Well, this morning we're continuing the story of Jesus, told by John.
So if you have your Bible with you, you can open it up to John chapter 10.
John chapter 10.
We left Jesus last time at the temple in Jerusalem.
The Jews had gathered around him there, and they were pressing him to make an outright claim to be the Messiah.
And after saying a few things to them, Jesus did them one better.
He said, I and the Father are one.
And the Jews picked up stones in that moment and were ready to throw them at Jesus.
Well, Jesus managed to stay their hands for a moment by asking them this question in John chapter 10, verse 32.
He said, I have shown you many good works from the Father.
For which of these do you stone me?
And their response was, we are not stoning you for any good work, they replied, but for blasphemy.
Because you, a mere man, claim to be God.
And I imagine that again, they're about ready to let the stones fly.
But then Jesus manages to keep the conversation going.
Verse 34.
Jesus answered them,
Is it not written in your law, I have said, you are gods?
If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came, and scripture cannot be set aside,
what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?
Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy?
Because I said I am God's son.
Now this is quite the response from Jesus.
Basically, Jesus tells them that there is some precedent in the scripture for men being referred to as gods.
And then Jesus argues from the lesser to the greater, and puts a bit of a contrast in there,
and suggests that since they were called gods,
though we'll see in a moment what kind of gods,
how much more can we speak of the one true son of God,
who has been set apart by the Father as being God,
and it's not blasphemy.
So let's explore this a little more.
But before we do, let me just say this.
There are some people out there who will say,
Jesus never outright claimed to be God, or to be the Son of God.
Well, if Jesus never meant to say that he was God,
if he never meant to say that he was divine,
now would be a perfect time to make that crystal clear.
I mean, they're saying,
we're stoning you for blasphemy,
because you, being a man, claim to be God.
If Jesus had never intended to say that,
he could simply have said,
I'm not claiming to be God.
I'm not claiming to be divine.
From our human perspective,
that would be the easiest way to ease the tension of this moment,
and see the stones drop to the ground.
But Jesus doesn't say that,
because it's not true.
The Jews are right about one thing.
What Jesus has said here,
it amounts to,
it is claiming to be divine,
to be God.
And Jesus doesn't backtrack,
not one bit.
He doesn't say,
well,
I said I and the Father are one,
but what I really meant,
no.
He goes the other way.
What he says here amounts to,
yes,
I am claiming to be the divine Son of God,
and it's not blasphemy in my case,
because it's true.
So let's look at this in a little more detail.
The first thing Jesus does,
is quote from Psalm 82.
He says,
is it not written in your law,
I have said,
you are gods.
Let's go back to Psalm 82,
and look at that.
If you want to turn there in your Bible,
you're welcome to.
I'll have it on the screen as well.
It's a short psalm.
We'll read the whole thing.
It's only eight verses.
A psalm of Asaph.
God presides in the great assembly.
He renders judgment among the gods.
How long will you defend the unjust,
and show partiality to the wicked?
Defend the weak and the fatherless.
Uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy.
Deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
The gods know nothing.
They understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness.
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
I said,
you are gods.
You are all sons of the Most High.
But you will die like mere mortals.
You will fall like every other ruler.
Rise up, O God.
Judge the earth.
For all the nations are your inheritance.
So, it's an interesting little psalm from long ago.
And what do we notice about the gods that are referred to here?
Well, in verse 1 it says that God renders judgment among them.
He renders judgment among the gods.
And our first wondering is, well, what gods is he talking about?
Is he talking about false gods?
Or so-called gods?
Is he talking about those who people would refer to as gods?
Like the ancient pagan gods.
Baal.
Dagon.
Asherah.
Ra.
And if he is referring to these pagan gods,
how does he render judgment among them?
Are each of these so-called gods merely idols?
Whose existence is just a figment of people's imagination?
Or do each of these gods refer to actual beings?
Perhaps fallen angels who've been masquerading as gods
and trying to steal worship away from the one true God.
Now, there are passages that could maybe tip us in either direction.
But as we continue to read this psalm,
I think we see that Asaph takes us in a third direction.
One maybe we wouldn't have considered at first.
So what else does this psalm right here tell us about these gods?
Verses 2 to 4.
How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?
Defend the weak and the fatherless.
Uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy.
Deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
These verses seem to describe the judgment that God renders among them.
His verdict against the gods.
They're guilty of something.
They're guilty of defending the unjust.
Of showing partiality to the wicked.
And then God, speaking through Asaph, seems to exhort these gods to stop doing that.
And instead to start doing what is right.
To defend the weak and the fatherless.
To uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
So we see here that these gods are guilty.
They've been doing things that are wrong.
Which means that they're definitely real beings that he's talking about here.
Then on to verse 5.
He says,
The gods know nothing.
They understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness.
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
So not only are these gods guilty.
But they're also ignorant.
Maybe even foolish or blind.
They know nothing.
Says Asaph.
They lack understanding.
They lack true wisdom and true knowledge.
And then finally we come to verse 6.
The part of the psalm that Jesus quoted.
I said,
You are gods.
You are all sons of the most high.
But you will die like mere mortals.
You will fall like every other ruler.
Now there are several different views of who these gods are.
Some people see them as fallen angels.
And they have some pretty good observations and supporting passages which seem to fit with that.
Others see them as men.
Specifically corrupt leaders or officials in Israel.
And I think this understanding fits just a little bit better.
I won't get into all the reasons.
But I think when Asaph refers to them as gods,
he does so in a bit of a tongue-in-cheek fashion.
He's being a little bit facetious or sarcastic.
These are corrupt men who conceive of themselves as being gods,
as being sons of the most high,
the untouchables,
the all-powerfuls in the land.
And yet the truth,
which comes from the Lord's judgment,
is that they know nothing.
They walk about in darkness.
They can't even see what's coming for them.
And even though they think themselves to be gods,
to be untouchable,
Asaph says they will die
just like men do.
They will fall
just like all the other rulers
of earth do
eventually.
The psalm ends with Asaph
calling on God
to bring about
the judgment that they deserve.
Rise up, O God.
Judge the earth.
For all the nations
are your inheritance.
There is in here a plea
for the Lord to
make things right.
Put these gods
in their place.
So now we come back
to what Jesus said.
And I'll read it again.
Back in John chapter 10,
verse 34.
Is it not written in your law,
I have said,
you are gods.
If he called them gods
to whom the word of God came,
and scripture cannot be set aside,
what about the one
whom the Father set apart
as his very own
and sent into the world?
Why then do you accuse me
of blasphemy
because I said,
I am God's son?
So Jesus is basically saying
there is some precedent
in the scriptures
for men
being referred to
as gods.
Long ago,
God spoke through Asaph
and called the corrupt
leaders of Israel
gods.
He even called them
sons of the Most High
or translation,
sons of God.
But there's a big difference
between those corrupt leaders
of Israel
who think that they are
untouchable,
hint, hint,
and the one whom God
has specially set apart
for himself
and sent into the world.
Jesus is setting up
a brilliant contrast here.
He's not saying,
well,
they were truly divine
back then
and so am I.
No.
He's not saying that.
Rather,
he's inviting them
to reflect
on those men
in Psalm 82,
those gods,
and see that actually
they were not.
look at their works.
Look at what they did.
They were corrupt.
They were unjust.
They were partial
to the wicked.
They were blind
and their fate
was not that of a true God.
Their fate,
they died just like
every other man dies.
They fell just like
every other ruler falls.
And so it's clear
in that Psalm
where God speaks
of them as gods
that they are not gods.
It's clear that
their conception
of themselves,
those men back
in Psalm 82
was blasphemous
and false.
But will you
now accuse me,
says Jesus,
the one whom
the Father
has specially set apart
for himself
and sent into the world
of blasphemy
because I claim
to be
the Son of God.
It really is brilliant
what Jesus has done
and said here.
He's pushing them
to acknowledge
that there are
two different categories.
There are those
who claim to be God
like those in Psalm 82
and obviously
the title does not fit.
And then
there is the one
whom the Father
has specially chosen
and set apart
and sent into the world.
He comes also
claiming to be
a Son of God,
the Son of God.
and will you accuse him
of blasphemy?
In the case of those
corrupt rulers
of Israel long ago,
it was obvious.
Look at their works.
Look at their behavior.
Did the title of
gods
or sons of God
fit
for them?
