To access the John 10:14-21 PODCAST, click here
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” 21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” ~ John 10:14-21
Christianity is more than being saved from sin and death and judgment, it is a personal relationship with the living God who leads the believer through the darkness of this world. The words of v.14 are astonishing and quite revealing. The Lord Jesus offers His sheep a relationship with Him which is on par with His eternal relationship between God the Father and God the Spirit.
In v.14, we read, "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me." The Greek word used here for "know" is "gnosko," which is experiential, relational knowledge. The order here is very important for we do not come to know Him first. No, our knowledge of Him is in response to His of us. We know Him for He first knew us. This intimate knowledge renders for us a relationship that is eternal life.
No one else can satisfy the human heart, no one else can solve the problems of the human mind, no one can answer the questions about life after death like the Lord Jesus. No one can deal with human conflict and strife and bring healing and deliverance like the Lord Jesus. He is the only one because He only is God.
In v.16, the Lord Jesus says, "I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen." The sheep He speaks of is found in the nations of the earth. From the beginning, He had a heart for all ethnicities. In Genesis 12, He told Abraham, He would bless all mankind by blessing Abraham. This provides for us God's ultimate purpose for our lives: to be a blessing.
Four times, in today's text, Jesus says he "lays down his life" for the sheep. (v.11,15,17,18). The Lord Jesus is not a hired hand, because the sheep belong to Him and because he loves the sheep more than he loves His own life. When the Lord Jesus sees the wolves coming, he does not leave the sheep to be destroyed. He fights the wolves and saves the sheep. And in doing it, he lays down his life for the sheep.
According to v.19-21, disputes began over the identity of the Lord Jesus. The picture given in these verses provides a realistic look at how people respond to the claims of the Lord Jesus. For most, His free offer of forgiveness of sin and a personal relationship with Him is too much. While, for some, He is the God to be worshipped. For those who believe, once He is experienced by them, they want others to know about Him for themselves. Therefore, having entered into a personal relationship with God, believers engaged in opportunities to make Him known to others.
Finally, there are two large bodies of water in Israel, the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is found in the north. The sea to the south is called the Dead Sea, and for good reason. Geographically, these two seas are only 63 miles apart. If we look closely at the map, we’ll notice one distinct difference between these two bodies of water. The sea of Galilee is fed from the north and in turn feeds the famous Jordan River to the south. Water comes in, water goes out. However, the Dead sea is in “receive only” mode. All water flows in, and none flows out. One sea receives and gives, while the other sea only receives.
Friday, November 08, 2019
Thursday, November 07, 2019
John 10:7-13
To access the John 10:7-13 PODCAST, click here
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. John 10:7-13
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. John 10:7-13
There are seven "I am" statements mentioned by the Lord Jesus throughout John's gospel. Again, the theme of "His fullness" is highlighted with the number seven being the number for fullness or completion.
In v.7, the third of these seven statements is used. The Lord Jesus is the Shepherd of the sheep. In our text, the Lord Jesus uses certain characteristics of a shepherd to impart understanding of His identity. In so doing, He is clearly contrasting Himself with the false shepherds who are challenging Him.
Today's text follows the healing of the man born blind, who had been cast out of the synagogue because of his faith in the Lord Jesus. These religious leaders had taken the truth and twisted it to mean something different than intended by God. Thus, they valued the Sabbath more than the welfare of a man born blind.
The Lord Jesus identifies Himself as "the gate for the sheep." After shepherding the sheep for the day, in the evening, the shepherd would lead His flock to the holding pen. The pen was a corral-type structure within which the sheep was protected from danger during the night. The pen had an opening across which the shepherd himself would lie across so that the sheep would be protected from any dangerous animal that would want to ravage the sheep. This is why the sheep love the shepherd so much, He lays down His life for the sheep.
In v. 9, the Lord Jesus said, "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture." This is similar to what the Lord Jesus said in John 14:6: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He is saying I am the door. If you believe in me, and trust me to be the only path to God, I promise you two things (John 10:9): You will be saved; and you will go in and out and find pasture.
We were created for more than to be protected by the Shepherd, we were created to "go in and out, and find pasture." To find pasture is to experience "eternal life." This eternal life is an intimate, personal relationship with God.
To go into the fold means to find security in the Lord Jesus. There is no security to be found in this world. But the wonderful thing is the danger and the lack of security is a means to getting to know Him more. All things out there outside the pen are to be viewed as a means of anticipating the arrival of the Shepherd. This is where real life, real security, is found.
But more than that, we will experience the freedom that enables us to go out into the dangerous world again. The Shepherd is with us, He owns us, thus we have the freedom to move out into life, into any dimension. And, it is exciting because He is with us and we discover Him more deeply.
In v.10, we read, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Full life, not just surviving, barely making it from day to day, but a life filled with joy and peace and love. Full life, of course, means a life filled with excitement and adventure with Him. The full life is filled with constant expectation of what is coming next. Sometimes it is dangerous, sometimes it hurts, but it is filled with a sense of adventure. That is what Jesus means by "the full life."
According to v.11, the good shepherd loves the sheep unto death. This is what lures our hearts, His heart for us. The, religious leaders are thieves who are in it for selfish gain. They want something for themselves. They regard the sheep as something to be exploited, to be used to advance and to build themselves up. When the sheep get into trouble, they run, leaving the sheep to fend for themselves.
Incidentally the Lord Jesus uses the word "own" in v.12. The Greek word used for "own" is the word from which we get our English word "idiot." As Bob Dylan so long ago sang, "you're gonna have to serve somebody." We serve that which owns us.
Finally, the abiding presence of the Shepherd comforts the sheep. It is His presence in our lives which causes us to abide with Him. Without His abiding presence, we would be hopeless. Watchman Nee once said, “I must first have the sense of God's possession of me before I can have the sense of His presence with me.”
Wednesday, November 06, 2019
John 10:1-6
To access the JOHN 10:1-6 PODCAST, click here
1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. ~ John 10:1-6
In the days when the Lord Jesus walked this earth, shepherds brought their flocks into one central sheepfold every evening where half-a-dozen flocks gathered together and were guarded by a gatekeeper behind locked doors. In the morning the shepherds returned and each called his own sheep. Although the flocks had been mingled together, each flock knew its own shepherd's voice, and each would follow its own shepherd and no other.
In today's text, we learn the marks of the True Shepherd of the sheep.
The first is given in v.1 which reads, "who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber." The true Shepherd of the sheep enter by the door. He fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament. He was born in Bethlehem predicted by the prophet Micah in Micah 5:2. He was also born of a virgin as predicted by Isaiah in Isaiah 7:14. The Lord Jesus followed the complete path as laid out by His Father in the Old Testament.
