John 4:1 - Meaning and Application

We read that Christ came into Judea after he had kept the feast at Jerusalem (John 3:22). Now he left Judea four months before harvest, as we are told here (John 4:35). So it is likely that he stayed in Judea about six months, building on the foundation John had already laid there. We do not have a full account of his sermons and miracles there, only this general summary in John 4:1.

First, he made disciples. He persuaded many to accept his teaching and follow him as a teacher sent from God. His work succeeded, even though it faced opposition (Psalm 110:2, 3). The phrase “made disciples” means the same as “disciple-making,” that is, forming followers. Compare Genesis 12:5. It refers to the souls they had gained, the proselytes they had made. This is Christ’s special right, first to bring people to his feet, then to shape them according to his will. A Christian is made, not born, into a Christian.

Second, he baptized those he made disciples, admitting them by washing with water, though he did not do it himself but through his disciples (John 4:2). He did this for several reasons. He wanted to show a difference between his baptism and John’s, since John baptized everyone himself, while Christ acted as master and used servants. He also wanted to focus more on preaching, which is the higher work (1 Corinthians 1:17). He honored his disciples by giving them this work and training them for further service. If he had baptized some himself, people might have boasted about it and looked down on others, which he wanted to avoid, as Paul later did (1 Corinthians 1:13, 14). He also meant to reserve for himself the greater honor of baptizing with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). This teaches us that the power of the sacraments does not come from the person who administers them. It also shows that what his ministers do according to his command, he counts as done by himself.

Third, he made and baptized more disciples than John, not only more than John was making at that time, but more than John had ever made. Christ’s way with people was more drawing than John’s. His miracles were convincing, and the healings he gave freely were very appealing.

Fourth, the Pharisees heard about this. They learned how many people he was baptizing, because they had watched him closely from the start and kept spies near him. Notice two things. When the Pharisees thought they had gotten rid of John, who was by then in prison, Jesus appeared and became an even greater problem for them than John had been. The witnesses will rise again. Also, what upset them was Christ making so many disciples. The gospel’s success stirs up its enemies, and it is a good sign that it is gaining ground when the powers of darkness grow angry.

Fifth, our Lord Jesus knew very well what the Pharisees were being told about him. The informers likely wanted to stay hidden, and the Pharisees probably did not want their plans exposed. But no one can keep secrets from the Lord (Isaiah 29:15), and Christ is called the Lord here. He knew what was said to the Pharisees, and it probably went beyond the truth. It is unlikely that Jesus had yet baptized more than John, but it was reported that way to make him seem more threatening. Compare 2 Kings 6:12.

Sixth, because of this, our Lord Jesus left Judea and went again into Galilee.

He left Judea because he was likely to be persecuted there, even to death. The Pharisees were furious with him, and their wicked policy was to destroy the child in his early days. To avoid their plans, Christ left the country and went where his work would provoke less anger than it would under their close watch. First, his hour had not yet come (John 7:30), the time fixed in God’s plan and in Old Testament prophecy for the Messiah to be cut off. He had not finished his witness, so he would not hand himself over needlessly. Second, the disciples he had gathered in Judea were not yet strong enough for hardship, so he would not expose them. Third, he was giving an example of his own rule: “When they persecute you in one city, flee to another.” We are not required to suffer when we can avoid it without sin. So while we must never change our faith to save ourselves, we may change our place. Christ protected himself, not by a miracle, but in a common human way, for the guidance and encouragement of his suffering people.

He went into Galilee because he had work there, along with many friends and fewer enemies. He went there now, first, because John’s ministry had already prepared the way there. Galilee, under Herod’s rule, was the last place where John baptized. Second, John’s imprisonment had opened the way for him there. With John now shut up, people would no longer divide their attention between him and Christ. In this way, both the freedom and the restraint of good ministers serve the progress of the gospel (Philippians 1:12). But what kind of safety was he seeking by going to Galilee? Herod, who had persecuted John, would never become a protector of Jesus. Chemnitius rightly notes that godly people in this life have places they can flee to, but no true refuge except God himself.