The Fishing Trip

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Last week, Pastor Mark told us of the meeting in the upper room on that Sunday evening. Jesus miraculously appeared before the disciples. Jesus showed them His hands and side where He was pierced for our transgressions. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon them. Thomas was not there and missed out on the whole thing. We saw the interaction between Thomas and the others and heard those famous words, “Unless I see in His hands the imprints of the nails, and I put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” Eight days later, Thomas got his wish and believed. We finished last week with the theme of John’s gospel. This morning, we look at the third post resurrection interaction with Jesus.

Take a look at John 21:1-14.

John uses the phrase, “After these things,” which is an undefined period of time. It gives us no real clue in to how much time has passed. In our context, that can be somewhat difficult to gloss over. “After these things, Jesus manifested Himself to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way.” Tiberias is the Roman designator for the Sea of Galilee. It’s also called Genesaret in Luke 5:1 and Chinnereth in Num. 34:11. It comes from the word that means harp because the Sea of Galilee is shaped like a harp. This is the only manifestation of Jesus in Galilee. Manifest means to become visible or make appear.

The following people are present, “Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.” Seven disciples are there. There is Simon Peter that is part of the inner circle of the 12. Thomas was given the nickname of Didymus that means twin. The nickname Twin would disappear from history and he forever becomes Doubting Thomas that we saw last week. Nathanael has been with Jesus for a long time. In Jo. 1:47, “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit.” Nathanael is not listed among the 12. He is from Cana in Galilee. The sons of Zebedee we know to be James and John. John is the disciple whom Jesus loved. Why wouldn’t he just identify himself? For the same reason he hasn’t done so to this point. His readers know who he is. We close out the seven people with, “Two others of His disciples were together.” How would you like to one of the two others? Not even mentioned by name. Total anonymity. In fact, we don’t learn who these two are.

Peter announces, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” Over the years, people have read into this fishing trip with ideas that are not there. Not knowing what to do after the death of Jesus, they return to the only life they knew. The disciples floundered without Jesus’ leadership to guide them. The disciples simply gave up and abandoned the way of Jesus. All of these are nonsense and you just need to keep reading. The group of seven jump in a boat and head out to sea. The Sea of Galilee is eight miles long and thirteen miles wide with a total area of 64 square miles. As we know from other stories, the lake is prone to sudden storms because it sits in the Rift Valley. It is the lowest freshwater lake on earth sitting 686 feet below sea level. Josephus wrote that in the first century, the Sea of Galilee had a thriving fishing industry of 230 boats regularly working the lake. The tilapia was the fish of the day and was caught with nets because tilapia are herbivores. Fishing in this area was generally a night time event because it was so hot during the daytime.

Peter was a fishman by trade and, “That night, they caught nothing.” All night long they cast their net and it came back empty. Cast after cast coming up empty. Did their fruitless night of fishing cause them to despair especially considering what they were going through at the loss of Christ? As day breaks, they head in to shore. “Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.” Certainly there are people milling around early in the morning where the boats pull in. Remember, this is a normal time for the boats to return. The disciples look toward shore and they see a man, but do not recognize the man as Jesus. An obvious question is how can they not recognize the One they had spent so much time with? Luke 24 talks about the time right after the empty tomb was discovered.

Take a look at Luke 24:13-35 to get another interaction Jesus had on the road to Emmaus. Lu. 24:16 says, “But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.”   Did the same thing happen on the lake? As they approach land, “Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” Jesus knows good and well they don’t have any fish. At least some of these seven men are professional fisherman and they’ve caught nothing. “And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” In their eyes, the man speaking to them is a stranger. As I just said, some of these men fish for a living. They know how to fish and yet this stranger tells them to throw the net on the other side of the boat. Often with these stories, when the Bible doesn’t give us an answer, we like to speculate as to what is missing. Why would these men be willing to do what this man on shore tells them to do? He spoke with such certainty. They sensed something supernatural in the man. The right side is always better. Jesus could see a school of fish on the right side of the boat.

“So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.” For reasons that remain unknown, they did as they were told and caught so many fish, they couldn’t bring it into the boat. Luke 5 tells us the story of Simon Peter’s conversion. The moment he recognized Jesus as Messiah. It’s one of the few conversion stories we have in Scripture. In this strikingly similar story, Peter does not recognize his Savior.

“Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” John tells Peter, “It is the Lord.” We don’t see any back-and-forth disagreement between John and Peter. “So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea.”   Peter’s action is probably not going to be surprising to anyone. Peter gets a lot of negative press. We use adjectives like impetuous which means to act quickly without thinking. He’s impulsive. He speaks without thinking. He’s arrogant and boastful. Jesus told Peter, “Get thee behind me Satan.” Remember it was Peter that told Jesus, “I will lay down my life for You.” Jesus responded by telling him before the rooster crowed three times, he would deny Him. (Jo. 13:37ff)

Peter put on his robe or outer garment and jumps in the water. “He was stripped for work.” Stripped is the Greek word gymnos that means naked. We get our English word gymnasium from this Greek word. Peter doesn’t look again and takes John’s word and literally throws himself in the water. Swimming is mentioned only six times in the Bible, but there is no reason that a fisherman would not know how to swim. As impulsive as Peter is, it’s unlikely he would throw himself in the water without knowing how to swim. It’d be a lot easier to swim in whatever undergarments Peter was wearing, but he apparently can swim faster than the boat can be rowed. “But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.” The fisherman did do what they were told and cast their net on the other side of the boat. They caught so many fish that they couldn’t pull the net into the boat, they had to drag it.

“So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread.” They pull the boat to the shore and they see a charcoal fire. Jesus tells them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” There are already fish on the fire along with some bread. As the men arrive to the shore, Jesus wants to add to what is already on the fire. This is shaping up to be a very nice meal after a long night of fishing. The charcoal fire is significant. There are only two mentions of charcoal fire in the New Testament and both involve Peter.

The first time we find Peter at a charcoal fire, we see him being questioned about his identity and affiliation with Jesus. Jo. 18:18 says, “Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.” Three times in chapter 18 Peter is asked the question, “Do you know Jesus.” Three times Peter denied knowing Jesus. The first time at the fire represents Peter’s failure when he denied knowing Jesus. Remember John is an evangelist and after spending a night on the lake fishing and catching nothing, they come to a new day. This second charcoal fire represents a new beginning. “But when the day was now breaking,” represents a fresh start. The new day offers a new hope, a new beginning, a new chance to make right what was not right the day before.

“Bring some of the fish,” Jesus says so, “Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.” When they arrived at the shore line, the men apparently left the net full of fish tied to the boat so Peter went and dragged the net full of fish. 153 fish were in the net and the obvious question is why would they take the time to count them and why? Who counted them? Remember, John is writing this way after it actually happened. We don’t have the answer to who counted the fish and really, it doesn’t matter. The point is they caught a lot of fish after listening to Jesus.

“Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord.” As the men get out of the boat, Jesus invites them to share a meal. At this point, everyone knows that it is the Lord. The word “know” in this verse means to be aware. There’s no suggestion that it’s a supernatural or secret knowledge. It carries the idea that the disciples were aware that it was Jesus. “Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise.” This sounds an awful lot like the Last Supper. There are similar elements, but the stories are also quite different. There is a reason for this story. Some say that this is another miracle Jesus performed. The catch of fish was so large that it should have torn the net, but John says it didn’t. “This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.”

There’s more to this story is than a fishing trip. There’s more than the miraculous number of fish that were caught yet didn’t tear the net. There’s more to this story than Peter impulsively jumping out of the boat to swim to shore. There’s more to this story than eating a meal. Ever the evangelist, John is setting us up for one of the most important commissions in Scripture. Are you ready for a new beginning? A new opportunity? A new chapter? The disciples are getting ready to hear about that opportunity. Join us next week to see what it is.

The End

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Last week, Pastor Mark shared the horrific truth that Jesus was hung on a cross to be crucified. He bore His own cross at the Place of a Skull known as Golgotha in Hebrew. Jesus was crucified between two other men. As Jesus hung suffering in excruciating pain and gasping for each breath, the soldiers cast lots to see who would get the clothing of Christ fulfilling the prophecy in Ps. 22:18. This morning, we pick up the story.

Take a look at our passage for today found in John 19:25b-30.

We start by offering a contrast between the people around the cross. The soldiers were there overseeing the crucifixion. They also took the time to divide Jesus’ garments. The other people at the cross are mentioned and has been the source of some debate of how many women were there. Look at v. 25b. There is Jesus’s mother Mary. Jesus’ mother’s unnamed sister, or His aunt. There is Mary, the wife of Clopas. And there is Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene had seven demons cast out of her in Lu. 8:2. Only Mary, the mother of Jesus, has been mentioned in John. We’ll see Mary Magdalene in the next chapter as she plays a very important role. John mentions these four women. These are four women that John’s readers would know. Matthew says many women were looking from a distance. (Matt. 27:55) Mark says there were some women looking on and mentions, “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James the less and Joses, and Salome.” (Mark 15:40) Luke says the women who accompanied Jesus from Galilee were there. (Lu. 23:49) Matthew, Mark, and Luke all confirm many women followed Jesus and ministered to Him during His travels. I say this only to acknowledge that women in the Bible play an important part of our faith. The idea that the bible is misogynistic as characterized by today’s progressive Christians is nonsense. Men and women have different roles and responsibilities. They’re both important in carrying out God’s plan.

There is one man mentioned. “When Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved.” At this point, Jesus is still able to see and recognize those that were in the crowd. He has the wherewithal to know what is happening and He looks out and sees Mary. Standing near Mary is the, “The disciple whom He loved.” It would be far easier if the author of this book simply revealed who he was. We know him to be John the Apostle, one of the three in the inner circle. He is there with his mentor, his friend, his Savior up to the end. Jesus then says to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”  It is the same title that Jesus used back in Chapter 2 when Mary pressed Him into service at the wedding when the host ran out of wine. The title carried the weight of respect, it was a warm and endearing term. You have to keep it in context and avoid a applying a 2022 mindset to the term. “Behold, your Son!” She looked as her Son hung on a cross, beaten, battered, bruised, and bloodied. Was she filled with grief or resolve? Remember, she knew who He was. Was she thinking back to when the angel appeared to her as a young virgin telling her she was with child. She knew how the pregnancy came to be. And now here she stands looking at her child near death. “Then Jesus said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.” Joseph is long since dead and Jesus had the responsibility to care for His mother. John is watching this transpire and now Jesus speaks to him. “Behold your mother!” Jesus has passed the responsibility for Mary to John. John, not Mary’s other sons, will care for Mary in the remaining years of her life. Jo. 7:5 says, “For not even His brothers were believing in Him.” Were they outcasts of the family? Were they simply not involved at this point? From here on out, the disciple whom Jesus loved cared for the mother that Jesus loved. Mary’s future was secure with John.

