Back in the Gospel of John this morning, we left off last Sunday with Jesus saying some
very hard words to the Jews who were gathered in the temple courts.
Jesus told them that they were of their father, the devil.
And the reason he said that was because they were desiring the same things as the devil
and doing the same things as the devil.
They were seeking to murder him and they were choosing to reject his words, which they knew to be true.
And we recalled last Sunday how all of this is explained well by what John said earlier in his Gospel.
John 3, verse 19 and 20.
This is the verdict.
Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of the light
because their deeds were evil.
Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light
for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
So Jesus has been shining the light of truth upon them, exposing their evil deeds.
And now we will see how the people respond to this.
John 8, verse 48.
The Jews answered him,
Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?
Now this isn't the first time that they've accused Jesus of being demon-possessed.
They did that back in chapter 7, verse 20.
But this is the first time that they've called him a Samaritan.
And they probably don't mean that in the true sense of the word,
as in being from the Samaritan people.
No, they're using this word as an insult, a term of contempt.
Most of you know that in Jesus' day,
the Jews generally looked down upon the Samaritans.
There was hostility and suspicion between them.
And the Jews saw the Samaritans as half-breeds and as being unclean.
It's like they're saying,
Didn't we say it well when we said that you were demon-possessed?
A good-for-nothing half-breed?
You can feel the anger and the contempt that's flowing from them
as they call Jesus' names and insult him.
Does Jesus know what it feels like to be insulted?
To have the anger of people lash out at him?
He does.
Even though he was the perfect son of God,
he still felt deeply the insults of people.
These words have just been rolling around in my head this week.
You dishonor me, said Jesus.
It's not just a cold statement of the facts.
Jesus experienced it personally.
He felt dishonored.
Not only were they venting their anger and hatred towards him
with the things that they said,
but the things that they were saying couldn't have been more false.
They accused the very Son of God of having a demon,
of being demon-possessed.
They called him a Samaritan.
One of those people that we hate.
Our enemies.
What amazes me here is how Jesus responds.
He does not retaliate in the least.
He doesn't insult them back.
He does say,
I do not have a demon.
But there are no...
Words of insult.
I know if I was in that situation,
I kept thinking,
man, I would be so angry.
I would be tempted.
What can I say to change the minds of the people here in this crowd right now?
Jesus doesn't do that.
He says,
I am not possessed by a demon.
I'm here to honor my Father,
and you dishonor me.
Verse 50, Jesus goes on.
He says,
I am not seeking glory for myself.
But there is one who seeks it.
And he is the judge.
So even though Jesus feels the dishonoring accusations
and the slanderous charges of the people,
he does not seek to vindicate himself in their eyes.
He says,
you dishonor me,
but I am not here to seek my glory.
Rather than taking his reputation into his own hands
and fighting for it
or trying to prove that,
yes, I am who I say I am,
he will leave his reputation
and his honor
and his name
to the one who does seek his glory,
his Father,
God.
He will leave his reputation
and his honor
to the true judge,
to God.
How Jesus responds in this moment
reminded me of what we've been talking about
in Sunday school
back in 1 Peter
about suffering.
And Peter actually points to Jesus
and perhaps even had this very moment in mind
when Jesus was insulted.
In 1 Peter 2, verse 23,
this is what Peter says.
He says,
when they hurled their insults at Jesus,
he did not retaliate.
When he suffered,
he made no threats.
Instead,
he entrusted himself
to him who judges justly.
He deliberately
and consciously
committed himself,
his reputation,
his honor,
his good name
to the judge,
to the true judge,
to God.
At this point,
Jesus,
I imagine at least in my head,
addresses everyone
and probably speaks in a loud voice
and gives another one of those amazing promises.
A truly, truly moment.
Very truly,
or truly, truly,
I tell you,
whoever obeys my word
will never see death.
Literally,
whoever keeps my word
will never see death
unto the ages.
What a statement.
Jesus has talked about this before,
but again,
he's using different words here.
He's offering people eternal life.
We'll never,
ever see death
unto the ages,
forever.
And to receive this,
he says,
you must keep
my word.
Some translations say,
obey,
keep,
and obey
are kind of sometimes
the same thing.
Keep my command,
obey my word.
Truly,
truly,
I say to you,
whoever of you
obeys my word,
keeps my word,
you will not ever
see death
unto the ages,
forever.
Now,
there's only one
who can actually
make good
and deliver
on an offer
like that,
and that's God.
God is the source
and giver
of all life.
