Ancient Scrolling

Ancient Scrolling: John Pt. 5 – The Samaritan Woman at the Well

You’ve probably heard the saying, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.”

That saying is not exactly scripture, but the truth is that man sins, and God forgives.

So, when it comes to the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well, you see the Lord’s divine nature as He confronts her sin, then discusses worship while calling her and her entire community to faith. In that series of events, we see the Lord’s commitment to salvation, His divine knowledge, and His declaration that He is the Christ.

The interesting thing about this account in scripture is Jesus “must needs go through Samaria (John 4:4).” The fact that the Lord not only went through Samaria, but that He had an intense purpose for going through Samaria bucked every convention of that day.

When traveling between Judea and Galilee, most Jews crossed the Jordan river and traveled on the East Side of the river to avoid the Samaritans. There was a deep divide between the Samaritans and Jews that was as much ethnical as it was cultural. This division dated back to the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, as the Israelites were returning to the Holy Land following the Babylonian captivity.

But, Jesus “must needs go through Samaria.” He needed to go. He was compelled to go.

When He meets the woman at the well, we find out why. He was there because there were lost souls in Samaria, completely written off by the Jewish society at the time, who were seeking salvation.

In His desire to go to Samaria, we see the Lord’s commitment to salvation.

Then, we see His divine knowledge. He knew the woman would be there. He knew everything about her. Further, He knew that this visit would lead to the salvation of many souls in Samaria.

Then, the Lord declared plainly to the woman that He was the Christ. When the woman said, “I know that when Messiah comes He will tell us all things,” Jesus replied, “I that speak to thee am He.”

While most sermons focus on the lost condition of the woman and her journey to faith, in this episode of Ancient Scrolling, we examine how this divinely appointed meeting demonstrates the deity of Christ.

Ancient Scrolling: John Pt. 4 – Nicodemus (John 3)

The Pharisees were raised to believe that when the Christ came, He would go to the righteous, bless them, condemn the wicked, and defeat Israel’s enemies. At the time Christ came, the main enemy was the Roman Empire.

So, the Pharisees were looking for a messiah who would be a great military commander, a conquering hero, and one who observed the religion the same way they did.

However, Jesus defied those expectations. He didn’t come as a conquering hero, but yet a humble servant, a compassionate man committed to redeeming the lost people of Israel, and one who spoke God’s truth, which often ran contrary to the Pharisees’ traditions.

Jesus was the Only Begotten Son, the divine God in flesh, Who came to fulfill God’s promises of redemption. However, He didn’t fit the mold that the Pharisees wanted Him to fill, so they rejected Him.

But, there was still Nicodemus. Nicodemus saw the miracles and signs Jesus performed, but struggled to reconcile Jesus as being Christ with the preconceived notions of Who Christ would be. Unlike HIs fellow Pharisees, however, Nicodemus had the wisdom to inquire and learn.

So, he met with Jesus by night. And the Lord told him about the new birth, about salvation, and about the crucifixion and resurrection. In this episode of Ancient Scrolling, we look at that epic meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus, and we learn the Lord’s truth from it.

Ancient Scrolling: John Pt. 3 – Water into Wine (John 2)

The Apostle John is setting out to demonstrate that Jesus of Nazareth was the only Begotten Son of God, and thus was the Christ, the Savior of mankind. In order to do that, he had to prove the divine nature of Christ, that He was God in flesh.

John wrote his account of the Gospel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish that goal. He opened his Gospel by demonstrating that Jesus was with God in the beginning, was God, and created all things. He referenced the ministry and testimony of John the Baptist to prove that point.

And then, in chapter 2, John records the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine. This was something that could only be accomplished by one who was in control of the elements, Who could only be the creator of the elements in the first place.

While the miracle of the water into wine was not a public miracle, it did demonstrate the divine power of Christ. And those who were privy to the miracle not only witnessed the power of God firsthand, but also became believers.

Jesus would go on to turn the tables over in the Temple in Jerusalem, and perform many mighty miracles there. Those miracles captured the attention of one Nicodemus, who would meet with Jesus at night, setting the stage for the most consequential theological discussion in human history. Check out this episode of “Ancient Scrolling” to learn more.

Ancient Scrolling: John Pt. 2 – The Baptist (John 1:19-34)

Thirty years after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, many different theories and teachings on the nature and identity of Jesus surfaced. Most of these were wrong, and some were blasphemous.

For the Apostle John, these false doctrines being promoted about Jesus were personal. John knew the Lord personally, witnessed the miracles and earthly ministry of Jesus, and was at the foot of the cross while our Lord gave His life to pay the debt for our sin.

John was “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” So, it should come as no surprise that John took on the task of setting the record straight about Who Jesus of Nazareth was, that He was indeed the Christ, the only Begotten Son of God Who would take away the sin of the world.

In John 1, the Apostle John is laying out the case that Jesus of Nazareth was the divine Son of God Who created all things, was all powerful, Who was the Light of the world. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

He tells us that He became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father.

As he continues to make his case in John 1 that Jesus was the Christ, he incorporates the ministry of John the Baptist to prove the divinity and identity of Christ.

Not only did John the Baptist plainly declare that Jesus was the Christ, he proclaimed that Jesus had come to take away the sins of the world.

The Baptist’s statement, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world,” may not have a profound meaning to us without some theological training, for the people of John’s day, it was a bold statement.

“The Lamb of God” was a reference to the Old Testament practice of sacrificing lambs as a show of the forgiveness of sin that God offers. In pointing to Jesus as the Lamb of God, John proclaimed that the Lord would sacrifice Himself to take sin from the world once and for all. This, of course, was a prophecy about the coming crucifixion of Christ.

In this episode, we examine the ministry of John the Baptist, and how his ministry support’s the Apostle John’s position that Jesus of Nazareth was the divine Son of God, who would redeem His people by paying for the sins of the world with His very life.

Ancient Scrolling Launches New Series in the Gospel of John

The second season of “Ancient Scrolling” is kicking off with an in-depth exploration of the Gospel according to John.

In AD 65, some three decades after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, many in the Christian faith began to drift theologically. Several theories and doctrines about the identity of Christ surfaced, with many being wrong and others being outright blasphemous.

The Apostle John took this theological drift personally, as he not only knew Jesus personally, but was “The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved.”

So, John endeavored to set the record straight. His efforts, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and thus being scripture and the word of God, are what we now know as “The Gospel according to John,” and “1st, 2nd, and 3rd John.”

In Episode 1, John sets out to establish the identity of Christ, and to demonstrate that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ.