John’s Gospel
The Range of Christ's Service for God in the New Creation
The Gospel of John introduces John the Baptist a man sent from God almost as soon as it opens. This is because there is an unique relationship between John the Baptist and the Apostle John. John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ's first coming the Apostle John for His second coming. John the Baptist's ministry reached its climax at the Jordan Christ's ministry began at the Jordan.
If we look at the Apostle John's writings from the mountain top, his water scenes begin with the Jordan, the river of death, and end with the pure river of water of life in the Holy City Jerusalem. Between these great events come the three days which introduce John's Gospel an extended view of Christ's work with the Church and Israel. Taken together then, the subject before us is Christ as the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end.
The First Great Thought in John's Gospel Christ As the Alpha the Beginning of His Ministry of Blessing
John, who penned the Revelation, wrote about Christ as the Alpha and the Omega Rev. 1:88I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8) and also the first and the last Rev. 1:1111Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. (Revelation 1:11). So in opening that book he introduced us to the One who would begin God's judgments and finish them. In his gospel John also makes Christ known to us as the Alpha and Omega, although he does not state this explicitly. We know this is so because John begins with His ministry that is Christ in His Alpha characteristics. Then he tells us of His great collective work with the Church and Israel in the story of the three days. This closes all things revealing Him as the Omega or finisher. We will begin by considering Christ as the Alpha. That is the first great thought in John's gospel the beginning of Christ's ministry something infinitely precious to God.
John 1-18 introduces the gospel. Its subject is the Godhead glory of the Word made flesh, and John's witness to it. However that witness is not complete without "the record of John" from vs. 19—28, which is almost a postscript. In these verses John denies that he is the Christ, but testifies to Him as One whom the priests and Levites did not know. Only God the Father knew Him. He was about to declare who He was. The Holy Spirit too was soon to attest to His qualifications for divine service.
Christ's Qualifications for Divine Service—a Comparison of Three Water Scenes
Jesus was the God whose work of old began at the waters and ended in blessing for man. He will renew His work at the waters but this time man will have a divine witness to the moral glory of His Person.
a. The Spirit and the dove God seeking rest: John stresses the importance of the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove in his witness. The Spirit hovered over the face of the waters in Gen. 1:2,2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2) and the dove flew over the waters in Gen. 8:8-12,8Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; 9But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. 10And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; 11And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. 12And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. (Genesis 8:8‑12) but not until Christ appeared at the Jordan do the Spirit and the dove come together to find rest on Christ.
.. The Spirit in Gen. 1:2: The first flood in Scripture is in Gen. 1:2,2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2) and it was accompanied by darkness. God intervened. The Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. God said let there be light and there was light. God then moved to make the earth over as a home for man. This is a picture of Christ coming into the world at the beginning of John's Gospel and the blessing which man reaped because He came to us. However only the Holy Spirit is mentioned. He is moving the opposite of rest. God is light and can find no rest in darkness.
.. The dove in Gen. 8:8 12: After the Ark was at rest Noah decided to test the depth of the receding waters. So he released a dove from the Ark. The Ark is a figure of Christ the dove, of the Holy Spirit who indwells Him. How was it though, that the Ark was at rest? Noah had built it on dry land. This in itself must have induced laughter from the people around him. Then when they discovered that it had no rudder to steer it and no means of propulsion oars or sails they must have laughed him to scorn. But that is why the Ark is such a beautiful figure of Christ. He never steered an independent course of His own through this world. He never used human methods to forge ahead in the world. He was completely obedient to His Father's will. Again the Ark sustained God's judgment, saved those inside it and at the end landed on the mountains. This is a beautiful picture of Christ undergoing God's judgment at the cross, but when that was finished received up into glory. It follows then that when the dove was released it found no rest for the sole of its feet. As long as the world was under judgment the dove returned to the Ark for rest, for the Ark spoke of Christ.
