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.
Friday, November 01, 2019
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.
To help BYM, click here
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.
Friday, October 25, 2019
John 8:12-20
Click here for the JOHN 8:12-20 PODCAST
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.” 19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?” “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come. ~ John 8:12-20
During the feast of Tabernacles, two Menorahs were lit in the temple courts. The Menorah was the many-branched candlestick introduced to Israel in Exodus 25. It was one of the pieces which aided Israel's worship of God. It is in reference to the Menorah that the Lord Jesus says in v.12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Mankind was flung into darkness when Adam and Eve ignored God's definition of life. Our text begins with, "When Jesus spoke again to the people." The Lord Jesus continues to give light to these people. In fact, He gives light to anyone who looks to Him for definition. He is the One who knows all about life, who understands it, who explains it and navigates it. He enables us to distinguish between the truth and the false, death and life. He gives us light so that we do not walk with the wrong definitions, enabling us to think and choose wisely.
Darkness keeps us from coming to the light. In v.14-19, the Lord Jesus highlights two things that keep us from opening our hearts to the light: ignorance and pride.
In v.14, the Lord Jesus said to these men, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. That is ignorance. Then in v.19, “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” That is ignorance.
Many in our world have never heard of the Lord Jesus, and many of those who have heard of Him have heard a distorted, twisted, unreal picture of Him that makes Him appear to be what he is not in the Scripture. It is very important that we see the true Jesus. This is our task, to tell this story in such a way that people will actually see who Jesus is. Then, He will draw them to Himself. I find it unbelievable that these Jews listening to Him were ignorant of the Lord Jesus, even as He stood before them.
The Lord Jesus knew who He was and thus displayed confidence, He was able to stand up against the assaults and accusations of others. Those who do not know who they are, who are not sure exactly where they came from and where they are going are uncertain and undependable.
The Pharisees rejected the Lord Jesus on the basis of their lack of evidence about Him. They weren't willing to look at all of the evidence about Him. As a result, their minds were made up, no matter what He did before them. This was pride.
In v.15-18, the Lord Jesus said, "You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.” Like many people today these religious leaders never bothered to look at the evidence that was there. This is, yet again, pride.
There were three ways the Father gave witness to the Lord Jesus' authenticity: First, the signs that He did. Second, there was the inner conviction of the heart. When people listened to Jesus they said, "He knows what he is talking about. This One knows life. He speaks as no other man ever spoke." (John 7:46). Third, the fulfillment of the Scriptures in and through His life.
Finally, although these men claimed to know God, they really did not know Him. Their willful ignorance and pride blinded their minds and their hearts. They did not know the Lord Jesus, thus they did not know God. We know God by knowing the Lord Jesus. May it be said of us that we gave our ignorance and pride to Him, and He dealt with both on His cross.
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12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.” 19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?” “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come. ~ John 8:12-20
During the feast of Tabernacles, two Menorahs were lit in the temple courts. The Menorah was the many-branched candlestick introduced to Israel in Exodus 25. It was one of the pieces which aided Israel's worship of God. It is in reference to the Menorah that the Lord Jesus says in v.12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Mankind was flung into darkness when Adam and Eve ignored God's definition of life. Our text begins with, "When Jesus spoke again to the people." The Lord Jesus continues to give light to these people. In fact, He gives light to anyone who looks to Him for definition. He is the One who knows all about life, who understands it, who explains it and navigates it. He enables us to distinguish between the truth and the false, death and life. He gives us light so that we do not walk with the wrong definitions, enabling us to think and choose wisely.
Darkness keeps us from coming to the light. In v.14-19, the Lord Jesus highlights two things that keep us from opening our hearts to the light: ignorance and pride.
In v.14, the Lord Jesus said to these men, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. That is ignorance. Then in v.19, “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” That is ignorance.
Many in our world have never heard of the Lord Jesus, and many of those who have heard of Him have heard a distorted, twisted, unreal picture of Him that makes Him appear to be what he is not in the Scripture. It is very important that we see the true Jesus. This is our task, to tell this story in such a way that people will actually see who Jesus is. Then, He will draw them to Himself. I find it unbelievable that these Jews listening to Him were ignorant of the Lord Jesus, even as He stood before them.