And now the last moments of Jesus. In the grand scheme of things, we’ve only glimpsed into a few short years of Jesus’ life. We know about His miraculous conception and birth. We know He was circumcised at eight days. We know His parents fled to Egypt after being warned in a dream that Herod was seeking to kill the Christ Child. After hearing the wise men had tricked him, Herod ordered the slaughter of every boy in Bethlehem and its vicinity that was two years old and under. After Herod died, Joseph brought his family to Galilee to a town called Nazareth. We know Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover and when Jesus was twelve, they left Him behind. When they went looking for Him, they found Him in the temple teaching. The people were amazed at this young man. When Mary rebuked Him for causing her worry, Jesus told her, “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” (Lu. 2:49) The very next verse says they did not understand the statement. Even though they didn’t understand, Jesus went back to Nazareth with them and continued in subjection under them. Fast forward about 18 years when Jesus comes back on the scene. Jesus knows the timeline and He knew it His whole life. Everything He has done has led to this moment. The messages he preached, the people He called, the miracles He performed have brought us to this specific point in history. John brings us back in the moment by saying, “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished.” Nothing left to do on this earth. The suffering is complete. It’s done. In Jo. 17:4 Jesus said, “I have glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.”

As He hung on the cross, He said, “I am thirsty.” Such a basic human need. It has been an exhausting and extraordinarily long day. No doubt Jesus’ physical needs have taken a back seat to the mental anguish He has suffered. Yet in the final moments of His life, He is thirsty. “A jar full of sour wine was standing there.” Sour wine had a taste like lemon or vinegar. The gospel accounts vary in this detail. Matt. 27:34 says, “They gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.” Matt. 27:48 says, “Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.” Mark 15:36 says, “Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let’s see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” Lu. 23:36, “The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine.” John says, “They put a sponge full of sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.” That much of the story is consistent with the other gospel writers, but what isn’t John telling us?

John doesn’t mention Jesus interceding on the crowd’s behalf: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Lu. 23:34) John doesn’t tell us the crowd yelled insults at Him like, “You who were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” (Matt. 27:40) The chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him by saying, “He saved others, He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down from the cross and we will believe in Him.” (Matt. 27:41) John doesn’t tell us that darkness had taken over the place from the sixth hour. John doesn’t tell us that Jesus cried out to God asking why He had been forsaken. John doesn’t tell us about the dialogue the robbers had. One robber yelled at Jesus, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” (Lu. 23:39) The other robber understands he is there because he has done wrong, but Jesus has done nothing to deserve the punishment He is enduring. The robber humbly asks Jesus to remember him when He comes into His kingdom. Imagine the soothing, encouraging words when Jesus tells him, “Today, you shall be with Me in paradise.” (Lu. 23:43) For reasons we don’t know, John’s account doesn’t tell us these details.

And we come to the end. Jesus knows the end of His life is moments away. His whole life has been in pursuit of this moment. I wonder what He is thinking about. After all the physical and emotional torment He has endured, is He able to think coherently? This moment has been looming in front of Him for eternity. Back in Jo. 12:27 He said, “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour?’ But for this purpose I came to this hour.” There was never a doubt in His mind that this moment was to come. That didn’t mean He looked forward to the pain and suffering, but He certainly sought to please the Father and affect redemption for humanity. After receiving the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is finished.” The last conscious thought He had prior to His death was the knowledge that it was over. In the twinkling of an eye, He would be reunited with the Father. The mission is complete. In that moment, “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.” (Rom. 6:10) Heb. 7:26-27 says, “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.” Heb. 9:12 says redemption is not by the blood of bulls and goats, but eternal redemption has been obtained by the blood of Christ. Heb. 10:10 tells us that, “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” It is finished!

“And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” Jesus is in full control right up to the very last moment. Take a quick look at Matt. 27:51-54. John doesn’t tell us that. The earth is shaking; the rocks are splitting and dead people are being raised up out of the tombs. That’s a pretty big detail to leave out. That’s pretty noteworthy.

Jesus has died just as He said He would. The heads of the disciples must be spinning. What are they thinking? What are we going to do now? Where will we go? Are they so overcome with grief that they can’t think? Join us next week to find out.

The Betrayal

 

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Last week, Pastor Mark wrapped up Jesus’ prayer. He prayed for Himself, but also prayed that His disciples and all those that came after would be sanctified by the truth of God’s word. Jesus prayed for unity in the body of Christ just as there is unity between the Father and the Son. Jesus has made the name of God known and He asks that the love of God that is in Jesus also be in His followers. It’s an incredible prayer. This morning, we see the encounter between Jesus and those that will take Him.

Take a look at our text today that comes from John 18:1-14.

Jesus really is finished. “When Jesus had spoken these words,” goes all the way back to 14:31 when He said, “Get up, let us go from here,” and He launched into the true vine metaphor. He has been teaching and praying through chapters 15, 16, and 17. This time, Jesus really is finished. It’s time to move so, “He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples.” The Kidron Valley lies east of Jerusalem. Just north of the valley is the Mount of Olives and then the Garden of Gethsemane. This is the garden where Jesus told His disciples to stay while He prayed then took Peter, James, and John farther in and told them to keep watch over Him while He went into the garden a bit farther to pray. This is the garden where the disciples fell asleep instead of praying for Jesus. This is the garden where Jesus prayed three times for God to remove the cup that was prepared for Him. This is the garden where Jesus told His disciples that He was to be betrayed. This is the garden where an angel appeared to Him to strengthen Him. This is the garden that Jesus prayed so fervently that His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. This is the garden that He warned His disciples to pray so they wouldn’t fall into temptation. Oddly enough, none of that is contained in John’s gospel. John doesn’t even mention that Jesus prayed in the garden. But John is the only one that notes there was a garden in Gethsemane. For the reader, you have to ask yourself why? Why wouldn’t John record these incredible events from the time of arrival in the garden to the time that He was taken? “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (Jo. 20:30-31) That’s John’s purpose for writing. At his core, John is an evangelist and wants people to know the truth of who Christ is and respond to that message.

The stage is now set for the betrayal and you would have had to live under a rock your entire life not to know that the one that betrayed Jesus goes by the name of Judas Iscariot. Judas was one of the twelve. He walked with Jesus and His disciples from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He heard the incredible teachings of Jesus straight from Jesus’ mouth. He saw the miracles Jesus performed with his own eyes. With all the truth in front of him, Judas rejected the Messiah. The stage is set.

What we learn from the next verse is that Judas was not with the disciples when they entered the garden. “Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples.” Judas had inside knowledge as to the location of Jesus. He knew Jesus and the disciples often went there. Luke tells us that Jesus even slept there with some regularity. Judas knows the place Jesus will be then, “having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.” This is the classic good versus evil. This garden was a place of retreat for Jesus and the disciples. This garden was a place of reflection, teaching, and encouragement. This was a favorite place for Jesus to bring His disciples and teach, fellowship, and pray with them. Judas would turn this sacred place into a place of betrayal.

If this were a movie, there would be ominous music playing that would build to a crescendo as Judas enters the garden. Look who’s with Judas. There is a Roman cohort. Depending on your translation, it could be a detachment, or a band of men.  These soldiers would have been based near the temple in Jerusalem likely brought in because of Passover. Remember, this is the time of the Passover festival and Jerusalem is packed because Jews from all over would be there to celebrate. The Roman cohort is in charge of keeping the peace in and around the temple. The cohort could be as few as 200 or as many as 600 men. The specific number is irrelevant. What is relevant is that at least 200 men accompanied Judas to the garden. Along with the soldiers were, “Officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees.” These were likely arresting officers in control of the high priest’s family. Keep in mind, at this point in history, the high priest had morphed into a political office that had tremendous power. We’ll see this fleshed out next week when Pastor Zane brings Annas and Caiaphas into the picture. All these people come with, “lanterns and torches and weapons.” There is not one mention in the gospels of Jesus or His disciple’s creating violence against another. If you’re thinking about Jesus turning over the tables in Matt. 21, He drove the would-be robbers out of the temple because they were buying and selling and cheating people. There was no violence committed against them.

“So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” Jesus knows exactly what is going to happen. Not wanting a confrontation, Jesus approaches them and asks who’re they looking for. “Jesus the Nazarene,” they say. Judas is standing right there with them. The disciples are in the background behind Jesus. Picture the disciples huddled in a group with Jesus in front of them. Good versus evil. Right versus wrong.  “I am He,” is the simple reply of Jesus. At that declaration, “they drew back and fell to the ground.”      That’s a pretty dramatic response. Back in Exodus when Moses was speaking with God trying to get out of the mission he was given, Moses asked God who should he tell Pharaoh who it was that sent him. God’s response to Moses in Ex. 3:14, “I AM” sent you. When face to face with the reality of a holy and perfect God, there is only one response. “Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.” If you think the soldiers are in charge of this whole episode, think again. Jesus first approached them and asked them who they were seeking. After declaring that He is God, He gives the soldiers an order. They may have come with an overwhelming show of force, but Jesus is in charge here. If you remember back to 17:12 when Jesus was praying, He told the Father that He had kept and guarded those that were given to Him except for the son of perdition. Where was the son of perdition? Standing beside those that would seize Jesus. The Scripture is fulfilled.

Violence erupts. As this scene unfolds, I get the sense of growing unrest and fear within the hearts of the disciples. Jesus prepared them for this moment. Jesus warned them this was to happen. Peter watched in horror as his friend, his confidant, his mentor, his savior was taken into custody and he could stand idly by no more. He reached for his sword, “drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus.” Keep the picture of this scene in your mind. There are probably more than 200 people in this garden that have come to take Jesus into custody. The soldiers are armed and normal tactics would have them surrounding Jesus and His disciples. What was Peter thinking? What could he do against such a formidable force? Peter represents what is inside many of us. A desire to help even if it’s wrong. “I have to do something,” we often say.

