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John 8:21-30: Lost people matter to God.(please click for todays passage)

As we have seen, especially in chapters 7 and 8, Jesus was surrounded by an atmosphere of intimidation, abuse and danger. It swirled around Him like smoke. Murder was in the air. There were people who wanted Him dead. It’s true to say that this was not the whole story. There were others who were fascinated by Jesus and open to hear from Him. But the people were divided. They were not on the same wavelength as the Lord:

”You’re tied to the mundane; I’m in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I’m living on other terms.” The Message.

Yet Jesus did not allow His enemies to silence Him. He was in a scary environment, but He pulled no punches. Three times in this short section He speaks about the possibility of dying ”in your sin” (or ”sins”: verses 21, 24). One commentator made the point that to die with your sins unforgiven; unatoned for, is the greatest tragedy in the Bible. We must never be afraid to preach the unadulterated gospel. It will produce results (30).

There is a danger in contemporary evangelicalism that many Christians may be losing touch with the reality that lost people really are lost; that those who die rejecting Christ will stay lost for eternity. To use old fashioned terms, we need a ‘burden’ for ‘souls’ that will populate our prayer meetings and stir us to faithful witness, even as we feel the walls of secularism slowly moving in to crush our testimony.

The call of Jesus is to ”believe” in Him (24). This is the only way to escape such a terrible fate.

Twice in this passage Jesus uses the expression “I am” (24, 28). The translation adds the explanatory words: ”that I am the one I claim to be”, but in the original language I understand Jesus just says ”I am”. His courage was immense, for His Jewish detractors would certainly want Him done away with for such an ‘outrageous’ claim. We must not lose sight of the fact that Jesus repeatedly claimed to be God, and if we trust in Him it has to be faith in this Bible Jesus – this divine Jesus – and not another of our own making.

 John 8: 12-20: ”Lighten our darkness”.(please click for todays passage)

In John’s gospel you find a number of repeated themes. There are key words and phrases which come up again and again. Three of them are found in this short section:

1. ”Light” (12). This is another of the ”I Am” sayings in the fourth gospel. They are undoubtedly claims to divinity.

    There are at least two ways in which we may think of God/Christ being ”light”:

• Light is about clear sight: He brings illumination into our lives. He reveals spiritual truth to our hearts. He gives understanding. He also sheds light on our way. He shows us what to do/where to go. He guides our feet in His paths. At times He may only give enough light for the next step. But that is enough. And when you take it you’ll probably be able to see a further step;
• Light is about a clean conscience: He brings holiness into our lives (1 John 1:5ff). As we walk in the light of Biblical truth we find that we are on the sunlit road of godliness. To walk in the light means to live in openness before the Lord and fellow believers, confessing our sins and experiencing the cleansing of the blood of Christ.

1. ”Testimony”/”witness” (13, 14, 17, 18): There is a legal air to this. Jesus is verified/affirmed as God’s Son. He is who He says He is. Of course, as God, Jesus knew precisely who He was and where He was going (14,15). He could capably testify to Himself, but the Pharisees would not accept this (13). However, because the Father also testified to Him, there was the required twofold witness (17,18).

1. ”Hour” (20). It was not yet ”time” for Jesus to die. When He did die it was obvious that God was in control, not wicked men.This was not a tragic waste of a young life, but a purposeful death. It could not happen outside of God’s timescale.

This section of the fourth gospel opens with the words: ”When Jesus spoke again to the people…” (12). Note the little, but so important, word ”again”. Here is an insight into Jesus’ perseverance. We read in (7:43) that ”the people were divided because of Jesus”. Yes, there were those who were open to Him and interested in Him; in fact fascinated by Him. But others were aggressive and abusive and some wanted to kill Him. Yet Jesus would not be silenced. Like a rubber ball He came bouncing back!! When Manchester United won their first European Champions League title under Sir Alex Ferguson (then just plain Alex), they had to slowly but surely claw their way back into a game that they were losing at half time. In the closing minutes they equalised through Teddy Sheringham, then ‘super sub’ Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came on and won it for them with virtually the last kick of the match. In his post match interview Sir Alex, as I recall, said something like this: ”I’m so proud of my team. They never gave in; they just kept going. The famous nineteenth century preacher C.H. Spurgeon said, ”By perseverance the snail made it to the ark.”

In Junior school, we regularly said this prayer at the end of the day. It seems appropriate to quote it here: ”Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee O Lord, and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night.”

 John 7:53 – 8:11: Three pointing back…(please click here for todays passage)

The earliest and most reliable ancient manuscripts of the gospel of John do not contain John 7:53-8:11. But this beautiful story does not contradict any other part of the Bible, and it fits with the picture of the Jesus we know from elsewhere.