The Lord Jesus knew who He was and thus displayed confidence, He was able to stand up against the assaults and accusations of others. Those who do not know who they are, who are not sure exactly where they came from and where they are going are uncertain and undependable.
The Pharisees rejected the Lord Jesus on the basis of their lack of evidence about Him. They weren't willing to look at all of the evidence about Him. As a result, their minds were made up, no matter what He did before them. This was pride.
In v.15-18, the Lord Jesus said, "You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.” Like many people today these religious leaders never bothered to look at the evidence that was there. This is, yet again, pride.
There were three ways the Father gave witness to the Lord Jesus' authenticity: First, the signs that He did. Second, there was the inner conviction of the heart. When people listened to Jesus they said, "He knows what he is talking about. This One knows life. He speaks as no other man ever spoke." (John 7:46). Third, the fulfillment of the Scriptures in and through His life.
Finally, although these men claimed to know God, they really did not know Him. Their willful ignorance and pride blinded their minds and their hearts. They did not know the Lord Jesus, thus they did not know God. We know God by knowing the Lord Jesus. May it be said of us that we gave our ignorance and pride to Him, and He dealt with both on His cross.
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Thursday, October 24, 2019
John 8:1-11
Click here for the John 8:1-11 Podcast
1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” ~ John 8:1-11
The religious leaders went to their homes and the Lord Jesus went to the Mount Of Olives. He always went to the Mount Of Olives to pray and to teach. Then, early in the morning He came, once again, to the temple. Then, all the people came to Him, and He sat down and taught them. Contrary to the format of today's classroom where the teacher stands and the pupils sit, in their culture the teacher sat and the pupils stood.
It was in this context that the Scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman whom they had caught in adultery. Then they asked Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" The question is: how did the religious leaders catch her in the act? And, what happened to the man with whom she was committing adultery?
The Scribes and Pharisees were trying to trip the Lord Jesus up, so, they bring this woman to Him and ask Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"
These Scribes and Pharisees remind the Lord Jesus that, according to the Law of Moses, adultery was to be punished by stoning. They expected the Lord Jesus to not punish this woman, and, if He did that, He would be contradicting the Law and they would have Him. They thought for sure they had Him trapped.
The Lord Jesus wrote on the ground, the Scribes and Pharisees thought He was stalling for time, and they kept pressing Him, asking Him again and again to answer them and tell them what He would do with the guilty woman.
Standing up, Jesus looked at the religious leaders and spoke these famous words, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." This is the only time Jesus ever employed the word "without sin" in the Gospels.
The Lord Jesus upheld the Law, and the Scribes and Pharisees were speechless! The Lord Jesus is saying, in effect, "You are no better off than she is. Your hearts are filled with murder and hatred." Again, in v.8, the Lord Jesus writes something on the ground.
According to v.9, "At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there." The Scribes and Pharisees disappeared from the oldest to the youngest until no one was left there but Jesus and the woman. The oldest departed first because they were deemed to be the first to cast a stone at the woman due to their seniority.
The point is not that judges must be sinless, the point is that righteousness and justice should be founded on a gracious spirit, and if it’s not, what you get is the heartlessness and hypocrisy of the religious.
When her accusers are all gone, Jesus ends the story saying to the woman, “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” The guilty woman found herself forgiven. She has no human accusers, because the Lord Jesus had dismissed her jury.
The Lord Jesus alone had the right to condemn this woman. He was the Sinless One, the only One who fulfilled the qualifications to stone. But He did not even pick up a stone. It was because he forgave her sin. Only God can forgive sin, for it is against His standard that mankind has rebelled.
Without forgiveness, justice must be satisfied. God never dismisses sin as though it is not significant. His truth, His holy character, demands that any rebellion toward righteousness be punished. Justice must be satisfied, unless sin is forgiven. So it is clear that the basis on which the Lord Jesus said these words is that He forgave this woman of her sin.
This is the pervasive message of the New Testament: the Lord Jesus came into the world to provide grace through His cross, to establish holiness, righteousness, and justice through our experience with His grace. Then, those who have had this experience with His grace should sin no more. The Lord Jesus isn't commanding sinlessness, He is calling us to see the utter foolishness of pursuing a life not defined by Him.
