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While our parentage may not trace back to Abraham, the
founding icons of our various faiths are often something we take pride in. Whether it be a particular Papal leader, or
Martin Luther, or John Wesley, or Joseph Smith, or Ellen White, or Billy
Graham, or Joel Osteen; often modern Christians seem to look backwards for
those who performed great deeds of sacrifice, or spoke great words of
inspiration, or penned great books of enlightenment. We believe, like our spiritual Pharisee
forefathers, that the actions of the founding fathers of our particular faith,
transfer to us a richness of heritage that somehow allow us to share in their
deeds. But most of us, have accomplished
no such similar feats of faith or inspiration.
In truth, our only connection to them, may be that we share their
ideals, while falling short of their actions and examples. The idea, that we are somehow “better”
because of where we come from, is a delusion the devil is all too happy to foster
within us. For the idea lulls us into
inaction, and causes us to measure our faith and “goodness” against those
around us, who because they do not share our brand of Christianity, must by
definition be “ignorant”. Comparative
holiness, is not holy at all. The myth
that where we come from matters was a myth Christ must now redirect.
And so in John’s gospel account, in chapter eight, in verse 37,
we resume the Sermon Christ would give in dialogue with His Pharisee
accusers. Christ had already identified
Himself as the origin of light, and then the origin of truth. Now He must add to this, that He was the
origin of life itself. The Pharisees
offered the idea that since they descended from Abraham, they were somehow
better than those around them, not bound to any man, or to sin itself. Their pride, and self-reliance, stemmed from
a false idea of transference from their ancestry. But Jesus could not allow this idea to stand,
if they were to be saved, they must cease from looking backwards, and begin to
see the source of their salvation was standing in front of them. We must seek the origin of life, and abandon
the origins of pride. So in verse 37
Christ responds to them … “I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to
kill me, because my word hath no place in you. [verse 38] I speak that which I
have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.”
Ancestry does not transfer to us, when our actions are in
conflict with the source of salvation.
Abraham had been saved by faith (as pointed out in the book of
Hebrews). It was not faith in himself,
that had saved Abraham, it was faith that God would save him. This was faith the Pharisees had abandoned in
their day, they were not looking to be saved by any Messiah from outside of
themselves. They did not believe they
needed to be saved from themselves or from evil. The only freedom they were looking for was
from Roman oppression. As far as
spiritual matters went, they were fully comfortable that the forms of religion
Abraham had given them were enough to keep them pure. Here Christ cuts through the pretenses and
articulates their supposedly hidden plans and motives – they plan to kill
Him. He then goes further and offers
motive; they want to do this, because they do not want to accept the ideas or
words of Christ, that they are in fact servants of sin, bound to it, and
require salvation from outside of themselves.
The only response evil has for love is to kill it. Their ancestry offers nothing to stop this.
Christ then identifies that the source of all evil began
with the “father” of evil. He contrasts
the deeds of love that His Father is pleased by, with the intentions of these
religious leaders to kill Him, in order to maintain their wealth, power, and
control over the people. Those actions
trace to a source far earlier than Abraham, they trace back to Lucifer. When once Lucifer chose to break trust with
God, and pursue a course of self instead of service, evil was born into him,
and into the universe. The choice not to
love was at the heart of evil itself.
And the addictive, degenerative nature of evil, spiraled Lucifer out of
control, until Satan was the only name that fit him. It was Satan who now stood masked within the
crowds standing in that temple. He
strongly influenced the minds of religious leaders, who refused to accept the
love standing in front of them, and instead only fueled their hatred as a
response. Their actions were not the
heritage of one saved by faith, but instead the heritage of one steeped in
evil.
In verse 39 they repeat to Jesus … “They answered and said
unto him, Abraham is our father. …” This
was all they had to offer to Christ who only seconds before had revealed plans
and motives they thought were completely hidden to Him and the crowd. The best defense they could muster. But then, often when we are caught in our
sin, when our true motives are revealed publicly to our surprise, we have
little to say. It takes our minds time,
to find a lie that might cover our sins, or make us appear less evil than we
truly are. But as Christ was speaking
truth, he needed no time to think to continue; and so he responds continuing in
verse 39 … “Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do
the works of Abraham. [verse 40] But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath
told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. [verse 41]
Ye do the deeds of your father.”
Ouch. The source of their intent
to murder Christ could not be traced back to Abraham in any way. All those present knew that Abraham was not a
murderer.
The beauty of the truth Christ had offered them came from
His Father. The beauty of salvation, the
offer of love, the chance to be “made free” from sin by Him, the Truth, and the
Light, was something Christ brought to them in concert with His Father. He contrasts His own record of action and
love with what they intend and again points out that only the devil is the
author of this kind of behavior. At this
revelation, they forget for a moment that they do not to accept that Christ
descended from God the Father. They
fully understood what He was pointing out, and they were not going to sit still
for it. So instead they too want to
claim God as their father continuing in verse 41 … “Then said they to him, We
be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.” Again they introduce ideas of their own about
how holiness is achieved. They claim
that since their parents were married, and committed no sin in the origin of
their birth, they are somehow pure and descend from God the Father. This was a not too subtle dig at the idea
that Mary was pregnant before she and Joseph were married. In effect, they are calling Christ’s birth
into ill repute compared with their own.