.. The Spirit and the dove John 1:32 34: In Gen. 1 the Spirit found no rest when He hovered over the face of the waters in Gen. 10 the dove found no rest for the sole of her feet over the waters. At the waters of the Jordan in John 1 the Spirit descends from heaven like a dove and abides on Christ. Although the Spirit and the dove are brought together in this way, we have something else, not found in the two floods in Genesis. That is the Father and the Son, one of the great themes in John's Gospel and Epistles. The reason for this is that when the Spirit alights like a dove on Christ it is a signal that the whole Godhead is pleased with Him. So the word "Jordan" means "their descent." The name, then, agrees with what took place there. The Spirit descends from heaven the Father's voice comes from heaven and the Son has come down from heaven.
b. The Jordan- the seal of God's approval of Christ to serve Him: we have seen that there was no rest for the Spirit over the waste of waters in the first flood, and no rest for the dove after Noah's flood, but that the Spirit rested on Christ in the form of a dove at the Jordan River. This raises the question of why a river should be chosen in this way to introduce the water scenes of John's Gospel. The answer is found at the beginning of the Bible. Scripture tells us that "a river went out of Eden to water the garden." Unlike the waste of waters in Genesis a river is formed it has a channel. Its waters flow turbulently over the surface of the earth to refresh it. Christ was God's Servant the channel through whom the Holy Spirit worked. A river, then, is a symbol of energetic service in the world, producing fruit for God. So a river is chosen as the inlet to the water scenes in John's Gospel which follow. But why the Jordan?
The Jordan was chosen because of its lowly setting. Its topography conformed to the Man who was meek and lowly in heart. The Jordan flows along a valley descending steadily from its source waters until it reaches the Sea of Galilee, 695 feet below sea level, and eventually to 1285 feet below sea level, where it flows into the Dead Sea. How could God choose Jesus of Nazareth to serve Him, men disdainfully thought this unknown Man whom John baptized in the Jordan? How could this Man understand the Scriptures without a formal education? He even condemned the qualified teachers of the nation, warning His disciples not to be called Rabbi, Rabbi Doctor today. Worse still He was a carpenter. They could understand the creator of the universe becoming an architect perhaps but a carpenter? No. God knew that such depths of humbling Himself would make men reject Him "We hid as it were our faces from Him— He was despised, and we esteemed Him not"— Isa. 53:2, 32For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:2‑3).
So it was that men despised God's Christ because He humbled Himself. How did God respond to such treatment of His beloved Son? Why He honored Him both at the beginning and end of His ministry. The beginning was the lowly Jordan the end the mountain peak where He was transfigured. So the topographical features answer to the lowliness of Christ Phil. 2:7,87But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:7‑8) on one hand, and how God has exalted Him on the other Phil. 2:9 11.
The Second Great Thought in John's Gospel—Christ As the Omega—the End of His Work in the Church and Israel
At the close of the Revelation, when all His judgments are ended, the Lord once more refers to Himself as the Alpha and Omega 22:13. John records His words testifying to the completion of judgment "it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end" 21:6. But in his gospel John has a different theme blessing. That is the end of the Lord's work with the Church and Israel. It is the story of John's three days. The incidents related at the beginning of John's gospel took place on three different days, although only the third day is mentioned as such. The two preceding days are both called "the next day" so that to avoid confusion most commentators refer to them as "the first day" and "the second day.”
While the incidents recounted in the three days actually happened while the Lord was on earth, their real meaning goes much beyond the events themselves. The three days are prophetic. They are an overture to the execution of all God's counsels by Christ. As in Gen. 1 These are days as God sees them. The first day, generally understood as testimony to Christ and the Church age, could be 2,000 years or so. The second day might be either 3.5 or 7 years, depending on whether one half or the whole of Daniel's week is to be understood. The third day, being the millennial reign of Christ, would be 1,000 years. Having said this it is also true that the days are literal, as already stated. The emphasis in these three days is on the moral side of things, not the duration of time, much as in Gen. 1.
The First Day
The first day can be viewed in two opposite ways i.e. predominantly as a forecast of the Church age, but derivatively as the night of Israel's darkness, for in this time they have rejected their Messiah. The latter view is the introduction to the second and third days, without which they cannot be properly understood.
a. The first day witness to Christ and Christianity: From this viewpoint we have first a comprehensive testimony to Christ (1:29 34), and then a forecast of the Church period a result of believing that testimony 1:35-42.