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1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” ~ John 8:1-11
The religious leaders went to their homes and the Lord Jesus went to the Mount Of Olives. He always went to the Mount Of Olives to pray and to teach. Then, early in the morning He came, once again, to the temple. Then, all the people came to Him, and He sat down and taught them. Contrary to the format of today's classroom where the teacher stands and the pupils sit, in their culture the teacher sat and the pupils stood.
It was in this context that the Scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman whom they had caught in adultery. Then they asked Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" The question is: how did the religious leaders catch her in the act? And, what happened to the man with whom she was committing adultery?
The Scribes and Pharisees were trying to trip the Lord Jesus up, so, they bring this woman to Him and ask Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"
These Scribes and Pharisees remind the Lord Jesus that, according to the Law of Moses, adultery was to be punished by stoning. They expected the Lord Jesus to not punish this woman, and, if He did that, He would be contradicting the Law and they would have Him. They thought for sure they had Him trapped.
The Lord Jesus wrote on the ground, the Scribes and Pharisees thought He was stalling for time, and they kept pressing Him, asking Him again and again to answer them and tell them what He would do with the guilty woman.
Standing up, Jesus looked at the religious leaders and spoke these famous words, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." This is the only time Jesus ever employed the word "without sin" in the Gospels.
The Lord Jesus upheld the Law, and the Scribes and Pharisees were speechless! The Lord Jesus is saying, in effect, "You are no better off than she is. Your hearts are filled with murder and hatred." Again, in v.8, the Lord Jesus writes something on the ground.
According to v.9, "At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there." The Scribes and Pharisees disappeared from the oldest to the youngest until no one was left there but Jesus and the woman. The oldest departed first because they were deemed to be the first to cast a stone at the woman due to their seniority.
The point is not that judges must be sinless, the point is that righteousness and justice should be founded on a gracious spirit, and if it’s not, what you get is the heartlessness and hypocrisy of the religious.
When her accusers are all gone, Jesus ends the story saying to the woman, “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” The guilty woman found herself forgiven. She has no human accusers, because the Lord Jesus had dismissed her jury.
The Lord Jesus alone had the right to condemn this woman. He was the Sinless One, the only One who fulfilled the qualifications to stone. But He did not even pick up a stone. It was because he forgave her sin. Only God can forgive sin, for it is against His standard that mankind has rebelled.
Without forgiveness, justice must be satisfied. God never dismisses sin as though it is not significant. His truth, His holy character, demands that any rebellion toward righteousness be punished. Justice must be satisfied, unless sin is forgiven. So it is clear that the basis on which the Lord Jesus said these words is that He forgave this woman of her sin.
This is the pervasive message of the New Testament: the Lord Jesus came into the world to provide grace through His cross, to establish holiness, righteousness, and justice through our experience with His grace. Then, those who have had this experience with His grace should sin no more. The Lord Jesus isn't commanding sinlessness, He is calling us to see the utter foolishness of pursuing a life not defined by Him.
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Wednesday, October 23, 2019
John 7:45-53
Click here for the John 7:45-53 PODCAST
45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?” 46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied. 47 “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. 48 “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.” 53 Then they all went home. ~ John 7:45-53
The chief priests sent the temple guards out to arrest the Lord Jesus. They returned without Him because it was not His time to be judged, yet. From the perspective of the temple guards, as they were listening to the Lord Jesus, “No one ever spoke the way this man does.” The chief priests then in v.47 accused the guards of being deceived.
An arrest of the Lord Jesus, would have caused a riot, because some of the people in the crowd were believing in the Lord Jesus. So, the Pharisees, in v.49, explain it away as deception and a curse. But who is really deceived here?
The religious leaders accused the temple guards and the common people as being deceived. They marginalize the common people as not knowing the law and being cursed. Then, these religious leaders put themselves forward as non-cursed because they understood the law. When we are opposed, we resort to marginalizing our opponent. But, the religious leaders were actually the ones who were deceived.
Nicodemus, a Pharisee who had come to the Lord Jesus at night back in John 3 gives a word of caution in v.51: “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” Then the Pharisees accuse Nicodemus of bias in v.52: “They replied, ‘’Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”
Rather than being open to Nicodemus’ concern to know the facts before they condemn the Lord Jesus, these religious leaders say, in essence, the only reason you would want to give Him that kind of chance is that you’re part of his clan, you Galileans must all hang together.
