The Caldwell Commentaries Podcast

John 10:1-10 John chapter 10 is one of the most beloved chapters of the Bible for believers in Christ. This is the first part of the Lord's "Good Shepherd Sermon," which presents Jesus Christ in His tender role as the good, gentle, and caring Shepherd of His flock.  There is a deep sense of security to the believer who reads this chapter and realizes he has a Shepherd Who knows him so intimately and loves him so unreservedly, that He was even willing to sacrifice His life for him. This sermon grew out of the Lord's confrontation with the Jewish religious rulers following the excommunication of the formerly blind beggar (blind from birth), who Jesus healed.  Having just spoken about being the Light of the world and telling the Jews they were spiritually blind, He now changed His use of metaphors from that of light and darkness and sight and blindness (John 9) to that of shepherd and sheep. Something very interesting you want to learn from this lesson is who is represented by the sheepfold, the House of Israel or the Church.  Also, who is represented by the thieves and robbers?  Who is represented by the porter?  You may be very surprised at the answers! We have a five-point outline for this lesson. The first three outline divisions are discussed in this lesson and the last two are in the lesson to follow (Lesson #95b).  They are: (1) The Scriptural Shepherd (learn about the two kinds of sheepfolds in Israel at the time of Christ, as well as the three "doors" that are found in verses 1 to 6.  Also, does the sheepfold symbolize).

This continues our look at the glorious biblical account of the first man to directly suffer for Christ's sake, the beggar who was born blind and healed on a Sabbath by the Lord Jesus.  He was callously excommunicated from Judaism by the cold-hearted, anti-Jesus Sanhedrin Council of Israel!  However, the Good Shepherd found him after he was "cast out" by Israel's false shepherds, and led him into the eternal fold! That which man meant for evil, God used for good! The first thing the man did when Christ revealed Himself and the man believed on Him was to fall down and worship Him!  And Jesus did NOT stop him!  He accepted the worship because He is God!  

John 9:8-41 The man born blind, healed by Christ in this chapter, represents the spiritual condition of the unsaved person (we give six ways this is true).  The Lord's merciful dealings with the poor, blind beggar present a 7-step picture of the work of God in salvation (we present them in this lesson). To this point in the narrative of Christ's healing of the blind beggar of John chapter 9, the man has received his sight - which was a unprecedented miracle!  Nobody had EVER healed a man who was BORN blind!  In this second part of this study on "The Light Gives Sight," we look at the process that then led to the far greater miracle, which was the opening of the man's spiritual eyes; the "eyes of his heart".   The religious rulers were (of course) not pleased that the man could see for the first time in his life!  They were "upset" that he was healed on the Sabbath!  Thus, they begin a ridiculously cruel interrogation of the situation (hoping to discredit Jesus for breaking Sabbath Law).  First, they interrogate the former blind beggar, then his neighbors, then his cowardly parents, and then the beggar again!  The more they show forth their cold hearts and legalistic foolishness, the stronger the man's faith in Jesus becomes!  He goes from being astonished at their unbelief, to making a logical assessment of the situation (9:31), to having assurance in Christ being "of God" (9:32, 33)! The remainder of this account is found in the next lesson (#94b).

John 9:1-7 The Lord often performed a miracle to serve as a living illustration for a message containing spiritual truth.  In John chapter 9, His living illustration and confirmation of His "Light of the World Sermon" was a man born blind who He (Christ, the Light of the world) healed!  The greatest miracle in this chapter, however, is not the opening of the man's eyes, but the opening of his heart to the light of truth concerning the Person of Jesus Christ! This is the first of a three-part study on this very moving, dramatic account of the healing of a man born blind!  If you are like me, you will really come to admire that man, who serves as a great role model for us regarding standing up for common sense and for TRUTH regarding Christ's Identity!

