The gospel writers were very intentional about how they arranged the events of Jesus’ life. The events are ordered for theological purposes rather than to reflect an exact historical chronology. Hence each gospel orders the material differently according to the message the writer wants to get across. John places the temple cleansing account right at the beginning of his gospel and then has Jesus moving away from Jerusalem due to growing opposition from the leaders of the Jewish capital. This movement is highly symbolic as Jerusalem was the spiritual heart of the nation and yet Jesus was rejected there (4:44 refers to Jerusalem as Jesus’ hometown in this sense). In contrast to this, Jesus was then accepted in the more pagan parts of the country like Samaria and Galilee. This is where he did his miracles. Jesus wants to transform your life, but there is opposition to that in your heart just as there was in Judea in Jesus’ time on earth. The opposition arises from the fact that Jesus wants to cleanse out of your heart every other life agenda than the one he has for you. Many people do not experience Jesus’ activity in their lives because they are not willing to receive him as their absolute sovereign; they are not willing to lay down every selfish ambition. The Pharisees saw Jesus as a threat to their aspirations for influence and importance. Their ambitions caused them to reject Jesus. But those who, like the official described at the end of chapter 4, received him without reserve saw his power at work in their lives.
Submit your life ambitions to Christ.
Read John 4:43-54