So the guards are blinded by deception. The crowds are blinded by a curse. And Nicodemus is blinded by his Galilean bias. The religious leaders, once again, were sarcastic, pompous, cynical, and calloused. This is often the reaction of those who know not God and who do not have a relationship with the Lord Jesus.
Let's consider the words of the temple guards in v.46, “No one ever spoke the way this man does.” This is the key in this passage. The teaching of the Lord Jesus either drives the unbelieving away or it draws the believing closer.
The last thing Jesus had said before the temple guards returned empty-handed is found in John 7:37–38, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
When God entered our lives and opened our eyes to His activity in our lives, we gradually began to let go of our old life. Even though we are born again, we still struggle with the pressure of the lure of the old life. On certain days, the old life screams loudly, while His voice is drowned out. Our old way of thinking, our old life will creep in from time to time. There will be times when it dominates our lives. It dominates the world around us. The Lord Jesus will always address this false way of thinking and living. That’s what got Him in trouble in the first pace.
So as we follow Him, His life, will not only fill our existence, but it will flow out of our lives. As a result, this life will not be an easy ride. Experiencing His life, which is the living waters, will, at times overwhelm ours. Then, there will be times when His life does not overwhelm ours, because we are still fallen and we will lose sight of our success, the Lord Jesus Himself. Instead of being a steady incline toward perfection, this new life will be spasmodic, experienced at different moments. As we are convinced that His life is the best life, we will forsake the wrong way of thinking and living.
The OT prophet, Ezekiel, gave us the picture of the river that flows from the throne of God:
I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side. As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. (Ezekiel 47:1-5)
Ezekiel's image speaks of the abundance of God, his unending, unceasing, inextinguishable LIFE, pouring forth from his Presence. The image is repeated in Revelation, where it makes clear this river is the River of Life: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2)
The Life of the Lord Jesus, for His people, flowing as a river. The Lord Jesus doesn’t keep His life to Himself; He pours it forth for all receivers. We know He wants us to draw upon His life, for He said He came that we might have His Life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). To the extent that we access His life is the extent that we appear changed in the eyes of others. But, we know better, it is not us, it is Him.
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45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?” 46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied. 47 “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. 48 “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.” 53 Then they all went home. ~ John 7:45-53
The chief priests sent the temple guards out to arrest the Lord Jesus. They returned without Him because it was not His time to be judged, yet. From the perspective of the temple guards, as they were listening to the Lord Jesus, “No one ever spoke the way this man does.” The chief priests then in v.47 accused the guards of being deceived.
An arrest of the Lord Jesus, would have caused a riot, because some of the people in the crowd were believing in the Lord Jesus. So, the Pharisees, in v.49, explain it away as deception and a curse. But who is really deceived here?
The religious leaders accused the temple guards and the common people as being deceived. They marginalize the common people as not knowing the law and being cursed. Then, these religious leaders put themselves forward as non-cursed because they understood the law. When we are opposed, we resort to marginalizing our opponent. But, the religious leaders were actually the ones who were deceived.
Nicodemus, a Pharisee who had come to the Lord Jesus at night back in John 3 gives a word of caution in v.51: “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” Then the Pharisees accuse Nicodemus of bias in v.52: “They replied, ‘’Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”
Rather than being open to Nicodemus’ concern to know the facts before they condemn the Lord Jesus, these religious leaders say, in essence, the only reason you would want to give Him that kind of chance is that you’re part of his clan, you Galileans must all hang together.
So the guards are blinded by deception. The crowds are blinded by a curse. And Nicodemus is blinded by his Galilean bias. The religious leaders, once again, were sarcastic, pompous, cynical, and calloused. This is often the reaction of those who know not God and who do not have a relationship with the Lord Jesus.
Let's consider the words of the temple guards in v.46, “No one ever spoke the way this man does.” This is the key in this passage. The teaching of the Lord Jesus either drives the unbelieving away or it draws the believing closer.