.. Witness to the person of Jesus the Lamb of God as God's Son: John the Baptist's closing testimony precedes and introduces the first day. From John 1:1919And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? (John 1:19) he denies that he is anything; from 1:29-34 he exalts Jesus instead. In detail he witnesses that he is not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the Prophet who should come into the world. Then he points to Christ as the Lamb of God and the Son of God. The Spirit confirms John's testimony by descending from heaven like a dove and abiding on Him a clear sign that Jesus was the Christ. This explains John's warning "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The sin of the world is rejecting Christ. This sin is inexcusable because God gave the world a double witness to Jesus as the Christ. First there was John's witness and men were forced to admit that "All things John said of this man were true." Then there was the witness of God the Father and the Spirit at the Jordan. Jesus God's holy Lamb will take away the sin of the world by judging it for rejecting Him. It is the Lamb who opens the seals and it is the Lamb who stands on Mt. Zion. Then the meek those who are like the Lamb will inherit the earth. With its sin of rejecting the Lamb swept away in judgment, the world will enjoy universal peace and righteous government for 1000 years.
.. Christianity to come what God wanted it to be: The remainder of the first day (Vss. 35-42) gives us an insight into the elements which in the future would constitute true Christianity. The story begins when two of John's disciples heard him say "Behold the lamb of God." They left John and followed the Lord. "What are you looking for?" Jesus asks them and they reply "Rabbi, where abidest Thou?" Jesus answers "Come and see." They came and saw where He dwelt and abode with Him that day for it was about the tenth hour.
The opening incident tells us that we must come to Christ as individuals. Then He tests us for reality i.e. why did we come to Him? Do you really want Christ or will something else do just as well? Many come to Christ out of idle curiosity to see this Man who worked miracles. But His Person they rejected. They belong to the class of people who must "come and see" the Lamb's judgments Rev. 6 because they would not "come and see" the Lamb. Here we find a different class of people those receptive to the good seed of the Word of God. "Rabbi where abidest Thou?" they enquire. The Lord discerns the first precious turning of the heart to Himself and replies "come and see." They discover that His real dwelling place was not an earthly one but the bosom of the Father's love. The Son of the Father is the Son of the Father's love. Their souls find rest in beholding the Lamb of God. So the subject which opens John's gospel also closes it, for at the cross we find four women beholding the Lamb of God.
Attracted to Christ as the One who dwelt, not in the houses of men but in His Father's bosom, Andrew brings his brother Simon to Christ. This is evangelism, another mark of Christianity the first day. The two disciples and then Peter now three in total are brought into the divine presence as the Lord said they would be "For where two or three are gathered together unto My Name there am I in the midst of them." Lastly the Lord gives Simon Peter a new name Cephas meaning a stone. Adam the head of the old creation had named the animals, but in giving Peter a new name Jesus is proclaiming Himself the head of the new creation.
A progression of events has been taking place here which we shall now summarize. First we have personal salvation, out of which flows the delight of the soul in Christ. Christ and the two disciples foreshadow the Assembly. This should give collective rest and satisfaction for the Church dwells in the bosom of the Father as Christ does 1 Thess. 1:11Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:1). Then we have the evangelist going out of the Church to lead others to Christ. Peter the convert is renamed. He speaks of growth God's thought for His Church of living stones in the Holy Temple. We know that the Lord revealed to Peter the truth of the Church as a Holy Temple in which Peter like other believers should be living stones.
The precious things we have been considering here are meaningless unless we live in the atmosphere of divine love which attracted the two disciples to Christ. Love is the bond of perfectness. Without it we are nothing. Though they understand all knowledge, if love is not at work among believers they are headed for shipwreck. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not love, I have become like sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal" 1 Cor. 13:11Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1).
b. The first day from a Jewish standpoint: John told us what the first day was for the Church abiding in the bosom of the Father's love. He says "they came and saw where He dwelt and abode with Him that day." But these precious privileges were lost to Israel when they crucified their Messiah. Their sun set and they were plunged into darkness and how great was that darkness. The first day to Israel is the time when they lose their distinctive place of nearness to God, and their prominence in the world. The Scriptures which tell us of their loss however, also tell us that it is temporary. All will be restored in the morning.
