Thought: Of Him the
Prophet also declared: And now after the many testimonies which have been given
of him, this is the testimony last of all, which we give of him, That he lives!
For we saw him even on the right hand of God, and we heard the voice bearing
record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father-That by him, and through him
and of him the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are
begotten sons and daughters unto God.
John - “In the Gospel of John is the most persuasive testimony
of the Divine Sonship; in it is the most elaborate imagery and symbolism; in it
are many of the more mature doctrinal concepts” (DNTC 1:371) During a time of increasing
persecution against Christians, political and civil turmoil, growing apostasy,
and disputations about the nature of Jesus Christ, the
Apostle John recorded his personal testimony of the Savior. Tradition indicates
that John may have been Jesus' first cousin. This tradition also indicates that
Salome, (Mark
16:1) was the sister of Jesus' mother,
Mary, and the mother of James and John. This could mean that John was
especially beloved by the Savior on the basis of a family
connection. About 92 percent of the material in the
Gospel of John is not found in the other Gospel accounts. This is probably
because John’s intended audience—Church members who already had a basic
understanding of Jesus Christ—was decidedly different from Matthew’s, Mark’s,
and Luke’s intended audiences. John
wrote this book in Ephesus, in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Proposed dates range
from. 60- 100 AD. Likely after he authored the book of Revelation.
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Old
Testament
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New
Testament
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Book
of Mormon
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Modern
Revelation
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1. Jesus was the firstborn spirit child of our Heavenly parents; and
because he was like God in the pre-earth world, he was chosen as the Savior.
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Psalms 89:27
Isaiah 41:4
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John 1:1
Romans 8:29
Col. 1:15
Rev.1:11
Rev.3:14
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3 Nephi 20:26
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Moses 2:26; D&C 93:21;110:4 Abr. 3:27
"Among the spirit children of Elohim the firstborn was and is
Jesus Christ to whom all others are juniors" (The Father & the Son: A Doctrinal Exposition. - Messages of the
First Presidency, 5:33)
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2. Acting under Father's direction, Jesus was Creator of the worlds.
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Col.1:13, 16
Heb.1:1-3
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3 Nephi 9:15
Hel.14:12
Mos. 3:8; 4:2
D&C 76:22-24
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D&C 93:9-10; 76:23-24
Abraham 3:11-12
Moses 1:31-37 Moses 7:30
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3. Jesus is the God of the Old Testament.
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Ex. 3:13-15
Ex. 6:1-3
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I Cor. 10:1-9
John 1:1-3
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3 Nephi 15:4-5
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Jesus Christ was a God before he was born. (DS 1:32)
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4. Prophets of all ages identified coming of Christ, , as greatest
event of all time.
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Dt.18:15
Isaiah 7:14
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Jacob 7:11
Mosiah 3:5-13; 13:33
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5. Atonement operated in 1st estate
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Moses 6:53, 54; 7:47
D&C 93:38
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As a
prologue John 1, teaches about the premortal divinity of Jesus Christ, emphasizes His role as the messenger of the Father, & He is
the only way to return to the Father.
John introduced the Savior as “the Word”
(John 1:1), the Creator of this world (see John 1:3), “the life” (John 1:4), and “the Light” (John 1:7),“the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14), & Jesus gives power to all who receive Him “to become the sons [&
daughters] of God” (John 1:12). John also recorded other
disciples’ testimonies of Jesus' divinity. John the Baptist “the Lamb of God” sent to take away the
sins of the world (John 1:29). Andrew “the
Messias, which is, the Christ” (John 1:41). And Nathanael “Thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel” (John 1:49). John-mostly in Judea. John 1:51
- Jesus call Himself "Son of Man" more than 80 times in Gospels.
Jesus' 1st
recorded miracle or his mortal life.
A. John 2:1- See Gen. 1:9-13,
calls the third day "good" twice. The only day so designated-thus
special events like weddings were often planned on this day.