The second mark of the True Shepherd is found in v.3 which reads, "The gatekeeper opens the gate for him." The "gatekeeper," of course, was John the Baptist. He opened the door. He was the "voice crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord,'" (John 1:23). John the Baptist identified Jesus in the words, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," (John 1:29).
The third mark of the True Shepherd is also found in v.3 which reads, "the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." His own recognize His voice, and the more time we read His word, the more we will recognize His voice.
In addition, today's text reveals the process involved in following the Lord Jesus.
In John's gospel, every encounter with the Lord Jesus is on a personal basis. In John 3, the Lord Jesus met Nicodemus alone at night. In John 4, He met the woman at the well after His disciples went to town. In John 9, He met the man born blind alone. In each of these encounters he met the individual personally, alone.
The significance of this is we come to know the Lord Jesus on a one on one basis. The Lord Jesus never takes a group in at once. It is always one at a time. What we believe in the silence and loneliness of our own hearts about Him is what makes the difference.
At the end of v.3, we read, "He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." When the Lord Jesus called me, He led me out of my blindness. He gradually corrected my thinking as to what was real reality. In addition, He slowly showed me that He had the best life for me. And, in time, He has showed me that my life is about sharing with others that He can be trusted.
In v.4, we read, "When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." When He leads us out He does not leave us alone; He goes ahead of us. There have been many times over my thirty eight years of following the Lord Jesus that I have wanted to stop following Him. But, I could not, largely because He is with me. His abiding presence does not leave us by ourselves.
According to v.5, the sheep "But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice." The sheep will recognize the voice of danger because he is getting to know the voice of the Shepherd. The nearest example of this is found in John 9 where the man born blind recognized the false voices of the religious leaders.
Finally, as indicated in v.6, those who are not following the Shepherd will not understand His leading. The Pharisees, whom he had called "thieves and robbers," had stolen the truth. In the case of the man born blind they had robbed him of the true meaning of the Sabbath, the true meaning of the Law, and the meaning of the shepherd. So here the Lord Jesus is saying, "I am the way to understand truth about life."
1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. ~ John 10:1-6
In the days when the Lord Jesus walked this earth, shepherds brought their flocks into one central sheepfold every evening where half-a-dozen flocks gathered together and were guarded by a gatekeeper behind locked doors. In the morning the shepherds returned and each called his own sheep. Although the flocks had been mingled together, each flock knew its own shepherd's voice, and each would follow its own shepherd and no other.
In today's text, we learn the marks of the True Shepherd of the sheep.
The first is given in v.1 which reads, "who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber." The true Shepherd of the sheep enter by the door. He fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament. He was born in Bethlehem predicted by the prophet Micah in Micah 5:2. He was also born of a virgin as predicted by Isaiah in Isaiah 7:14. The Lord Jesus followed the complete path as laid out by His Father in the Old Testament.
The second mark of the True Shepherd is found in v.3 which reads, "The gatekeeper opens the gate for him." The "gatekeeper," of course, was John the Baptist. He opened the door. He was the "voice crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord,'" (John 1:23). John the Baptist identified Jesus in the words, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," (John 1:29).
The third mark of the True Shepherd is also found in v.3 which reads, "the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." His own recognize His voice, and the more time we read His word, the more we will recognize His voice.
In addition, today's text reveals the process involved in following the Lord Jesus.
In John's gospel, every encounter with the Lord Jesus is on a personal basis. In John 3, the Lord Jesus met Nicodemus alone at night. In John 4, He met the woman at the well after His disciples went to town. In John 9, He met the man born blind alone. In each of these encounters he met the individual personally, alone.
The significance of this is we come to know the Lord Jesus on a one on one basis. The Lord Jesus never takes a group in at once. It is always one at a time. What we believe in the silence and loneliness of our own hearts about Him is what makes the difference.
At the end of v.3, we read, "He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." When the Lord Jesus called me, He led me out of my blindness. He gradually corrected my thinking as to what was real reality. In addition, He slowly showed me that He had the best life for me. And, in time, He has showed me that my life is about sharing with others that He can be trusted.
In v.4, we read, "When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." When He leads us out He does not leave us alone; He goes ahead of us. There have been many times over my thirty eight years of following the Lord Jesus that I have wanted to stop following Him. But, I could not, largely because He is with me. His abiding presence does not leave us by ourselves.
According to v.5, the sheep "But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice." The sheep will recognize the voice of danger because he is getting to know the voice of the Shepherd. The nearest example of this is found in John 9 where the man born blind recognized the false voices of the religious leaders.
Finally, as indicated in v.6, those who are not following the Shepherd will not understand His leading. The Pharisees, whom he had called "thieves and robbers," had stolen the truth. In the case of the man born blind they had robbed him of the true meaning of the Sabbath, the true meaning of the Law, and the meaning of the shepherd. So here the Lord Jesus is saying, "I am the way to understand truth about life."
Tuesday, November 05, 2019
John 9:35-41
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. ~ John 9:35-41
The Lord Jesus had given to this formerly blind man physical eyesight. Now, in today's text, He gives him spiritual eyesight by saying in v.37, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you." I love the man's response in v.38, "Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him."
As illustrated here, the biggest issue in our lives is that of worship. And yet, there are so many competitors in life for our worship. This is why the first commandment informs us to have no gods BEFORE Him. You see, that preposition "before" is of major importance. Whether we admit it or not, we have many gods. I believe the number one god in America is "comfort." So, what we worship the most is of most importance in our lives.
Then follows the Lord's next comment in v.39, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." We live among the most educated group of young people ever in this country, and yet, they largely do not believe in the Lord Jesus. Millenials illustrate this adage: when we begin to think that we do not need the Lord, we are in the most danger. To put is another way, "Once we reach the top, take care as the only way left to go is down."
Some of the Pharisees near the Lord Jesus heard these things, and said to Him, “Are we blind, too?” In v.41, the Lord Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."
This chapter began with Jesus healing a man born blind. A physical miracle happened. Jesus did it on the Sabbath, and He did it by making clay which He applied to the blind man's eyes. And so a conflict is unleashed. And as the conflict progresses, it becomes clear that the blind beggar is seeing reality more and more clearly, and the Pharisees are seeing reality less and less clearly.
The blind man moves from seeing Jesus as a man (v.11), to seeing Him as a prophet (v.17) to worshiping Him (v.38). But the Pharisees move the opposite direction. In v.16: “This man [Jesus] is not from God.” In v.22: “If anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.” Then, in v. 24: “This man [Jesus] is a sinner.” Finally, in v.34, to the formerly blind man: “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?”
And what becomes plain as we come to the last three verses is that what began as a miracle of healing physical blindness has become (as so often in this Gospel) a picture of healing spiritual blindness.