.. Israel's loss of nearness to God: We can learn much from the way two articles of furniture in the tabernacle were located. These are the golden lampstand and the table of showbread. They were positioned opposite one another Ex. 40. The golden lampstand speaks of the death and resurrection of Christ, and is the only light of the holy place. The table of showbread displays twelve loaves, which represent the twelve tribes of Israel. The meaning of this arrangement is that during the night of Israel's darkness the light of the golden lampstand shines on the twelve loaves. That tells us that God has not forgotten His people, though they have forgotten Him. They will be restored to Him in the morning. That is why "Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord" Ex. 27:2121In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel. (Exodus 27:21).
.. Loss of Israel's exalted position in the world: When Paul and Barnabus were in Cyprus, their preaching was opposed by Elymas the sorcerer. Luke tells us that this man was a false prophet and a Jew. Paul pronounced judgment on him "and now behold the hand of the Lord is on you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a season" Acts 13:1111And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. (Acts 13:11). This judgment is temporary "for a season" and is drawn from our perception of the sun in nature. When the sun sets, the world is darkened. But this is temporary "for a season" for it rises again in the morning. "But unto you who fear My Name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings" Mal. 4:22But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:2).
The Second Day—the Dawning—a Movement Among a Nucleus of Godly Jews to Accept Jesus As Messiah
After the Church is raptured it will be the mind of God to re-gather Israel, even though their will is opposed to this "for a small moment have I forsaken you" the small moment is the Church period "but with great mercies I will gather you. In a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on you, says the Lord your Redeemer" Isa. 54:7, 87For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. 8In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. (Isaiah 54:7‑8). Israel responds by saying "come and let us return to the Lord, for He has torn, and He will heal us He has smitten, and He will bind us up. After two days will He revive us. In the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight" Hos. 6:1, 21Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. (Hosea 6:1‑2). This Scripture must be carefully considered.
Hosea says "after two days will He revive us." This tells us that on the second day Israel as a nation is still dead. The second "day" is the short period of time between the end of the first day, when the Church is raptured, and the third day when the 1,000 year kingdom begins. On the second day the Spirit of God commences a work among a nucleus of the Jewish people to accept Jesus as the Messiah. In faith they preach a gospel suited to the times, to the Jewish nation and the world. Their message known as the everlasting gospel is not the gospel of the present day, but one of fearing God and giving glory to him for the hour of His judgments has come. Because the world is worshipping the beast and his image, they become God's witness in the earth against this blasphemy. So they are God's witnesses in "the hour of temptation which shall come on all the world, to try those who dwell on the earth" Rev. 3:1010Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10). These godly Jews will be the spearheads of the Jewish nation's repentance which introduces the third day of blessing. Clearly the second day is a median point, linking the first and third days.
We are given a preview of these conditions in the actual story of the second day, which begins at 1:43 and continues to the end of the first chapter. As the second day dawns v. 43 we see Jesus purposing to visit His people. He has to do all the work of recovering them, unlike the first day when beholding the Lamb of God was enough for us to follow Him. He has to find Philip and He has to tell Him to follow Him. Philip finds Nathanael and at once the lingering doubts of the Jew that Jesus could be the Christ are exposed "can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Invited to come and see he responds reluctantly. He does not come and see where Jesus dwelt i.e. in the Father's bosom, like those of the first day. He comes to see the working of the power of the Son of God, the King of Israel, who saw him when he thought he was alone under the fig tree.
The Lord told Nathanael that He saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him. These words are prophetic of the future rest of Israel "under the fig tree." In Scripture the fig tree speaks of Israel as a nation, whose king is the Lord.(1) But when Jesus the Lord came to His own nation of Israel, He found no fruit for God. This can be seen in the parable of the fig tree in Matt. 21:1919And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. (Matthew 21:19) "and when He saw a fig tree by the roadside, He went to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it let no fruit grow on you any more forever. And the fig tree withered away at once.”