They continue to ignore the revelation that they intend to kill Christ,
and that this alone could not be reconciled with the God of love.
In verse 42 Jesus responds … “Jesus said unto them, If God
were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God;
neither came I of myself, but he sent me.”
Notice that Jesus does not respond defensively to the slight about His
own birth. But instead restates that His
birth was orchestrated by God the Father.
He was not here by chance, but by design. And He further reveals that “love” is the
hallmark of descending from His Father.
For His Father is the Father of love.
I wonder how often the reputation of modern Christians is associated
with a people who are known first and foremost for the love they show to the
world around them. More often, the
association that springs to mind when contemplating modern Christianity is one
of judgment, condemnation, and a propensity to “defend” our moral rights with
the full force of the power of the state to compel by law. Perhaps we too have lost sight, of what the
hallmark of following our God reveals most within us. If we too descend from God, we would “love”
and not judge or condemn.
In verse 43 Jesus continues … “Why do ye not understand my
speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.” When we walk away from Christ, when we look to
self, and our heritage to save us, instead of to the source of Light and Truth,
we become unable to perceive truth even when it is right in front of us. This was the state of the Pharisees that
day. Is it also the state of our faith
today? Have we too decided to look into
the mirror to find relief from sin, and a source of truth and light? Jesus continues in verse 44 … “Ye are of
your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer
from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in
him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the
father of it. [verse 45] And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” When we look to self, we embrace the path of
Satan. It is self-gratification that lies
behind every deed of depravity and evil.
It is the quest to please self, that can embrace the idea, that we could
take from others if we believe it is something we need. It is the embrace of self, that would allow
us to rationalize that if we need to kill another to take what we deserve, or
defend what is ours, that these actions are acceptable. And to cover our deeds, both to others, and
to ourselves, we embrace the lies we tell ourselves. The path of Satan rejects truth, because it
prefers a lie. A lie feels better than a
revelation of the evil of “who” we are.
Darkness for our deeds is better than light that shows them for what
they really look like, and who they hurt as we commit them. This was the contrast the savior was laying
out for the men who were on that day refusing to see Light, or hear truth.
In verse 46 Jesus continued … “Which of you convinceth me of
sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? [verse 47] He that is of
God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” Here Christ challenges them to prove that
anything He has said or done is something that is sin. This is particularly poignant since one of
the supposed crimes Christ committed was to restore a lame man to complete
health on the Sabbath day. Despite their
dislike of this action, none of the educated men of the law, were able to prove
this act of love was in any way wrong.
Jesus then asserts a logical conclusion, if He is speaking the truth
(otherwise they could prove He lied and was sinful), then the fact that they
refuse to hear Him and His truth, indicates “who” they can truly trace their
origins back to. Those who look to God,
hear God; those who look away do not.
This infuriated the Pharisee accusers who stood in that
crowd. They would now question his
Jewish purity by calling Him a Samaritan, and take it further to say He was
completely crazy, perhaps possessed by a devil as in verse 48 they retort … “Then
answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a
Samaritan, and hast a devil?” My guess
is the Samaritan reference was based on His known interactions with the
Samaritan woman and her village, as well as the fact that Christ was raised in
Nazareth (where no good thing had ever come from). Again the Jews are attempting to say that His
origin makes Him unfit to be the Messiah.
They ignore their own intentions and motives, and instead try to cast
focus on the qualities of Christ they believe make Him unfit by
comparison. How often do we modern
Christians when caught in our sins, try to cast the blame on others who either
joined us in our sins, or committed “worse” ones that we are aware of. We do nothing to accept our own condition,
and instead try to rationalize that we are still better than some other folks
we know. Comparative holiness is not
holiness at all.
Jesus simply responded in verse 49 … “Jesus answered, I have
not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. [verse 50] And I
seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.” Ouch.
Did you hear that modern Christians, and the guy who stares back at me
in the mirror; there is “one” that seeketh and judgeth – It is not Christ that
does that – it is the father they serve – Satan. When Christians are known more for their
judgment than their love, it is not Christ they truly serve, but His enemy
instead. The hallmark of those who
follow the God of love, is that they love, without precondition or restraint. The hallmark of those who demand justice, and
seek to judge, is of the enemy of love, not its author. Forgiveness after all, is an expression of
continued love, in the face of wrong doing and pain and hurt. This is the response our God offers our
slights, our misdeeds, and our actions that cause Him and everyone pain as we
try to serve self. He does not judge, He
is bent on redemption and salvation and reform and freedom from this condition. Sin condemns itself. It needs no help from God on this
matter. It is Satan who demands we “pay”
for what we have done, and continue to do.
