John Chapter 2

How did the first week go for all of you? Is your family enjoying the study? Is there anything we should change? Or anything else that you think would be helpful??

Reading: John 2:1-25 (the whole chapter)

Overview

-1-12 – In John the first miracle that Jesus performs is helping to a party keep going. Jesus brings abundant joy to an already joyous occasion. It is significant that John chooses a wedding as the first miracle to share.  In the scripture God is often seen as the bridegroom and his people are seen as the bride.  This story is a picture of what is to come for God’s people.

Jesus also helps the host save face from the embarrassment of running out of wine, which would be a big deal back then (think about how you might feel if you didn’t make enough food for Thanksgiving. People would probably say it’s no big deal but you might still feel mortified).  This is not just an inconvenience, but a social disaster and disgrace. The family would live with this for a long time. The bride and groom might see this as bad luck.  What’s so great about this story is that Jesus doesn’t just make wine, but he makes the best wine. He doesn’t just restore what is missing but he makes something new and better.

 -13-25 – The temple was the beating heart of Judaism. It was the center of worship and music, of politics and society, of national celebration and mourning. It was the place where God had promised his people to live in their midst. Jesus is angry with what the temple had become. It was used as a marketplace, as a place of oppression and abuse of power. We don’t often think of Jesus as angry. It is important to understand that Jesus gets angry often in the gospels. Consider what he gets angry about. It’s important for Christians to have a similar anger.

Key Terms and People

-Galilee/Cana –Galilee is the name for Northern Israel.  Jesus, Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth in Galilee. Jerusalem is in southern Israel and between Northern and Southern Israel is Samaria which we will learn about in chapter 4.  Galileans as a whole were seen as more “hickish” for lack of a better word. They might be viewed the way the Northeast traditionally stereo types “southerners.” Cana is a town in Galilee.

-Chief Steward – The head of the wedding ceremony.

-Temple – See explanation above in overview.

Introduction Question:

-Imagine Jesus at a party (perhaps your birthday party or a wedding or New Year’s Eve party). Picture it. Where do you see him? What do you think he is doing? Is he making the party awesome or is he making everyone nervous?

Verses 1-12 –The Wedding

V4-What do you think Jesus means when he says “my hour has not yet come?” What do you think Jesus’ hour is?

V8-9 – Imagine you were one of the servants.  You are filling this jar with water. Would you take some of that water to the chief steward just because Jesus told you to? Why or why not?

-How is Jesus’ wine different from the wine normally served? What do you think this means?

-What does this story tell you about the kind of person that Jesus is? When we think of Jesus and miracles our first thoughts aren’t usually of a guy who keeps a party rocking.

Jesus at the Temple:

Introduction question:
-When was the last time you saw someone lose his or her temper? Do you think their behavior was appropriate or inappropriate?

-What is one thing that makes you really really mad?

-Have you ever seen someone abuse power or money in the name of religion? Share.

 Text Questions

-Why was Jesus so angry? Do you think it was right for him to act on his anger in this way?

-What would you have done if you were Jesus?

-How does this passage affect your impression of Jesus? Are you surprised by his behavior? Why or why not?

-What do you think makes Jesus angry today? In our world?

 
Challenge
MSG challenge – As a group, think of something specific you can do this week to express your anger in a positive way (ex: Anger about world hunger=buy some food and donate it to lunch break, angry about homelessness=volunteer in a shelter). Think about this at home during the week and brainstorm on Sunday.

Final Thoughts

-Are there any questions you have? Bring them to Sunday.