The last thing Jesus had said before the temple guards returned empty-handed is found in John 7:37–38, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
When God entered our lives and opened our eyes to His activity in our lives, we gradually began to let go of our old life. Even though we are born again, we still struggle with the pressure of the lure of the old life. On certain days, the old life screams loudly, while His voice is drowned out. Our old way of thinking, our old life will creep in from time to time. There will be times when it dominates our lives. It dominates the world around us. The Lord Jesus will always address this false way of thinking and living. That’s what got Him in trouble in the first pace.
So as we follow Him, His life, will not only fill our existence, but it will flow out of our lives. As a result, this life will not be an easy ride. Experiencing His life, which is the living waters, will, at times overwhelm ours. Then, there will be times when His life does not overwhelm ours, because we are still fallen and we will lose sight of our success, the Lord Jesus Himself. Instead of being a steady incline toward perfection, this new life will be spasmodic, experienced at different moments. As we are convinced that His life is the best life, we will forsake the wrong way of thinking and living.
The OT prophet, Ezekiel, gave us the picture of the river that flows from the throne of God:
I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side. As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. (Ezekiel 47:1-5)
Ezekiel's image speaks of the abundance of God, his unending, unceasing, inextinguishable LIFE, pouring forth from his Presence. The image is repeated in Revelation, where it makes clear this river is the River of Life: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2)
The Life of the Lord Jesus, for His people, flowing as a river. The Lord Jesus doesn’t keep His life to Himself; He pours it forth for all receivers. We know He wants us to draw upon His life, for He said He came that we might have His Life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). To the extent that we access His life is the extent that we appear changed in the eyes of others. But, we know better, it is not us, it is Him.
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Tuesday, October 22, 2019
John 7:37-44
Click here for the John 7:37-44 PODCAST
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. 40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. ~ John 7:37-44
John's gospel presents the Lord Jesus as the fulfillment of all things Old Testament, including the feast of Tabernacles. On the last great day of the Jewish feast of Tabernacles the Lord Jesus offered the thirsty rivers of living water. God's purpose in bringing the people out of Egypt and through the wilderness was to show his power and his love for Israel, so that Israel would trust Him and follow Him.
The Lord Jesus, in today's text, uses an analogy that implies fullness, completeness to the point of overflowing. It implies refreshment, growth and life. This life is offered only to those who are willing to enter a personal and meaningful relationship with the Lord Jesus. The experience is essential.
The precedent to this experience is thirst. All thirst, but not all thirst for God. We are afflicted and blessed with a chronic restlessness, an insatiable soul-thirst, so that we might keep seeking Him.
We were made for God. The taste buds of our souls were made to be satisfied in a personal relationship with the Son of God. But, we are fallen, and the fundamental meaning of our fallenness is thirsting for things other than God. Our sinful nature is a condition of diseased spiritual taste buds.
The Lord Jesus loudly proclaim, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink." Coming to the Lord Jesus is an act of the heart. We primarily meet the Lord Jesus through His Word. Drinking is the same as believing or trusting. After he says, "Come to me and drink," in v.37, He then says, "Whoever believes in me." In John 6:35, the Lord Jesus said, "He who believes in me shall never thirst." The essence of drinking the Word of the Lord Jesus is trusting it. The essence of believing in the Lord Jesus is finding in Him the satisfaction of our deepest soul-thirst. Drinking is believing, and believing is drinking.
The result of coming to the Lord Jesus and believing is: "rivers of living water will flow from within them. " The promise is not only that we will be satisfied, but that He will be satisfying. He promises not only that our cup will be full, but also that it will be overflowing. In drinking from the Lord Jesus we become not merely a receptacle, but a spring or a fountain.
Everything starts with a soul-thirst for the Lord Jesus and a drinking in of His promises by faith. Then two things happen in our hearts: first, we sense deep down that we have now discovered the source of lasting and complete joy, and our hearts crave to know more and more of Christ; and second, the water "becomes in us a spring of water welling up into eternal life."
When the people, in v.40, heard these words, they said, "Surely this man is the Prophet." According to v.41, "Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?" Not all recognized Him as the One. Some wanted to seize Him with ill desire.
Let me redirect your attention to v.39 where the Lord Jesus describes the rivers of living water. The rivers of living water is analogous of the Holy Spirit whom He gives to those who believe that He is the Messiah. It is the Spirit of God who produces this life, not us. And, the Holy Spirit gives this to those who believe and receive.
