Having performed his debut “sign” at a wedding in the backwaters of Cana (see last week), the next event John narrates has Jesus in a much more public place: the temple. Here, too, he performs a sign – not a miracle, but a sign of judgement.

John 2:13-16 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

What’s going on here? Is Jesus just having a bad day? What could have prompted him to do such a provocative, violent act?

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Yesterday, we saw Jesus interrupt his plans to help out some of his mother’s friends. Facing the shame of running out of wine at a wedding, Jesus intervened, miraculously turning some water into wine of the highest quality. And in doing so, he showed his compassion for our everyday needs.

But, in true Jesus-style, he managed to turn this simple meeting of human need into a meaning-filled sign about his identity and his mission. How? Let’s look at some of the parts of the story we skipped over yesterday.

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Yesterday, Nathanael trusted in Jesus after witnessing just a tiny display of his supernatural power:

John 1:48-49 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” ⁴⁹ Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

Jesus’ response? You ain’t seen nothing yet:

John 1:50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”

In today’s story, we see the first of these “greater things” – the miracle at the wedding at Cana.

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Yesterday, we saw Andrew being invited by Jesus to “come and see” what God was up to – and he went and brought his brother, Peter. Today, we read a very similar story with Philip and Nathanael.

John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Normally, disciples would seek out a rabbi. But this teacher reverses this, going out to find his disciples. Again, Jesus’ authority is on display, as Philip obeys his command (and even seeks out another recruit.)

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Last week, we saw a comparison between John the Baptist and Jesus: John is merely a voice crying out in preparation for the eternal Word; he’s a brief lamp that guides the path to the everlasting light of the world. Today, we read of how some of John’s disciples left him to follow Jesus, as a result of John’s testimony.

John’s Disciples follow Jesus

John 1:35-37 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

John had taught his disciples well. When he pointed out the one who would come after him, they left John to follow Jesus.

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We’ve been working through chapter one of John’s Gospel, most recently looking at the character of John the Baptist. (Attention turns to some of his followers, next week.) John denied he was the Messiah. Nor was he Elijah or the prophet like Moses. Instead, he described himself as the “voice” preparing a way for God to return to Jerusalem as king. So this week on catch-up Friday, have a look at the background to that expectation by reading Isaiah 40.

What would John’s audience have been expecting when he described himself as that “voice” (Isaiah 40:3)?

Yesterday, John was asked by some of the Jerusalem hierarchy who he was. He emphatically told them that he wasn’t the Messiah. Nor was he Elijah (an expected forerunner of the kingdom) or the prophet like Moses (from Deut 18:18). So if he wasn’t one of those figures, what right did he have to go around baptising?

John hinted at the answer, by talking about one who was coming after him – someone who was greater than him. But that’s where he left it. We pick up the story the next day.

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In our study of John’s Gospel, we’ve now made it past the Prologue! Although today’s reading still has a strong connection with it, essentially illustrating in narrative what was said in this part of the Prologue:

John 1:6-8 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

This first story is all about this witness to the light – John the Baptist – and emphasises the fact that he himself was not the light. In fact, it bangs on at considerable length about what John was not. He wasn’t Elijah. He wasn’t the Messiah. And he wasn’t even just a very naughty boy. Let’s take a look at the story, then think about why this is such an important point.

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We’re almost ready to move on from the prologue. (I promise.) But before we leave it behind, I want to give it one last look. We’ve spent five days dissecting its poetry and theology, which can leave it a bit like a dead lab specimen in pieces all over the workbench. So I’d like to offer this paraphrase as a way of putting the bits back together and sewing it up, hopefully with a bit more understanding of what’s going on inside.

Read it slowly, then spend some time thanking God for sending Jesus to become one of us, so that we might know God and experience his eternal favour. After all, that’s the whole point of John’s prologue – and his Gospel.

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