This ear cutting incident is recorded in all four gospels. John is the only one that says it was Peter and is the only writer to name Malchus. John and Luke say it was the right ear. Only Luke records that Jesus fixed the ear. Mark does not include Jesus’ rebuke of Peter. “So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” This was the plan ordained by God. This was the path to redemption; this is the way.

The arrest. “So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him.” The soldiers take Jesus into custody, but that brings up a new question. Who is actually in charge here? Was it the Jews or the Romans? It’s important to give you some context over the political and judicial practices of Jerusalem in those times. The history of Rome can be traced all the way back to about 753 B.C. when it was founded, as legend has it, by Romulus and Remus. They were the twin sons of Mars, the god of war that were raised by a she-wolf. After killing his brother, Romulus became the first king of Rome which was named after him. Over the centuries, the Roman Empire grew and expanded in all directions. By about 63 B.C., Roman general Pompey sacked Jerusalem. After Pompey came Julius Caesar. After Caesar was murdered, Octavian and Mark Antony joined forces against Brutus and Cassius in the Battle of Philippi in 42 B.C. Antony appointed Herod as governor, but when Octavian defeated Antony at Actium in 31 B.C., Herod had to flee for his life. But later, Herod was able to schmooze Octavian and Herod was appointed as king of the region. Herod returned to Israel and began conquering the land. Herod did many great things that endeared him to the Jews, but he was a cruel leader jealous of anyone who he thought might try and take the throne.

During this time in history, there were senatorial and imperial provinces. Senatorial provinces were generally peaceful and governed by a proconsul who would serve in that capacity for a year making it relatively easy to date events such as in Acts 18:12 when Luke tells us that the Jews rose up against Paul when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia. Imperial provinces were problematic for Rome and so governors were appointed, but they served more as generals with armies under their control. When there was need for closer oversight, the imperial provinces would be subdivided into smaller areas. The roman emperor would appoint a prefect or procurator over these areas. Judah was one of these smaller areas and Jerusalem was in Judah. Provinces could generally rule themselves, but under criminal law, they were under Rome’s authority. When Archelaus was removed in 6 A.D., the Romans were not prepared to allow a Jewish leader to rule so they appointed another Roman governor named Pontius Pilate to rule Judah. With this bit of history, hopefully it will make more sense as walk through the trial of Jesus. It’s important to note that John splits the story into several scenes that occur at the same time. Jesus was led, “to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.” Annas was appointed high priest by Quirinius at about the same time Archelaus was removed and normally would have held that position the rest of his life. Procurator or governor Valerius Gratus, who served prior to Pilate, found Annas intolerable and removed him. Annas melted into the background, but was still hugely influential in the dealings of Caiaphas. Don’t get bogged down by the phrase “that year.” It’s the same thing as saying Bush was president that year that America was attacked by terrorists.

Verse 14 sets up what is to come in the following verses. Caiaphas has already told the Jews that someone had to die for the people. The verdict was already decided before Jesus even stood before the so-called officials. Look back at Jo. 11:47-53.

An overwhelming show of force has entered the garden to seize Jesus as Judas stands by. Jesus has willingly surrendered Himself to the Roman officials and the Jewish officers. Next week, tensions rise, the pace picks up and we’ll look at a very familiar sequence of events as we enter the trial phase of this book.

The Petition

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Last week, Pastor Mark told us that Jesus spoke figuratively. He shared with the disciples what was coming and told them soon He would tell them plainly. He reminded them of where He came from and where He was going. The disciples understood and firmly believed that Jesus was from God. Jesus tells them their sobering future included being scattered and left alone. He encouraged them by saying they have peace in Christ in contrast to the tribulation of the world. Jesus left them with the incredible truth that He has overcome the world. This morning, the time that Jesus has been referring to has arrived.

John 17:1-5 says, “Jesus spoke these things; and raising His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, so that the Son may glorify You, just as You gave Him authority over all mankind, so that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work which You have given Me to do. And now You, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world existed.”

Jesus shifts gears and begins to pray. The phrase, “Jesus spoke these things,” indicates a shift in the setting. For the moment, He has finished speaking to the disciples and He turns His attention elsewhere. He looks up in the sky and says, “Father.” Jesus does what many of us do in prayer. He tells God what He already knows. It’s a reminder to us that God is all knowing and all seeing. There’s encouragement for us when we pray in this manner. We’ll often quote Scripture to the Author of Scripture. We’ll remind the Promise Keeper of the promises He has made. We’ll affirm His characteristics by saying things like, “We know You are a God of love, justice, and mercy.” God knows these things, but it helps us have the confidence that He will hear our prayers and act on them.

Jesus says, “Father, the hour has come.” As you probably have figured out, this is not a reference to a specific time. It is the time of Jesus’ glorification. The time that all of history before Jesus has looked forward to. The time since that all history looks back on. “Glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You.” It is such a simple prayer with such incredible depth. To fully understand the depth of this prayer, we have to remember that, “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (Jo. 3:17) As we have seen in John, anytime the Son is glorified, the Father is glorified. Anytime the Father is glorified, the Son is glorified. Remember too, that this specifically refers to the final glorification that will occur through what is to come. Jesus knows His days are drawing rapidly to an end. Jesus continues by acknowledging, “Even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.” This verse can be challenging if taken by itself without looking at the surrounding verses. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” There are restrictions to this: this is not universal salvation. 2 Pet. 3:9 tells us, “The Lord is not slow about His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” We know what Jo. 3:16 says too. In the matter of eternity, we know God’s desire, but we know not all will respond to the message.

Here we are presented with restrictions. God is the one and only. He is not one among many gods as some say. We would definitely acknowledge there are other gods in the world. Time, money, prestige, power. We would call that idolatry, but it represents the same thing. God is unique in position and authority and there is only One. Not only is He One and only, He is absolutely genuine and authentic. There is none like Him. But it’s not just God. You need to hold the same knowledge and belief in Jesus Christ. There is no way to bypass this. Gen. 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Go back to the first chapter of this book and read Jo. 1:1-5, 14. Since God created everything that we know, He gets to make the rules and you don’t get to change them to suit your individual desires. We don’t look at Scripture through a modern lens of cultural relevance where we change the fundamental tenants of the faith to make things more appealing. Speaking to God Jesus says, “Even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.” The focus of this verse is not to limit those that come to Christ or to say that all will come to a saving knowledge of Christ, the point is Jesus has been given authority over those that respond to the message of salvation.

What’s the point? Jesus clarifies this point when He says, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Jesus is interceding to the Father on behalf of the people. “May know” is one word in Greek and it is the word ginosko that means know and understand. The only way to eternal life is to know God as the one true God. But that’s not all. Eternal life also means to know Jesus Christ who was sent by God. Being sent by God opens the door of understanding into the mission of Christ. In a basic manner, Jesus was sent, “To seek and to save that which was lost.” (Lu. 19:10) In a nutshell, that’s the primary goal for God. Look over at Rom. 1:16-25. God has planted a desire to know Him into every being created in His image. Knowing God is not some impossibility or pipe dream. We can know the one and only true God and we can know His Son. That’s the path to eternal life. Remember what Jesus said in Jo. 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” There is no other way. Remember the theme of this book: “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (Jo. 20:30-31)

Jesus goes on to say, “I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work which you have given Me to do.” Jesus is speaking in the past tense of something that is still to come. It is finished even though it is not yet finished. This is the desire and confidence Jesus has to complete the mission He was sent to do. This is the last night Jesus will spend with the disciples. The work is complete, but suffering remains. Everything in His life has led to this moment and it is finished. The atoning nature of His death and resurrection are complete even though His death has not occurred. I know this is challenging, but Jesus is confident in who He is and the mission His Father has sent Him on. Everything He has done, the miracles, the teaching, the fellowship, the one-on-one interactions, His mannerisms, His personality, His character, His devotion and desire, His willingness, His obedience, His submission have led to this moment in the history of mankind. Jesus has glorified God while on earth. This is similar to the words of Paul at the end of his life when he told Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:7)

Continuing in prayer Jesus says, “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” Pay attention to the pronouns in this verse. In our opening verse this morning, Jesus prayed, “Glorify Your Son.” Jesus identifies Himself as the Son, God’s Son. He specifically asks God for the glory He had before the world was created. Remember the opening verses of this gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being.” (Jo. 1:1-3) Jesus is specifically asking for the glory that He had before He stepped onto the earth. We know that Jesus glorified God in all that He did, but this glory seems to be a different kind. The glory Jesus had on earth seems limited in some way by our human understanding and restrictions. But Jesus knows and remembers the glory He had in heaven before the world was formed and He asks the Father to restore that glory. Through the glory of His death, Jesus would enable humanity to enter into the very throne room of God. But this isn’t some sort of morphing of Jesus into God. John paints the very real picture that Jesus is separate from God. It’s not just an idea or principle. Before the world was, there was God the Father and God the Son. They’ve always been two distinct and separate beings coexisting and coequal in authority, harmony, and glory. To help us understanding this challenging concept, let’s read what Paul had to say about this. Paul came after John. John interacted with Jesus during His ministry, while Paul came on the scene after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. They’re writing with different perspectives. John wrote before the church; Paul writes after the church has been established.

Jump over to Phil. 2:6-11. The key to understanding this passage is to understand the words used. Words like form as in “form of God” and “form of a bond-servant.” Form here means an outward appearance consistent with what is true. The form would express that reality perfectly. Then we have equality as in, “equality with God a thing to be grasped.” Equality describes how God and Jesus existed. We’ve seen from John the reality of their co-equal nature. The other key word is grasped. Jesus, “did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped.” Remember back to the garden during the pivotal moment when Adam succumbed to temptation. The serpent successfully cast doubt on the truth and both Adam and Eve desired to be like God. To be like God was not their right to possess. In that sense, they robbed God of what was rightfully His. When we go back to Paul’s use of grasp in Philippians, Jesus and God coexisted in an equal nature and so equality was not something Jesus needed to hold onto because He already possessed it.