And so,
in order to accept
these words of Jesus,
we must have faith
that God
is the one
who has sent him
with this message
and that he intends
to give this gift
of eternal life
through Jesus.
But even before
we get to the response
of the people,
I have to say
that it's not going
to surprise me
if the people
do not believe Jesus.
How many funerals
do you have to attend
before you come
to know that death
is an unchangeable
certainty
for every human being?
In the ordinary
earthly sense
of the words,
to not see death
means to never die.
But it seems
that everyone
dies eventually.
And now here's
a man claiming
that if you obey
his word,
you can become
the exception
to this law
of the universe
and cheat death
not just once
or twice
but forever.
There's only one
being who is
powerful enough
to make that happen.
And it's the one
who created us
and gave us life
in the first place.
God.
Unless Jesus
speaks for him
and comes from him
then they're right
to just laugh him
off here.
Let's look at
how they respond.
Verse 52.
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?
Again,
they call him
demon possessed.
In other words,
what you're saying
Jesus is
absolute
baloney.
Let's take a little
inventory here.
Let's think about
the men that we know
God chose
specially in history.
Men like Abraham
and the prophets.
We know that God
chose them
specially
and spoke through them
and yet all of them
died.
Except of course
Elijah
but they forgot
that part.
All of them
died and you're
saying that if
anyone obeys
your word
they will never
taste death
unto eternity?
I don't think so.
No.
Not even the
great forefather
of our faith
or the prophets
themselves
escaped death.
So don't even
think that you can
shovel baloney
like this
saying that
whoever keeps
your word
will live forever.
Never die.
They go on.
Are you
greater than
our father
Abraham?
He died
and so did
the prophets.
Who do you
think you are?
You can just
feel it in their
voices
and the words
they say.
These are quite
the questions.
All of them
are rhetorical.
especially this
first question.
Are you
greater than
our father
Abraham?
The people
in the crowd
there,
they weren't
totally irrational
or stupid.
Do you hear
what they're
asking?
It's a rhetorical
question and of
course the answer
is no.
But they're
on the right
track.
Are you
greater than
our father
Abraham?
They say.
No.
Who died?
Their answer
is no.
I don't think
so.
But listen to
the reasoning
that's going
on in their
minds.
The only way
that we could
accept what
you are saying
Jesus to be
true is if
you were
greater than
Abraham.
We don't
think you
are.
Is if you
were greater
than the
prophets.
We don't
think you
are.
But if you
were somehow
greater,
then perhaps
you could say
such a thing
and we
would believe
you and
it would
be true.
So the
people recognize
that Jesus
is claiming
something that
goes way
beyond what
has ever been
claimed by the
people God
chose to speak
through in the
past.
And they
asked Jesus
this question
at the end
of this
verse.
Who do you
think you
are?
Literally.
Whom do you
make yourself
out to be?
Who do you
glory?
Jesus
answers
verse 54.
If I
glorify
myself,
my glory
means
nothing.
My
Father,
whom you
claim is
your God,
is the
one who
glorifies
me.
In other
words,
I'm not
making myself
to be
anything.
I'm not
here to
get glory
for myself.
I'm here
to speak
the truth
that the
Father has
sent me
to speak.
And He
is the
one who
will glorify
me.
For the
third time
in the
gospel,
if my
counting is
right,
Jesus just
claimed again
that God
is going
to glorify
Him.
It's quite
a thing
to say.
Jesus
goes on,
verse 55.
He says,
though you
do not
know Him,
my Father,
God,
I know
Him.
If I
said I
did not,
I would
be like
you,
a liar.
But I
do know
Him and
obey His
word,
says Jesus.
Again,
Jesus tells
them,
you do
not know
God.
You think
you do,
but you
do not.
He says,
I do
know Him.
I
couldn't
even deny
that I
know Him.
If I
were to
say that I
didn't know
Him,
I would
be lying.
No,
His words
are a little
more pointed
than that.
He says,
I would
be like
you,
a liar.
And I
don't think
Jesus is
just calling
names here.
I think
He is,
again,
speaking what
He knows
to be
true.
And these
people are
sure to
take offense
at that.
Verse 56,
Jesus goes
on.
He says,
Your father,
Abraham,
rejoiced at
the thought
of seeing
my day.
He saw
it and
was glad.
This is
another amazing
statement of
Jesus.
First,
let's notice
how happy
Abraham
was.
My
translation is
a little
flat.
