This chapter starts with Jesus going to the Sea of Galilee.
John specifically states that the events which follow are during the Passover.
I think this truth must have made a deep impression upon John, whose gospel was I believe the most Jewish in its authenticity. Matthews gospel I gather was written in a style for the Jew, and asserts Jesus as the King, and descendant of David et all, but Johns gospel had an inside lens on the Pharisees and Jesus’s prayer life in John Ch 17 that gives deep holistic authenticity to Jesus being the Passover lamb prophesied and come in the flesh. The Word became flesh
A deep impression as it speaks of religious liberty. Jesus did not have to be in Jerusalem for this particular Passover. The Son of God was in his home region, and with those who had started their journey with him from there. As with the man lame in Jerusalem at the pool of Bethesda who was later inside the temple, Jesus was teaching his disciples about the finished work, the blood that would be shed upon that alter of sacrifice through which God speaks a word of mercy to those seeking salvation through the veil of his flesh life, neither do I condemn thee.
Nicodemus desired the flesh life of Jesus through his encounters with Jesus and through witnessing his death at Calvary. Though he had come to Jesus in the night, he desired to be of the day, a life lived in accordance with the fruits of the spirit and the commandments of God.
This Passover in Galilee speaks of that City to come which has open doors to enter and exit from. Where Sin and temptation have no dominion or allure, but are consigned to an age passed, are bodies having passed over into that eternal realm of God where sin can’t coexist, as God is one. Love being the victor. Unity in heaven is guaranteed as love can’t defraud another.
Jesus was not free from temptation, but through his prayer life and obedience to his Father he found His strength to face his day. In Galilee the day to day life in his fathers house and at the carpenters bench, this daily life in communion with his Father preceded his public ministry, which was heralded by the cry: ‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’. That statement was as much concerning all those years in Galilee as it was prophetic concerning his death and resurrection.
Obeying his earthly father and mother was as much a part of taking away the sin of the world as refraining from performing a miracle before Herod. Jesus was subject to authority at every level of life, and as his Father has authority over all things, the Father defined his obedient Son as being the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Government in all nations is an ordinance of God and representative of his ultimate authority. Part of the sin of the world is that being a part of the fabric of society whether a prince or pauper and to be in rebellion to the ultimate authority that is God, who provides every breath man breathes. And with his last breathes the Lamb cried out…!
Where is home? Where dwellers thou? Abraham sought an eternal City which hath foundations.
What are you seeking? They answered his question with a question concerning his presence. Andrew and John wanted to learn from Jesus, they wanted to be incorporated into his habitation. Andrew and John sought authenticity! They wanted a true life….!
Andrew and John heard the prophetic word of God, but they did not fully understand that is would be outworked with Calvary and Pentecost. The word they heard was carried into their hearts by the Spirit of God, they wanted to hear it, they were seeking authenticity and despite the baptism of John and his ministry they knew there was more to life in God than this baptism only.
They spent that night with him. It would have been an exciting time, a new Rabbi to follow who had been endorsed by their prior and who had a mysteriousness about him that contained a twinkle that held eternity.
That night contained warmth. The result of that night did not have the healing of the blind or deaf, but it did result in an excited proclamation from them. The prophetic message from John their mentor had transition into an assertion from them concerning its truth.
Ministry concerns this life of the lamb, its warmth and homely authenticity in the cooking and breaking of bread. But no ministry is effectively if it does not preach the Cross of Calvary! Is there a contradiction here, no, are free entrance into his life comes through Calvary.
The apostle Peter is brought to Jesus by Andrew. Here we have prophesy and biblical theology in true unison – Peter who loved the warmth of the fire place and thought he would give his life for its preservation who fell in temptations hour is called a rock by the Lamb of God.
The Church of Jesus Christ is not ‘founded’ upon the warmth of daily life and acts of kindness, but the revelation from the Father concerning His own beloved and provided Lamb of sacrifice.
The prophetic word from the prophet lead them to a teacher. Their first lesson learned was spontaneous concerning the life of Jesus, and they loved to share it with others. Time spent with Jesus produces spontaneous liberty. The effect of spending time with Jesus was to share with others its light. True teaching is always to benefit others.