Obviously not.
but now
look at the works
that I do
says Jesus
and does the title
fit me?
Verse 37
Do not believe me
says Jesus
unless I do
the works
of my Father.
If I'm like them
in Psalm 82
don't believe me
says Jesus.
Don't listen
to what I'm saying.
Don't take me seriously.
But if I'm not like them
and instead
I do the works
of my Father,
the works of God,
believe me.
In the case of Jesus
it's so obvious.
Look at his works.
The grace
and the goodness
the kindness
and the compassion
the miracles
the signs
the wonders
the sick
healed
the injured
and diseased
restored
the corruption
and the wickedness
of people's hearts
exposed
the people
in the wilderness
provided for
the raging
storm
calmed
the call
to repent
and turn to God
proclaimed
the call
to live righteously
and love God
with all your heart
declared
help
for the widows
for the outcast
and the oppressed
given
all things
that God did
throughout the Old Testament
time and time again
Jesus does the exact
same things
and therefore
the title of God
and Son of God
fits
perfectly
it's not
blasphemy
because Jesus
is the one
specially
set apart
by the Father
and sent
into the world
from heaven
the divine
Son
and Jesus
continues to plead
with them
that they might
see it
that they might
have a change
of heart
and recognize
just who he is
he says
in the next verse
but if I do them
if I do the works
of my Father
even though you
don't believe me
believe the works
that you may know
and understand
that the Father
is in me
and I
in the Father
look at the evidence
of the works
I'm doing
says Jesus
there's a path
here
right now
they have an aversion
to Jesus
they don't believe
in him
they are not
his sheep
and yet
Jesus
is aiming
to draw
their attention
yet again
to the things
that he has been
doing
to his works
he says
believe the works
there's something
about the works
of Jesus
which if people
will really
just look
at them
and consider
them
may lead
to a change
of mind
about who
Jesus is
this is why
it's so critical
that when we
preach the good
news of Jesus
we preach
the whole good
news of Jesus
not just his
death
and resurrection
and ascension
but also
everything that he
did in his life
his works
these words
make me think
again of
Nicodemus
had to come
and see Jesus
because even
though
Jesus knew
that he didn't
believe at first
there was
just something
about these
things that
Jesus was
doing
that kept
nagging at
him
I don't want
to put words
in Nicodemus
mouth
but it was
almost as if
he was saying
I hate to
admit this
to you
Jesus
but we know
that you are
a teacher
who has
come from
God
for no one
could perform
the signs
that you are
doing
if God
were not
with him
sometimes we
get all
focused on
Christian
apologetics
or Christian
philosophical
arguments
or theological
arguments
but I believe
that the greatest
apologetic of all
is simply to do
what Jesus did
right here
and say
to someone
even though
you
don't believe
in Jesus
you've made
that clear
what about
the things
that Jesus
did
how do you
explain
those miracles
how did
he do
that
what about
the undeniable
goodness
and kindness
of Jesus
that's woven
through all
the things
that he
did
will you
look at
that
one more
time
read the
story
of Jesus
again
how could
a deceiver
or a
common
man
be so
selfless
how could
an insane
man
do these
kinds
of
things
do you
have loved
ones
who do
not
believe
maybe
who
have even
expressed
to you
that they
don't
believe
in
Jesus
maybe
who
have
even
expressed
that
with
a bit
of
hostility
or even
anger
I want to
encourage you
this morning
don't give
up on
them
don't write
them off
encourage
them yet
again to
read the
story of
Jesus
for
themselves
tell them
what you
see
that's so
beautiful
and glorious
about
Jesus
maybe
they'll
misrepresent
Jesus
or
mischaracterize
Jesus
take that
opportunity
to say
that's not
what I
see
in the
Bible
there was
that one
time that
Jesus did
this and
look at
the kind
of person
he is
and what
he did
he's not
like that
there is a
path here
for the
unbelieving
for people
to go
from those
who do
not believe
maybe are
even ready
to throw
the stone
to knowing
and understanding
the truth
about Jesus
and that
path begins
with a
call and
a plea
for people
to look
again at
the works
of Jesus
at what
he did
as he
walked and
lived among
us
if I do
the works