This short story points to:

1. The centrality of Jesus (2). Jesus has ”appeared” to us. We can only see Him because He has revealed Himself to us. And our lives personally, and the church’s life collectively, centres ”round” Him. We revolve around Him. He has ultimately authority in our lives and we listen to and obey His teaching. He is the centre of our orbit.
2. The hostility of the religious leaders (3-6). There is a challenge here about how we treat people – especially those we know to have done wrong. Many years ago, because of a mistake I made in a Physics exercise, a science teacher not only humiliated me in front of my own class, but also marched me down the corridor to where my maths teacher was working with a group. He proceeded to rant about my stupidity in front of her and her class. That day I felt deep shame. What was it like for this poor woman when ”They made her stand before the group…” ?And by the way, there was profound hypocrisy here, for if the woman was ”caught in the act of adultery” (4), where was the man? (See Leviticus 20:10).Presumably he had been let go? How do we treat people whose lives, we know, run contrary to the Word of God? Do we remember that they are still in the image of their Maker, even though it has been defaced? Do we treat them with dignity? Do we show a proper recognition of their worth and value? Do we remember our own faults? Bill Hybels says, ”You will never lock eyes with anyone who doesn’t matter to the Father.” You need to remember that when you point a finger at someone else, you have three others pointing back.
3. The charity of Jesus (6b-11): No one knows exactly what Jesus was doing when He ”bent down” and wrote in the dust (6b, 8), but I find the suggestion attractive that He was listing the sins of these violently critical men. It seems they came under conviction of sin. None of them were without it (7). The older ones, who had the longest sinning experience, were the first to leave. Eventually, only two people were left – Jesus and the woman. Jesus was balanced in His approach. He didn’t compromise with evil, but neither did He condemn her. Rather, He called to repentance. Jesus shows mercy so that we may pursue a life of holiness. He does not expect us to continue to flirt with sin.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me in a way that is different to how anyone else would treat me. I deserve condemnation, but your grace has given me a fresh start and a second chance at life. Help me to never abuse your great kindness.

John 7: 45-52: The ignorance of arrogance.(please click here for todays passage)

Three A’s!

ATTRACTION (45, 46): It’s a lovely story isn’t? The temple guards who had been despatched to arrest Jesus (32), came back empty handed. You can’t imagine that these men were easily put off in their work, and it probably wasn’t a good idea for them to be negligent. They had tough bosses, and my guess is they were no softies themselves. But they were utterly charmed by the words of Jesus. It’s a compelling insight into Christ’s magnetism. If they are honest, probably very few would argue with the assertion that Jesus spoke the best and most beautiful words in the world. They may not believe in His divinity, but they cannot doubt the power and persuasiveness of His teaching.

ARROGANCE (47 – 49):This is not a winsome quality. Arrogant people feel and act superior. They are dismissive of the thoughts, ideas and opinions of others. They imagine they know best and are unteachable. They are, as someone put it, ”Blocked learners.” If you ever recognise the slightest hint of arrogance growing up inside you, root it out before it spreads and covers the whole garden of your soul. It’s a malignant, destructive weed. It does not belong in a believer’s heart. It’s incongruous.

ASSERTIVENESS (50-52): While the Pharisees were putting others down, Nicodemus spoke up for Jesus. You can be assertive without being arrogant. It may have been easier for him to keep silent, but as all soldiers of the cross should, he stood up for Jesus. Nicodemus may not yet have experienced the new birth. We just don’t know. But he certainly knew about it, and he was deeply impressed by Jesus (John 3:2). We also have reason to believe that he spoke for others of his group. He was not alone in his admiration. You don’t have to be rude to be assertive, but you do have to be brave. In an atmosphere that seems to be increasingly secular and anti-Christian, may God the Holy Spirit give us the backbone to speak up for Jesus, even if it makes us unpopular and abuse comes flying our way.

John 7: 32 – 44: ”Streams in the desert.”(please click here for todays passage)

I suppose it is better to ”whisper” about Jesus (32), than to not speak about Him at all. The mention of ”whispering” here reflects the generally tense atmosphere in Jerusalem at that time. It was a dangerous period. Tension filled the air. There were people who were impressed by Jesus, but it wasn’t safe to express such sentiments. At least, that’s how many felt about it. So they kept their voices low.

Do you see a strong contrast with Jesus standing and raising His voice (37)? At the right time, He spoke His message loudly and clearly. He was prepared to die for it. He would die for it.