Peter was not there we presume to hear John the Baptist prophesy. But having benefited from those who did and had subsequently spent time with him, he is not left behind. He is a little later to work concerning the harvest, but he is given more than either Andrew and John had. John had beheld Jesus as he walked, but Jesus beheld Peter and spoke prophetically concerning his life!
Now was this just for his own benefit. No, John the apostle who lived longer to document the final revelation, was present so that the whole Church may understand the solidity of the prophetic teaching of the Cross, whereby we stand in the grace of God.
Their is a circular motion occurring in this narrative, John the Baptist beholding Jesus, Andrew and John beholding him due to the prophets cry. Andrew and John being invited to see. Jesus seeing Peter and speaking a prophetic word concerning him. This circular motion is akin in nature to the breaking of bread and the feeding of the 5,000. It concerns the spreading of the goods news and church growth.
The Cross, The Cross, The Cross. No Church can emerge without the teaching of the Cross.
Peter who prophesied on the day that Gods warmth filled that upper room, to boiling point. His life must always be a shared life, that’s the warmth of Gods holy fire, brotherly love continuing. They went into the marketplace to spontaneously prophesy concerning the twinkle in the eyes of God that had promised every nation and family a blessing through His Immanuel.
He cursed and swore that he had not known him. An abject failure of a disciple, having witnessed miraculous wonders is unable to tell the truth. Peter lied about knowing him, in part because he did not understand that the Cross had to proceed the authenticity of the fire of God in his heart. Sacrificial love is a gift from the nature of God, in which another benefits. True love has no reproach as it does not seek its own. Peter could not see the sin of the world being defeated as the lamb was held captive for sacrifice inside the high priests home. The fire inside those four walls did not have the warmth of gospel fellowship, ‘Yes, he is the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world’, and ‘I am his disciple indeed’.
When Jesus sees Peter walking towards him, he is seeing the future of the Church, he is seeing his own departure from this world and his own ministry in human flesh.
The Cross, the Cross, the teaching of the Cross.
Jesus has had a mantle placed on him by John the Baptist, but straightway almost Jesus sees Peter walking towards him.
The Cross: The lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the World.
So we have the ministry of a Prophet, we have the warmth of the fireplace as Jesus expounded some scriptures to Andrew and John and we have teaching and prophesy combing again as Simon is told what he will become in character through the victory of love. We have the clear theology of the Cross in Peters apostleship, that alter which God lead the Father, Abraham, of faith too, had no temple and no gate and walls surrounding it. The Church of Jesus Christ is founded upon the provided sacrifice, the rock of are salvation, that truth warms the hearts of men and women and transforms them to serve their generation.
But what is missing? Philip refers to Jesus as the son of Joseph!
Philip specifically found the next day. Philip the first apostle to be directly called to follow him. Philip who Jesus states: Before Philip called you. Jesus, is so generous that the ability to call men forth, is ascribed prophetically to Philip! Is this not an extension of what God had spoken to Peter, ‘Go and make disciples of all men’. The life of Jesus is at harmony with humanity, ‘before Philip called you’
Jesus reveals to Nathanael that he has seen his heart, that he knows him. Nathanael completes a circle in that he somehow understands that this must be the Son of God. It’s not thought through or processed, its a spontaneous liberating word that comes to him as Jesus reveals that he has seen him under the fig tree.
Adam where are you? Nathanael had innate sin, and the law had been his school master, but due to having been in the place of prayer and knowing that God had heard his petition is liberated through the revelation and teaching of Jesus: Is this not the mantle of the Lamb through which God clothed Adam and Eve with after they are banished from Eden, a garden of paradise that had no walls. And does it not speak right of the very nature of that promised seed that would crush the serpents head: You will see greater things than these, no smell of smoke from the enemy inside the promises of God.
Nathaniel had a revelation concerning the Son of God! Jesus then refers to himself as a Son of man. These go hand in hand, in respect to are liberty. Nathaniel is informed by Jesus that he saw his heart in prayer and Nathaniel proclaims the Son of God – this is implicit to us becoming sons of God, this is implicit to Gods original purpose for his image upon earth. Sonship, is the promised inheritance to all who believe.