Then Paul says Jesus, “emptied Himself taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” We often want to know what was emptied.         You have to look at the entire passage. Paul says Jesus Christ is Lord in v. 11, but servant in v. 7. He says Jesus has the very nature of God in v. 6, yet human likeness in v. 7. The emptying refers to God becoming human: the Lord became a servant, and obedience led to death. Jesus emptied Himself of what was rightfully His. Emptied means to render void or of no effect or made Himself nothing. Jesus left His position of authority, privilege, and rank to become man. How did that happen? He took on the nature of a bond-servant and was made in the likeness of men. This represents a paradox. Being made nothing means adding humanity to deity rather than subtracting deity from His person. Challenging concept? Absolutely.

Let me see if I can tie it all together nicely. In John, Jesus prays to God the Father and asks that He be restored to the glory He had before He willingly left heaven and His rightful position in equality with the Father. His mission on earth is complete. Everything that needed to be done has been completed or has been set in motion to take place after His death. The thousands of years since the world was created and life began has led to this point in time. Jesus is ready, His time as a man is over. Although the actual events of the cross are yet to occur, they are as good as a memory for Jesus.

These few verses are certainly challenging. We are allowed into the prayer closet of Jesus as He readies Himself for what is to occur. Even though He knows what is to happen, we see His confidence in the will of God. What about you? We have the promises of God. Do we boldly and confidently pray that God’s will be done?

The Promise

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Last week, Pastor Mark presented the difficult concept of hatred for Christ and the resultant hatred for those who belong to Him. We’re not of the world so the world rejects us. Since the world persecuted Jesus, the world will persecute His followers. This demonstrates a hatred for Jesus and a resultant hatred for God. But even in the midst of that trouble, Jesus provided the promise of the Helper that would come; the spirit of Truth that comes from the Father that will testify about Jesus and that enables us to testify about Jesus too. This morning, Jesus tells His disciples some very troubling and confusing but hopeful words.

Our passage today is found in John 16:1-15. I encourage you to read along with me.

We start with a warning. Jesus begins by saying, “These things I have spoken so that you may be kept from stumbling.” Jesus provided a warning about what was to happen to them after He left. It was a very stern warning to keep them from stumbling. Stumbling here is a Greek term that refers to a baited trap. In this context, Jesus is warning them of the potential trap they could fall into because of the hateful treatment of the world. Being treated hatefully because of what you believe is something Jesus wanted them to be prepared for. He didn’t want them to focus on the treatment they received at the hands of others, but wanted them to be ready when the time came.

That sure is a lesson for us today. I think many believers still find it shocking when they are maligned for believing in Christ. What I often see is this can come from within the church as well as outside of the church. I’ll just speak of my own experiences. I have been criticized by people in the church over the way I choose to follow Christ. From my decision to abstain from alcohol, something I have the liberty to do, to my dogmatic stance on the validity of Scripture. I have been called to the carpet for things I have said that clearly and specifically align with Scripture. Jesus provides this warning so they won’t be caught off guard. Where is this hateful treatment going to occur? Here’s the shocking part: “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.” That’s a troubling statement. Unique to John’s writings is the word outcast. We need to be reminded that John was writing in the first century and synagogue worship was the practice of the day. The synagogue practiced at least two degrees of discipline. A member could be disciplined for such things as dishonoring or opposing a teacher of the Torah.  Or testifying against a fellow Jew in a non-Jewish court. This would garner you a 30-day suspension from the congregation, and that time could be extended. During that time, you had to use a different entrance to the synagogue and you had to wear certain clothing to indicate the suspension. But you could still go. For more serious offenses such as heresy, 60-day suspensions could be issued. Additional penalties included preventing the offending member from buying or selling, refusing to teach the offender’s son a trade, and refusing to heal them. Both these degrees of sanctions could be lifted by synagogue officials; it was not permanent. In Jo. 9:22, the parents of the man that was healed from blindness was threatened by this suspension. In Jo. 12:42, “Many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.”

Outcast is a stronger word. Jesus warned the disciples that they would be expelled from the synagogue. They would be kicked out of the place that was supposed to stand for truth, godliness, and holiness. The ban would be a total and irreversible expulsion. That’s what the disciples have to look forward to following Jesus’ death. The rest of the verse is even more troubling when Jesus goes on to say, “But an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think he is offering service to God.” Zealots thinking they are doing God a service by killing people of faith. Simply kill those that are determined to have backward or heretical thinking. I know that’s challenging to comprehend given what we know, but look at some history. The first crusade was requested in 1095 by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in an effort to stem the advance of Islam from the Middle East into Europe. The belief was that this was a holy work and pleasing to God. Then there’s the Spanish Inquisition. They were looking primarily for heretics that converted from Judaism and Islam to Catholicism. That morphed into forced conversions to Catholicism.

There have always been misguided people in the world that passionately commit to something they deem is following the will of God. If you think that’s ancient history, let me give you a more recent example of this type of behavior. During the beginning of the pandemic, many people lived in fear of catching the virus that was fueled by global ignorance. This led professing believers to conclude that if you didn’t wear a mask or get the vaccine, you did not love people. Others said if you do wear a mask or get the vaccine, you were simply a sheep following the misguided notions of an overzealous and overreaching government.

In perhaps the most concerning movement that is happening all around us and gaining ground. Adherents to this way of thinking view the Bible as lacking authority in favor of personal belief. Feelings and emotions are emphasized over fact. Essential Christian doctrines that have long been held as fundamental truths are open for reinterpretation. Things like the virgin birth and the physical resurrection of Jesus, a literal hell, and the sexuality of man need to be viewed in modern context and not the antiquated views of an ancient text created by man. Historic terms are redefined. Terms like inerrancy, authority, and inspiration are redefined to mean what you want them to mean. Love is the ultimate characteristic of God and trumps all His other qualities including His hatred of sin. We cannot talk about sin because God is love so we must love everyone and this requires redefining sin. The primary focus of the church has shifted from the gospel of Jesus Christ to social justice. The idea that Jesus’ death on the cross is what pastor and author Steve Chalke termed cosmic child abuse. He abandoned the essential doctrine of plenary substitution. That idea is barbaric and unloving he said and we should focus our energy on promoting social justice and doing good works. To that I say, utter nonsense and bunk. What I described is progressive Christianity that is neither progressive nor Christian.

Jesus is warning the disciples that there will be people who think they are serving God by causing their death. Remember, He is preparing them for His death that will come at the hand of religious zealots who have concluded that Jesus is a blasphemer and the only solution is to kill Him. So what’s the root cause of this overt action against Jesus and His followers? V. 3 says, “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.” Followers of Christ are getting thrown out of the synagogues because the Jews don’t know God. You cannot know God if you don’t know Jesus. Remember those incredible words Jesus said in Jo. 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” You can’t have a relationship with God unless you go through Jesus and the Jews reject Jesus. That’s the source of their anger, their hatred, and their hostility. “These things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them.” Persecution is in their future; there is no escape for what will come. Jesus wants them prepared and there is no indication that the disciples should run and hide. There is no indication that their mission will change.

Timing is everything and Jesus explains why He is just now telling them these things, “These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.” The beginning refers to the beginning of their journey together. We’re now at the end of their journey together and Jesus is preparing them for what is to come. The disciples are having difficulty understanding what is going to happen even after walking with Jesus for nearly three years. There was no chance they would have understood this concept at the beginning. “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, “Where are You going?” If you remember, Peter asked Jesus “Where are You going?” in 13:36. In 14:5 Thomas asked Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” These are not contradictions to the earlier questions. It seems best to understand that our current passage occurs in a different setting. In the last phrase of Jo. 15:31, Jesus says, “Get up, let us go from here.”

For now, Jesus says, “But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.” What Jesus has shared with the disciples is bad news to their ears. Of course, they’re filled with sorrow. All they know is the One they love, the One that loves them is going away and Jesus has been giving them warnings of what is to happen to them. Here’s the dramatic turn of events: Look at vs. 7-11. “I tell you the truth,” is like an oath. Jesus promises that it is advantageous for Him to leave. How will Jesus leave? Through His atoning death on the cross. This is the glorification of Christ that John has mentioned many times in this gospel. This triggers the arrival of the Helper. Look at the three things the Helper will do. He’ll convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. John spells it out and explains this. Sin here is the overarching charge of not believing in Jesus. Righteousness is the standard that the charge is given. Judgement is complete because the ruler of the world has been judged. Satan has many victories as the ruler of this world that we have seen in John. From his influence over the religious crowd to using Judas to betray Him. From our current state of affairs in this world through all the anti-God rhetoric and the lack of zeal that many followers demonstrate, we know that Satan stands condemned and all those that submit to the world’s powers stand condemned with him. Jesus says, “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” The disciples have got to be undone by that statement. They are in total confusion at what they have just heard and Jesus tells them there’s more, but they can’t handle it right now. Their hearts are filled with sorrow and there’s more coming.

The last three verses gives us insight into the practical workings of the Helper that Jesus calls the Spirit of Truth. Jesus’ words are spoken directly to the disciples, but have practical application to us. Take a quick read of vs. 13-15. The Spirit guides us to truth. As I have said on many occasions in our study of John, there is only one truth. There is not your truth or my truth, there is only absolute truth. The Spirit will guide you to truth, but you have to be open to it. You might have to change what you think is true to what the Spirit says is true. This is one of the challenges presented to us when we counsel others. I’ve referred to it as playing the Holy Spirit card. When someone tells me something like, “I feel led to,” what they are saying is you can’t question me because it is the Spirit that is guiding me. But wait, what the Spirit says is not independent of what Jesus says. The Spirit cannot tell you something contrary to what Jesus or God says. “He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak.” Anything you say that is contrary to God’s word does not come from the Spirit. I have been told some off the wall things that have been attributed to the leading of the Spirit. The Spirit, “Will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” Thus completes what one scholar called the communication triad. God speaks to Jesus who speaks to the Spirit who speaks to His followers. That’s why saying something is from God that is not, is so horrible. I believe with all my heart that God speaks in this manner and can speak to our hearts through the Spirit, but He will never tell you something contrary to what He has said in His word. We need to learn to discern the difference in the Spirit of God and the spirit of this world. The Spirit of God is a Him and He is personal and you can personally know Him.

Jesus knows and understands the disciples are confused about what is going to happen in the next few days. Even though what He says is difficult to hear, He doesn’t want them to be shocked when it does happen. They’re going to be thrown out of the synagogues and made to be outcasts. They’re going to die at the hands of zealots that think they’re doing the will of God. The fundamental cause for these things is because of those that do not know God or Jesus. But Jesus also provides hope in the form of the Helper, the Spirit of truth that will speak the words of Christ that offer courage, comfort, and strength. But the Helper won’t come unless Jesus goes away. That caused great sorrow in the hearts of the disciples. All this is to happen and we are privileged to know the time, but for the disciples, uncertainty rules the day. As we’ll see, that uncertainty will be replaced with determination and resolve.

