When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (John 4:1)
I never cease to be surprised by how often I read a familiar passage in Scripture and see something new that escaped me all the previous times I read that particular passage. So it was this week when I read in John, Chapter Four, in my daily Bible reading. It is the account of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.[1]
I do not know how many times I have read this account, how many sermons I’ve heard preached on it, or how many times it has been covered in Sunday School lessons. It has become a very familiar passage, which I can almost recite verbatim. However, this time, the first verse struck me like running into a solid brick wall. I had to stop and take a closer look.
The verse reads: “When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John” (John 4:1, emphasis mine). Do you see it? Obviously, the context informs us that “the Lord” refers to Jesus, but why does John use that word? He is obviously referring to Jesus, so why doesn’t he just come out and say so? He could have said, “When therefore Jesus knew how the Pharisees had heard the He made and baptized more disciples than John [the Baptist].” That made me curious.
I looked up the verse in the popular English Standard Version (ESV) which reads like this: “Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John.” Well, there you go! Of course, this makes it appear as if Jesus obtained this information via rumor or through the grapevine. That is very plausible, but it minimizes Jesus’ attribute of omniscience.
The New English Translation (NET) reads similarly, but removes any guesswork: “Now when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that he was winning and baptizing more disciples than John.” “Knowing” is stronger than “learning.” The New Living Translation (NLT) also uses “knew” instead of “learned:” “Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John.”
However, my question is not about “learned” vs. “knew,” but rather about “Lord” vs. “Jesus.” In context, we already know that John is talking about Jesus, but as the subject of the sentence, he uses “Lord” instead of “Jesus.” Why?
In the Greek text, the subject noun is κύριος (kurios). Strong’s defines it as “supreme in authority, that is, (as noun) controller; by implication Mr. (as a respectful title): – God, Lord, master, Sir.”
John’s main purpose for writing his Gospel was to emphasize the deity of Christ, therefore, the use of “Lord” for Jesus makes sense in that He is God.[2] The NET makes a notation for its use of “Jesus” instead of “Lord” suggesting that “the internal evidence seems to be on the side of ᾿Ιησοῦς. ‘Jesus’ is mentioned two more times in the first two verses of chapter four in a way that is stylistically awkward…”[3] However, the same note admits that “Several early and significant witnesses [i.e, manuscripts], along with the majority of later ones (P66c,75 A B C L Ws Ψ 083 ƒ13 33 M sa), have κύριος (kurios, “Lord”) here instead of ᾿Ιησοῦς (Iēsous, “Jesus”).”[4] So, they make that choice for “stylistic” reasons?
So, what’s the big deal? Well, first of all, John chose to use “Lord” and not “Jesus” because as Lord, i.e., God, Jesus “knew” (He is omniscient) without needing to gather information secondhand, as the ESV suggests by the use of “learned.” He knew what the Pharisees were thinking. He knew what was in their hearts, and He knew they were looking for any opportunity to find guilt in Him. John the Baptist had a large following, and this troubled them. John the Baptist had called the Pharisees a “generation of vipers.”[5] Now here comes Jesus drawing a larger following of disciples than John the Baptist. This really had them worried.
The “Lord” Jesus knew their hearts and their intents because, as God, He knows the hearts of men. He had no need to learn it through any other means. John wanted to make that clear. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is God. He “knows.” He does not “learn.”
Reader, do you know the Lord Jesus? If not, please read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.” He is coming soon and you need to be ready. You can read more about that on my “Revelation” page.
Notes:
[3] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+4%3A1&version=NET
[4] Ibid.
Ernie's Musings 