Finally, let me close with a story which illustrates the point. A new federal building had just been completed in our Nation's Capitol. A thirsty man walked down the hallway in the building, searching for a water fountain. As he turned the corner, he noticed a water fountain. Upon his arrival, he looked for a button to push or a pedal to pressed down, but there was none. Just then, a man walked up with a sign that he fixed to the wall behind the water fountain. The sign read "stoop and drink." This is our daily task: to come to the Lord Jesus and receive from Him on a daily basis. It is then that the "rivers of living water will flow from within."
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37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. 40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. ~ John 7:37-44
John's gospel presents the Lord Jesus as the fulfillment of all things Old Testament, including the feast of Tabernacles. On the last great day of the Jewish feast of Tabernacles the Lord Jesus offered the thirsty rivers of living water. God's purpose in bringing the people out of Egypt and through the wilderness was to show his power and his love for Israel, so that Israel would trust Him and follow Him.
The Lord Jesus, in today's text, uses an analogy that implies fullness, completeness to the point of overflowing. It implies refreshment, growth and life. This life is offered only to those who are willing to enter a personal and meaningful relationship with the Lord Jesus. The experience is essential.
The precedent to this experience is thirst. All thirst, but not all thirst for God. We are afflicted and blessed with a chronic restlessness, an insatiable soul-thirst, so that we might keep seeking Him.
We were made for God. The taste buds of our souls were made to be satisfied in a personal relationship with the Son of God. But, we are fallen, and the fundamental meaning of our fallenness is thirsting for things other than God. Our sinful nature is a condition of diseased spiritual taste buds.
The Lord Jesus loudly proclaim, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink." Coming to the Lord Jesus is an act of the heart. We primarily meet the Lord Jesus through His Word. Drinking is the same as believing or trusting. After he says, "Come to me and drink," in v.37, He then says, "Whoever believes in me." In John 6:35, the Lord Jesus said, "He who believes in me shall never thirst." The essence of drinking the Word of the Lord Jesus is trusting it. The essence of believing in the Lord Jesus is finding in Him the satisfaction of our deepest soul-thirst. Drinking is believing, and believing is drinking.
The result of coming to the Lord Jesus and believing is: "rivers of living water will flow from within them. " The promise is not only that we will be satisfied, but that He will be satisfying. He promises not only that our cup will be full, but also that it will be overflowing. In drinking from the Lord Jesus we become not merely a receptacle, but a spring or a fountain.
Everything starts with a soul-thirst for the Lord Jesus and a drinking in of His promises by faith. Then two things happen in our hearts: first, we sense deep down that we have now discovered the source of lasting and complete joy, and our hearts crave to know more and more of Christ; and second, the water "becomes in us a spring of water welling up into eternal life."
When the people, in v.40, heard these words, they said, "Surely this man is the Prophet." According to v.41, "Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?" Not all recognized Him as the One. Some wanted to seize Him with ill desire.
Let me redirect your attention to v.39 where the Lord Jesus describes the rivers of living water. The rivers of living water is analogous of the Holy Spirit whom He gives to those who believe that He is the Messiah. It is the Spirit of God who produces this life, not us. And, the Holy Spirit gives this to those who believe and receive.
Finally, let me close with a story which illustrates the point. A new federal building had just been completed in our Nation's Capitol. A thirsty man walked down the hallway in the building, searching for a water fountain. As he turned the corner, he noticed a water fountain. Upon his arrival, he looked for a button to push or a pedal to pressed down, but there was none. Just then, a man walked up with a sign that he fixed to the wall behind the water fountain. The sign read "stoop and drink." This is our daily task: to come to the Lord Jesus and receive from Him on a daily basis. It is then that the "rivers of living water will flow from within."
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Monday, October 21, 2019
John 7:30-36
Click here for the John 7:30-36 PODCAST
30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?” 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. 33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?” John 7:30-36
In so many ways, we are constantly reminded that we live in a world where we are in a battle between good and evil. We either factor in for good or for evil on any given moment. We do well when we carefully evaluate whether we are factoring in for the advancement of good or not. When we do this, we can be assured that we are abiding in His truth. This is the key for advancing good in this world: having His word abide in us and us abiding in Him.