He spoke of a wonderful offer (37) – the satisfaction of spiritual ‘thirst’ (contrast with John 6:35). ‘Coming’ to Jesus and ‘believing’ in Him are two sides of the same coin (38). In Christ alone can the profound spiritual longings of the human race be assuaged. If you feel at all ‘thirsty’ now, you know who to go to.

But He also spoke of a glorious opportunity (38). Jesus can make us a blessing to the parched, dry, barren world around us. We receive from Jesus the Holy Spirit (39), when we come to Him/believe in Him, and then the Holy Spirit flows out from us in ”streams” (or ”rivers”). Remember these words were spoken in a hot, dusty culture where people really valued water and knew the seriousness of water shortage. A believer has an out-going, out-flowing life. This life brings life wherever it goes (see Ezekiel 47:1-12). And it doesn’t merely trickle; it ”streams”; it rushes like a river in flood. Jesus, by His Spirit, makes the believer like running water in a barren land. We are totally necessary to this world, and we need to ensure that we keep the outward focus.

But however loudly and clearly we speak about Jesus – repeating His offer to the world – and however refreshing our Spirit-filled lives may be, there will still be those who persecute and oppose (32, 44). There will also be those who are dull and lacking spiritual perception (35, 36). And we will find a divided response (40-43). The gospel has always had to face these differing realities, and will do so for as long as time lasts.

(By the way, contrast verse 27 with 41b, 42. Not everyone thought the same way. But even those who could say that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem didn’t seem to know that He had!)

Prayer: Help me Lord Jesus to keep bringing my thirst to you, looking to you alone for true satisfaction. And I pray you will keep on flowing through me by your Spirit, and affecting the world for good. Help me to keep moving in you, regardless of the responses of people. Let my life water the society in which you have placed me.

 John 7: 14-24: Enough to be like the Master.(please click for todays passage)

This passage contains words which say clearly that if someone is a genuine seeker they will find (17). Authentic seeking has at its heart a willingness to change, to obey, to be different. I don’t just want to know about Jesus; I am also prepared to follow Him. And in the doing of God’s Word I find that it is self-authenticating.

Here are a minimum of five things that, being true of Jesus, will also be true of His disciples (John 13;16):

1. A disciple will operate on a different timetable (14). Do you remember what Jesus had previously said to his brothers? (6). He marched ”to the beat of a different drummer.” All Jesus’ movements were according to a Divine table. May it be so for you and me. Let God the Father organise your schedule. Allow Him to fill in your diary. Then, like God the Son (and through Him) you can walk in companionship with the Holy Spirit. The world can offer no adventure like this one.
2. A disciple will arouse curiosity (15). ”The Jews were impressed, but puzzled: ”How does he know so much without being schooled?” ” The Message. At times a Christ follower will ‘amaze’ others. People will wonder how we can be how we are; how we can do what we do; how we can speak as we speak. We will lives of ‘ever-increasing glory’ (2 Corinthians 3:18) and they will inevitably stand out. There will be a whiff of the supernatural which cannot be naturally explained.
3. A disciple will speak Christ’s word (16). The great evangelical Anglican leader, John Stott, wrote a book entitled ‘Our guilty silence.’ There is a danger that in today’s atmosphere we focus on being and doing and not speaking. Now the church certainly must live the gospel. It is right that we should serve others in Jesus’ Name. But we also have a message to communicate. So let’s prayerfully apply our minds to the task – think through how to express the essential truths of the gospel in terms that are relevant and meaningful to our contemporaries. It’s good that people speak about Jesus, but we need to beware that we do not lazily trot out well-worn cliches and incomprehensible jargon. Let’s find fresh ways to speak the timeless and unchanging truths our world so needs to hear. This is not about reinventing the message. We have no right to tinker under the bonnet of truth. But we can be creative in how we say what we need to say.
4. A disciple lives for the glory of God (18). He speaks God’s revealed truth whether it makes him popular or not. The response will not sway her, be it positive or negative. But people wanting their own kudos will tailor the message to ensure they get precisely what they want. ”A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honour the one who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn’t tamper with reality.” The Message.
5. A disciple can expect to suffer (19, 20). In fact disciples can expect both interest and curiosity on the one hand (15), and profound negativity on the other. Don’t be surprised if you are verbally abused, and even if your life should be in danger. It goes with the territory. Jesus pointed out the hypocritical position of his opponents. They would circumcise someone on the Sabbath day – actually wound them, but for a good purpose. So why were they persecuting him because he had done a good and beneficial thing on the Sabbath day when he healed a man? (John 5:1-16). Don’t be surprised if some of the stuff the world throws at you seems to be irrational and nitpicking. It all came the way of Jesus in the first place.

It is enough for the disciple to be like his Lord.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your example and your power. I want to be like you.

It is an honour to follow you.