The mission of the Lord Jesus was not to condemn us. However, as people believe in the Lord Jesus, a division happens and those who do not believe are revealed by their unbelief.
The Lord Jesus saves by being the truth and speaking the truth and doing the truth. And those who are not of the truth refuse to embrace Him as Savior, and therefore are condemned.
So, in v.39, the Lord Jesus explains how He has come into the world for judgment. He has come for judgment “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” On the one hand, the judging sword of the Lord Jesus is going to cut away the blinding calluses of the heart, and the blind will see. But on the other hand, there is a blinding effect of this saving work. According to v.39: “and those who see may become blind.”
For the spiritually blind, blindness is a condition of the mind, whereas the Lord Jesus is saying spiritual blindness is of the heart. So, in v.41, the Lord Jesus says, "your guilt remains." Our sin condemns us if we do not turn to the Lord Jesus for forgiveness.
Those who have perfectly good eyes, who can think and reason, who can see the evidences, and hear the sermons, and read the Bible, and get acquainted with the Lord Jesus, but who will not admit they are blind and need to be born again with spiritual life and light, they are blind, their blindness is revealed and the more light that they resist, the harder and deeper becomes their blindness.
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Monday, November 04, 2019
John 9:13-34
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13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.
15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” 18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” 20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.”
22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” 28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. ~ JOHN 9:13-34
Today, we continue in the story of the man born blind. All that the healed blind man knew of the Lord Jesus was His name. He had heard His name, but he knows nothing more about Him. This underscores the fact that nothing happens to us, it happens for us. In this man's case, his blindness happened to him so that He would be able to experience the Lord Jesus. Ninety percent of life is how we respond to the ten percent that happens to us.
Then a trial ensues for this changed man. What a picture for us. Be reminded there are two things in the scripture that causes our faith in the Lord Jesus to grow: trials which cause us to turn to Him, and the spoken word of God which is what is needed for a deepening personal relationship to take place. No wonder this man faces a trial with the religious leaders.
Now, when the Lord Jesus healed the blind man, in the eyes of the religious leaders, He broke the Sabbath. Spitting on the ground violated the Sabbath because it was work, and work was forbidden on the Sabbath.
According to v.18-21, the Jews did not believe that the formerly blind man had been blind and had received his sight, until they called his parents, and asked, "Is this your son?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind."
In v.22, we read "His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue." This man's parents were very careful how they told their version of this story, fearing the religious leaders would prevent them from worshipping in the temple.
According to v.24-27, the formerly blind man's parents are fearful, but the healed man is not! The religious leaders summon the healed blind man again to appear before them. These religious leaders are not seeking truth. In fact, they have already reached a conclusion. So, they are seeking evidence to discredit the story of the formerly blind man and the Lord Jesus.
Perhaps, one of the most often quoted verses in the Bible is found in v.25, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" No one can take away a person's personal testimony. This guy did not know much, but what he knew, he was not giving up, based upon what he did not know. This man's eternal ability to see was conditioned upon his inability to see for a time.
Then, in v.26, the religious leaders ask the same questions again, trying to bully the man into saying something against the Lord Jesus. But the once blind isn't intimidated. Rather, he accuses the Pharisees of not listening, and, he suggests that maybe they are inquiring again because of spiritual interest in becoming Jesus' disciples.
Then in v.28-29, we see the religious leaders respond to his sarcasm by insulting him. Then, they say too much: "we don’t even know where he comes from." (v.29). Their problem is that more and more of the people are believing in the Lord Jesus. Not even in the Old Testament was one born blind ever healed to see again. And, they see Him as a nobody. The faith of the people informs them that they know better.
In response, the once-blind man, can't resist pointing out in v.30-33 the faulty logic of these blind religious leaders. His logic: Jesus healed my eyes. God doesn't listen to sinners (so Jesus can't be a sinner). If Jesus isn't from God, He couldn't do such a miracle. (Therefore Jesus is from God!)
To this they replied in v.34, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out." These religious leaders were not in a pursuit of truth, they were in pursuit of power steeped in selfish gain. They were not willing to acknowledge their blindness. On the other hand, those who acknowledged their blindness, who know their inadequacy in themselves, and are convinced they need God are granted sight by the One who seeks out the blind.
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.
15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” 18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” 20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.”
22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” 28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. ~ JOHN 9:13-34
Today, we continue in the story of the man born blind. All that the healed blind man knew of the Lord Jesus was His name. He had heard His name, but he knows nothing more about Him. This underscores the fact that nothing happens to us, it happens for us. In this man's case, his blindness happened to him so that He would be able to experience the Lord Jesus. Ninety percent of life is how we respond to the ten percent that happens to us.
Then a trial ensues for this changed man. What a picture for us. Be reminded there are two things in the scripture that causes our faith in the Lord Jesus to grow: trials which cause us to turn to Him, and the spoken word of God which is what is needed for a deepening personal relationship to take place. No wonder this man faces a trial with the religious leaders.
Now, when the Lord Jesus healed the blind man, in the eyes of the religious leaders, He broke the Sabbath. Spitting on the ground violated the Sabbath because it was work, and work was forbidden on the Sabbath.
According to v.18-21, the Jews did not believe that the formerly blind man had been blind and had received his sight, until they called his parents, and asked, "Is this your son?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind."
In v.22, we read "His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue." This man's parents were very careful how they told their version of this story, fearing the religious leaders would prevent them from worshipping in the temple.
According to v.24-27, the formerly blind man's parents are fearful, but the healed man is not! The religious leaders summon the healed blind man again to appear before them. These religious leaders are not seeking truth. In fact, they have already reached a conclusion. So, they are seeking evidence to discredit the story of the formerly blind man and the Lord Jesus.
Perhaps, one of the most often quoted verses in the Bible is found in v.25, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" No one can take away a person's personal testimony. This guy did not know much, but what he knew, he was not giving up, based upon what he did not know. This man's eternal ability to see was conditioned upon his inability to see for a time.
Then, in v.26, the religious leaders ask the same questions again, trying to bully the man into saying something against the Lord Jesus. But the once blind isn't intimidated. Rather, he accuses the Pharisees of not listening, and, he suggests that maybe they are inquiring again because of spiritual interest in becoming Jesus' disciples.
Then in v.28-29, we see the religious leaders respond to his sarcasm by insulting him. Then, they say too much: "we don’t even know where he comes from." (v.29). Their problem is that more and more of the people are believing in the Lord Jesus. Not even in the Old Testament was one born blind ever healed to see again. And, they see Him as a nobody. The faith of the people informs them that they know better.
