Giving us a little bit of information about who he is and what you're doing and how we can be praying for him.
!
John chapter 8, and we're going to be reading from verses 12 to 20 just in a moment.
But as Alex said, my wife and I, Monica, we are privileged to serve as members at Carrig Tool Baptist Church.
And we're super thankful for the partnership that we have with you guys here at Carrig Align.
And super thankful for all the churches we're privileged to partner with in the Court Carry Project.
Some ways you can be praying for us.
So you can pray for Monica and I as we just moved over in January.
So we continue to adjust and it's been an awesome experience.
But still just getting some logistical things worked out with visas and that sort of thing.
You can pray for us as we'll be both starting as students at UCC in the fall.
I think two weeks.
I should probably check on that.
See what time we actually start.
But yeah, you can pray as we begin our studies there at UCC.
And ultimately pray for us at Carrig Tool Baptist Church as we seek to shine a light into a rapidly growing community.
But a community that is in great need of the gospel.
And so please pray for those things.
But like I said, we're going to be in John chapter 8 this morning, verses 12 to 20.
So let's read together.
John records,
So the Pharisees said to him,
You are testifying about yourself.
Your testimony is not valid.
Jesus said,
Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true because I know where I come from and I know where I'm going.
But you don't know where I come from or where I'm going.
You judge by human standards, but I judge no one.
And if I do judge, my judgment is true.
Because it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.
Even in your law, it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true.
I am the one who testifies about myself.
And the Father who sent me testifies about me.
Then they asked him,
Where is your Father?
You know neither me nor my Father, Jesus answered.
If you knew me, you would also know my Father.
He spoke these words by the treasury while teaching in the temple.
But no one seized him because his hour had not yet come.
Let's pray together.
God, this morning, I ask that you would speak to us through your word.
God, you know better than anyone my fears, my anxieties, my inability to do this task, God, of preaching your word.
But I ask that you would, by the power of your spirit, empower me to speak with clarity.
And God, these truths we encounter, would you help us to leave this place with a greater understanding of who you are.
That you are the Messiah.
That you're God in human flesh.
And that we can trust you with every ounce of our being.
God, would you give me clarity of thought and clarity of speech.
And make all of this this morning more like your son, Jesus.
And we ask all these things in his name.
Amen.
Now, when I was a child, there was a popular Christian children's song.
You may know it.
It was called, I Just Want to Be a Sheep.
Does anyone know that song?
Okay, perfect.
Two people.
Awesome.
Well, I know it's a little silly, but just bear with me here.
One of the verses goes something like this.
I don't want to be a Pharisee because they're not fair, you see.
I know.
It's a little silly.
It gets a few points for creativity with the play on words.
But still, it's a little ridiculous.
There's actually another verse, which is even worse, if you can believe it.
It's about not wanting to be a Sadducee because they are so sad, you see.
You can save that away for later.
I'm not going to share the whole thing with you.
But while the song, it's a little ridiculous, it's a little silly.
It does serve to illustrate a reality that we find in our text today.
The Pharisees have not been fair, you see.
They have not seen Jesus for who he truly is.
In response to his proclamation that he is the light of the world, the Pharisees question Jesus.
And Jesus, as we're going to see, he defends himself by grounding his teaching in his own identity
and in the witness of God the Father.
But before we can unpack Jesus' teaching and the response from the Pharisees,
it's important that we situate this exchange in its proper context.
In the previous chapter, chapter 7, Jesus made his way to the temple
and he began to teach some of those gathered there for the Feast of Booths,
which is also called the Feast of Tabernacles.
Now, this feast was rich with symbolism.
Part of what would happen during the feast is that individuals,
they would live in these small shelters that were built to remember God's provision
during the days when their ancestors had wandered in the wilderness.
There was also the pouring out of water by the priest,
which was meant to represent God's ultimate provision of a Messiah
and the knowledge of God that that Messiah would bring.
So Jesus' teaching in chapter 7, verses 37 and 38,
where he offers living water to the spiritually thirsty,
it speaks with special significance.
You can imagine this incredible scene,
the pouring out of water meant to anticipate the coming of the Messiah,
and here he is in the flesh.
He's offering living water.
Now, in our modern copies of the Bible,
if you were to look down, you'll see that in between Jesus' teaching,
which ends at chapter 7, verse 52,
in our passage today,
you'll find the account of a woman caught in adultery.
But when the Gospel of John was first written,
there would have been no separation between Jesus' teaching,
which ends at chapter 7, verse 52,
in our passage today.
The events in our passage, verses 12 to 20,
they would have followed immediately after chapter 7, verse 52.