John 8:48-59 This is the last part of the Lord's "Light of the World Sermon".  There are many interesting verses in the last section of what we call the Lord's "True Emancipation Proclamation".  Jesus asked the religious rulers if they could point out any sin in His life; their silence speaks volumes, although they resorted to name-calling.  They said He was a "Samaritan" (which they considered one of the worst insults) and that He had "a devil".  He ignored their first insult, but proceeded to tell them how His words and actions proved He was not demonically controlled.   Ever-patient, Jesus then invited them to trust His words so they would be set free from ever experiencing eternal separation from God.  It was at this point the Jews again mentioned Abraham, asking Jesus, "Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead?"  Christ had already made a statement that was really a claim of His Lordship over the Tomb (8:51); now He made a claim as to His Lordship over Time!  We get into a wonderful detailed study of His next words to the Jews, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad" (8:56)!   We enjoy a quick review of "The Gospel on Moriah" (Abraham's almost sacrifice of Isaac) as we discover how it was that Abraham actually DID SEE (with eyes of faith) Christ's day!   At the end of the Lord's "Emancipation Proclamation," the Jews were boiling with anger and they picked up heavy stones  to stone Him to death!  But, it was not His hour and, somehow, He miraculously hid Himself from them.

John 8:31-47 "The True Emancipation Proclamation" is the title for a two-part study, which continues and completes the Lord's "Light of the World Sermon" given in the Temple Treasury, the day after the Feast of Tabernacles.  He spoke about true freedom and how anyone can find "Emancipation from Enslaving Sin" (8:31-41a), "Emancipation from Evil Satan" (8:41b-47), "Emancipation from Eternal Separation" (8:48-59).  The first two of these sub-divisions are discussed in this lesson. Learn what the Lord meant by His words, "If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (8:31b, 32)!  IF YOU TRULY WANT FREEDOM, IT COMES FROM KNOWING THE LORD JESUS AND THE TRUTH ABOUT HIM IN SCRIPTURE.

John 8:13-30 Inspired by the Holy Spirit, John designed his account of Christ's life so that 3 wilderness pictures of Jesus are presented in sequential order in chapters 6, 7, and 8.  In chapter 6, manna was given as a picture of the Lord, the True Bread of Life Who came down from Heaven.  In chapter 7, the water from the rock in Horeb was given as a picture of the Living Water (the Spirit), Who only Christ, the Rock can offer.  In chapter 8, the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night which led Israel in the wilderness is used to present a picture of the True Light of the world, the Lord Jesus - the Shekinah Glory veiled in Human flesh. Jesus made a claim to Messiahship and Deity when He said He is the Light of the world.  The Jews were set on disproving His claim publicly.  The Law said a person's word of testimony with regard to himself was not acceptable in a judicial court unless other witnesses substantiated it.  This latest challenge and the Lord's response to it for the subject for this second half of a two-part study on "The Light of the World". We discuss "The Lord's Witness" (8:13-16), "The Law's Witness" (8:17-20), "The Lord's Way" (8:21-24), and "The Lord's Word" (8:25-30). Another prediction of His upcoming crucifixion is found in John 8:28, which literally reads, "When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I AM" (the pronoun "He" is not in the original manuscript)!!  Another powerful lesson regarding the Person of Jesus Christ, the Lord!

John 8:12, 20a Although this lesson only covers 1 and 1/2 verses, it is packed full of Bible "meat"! After the adulteress woman episode, in which the religious rulers failed miserably to trap Jesus, they tried another approach.  When they heard Him make yet another claim to Deity when He said, "I am the Light of the world,"  they tried to prove Him false, and the result was "The Light of the World Sermon" (8:12-58) - to be covered through Lesson #92 (and illustrated as being TRUE in Lessons #93 and #94 regarding Christ's healing of a man born blind). There is simply too much to "spell out" in this brief synopsis; you just need to hear it all for yourself, probably more than once!

John 8:1-11 In John chapter 8, we find the nation of Israel represented symbolically as God's adulterous wife.  This lesson is the well-know account of the adulteress brought before Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees to present Him with a seemingly impossible dilemma.  They figured He could not resolve this situation without either publicly disregarding the Mosaic Law (by saying, "Let her go") or by disappointing the people for not demonstrating compassion and mercy (by saying, "Stone her to death"). Incarnate Truth (Christ) cannot set aside the divinely inspired Law; Incarnate Grace (Christ) cannot ignore the hopelessness of the sinner.  How could grace flow from Jesus without doing damage to either justice or holiness?  Omnipotent Wisdom provided the solution!  He had the right to offer the woman grace because He was going to be condemned in her place!