In response, the once-blind man, can't resist pointing out in v.30-33 the faulty logic of these blind religious leaders. His logic: Jesus healed my eyes. God doesn't listen to sinners (so Jesus can't be a sinner). If Jesus isn't from God, He couldn't do such a miracle. (Therefore Jesus is from God!)
To this they replied in v.34, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out." These religious leaders were not in a pursuit of truth, they were in pursuit of power steeped in selfish gain. They were not willing to acknowledge their blindness. On the other hand, those who acknowledged their blindness, who know their inadequacy in themselves, and are convinced they need God are granted sight by the One who seeks out the blind.
Friday, November 01, 2019
John 9:1-12
Click here for the John 9:1-12 PODCAST
1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said. ~ John 9:1-12
We come to the story of the healed blind man which teaches us that suffering is not always directly traceable to personal sin. According to v.1, this man was born blind. In response to the disciples question in v.2 about what caused this man to be born blind, the Lord Jesus said, "this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him."
According to the Lord Jesus' words in v.3, God sometimes permits the unwanted into our lives in order to show His glory through our experience with Him for the benefit of others.
Recently our middle son went through a very difficult time. He flatlined three times and the doctors were amazed that he lived. I, too, was amazed, but I quickly recognized that the Lord was up to something and He chose to use my Son to be a means of communicating with others. I know of three different people who made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus as a result. And, I am still learning much from what I experienced.
In v.4-5 the Lord Jesus tells us why He was sent by the Father: to be the light of the world. He came to show us that the only way into a personal relationship with God is through His perfectly lived life and His death on the cross. Of course, it was at the cross that God removed the barrier that kept us from a personal relationship with Him.
In v.6-7, John writes, "6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing."
There are many things in our lives that are irritating, and yet, it is through the most irritating that we see the Lord best at work in our lives. How irritating it must have been for this blind man to have mud put on his eyes. Sometimes, God has to irritate us in order for us to gain a focus on what is most important in our lives.
John points out the meaning of the name of this pool, Siloam, to which the Lord Jesus sent this man (he says it means "Sent"). John is obviously highlighting that these actions of the Lord Jesus are a symbolic, teaching something deeper than the mere opening of the eyes of the blind man. There is something deeper to be discovered here.
This pool was called Sent because the water in the pool was sent there from a distant spring. Perhaps, the Lord Jesus is highlighting a comparison between the pool called “Sent” and Himself as the One “sent” from the Father as the living water.
If that’s right, then the water signifies not just cleansing, and not just healing, but life. In John 4, Jesus gives the woman at the well “living water", the water of life. When we met the Lord Jesus and received Him into our lives, we begin to live, we begin to see, and we began to be healed, and will continue to be healed completely when He comes for us at the resurrection. All our seeing and all our healing is based upon this new life that comes from the Lord Jesus, the Sent One.
The Lord Jesus used mud or clay to bring sight to this man who had been blind for a long time. Clay is malleable and weak. All through Scripture, clay is used as a symbol of the weakness and fragility of mankind. We are all made of clay. We are clay pots. Some of us are even a little cracked!
When our Lord smeared clay over this man's eyes He is saying that there was something hindering the man's spiritual sight, not only his physical sight, but his spiritual sight. It is the clay of his humanity. Our fallen human nature is our hindrance to seeing spiritual truth and reality.
For physical eyes to be opened is one thing, but to open spiritual eyes, now that is something much greater. And, yet that is the point of this passage. Only as we come to the place where we begin to see who the Lord Jesus is do we really begin to experience real life. This is the story of the remaining verses of this chapter. It is a story of the resistance that this man met, the obstacles to faith that he overcame, and the gradual insight that he gained as he learned more and more about the Lord Jesus.
According to v.8-9, we read 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
There was question among the people whether this was the same man they knew, but they didn't refute the miracle. Of course, the man speaks for himself to have experienced a miracle at the hands of the Lord Jesus.
According to v.10-12, we learn, "10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.
Finally, v.10-12 clearly shows there is no question that the Lord Jesus healed this man. Do you remember the day your eyes were opened to the truth? I remember that day, it wasn't all that clear to me on the day that I was given spiritual sight. The following days, I noticed I had an appetite for the word of God. So, I read it, almost daily. And, I discovered that which was darkness to my understanding was becoming light to my soul. God will always lead and empower us through His word. And, He has given us His Spirit to lap up that which is essential to our spiritual well-being.
1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said. ~ John 9:1-12
We come to the story of the healed blind man which teaches us that suffering is not always directly traceable to personal sin. According to v.1, this man was born blind. In response to the disciples question in v.2 about what caused this man to be born blind, the Lord Jesus said, "this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him."
According to the Lord Jesus' words in v.3, God sometimes permits the unwanted into our lives in order to show His glory through our experience with Him for the benefit of others.
Recently our middle son went through a very difficult time. He flatlined three times and the doctors were amazed that he lived. I, too, was amazed, but I quickly recognized that the Lord was up to something and He chose to use my Son to be a means of communicating with others. I know of three different people who made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus as a result. And, I am still learning much from what I experienced.
In v.4-5 the Lord Jesus tells us why He was sent by the Father: to be the light of the world. He came to show us that the only way into a personal relationship with God is through His perfectly lived life and His death on the cross. Of course, it was at the cross that God removed the barrier that kept us from a personal relationship with Him.
In v.6-7, John writes, "6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing."
There are many things in our lives that are irritating, and yet, it is through the most irritating that we see the Lord best at work in our lives. How irritating it must have been for this blind man to have mud put on his eyes. Sometimes, God has to irritate us in order for us to gain a focus on what is most important in our lives.
John points out the meaning of the name of this pool, Siloam, to which the Lord Jesus sent this man (he says it means "Sent"). John is obviously highlighting that these actions of the Lord Jesus are a symbolic, teaching something deeper than the mere opening of the eyes of the blind man. There is something deeper to be discovered here.
This pool was called Sent because the water in the pool was sent there from a distant spring. Perhaps, the Lord Jesus is highlighting a comparison between the pool called “Sent” and Himself as the One “sent” from the Father as the living water.
If that’s right, then the water signifies not just cleansing, and not just healing, but life. In John 4, Jesus gives the woman at the well “living water", the water of life. When we met the Lord Jesus and received Him into our lives, we begin to live, we begin to see, and we began to be healed, and will continue to be healed completely when He comes for us at the resurrection. All our seeing and all our healing is based upon this new life that comes from the Lord Jesus, the Sent One.
The Lord Jesus used mud or clay to bring sight to this man who had been blind for a long time. Clay is malleable and weak. All through Scripture, clay is used as a symbol of the weakness and fragility of mankind. We are all made of clay. We are clay pots. Some of us are even a little cracked!