For almost 2,000 years the fig tree has been cursed. The remarkable prophecy of Isa. 18 is a prediction of the effect of that curse. At the close it tells us that God will lift it. So 18:1-2 is most likely an intimation of the Balfour Declaration of 1917 in which "His Majesty's government looked with favor on a national homeland for the Jews." Isaiah's language suggests a great maritime and protective power, as Britain was at that time. History tells of the later involvement of her daughter nation the United States an involvement which continues to the present day. So the passage is an identification of the Anglo American powers "shadowing with wings" probably having the double meaning of air power and custodial characteristics. Then 18:3 takes us up to 1948, when the State of Israel was established the ensign lifted up on the mountains being the Star of David. Blowing the trumpet probably means the declaration by the Knesset in 1980 that Jerusalem was the capital of the new state. God's reaction to these events is neutrality, because they have returned to the land in unbelief. "I will take My rest and I will consider" 18:4. We are brought up to the present time in 18:5, 6. This tells us of the prosperity of the land under efficient Jewish management, offset by the threat of the surrounding Arabs. They want to cut Israel off from being a nation, and wage continuous war on her. Isaiah sees no peace for Israel until his last verse, when they return to the Lord and His Name on Mt. Zion. This healing of the curse on the fig tree occurs in the troublous times at the end of the second day. To this the Lord refers in Mark 13:28 29 "now learn a parable of the fig tree. When its branch is still tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near" i.e. the 1,000 year kingdom "so you in like manner, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that it is near, even at the doors.”
Now that we know why Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree and drew this to his attention, the appropriateness of his confession is evident at once. Only by acknowledging Jesus as God's Son and the King of Israel can the Jewish people find that rest on Mt Zion with which Isaiah concluded his eighteenth chapter. But the Lord would take the matter further. The Jew is the conduit to world peace, but because of his unbelief the conduit is silted up, and we have world wars instead. As soon as Nathanael confesses Him, Jesus opens his eyes to see the coming world of bliss "hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." That is a clear allusion to Jacob's dream at Bethel a dream which is brought into even sharper focus when we compare it to the two dreams of his son Joseph. As the Bible opens Jacob has a dream whose central feature is a ladder linking heaven and earth. As the Bible closes the Holy City Jerusalem comes down from heaven to earth, fulfilling the terms of Jacob's dream. Joseph has two dreams, which tell us of Christ's coming glory, when heaven and earth shall bow down to Him. Only then can heaven and earth now separated by man's sin come together morally. These dreams look forward to the fulfillment of Eph. 1:1010That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10) "that in the administration of the fullness of times He might head up in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in Him." Jacob's ladder, then, is no less than a symbol of Christ Himself, for only He can bring heaven and earth together.
.. Jacob's dream of the union of heaven and earth: In Gen. 28:12, 13,12And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; (Genesis 28:12‑13) we learn about Jacob's dream at Bethel "and he dreamed and behold a ladder placed on the earth, whose top reached to heaven and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it, and behold the Lord stood above it." Nathanael must have noticed that while the Lord stood above the ladder in Jacob's dream, the Same Lord now told him that the angels of God would now ascend and descend on the Son of Man. A change was to come in. God would no longer be at the top of the ladder i.e. in heaven, separate from earth. Instead the Son of Man was to be the ladder, linking heaven and earth. Who is this Son of Man? We know from Scripture usage that the title Son of Man speaks of Christ as rejected in this world but Lord of the worlds to come. When the angels of God ascend or descend on the Son of Man His rejection will be over, and His world kingdom come. All must bow to Him a feature opened up to us in the dreams of Jacob's son Joseph.
.. Joseph's dreams of heaven and earth bowing down to him: Joseph is a beautiful type of Christ as Son of Man because he is first rejected by his brethren, thrown into a pit, and sold for silver. Then he is exalted in the world as Christ will be. Pharaoh said "only in the throne will I be greater than you" Gen. 41:4040Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. (Genesis 41:40). Pharaoh decreed that Joseph should ride in the second chariot of state, accompanied by a proclamation "bow the knee." Finally Joseph's brethren "fell before him on the ground" Gen. 44:14,14And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. (Genesis 44:14) fulfilling the terms of his dreams.
In Joseph's first dream his sheaf arose and also stood upright and his brothers' sheaves stood round about and bowed down to his sheaf. This was in the field in other words the earth. His brothers became jealous when they correctly interpreted this to mean that he would rule over them in the world. Then Joseph had another dream in which the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to him. This meant that the whole house of Israel the sun and the moon being the father and mother, the eleven stars the brothers must bow down to Joseph. Worse still in their heated thoughts, the figures in the second dream were drawn from the heavens, so when the two dreams were combined both earth and heaven must bow down to Joseph. So shall it be with the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom Joseph was merely a type.