John 7:32-53 Jesus stood in the Temple, raising His voice to people who thought He could not possibly be the Messiah because they "knew" His origin (birthplace and parentage), but they were wrong.  He gave repeated claims to His Deity (7:28, 29), which enraged the religious rulers, especially when many people did believe Jesus was Who He claimed to be.  The Jews felt it was time to send for the Temple guard to arrest Him.  In this lesson, the Lord spoke a prophecy to the religious rulers, "Ye shall seek Me and shall not find Me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come" (7:34).  They sarcastically said among themselves that he must be going among the Gentiles, for they would not "lower" themselves to associated with Gentiles.   John recorded the events of the last day of the Feast of Taberncaldes.  We talk a lot about the rituals and ceremonies involved in celebrating this feast and how Jesus used them to point to Himself as the Fulfillment - for example - of the Rock smitten by Moses in the wilderness out from which flowed life-giving water!  He said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.  He that believeth on Me as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (7:37, 38). There were three kinds of responses to His words - some heeded it; some hindered it; and others hated it.  Interestingly, the Temple officers sent by the Sanhedrin Council to arrest Jesus did not arrest Him; instead they returned to the Council with this testimony, "Never man spake like this man" (7:46)!  Then, too, one of their own Council members spoke up in defense of Jesus!  His name was Nicodemus!   This is a great lesson!  Lots of "meat".

John 7:11-31 In this lesson, we discuss the various debates about Jesus taking place in Jerusalem both before His arrival there and following His appearance in the Temple in the midst of the festival week (the Feast of Tabernacles, which lasted 7 days).  There are five main divisions to this lesson: (1) Arguments about Christ's Character, (2) Astonishment at Christ's Doctrine, (3) Accusations of Christ's Person, (4) Anger Over Christ's Word, and (5) Ambivalence Over Christ's Origin. Find out why it is impossible to conclude that Jesus was just a "good man"!  Also, learn how you can KNOW if what Jesus taught is true!  He gave the answer in John 7:17 and 7:18.  Learn how He pointed out yet another hypocrisy in the Jewish religious leaders concerning their supposed "love" for Moses and the Law!  Learn what particular "work" and what particular claim Christ did and made that made the Jews (rulers) so indignant that they wanted to kill Him.  The Jews could take no more of Christ's claims to Deity, so they sought to lay hands on Him to arrest Him, but they could not.  Why?  The answer is found in John 7:30, ". . . because His hour was not yet come"!  He had six more months of ministry remaining, and nobody could touch Him until it was the divinely appointed time for Him to give His life - willingly!  That time was the Passover.

Luke 9:51-56; John 7:1-10 The Lord now came to the end of His Galilean ministry.  In Luke 9:51, He is headed toward Jerusalem of Judea, and we read these words, "And it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received up, He stedfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem".  It was near to the Feast of Tabernacles with only six months before the Feast of Passover - the one in which Christ would be the Passover Lamb! Knowing His time was growing short and also knowing what awaited Him when He arrived in Jerusalem, nonetheless, He set His face like flint to complete the work He set out to do.  He had put His hand to the plow, and He would NOT turn back!  He was "On the Road to Rejection," and it would begin sadly.  It began with the rejection of His own half-brothers, which is what we look at first, "Spurned by His Siblings," and as He passed through Samaria, He was also "Spurned by the Samaritans".

Matthew 8:19-22; Luke 9:57-62 The Lord said His yoke is easy and His burden light, but it does not mean He makes easy and light demands of those who would be His followers (disciples).  He also said those who follow Him in committed discipleship must be willing to deny self and take up their cross.  In this lesson, the Lord encountered three "would-be" disciples - men who claimed they wanted to follow Him.  However, by way of these three living illustrations (and their "excuses"), we see just how real the demand of Christian discipleship are and how few people are truly willing to commit completely to Christ's service!   In His conversation with the three "would be" disciples, we learn of the three most common barriers to total Christian commitment:  (1) The Barrier of Present Resources, (2) The Barrier of Future Riches, and (3) The Barrier of Past Relationships.

Matthew 18:21-35 The last section of the Lord's "Sermon on Being Children of God" came as a result of a question posed by Peter.  After hearing Jesus teach about the necessary steps believers must take in regard to the discipline of an offending brother, Peter became curious about the number of times a sinning brother should be forgiven.  Thinking he was being very generous, he then suggested his own number - 7 times.  In answer to Peter, the Lord spoke about the importance of forgiveness in the Christian's life.  This is the subject of this lesson, forgiveness is the Key to Family Unity! Included in this lesson is the Lord's "Parable of the Wicked Servant" (Matthew 18:23-34).

