Gospel of John - Obedience to The Truth

        

Obedience to The Truth

John 8:48-59

 

There are plenty of things we don’t understand in this world. We take what knowledge of truth we have and apply it to whatever we are uncertain about. Some look at the situation in a pragmatic way. They are “concerned more with matters of fact than with what could or should be.” Pragmatic Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster 

The people in Jesus’ day couldn’t get past the fact that Jesus was human, and that it was impossible for him to be divine as well. They had a dichotomy of the divine, you were either good or evil. The One and only God was good and the rest were evil, of the devil, demon-possessed. Let’s look at the first part of the text, “The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

Jesus was accustomed to having people associate him with Nazareth and Galilee, and the Jews now thought of Jesus from the area of Samaria, in whom the people were considered half-breeds because of the assimilating of the Assyrians and Jewish people from the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel to Assyria. Samaria is between Galilee and Judah. And the Jews considered Samaritans as dogs and demon-possessed. 

Having this geographical and sociological mentality, they called Jesus demon-possessed. And they associated the miraculous deliverance and healings Jesus did to Baalzebub, a name for the prince of the devils of the Philistines, and the Philistine god of Ekron. (Lk.11:14-20)

Jesus, earnestly trying to correct their comprehension of God the Father and his Son, stated clearly, “I am not possessed by a demon.” Knowing their hearts and minds, Jesus tried to reason with their honoring God, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.” 

Honor was not something that one did by talking about himself, that is bragging, bringing distinction upon one self, receiving the glory of your self-aggrandizement. Jesus said “I honor my Father.” and then he approached the understanding of honoring the heir(s) of the Father because of the Father’ glory. Jesus said, “and you dishonor me.” The jewish people understood the concept of honor yet couldn’t apply it to Jesus because of their pragmatism.

Jesus proceeds to explain he is not seeking honor for himself, but for the honor of Father God, “I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.” God is the ultimate judge, and the jewish people understood God’s judgment all too well from their history, but they failed to see the honor that Jesus was bringing to the Father by being obedient to the law, not sinning, loving all who he spoke to, and speaking the words of the Father. 

Jesus then appeals to the purpose and will of the Father, “Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” Obedience was another concept that the law taught but was not applied by all the people as evidenced by their acts and words. They had the law but as shown earlier in the temple when the rulers tried to test Jesus with the woman caught in adultery. They all knew that they had sinned and disobeyed the laws and words of God. Jesus was giving them another chance to believe the words of God through the Son, and in obedience to the words of Jesus, not just hearers but doers of the words, they would not see death. Jesus meant eternal life spiritually by believing in the Son and receiving God’s grace by being born again to new life thus not death, for death is complete separation from God forever in hell.

Application - In our modern world, we have taken pragmatism to the level of “If I see it, then I will believe it.”, like Thomas. Many look at Jesus the same way as the jewish people at the temple. They hear the verses and sound bites of truth from God’s Word and if it sounds true and they can see it, then it’s true, but if they can’t see it or the concrete evidence of it, then it is not true. God is real, the evidence is all around us in His creation (Rom. 1). Jesus as well is real. His death and resurrection have been confirmed in the lives of those who have been called and have chosen to follow him ( But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Pet.2:9-10; He has saved us and called us to a holy life — not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Tim. 1:10), and in doing the works of the Holy Spirit as He enables them. (For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. Rom. 8:5-10) 

To all who have been called and have chosen to follow Jesus, and are filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. You have life eternal, death has no grip on you, for you live according to the Spirit. We are to be Holy as He is Holy, and we are to be a witness to all the world of the grace, love, and mercy of God the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ.

Last, Jesus’ words touched the pragmatic understanding of truth in the jewish people, “If it happens then it must be true, and if it is useful to believe then we will believe” Let’s look at the text, “At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”

The people went again to their misguided understanding of truth and their indignation of Jesus calling God his Father. Their response, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

They knew the monuments and graves and tomb markings of Abraham and the prophets (excluding Elijah). They understood that man when he has reached old age would succumb to the death of the human body. The Patriarchs were venerated by these tombs and markers and in the lives that they lived. Jesus’ teaching went against their understanding and teachings so he must be  demon-possessed. Death was one of the surest parts of life, and yet Jesus was conveying that belief and obedience to the words of God, and to Jesus as the Son of God, they wouldn’t taste death, for physical death was the finality of all who are born in the flesh. 