The Third Day and Its Festivities—Eating and Drinking in Christ's 1000 Year World Kingdom
The third day is the only one of the three days which is actually called a day in John's gospel. Hosea tells us about the first two days but we must turn to John to understand what he means. Hosea tells us that after two days God will revive Israel, then on the third day they will live in His sight. The Jew longed for the third day of kingdom glory, saying wistfully "blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." This earthly longing quite correct for the Jew who is the man of the earth is in contrast to the heavenly prospects of the Church. We look forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb the festivities of grace. We shall eat the fruits of the tree of life and take of the water of life freely. But the Jew longs for the fruits of the earth corn and cattle and so on. John picks up this theme of earthly abundance for the table by linking the two stories of the loaves and fishes with the story of the water turned to wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee on the third day.(2)
These three signs of God's power have an underlying teaching built into them. In each case there is a symbolic reminder of Israel's past unfaithfulness to the Lord. When they return to Him whom they have forgotten their proper relationship to Him will be restored. Then the earthly blessing which belongs to them when they are obedient will flow out. The Lord will spread a table for them of bread, fish, and wine.
a. The first coming of Israel's king He feeds His fickle subjects at the Sea of Tiberias and departs: In John 6 the crowds followed Jesus because He healed their diseases, and satisfied their appetites with bread and fish. Surely then they should have owned Him as Lord according to Psa. 103:3, 53Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; (Psalm 103:3)
5Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:5). He was abundantly blessing Israel's provision and satisfying her poor with bread as prophesied in still another of their Psalms Psa. 132:1515I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. (Psalm 132:15).
In Scripture the Lord Jesus is presented to Israel in three ways as prophet, priest, and king. In John 6 the Holy Spirit brings these three ways to our attention, not only illuminating this chapter but helping us connect it with the second scene at the Sea of Tiberias in John 21. In John 6 then, as soon as the people had eaten they acknowledge Jesus as the prophet who was to come Deut. 18:15-1915The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. 18I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:15‑19). Next they wanted to take Him forcefully and make Him king but on their terms, not His. So He becomes the priest leaving His people for a time and going into a mountain where He is alone. The mountain speaks of His present position in the heavens acting as our Great High Priest during the time His earthly people have rejected Him. The people rejected Christ as that prophet bringing judgment on themselves for so doing, as God had warned them in their Scriptures. They cried "away with Him. Crucify Him" so He has gone away to the heavens to become our priest. They said "we have no king but Caesar." So God has granted their request for Gentile rule. To this day, though back in their land in unbelief, Israel depends on the Western Gentile nations for survival, rather than on God. At the end of their history the Lord will overthrow Caesar's power. The Lord will then be their King. This is more or less the theme of John 21. (3)
b. The second coming of Israel's King He feeds His disciples at the Sea of Tiberias: At the close of Israel's history Satan will engineer a conspiracy against God's anointed, counterfeiting the Lord's three offices of prophet, priest, and king. Of these John takes note principally of Satan's counterfeit king, whom he calls "the beast." The beast is the last Caesar. The world will worship the beast and his image crying "who can make war with the beast?" Only the Lamb can. He opens the book sealed with seven seals, overcomes the beast, and establishes His rule over the earth.
In John 6 the Lamb walks on the raging sea in the darkness. The sea is a figure of the nations restless, unstable, whipped up to frenzy by the wind i.e. Satan's power over them Eph. 2:22Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (Ephesians 2:2). The darkness is the time when Satan seems to prevail "this is your hour and the power of darkness" Luke 22:5353When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. (Luke 22:53). But the Lord walks on the raging water, demonstrating a power which is superior to the power of the nations under Satan's influence. He tramps on it all, so to speak. His power over Satan is His entering death and rising out of it. John watches the Beast try to counterfeit this power in Rev. 13:11And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. (Revelation 13:1) "and I stood on the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea." John who saw the Beast at the sea shore also saw the Lamb at the sea shore. The sea shore is a place where we can contemplate the storms and waves of the sea in complete safety. From the vantage points of two sea shores, Scripture lets us look at the two kings. In Revelation man's king is a savage beast, but God's King is a gentle Lamb. However the Beast is vanquished at Armageddon when the Lamb comes out of heaven on a white horse crowned with many crowns. In John 6 the Lamb walks on the raging sea in the darkness, but in John 21 He stands on the shore in the morning, the victory won.