Literally,
it's more
like your
father,
Abraham,
was
overjoyed
that he
would see
my day.
So not
just a little
bit of joy,
but Abraham
had lots
of joy.
Why?
Let's think
about the
cause of
that great
joy.
He was
overjoyed,
Jesus says,
that he
would see
my day.
What does
that mean?
And then
Jesus says
one thing
more.
He says,
and he
saw it.
As in,
it's done.
He saw
it.
Already
happened.
What is
Jesus talking
about?
I'll be the
first to admit
that I don't
know what
Jesus means
by this.
There's a
few good
ideas and
guesses out
there.
Some think
that this
refers to a
particular
moment back
in history
when Abraham,
perhaps God,
revealed directly
to him
that someday
Jesus would
come.
Maybe it's
just not
recorded in
Genesis.
Others think
it refers to
how Abraham
rejoiced
greatly in
the birth of
the promised
son,
Isaac.
And that
kind of
through that
he was
anticipating
the coming
of the
ultimate
son who
would fulfill
all of
God's
promises.
some people
think that
Abraham
rejoiced
greatly
when he
saw the
day of
Jesus,
not back
in the
past,
but right
now in
the present.
Just like
Moses and
Elijah were
there at
the
transfiguration,
perhaps Abraham
is also
watching this
and seeing
the day of
Christ unfolding
right in
front of
his eyes
and he's
rejoicing
greatly.
I'm not
sure what
Jesus means
here,
but this
is how the
people in
the crowd
responded to
his statement.
You are
not yet
50 years
old,
they answered,
and you
have seen
Abraham?
It's kind
of like a
mocking
statement.
Like,
look at
you.
You're
what,
30-something?
You're
not even
50 yet,
and you
think you've
seen
Abraham?
Like,
the guy
who lived
2,000
years ago?
And then
Jesus
says this,
verse 58,
Truly,
truly,
I say
to you,
before
Abraham
was born,
I am.
What a
statement.
Before
Abraham
was born,
I am.
This is
probably
the greatest
thing that
Jesus ever
claimed while
he walked
the earth.
death.
At least
it's up
in the
top three,
perhaps.
And there's
so much
in these
words.
First,
let's notice
the way
that this
statement
works.
He says,
before Abraham
was born,
I am.
Jesus is
claiming to
have existed
before the
day of
Abraham's
birth,
2,000
years
earlier.
father.
That in
itself is
astounding.
And this
is why
John began
his gospel
in the way
he did.
We're going
to start
this story
at the
beginning of
Jesus'
story,
thought
John.
not his
birth,
no,
the beginning.
In the
beginning
was the
word,
and the
word was
with God.
All things
were created
through him,
and then
later on
the word
became flesh
and lived
among us.
John was
listening that
day.
Jesus is
no mere
man.
Abraham
was a
mere man.
The
prophets
were mere
men,
but Jesus
is in
fact greater
than all
of them,
because he
existed with
God long
before any
of them were
even born.
This is at
least one
thing that
Jesus is
saying.
But this
is in all.
If this was
all Jesus
meant, he
could have
simply said,
before Abraham
was born,
I was.
But he
doesn't say
I was.
He says,
I am.
This is
undoubtedly
a claim
of Jesus
to be
God,
to be
the Lord,
to be
Yahweh.
This is the
name that
God the
Creator
gives to
himself,
ascribes
for himself.
Perhaps you
remember that
story back
in Exodus
chapter 3
verse 13
and 14.
Moses is
at the
burning bush,
this bush
that's burning
and yet
not being
consumed.
And God
is speaking
out of this
bush and
having a
conversation
with Moses
about going
to deliver
the people
from Egypt.
And Moses
says to God,
suppose I
go to the
Israelites
and say
to them,
the God
of your
fathers has
sent me
to you.
And they
ask me,
what's his
name?
Then what
shall I
tell them?
God
said to
Moses,
I am
who I
am.
This is
what you're
to say
to the
Israelites.
I am
has sent
me to
you.
Now there's
so much
in there.
I mean,
we could
have a
whole sermon
on that
alone.
What does
that mean?
It's almost
as if God
is saying
there is
no one
name that
captures
all of
who I
am.
I am
who I
am in
all my
glory.
But this
is what
he,
the name
that he
takes for
himself and
tells Moses
to take
to the
people in
Egypt.
Tell them
that I
am has
sent me
to you.
The one
who is.
This
name seems
to refer
to how
God
exists.
He is
self-existent.