Now, you're probably thinking to yourself,
why in the world is Tyler telling us all of this?
Well, it helps to set the stage for the exchange that we see in our passage today.
Jesus' teaching in our text today
would also have taken place during the Feast of Booths.
And the significance of Jesus' teaching,
it's going to be best understood in that context,
the context of the celebration of the feast.
So now that I've thoroughly confused everyone,
let's turn to our text today.
looking again at verse 12.
Jesus spoke to them again.
I am the light of the world.
Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.
To those who are gathered in the temple,
Jesus presents two options.
He presents belief leading to light and to life,
and by implication, disbelief leading to darkness and to death.
Now, if you were to flip briefly through John's gospel,
you would find that this language of light is quite common.
In the opening chapter of the book that we actually read this morning,
chapter 1, verses 1 to 4,
we're told that all things were created through him.
And apart from him, not one thing was created that has been created.
In him was life.
And that life was the light of men.
And in our passage today,
this theme, which runs throughout John's gospel,
it's going to find new expression.
Because remember that Jesus is teaching here.
It's occurring during the Feast of Booths.
That commemoration of God's provision,
where the people would live in those small shelters,
and the priest would pour out the water
in anticipation of the Messiah.
Another interesting element of the Feast of Booths
that I haven't yet mentioned,
it was a ceremony where torches and large lamps would be lit
as a reminder of the pillar of fire
which guided the people of Israel
during their wanderings in the wilderness.
These lights and torches, which were lit during the feast,
they wouldn't have been tiny flames.
It would have been a massive blaze,
and it would have been something
that could have been clearly seen
both inside and outside the temple grounds.
So for those who have just heard Jesus' teaching
that he is the light of the world,
the light associated with the ceremony
would have surely been called to their mind.
And again, this is an incredible image
because during a festival
where the ceremony of light unfolds,
a ceremony serving as a reminder of God's presence
and his provision during the wilderness wanderings,
here is Jesus, God in human flesh,
dwelling among his creation
in order to make provision for humanity's sin.
And Jesus still offers this choice to each and every one of us.
Light and life for those who believe,
for all those who would believe,
or darkness and death to those who reject him.
So how is it that the Pharisees respond to Jesus' powerful proclamation?
Let's look again at verse 13.
It says,
So the Pharisees said to him,
You are testifying about yourself.
Your testimony is not valid.
Now, you probably don't find the Pharisees' accusation
in response to Jesus all that shocking.
Because if you're familiar with the relationship
between the religious leaders and Jesus,
as it's described throughout the Gospels,
the response probably doesn't strike you as anything out of the ordinary.
But once again, in today's text,
we find these religious leaders walking the same well-worn path.
And what's more, they drum up this objection
that Jesus has actually already addressed before.
In a previous exchange in chapter 5.
In chapter 5, verses 31 to 47,
Jesus lays out several reliable witnesses.
John the Baptist, Jesus' works themselves,
and God the Father,
they have all testified to Jesus' identity and his mission.
But in our passage today,
the Pharisees respond to this teaching
by saying to him in verse 13,
You're testifying about yourself.
Your testimony is not valid.
Now, in one sense,
what the Pharisees say,
it's not all that unreasonable.
Because we find in places like the book of Deuteronomy,
in chapter 1915,
one witness cannot establish any iniquity or sin against a person,
whatever that person has done.
A fact must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
And Jesus himself,
he's referenced this sort of command in John chapter 5.
But the problem is these Pharisees,
they've either ignored or are unaware of the fact
that there are others vouching for Jesus.
Jesus isn't the only one who has been giving testimony
in support of his identity and his ministry.
So, at the outset,
there's a sense in which
the foundation of the Pharisees' accusation towards Jesus,
it's just wrong.
But look at how Jesus responds.
At least to begin with,
Jesus shows that even if it were the case
that he's the only one bearing witness
to his identity and to his ministry,
it wouldn't matter.
How is it that he does this?
He responds to this accusation from the Pharisees,
first by grounding the truth of his testimony
in his own identity.
To say it another way,
Jesus' testimony is true because of who Jesus is.
Let's look again at verses 14 to 16.
We find in verse 14,
even if I testify about myself,
Jesus replied,
my testimony is true
because I know where I came from
and where I am going.
But you don't know where I come from
or where I am going.
You judge by human standards.
I judge no one.
And if I do judge,
my judgment is true
because it is not I alone who judge,
but I and the Father who sent me.
Jesus says to these Pharisees,
listen, even if what you're saying is true,
it doesn't matter.
What I am saying is true because of who I am.
Jesus is the Messiah.
He's God in human flesh,
and God does not lie.