of my
father
he said
even though
you do
not believe
me
believe
the works
that you
may know
and understand
that the
father is
in me
and I
in the
father
this is
another
astounding
statement
from Jesus
which confirms
that
Jesus is
not backing
down in the
least with
what he's
claiming
he said
earlier
I and
the father
are one
and he
meant it
this is
just another
way of
saying the
same thing
my father
is in
me
God is
in me
I am
in my
father
it's difficult
to say much
more about
that what
Jesus means
when he
says it
but maybe
we could
say it
like this
in this
man
Jesus
God
the
Lord
Yahweh
is here
he walks
among us
he speaks
to us
he does
works
among us
the father
is in me
and I
am in
the father
and the
response of
the people
is this
again
they tried
to seize
him
but he
escaped
their grasp
then Jesus
went back
across the
Jordan
to the
place where
John had
been baptizing
in the early
days
there he
stayed
and many
people came
to him
they said
though John
never performed
a sign
all that John
said about
this man
was true
and in that
place
many
believed in
Jesus
so yet again
we see a
mixed response
some try to
seize Jesus
as in
grab him
arrest him
but he
slips away
and it's
now time
for Jesus
to put
some distance
in between
himself
and them
and so
John tells
us that
he heads
east
out of
Jerusalem
all the
way across
the Jordan
River
to the
place where
John had
been baptizing
in the
earlier days
so not
only some
distance
but also
some
geographical
barrier
with the
river
between
where Jesus
is and
these Jews
who are so
hostile to
him
and while
Jesus is
out of
their reach
we get
some good
news here
there were
many who
had been
listening to
Jesus
hearing what
he had been
saying
and they
actually went
out looking
for him
and went
to him
they came
to the
place where
he was
on the
other side
of the
Jordan
and it
says that
many
believed
in Jesus
in that
place
we don't
know for
sure
but perhaps
some of
them had
even been
there in
the temple
courts
this day
maybe
even some
of them
had had a
stone in
their hands
but heard
what Jesus
said that
day and
realized there's
something not
right
he's right
look at the
things he's
been doing
healing the
blind
the sick
flipping the
tables and
driving the
sellers out
of the
marketplace
sellers out
of the
temple
courts
he is a
good man
is it
possible that
what he's
saying is
true that
he really
is divine
God here
among us
the true
son of
God
what do we
take from
all this
I think
it's a good
reminder that
we ourselves
never really
know just
where people
are at in
their hearts
we don't
really know
why they're
resisting or
rejecting the
truth of who
Jesus is
why they get
angry or upset
if we try to
share with
them
but if
Jesus pleaded
with them
like this
even as the
stones are in
their hands
and reasoned
with them
then we
should too
we shouldn't
grow weary
or be
discouraged
with trying
to share
the good
news
with our
unbelieving
friends
family
neighbors
co-workers
whatever the
cost
will it
not be
worth it
if because
of what
you say
to them
they say
huh
and they
go back
into the
scriptures
and they
read
and they
look at the
works of
Jesus
and they
huh
and believe
and are
saved
will it
not be
worth it
is it
not worth
risking
the relationship
for that
so let's not
give up on our
unbelieving friends
and family
and co-workers
and neighbors
no matter how
resistant or
antagonistic
they seem
let's just
keep pointing
people
gently
graciously
humbly
to the words
and the works
of Jesus
because it's
there that
they may yet
come to see
the truth
and believe
and be saved
let's pray
father in
heaven
thank you
for
these
words
we
tremble
at the
thought
that
your
son
was
almost
stoned
in this
moment
and that
at the
same
time
he was
revealing
so
fully
so
truly
who
he
is
i pray
lord
that
none
of us
would
grow
weary
of
trying
to
share
the
good
news
of
jesus
that
people
need
to
hear
and
maybe
if
we
have
lord
i
pray
that
you
would
renew
the
desire
to
speak
out
to
have
courage
would
you
put
names
of
people
in
our
minds
this
week
and
ready
us
and
prepare
us
for
conversations
would
you
draw
our
attention
to
those
things
in
the
gospel
that
we
most
need
to
highlight
to
people
as
those
conversations
come
up
so
that
people
might
be
saved
and
so
that
you
might
be
glorified
in
us
we
ask
this
in
Christ
precious
name
amen