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Scripture Reading: John 1:1-5, 14, 16-18; 15:4-5, 7-8
The New Testament begins with four Gospels: the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke, and the Gospel of John. These four Gospels, as biographies of the Lord Jesus, record His words and actions on the earth. Many people do not understand why the Bible has four biographies of the Lord, but this is because there are many different aspects related to the Lord Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew speaks of the Lord Jesus as the King who is bringing the kingdom of the heavens to the earth. The Gospel of Mark speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Slave who faithfully labors for God on the earth. The Gospel of Luke speaks of the Lord Jesus as a perfect man who is the Savior of mankind, and the Gospel of John speaks of the Lord Jesus as God who comes to be life to His people.
This may be compared to casting a bronze bust of someone. In order to get an accurate cast, a sculptor needs to see the person from the front, the back, and both sides. In this way the bronze bust will closely match the real person. The blueprints of a house show a view of the house from the front, back, and sides. There are four sets of drawings but only one building, and when we stand in front of a house that has been built, there are the front door, the windows on both sides, and the patio in the back. In order to have a complete view of the house, we need to look at it from every direction. A full portrait of the Lord Jesus in the New Testament also requires four different viewpoints in order to unveil Him as the King, the Slave, a perfect man, and God. Through the portrait in the four Gospels, we can see that the Lord Jesus is a noble King, a lowly Slave, a perfect man, and the Most High God.
In this chapter we will look at the aspect of the Lord Jesus as God. Therefore, we need to study the Gospel of John carefully. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is portrayed as God. His introduction in the Gospel of John is different from what is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. Both Matthew and Luke include a genealogy of the Lord Jesus. However, the Gospel of John begins, saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1:1). Verses 2 through 5 say, “He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not one thing came into being which has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” From the beginning of the Gospel of John, the emphasis on the Lord Jesus relates to the fact that He is God. He is also revealed in verses 3 and 4 as the source of life: “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not one thing came into being which has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” This shows that without the Lord Jesus as life, man is darkened within and walks in darkness. The life of the Lord Jesus is the light of man.
Verse 14 says, “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality.” Verses 16 through 18 continue, saying, “Of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and reality came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” This shows that the Lord Jesus, who is God in the heavens, became flesh and lived among us. He came to be among man in order to contact every kind of person.
When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, He contacted thousands and thousands of people. If we were to write down their stories, even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written (21:25). The cases that John recorded were specifically chosen by him to reveal various aspects about Jesus coming to be our life.
The accounts of those who contacted the Lord in the Gospel of John were specifically selected in order to show that God’s life meets the need of every man. The account in chapter 2 presents a general principle that involves all men, whereas the accounts in chapters 3 through 11 relate to specific kinds of people. Chapter 3 contains the account of Nicodemus, who was an educated and moral man of high reputation. He was a person from the upper class of society. Therefore, he represents moral persons with high standing in society.
In chapter 4 the Lord contacted a Samaritan woman involved in immoral relationships. In chapter 3 the Lord spoke with Nicodemus, who was a Jewish Pharisee, but in chapter 4 He spoke with a Samaritan woman, who had a base and low living. Chapter 3 shows that the Lord can meet the need of moral persons, and chapter 4 shows that He can meet the need of a person with no morality. Chapter 3 speaks of persons at the highest level of society, whereas chapter 4 speaks of persons with no standing in society. These two types of people are in direct contrast. Chapter 4 also speaks of the need of those who are dying. When the Lord visited a place with weak and fragile people who were dying, He healed them, including the son of a royal official, with His life-giving word (vv. 43-54).
In chapter 5 the Lord contacted a paralyzed man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. This man lay beside the pool of Bethesda, waiting for an angel to stir up the water, because the first person to step into the water after it was stirred up would be made well (vv. 2-5). When the water was stirred up, however, the paralyzed man was too weak to step into the water. This shows that he did not even have the strength to receive grace. Many people on this earth are like this paralyzed man. They know that they are weak, but they have no ability to rise up from their weakness. They cannot pray, and they do not even have the strength to receive grace.
In chapter 6 the Lord contacted people who were hungry, feeding five thousand with five loaves and two fish. Many people are hungry; that is, they cannot be satisfied. They are troubled and always searching for something to satisfy themselves. Because they have a deep sense of their lack, they search. The number of people who are like this is relatively high. Chapter 7 speaks of people who are thirsty and in need of something to fill them up. This is the reason that the Lord stood up on the last day, the great day of the feast, and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (v. 37). There are many hungry and thirsty people on the earth.
In chapter 8 the Lord contacted a woman who was caught and condemned for committing adultery. She represents people who are under the bondage of sin. She was despised and condemned by others as a sinner for her immorality.