In Numbers 23, 19,
the author tells us
that God is not like his human creation
when it comes to matters of trustworthiness.
For God is not a man that he might lie
or a son of man that he might change his mind.
Does he speak and not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?
And of course,
the implied answer to those rhetorical questions
is absolutely not.
Or you can consider Titus 1, verses 1 to 3,
where Paul introduces the epistle this way.
Paul, a servant of God
and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
for the faith of God's elect
and their knowledge of the truth
that leads to godliness,
in the hope of eternal life
that God, who cannot lie,
promised before time began.
There's no need to worry about
whether Jesus is telling the truth or not.
He's not been lying to these Pharisees.
In fact, he cannot lie.
Now, I want to stop for just a moment
because for those of us who are in Christ,
this truth should be a point of great comfort.
In Romans 8, 28,
it tells us that in every single circumstance,
God is working for our good.
That is a certainty.
Or when we're told in 1 John 1, 9,
that the person who confesses their sins
will be met with forgiveness,
you can rest in that truth.
That is a certainty.
Jesus is God incarnate,
and God will never,
indeed, he can never lie.
His testimony is trustworthy always.
In Jesus, he continues his response
to the Pharisees in verses 15 and 16.
It says,
You judge by human standards.
I judge no one.
And if I do judge,
my judgment is true,
because it is not I alone who judge,
but I am the Father who sent me.
Now, if you're anything like me,
you probably found verses 15 to 16
a bit confusing,
at least at first glance.
Is Jesus saying he does judge here,
or that he doesn't judge,
or is John just sort of contradicting himself?
Well, I don't believe so,
but I need to be clear on my starting point.
I think, I believe that the Bible is God's word.
And as we've already discussed,
God cannot lie.
And so, I don't believe that
when we properly understand
what a text is saying,
the Bible ever contradicts itself.
But those considerations aside,
I think we can probably give
the human author of the Gospel of John
the benefit of the doubt,
because it seems unlikely
that in the span of just a few verses,
he would fail to notice
if he were actually contradicting himself.
So, what is he saying here?
Well, I think rather than understanding
Jesus' words here
as a general claim to the effect
that he never judges under any circumstances,
I think they're meant to communicate
a particular kind of judgment
that Jesus never engages in.
And we can begin to see this
with greater clarity
when we look at how he describes
the judgment of the Pharisees.
He uses this phrase
by human standards.
Or some translations,
they use the phrase
according to the flesh.
The Pharisees are way off base
in their evaluations of Jesus.
And I love the way
this one scholar puts it.
He says,
they see his flesh,
as it were,
but they never contemplate
the possibility
that he could be the word made flesh.
Jesus sees things
as they truly are.
And he judges rightly.
The text tells us
that his judgments are good
and they're right
and they're made in unison
with the Father.
And again,
in this truth,
you and I can be thankful.
We live in a fallen world.
A world where,
because of sin,
things are not
as they should be.
As we mentioned this morning,
if you watch or listen
to the news for an hour,
this will become
abundantly clear.
But in the midst of a world
so often marked by injustice,
we can trust that God
is seeing things
for what they are.
And one day,
he will exercise
final judgment.
This is the way
the Apostle Paul
describes it.
He,
God the Father,
has set a day
when he is going
to judge the world
in righteousness
by the man
he has appointed.
He's provided proof
of this to everyone
by raising him
from the dead.
And you can rest assured
that when he judges,
he will judge correctly.
Not in a human
or fallible
and fleshly way.
So to take stock
of where we've come so far,
so thus far,
Jesus,
he's grounded
the truth
of his testimony
in his identity.
But now,
he's going to bring
an outside witness
to his defense.
Jesus teaches
those gathered
in the temple
that his testimony
is also affirmed
by God the Father.
Again,
in verses
17 and 18,
John records
that even
in your law,
it is written
that the testimony
of two witnesses
is true.
I am the one
who testifies
about myself
and the Father
who sent me
testifies
about me.
Jesus says to them,
By the way,
it isn't just me
who's saying
these things.
Again,
we've already seen
that in chapter 5,
Jesus had presented
several reliable witnesses
!
who have vouched
for his identity.
But in our text today,
he mentions
just one witness,
God the Father.
So how is it
that the Father
has testified
and vouched
for Jesus'
identity?
Well,
one way
was his affirmation
of Jesus
and his ministry
that took place
at Jesus' baptism.
This is how
the Gospel of Matthew
records those events.
When Jesus was baptized,
he went up
immediately
from the water.
The heavens
suddenly opened
for him
and he saw
the Spirit of God
descending like a dove
and coming down on him.