Be fruitful and multiply – The wedding at Cana. Jesus turns the water into wine. Johns baptism was a precursor to the ministry of Jesus: the master of the feast benefitting from the miracle, or rather the bridegroom is praised. The bridegroom must have been a little surprised, to him he had done nothing out of the ordinary, but Jesus had been invited to his wedding: and Jesus can only increase.
Oh, the bounce of the gospel. This introduction is compressed with depths of beauty from a flower bud beginning to open to the light of Gods eternal Son.
Jesus goes up this mountain and sat down with his disciples, with a large crowd following due to having seen the miraculous.
Jesus lifted up his eyes and saw a large crowd coming towards him. Does this not have a prophetic dimension concerning the growth of the Church after Pentecost and his ascension.
Jesus asks Philip, Where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat?
Jesus did not need Philips ideas on the issue, but he asked Philip this question to test him, as he already knew himself what he would do.
That word test, is not found often in scripture and without knowing the original text I am going to suggest that it ought to take are memories back to Abrahams testing of his faith, Gen Ch 22.
Now that this sequence follows Philip and then goes to Andrew is not by chance. The Lord could have asked this question of anyone of his disciples. But it was sovereign that he asked Philip this question, who later says ‘Show us the Father and it is sufficient for us’.
It is the sovereign inspiration of scripture that pairs these two together in this Passover miracle, as it is a further development of the opening words of prophesy: Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Philip does not answer the question, as he has no idea what Jesus was going to do. Philip gives no answer to the question where. He answers a different question which is how? Philip had been specifically called to follow, perhaps Philip had an engineering background, and as a man he defaulted to the process rather than the warmth that had impacted Andrew and John that night they were welcome to spend with Him. And isn’t that interesting, Philip didn’t hear Jesus’s question aright, Phillip defaulted to the engineering of how! Church growth ‘HOW’.
Nathanael was seen in prayer.
Jesus answers Philips ‘how’, in detail later on, John Ch 14 v9. How can you say show us the Father. And look at the depth of detail Jesus speaks into Philips ‘how’. No wonder Philip struggled with the where of the Fathers abode, he was entangled with a masculine engineering mind, but hadn’t understood the chief cornerstone was the Fathers provided sacrifice. That Peter precedes the Fathers mansions in heaven is also according to the inspiration of scripture.
Philips answer is conservative. And it is quantitive and it is meager! Philip is asked a question by the Son of God, whom he had ascribed to be the messiah and who he had witnessed turned the water into wine.
What are the principles of the kingdom of God? Peter had benefited from John baptists ministry via his brother Andrew who shared with him a measure of the delight of life. But Philip had been called directly to follow by Jesus, perhaps that is why Jesus asked him this question: When Jesus calls you it is with one objective, to lead you to his Father. And in this respect all the apostles are part of a holistic whole, to prophetically teach us all concerning the Father.
Philips answer does not even give each man in that crowd a little, it stops short of that. In fact it stops even further short of that, as the statement does not convey even faith that they had two hundred denarii.
Philips masculine mind quickly did the arithmetic of a sum that would need to be exceeded to feed all a little. Philip didn’t consider first where Cohens nearest bakery was?
Philips answer didn’t contain the seed of faith. It couldn’t even state the value needed to buy the bread sufficient for that day. The location of a bakery was less of an issue to Philip than the cost! And is that not a deep rooted flaw in the mentality of men as a consequence of the fall. The bigger issue was Cohens local bakery, how near was it, and could they manage this size of order, that would have been a start to answering the where?
Philip understood trade, not only was he an engineer, he was also a salesmen and businessman. Philip had the world system ingrained in his mindset! Supply and demand. Supply and demand in Philips experience had a tune that accompanied it ‘Money, Money, Money’ – ‘Money makes the world go round’, in a Rich’s mans world.
‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World’.
Philip knew that King Herod did not want for enough good quality wine. Philip knew that Roman generals had silks from the Far East with which they allured those women desiring a bit of luxury.
Philip knew that in the world money brought the services even if it was out in a desert place. Money makes things happen, the highest skyscrapers popping up in Arabian deserts. Philip didn’t need prophetic gifting to see places like Las Vegas, he encountered the privileges and conditioning of money each and every day upon the world.