In chapter 9 the Lord contacted a person who was born blind. Even though he had eyes, he was born blind. There are many people in the world who are like this blind man. They have eyes outwardly, but they are blind inwardly. They are without light and are unable to see anything. The Lord purposely healed the blind man on the Sabbath to expose the vanity of religious ritual, which is the source of much blindness. Chapter 10 is a continuation of chapter 9. It speaks of man’s need for shepherding. The blind man in chapter 9 was such a sheep. He was led by the Lord out of the Judaism-fold.
Chapter 11 then speaks of those who are dead, as represented by Lazarus. Death is the most serious condition of man; death terminates everything. But in His contact with those who are dead, the Lord Jesus as life is able to resurrect the dead. In the Lord’s salvation He does not merely heal the sick; He also gives life to the dead. Hence, He remained where He was for two days until Lazarus had died (v. 6). The Lord does not reform or regulate people — He regenerates people and raises them out of death.
Chapters 3 through 11 cover every type of person and every need of man. Consequently, after chapter 11 no special people with different needs are introduced; rather, John focuses on those who have already come in contact with the Lord. The Gospel of John records nine types of people, including those who are moral, immoral, dying, impotent, hungry, thirsty, under the bondage of sin, blind, and dead.
Jesus is God who became flesh and who came to be among men. The people to whom the Lord came were honorable and moral, dishonorable and immoral, dying, impotent, hungry, thirsty, condemned and despised, blind, and dead. The Lord contacted all these types of people.
Every one of the thousands of people whom the Lord contacted could be included in one of these nine types. This is like a housewife who goes to the fish market. While she is there, she will encounter many fish, but there will only be a few different kinds of fish. Among mankind, some people are like Nicodemus, some are like the Samaritan woman, some are like the dying son in need of healing, some are like the weak paralytic, some are empty and hungry, some are dissatisfied and thirsty, some commit sins and are despised by others, some are darkened inwardly and blind outwardly, and some are breathing outwardly but are dead inwardly. Every person fits into one of these types of people in need.
Which type do you belong to? Are you a moral person like Nicodemus? Are you like the Samaritan woman who lost God and was seeking for happiness in sin? The Samaritan woman had five men as husbands, and a sixth man was not even her husband. When she was not happy with her first husband, she changed to another one. Because she was still unhappy, she changed husbands again and again. She was constantly looking and changing but never happy. According to the record in chapter 4, she came to draw water from a well because she was thirsty, and there she met the Lord, who said, “Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever” (vv. 13-14). Because she was drinking only “this water,” she was still thirsty. This shows that those who are far from God are thirsty. Being thirsty, they need to drink, but even after drinking, they are still thirsty. Thus, their thirst causes them to drink again and again, that is, to continually seek happiness through sin. People who indulge in dancing or who are infatuated with romantic novels and movies are never satisfied with the momentary happiness they receive from dancing, reading novels, or watching movies. After dancing, reading novels, and watching movies, they must repeat these activities again and again. They are seeking for a happiness that cannot be found. Those who drink and play mah-jongg are often far from God and unhappy. Therefore, they try to find happiness in sin.
If someone asked me what type of person I am, I would answer that I am like them all. Practically speaking, these nine types represent nine aspects of man’s inward condition. The only difference between these types in our experience is the degree to which these aspects are manifested. The manifestation of a certain aspect may be more obvious than the manifestation of another aspect, but regardless of whether we are male or female, young or old, we all have the same inward condition. Some may manifest morality more than immorality, and others may manifest immorality more than weakness. For example, we know that we should obey our parents, but we do not have the strength to obey them. We also know that we need to help and love others, but we are weak and impotent in doing this. Hunger and thirst are a very common condition because people are constantly seeking satisfaction. Being condemned because of sin is also a common human condition. Husbands condemn their wives, wives condemn their husbands, parents condemn their children, and children often condemn their parents in their hearts. This condemnation is related to sins. Furthermore, we have all been born blind because we are unable to see the truth before we are saved. Furthermore, every person who is not saved is far from God and dead in offenses and sins (Eph. 2:1).
These nine types of people represent nine conditions of the human race, and all nine types need Jesus. The moral Nicodemus needed the Lord’s regeneration. Even a moral and honorable person needs the Lord in order to be regenerated so that he can enter into the kingdom of God. In order to enter into the kingdom of God, one must have the divine life. Therefore, moral people need Jesus. The immoral Samaritan woman also needed the Lord Jesus to quench her thirst. Base and low people need Jesus because immorality is a sign that one does not have God. When people are without God, they become immoral because they seek for happiness in sin. In order to be delivered from sin and to have real happiness, a person must have God.
