of stone, after the manner of purifying of the Jews,"
These were stone jars customarily set at the entrance of the house to accommodate the ritualism of the Jews. John Calvin in his inimitable reformatory rhetoric states:
"It arose from superstition that vessels so numerous and so large were placed there. They had the ceremony of washing, indeed, prescribed to them by the Law of God; but as the world is prone to excess in outward matters, the Jews, not satisfied with the simplicity which God had enjoined, amused themselves with continual washings; and as superstition is ambitious, they undoubtedly served the purpose of display, as we see at the present day in Popery, that every thing which is said to belong to the worship of God is arranged for pure display. There was, then, a twofold error; that without the command of God, they engaged in a superfluous ceremony of their own invention; and next, that, under the pretense of religion, ambition reigned amidst that display. Some Popish scoundrels have manifested an amazing degree of wickedness, when they had the effrontery (shameless boldness) to say that they had among their relics those water-pots with which Christ performed this miracle in Cana, and exhibited some of them; which, first, are of small size, and, next, are unequal in size. And in the present day, when the light of the Gospel shines so clearly around us, they are not ashamed to practice those tricks, which certainly is not to deceive by enchantments, but daringly to mock men as if they were blind; and the world, which does not perceive such gross mockery, is evidently bewitched by Satan" (John Calvin's Comm. on John's Gospel).
"Containing two or three firkins apiece."
A firkin - a 'measure' (Gr. matretes) being equivalent to eight or nine of our gallons (Bruce).
Verse 7, "Jesus saith unto them, fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim."
LGT "Jesus saying to them, you all fill full the vessels with water. And they filled them to the brim."
Jesus gave the waiters instructions to fill the water-pots to the brim, but did not do any of the fillings himself, so as not to arouse any suspicion, because every miracle Jesus ever performed was a sign miracle.
Verse 8, "And He saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it."
LGT "And saying to them, You all draw now and bring to the director of the feast; and they brought [it]."
"Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast."
The governor of the feast was the director in charge.
"Governor of the feast " (architriklino) from archo, to be chief, and triklinon, a room with three couches. Some explain the word as meaning the superintendent of the banqueting-chamber, a servant whose duty it was to arrange the table-furniture and the courses, and to taste the food beforehand. Others as meaning one of the guests selected to preside at the banquet according to the Greek and Roman usage. This latter view seems to be supported by a passage in Ecclesiasticus (xxxv. 1,2): 'If thou be made the master of a feast, lift not thyself up, but be among them as one of the rest; take diligent care for them, and so sit down. And when thou hast done all thy office, take thy place, that thou mayest be merry with them, and receive a crown for thy well ordering of the feast.' According to the Greek and Roman custom, the ruler of the feast was chosen by throwing the dice. Thus Horace, in his ode to his friend Sestius, says, moralizing on the brevity of life: 'Soon the home of Pluto will be thine, nor wilt thou cast lots with the dice for the presidency over the wine.' He prescribed the proportions of wine and water, and could also impose fines for failures to guess riddles, etc. As the success of the feast depended largely upon him, his selection was a matter of some delicacy. Plato says, 'Must we not appoint a sober man and a wise to be our master of the revels? For if the ruler of drinkers be himself young and drunken, and not over-wise, only by some good fortune will he be saved from doing some great evil' ('Laws,' 640). The word occurs only here and verse 9 (Vincent's Word Studies in the N.T.).
Verse 9, "When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,"
LGT "But when the director had tasted the water having been made wine and knew not whence it was, but the servants knew, the ones who drew the water, the director of the feast called the bridegroom,"
The director of the feast, the head waiter, if you will, didn't know where the wine came from, but the servants knew, for they were the ones who obeyed the words of Christ. Then the director called the bridegroom.
Verse 10, "And said unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now."
LGT "And saying to him, Every man at first sets on the good wine and when they may be intoxicated (or drink freely) the inferior (wine); you have kept the good wine until now."
"Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine;"
What the apostle John is writing here is that it is the custom of the day to serve the good wine first, and then after men have well drunk, and in some cases become inebriated, serve the worse wine, when they can't tell the difference.
"And when men have well drunk, then that which is worse;"
'Have well drunk' in the Greek is 'methusthosen' is first aorist passive subjunctive, meaning to be intoxicated or to be drunk. I believe it is silly to argue that Jesus made wine that was not intoxicating. I don't believe this is the issue to anyone except those who make an issue of it. King Henry the eighth was a glutton, does that mean that Christ didn't eat real food or meat, or that He was a vegetarian. Moderation is the key to every situation, period. I don't know if Christ made a white wine or a red wine, but I am convinced that whatever kind of wine he made it had a perfect bouquet and was a perfect wine that would knock the socks off our modern pseudo wine tasters.
"The ruler of the feast means that when the palates of the guests have become less sensitive through indulgence, an inferior quality is offered. In every instance of its use in the New Testament the word 'methuso' means intoxication. The attempt of the advocates of the unfermented-wine theory to deny or weaken this sense by citing the well-watered garden (Isa. 58:11; Jer. 31:12) scarcely requires comment. One might answer by quoting Plato, who uses 'Baptidzesthai,' to be baptized, for being drunk ('Symposium,' 176)" (Vincent's Word Studies in the N.T.).
Verse 11, "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana, of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed on Him."
LGT "This beginning of the signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and He manifested His glory and His disciples believed on Him."
"This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana, of Galilee,"
The word for 'miracles' in N.T. Greek is 'semion', meaning, 'a sign, a mark, and a token, by which anything is known or distinguished' (Analytical Greek Lexicon). Now that Christ has been baptized and the Holy Spirit has come upon Him for His appointed service, He begins the miracles. 'The NT miracles are not mere miracles; they are all signs of some underlying reality' (Bruce). There are some legends from the Roman and Greek Church that portray Christ as a little boy wonder before this, as He was growing up. Some legends were that as He played with His playmates they would make clay pigeons, and then Christ would speak to them and they would fly away. Another fantasy is that when His mother would run out of bread He would pick up a stone and hand it to her, and the stone would turn into bread.
"And manifested forth His glory;"
We have already studied the meaning of the word 'manifest' as to bring to a clear and distinguished light. The purpose of every miracle performed by Christ was not to concentrate on the sign, but on the Savior who performed the miracle. Every miracle revealed Christ as the Savior, the God made man Who would save all people from their sin, if they accept Him.
"And His disciples believed on Him."
The disciples already believed on Him as the Messiah, and now throughout the rest of the Gospel He will reveal Himself as the Savior. I can only say what the Word says, and the word for believe is to put their complete trust on Him.
Verse 12, "After this He went down to Capernaum, He, and His mother, and His brethren, and His disciples: and they continued there not many days."
LGT "After this He went down into Capernaum and His mother and the brothers (His) and His disciples and there they remained not many days."
"After this He went down to Capernaum"
He went down 'katebe' into Capernaum about sixteen and a half miles (I scaled it on my Bible map). Nazareth and Cana where He was at the marriage feast was on higher ground so it reads He went down to Capernaum, which was on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. 'Jesus set up His headquarters at Capernaum and it remained so throughout His ministry' (McGee).
"He and His mother, and His brethren, and His disciples: and they continued there not many days."
The statement 'they continued there not many days, simply means that they were preparing to journey to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast.
The Cleansing of the Temple
(Matt.21:12, 13; Mk. 11:15-17; Lk. 19:45,46)
Verse 13, "And the Jews' Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem."
LGT "And the Passover feast of the Jews was near, and the Jesus went up into Jerusalem."
"The Synoptic Gospels do not give 'of the Jews,' but John was writing His account after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, and for Gentile readers" (Robertson).