When our Lord smeared clay over this man's eyes He is saying that there was something hindering the man's spiritual sight, not only his physical sight, but his spiritual sight. It is the clay of his humanity. Our fallen human nature is our hindrance to seeing spiritual truth and reality.
For physical eyes to be opened is one thing, but to open spiritual eyes, now that is something much greater. And, yet that is the point of this passage. Only as we come to the place where we begin to see who the Lord Jesus is do we really begin to experience real life. This is the story of the remaining verses of this chapter. It is a story of the resistance that this man met, the obstacles to faith that he overcame, and the gradual insight that he gained as he learned more and more about the Lord Jesus.
According to v.8-9, we read 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
There was question among the people whether this was the same man they knew, but they didn't refute the miracle. Of course, the man speaks for himself to have experienced a miracle at the hands of the Lord Jesus.
According to v.10-12, we learn, "10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.
Finally, v.10-12 clearly shows there is no question that the Lord Jesus healed this man. Do you remember the day your eyes were opened to the truth? I remember that day, it wasn't all that clear to me on the day that I was given spiritual sight. The following days, I noticed I had an appetite for the word of God. So, I read it, almost daily. And, I discovered that which was darkness to my understanding was becoming light to my soul. God will always lead and empower us through His word. And, He has given us His Spirit to lap up that which is essential to our spiritual well-being.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
John 8:48-59
Click here for the John 8:48-59 PODCAST
The response of the Lord Jesus is simple, "I am not possessed by a demon." Then He reveals the secret to real life: “but I honor my Father." The key to it all is who defines us. And, how do we know we are being defined by the God of the Bible? When we are obeying His word, He is defining us. We do this not because we have to, but because we want to, recognizing it is not about reaching perfection.
The Lord Jesus refused to respond on His own behalf, but leaves vengeance to the Father. Thus, He was defined by His Father. In fact, in v.50, the Lord Jesus says, "I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge."
Then, in v.51, the Lord Jesus goes on to make an even greater claim: "Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
The One who has conquered sin and death says, "whoever obeys my word will never see death." When the believer dies, he will not see death, rather he will see life like never before. Those who are truly Jesus' followers will pass from life to instant perfection, not to death.
In v.52-53, the religious leaders respond with, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
In v.54-56, the Lord Jesus response is classic: "“If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
The Lord Jesus lived for the glory of the Father. This means the Lord Jesus did what the Father said, He obeyed His word. This is so important because the life He lived has been credited to His follower's account. The Lord Jesus' knowledge of the Father translated into obedience to the Father. This, coupled with His cross, is what has enabled the believer to be perfect in the eyes of the Father. When the Father looks at the believer, He views us through the lens of His Son.
In v.57, the religious leaders respond, "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!" These experts in the Bible did not understand the eternality of the Messiah. The fact that the Lord Jesus was Messiah, He had to therefore be God, because only God can forgive and atone for sin.
In v.58, the Lord Jesus declares, "before Abraham was born, I am!” The Lord Jesus is here claiming to be God. He uses two distinct verbs that are very different forms of the verb "to be." The Lord Jesus is literally saying, "Abraham became, but I was already there."
In v.59, we read, "At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds." The religious leaders picked up stones to kill the Lord Jesus because they concluded He was guilty of blasphemy.
Then the Lord Jesus "hid himself." Once again, the invisible hand of God is protecting the Lord Jesus until His time had come. This is comforting to us because just as the Lord had a specific time for the cross of the Lord Jesus, He has specific times for our lives. He is sovereign and there are no coincidences. We can trust Him with everything pertaining to our existence.
48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” 49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” 52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” 54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” 57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” 58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. ~ John 8:48-59
Socrates once said, “When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.” In v.47, the Lord Jesus had told these men, "the reason why you do not hear my words is that you are not of God." Then, in v.48, the religious leaders call Him a Samaritan. Samaritans were Jewish half breeds who intermarried with the Gentiles, formed their own Bible and decided to worship differently than the Jews. As a result, the Jews hated the Samaritans. The Lord Jesus had exposed the religious leaders' to be not of God. So they stoop to name-calling. That is always the last resort of someone who is losing an argument.
The response of the Lord Jesus is simple, "I am not possessed by a demon." Then He reveals the secret to real life: “but I honor my Father." The key to it all is who defines us. And, how do we know we are being defined by the God of the Bible? When we are obeying His word, He is defining us. We do this not because we have to, but because we want to, recognizing it is not about reaching perfection.
The Lord Jesus refused to respond on His own behalf, but leaves vengeance to the Father. Thus, He was defined by His Father. In fact, in v.50, the Lord Jesus says, "I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge."
Then, in v.51, the Lord Jesus goes on to make an even greater claim: "Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
The One who has conquered sin and death says, "whoever obeys my word will never see death." When the believer dies, he will not see death, rather he will see life like never before. Those who are truly Jesus' followers will pass from life to instant perfection, not to death.
In v.52-53, the religious leaders respond with, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
In v.54-56, the Lord Jesus response is classic: "“If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
The Lord Jesus lived for the glory of the Father. This means the Lord Jesus did what the Father said, He obeyed His word. This is so important because the life He lived has been credited to His follower's account. The Lord Jesus' knowledge of the Father translated into obedience to the Father. This, coupled with His cross, is what has enabled the believer to be perfect in the eyes of the Father. When the Father looks at the believer, He views us through the lens of His Son.
In v.57, the religious leaders respond, "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!" These experts in the Bible did not understand the eternality of the Messiah. The fact that the Lord Jesus was Messiah, He had to therefore be God, because only God can forgive and atone for sin.
In v.58, the Lord Jesus declares, "before Abraham was born, I am!” The Lord Jesus is here claiming to be God. He uses two distinct verbs that are very different forms of the verb "to be." The Lord Jesus is literally saying, "Abraham became, but I was already there."
In v.59, we read, "At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds." The religious leaders picked up stones to kill the Lord Jesus because they concluded He was guilty of blasphemy.
Then the Lord Jesus "hid himself." Once again, the invisible hand of God is protecting the Lord Jesus until His time had come. This is comforting to us because just as the Lord had a specific time for the cross of the Lord Jesus, He has specific times for our lives. He is sovereign and there are no coincidences. We can trust Him with everything pertaining to our existence.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
John 8:42-47
Click here for the John 8:42-47 PODCAST
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
John 8:42-47
In today's text, the Lord Jesus brings this discussion with these threatened religious leaders to a dramatic climax. In v.42, He reiterates that He was sent to earth by God, the Father. He follows this with three questions of these religious leaders. In v.43, He asked them, "Why is my language not clear to you?" In v.46, He asked them, "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?" Then, again in v.46, He asked them, "If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?"