And a voice
from heaven said,
This is my beloved Son,
with whom
I am well pleased.
Jesus
and his ministry
had received
the Father's stamp
of approval,
a visible
and audible
affirmation
that Jesus
is the Son
of God,
God
in human flesh.
And we see
another incredible
example
of this
historically
verifiable
event
of the resurrection
where God
raises Jesus
from the dead
and he vindicates
his claims.
But sadly,
despite these things,
we find
the Pharisees
unwilling
or unable
to accept
what Jesus
is saying.
In verse 19,
they ask Jesus,
Where is this Father
that you've been
saying so much about?
Now,
the text,
it doesn't say
whether this is
a genuine question
on the part
of the Pharisees
or whether
they're attempting
to mock
Jesus' teaching
in some way.
And I can certainly
see them asking
this question
to sort of
poke fun
at Jesus.
But either way,
this question
represents a failure
to understand
Jesus'
very nature
and the closeness
of the relationship
that he shares
with God,
the Father.
And we can see
this in Jesus'
response to
their question
in verse 19.
He says to them,
You know neither
me nor my Father.
If you knew me,
you would also
know my Father.
How is it that
Jesus can say
something like that?
Well,
John tells us
in John chapter 1,
18,
that no one
has seen God,
the one
and only
Son
who is
himself
God
and is
at the
Father's
side.
He has
revealed
him.
Another
translation
says that
Jesus is
in closest
relationship
with the
Father.
How close
is this
relationship
between Jesus
and the
Father?
Well,
let's flip
forward,
if you would,
just briefly
to John
chapter 14.
John chapter
14,
and we're
going to be
looking just
really briefly
at verses
8 through
11.
John records
this interaction
between Jesus
and Philip.
In verse 8,
it says,
Lord,
said Philip,
show us the
Father,
and that's
enough for
us.
Jesus said
to him,
have I been
among you
all this
time,
and you
still don't
know me,
Philip?
The one
who has
seen me
has seen
the Father.
How can
you say,
show us
the Father?
Don't you
believe that
I am in
the Father
and that
the Father
is in me?
The words
I speak
to you,
I do not
speak on
my own.
The Father
who lives
in me
does his
works.
Believe me
that I am
in the
Father.
And the
Father
is in
me.
Otherwise,
believe because
of the
works
themselves.
We have
to remember
that yes,
there is a
distinction
between the
persons of
the Trinity,
between
Father,
Son,
and Holy
Spirit.
But each
person partakes
of the divine
nature and
is fully
God.
Sharing a
closeness and
an intimacy
that is
impossible for
you and I
as finite
humanity to
fully grasp.
As John
says,
the Son is
in closest
relationship
with the
Father.
How is it
that Jesus
can say to
these Pharisees
that if they
knew him,
they would
know the
Father?
It's because
the Father
and Son
share a
relationship
such that
Jesus can
say,
to see me
is to see
him.
God's
love
and
so in
this
exchange
with the
Pharisees,
we've seen
Jesus defend
the truth of
his teachings
by appealing
to his own
identity in
the testimony
of the
Father.
But now
as we come
to the
final verse
of this
passage,
we find
John's
affirmation
of God's
sovereign
control
over all
things.
If you
look with
me one
more time
at verse
20,
John makes
a point
here to
tell us
where it
is that
Jesus has
been teaching.
He says,
he, that
is Jesus,
he spoke
these words
by the
treasury
while teaching
in the
temple,
but no
one seized
him because
his hour
had not
yet come.
It's
important for
us to
remember that
this is a
public place
where Jesus
has been
saying these
things.
And Jesus,
he's saying
some things
that if
they're
understood
by the
people
listening
to them,
they're
likely to
put them
in some
pretty hot
water.
But John
reminds us
again that
Jesus was
being guarded
by God
for arrest
until the
proper time.
The time
would come
for Jesus
to be
arrested
and handed
over to
the authorities,
but not
quite yet.
There was
work yet to
be done,
and nothing
and no
one could
thwart
God's
plan.
And
brothers and
sisters,
this is
true not
only of
the events
surrounding
Jesus'
life and
ministry,
but our
lives as
well.
Over
every
intimate
detail of
your life,
over every
intimate detail
of my
life,
God is
in control.
God is
working his
perfect plan,
a plan
that will
result in
your good
and his
glory.
Let's pray
together.
God, thank
you so much
for the
opportunity
to open
your word
today.
God, I
just want
to thank
you for
who you
are.
And as
we leave
this place,
would you
instill in
us a
greater
understanding
of your
nature and
your kindness
to us in
Jesus Christ?
And would
you make us
more and more
like him
each and
every day?
Amen.