B. Wilford Griggs says the wedding
could not have been Jesus'. BRM says it had to have been a member of his
family. "Jesus himself was now more than 30 years of age and probably
would have married as was customary for Jewish men to do in their late teens;
At 5 years old one is ready for the scriptures, at 10 for the Mishnah, at 13
for the commandments, at 15 the Talmud, at 18 for marriage, at 20 for pursuit
of righteousness, at 30 for full strength. (Ogden p. 108) Was Jesus Married?
(see TPJS p. 308) Children?
C. Characteristics of a Jewish
Wedding: 1. Sacred with
Eternal implications 2. Formal Betrothal
- Inheritance , Formal Divorce, didn't live together 3. Confession of sins
before 4. Marriage forgave sins 5. Allegory among Jews that God
married Adam & Eve- Michael & Gabriel groomsmen 6. Evening of marriage - bride taken to
grooms home by procession- Groom the host
7. Formal ceremony 8. Legal
documents signed 9. Washings performed,
prayers given, cup blessed & drank 10. Marriage supper commences- Feast
could last a day to a week or more-running out of wine could result in a law
suit.
11. Governor
of Feast was the "master of ceremonies" (BRM Mortal Messiah 1:449)
D. It was the practice of the Jews
to wash for ritualistic and purification purposes their hands before and after
eating & also to wash the vessels used. The regulations from the Mishnah
& Talmud were burdensome and unrealistic.
E. A firkins is slightly larger
than a bath. A bath is 8 1/4 gallon. Each water pot would contain about 25
gallons=150 gallons
F. The JST of John 2:11 ends with
"the faith of his disciples was strengthened in him.
John 2:12 - Visit
to Capernaum - May have been his farewell to his family. A 20 mile walk down to
the lake Mary, Joseph's mother was there. Joseph is not mentioned for the rest
of the Savior's ministry. Jesus had half brothers and sisters. The names are listed
in Matthew 13:55-56 (James, Joses Simon Judas + sisters) and Mark 6:3. Other
references Matt. 12:46; Mark 3:31; Luke 8:19; Acts 1:14; Galatians 1:19
The first
Passover of the Ministry of the Savior- John 2:13-25
2:12–17. First cleansing
of the temple- Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise. How can we
make the temple a sacred place?
2:18–22. Jesus
prophesies of His death and resurrection.
3:1–21. Jesus converses
with Nicodemus BORN AGAIN
John 3:16-18; Mosiah 3:19; 5:1-7; 27:24; Alma 5:14-35; 22:15-18 ;3 Nephi 9:20; Moses 6:59-61
The first birth takes place when
spirits pass from their pre-existent first estate into mortality; the 2nd birth
or birth into the Kingdom of Heaven takes place when mortal men are born again
and become alive to things of the Spirit & of righteousness. The 2nd birth
begins when men are baptized in water by a legal administrator; it is completed
when they actually receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost, becoming new
creatures by the cleansing power of that member of the Godhead. Mere compliance
with the formality of the ordinance of baptism does not mean that a person has
been born again. No one can be born again without baptism, but the immersion in
water and the laying on of hands to confer the Holy Ghost do not of themselves
guarantee that a person has been or will be born again. The new birth takes
place for those who actually enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost, only
for those who are fully converted, who give themselves without restraint to the
Lord. (Mormon Doctrine p. 101)
Being born again puts us on the
strait and narrow path; but it takes constant devotion to the Savior &
diligence in keeping His commandments to remain there. We are cautioned that
once the process is complete and the state of spiritual rebirth again is
achieved, we can lost it. Alma asked his brethren. "If ye have experienced
a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, can
ye feel so now?" (Alma 5:26) He had referred to their fathers, saying that
"a mighty change was also wrought in their [the father's] hearts, &
they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And
behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved."
(alma 5:13) (Kay Edwards, Studies in
Scripture 5:195)
There is a natural birth, and
there is a spiritual birth. The natural birth is to die as pertaining to
premortal life, to leave the heavenly realms where all spirits dwell in the
Divine Presence, and to begin a new life, a mortal life, a life here on earth.