In asking the first question, the Lord Jesus reveals His unseen kingdom. He addresses the fact that they couldn't understand Him. They couldn't understand Him because He had a different culture than they. We will never understand life until we accept the fact that there are unseen realities, both good and bad, governing and controlling human life. The Lord Jesus lived continually in the realization that the unseen influences are a reality in this world. And, the so called religious leaders were most influenced by the unseen devil himself.
The second question, "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?", opened the door for these religious leaders to do the Lord Jesus in before the people who were increasingly believing in Him. Their silence was the loudest display of His divinity. He paused for an answer, but not one of these religious leaders said anything. As a result, we conclude that we must either believe He is who He says He is or we must conclude He is a out of his mind crazy. These leaders silently concluded the latter.
Due to the fact that these religious leaders never answered Him, the Lord Jesus asked the third question. In v.46 He asked them, "If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?" Then, He answered the question in v.47, "The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
The Lord Jesus teaches these ungodly leaders there are only two spiritual fathers. One is God, the other is the devil. One is true and holy, the other is a liar and a murderer. All who have ever lived have one of these two fathers. The question is: how is one's father determined?
In v.42 the Lord Jesus provides us with a timeless test of truth: if God is our Father, then we will love His Son. After all, He was sent by God the Father to earth as the Messiah. Since the Lord Jesus, as the Son of God, has God’s approval, then to reject that which God approves of is to reject God Himself.
According to v.43, the Lord Jesus reminds us that our inability to hear His word, prevents us from claiming His Father as our Father. These Jews could “hear” the Lord Jesus, but hearing and understanding are not the same. The Jews had a spiritual problem, being so wrapped up in their own preconceived ideas about the Messiah that they were blinded to Him as He stood in front of them and spoke directly to them.
In v. 44, the Lord Jesus reminds us that the devil is the father of murder and lies. These unbelieving religious leaders did not desire the things of God, and they knew it. They desired the things of Satan, namely murder and lies.
In v. 47 the Lord Jesus gives the conclusion to the matter. It is those who enter a relationship with the Father through His Son who are enabled to hear and heed the words of God. These are the ones who are the children of God. The result is spending our eternity in heaven with our Father. For those who do not believe in the Lord Jesus, they will spend their eternity in hell with their father, the devil.
There are three Greek words used in the New Testament translated “hell.” In v.47, the Lord Jesus uses the Greek word “Gehenna” which is a reference to the Hebrew “Valley of Hinnom” on the south side of Jerusalem. In Old Testament days it was used for human sacrifices to pagan gods, but it was later used as a garbage dump where fires continually burned. It became a live illustration of divine retribution. Jesus used it to illustrate the other side of eternity outside of heaven.
Gehenna is a picture for everlasting torment. Though hell was created for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41), those who reject Christ will also spend their eternity there because of their own rebellion against God.
A careful study of the words of the Lord Jesus in the four gospels renders the fact that the Lord Jesus taught about hell more than any other subject. Thirteen percent of His teachings refer to eternal judgment and hell. Two-thirds of his parables relate to resurrection and judgment.
Much perishes in hell. Hope perishes. Happiness perishes. But the body and soul of the unbeliever continues. Outside of heaven, outside of hope, and outside of God's goodness. Hell is society at its worst. Hell surfaces and amplifies the ugliest traits in people. Cravings will go unchecked. Worriers will fret and never find peace. Thieves will steal and never have enough. Drunks always craving, gluttons always demanding. None will be satisfied. The God-less will remain ungodly.
No one needs to spend their eternity in such a place because God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to take on sin and death on our behalf. I trust, my friend, that you have entered into a personal relationship with God by receiving from His Son the free gift of forgiveness. and personal relationship with God the Father.
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42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
John 8:42-47
In today's text, the Lord Jesus brings this discussion with these threatened religious leaders to a dramatic climax. In v.42, He reiterates that He was sent to earth by God, the Father. He follows this with three questions of these religious leaders. In v.43, He asked them, "Why is my language not clear to you?" In v.46, He asked them, "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?" Then, again in v.46, He asked them, "If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?"
In asking the first question, the Lord Jesus reveals His unseen kingdom. He addresses the fact that they couldn't understand Him. They couldn't understand Him because He had a different culture than they. We will never understand life until we accept the fact that there are unseen realities, both good and bad, governing and controlling human life. The Lord Jesus lived continually in the realization that the unseen influences are a reality in this world. And, the so called religious leaders were most influenced by the unseen devil himself.
The second question, "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?", opened the door for these religious leaders to do the Lord Jesus in before the people who were increasingly believing in Him. Their silence was the loudest display of His divinity. He paused for an answer, but not one of these religious leaders said anything. As a result, we conclude that we must either believe He is who He says He is or we must conclude He is a out of his mind crazy. These leaders silently concluded the latter.
Due to the fact that these religious leaders never answered Him, the Lord Jesus asked the third question. In v.46 He asked them, "If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?" Then, He answered the question in v.47, "The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
The Lord Jesus teaches these ungodly leaders there are only two spiritual fathers. One is God, the other is the devil. One is true and holy, the other is a liar and a murderer. All who have ever lived have one of these two fathers. The question is: how is one's father determined?
In v.42 the Lord Jesus provides us with a timeless test of truth: if God is our Father, then we will love His Son. After all, He was sent by God the Father to earth as the Messiah. Since the Lord Jesus, as the Son of God, has God’s approval, then to reject that which God approves of is to reject God Himself.
According to v.43, the Lord Jesus reminds us that our inability to hear His word, prevents us from claiming His Father as our Father. These Jews could “hear” the Lord Jesus, but hearing and understanding are not the same. The Jews had a spiritual problem, being so wrapped up in their own preconceived ideas about the Messiah that they were blinded to Him as He stood in front of them and spoke directly to them.
In v. 44, the Lord Jesus reminds us that the devil is the father of murder and lies. These unbelieving religious leaders did not desire the things of God, and they knew it. They desired the things of Satan, namely murder and lies.
In v. 47 the Lord Jesus gives the conclusion to the matter. It is those who enter a relationship with the Father through His Son who are enabled to hear and heed the words of God. These are the ones who are the children of God. The result is spending our eternity in heaven with our Father. For those who do not believe in the Lord Jesus, they will spend their eternity in hell with their father, the devil.
There are three Greek words used in the New Testament translated “hell.” In v.47, the Lord Jesus uses the Greek word “Gehenna” which is a reference to the Hebrew “Valley of Hinnom” on the south side of Jerusalem. In Old Testament days it was used for human sacrifices to pagan gods, but it was later used as a garbage dump where fires continually burned. It became a live illustration of divine retribution. Jesus used it to illustrate the other side of eternity outside of heaven.