Those who are dying need the Lord, and those who are impotent, who do not have the strength to be freed from sin, need the Lord Jesus. Everyone who is impotent in regard to a particular weakness is like a person who is lying on a mat and unable to rise up. To some their “mat” is smoking, and to others their “mat” is mah-jongg. Those who are impotent do not have the strength to rise up from their “mat”; they even rely upon their “mats” as a means of support. However, if you have the Lord Jesus, you do not need to remain on your mat, because the Lord said, “Rise, take up your mat and walk” (John 5:8). Once you have the Lord Jesus, you will not need to rely on your mat; you will be able to take up your mat and walk. Although you were once enslaved to your mat, you can become the master of your mat by receiving the Lord. Without the Lord, a person is impotent and stuck to his mat, whether it is smoking, mah-jongg, or something else. However, when you receive the Lord Jesus, you can rise up, be delivered from your mat, and be strong rather than impotent, no longer being enslaved to sin (Rom. 6:6). Those who are impotent have a great need of the Lord Jesus.
Those who are hungry need the Lord Jesus as their food. The Lord said, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall by no means hunger, and he who believes into Me shall by no means ever thirst” (John 6:35). The Lord is not only the bread of life but also the fountain of living water. According to His promise, those who drink of Him will never thirst again. Likewise, those who are born blind need the Lord because they cannot see where man came from or where man is going. Truthfully speaking, many intelligent people in this world are blind inwardly. One day we were preaching the gospel in Shanghai, and a brother drew a cartoon of a blind person who had a Ph.D. This cartoon was an accurate representation of many educated people. Although their minds may be filled with knowledge and they may understand many matters related to science and philosophy, they cannot provide an answer to the question of where man came from and where man is going. They do not know the meaning of human life because they are blind. Although they are filled with knowledge, they are actually groping in darkness, without any trace of light.
This is the situation of those who are highly educated, those who are in high positions, and those who are in the business world. They are always busy, seeking promotions and wealth, but they do not know anything of their future destiny. How blind they are! These people need Jesus. Finally, if man does not have God, he does not have life. Those who are without God are just like dead people living in tombs. Whenever such a one receives the Lord Jesus, he is resurrected and released from his “tomb.” Therefore, as those who are dead, people particularly need Jesus.
All the people in chapters 3 through 11 of the Gospel of John need Jesus. A high-class, moral person needs Jesus. An unsatisfied sinner needs Jesus. A weak and impotent person needs Jesus. Those who are hungry and thirsty need Jesus. A person enslaved to sin needs Jesus. A blind person groping in darkness needs Jesus, and a person in death needs Jesus. No matter what type of person you are or what condition you are in, you need Jesus.
When we meet the Lord Jesus, our needs are satisfied. When people believe into Him, they do not perish but have eternal life. Whenever people have God, they do not need to seek for happiness in sin, because they have real happiness. When the impotent have Him, they are strengthened. When the hungry have Him, they are fed. When the thirsty have Him, their thirst is quenched with living water. When the despised have Him, they are not condemned. When those walking in darkness have Him, they have the way and are in the light. When the dead have Him, they have resurrection and life. Man’s only need is the Lord Jesus Himself. We need the Lord Jesus all the time.
After showing that the Lord Jesus meets the need of every man, John speaks of the vine in chapter 15. Verses 4 and 5 say, “Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Verses 7 and 8 say, “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. In this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so you will become My disciples.” We need to abide in the Lord because He is the vine and we are the branches. If we are apart from Him, we cannot do anything, and we will be useless. We need to contact the Lord and fellowship with Him so that He can meet our every need. This is what the Gospel of John reveals. The Lord Jesus is the Word who became flesh to be among men to satisfy man’s needs. However, in order for Him to meet our needs, we need to receive Him.
Neither the Gospel of John nor the Gospel of Matthew speaks of the Lord Jesus’ ascension. After His resurrection the Lord charged the disciples to go and preach the gospel, to disciple the nations, and to baptize them into the name of the Triune God (Matt. 28:19). However, there is no mention of His ascension in the Gospel of Matthew. John 20 records the Lord Jesus’ resurrection, but there also is no mention of His ascension in the Gospel of John. In chapter 21 He was with the disciples in His resurrection life to live in them and to walk in them. This shows that the Gospel of John stresses the Lord’s being in us. We need to fellowship with the Lord all the time; He is in us waiting for us to contact Him and expecting to fellowship with us. God came from the heavens to the earth to become a man. He passed through human living, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection and became a life-giving Spirit to enter into us and be with us. In our fellowship with Him, He can take care of all our needs. This is His way of salvation; He is our unique need.