The natural birth creates a natural man, and the natural man is an enemy to
God. In his fallen state he is carnal, sensual, and devilish by nature.
Appetites and passions govern his life and he is alive-acutely so- to all that
is evil & wicked in the world. The spiritual birth comes after the natural
birth. It is to die as pertaining to worldliness and carnality and to become a
new creature by the power of the Spirit. It is to begin a new life, a life in
which we bridle our passions and control our appetites, a life of
righteousness, a spiritual life. Whereas we were in a deep abyss of darkness,
now we are alive in Christ and bask in the shining rays of his everlasting
light. Such is the new birth, the second birth, the birth into the household of
Christ." (BRM A New Witness for the Articles of Faith,
p. 282).
Nicodemus
means "prevail over the people"
The Greek
words for born again "gennao
anothen" can be translated as "born from on high."
3:16- The
most quoted, powerful and famous sing verse of scripture. D&C 34:3.
JFMcConkie article
3:25–36. John testifies
of Jesus' superiority and divinity
4:3-42
"Jesus' next encounter in John's Gospel was with a person who seemed to be
almost an exact opposite of Nicodemus in spiritual background & capacity.
Because this person was a woman, traditional avenues of educational &
religious training were not open to her; because she was a Samaritan, her
social status was that of an outcast in Jewish society;& because she had
lived with 5 men before her present male companion, her moral standing was
considered the worst imaginable. We cannot easily think of a less likely
candidate for spiritual conversion under normal circumstances than such a
person, and her meeting with Jesus did not begin on an auspicious note.
(Wilford Griggs, Studies in Scripture 5:123-124)
THE
SAMARITANS
According to 2 Kings 17:22-41, when the Sargon led Assyrians conquered
the northern kingdom of Israel, they took “all of Israel” out of the land and
brought Assyrian colonists to replace them in the cities of Israel. When God
sent ferocious lions among the colonists in their new home, they sent back to
Assyria for an Israelite priest who came and dwelt in Bethel and showed them
how to worship and appease the God of the land of Israel. However, they
continued also to worship their foreign gods and thus polluted the religion of
Israel. In the first century AD, most Jews considered Samaritans to be only
slightly less unclean than Gentiles, and certainly not bona fide members of the
house of Israel.
Samaritan and Assyrian records show, however, that some of the account in
2 Kings may be exaggerated. It does not appear that the Assyrians deported all
of the Israelites, but, according to Sargon’s records, only 27,290 of them.
This would be only a fraction of the whole population. Moreover, Samaritan
religion shows no influence from Assyrian ideas during this time, and the
Samaritan version of the Pentateuch is very close to the Hebrew and implies a
religion almost identical of Judaism, at least as far as the law of Moses is
concerned, though naturally, the Samaritans, like the Sadducees and Christians,
rejected the oral law of the Pharisees and popular Judaism. The Samaritans
accepted the first five books of the Old Testament, but rejected all else as
scripture.
Samaritans awaited the appearance at the end of time of a Taheb or
“restorer,” who would appear to usher in a new dispensation, teach the law, and
restore the proper modes of worship. Samaritans worshiped the God of Israel in
a temple on Mount Gerizim, which they say was preferred before Mount Zion, with
rites similar to those of Judaism. So while it is certain that Israel lost its
leadership along with large portions of its population in the deportation of
721 BC, and that the Samaritans were a mixture of the Israelites who remained
behind (predominately) and the Gentile colonists who moved in (partially), by
and large the Samaritans were still descended from Israel and practiced a
corrupted version of the religion of Israel. This explains why Jesus
proselytized among the Samaritans, though he intentionally avoided contact with
Gentiles.
When the Jews returned from their Babylonian exile, the Samaritans
attempted to establish cordial relations with them, but were rebuffed and not
allowed to help rebuild the temple. An adversary relationship soon developed
that was largely a continuation of the ancient hatred between Israel and Judah.