The Plot Thickens

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Last week, Pastor Mark told us that Jesus arrived in Bethany and was met by Martha. There was sorrow, grief, and weeping and when Jesus went to the tomb where Lazarus lay, He wept too. There’s some talk about Jesus; second guessing. If He can open the eyes of a blind man, surely, He could have saved Lazarus. As Jesus stands in front of the stone closing the tomb where Lazarus was, He tells them to remove the stone. Martha protests by saying Lazarus would stink since it has been four days. When the stone is removed, Jesus commands Lazarus to come forth and he did. As one of Jesus’ greatest miracles ever unfolded before their very eyes, “Many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.” This morning, we’ll see the Pharisees formulate a plan to stop Jesus.

Grab your Bible and look at John 11:47-57.

Everyone knows you need to meet together to hatch out a plan. “Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.” The major players of the day get together to formulate a plan. The chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council. The members of this council make up what is known as the Sanhedrin. Although we have seen allusions to this body in John, this is the first time they are mentioned by name. These are the ruling leaders in Jerusalem and we’ve seen them before. In general, the Sanhedrin was made up of seventy leading priests of the day who were mostly Sadducees. Also in the group were the rabbinic scribes who were mostly Pharisees. The ruling high priest of the year made member 71. In general, this body exercised authority over the religious life of the Jews. They were under the jurisdiction of the Roman authorities and we’ll see that played out more as we move on. The Sanhedrin play a huge role in Acts. They had the decision-making power to affect change that should be for the good of the Jewish people.

A council is called together to discuss a matter of great importance. In the opening verse for today’s message, I am drawn to the phrase, “What are we doing?” It is better translated, “What should we do?” or “What are we to do?”  Your version may have it translated that way. We have a council meeting made up of the leading religious figures of the day and they get together to discuss this cataclysmic event that has everyone talking. You would think that having one of their people die and subsequently raised from the dead would be big news and bring great joy to the people. Verse 47 has the council already meeting together and this is the first thing that is said. “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.” Of the 71 members of the council, we know of only one man that seems open to hearing about the true Jesus. We saw him first back in Chapter 3 and his name is Nicodemus. Later we’ll be introduced to Joseph of Arimathea (Jo. 19:38) and Gamaliel (Acts 5) who also looked favorably on Jesus. Jesus is performing many signs. Back in Jo. 2:11 we saw the beginning of His many signs when He turned water into wine. You would think the Sanhedrin would be happy about this. People are turning to Jesus and following the way. This is the way of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is the way spoken of in the Old Testament. These signs are pointing to the truth of who Jesus really is: the long-awaited Messiah which the Sanhedrin were supposed to be looking forward to.

The reason for their concern is found in the chilling reason they admit with their own mouths: “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” This is a power struggle. Jesus has arrived on the scene and has upset the status quo. He is doing things the Sanhedrin say He should not do. He is saying things the Sanhedrin say He cannot say. The Sanhedrin cannot counter what Jesus says so they do what people do when they have no regard for truth: they seek to censor. Back in the day, we learned how to handle disagreements. We could disagree and maintain a respectful and courteous demeanor. We knew how to listen. We were willing to hear differing viewpoints and come to a well thought out, educated conclusions based on fact. What we are experiencing today is an attack on the very fabric of God’s design for humanity. Whether it’s global warming, animal rights, green energy, abortion, or plastic straws, divisions have been created – either real or perceived – because of a position someone takes. Why do these divisions exist? It is the source of everything that is contrary to God and truth. It is the root of every single sin and that is pride. Pride says my way is better. My way is right. My truth is what matters.

The real reason the Sanhedrin are so concerned about Jesus is they don’t want to see people follow Him because it would mean less power for them. Remember, these are the religious experts of the day. The reason they are so strongly opposed to Jesus is He did not come as they expected the Messiah to come. Even though He spoke as One who is in intimate fellowship with God and even claimed to be God, they could not see past their own misguided view of truth. The Sanhedrin reasoned if they let Jesus continue on this path unchecked, they would lose everything they had: position, power, prestige, and authority. This council was not as much a religious authority as they were a political authority. You’ve seen this same thing in today’s political arena. Elected officials that are supposed to represent the will of the people often ignore those that elected them. They’re unwilling to go against others even if it’s the will of the people. What’s funny is that in our system, if elected officials don’t do the will of the people, they’re supposed to be voted out.

The Sanhedrin had the same fear today’s political leaders have: loss of position, power, prestige, and authority. What we fail to realize is the reason for this. It comes down to the responsibility of the church and those that make up the church. The church’s primary mission is found in Matt. 28:19-20 that commands us to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This is a two-step process. Baptize: this refers to presenting the Gospel message to people we come in contact with. Once people make the decision to accept the free gift of salvation, you teach them all that Jesus has commanded. This is where we have dropped the ball and this is one of the reasons society is where it is. The church is supposed to shape society, not the other way around. But when the people who profess a relationship with God through the door that is Jesus Christ look, act, and think no differently than the world, we have a big problem. Church leadership has a role to play in that, but at best, we have you with us about 5.5 hours in the week if you participate in Sunday School, corporate worship, CG on Monday and CG on Wednesday. There are 168 hours in the week. That’s just over 3% of your time. To put this in perspective, American spends an average of five hours 16 minutes on leisure activities including watching TV, exercising, and shopping – 21 % of our time. Included in that as an average of 11 minutes per day reading.

If the church would function as the church should, we would see the world around us change. We must make Jesus the focus and not the building. We must challenge people with the truth of Jesus and allow Him to be the force for change. We must carefully and intentionally move people from a salvation experience to an intentional daily walk with Christ. We do this in every other facet of life. We start with simple concepts and build on those. You cannot master complex concepts or tasks until you’ve mastered the fundamentals. We want to know the mysteries of God, but haven’t taken the time to know who Jesus is. We want to have some platform where people listen to us, but aren’t willing to take the time to listen to what God is telling us. The church needs to lead the way in helping people grow into who Christ wants them to be. Sometimes we can be like the Sanhedrin. We get jealous. That church has more people than we do. That youth group is stealing our kids. We lose sight of the big picture. the Sanhedrin were jealous and threatened by Jesus. Remember, they did not recognize Jesus as Messiah, didn’t acknowledge His teaching as from God, and thought Him to be at best a magician leading people astray, or at worst, the devil incarnate. In their zeal to maintain their position, they missed the Messiah.

As the Sanhedrin discussed this matter, Caiaphas the high priest says, “You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” Caiaphas served as high priest from A.D. 18-36. He reasoned that Jesus had to die if Israel was to remain in Rome’s favor. The Sanhedrin just concluded that if Jesus continued on and gained more favor, the Romans would take away their nation. How would that happen? How did the Roman Empire expand? By force. John provides some clarification by saying, “Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation.” Caiaphas was right, Jesus had to die for the nation and die for all. This is an example of God using what He will to accomplish His will. John is saying that Caiaphas’ words were not from him. He didn’t come up with them on his own, but had to be directed by the power of God to say what he said. What Caiaphas seems oblivious to is that his words foreshadow what is to come regarding Jesus. It is true that Jesus must die for an entire nation and to gather all the children of God. But not in the manner Caiaphas means. Caiaphas thinks Jesus has to die to maintain the status quo of power the Sanhedrin have and to preserve the nation in which they are ruling. John means something far more eternal in referencing Jesus’ death.

The last part of Caiaphas’s prophesy says, “and not the for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” Not all of God’s children are in Jerusalem. They’re all over the earth. Remember the other sheep that are not in the sheepfold that Jesus spoke of in Jo. 10:16. Ps. 106:47 says, “Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, to give thanks to Your holy name and glory in Your praise.” Is. 43:5-6 says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!” And to the south, “Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth.” Jer. 23:3 says, “Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of al the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply.” Jesus will gather His children together. “So from that day on they planned to kill Him.” We knew where this was going. How are they going to do this? What’s the plan? Matt. 26:4 says, “They plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him.”

Now what? The loose plan has been established. Secretly seize Jesus and then kill Him. The Sanhedrin’s power would be maintained, Caiaphas would continue on as high priest, and all would be as it had been with Jesus out of the picture. While the Sanhedrin work out the details of the plan, Jesus makes a decision. “Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.” Ephraim is about 12 miles northeast of Jerusalem. Jesus retreats to Ephraim, out of the reach of the Sanhedrin, at least for a time. While Jesus and His disciples spend quiet time in Ephraim, “Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves.”  Things are getting busy in Jerusalem as people from all over the countryside will make the journey prior to Passover.

As Passover approached, John gives us a peek into the one tracked mind of the Pharisees and says, “So they were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?” Will Passover give them an opportunity to seize Jesus? Will He come at all? Not leaving anything to chance, “Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him.” This reminds me of what was happening at the height of the pandemic. Hotlines were set up in some areas that people could call an 800 number and report illegal gatherings. They get the word out to report any sightings of Jesus so they could continue with their diabolical plot to kill Jesus.

Concerned over the rising popularity of Jesus and the message He carried, the Sanhedrin convened a special meeting to deal with what they viewed as a huge problem. If Jesus is not shut down, the Sanhedrin could lose all their power, something that causes them great concern. Unable to contain the growing popularity of Jesus, they decide the only thing to do is kill Him. As Chapter 11 comes to a close, we look forward to Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the chronological pace of this gospel picks up. There is still a long way to go and it keeps getting better and better.

Now I See

You can watch the message here.

Last week, Pastor Mark told us the Pharisees were up in arms because Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath. They interrogated the formerly blind man demanding to be told how he received his sight. Some Pharisees concluded Jesus could not be from God because He didn’t keep the Sabbath. Other Pharisees weren’t so sure and wondered how Jesus could perform the signs He did if He was a sinner and they were left divided. The Pharisees even questioned the parents of the blind man, but the parents deflected by telling the Pharisees to go to the man since he was of age. In reality, the parents were afraid of the Jews because they had already issued an edict saying anyone that confessed Jesus was the Christ would be kicked out of the synagogue. This morning, we’ll pick up the story with round two of the interrogation.

