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I Am Says It All John
8:48-59
Have you ever been rejected? Whether it is a rejected idea, a rejected
gift, or the rejection of you personally it hurts. No one enjoys
rejection. Yet, it is a fact of life. At one time or another we all face
it.
But with every offering there must be an acception or a rejection. Even
at the end of this Bible class you will have to make up your mind and
decide if you are willing to accept what we bring out of the scriptures
or reject them based on your previous beliefs, personal will, or comfort
level.
We make that decision 100’s of times every day and today as we come to
our final study in John 8 we are going to focus on the fact that We must
either accept or reject Jesus.
Jesus demands that we respond. And as we will see, there is no middle
ground when it comes to Him.
Historian Philip Schaff described the overwhelming influence which Jesus
had on subsequent history and culture of the world:
“This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions
than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon;
without science…he shed more light on things human and divine than all
philosophers and scholars combined;
without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were
never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the
reach of orator or poet;
without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion and furnished
themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works
of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient
and modern times.”
The success of Jesus through history did not come easy. As we have
studied chapter 8, the Jewish leaders and Jesus have been in
considerable disagreement.
We saw the conflict with , The woman caught in adultery, and Jesus’
claims that HE was the Light of the World, and that the truth shall set
you free. Then last week we saw that Jesus condemned them for doing what
their father did.
As we come to today’s passage, we see that Jesus has been establishing,
without compromise, His identity.
While the setting of this passage was 2000 years ago, the identity of
Jesus is still an issue that we face today. Many people agree that He
was a good man and a good teacher. Many agree that He was a holy man,
unique in so many ways. Many agree that His teaching on the Sermon on
the Mount was even revolutionary. But the things that He said in today’s
text are what one person has said as “The most shocking thing that has
ever been uttered by human lips.”
So today I want us to notice in John 8:48-59 four claims made by Jesus
in regard to His identity.
The first claim Jesus made was in regard to adoration (48-50).
The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a
Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but
I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory;
there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.”
When Jesus keeps refuting their arguments, the Jewish leaders resort to
the insult. You know when foes begin to insult you rather than address
you, you have won the debate.
We certainly get that impression here. It has turned into an angry
verbal attack. They accuse Jesus of being a Samaritan, a Jewish
half-breed, and a demon. They were pulling out all the stops. Jesus was
a non-Jew. He was a heretic that had no respect for the teaching of the
leaders. Therefore, He was demonic. Since, He didn’t agree with them, it
was Him, not them, that was under the diabolical system of Satan.
But their accusations are stilled once again, because they do not fit
Jesus. You see Jesus is not seeking fame and glory.
It is interesting that He does not even answer the accusation about
being a Samaritan. It probably didn’t bother him as much as they had
hoped. The successive accusation He quietly dismisses. And then He moves
on to His theme. The Father sends him and He honors the Father. They, on
the other hand, don’t.
Jesus is keenly aware that He is sent. He is supremely aware of His high
dignity. And while He is aware of these things, He consistently speaks
in terms of obedience and service. Jesus is not in this for Himself.
This will be abundantly clear at the Garden of Gethsemane and Calvary.
And when He prays, “Not My will, but Yours be done,” He exalts the
Father.
The second claim Jesus made was in regard to Eternity (51-53).
“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see
death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon!
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my
word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father
Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out
to be?”
We will never die when we are followers of Jesus.
When the word of Jesus is in us, and we do it, Jesus says that we will
not even notice death. Literally, “Death he will not see.” The believer
takes little notice of death. Why? Death is a non-issue.
Trista and I have talked often about my memorial services, I want it to
be a celebration and have every one of you dance on my grave. I want my
tombstone to read Here lies Jeremy Houck Born July 9th 1973 Died never,
just transferred to the home office.
And then Trista reminds me that I am going to be cremated.
As Jesus talks about death He directs our attention to His timelessness.
The Jewish leaders cannot fathom Jesus’ statement. For Jesus implies
that He has what the ancients do not have – power over death. So their
response is, “Can you truly be greater than Abraham?”
“Come on now!” “That is truly unbelievable.”
What is truly difficult for them is that Jesus is aware of the
implications and He still makes the claims. For what Jesus implies here
is that He is greater. He is bigger than the ancients. He is superior
over death, so much so, that He can prevent it. This means that if He is
superior to death, He is timeless. He is eternal.
The third claim Jesus made was in regard to Hope (54-56).
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my
Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have
not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I
would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your
father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was
glad.”