It is Satan who relishes when we spend our time focused on the sin of
others, rather than on how to love them back to Christ. The lesson of the rebuke of Christ to the
religious leaders of His day, is NO less relevant to us today.
But in a last plea to those who hate Him, despise Him, and
are bent on killing Him; Christ reveals one more truth to them regarding
origins. He reveals that life itself
originates within Him. In verse 51 He
continues … “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall
never see death.” Christ is not talking
about the mortal death that comes with age or misfortune. He is referring to the only death that
matters, the second death, the death that results in eternal
non-existence. Those who followed Him
that day all died and sleep in their graves.
But sleep lasts but an instant for those engaged in it. When they awake to the resurrection of the
righteous, they will sleep no more the sleep of death. Those however, who refuse the offer of
redemption and salvation, will awake only to see the result of their choices
played out for a short time. They will
then taste of the eternal death in the lake of fire until finally death itself
is consumed there. This second death is
the only one that truly matters, for from its grasp there will be no escape, or
additional resurrection. It is the
eternal sleep of the second death that Christ is here referring to. It is that death that those who believe on
Him will never taste. For Christ reveals
here, he is the origin of our life.
The listening Pharisees however, did not see this larger
view. They thought only that Christ was
making an offer of immediate immortality, and believed now for sure they had
Him. In verse 52 they answer … “Then
said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead,
and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never
taste of death. [verse 53] Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is
dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?” This was an attempt to get the other people
listening, to see Christ as having an ego the size of the great outdoors. If they could get the people to believe this
was pride talking, they could win the debate.
Human mortality was something they were certain of, the idea of a second
death never crossed their minds, nor did the concept that God being the author
of all life, could restore that which evil had taken away.
To their attempts at associating Him with pride Jesus
responds in verse 54 … “Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is
nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your
God: [verse 55] Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say,
I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his
saying.” Christ is not here to seek
glory for Himself, but for His Father.
It is the revelation of the love of God the Father that glorifies
Him. If those who stood accusing Christ,
truly knew the love of God His Father, they would have rejoiced at the offers
of love Christ was extending to them and to all who would choose to
believe. But the proof is in the pudding
as they say, those accusers were all too happy to lie to themselves and to
those around them about where the origins of Christ were.
The learned men in front of Him, had studied Abraham well,
and were familiar with the stories of sojourning, looking for the promised
land. They knew of his trip to Egypt and
the miraculous way in which God restored Sarah back to him from the grasp of
the Pharoah. They knew of the miraculous
birth of Isaac when both parents were long thought to be beyond the ability to
conceive. They knew of the visit by God
and his two angels on the way to survey the evil of Sodom, and the deal which
Abraham proposed to God to spare the city if only 10 righteous people could be
found in it. Jesus now appeals to their
study as he further states in verse 56 … “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see
my day: and he saw it, and was glad.”
Christ is here referring to the visit He paid Abraham while
traveling to survey the city of Sodom.
It was to Abraham’s great joy that He was able to spend time with His
God, face to face, attempting to serve a meal to His honored guests. Christ here reveals it was Him who Abraham
met with on that day, and with Him that Abraham tried to negotiate a deal
around Sodom. But His accusers could not
accept this idea either. Human logic
dictates that Christ is nowhere near old enough to have met Abraham. They counter Him in verse 57 saying … “Then
said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen
Abraham?” They expected this would end
the argument in their favor. First they
believed Christ was boasting about being able to offer life to those who would
believe on Him. Then they thought they
had Him, on claiming to have seen Abraham.
For sure they had proven to the crowd that Christ was a mad man at the
least. They never imagined the response
that would follow. To quote the words
offered Moses when He asked for the name of God to reveal to the Israelites who
would want to know who sent him to them, Jesus now applies to Himself.
In verse 58 He exclaims … “Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” Only God had ever uttered these words. Only God could legitimately state them, as
only He would be our creator, the author of the life given to us as a gift. Being the “I am” was a term that could ONLY
be associated with God. And the response
of evil in the face of love, was to kill it.
The Pharisees would not hear this idea, and in a fruitless effort to
silence the truth, they took up stones to stone Him with. Had it been the appointed time of His
sacrifice, they might have succeeded.
Surely the devil longed to see God’s creations reject His offers of
salvation, and take up stones to kill their very creator. It would be the ultimate irony to have the
objects of so great love, kill that love as a response. But the time was not yet. And so Jesus hid himself from them and left
the temple, passing right through the midst of them. John does not omit this detail, because
again, it is a miracle that the mob was unable to kill Him. It is beyond the realm of human possibility
that He could have passed right through the middle of a mob bent on stoning
Him, without so much as a pebble being cast His way. His offer of light, of truth that changes who
we are, of life that has no end and of love to His accusers was rejected
again. But love is never too busy to
notice one in need …
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