Grab your Bible and look at John 9:24-34.

We start with the second meeting. The Pharisees had already spoken to the now seeing man. When they first heard of the miraculous restoration of the man’s sight, the Pharisees asked him how it was done. The man said, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” (Jo. 9:15) The blind man concluded Jesus was a prophet. Some of the Pharisees concluded He was a sinner. The man that was healed disagreed with the established religious leadership. And they even disagreed among themselves as to what this healing meant. They lost sight of what actually happened because they were focused on the wrong thing. Unable to deny that the man’s sight was miraculously restored by Jesus, the Pharisees move to round two. “So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.”

“Give glory to God” is not a phrase they used to proclaim the magnificence of who God is. This is equivalent to being sworn in prior to testimony. It’s a reminder to provide accurate, truthful testimony about an incident. In Josh. 7:19, Joshua implores Achan, “My son, I implore you, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.” If you’re not familiar with the story, with the help of the Lord, Joshua had just defeated Jericho by marching around the city seven times and the walls came tumbling down. Joshua and his men destroyed everything in the city and burned it to the ground. Only Rahab, the harlot, and her family were spared because she provided safe haven for the two spies that were sent to view the land. The gold, silver, bronze, and iron that were collected were to be taken and put in the treasury of the house of the Lord. Achan decided that some of the things that were supposed to be in the treasury were too valuable to donate. The Israelites were then defeated at Ai, a battle they should have easily won and Joshua tore his clothes and put ashes on his head. He cried out to God and God revealed the sin in the camp. That led to the confrontation between Joshua and Achan where Achan swore an oath. Achan did admit that he took a number of items that were forbidden and the articles were under his tent.

The Pharisees told the blind man to, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.” They wanted the truth and so the blind man gives them the truth. The Pharisees already concluded Jesus was a sinner and they wanted the blind man to confirm it, but they couldn’t handle the truth. The blind man answers, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” The blind man doesn’t contradict their conclusion; he simply says he doesn’t know if that’s true or not. One thing he does know, he used to be blind, but now he is not. This should be a time of great rejoicing.

Think of all the people over the course of your faith walk that you have prayed for their healing. From the common cold to cancer, you have pleaded with the Lord for healing. When the Lord answered your prayers, there was rejoicing. When the Lord didn’t answer your prayers for healing, you prayed for understanding, wisdom, and strength to praise Him. These Pharisees are so blind because of their hatred of Jesus, that they miss the whole point of the miracles. They see, but don’t believe. They cannot overcome the prejudice and bias they have toward Jesus and they miss the incredible blessing and assurance of eternity because they refuse to acknowledge Jesus as Messiah. Regardless of the truth presented to them, the Pharisees stick to their own opinions.

Unconvinced of his answers, they press the blind man again and say, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” This is a very common investigative technique. Initially speak to the witness, victim, or suspect to get the story. After some time, you go back and ask the same questions and see if the answers change. They already questioned the blind man and his parents, and they’re back to see if they can get any additional information to make their case against Jesus. The blind man seems to be getting a bit perturbed by these questions and says, “I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?” Whatever intimidation tactics the Pharisees used is lost on this man. For the first time in his life, he can see. Imagine the flood of emotions if you were in his shoes. The vibrancy of color. The beauty of nature. The face of your parents that before you could only imagine. If it were me, I’d want to be rid of these religious nut jobs so I could experience the beauty of what I can actually see. I get that from his response. You didn’t listen the first time I told you and nothing has changed. I’m not going to change my story; I was blind and now I see!

Here comes the snark: “You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?” The blind man turns the tables on the Pharisees. They don’t take too kindly to that and revile him. Revile means to speak in a highly insulting manner. They were taken aback at the blind man’s insult and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not even know where He is from.” They trade insult for insult. The Pharisees call the blind man a disciple of Christ which was meant as an insult. They, on the other hand, were disciples of Moses. This is a reference to the Law that they claim to follow. Jo. 1:17 says, “For the Law was given through Moses.” The Pharisees knew that, but failed in the second part of the verse that says, “Grace and truth were realized in Jesus Christ.” In their zeal to defend themselves, that actually condemned themselves. In Jo. 5:46, Jesus told this same group, “For if you believed Moses, you would have believed Me for he wrote about Me.”

And now the blind man teaches the Pharisees a lesson. Put yourself in the moment. We have a man blind from birth, a fact confirmed by his parents. How old he was exactly is not known, only that he is a man. In Jewish culture, that could be 12 or older. My impression is that this man is older. He was able to find his way around from his normal spot of begging to the pool at Siloam. He was known to his neighbors as a beggar. I’m trying to avoid thinking with a 2021 brain, but I’m not sure that someone closer to the age of 12 would have stood up in opposition to the Pharisees especially given that his parents were afraid of getting kicked out of the synagogue. But if he were closer to 12, that gives an even more interesting dynamic for what is to follow. After the Pharisees asked him again what happened, the man goes into a defense of his healing and gives the Pharisees a lesson in hearing from God. He says, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes.” Amazing here means very impressive or of great surprise. It’s surprising to the blind man that the Pharisees claim not to know where Jesus was from and yet he was still healed. These men are supposed to be knowledgeable in the things of God, but they failed to see that it was God that worked in his healing. This man was blind from birth. He didn’t experience temporary blindness caused by some medical problem that could be treated by a doctor.

In his amazement that they failed to see the source of his healing; he schools them on theology. “We know that God does not hear sinners.” This is a rebuttal to the Pharisees conclusion that Jesus was a sinner. How could Jesus have done what He did if He was a sinner? Ps. 66:18 says, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” Pro. 15:29 says, “The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.” This formerly blind man does know what he’s talking about. Look at the caveat, “But if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.” God is not obligated to act on the prayers of the sinner, but He does respond to the prayers of His children. Ps. 34:15 says, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry.” Ja. 5:16, “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” The blind man knows what God can do.

Here’s the nail in the coffin. After teaching the Pharisees about prayer, the blind man has one more point to make. He says, “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.” No one has ever heard of anyone being born blind having their sight restored later in life. This could only mean that a true miracle had occurred. There were doctors during this time who practiced medicine, but when you look at the history of blindness from birth, you’re not going to find anyone that was cured of the blindness. That means the only source of restoration was because of the power of God working in a miraculous manner. The source of the healing could only be God working through Jesus. How accurate is the man’s statement? At the time John penned the words, entirely accurate. It was not until about 1728 that a man named Dr. Cheseldeen restored the sight of a 14-year-old.

Furthermore, the blind man says, “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” Don’t miss the fact that the man’s sight was restored and so was his spiritual perspective. There are no deep theological undertones here. It’s simple common sense. In the man’s eyes, if Christ was just a man, He could not do the things He does. That’s something the Pharisees could not grasp. Confrontation after confrontation with Jesus, He did not waiver in who He was. They have seen His miracles, they have heard of the things He has done, they have heard Him speak, but since Jesus does not hold to their traditions and did not come in the manner they felt the Messiah would or should, they are on the offensive to shut Him down. The Pharisees were so blinded by their hatred for Jesus, they could not see the truth that was right in front of them. They ignored the miraculous healing of the blind man. For the blind man it was simple: if Jesus did not come from God, He couldn’t do anything.

I love how the Pharisees resort to character assassination. They tell him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” I can hear the Pharisees in an incredulous, contemptuous tone. This is very common in arguments. You can’t win the argument based on truth, so you attack the character of the one making the argument to discredit the position he holds. The Pharisees were continually trying to discredit Christ and His wonder working power, but they could offer no answer to how this man was healed. Disregarding the truth the man spoke, they discount it because of the man’s heritage. Remember how this whole incident began. In v. 2, the disciples asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Just because someone has a physical issue at birth means nothing and Jesus told the disciples it was, “So the works of God might be displayed in him.” The Pharisees have missed the whole point: they ignore the clear common-sense arguments from the blind man and instead of rejoicing in a blind man being made whole, “They put him out.” He was tossed out of the synagogue. The place that represented the truth of God, the place where one would expect to grow closer to God, and become learned in the things of God. He wasn’t tossed out because he was engaging in sin and was unrepentant, he was tossed because he dared disagree with the establishment. Later in John we’ll hear Jesus say, “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.” (Jo. 16:2)

Of all the miracles recorded in scripture, this one has to be close to the top of the list in magnificence. Not only was the man’s sight restored, something he had never had, it seems the man’s spiritual insight was restored. He was able to stand up the Pharisees and counter what they said. It didn’t bother the blind man at all, he knew the truth and was willing to tell them so. He once was blind, but now he sees. The only way that could be done was because the power of God rested in and on Jesus. That same power is available to you today by grace through faith.

The Pharisees

You can watch the video for this message here.

Last week, Pastor Mark told us about the Jews that believed in Jesus. Jesus shared the freedom they now have in Christ. When they protested because they were never slaves, Jesus told them they were slaves to sin and those that are in Christ are free forever. They’re having a very difficult time understanding what Jesus was teaching them. We left last week with Jesus telling them the harsh truth, “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” This morning, we’ll conclude this teaching moment in a very unpleasant manner.

Look at the passage for today’s message found in John 8:48-59.

We start with an erroneous comparison. During these troubling cultural times, we have seen the rise of name calling and it typically stems from judgmental conclusions. If you don’t wear a mask, you’re defined as unloving. If you wear a mask, you’re called a sheep. If you don’t accept certain lifestyles, you’re intolerant. If you favor closed borders, you’re classified as uncaring, uncompassionate, and xenophobic. If you challenge a professing believer for un-Christlike behavior, you’re called judgmental. If you mention people of color in nearly any context, you’re called a racist. If you have achieved nearly any level of success it’s because of white privilege. We live in a culture that is desperate to negatively define any thought process or behavior that goes against opinion, and the name calling abounds. And it doesn’t even have to be popular opinion. It needs only be loud, vocal opinion.

We pick up with the Jews calling Jesus a name that was generally reserved for the most despicable of people. “The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Even though it’s phrased as a question, they are making a statement. We have rightly defined You, Jesus, as a demon-possessed Samaritan. Samaritans have long been regarded by the Jews as an inferior people. Remember way back to Jo. 4:9 when the Samaritan woman at the well was shocked that Jesus would strike up a conversation with her. Samaritans were despised by the Jews. You can read the back story in 2 Kings 17. The short story is the Jews that were taken captive 700 years before this meeting  intermarried with Assyrians effectively watering down the Jewishness of those people. The Jews we find in this passage of Scripture have an incredible contempt and hatred for Samaritans. What is truly curious is how they reconcile that hatred with the Scripture they claim to love. The same thing happens today with people that say they love Jesus, but their actions say otherwise.