"Our Evangelist repeatedly refers to festivals as festivals 'of Jews': not because he himself was not a Jew by birth and upbringing (he was), but because many of his readers would be Gentiles, unacquainted with the details of the Jewish sacred year. It is unnecessary to suppose that he was in this way depreciating the festivals as belonging to a now superseded order; his language is simply descriptive. The Passover, commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egypt, was celebrated annually on the anniversary of that deliverance, 14 Nisan (at the March-April full moon), and was followed immediately by the weeklong festival of Unleavened Bread (15-22 Nisan). Three Passovers are mentioned by John, the other two being those of John 6:4 and 11:55 ff.; only the last of these is mentioned in the Synoptic record. The present Passover was probably that of AD 28; Jesus went up to Jerusalem for it, as He had been brought up to do (cf. Luke 2:41)" (The Gospel of John, F.F. Bruce).
"And Jesus went up into Jerusalem."
Jesus was a Jew and was brought up under the Jewish Laws, and therefore He would fulfill the law to the letter. After Christ had come, all Jewish feasts were simply rituals. You may ask then, why did He go to Jerusalem? John Calvin answers this question very nicely:
"There are two reasons why He did so; for since the Son of God became subject to the Laws on our account, He intended, by observing with exactness all the precepts of the Law, to present in His own person a pattern of entire subjection and obedience. Again, as He could do more good, when there was a multitude of people, He almost always availed Himself of such occasion. Whenever, therefore, we shall afterwards find it said that Christ came to Jerusalem at the feast, let the reader observe that He did so, first, that along with others He might observe the exercise of religion which God had appointed, and, next, that he might publish His doctrine amidst a larger concourse of people" (John Calvin's Comm. on The Gospel of John).
Verse 14, "And found in the Temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting."
LGT "And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves and the money changers sitting."
"Those that sold"
Those that sold were sitting in the outer court of the Temple and not the sanctuary itself. These that sold the animals for the sacrifices were making a profit using the Temple of God as a supermarket.
"And the changers of money sitting."
The moneychangers were sitting in the outer court or the Court of the Gentiles, changing the outside money with Caesars' image on it for the temple coins that could be used to purchase the animals. Anyone who has traveled to another country and has used the currency of that country knows that when you exchange money there is generally a charge or commission. I believe these moneychangers were lining the pockets of the chief priests. I think this is the chief concern of ninety percent of all so-called preachers, they are concerned with making a living off the people, and the bigger the congregation the bigger the income. It makes no difference to me what religious excuse they give for making a profit on the Word of God; all one has to do is watch the TV to get a very real picture of our modern day moneychangers.
Verse 15, "And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;"
LGT "And He made a scourge out of cords (cords made of rushes), He cast all out of the temple both the sheep and the oxen; and of the moneychangers He poured out the money and the tables He turned up;"
The Lord uses the scourge to run the animals out of the temple and then he turns the moneychangers tables upside down and pours out their coins. If you notice in the LGT He first drove out the animals, and then deals with the moneychangers.
Verse 16, "And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not My Father's house an house of merchandise."
LGT "And to the ones selling doves He said, "Take these things from this place, stop making the house of My Father a house to make a profit."
"Take these things hence;"
After Christ cast out the animals he tells the moneychangers to take the doves that were obviously in cages, 'the things', out. Now this seems to be further proof to me, that the moneychangers were still in the outer court, or the court of the gentiles, and that he did not cast them out with the animals. Christ did not use physical force on any man, for the time of His vengeance is yet future.
"Make not My Father's house an house of merchandise."
The verb 'make not' is 'me' with a present imperative, saying, stop what you are doing (Robertson). The moneychangers had made the outer court a house for merchandizing. The word for 'merchandise' is 'emporiou' (from which we get our word 'emporium') meaning, 'a merchant, one who goes on a journey for traffic, a drummer, to make a profit' (Analytical Greek Lexicon). I have chosen the definition, 'to make a profit', in my LGT. I watch the 'Hour of Power' some Saturday evenings, and I would be amused, if it weren't so pathetic, to see those two scoundrels, Robert Schuler Senior and Junior, selling their wares. I understand perfectly that the 'Crystal Cathedral' is not the Lord's house, but they say it is, so I believe they are as guilty as these moneychangers. They are constantly drumming up money to keep their 'charade' going. These two 'spiritual morons' sell little porcelain birds and other trinkets with silly little mottoes inscribed on the bottom to help a person make it through this nasty old world. One of these silly 'mottoes' that comes to mind is, 'Tough times never last, but tough people do.' Another one of these driveling clichés' is, 'If you can dream it, you can be it, or realize it.' This is all designed to keep them living in their hideous life style.