In our text today, we are told, the religious leaders wanted to seize the Lord Jesus and kill Him. Yet, "many in the crowd believed." Herein is the battle between good and evil on display. Many of the people recognized the Lord Jesus was sent by God. The Pharisees heard the crowd speaking well about the Lord Jesus, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest Him with the goal of getting rid of Him. This is what we do to those who are not easily controlled; we find a way to get rid of them.
The Lord Jesus then said in v.33-34, "I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come." The Lord Jesus was fully aware of the sovereign plan of the Father. He knew the Father was invisibly protecting Him. He was confident that no one could touch Him until His hour to glorify His Father, and so He continues His ministry with the awareness that all the opposition against Him could go no further than God's will for Him.
This is always true for us, His followers. We can be confident
that nothing can happen to us except what He allows; and when He allows it, it is the right time for it to happen. There are times in all of our lives that we have asked the Lord, "Why?" The nature of our faith in Him is that we trust Him no matter what. J.R.R. Tolkien said it well when he said, “Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.”
Then the Jews said to one another in v.35-36, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?” This response from the Jews underscores why we miss the leading of the Lord: we think as men rather than as followers of the God of the universe. It also explains why the religious leaders wanted to kill the Lord Jesus: they could not understand or control Him. This is how we usually respond to those in our lives like this.
There is a quote that applies to this very well: "The tighter we squeeze the less we have." The more we try to hang on to something or “strangle” it, the more hurtful it can be or hard it is to hang on to. If we close our fist, how can we grab anything, whereas, if we open our hands, it will be very easy for something to fall into them. The more we walk in His truth, being defined by it, the more we will see Him with our hearts. The key, once again, is He is defining our lives.
I close today's blog with a quote from Mike Yaconelli, "I want a lifetime of holy moments. Every day I want to be in dangerous proximity to Jesus. I long for a life that explodes with meaning and is filled with adventure, wonder, risk, and danger. I long for a faith that is gloriously treacherous. I want to be with Jesus, not knowing whether to cry or laugh."
30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?” 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. 33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?” John 7:30-36
In so many ways, we are constantly reminded that we live in a world where we are in a battle between good and evil. We either factor in for good or for evil on any given moment. We do well when we carefully evaluate whether we are factoring in for the advancement of good or not. When we do this, we can be assured that we are abiding in His truth. This is the key for advancing good in this world: having His word abide in us and us abiding in Him.
In our text today, we are told, the religious leaders wanted to seize the Lord Jesus and kill Him. Yet, "many in the crowd believed." Herein is the battle between good and evil on display. Many of the people recognized the Lord Jesus was sent by God. The Pharisees heard the crowd speaking well about the Lord Jesus, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest Him with the goal of getting rid of Him. This is what we do to those who are not easily controlled; we find a way to get rid of them.
The Lord Jesus then said in v.33-34, "I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come." The Lord Jesus was fully aware of the sovereign plan of the Father. He knew the Father was invisibly protecting Him. He was confident that no one could touch Him until His hour to glorify His Father, and so He continues His ministry with the awareness that all the opposition against Him could go no further than God's will for Him.
This is always true for us, His followers. We can be confident
Then the Jews said to one another in v.35-36, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?” This response from the Jews underscores why we miss the leading of the Lord: we think as men rather than as followers of the God of the universe. It also explains why the religious leaders wanted to kill the Lord Jesus: they could not understand or control Him. This is how we usually respond to those in our lives like this.
There is a quote that applies to this very well: "The tighter we squeeze the less we have." The more we try to hang on to something or “strangle” it, the more hurtful it can be or hard it is to hang on to. If we close our fist, how can we grab anything, whereas, if we open our hands, it will be very easy for something to fall into them. The more we walk in His truth, being defined by it, the more we will see Him with our hearts. The key, once again, is He is defining our lives.
I close today's blog with a quote from Mike Yaconelli, "I want a lifetime of holy moments. Every day I want to be in dangerous proximity to Jesus. I long for a life that explodes with meaning and is filled with adventure, wonder, risk, and danger. I long for a faith that is gloriously treacherous. I want to be with Jesus, not knowing whether to cry or laugh."
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