The Jews call Jesus a demon-possessed Samaritan. This is the only place in the Gospels that this insult is lobbed at Jesus. We have seen several instances where the Jews have said things to Jesus and called Him names, but it seems here, His response is more direct. “Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.” This response is one that we need to really understand. Just because someone calls you a name does not make it true. People today are often called something so often, they second guess themselves and try and determine whether they really are what they’re being called. Jesus denies having a demon, but he doesn’t say it over and over. He simply says it’s not true, but then He says something that should stop them in their tracks. He says, “I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges.” This is an honor culture. The Jews and Pharisees fancied themselves as the keepers of the truth, the pious ones, the one that others should emulate. Jesus tells them that He honors the Father, but they dishonor Him. It doesn’t bother Jesus because He is not seeking His own glory. He didn’t care what men thought of Him. Yes, I acknowledge that Jesus’ main purpose in coming to this earth was to provide the path to redemption for mankind, but He cannot make a person choose Him. Of course, He wants people to realize the truth of who He is. Earlier in this chapter, He said, “The truth will make you free.” (Jo. 8:32) When your goal in life is to honor God, it doesn’t matter what men may say to you or about you. I realize that is very challenging because many of us want to be liked. But if your goal is to please the Lord and you press on in life to do that regardless of the circumstances, does it really matter if people don’t like you? Pro. 25:27 says, “It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory.” Jesus is not seeking His own glory.

“There is One who seeks and judges.” A judgment is coming. Those that do not honor God are facing a judgment. Some commentators view this as a threat, but I see this as a reminder of Jesus’ mission. When you have that mission in mind, it changes your perspective about those that think differently. Matt 5:10-12 says, “Blessed are those that have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Then in v. 43-44, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you.” We need to keep things in perspective: who do we seek to glorify? If it’s ourselves, the insults can hurt and sting. If it’s the Father and the Son, words ought not matter.

This leads to more confusion. Jesus is emphatic and says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.” This statement is an attention-grabbing statement and it completely undid the Jews. Once again, they misunderstood the meaning behind the words. Listen to their response: “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’ “Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” In their minds, the Jews have all the evidence they need to conclude that Jesus really is demon possessed. They know that Abraham, a real-life hero of their faith, died. He was once living and then his life ended in death. That’s what happens to people. This concept of immortality is lost on them. They’re thinking physically and Jesus is talking spiritually. Death is both physical and spiritual. 1 Tim. 6:14 says, “That you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jo. 3:15 says, “Whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.” “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” (Jo. 5:24) Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (Jo. 11:25-26) Nicodemus had trouble understanding this concept in John 3.

In their response, they compare Jesus with Abraham. “Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died?” In an effort to understand, people tend to make comparisons to what they believe to be a standard. He’s a really good basketball player, but he’s no Michael Jordan. She’s a really good singer, but she’s no Whitney Houston. He’s a really good preacher, but he’s no Billy Graham. When Jesus spoke with the woman at the well, she asked Him: “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” (Jo. 4:12) For the Jews, Abraham was their standard and they attempt to refute what Jesus is telling them by saying “Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died?” You’re telling us that anyone that keeps Your word will not die. Abraham was the greatest man we know and he died, You’re saying You’re greater than he was? The prophets died too, who do You think You are? You are absolutely demon-possessed to believe that nonsense.

Jesus reiterates His position and purpose. “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word.” Self-serving glory means nothing. “Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.” (Gal. 5:26) “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” (Phil. 2:3) This is a problem for a lot of people. We want to be recognized for what we have done and if no one notices, we’ll point it out. Jesus is not bringing His own glory. God the Father is the one that glorifies Jesus. We are to believe in Jesus. We are to follow Him because that was God’s desire and purpose for Jesus.

God sent Him on the mission of redemption and Jesus tells them, “You have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word.” Know here is the Greek word gnosis that means to understand, to grasp, to ascertain; especially to be familiar with a person or thing. This is a big deal. The Jews claim to know God, but they don’t and the proof is because they deny Jesus and do not keep God’s word. Jesus does know God and He keeps His word. And now comes the mic drop: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” In v. 39, the Pharisees claimed Abraham was their father, but he was not because they did not love Jesus. Here Jesus says Abraham was their father, physically, but not spiritually. God revealed to Abraham that the seed of Messiah would come through the line of Isaac and Abraham rejoiced to see that day in the future. Once again, the Jews miss it because they ask, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” How could Jesus actually see Abraham since He is so young. I love Jesus’ response, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Abraham is in the past tense and Jesus is the present tense. Is Jesus greater than Abraham, Jacob, or the prophets? Indeed, He is. Before Abraham was born, Jesus is. John affirmed this at the very beginning of this book. I encourage to read how this gospel started way back in Jo. 1:1-5, 14.

“From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.” (Pro. 8:23) “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev. 1:8) Col. 1:17 says, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”          Heb. 1:10-11 says, “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain.”

Jesus is far superior to Abraham and the prophets because He is God! Hearing this, the Jews did not rejoice, they did not bow down in humble adoration and praise for the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Instead, “They picked up stones to throw at Him.” They were blinded by rage to the extent that they wanted to kill Him right there.     They would bypass the judicial requirements of a trial and a conviction choosing to condemn Jesus to death at that moment. After all, Jesus was a blasphemer; a confused and deranged man who claimed He was God. Fear not for the time has not yet arrived. There is still a crowd there and, “Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.” Hid is from the word krypto meaning to hide or conceal. Whether Jesus hid behind a wall or a planter or people in the crowd is not known. They thought they had Him, but He left the temple and they didn’t know where He went.

The Jews will have to wait for another time to mete out the punishment for Jesus. There is still much to do before Jesus would walk the road of suffering. There are still people to reach with the Gospel, still people that need to be taught the Way, still miracles that have yet to be performed to reveal who He is. Where will Jesus go? Who will He meet with next? Join us next week as we begin Chapter 9.

Living Waters

You can listen and watch this message here.

Last week, we learned that the Pharisees heard the crowd’s muttering and took action against Jesus. The chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Jesus, but Jesus continued to teach. Jesus told the people that He’s be around a little longer, but then was going to the Father that sent Him. Jesus was talking about a specific place, but the Pharisees didn’t understand and reasoned there was no where Jesus could go where they couldn’t find Him. There will come a time when people will seek Jesus, but He won’t be found.

Jesus defined that time as a little while. This morning, the Feast of Booths comes to a conclusion with some incredible teaching from Jesus.

Take a look at John 7:37-44 that we’ll be looking at today.

The Scripture for today represents the last day of the Feast of Booths. The little while that Jesus is to remain is getting shorter each day. There is a large crowd as the Feast of Booths comes to its conclusion. There won’t be another festival or celebration for about six months until Passover. The Feast of Booths is a harvest celebration. Each day a pitcher of water would be drawn from the Pool of Siloam and carried to the temple where is would be ceremoniously poured on the altar. This represented the rain that was critical to a bountiful harvest.

Zech. 14:17-19 says, “And it will be that whichever families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the Lord smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.”

This celebration was a big deal. At this point in the calendar year, it’s the start of fall. The cisterns would be getting low because of the dry summer months so rain is needed. People would be very keen on what Jesus is about to say. “Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” There’s a lot here so let’s break it down. Jesus takes a position of teaching by standing up. You get a sense of urgency, a sense of hope, a sense of expectation when Jesus stands. He uses a loud voice as He begins a very short, just two sentences message that is incredibly important. These two sentences take just 11 seconds to speak and Jesus doesn’t say another word before leaving.

The first thing I notice is the word anyone. It is a pronoun that means any person. If anyone is thirsty. Jesus is not speaking of actual thirst. It is a metaphor: Jesus is using the celebration of the Feast of Booths where the people prayed for sustaining rain to symbolize the need to satisfy one’s physical thirst. He used the same metaphor in Jo. 4 with the woman at the well. If anyone is thirsty. Remember, this is a metaphor. Who gets thirsty? Everyone. Rich and poor, young and old regardless of nationality, regardless of any social or cultural biases present. Jesus is using the universal need for water and metaphorically applying it to salvation.

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” He doesn’t leave it at the problem of thirst. He includes the solution to the thirst. If you’re thirsty, come to Me, I will satisfy your thirst. Is. 12:3 says, “Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.” Jesus provides the solution to everyone’ thirst. To be clear, everyone that is thirsty will not have their thirst satisfied by Jesus because not everyone will accept the invitation. A response is required. How do we know Jesus is talking about salvation? He goes on to say, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of water.” Believe here is a form of the Greek word pistis that means faith. It is a present tense verb. Verbs are action words which means there is action required of the person. Faith is real trust, confidence, and reliance that can only be placed in someone who is believed to have the qualities attributed to such a person. This faith or belief is occurring at this moment and is ongoing. Think about things that you once believed in and no longer do. This is abiding faith that is present and continues in our life. We’ll see this principle later in John.

There is an undefined caveat that Jesus uses: “as the Scripture said.” We don’t know if Jesus is thinking of a particular Scripture, a scriptural principal regarding salvation, or about scriptural references to water. There are a number of scriptural passages about water. In Ex. 17, God provided water from a rock. A number of Old Testament writers mention that event including Nehemiah, Asaph in Psalms, and Isaiah. Zech. 14:8 says, “And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them towards the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.” Maybe He wasn’t thinking about any particular Scripture, but Scripture as a whole. “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” This is significant! When you have scriptural belief in Jesus, you get rivers of living water. The idea is an endless supply of clean, fresh, life-sustaining water that comes from deep within a person. Perhaps the metaphor of water coming from a rock to water flowing from the Rock of salvation is not lost on you.

Remember, this is a metaphor and it is not to be taken literally. John takes a moment to explain this metaphor. “But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John introduces the concept of the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was nothing new to John and he referenced Him in Chapters 3 and 4. John would also be familiar with Old Testament writings that spoke of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to judges, warriors, and kings to lead and guide them. The Spirit also spoke to and through prophets so He’s not something new. This indwelling will occur in the future and to specific people. The Spirit will be given to those that have faith in Christ – those that believed.