Gehenna is a picture for everlasting torment. Though hell was created for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41), those who reject Christ will also spend their eternity there because of their own rebellion against God.
A careful study of the words of the Lord Jesus in the four gospels renders the fact that the Lord Jesus taught about hell more than any other subject. Thirteen percent of His teachings refer to eternal judgment and hell. Two-thirds of his parables relate to resurrection and judgment.
Much perishes in hell. Hope perishes. Happiness perishes. But the body and soul of the unbeliever continues. Outside of heaven, outside of hope, and outside of God's goodness. Hell is society at its worst. Hell surfaces and amplifies the ugliest traits in people. Cravings will go unchecked. Worriers will fret and never find peace. Thieves will steal and never have enough. Drunks always craving, gluttons always demanding. None will be satisfied. The God-less will remain ungodly.
No one needs to spend their eternity in such a place because God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to take on sin and death on our behalf. I trust, my friend, that you have entered into a personal relationship with God by receiving from His Son the free gift of forgiveness. and personal relationship with God the Father.
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Tuesday, October 29, 2019
John 8:31-41
Click Here to access the John 8:31-41 PODCAST
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.” 39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” John 8:31-41
Following the Lord Jesus is the only true path to freedom. This freedom is characterized by certain things, the first is belief. In v.31, the Lord Jesus spoke to the Jews who had believed in Him. These Jews had not yet trusted Him, but they had believed him. They had been intellectually grasped by His words, but they had not yet committed themselves to Him. It is to these people that the Lord Jesus says in v.31, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” Following Him begins with intellectual belief.
We will never find freedom until we examine the evidence of His claim to be the Son of God. We do this by reading His words. We do this by examining the evidence. We do this by choosing to believe on the evidence. This is the starting point of following Him.
We read in v.31, "Holding to His teaching" is another characteristic of someone who is following the Lord Jesus. This means to ponder, to think deeply about His word. The test is: "Is it true? Does it correspond with life? That is the test, and that you can only establish as you continue in His word, as you think long and deeply, read fully and frequently. And, this is a process, so there must be patience with ourselves.
In v.32 "Then you will know the truth." Truth is the nature of things as they are defined by God. Truth is seeing through all the illusions, all the facades and the unreal images, and getting down to the heart, the core, the reality -- that which really is. That is the truth.
The Lord Jesus promises the one follow Him, in v.32, "the truth will set you free." The truth will permit us to view life from God's vantage point. The truth frees us from the distortions that have long prevented us from freedom. Pride is at the root of all of these distortions.
We see this in v.33. These religious leaders said, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” They respond with, "We are descendants of Abraham. They had not forgotten their bondage to the Romans, rather, they were boasting in the fact that they were part of a chosen race, thus they were confident of God's approval.
This is what most often keeps us from knowing the truth and thus finding the pathway to freedom: We think we are OK the way we are. But the Lord Jesus cuts right through all of this by saying in v.34, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin."
When we follow wrong and do wrong, we become a slave of that wrong. Gradually we discover we are under its control. This is why the Lord Jesus says what He says in v.35-36, "35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Slavery is the opposite of freedom. If freedom is being able to be all that you are meant to be, then slavery is to lose all possibility of that. When you give in to little ways of what Jesus calls "sin" -- wrong deeds and wrong thinking -- gradually an invisible net is being woven that you finally cannot break. The evidence that this is happening is that, when we finally decide to quit, we cannot. This is what had happened to these religious leaders.
In v.33, these men had said, "We are Abraham’s descendants." They may have been biological descendants of Abraham, but, as indicated in v.37-38, they were not descendants of Abraham's faith. Faith is the heart's ability to see God, and the word of God prepares our hearts to see Him. These religious teachers had allowed their religion to get in the way of the word of God.
In v.39-41, the Lord Jesus said to them, "39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself." And yet, they were looking to kill the Lord Jesus, and He knew it, thus He tells them that they are reflecting their father the Devil.
This underscores a very important principle which is: Anything is Holy because God is there. If you and I behave like God, it is because He is doing it. We reflect the likeness of the one we are following. Mike Yaconelli put it this way, "The power of the Church is not a parade of flawless people, but of a flawless Christ who embraces our flaws. The Church is not made up of the whole people, rather of the broken people who find wholeness in a Christ who was broken for us."
Following the Lord Jesus is the only true path to freedom. This freedom is characterized by certain things, the first is belief. In v.31, the Lord Jesus spoke to the Jews who had believed in Him. These Jews had not yet trusted Him, but they had believed him. They had been intellectually grasped by His words, but they had not yet committed themselves to Him. It is to these people that the Lord Jesus says in v.31, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” Following Him begins with intellectual belief.
We will never find freedom until we examine the evidence of His claim to be the Son of God. We do this by reading His words. We do this by examining the evidence. We do this by choosing to believe on the evidence. This is the starting point of following Him.
We read in v.31, "Holding to His teaching" is another characteristic of someone who is following the Lord Jesus. This means to ponder, to think deeply about His word. The test is: "Is it true? Does it correspond with life? That is the test, and that you can only establish as you continue in His word, as you think long and deeply, read fully and frequently. And, this is a process, so there must be patience with ourselves.
In v.32 "Then you will know the truth." Truth is the nature of things as they are defined by God. Truth is seeing through all the illusions, all the facades and the unreal images, and getting down to the heart, the core, the reality -- that which really is. That is the truth.
The Lord Jesus promises the one follow Him, in v.32, "the truth will set you free." The truth will permit us to view life from God's vantage point. The truth frees us from the distortions that have long prevented us from freedom. Pride is at the root of all of these distortions.
We see this in v.33. These religious leaders said, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” They respond with, "We are descendants of Abraham. They had not forgotten their bondage to the Romans, rather, they were boasting in the fact that they were part of a chosen race, thus they were confident of God's approval.
This is what most often keeps us from knowing the truth and thus finding the pathway to freedom: We think we are OK the way we are. But the Lord Jesus cuts right through all of this by saying in v.34, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin."
When we follow wrong and do wrong, we become a slave of that wrong. Gradually we discover we are under its control. This is why the Lord Jesus says what He says in v.35-36, "35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Slavery is the opposite of freedom. If freedom is being able to be all that you are meant to be, then slavery is to lose all possibility of that. When you give in to little ways of what Jesus calls "sin" -- wrong deeds and wrong thinking -- gradually an invisible net is being woven that you finally cannot break. The evidence that this is happening is that, when we finally decide to quit, we cannot. This is what had happened to these religious leaders.
In v.33, these men had said, "We are Abraham’s descendants." They may have been biological descendants of Abraham, but, as indicated in v.37-38, they were not descendants of Abraham's faith. Faith is the heart's ability to see God, and the word of God prepares our hearts to see Him. These religious teachers had allowed their religion to get in the way of the word of God.