When he had spent all, he came to himself. ‘HOW, many of my fathers hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger’, at least the prodigal son knew the answer to where, ‘In my Fathers House’. What a contrast, no merger view of his Father he knew as Rebecca did that he is a God of plenty and room to spend the night, ‘Come & See’.
Having spent all, the circus moved on. Feeding in a manger, animal straw for bedding and no room in the inn, but here in that place the seed of Faith that had been sowed in his heart by his loving Father had all the room it needed to germinate: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground.
The Cross, The Cross, @ Calvary.
Tested him: God shall provide himself a sacrifice, God will raise Him from dead to fulfill his covenant promise of blessing – I will arise from this place of death and go to the tree of life, through the torn veil of mercies cry.
Abraham commanded his servant to find the bride from his father’s house. Abraham knew that the Father is the provider of every good thing. That is the where, the location of the right ways of life.
And as Johns introduction opens with a bounce and onto the wedding of Cana, this Servants narrative has a hearty Spring in its step.
He spent the night there, as Andrew & John had. But there is the next day, and the next thing that God has come to engage are wills in.
Following Him, engages the will.
I will arise, I will go.
Philip was asked to follow, and it took him to a wedding feast that was unlike all the others he had attended, it had no dimensioning part but opened heavens aboard.
Virginity in God eyes is the opposite to how the world presents it. God views it as the most precious spring of life for union with the Son. God views it as consistent to the carpenters bench, of a long life, and of the platform for godly generosity! Sanctity of marriage is to facilitate the blessing of other nations and families – the light set upon a hill/mountain.
The servant was speaking in his heart, and before he has finished speaking. He had been sent on a mission by Father Abraham, hence, we gain an insight into that nature that tested Philip but did not utter one world of condemnation or critique. When God asks us a question, it is to delight us with further understanding of his nature, of his provision, not to expose the fault-line in are engineering skills.
The faithful and obedient servant of Abraham, had his prayer answered before he had finished praying.
He was closer to seeing an open heaven than Nathanael me thinks!
Andrew who had been in the warmth of his presence that night had understood the principle of sharing being implicit to his salvation from this world. Andrew brings the little boys provisions before his Rabbi.
Had Jesus seen this boys provisions, already knowing what he would do? I don’t know, but I tend to think it was the underlying principle that he was going to cement to his Apostles.
12 baskets full. What a contrast to if Philips faith had led the grace. And how expansive for Andrew to realize that a little is enough when the principle is according to divine nature. It must be noted that Andrews contribution did provide the answer to where, five stones are enough to get an army bouncing/ with a spring in its steps against the valley of decision, flowing into the marketplace with the fulfilled and prophetic teaching and ministry of all that God has done.
Had not the Father sent the Shepherd King of Israel to the battle to see how his brethren faired. And is not Jesus the Son of God, the King of Israel are Shepherd King, and has he not opened heaven and procured a victory.
Behold the Lamb of God.
This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the World!
Striking, to realize the extent that Andrew, Philip and Nathaniel all all the crowd had some understanding of the need to be saved through a Prophets ministry: that their is something wrong with this present evil world. And is that not a cry within the sons of men though concealed under heavy burdens.
But they thought they could be part of the remedy, that this revelation concerning his ability to provide fullness for all was the dawn of a new era. To install him as king through force. They had no doubts that this kind of miracle worker could be mass marketed and mass produced for Arabian deserts and American dreams and African poverty.
Jesus departed alone up the mountain. They hadn’t understood the word of prophecy, he had come to reconcile man to his Father, not through force but the love revealed at Calvary. Jesus didn’t want a new dawn in respect of material resources, Jesus has come to test are faith in Calvary’s love.
The Fathers has loved me and provided all I need through the Cross of Calvary. He is all I need. Paul was persuaded and had learned it.
All authority under heaven is given unto Jesus, not the prince of darkness. King of the Jews, what has been written has been written. The force of Romes army only revealed the Lamb that is Gods own.
Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.
Those nailed pierced hands are an infinity of Gods Grace towards fallen men who in their own force can’t change their own or others hearts.
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eternalrays 