Matthew 17:15-20 This is a difficult lesson (often ignored by many churches and Christians), for it on "Discipline With the Family" (speaking of the family of God).  It is the Lord's instructions for how to properly engage in church discipline.  He presented the necessary and sequential steps involved in godly, Biblical discipline of believers who have stumbled into sin by offending or despising a "brother or sister" in Christ.  These principles for preserving family unity are still applicable today!  

Matthew 18:10-20 This next two-part study entitled "Preserving Family Unity" is a continuation of the Lord's "Sermon on Being the Children of God" (Lesson #81), which was precipitated by the disciples' argument over which of them would be "the greatest" in the Kingdom.  He taught them about humility in the section we entitled "Servants, Not Celebrities," and He taught them about true servant-greatness in the section, "Stepping Stones, Not Stumbling Blocks".   In this lesson (and #82b), He rebuked His men for their argument with each other about greatness, for in seeking self-promotion, they were actually pushing the others down.  It was a form of "despising" others in the family of God.   Learn from Him what some of the ways in which Christ despise each other (18:10a), and why Christians should NOT despise one another (18:10b-14).    In this study, we discuss "The Parable of the Lost Sheep"!

Matthew 18:5-9; Mark 9:36-50; Luke 9:48-50 Although the Lord Jesus shortly before had predicted His up-coming suffering and death (Matthew 17:22, 23), His disciples were so focused on their own selfish ambitions that they heatedly disputed over who among them was to be the greatest in the Kingdom!  This is what prompted the Lord to preach a sermon on being children of God.  This sermon, more than any other of His discourses, teaches Christians how to get along with one another! With a small child in the midst of them (18:2), Christ taught about God's perspective on true greatness, which begins with childlike humility.  He also taught about the importance of having a servant-like attitude and spirit.  Among other subjects discussed in this lesson are "The Problem of Sectarianism" (important!), "The Peril of Stumbling Blocks"(we can either influence people for the better and help them live more righteously, or we can influence them for the worse by causing them to stumble into sin), and "The Power of Salt" (Mark 9:49, 50).

Matthew 17:24-18:4; Mark 9:33-35; Luke 9:46, 47 This lesson covers two major events, one in the form of a miracle ("Simon's Fishy Coin") and the other in the form of an instructional sermon, which we call "Sermon on Being Children of God".  The sermon is the Lord's personal instructions about being humble, harmonious, and forgiven children of God!  We begin it in this lesson by talking about the importance of being "Servants, Not Celebrities"!  In the lesson to follow (#81), the Lord teaches us to be "Stepping Stones, Not Stumbling Blocks"! There is a lot of Bible teaching in this lesson about the Christian's behavior as a "citizen" of this world!  Although our ultimate citizenship is in Heaven and although the governments of this world are all, to one degree or another, corrupt, yet we are under obligation to human government (i.e. to pay our taxes, obey the laws) except when obedience would directly interfere with obedience to God.  By divine law, we are to be subject to human laws and government!  

Matthew 17:14-23; Mark 9:14-32; Luke 9:37-45 With this lesson, we move into "The Private Ministry of Christ" (the final year of His ministry), when He was focused on preparing His disciples for the work they would carry on once He returned to His Father in Heaven.  One of the first principles He taught His men, after He came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, was a principle regarding faith.  Coming down back into "the valley of life," the Lord encountered what we call "A Hellish Situation" (a boy demoniac and the utter failure of the nine Apostles to deliver him).  The Lord taught a valuable lesson on faith - not only must spiritual life initially be received by faith; it must also continually be lived out by faith!  He alone had "A Heavenly Solution".  He delivered the boy and not only cultivated the faith of the boy's father, but corrected the failure of His men!

Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36 For the first time, Jesus had revealed the fact of His Second Coming, something the Jews never understood about the Messiah.  He then revealed the reliability of the prophecy (of His Return) by giving a glimpse of His Second Coming "Kingly splendor" to three of His Apostles: Peter, James, and John on what has come to be called "The Mount of Transfiguration".  That revelation of His divine nature was a miniature preview of His Second Coming. Learn about the conversation with two special Old Testament saints Christ had on the Mount!  Why is the word "exodus" mentioned as the center of that conversation and why is that term significant for believers?   Learn of Peter's suggestion and why it had to be corrected by God from Heaven!  Why did Christ only allow three men to witness this unveiling of His glory - and then forbid them from telling the others about it (until after His resurrection).