Verse 17, "And His disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of Thine house has eaten me up."
LGT "His disciples were reminded that it is written, 'The zeal of Your house will eat me up (devour Me)."
The word remembered (emnesthesan) is a first aorist passive indicative of mimnesko, to remind, 'were reminded' (Robertson). 'The disciples are helped, the moneychangers are angered' (Westcot). The phrase 'has eaten Me up' in Greek is 'kataphagetai me', which is future middle indicative meaning 'will devour me' (Analytical Greek Lexicon). This last phrase is a quote from Psalm 69:9. Of course it was Christ who reminded the disciples of this Psalm. The Zeal for God's house says Vincent, 'is the jealousy for the honor of God's house.' The Jewish leaders will contend in other ways for the honor of God's house, when their jealous rage would eventually crucify Christ. The Pharisees and Sadducees could not bear to think that they were in need of a Savior just as much as a common person on the street. They would be satisfied if Christ were to set up His Kingdom, as promised by the Prophets of Old, because in their minds they would have places of honor, but to think that they were no different than all the rest of the Jews was repulsive to them, and they would rather kill the Lord, than to let such a disgraceful thing as the Cross to happen.
Verse 18, "Then answered the Jews and said unto Him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
LGT "Therefore the Jews answering and said to Him, What sign permit us to see in order that you do these things?"
It seemed quite outrageous to the Jews that someone they had never met before would come in and say and do these things with such authority.
"They may have heard of the 'sign' at Cana or not, but they have rallied a bit on the outside of the temple area and demand proof for his Messianic assumption of authority over the temple worship. These traders had paid the Sadducees and Pharisees in the Sanhedrin for the concession as traffickers, which they enjoyed. They were within their technical rights in this question" (WPNT A.T. Robertson).
Verse 19, "Jesus answered and said unto them, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
LGT "Jesus answered and said to them, you all may destroy the temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
What Christ is saying here is that they would crucify Him, 'you may destroy the temple' (Christ is of course making reference to His own body, which encased His Deity as the temple; also in II Cor. 5:4; II Peter 1:13 the body is referred to as a tabernacle) and then in three days He would resurrect. At His trial the false witnesses said, 'We heard Him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands' (Mark 14:38). Just like all liars they have a difficult time getting their story straight. I read a slogan on a blackboard in a restaurant recently which read, 'If you tell the truth, you don't have to have a good memory." In order to be a proficient liar a good memory is most essential. Notice my LGT for it says, 'you may destroy' not I will destroy the temple.' These false witnesses didn't hear Christ say He would destroy the temple, but this is what they felt would be a good accusation to bring against Christ, and further condemn Him. What they didn't realize was that by crucifying Christ, they themselves were going to destroy this temple. When they crucified Christ this lie was perpetuated by the mockers, 'And they that passed by railed on Him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save Thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saves others; Himself He cannot save' (Mark 15:29-31). "This was true. He could not save others and at the same time save Himself. He gave Himself for others - this is the great principle of redemption"-(McGee).
Verse 20, "Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?"
LGT "Therefore the Jews said, forty and six years building this temple, and you in three days will raise it up?"
The Jews spoke of the temple as being completed, and yet it would not be completed for another thirty-six years, just seven years before it would be destroyed by Titus and his armies (Vincent).
"The reconstruction of the temple in the form which it had at this time was begun by Herod the Great early in 19 BC. The main part of the work was completed and consecrated in ten years, but other parts were still being carried out; in fact, the finishing touches were not put to the whole enterprise until AD 63, only seven years before its destruction. The 'forty-six years' of verse 20 are reckoned from the beginning of the construction. (A curiosity of exegesis, going back to the time of Irenaeus in the late second century AD, treats them as indicating Jesus' age at the time, in the light of John 8:57, with the corollary that the addition of the three subsequent years of His ministry would equate His life on earth with the first seven of Daniel's seventy 'weeks'!) [The Epistles and Gospel of John - F.F. Bruce].
Verse 21, "But He spake of the temple of His body."
LGT "But He had been speaking concerning the temple of His body."
This is what John understood as he looked back on the conversation (Robertson).
Verse 22, "When therefore He was risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this unto them; and they believed the Scriptures, and the word which Jesus had said."
LGT "When therefore He was raised out from the dead, the disciples remembered that He said this, and they believed the Scriptures and the Word which Jesus said."
"And they believed the Scriptures."
It is not that the disciples did not believe Christ, but after the resurrection they received assurance. Whenever John speaks of believing completely in Christ, for example for salvation, he uses the preposition 'into'. Here in this verse John uses term 'believed' with the simple dative 'Scriptures' meaning simply that they believed the Scriptures to be true (Vincent).
"Clearly then John interprets Jesus to have a parabolic reference to His death and resurrection by His language in 2:19. There are those who bluntly say that John was mistaken. I prefer to say that these scholars are mistaken. Even Bernard considers it 'hardly possible' that John interprets Jesus rightly in 1:21. ; Had he meant that, He would have spoken with less ambiguity.' But how do we know that Jesus wished to be understood clearly at this time? Certainly no one understood Christ when He spoke the words. The language of Jesus is recalled and perverted at His trial as 'I will destroy' (Mark 14:58), 'I can destroy' (Matt. 26:61), neither of which He said" (WPNT A.T. Robertson).
Jesus Knows All Men
Verse 23, "Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in His name, when they saw the miracles which he did."
LGT "Now when He was in Jerusalem during the Passover Feast, many believed on His name beholding His signs which He was doing."
Jesus had performed His first miracle at Cana, turning water into wine, and then I believe what he did in the temple was a miracle, however it is not counted as such; and now He is performing many miracles.
"Many believed on His name."
John is not saying that many believed in Christ as Savior, but they only believed that He was the Messiah, a very big difference, as we will see. Christ deprecates the belief in miracles as a way to salvation (Mark 8:11-14).
Verse 24, "But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He knew all men."
LGT "But Jesus Himself did not trust himself to them because He Himself is knowing all men."
Because Jesus knew that their faith was not genuine, and that they only believed in what He was doing, not who He was.
"The language that is used here is saying that He did not believe in them. You see, they believed in Him, but He didn't believe in them. In other words, to put it very frankly, their faith was not a saving faith, which He realized of course. He knew what was in their hearts" (T.T. B. J. Vernon McGee).
Verse 25, "And needed not that any should testify of man: for He knew what was in man."
LGT "And because He had no need that any should witness concerning man: for He himself kept on knowing what was in man."
"For He knew what was in man."
McGee writes, "The language that is used here is saying that He did not believe in them. You see, they believed in Him, but He did not believe in them. In other words, to put it very frankly, their faith was not a saving faith, which He realized, of course. He knew what was in their hearts."
The special anointing with the Holy Spirit upon the Christ, and remaining on Him throughout His earthly ministry, kept Him one step ahead of all men. It also must be remembered that Christ was sinless, and being perfect He did not have the same ego to get in the way of His thinking. Christ did not posses the avarice and greed of all the rest of us (mankind). He did not have the desire to succeed and be well thought of (approbation lust). He did have a goal, which was to do His Father's will. Being the perfect Son of God, of course He would be able to see man as he is, not like the pseudo-psychologists of our day, who try and read man's minds. If you were to know the truth about the modern day therapists, I would venture to bet that every one of them has an analyst.
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