(See Ezra 4:1-4.) The antagonism reached its peak, however, during the
Maccabean period, for the Samaritans did not join the Jews in revolt against
the Greeks, nor did they support the Jews who did. It was in retaliation for
this policy, that John Hyrcanus destroyed the Samaritan Temple in 128 BC. After
that event, there could be no friendly relations between Samaria and Judah.
Such was the bitter state of affairs in the New Testament period that Jewish
pilgrims from Galilee were often molested as they passed through Samaria, and
Josephus wrote of Samaritans defiling the Jerusalem, Temple at Passover by
strewing human bones in the courts and sanctuary. After about 300 AD, the Jews
treated Samaritans in all respects as Gentiles, except that they were not
allowed even to become converts.
Jesus showed a special concern for the Samaritans by: 1) Sending
disciples there after resurrection (Acts 1:8; 8:4-25). 2) Using Samaritans as
examples of goodness (Luke 10:30-35; 17:11-19)
Samaritan
Beliefs
1) One
God 2) Moses the greatest & Final
prophet 3)Acceptance of Pentateuch
& rejection of all else as scripture
4) Mt. Gerizim is the chosen place of God & the only chosen
sanctuary 5)"Taheb" or restorer
to appear at the end of time
6)Expectation of a final day of rewards and punishment.
Samaritans
&The Qumran Community-In their book, “Between the Testaments: Kent Brown
and Richard Holzapfel share similarities between these two groups; 1)Samaritan
Pentateuch agrees with scriptures in Exodus found in Cave 4. 2) observed
Sabbath and circumcision. 3) Called themselves “the sons of light” to
underscore their special status before God. 4) Saw Moses as most important of
God’s past prophets. 5) High emphasis on Moses prophecy in DT. 18:18 about a
future prophet who would lead God’s true people. 6) Neither observed the Jewish
festival of Purim and Hanukkah. 7) Both followed a rather complex calendrical
reckoning of holy days that rested on both the sun and moon, while the Jews at
Jerusalem’s calendar rested on the moon alone.
SAMARITAN
CHRONOLOGY
722 BC Northern 10 Tribes taken captive by Assyria
and Relocated to various places within Assyrian empire. Those taken captive
replaced in Samaria by people from throughout empire. Priests from captivity
brought back to Bethel to appease God Intermarriage of faith and family
600 BC Lehi, of the northern tribe of Manasseh,
leaves Jerusalem
587 BC 80 men from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria go to
broken altar at Jerusalem (Jer. 41:5)
538 BC Jews rebuff Samaritan offer to help rebuild
temple
445 BC Samaritans try to keep Nehemiah from
re-building wall around Jerusalem
430 BC Son of high priest in Jerusalem marries
daughter of Samaritan governor.
(Nehemiah 13:28)
428 BC Ezra obliged Judah to divorce foreign spouses.
Samaritan spouses were forced to depart.
332 BC Manasseh, the high priest’s brother married
daughter of Samaritan governor.
(Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 11.7.2; 11.8.2)
330 BC Alexander’s army destroys city of Samaria.
Some survivors fled base of Mount Gerizim, where they refounded the city of Shechem and built
their temple on the land where Abraham had received a revelation (Gen. 12:6-7).
It was also the place that the conquering Israelites had erected their earliest
sanctuary. (Joshua 8:30-35; John 4:20)
167 BC Samaritans (and Jews) forced to rededicate
their temple to Zeus. (2 Maccabeus 6:2)
128 BC John Hyrcanus led Jews in destruction of
Samaritan temple
108 BC Hyrcanus leads Jews in attack of Samaritan countryside
30 AD The Jews have no dealings with the
Samaritans (John 4:9). The Samaritans refuse hospitality to Jesus and His
disciples (Luke 9:52-53)
33? AD Phillip, Peter and John teach in Samaria
4:31–42. Jesus
instructs His disciples to reap the harvest of souls, many Samaritans are
converted.