In v.39-41, the Lord Jesus said to them, "39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself." And yet, they were looking to kill the Lord Jesus, and He knew it, thus He tells them that they are reflecting their father the Devil.
This underscores a very important principle which is: Anything is Holy because God is there. If you and I behave like God, it is because He is doing it. We reflect the likeness of the one we are following. Mike Yaconelli put it this way, "The power of the Church is not a parade of flawless people, but of a flawless Christ who embraces our flaws. The Church is not made up of the whole people, rather of the broken people who find wholeness in a Christ who was broken for us."
Monday, October 28, 2019
John 8:21-30
Click here to access the John 8:21-30 PODCAST
21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.” 22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?” 23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” 25 “Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.” 27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him. John 8:21-30
The words the Lord Jesus spoke to the religious leaders in v.21 indicate that our opportunities to respond to the free gift of salvation are limited. The Lord sought me for years before I responded. In fact, it took the death of my mom at age five and the death of my dad at age seventeen to get me to the place of inviting Him into my life. The persistence of God shouts to us that He loves us and does not want anyone to spend eternity in hell.
In response, according to v.22, the Jews replied, "Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?” The religious leaders believed that those who committed suicide were sent to hell. Although not biblical, because the only thing that keeps us out of heaven is what gets us into hell. The opposite is also true: that which gets us into heaven is that which keeps us out. The issue is what we do with the Lord Jesus' offer of salvation.
All of the thinking of the religious leaders was limited by the narrow confines of time. They did not know what was going on in the invisible, spiritual realm. They did not understand anything beyond the limited, narrow range of this life. But the Lord Jesus came from heaven with truth that enables us to not only navigate time but also eternity.
The religious leaders were blind to real reality and they did not want to hear anything about hell. But, the Lord Jesus taught most about hell which is eternal separation from all that is real, true, substantive, and fulfilling. Hell is the removal of God from any context.
The Lord Jesus continues to speak earnestly with these men who are in love with the lie and blind to the truth. His words in v.24, "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins" were not motivated by impatience or anger. But these religious leaders are stuck in their ignorance and pride.
In response, in v.25, those who were experts in knowing God and His ways, ask about the Lord Jesus' identity, proving their ignorance which was blocking their understanding of who God really was.
In v.26-27, the Lord Jesus makes it clear that He came to proclaim the trustworthiness of God and that He did not come to condemn these who were committed to their religion more than the God of the Bible.
Then in v.28, the Lord Jesus told them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me." When we see the Lord Jesus on the cross then we begin to understand real reality. This is what He is saying. When He is lifted up on the cross He grants the ability to see who He really is, the Redeemer of sinful mankind.
It is good for us to preach the Gospel to ourselves daily. It is so instructive to remember the deep darkness of His loneliness, His prayers, His pain, His scourging, the smiting, the spitting, the mocking; the crown of thorns, His cross.
The Lord Jesus tells these hard-hearted religious leaders over and over that He is from the Father and that He has come to deliver the message of salvation from the Father. But all this comes to a climax in v.28 where He tells them that they unwittingly are going to help Him to be the light of the world. They ended up lifting Him up on that cross.
And so it is: when we, according to v.30, see Him lifted up, we have a choice to believe in Him or not. To believe in Him is to invest our hearts in a personal relationship with Him. Believing in Him is “trusting in, clinging to, resting in” His sacrificial death for the forgiveness of our sin. For the Israelites, a one-time glance at the bronze serpent brought them healing (Numbers 21). The Lord Jesus reminds His hearers “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he." For us today, belief in Jesus’ ability to forgive our sin brings eternal life. It is not the amount of faith that saves us but the object of our faith.
21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.” 22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?” 23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” 25 “Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.” 27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him. John 8:21-30
The words the Lord Jesus spoke to the religious leaders in v.21 indicate that our opportunities to respond to the free gift of salvation are limited. The Lord sought me for years before I responded. In fact, it took the death of my mom at age five and the death of my dad at age seventeen to get me to the place of inviting Him into my life. The persistence of God shouts to us that He loves us and does not want anyone to spend eternity in hell.
In response, according to v.22, the Jews replied, "Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?” The religious leaders believed that those who committed suicide were sent to hell. Although not biblical, because the only thing that keeps us out of heaven is what gets us into hell. The opposite is also true: that which gets us into heaven is that which keeps us out. The issue is what we do with the Lord Jesus' offer of salvation.
All of the thinking of the religious leaders was limited by the narrow confines of time. They did not know what was going on in the invisible, spiritual realm. They did not understand anything beyond the limited, narrow range of this life. But the Lord Jesus came from heaven with truth that enables us to not only navigate time but also eternity.
The religious leaders were blind to real reality and they did not want to hear anything about hell. But, the Lord Jesus taught most about hell which is eternal separation from all that is real, true, substantive, and fulfilling. Hell is the removal of God from any context.
The Lord Jesus continues to speak earnestly with these men who are in love with the lie and blind to the truth. His words in v.24, "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins" were not motivated by impatience or anger. But these religious leaders are stuck in their ignorance and pride.
In response, in v.25, those who were experts in knowing God and His ways, ask about the Lord Jesus' identity, proving their ignorance which was blocking their understanding of who God really was.
In v.26-27, the Lord Jesus makes it clear that He came to proclaim the trustworthiness of God and that He did not come to condemn these who were committed to their religion more than the God of the Bible.
Then in v.28, the Lord Jesus told them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me." When we see the Lord Jesus on the cross then we begin to understand real reality. This is what He is saying. When He is lifted up on the cross He grants the ability to see who He really is, the Redeemer of sinful mankind.
It is good for us to preach the Gospel to ourselves daily. It is so instructive to remember the deep darkness of His loneliness, His prayers, His pain, His scourging, the smiting, the spitting, the mocking; the crown of thorns, His cross.
The Lord Jesus tells these hard-hearted religious leaders over and over that He is from the Father and that He has come to deliver the message of salvation from the Father. But all this comes to a climax in v.28 where He tells them that they unwittingly are going to help Him to be the light of the world. They ended up lifting Him up on that cross.
And so it is: when we, according to v.30, see Him lifted up, we have a choice to believe in Him or not. To believe in Him is to invest our hearts in a personal relationship with Him. Believing in Him is “trusting in, clinging to, resting in” His sacrificial death for the forgiveness of our sin. For the Israelites, a one-time glance at the bronze serpent brought them healing (Numbers 21). The Lord Jesus reminds His hearers “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he." For us today, belief in Jesus’ ability to forgive our sin brings eternal life. It is not the amount of faith that saves us but the object of our faith.
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