As John's gospel ends, the time has come to assess Israel's departure from the Lord, to account to Him for their restored usefulness as His servants, and for Him to strengthen them with food. Three things characterized Israel's departure from the Lord night, nakedness and nothing (4) It was night when the disciples went fishing. Peter was naked, and they caught nothing. But once they hear and obey the Lord's voice, the net is filled with 153 fishes. This is figurative. (5) The disciples speak of the godly Jewish remnant who go out into the world preaching the everlasting gospel. This is done at a time when the Beast and the Dragon are persecuting them. The fish speak of the Gentiles who believe their message. They are fished out of the sea not only from the nations but from the beast's rule over the nations, for he arose out of the sea. They are brought to land. The land speaks of Christ's kingdom, which they enter on the earthly side. It is settled rest. More specifically the fish are brought before the Lord. He does not use these fish to feed them, for He wants us to understand the typical meaning of the act. His servants must account to Him for the work He commanded them to do. He feeds them instead with His own bread and fish at His own fire. In this way they cannot boast about what they did, for what the Lord sets before them is proof of their failure in the past. The fire reminds Peter of when he warmed himself at the world's fire. The bread and fish are reminders of when He previously fed Israel with bread and fish at this same sea, but they rejected Him. "As many as I love I rebuke and chasten." The evidence of that love is before the disciples, and they are at rest in His presence.
c. The wine of kingdom joy at the wedding in Cana of Galilee The joy at the introduction of Christ's kingdom will be universal because He will rule both heaven and earth. Heaven will celebrate with the Great Supper of Luke 14. Earth's celebration is typified in the wedding at Cana of Galilee. The wedding is the renewal of Israel's wedding vows to the Lord Jer. 3:1414Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: (Jeremiah 3:14) which they had broken. We cannot understand this fully until we connect the bread and fish of John 21 with the wine of John 2. Just as a meal is not complete without something to drink, the moral teaching of the wine is needed to round out the picture of Israel's sins in the past. The bread and fish of John 21 tell us of Israel's treatment of Christ in life the wine of their treatment of Him as He faced the cross.
The Lord once called Israel an adulterous generation, looking for a sign. The adultery of which He spoke was spiritual in nature He was their husband, but they did not want Him. They were looking for a sign of His power, but secretly hoping He would not give them one. They were mistaken. He would give them the sign of the prophet Jonah that is the sign of His death. That would be, among other things, the convincing sign that the adulterous generation had rejected Him.
So at the Last Supper, which spoke of His death, the Lord disowned Israel for the present. He did this by pointing out to His disciples that there was no way He could drink wine until that day when He would drink it "new" with them "new" means in a different way in His Father's kingdom see Matt. 26:2929But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. (Matthew 26:29). In so declaring He took the oath of the Nazarite given us in Num. 6:13 21. The Nazarite was not to drink wine from the time he took his oath until it was completed, after which he could drink wine again. Since wine in Scripture is a figure of earthly joy, the Lord was telling His own that there could be no earthly joy for Him when His own people were plotting to crucify Him. But later on, when Israel should be restored i.e. in His Father's kingdom, He would drink wine i.e. receive earthly joy from them.
The fulfillment of these things is the wedding at Cana of Galilee. There we find the Lord turning water into wine. A wedding is the height of earthly joy.(6) The Lord is restoring His marriage link with Israel which they had broken when they disowned Him and turned to the Gentiles. So He pays His Nazarite vows before those who fear God as prophesied in Psa. 22:2525My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. (Psalm 22:25). That is to say He views the Nazarite vow which He took at the Last Supper as fulfilled. So He anticipates His Father's kingdom, and He can freely drink the wine of earthly joy with Israel, for they now obey the command to do whatever He tells them see John 2:55His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. (John 2:5). No wonder the Nazarite oath ends in Scripture with the blessing “The Lord bless thee and keep thee, the Lord make His face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put My Name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them.” Num. 6:24 27.
Israel's blessing will cover all the land. "You shall no more be termed forsaken, neither shall your land any more be termed desolate, but you shall be called Hephzibak (My delight is in her) and your land Beulah (married) for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married" Isa. 62:44Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. (Isaiah 62:4).