In Is. 44:3, the prophet says to Jacob, “For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams in the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your off spring and My blessing on your descendants.” John is anticipating this just like the dry and dusty ground anticipates the life-giving relief that rain brings. This is not here yet, but John knows it’s coming and he knows when it’s going to happen. John knows that the indwelling of the Spirit will not occur until after Jesus is glorified. The glory of Christ or His glorification is a theme we’ll see moving forward in John. He uses a form of the word glory 17 times, more than any other New Testament writer. John generally uses it to refer to a manifestation of God’s presence and power. Here, he is speaking of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. When Jesus is glorified, we can expect the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The debate about Jesus continues. We’re still in the crowd of people and all of them heard the same message, but different conclusions are made about who Jesus is. “This certainly is the Prophet.” Moses spoke of the Prophet in Deut. 18. Notice they say the Prophet not a prophet. All major translations use the article “the” in this verse. That’s important because there have been a number of prophets over the years. A prophet is someone that speaks the words of God and they always are true and accurate. Someone that claims to be a prophet whose words do not come to pass is labeled a false prophet. The people have been looking for the prophet since the days of Moses and some conclude that Jesus is the One. Others said, “This is the Christ.” Christ is not Jesus’ last name. Jesus was His name given on the day of His circumcision just as the angel told Mary. Names back then were more descriptive than they are today. According to Eerdman’s Bible Dictionary, “Names were chosen for various reasons, such as to express religious convictions or hopes or some to describe a physical characteristic or some circumstance of birth.” Sometimes the Bible explains a name like Jacob (supplanter), Isaac (he laughs), or Noah (rest). A prophet tells the things of God or speaks on God’s behalf, but Christ is something different. Some in this crowd said Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the One that would deliver them from their sin that was predicted to come all the way back in the Gen. 3:15.

“Still others were saying, Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He?” This question supposes the answer is no. Some said the Prophet, some said the Christ and others chose to discount Him altogether because of where He came from. Jesus can’t be the Messiah because He was from Galilee. “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” This question supposes the answer is yes. The Christ, Messiah will come from Bethlehem. That’s what the prophecies said, that’s what the people understood from the teaching they’ve had all their lives. Somewhere along the way in interacting or hearing about Jesus, the fact that He was born in Bethlehem was lost on them.

Take the time and turn over and read Matt. 2:1-6. The fact that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem would have been readily known. They concluded since Jesus was from Galilee, He could not be the One. The Messiah will be a son of David they argued. From Bethlehem they said. Is. 9:1 says, “But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.” Somewhere along the way, they forgot about Isaiah. And then in 9:6, Isaiah says, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” They remembered Bethlehem, but forgot the incredible prediction made by Isaiah. Why didn’t they check the genealogical records? Why didn’t Jesus correct them? Why did John let these details go unanswered? Those are questions that we ask as we go through the gospel. When you consider the entire gospel, these are very small tidbits of information. Keep in mind what John thought of Jesus that he recorded in 1:14.

In the crowd we have three groups of people. Those that concluded Jesus was the Prophet. Those that were convinced Jesus was the Christ or Messiah. And those that believed neither of those. What was the result of this? “So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him.” I spoke of this last week. When people feel strongly about something and others disagree, division results. In a church setting, division is generally considered bad. You can have division about décor, Bible translations, style of music, and even what kind of food to have at a fellowship. In an organization, division is good. On a submarine, everyone belongs to a division that is based on their job specialty. In a police department, you might be part of the patrol division or investigative division. In college football, there is Division I, II, and III that establish the level of expertise. Ford Motor Company has a research and development division. The crowd drew different conclusions about Jesus and that caused the people to be divided into different groups. One segment of this crowd decided that they were going to take action against Jesus and it looks like they sided with the Pharisees. “Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him” How this came to be John does not say. We know His hour had not yet come and we see the power of the God’s perfect timing. We can look back with certainty and answer the why questions because we have the whole picture.

Jesus offers the people living waters that will flow abundantly from within them. We learn of the coming of the Holy Spirit that will be given to every believer. The people are divided about who He is. Jesus slips away again to teach another day. What happens to the crowd? What will the chief priests and Pharisees say? Join us next week as chapter 7 draws to a close.

Walk in Truth

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Last week we closed out John’s second letter to the church. He had so much to write to the church, but he wanted to see them face to face. Too much more to say in that letter. John wanted their joy to be full and the only way to do that was to see them in person. Now John writes a third time. Is this another letter to the church? If so, why again? Didn’t they get it the first two times? What are the circumstances surrounding this letter? Let’s find out the answers to these questions and many more as we dig into John’s third letter.

I encourage you to all of 3 John to get a feeling for its context.

So who is this letter written by? As he did in his previous letter, the author calls himself the Elder. His reader knows who it is. Maybe he recognizes the handwriting. Maybe the person delivering it tells the reader who it’s from. He calls himself the elder and that title carries the idea of authority and leadership, of someone that is an example of Christian character and maturity. Peter told his readers that elders are examples to the flock in 1 Pet. 5:3. Based on writing style and content, the author is most likely the Apostle John. This letter is another short one just like 2 John. Just 15 verses, but these 15 are unique; contain unique instructions, contain unique warnings.

For the first time in his writing, John writes to an individual. We see from v. 1 that this letter is written to someone named Gaius. Writing to an individual is not unheard of. Paul wrote personal letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Who is Gaius and what is his relationship to John? In the N.T. there are three men named Gaius. There is the Gaius from Macedonia in Acts 19:29; the Gaius from Derbe in Acts 20:4; and the Gaius from Corinth in Rom. 16:23. Is this the same Gaius? Probably not; Gaius was a common name at the time John wrote. So what do we know about this Gaius? In v. 1 John described him as beloved. Beloved comes from the agape root word. It really means more than beloved. It means dear friend, prized friend, friend like none other. John goes even further than saying beloved.  He personalizes it by saying, “Whom I love in truth.” Remember for John, truth is a major theme. In this short letter, he mentions truth seven times. For John, love and truth cannot be separated. They go together, hand in hand. Without love, truth becomes harsh. Without truth, love is an undefined emotion. For John and for us, truth and love should be a fundamental way of life. John sums up his feeling for truth back in 1 Jo. 5:20 when he says, “And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” Truth is wrapped up in the package that is found in Jesus Christ who described Himself as, “The way, the truth, and the life” in Jo. 14:6.

In v. 2 John provides a good pattern for prayer. “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” It was common in John’s day to offer prayers for a person’s health. Preventive medical care was scarce. First century people did not go running to the doctor or the emergency room when they had the sniffles. These people were tough. No phones, no lights, no motor cars, it was as primitive as could be. There was no running water, no electricity, no refrigeration, no Walmart. Living was difficult.  John says he wants Gaius to prosper. It means to flourish or go well with you. It’s an overall, “Hey, I hope everything is all good.” John also offers a prayer for Gaius’ health. Was he sick? Did he suffer from some unwritten ailment? We don’t know.

John says, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” I don’t want you to miss this. What we do know is that John wanted him to prosper and be in good health and the comparison is to Gaius’ spiritual health. John’s prayer is that Gaius’ physical health matches his spiritual health. There seems to be no issue with Gaius’ health spiritually. What if we put as much effort into our spiritual health as we do our physical health? We live in a physical world in a physical body. We have to be careful to avoid extremes in the spiritual sense. Over the years in an effort to avoid the world, we’ve been told that we can’t go to the movies or to the beach; we can’t listen to certain kinds of music; we can’t dance or play cards; our hair has to be cut a certain way; men can’t wear shorts and women can’t wear pants. If we participate or do any of these, we risk being labeled liberal and that translates into legalism. Paul gives us insight into this way of thinking in Col. 2:20-23. Avoiding such things of the world looks right. It seems to be Christian. The reality is that following a set of rules for behavior is just religion. Of course the other extreme is license. Since salvation is by grace through faith and not of works, some would conclude that what is done in the body has no bearing on the spirit. As we saw in 1 John, that notion is clearly not true.

John’s prayer is that Gaius, “may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” Christians are not guaranteed good health and success. We are in the body and are subject to the fleshly limitations. Physical health is not a reflection of spiritual health. Compare your physical health with your spiritual health. The word order of this phrase is important. The standard of measurement is spiritual. What was John’s main concern? Gaius’ spiritual health. That’s not to say that physical health is not important, but comparatively, spiritual health is far more important. There is no question about that. Gaius had it going on – he was spiritually healthy. His, “soul prospers” – notice the present tense. How do we know? Because of John’s praise.

John offers a quick, but very defining report on Gaius’ spiritual health. Look at v. 3. John was not just glad, he was, “very glad.” Glad means well pleased, it means happy. When you throw in the adverb very, it gives you a sense of the immense happiness John had concerning the spiritual life of Gaius. There was evidence in Gaius’ life that exemplified his relationship with Christ. He didn’t just talk the talk, he walked the walk of an authentic relationship with the Messiah. John tells Gaius that, “brethren came and testified to your truth.” Who exactly are these brethren? We’ll see more clearly next week, but they were Christians that had the pleasure of observing Gaius in his daily life. These brethren thought enough of Gaius’ to report back to John that he was the real deal. What was so special about Gaius? The, “brethren came and testified to your truth, that is how you are walking in truth.” Gaius walked in the truth – present tense. This wasn’t something he used to do; not something he was going to start doing; not something he promised to do; not something he thought about doing. The truth was what Gaius was all about. In Ps 25:5 David wrote, “Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day.” Ps. 86:11, “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” Ps. 145:18, “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (Jo. 17:17) As we have seen in John’s writings, truth mattered. Gaius was walking in truth.

John’s greatest joy is seen in v. 4. There is no greater joy. Even if his favorite team won the national championship, the Super Bowl, the NBA finals, the world series, the world cup, or the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Nothing makes John jump for joy more than hearing his children are, “walking in the truth.” Not past or future tense – present tense. Was John concerned that people wouldn’t follow the truth? Of course, remember there were deceivers and false teachers undermining the truth found in God’s Word. The same is true for today. I want our people to walk in truth because I know that’s the only thing that matters. John 1:17, “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

Walking in truth is important and nothing makes John happier t hear that his children, people of faith are actively pursuing an authentic relationship with Christ. The same is true for me.