They then posed a question to Jesus they may not have expected an answer for, “Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

Jesus’ next words gave light to the eternal and spiritual destinations of Abraham and the prophets. Jesus stated, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” 

Jesus again responds to honor and glory. He wanted them to understand that this was not a political maneuver, nor a self-aggrandizement to magnify his ego, nor the works of the devil. Jesus exclaims what he has been teaching, “My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.”  The words of authority and the miraculous signs of healing and deliverance were confirmation that God the Father was working through His Son, through this God the Father did glorify the Son. Truly the Father and the Son were One and the Son knows the Father. Jesus' statement “If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word.” was verification of the truth in all of his words and deeds. Obedience to the Word was the key to knowing the Father. 

Then Jesus reveals his eternality, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” 

Jesus knew the heart of Judaism, the honor and veneration of the lineage of Abraham. If they were true Jews, they would prove it by their ancestry to Abraham’s lineage. He addressed their ancestry, but He went further by exclaiming He knew Abraham personally, and Abraham rejoiced in Jesus’ coming to earth and revealing eternal life and the will and purpose of the Father and was glad.

The Jews believed in Abraham’s bosom, the resting and comforting place in the world to come for all the righteous dead, but when Jesus identified that he knew Abraham, things went violent. “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”

Jesus’ words electrified the violence in the Jewish hearts. Not only did Jesus claim to know Abraham personally, he claimed to be before Abraham’s birth, and He claimed to be the “I am.” The name God told Moses to reveal to the Israelites in Egyptian bondage, so that they would know it was God, the I am, who sent him. They knew Jesus’ age and his parentage from Nazareth, yet they had not learned the lesson from the ending of the feast, “All who have not sinned, let them be the first to throw a stone.” For they picked up stones and readied themselves to enact judgment upon Jesus, because he claimed to be God the Son. 

Again Jesus knowing the hearts and minds of the people, slipped away in the frenzy and pandemonium of the crowd. For he knew it was not yet his time to face judgment at the hand of man.

Application - How mankind tries to justify themselves by human means. The really great question was asked by the jews in the temple, “Who do you think you are?” If we seek to really know who we are, not just who we think we are, it will come from us searching our hearts and minds in accordance with God's Word. In this we will find that we are all born sinners, no matter our heritage or lineage. We are in need of a Savior. Jesus knew who he was, and where he had come from. He knew the will and purpose of the Father. 

The real problem is the truth. Jesus told his disciples, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.  From now on you do know him and have seen him.” The Truth from God’s word is what the world needs, but people have a difficult time comprehending it. The world and the enemy of God have distorted, twisted, and defamed the Truth. As stated earlier, Pragmatism’s truth is only in what they can see. 

The world has created four types of truths: objective, normative, subjective and complex truth. Objective is the truth not influenced by personal feelings or opinions; Normative is a truth derived from a standard or behavioral norm; Subjective is the truth that is influenced by personal feeling, preferences, and opinions; and complex is the truth that there are many different and connected parts to truth and it is difficult to know completely. 

God’s truth is absolute. It isn’t qualified, quantified, or diminished by relationship to other things. It is independent and is always valid, regardless of parameters or context. In order to make this simpler, God is the Truth. There is nothing that he can be compared to, he is valid in all that he has spoken, it will not change regardless of various contexts or measurable means. In the book of Isaiah, God wrote, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 55:8-9 

It is only through the Word of God that we can understand the truth, and it is the only absolute truth. Jesus came into the world as the Word. He is also the only way to the Father in heaven, and he came to give life and that eternal to all who would believe in Him. 

It is in this truth that Jesus spoke to the jews at the temple that day, and as he is speaking today through the Holy Word of God and those who proclaim him Savior, Lord, and Christ. 

So what truth are you obeying today? Which truth are you relying on for life? Jesus said, “...blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  And ask this question of yourself, “Who do you think you are?” For it is the truth of God’s word that will really show you who you are and set you free to eternal life.

I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation (JD Farag). Please, Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I am developing a new webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. I’m adding answers each week to questions that pertain to our time today.  Thank you

http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com