He is the
one who
always was,
is,
and always
will be.
And here,
amazingly,
Jesus
takes that
name upon
his own
lips.
He says,
before Abraham
was born,
I am.
And the
Jewish people
there that
day understood
what Jesus
was saying.
They took
it as
blasphemy.
And we
know this
because of
how they
responded.
In verse
59,
that this,
they picked
up stones
to stone
him.
And
Jesus not
only claimed
to exist
before Abraham
was born,
he claimed
to be
God.
He claimed
to be
not just
any God
or another
God,
but he
claimed to
be the
one true
God,
the Lord,
Yahweh,
the great
I am.
And this
is why John
starts his
gospel the
way he
does.
It's kind
of a strange
starting at
first,
but it's
starting to
make sense.
in the
beginning
was the
word,
and the
word was
with God,
and the
word was
God.
The one
who was
God
became
flesh
and dwelt
among us.
God
himself
took on
human flesh
and came
to live
among us.
the great
I am
walked the
earth.
Jesus
does indeed
make some
astonishing
claims and
offers and
promises,
and we've
seen lots of
these in
John,
like resurrection
from the
dead for
those who
believe,
and eternal
life for
those who
keep his
word,
and forgiveness
of sins.
And the
Jews were
right that
day in
thinking that
for him
to deliver
on these
things,
he's got
to be
greater than
Abraham,
and greater
than the
prophets.
Is he?
In Jesus'
own words,
I am.
this is
quite the
claim.
But this
claim has
not come
without
evidence.
All of
these people
have heard
of it,
many of
them have
seen it.
Jesus
does the
very things
that only
the great
I am
can do.
He
calms
storms with
his words.
He heals
even the
worst of
debilitating
sicknesses
and diseases.
He provides
bread for
multitudes
out in the
middle of
nowhere.
And somehow
he knows the
very thoughts
of people's
hearts as
they're thinking
them.
Like
father,
like son.
The signs
are everywhere
that this is
no ordinary
man.
This isn't
even just a
specially chosen
man like
Abraham was.
This man
Jesus is
God
himself
in human
flesh.
He is the
great I am
who has come
down from
heaven to
live among
us and
amazingly
to give his
life for us
and to save
us.
I hope you
see that
here and I
hope you
believe that
and I hope
that in your
heart you are
rejoicing just
like Abraham
was even as
you think about
how this is
true.
But this
moment in the
story of
Jesus really
is bittersweet.
It's the
moment in
which he
wonderfully
declares who
he is.
But it's
also the
moment in
which the
people listening
try to
commit one
of the
greatest
evils that
they could
possibly do.
They try
to kill
him.
John
tells us
that they
picked up
stones to
stone him
but Jesus
hid himself
and slipped
away from
the temple
grounds.
We don't
know how
exactly but
one way or
another he
got away and
they weren't
actually able to
carry out the
deed.
But it's
bittersweet.
I mean think
about this.
Jesus reveals
that he is
the great I
am and in
that same
moment they
tried to
kill him.
What about
you?
Do you
believe that
Jesus is
the great
I am?
God who
has come
down into
our world
and taken
on human
flesh and
lived among
us?
Do you
believe that
he's greater
than Abraham?
Greater than
all the
prophets?
Do you
believe that
he can
deliver on
all that
he's promised
to do
for those
who believe
in him?
God can
forgive sins.
God can
raise people
back to
life after
they die.
God can
give eternal
life,
sustain life
forever.
And he
himself has
come down
to offer
all of this
in his
words to
whoever believes.
or in
this
passage,
if you
keep my
word,
to those
who keep
his
word.
Do you
believe in
Jesus?
Are you
keeping his
word?
Lord,
let's
pray.
Lord
Jesus,
we thank
you for
coming down.
We can't
even imagine
what it was
like to be
there that
day and
to face
what you
faced,
the hatred,
the anger.
But we
thank you
that you
came down
and that
you went
through that
and even
more,
all the way
to the
cross.
For us,
so that we
could be
saved.
Thank you
that you
give us
eternal life
and that we
will never
die.
Those of us
who believe
in you and
keep your
word,
that's amazing.
And for all
of us here
this morning,
Lord,
we pray and
ask that you
would help
us not to
take your
word lightly,
but to
believe from
our hearts,
from the
depths of our
hearts,
everything you
said,
and to hold
on to it,
to keep it
all the way
to the end
when you
return.
we long
for that
day.
In your
name,
amen.
Amen.