Jesus establishes confidence in the relationship. he acknowledges that
self-glorification is to be discounted. It means nothing. But this
doesn’t mean He goes without praise. He does receive it from the Father.
Jesus has confidence about His relationship with the Father. He has
faith in the relationship, for He knows that the Father is with Him.
Jesus makes it clear that this is not true for the Jewish leaders. They
do not know the Father. They have not known Him in the past. They do not
know Him now.
Jesus now brings back the subject of Abraham and He boldly states that
He is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant.
Abraham knew that “God would provide a lamb.” What Abraham was asked to
do, God has now done. He has offered His only Son. Abraham believed in
the One God would send. He trusted God’s promise. He rejoiced in the
knowledge that the Messiah would come from his descendents. Abraham
rejoiced to see that day, and it had arrived.
The truth of the matter is that Jesus met the expectation of the entire
Old Testament, not just Abraham.
Jesus can be seen in every king of Israel; He is prefigured in every
prophet who spoke; He is spoken of in every sacrifice on every Jewish
altar; he is described in every ritual which they performed; he is
foreseen in the Tabernacle and the Temple; he is anticipated by every
longing and yearning expressed in the Old Testament for something better
than men already had.”
The fourth claim Jesus made was in regard to Essence (57-58).
So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you
seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before
Abraham was, I am.”
The Jewish leaders don’t quite know what to do with this thing about
Abraham. For Jesus was implying that He was before Abraham; that Jesus
preceded Abraham.
How can Jesus claim to be an elder? He is not even 50.
But Jesus does precede. Over against Abraham’s fleeting span of life
Jesus places His own timeless present. And in so doing Jesus makes the
claim that He is the “Self-Existent One.”
Jesus used the Holy name of God to refer to Himself. When the Jewish
leaders said, “Who do you think you are? God?” Jesus said clearly and
unashamedly, “Yes, I AM.” “I am who I am.” He stated that He was not
dependent. He was not created. In His being, His essence, there was
eternity. He was deity.
The Result verse 59
So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went
out of the temple.
The Jewish leaders finally had the charge that they were looking for:
blasphemy.
If for some reason you don’t believe that Jesus meant to say that He was
God, then believe the Jewish leaders. They become so aroused by His
claim that they are ready to take the law in their own hands.
The charge is blasphemy. For the Jewish mind, this was the ultimate
insult against God. Blasphemy is creature claiming to be Creator. It is
the height of irreverence and impiety.
What is interesting to note is that Jesus made no effort whatsoever to
correct their “misconception.” He does not attempt to placate. He does
not look to compromise or calm them down. Instead, He enrages them
deliberately, claiming things He knows they will not accept. And then He
leaves. They cannot find Him, because He is not done yet. But they will
have their evil day, but it will be according to God’s timing, and not
their own.
Just as the Jewish leaders were faced with choices about Jesus, so are
we.
The choices before us remain
He is a Liar
If Jesus knew that His claim to be God was not true, then He was a liar.
He was a deceiver trying to pass Himself off as something he was not.
He is a Lunatic
If Jesus did not know that His claim to be God was not true, then He was
a lunatic. He was nothing more than a madman who was suffering from
delusions of grandeur.
He is a Lord
If Jesus did exist and His claim to be God is true, then He is nothing
less than Lord. He is the Lord of life, holding all life in His hands.
Thus, the testimony of Paul in Philippians is correct:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who,
though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a
thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a
servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human
form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed
on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and
every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.
It is your choice. Call Him Lord now or call Him Lord later. You are
going to call Him Lord, either as a choice now or in judgment later.
Jesus is to be our Master and the Lord of all our life.
Including…
…Our business life
…Our sexual life
…Our recreational life
…Our family life.
All of who we are comes under His lordship.
He is not be a mere figurehead. He has the right to rule. He has the
right to control all our affairs.
Therefore If we recognize Him as Lord, it is time to worship.
We are to give Him the reverence and honor He deserves. We are to be
gone with the idea that God is our “pal.” We must take into account all
that we owe Him. When we do so, we will realize that He deserves more
than the half-spirited praise we offer.
Getting excited about sports and not Him is an insult.
Pursuing profit and not eternity is worse than spitting in His face.
Investing time and money for our own recreation while neglecting what is
eternal is offensive to God’s heart.
For we are called to love Him with all our heart, soul mind and
strength.
This is true worship and the evidence of a choice that accepts and
receives Jesus as Lord.
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