Jesus and the Court of Public Opinion

 

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  --Psalm 119:105

Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a prominent American politician and sociologist, is often quoted as saying, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  We as a society often rush to judgment, deciding the guilt or innocence of a prominent person involved in a scandal, often without having heard both sides.  Canadian-American lawyer, writer, and journalist once said:

“In the Court of Public Opinion there are no rules of evidence, no burdens of proof, no cross-examinations, and no standards of admissibility. There are no questions and also no answers. Also, please be aware that in the Court of Public Opinion, choosing silence or doubt is itself a prosecutable offense…the Court of Public Opinion is what we used to call villagers with flaming torches. It has no rules, no arbiter, no mechanism at all for separating truth from lies. It allows everything into evidence and has no mechanism to separate facts about the case from the experiences and political leanings of the millions of us who are all acting as witnesses, judges, and jurors.”

In our passage today out of John chapter 8, we see that the Pharisees were attempting to try Jesus in the court of public opinion.  You will recall that in the 7th chapter of the book of John, they had sent men to arrest Jesus and bring Him back to the Sanhedrin, where He would be questioned.  They wanted to kill him, John says, so this formal "trial" in the halls of the Sanhedrin would not have been a fair trial at all.  They had made up their minds already that He was guilty of blasphemy and deserving of death.

You will also recall that the men they sent to arrest Jesus came back empty-handed.  When asked why, the men responded, "No one speaks like this Man."  John goes on to say that Jesus was in charge of His destiny, not the Pharisees.  The reason He was not arrested yet was that "His time had not come."

So the Pharisees sent men to listen to His sermons.  Imagine listening to the greatest preacher of the age, and having well respected religious leaders heckle the sermon, interrupting every point.  This is what was happening in John 7 and 8.  In chapter 7 we saw that Jesus used the occasion of the Feast, where ceremonial water was poured out on the Temple steps, to say that He was the Living Water.  In our text beginning in John 8:12, Jesus uses the occasion of lighting up the Temple to proclaim Himself the Light of the World.

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I dot judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of  Myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness of Me.  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no on laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.  Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of the world; I am not of this world.  Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."  They they said to Him, "Who are You?"  And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.  --John 8:12-27

 Jesus stood before the people and tried to preach the Gospel to them.  He used an object lesson that many of them were very familiar with.  Light was an important symbol in the Feast of Tabernacles. During the feast, many emblems and ceremonies remembered the pillar of fire that gave light to Israel during the Exodus. Now, Jesus took this important symbol and simply applied it to Himself when He said, "I am the light of the world."  Commentator David Guzik writes:

i. Barclay and several others connect the light of the world sayings with a ceremony associated with the Feast of Tabernacles known as The Illumination of the Temple. “It was the custom during the first night, if not during every night, of the feast of tabernacles, to light up two large golden chandeliers in the court of the women, the light of which illuminated all Jerusalem. All that night they held a festal dance by the light.” (Alford)

ii. This was a strong and eloquent contrast to the darkness of those opposing Jesus, those who just brought to Him the woman caught in adultery.

iii. “‘I am’ is emphatic. It is the very style of deity which we have seen employed before in this Gospel.” (Morris)

You Don't Know What You Are Talking About

The Pharisees start throwing up objections, intended to impeach the testimony of Jesus.  They start with a legal principle: in order for someone's testimony to be believed, it must be corroborated by two or more witnesses.  In our modern court system, an accused person cannot be forced to testify--the Court must prove its case against him without a confession of guilt, and most of the jury might think that the accused was lying anyway if he denied the charges.  In some cases, though, an accused man will take the stand, because he could be the only one who knows all of the facts.

In this case, Jesus does bear witness of Himself, because He is the only One who knows the end from the beginning.  He is the very Word of God, as John reminded us at the beginning of his Gospel, present with God from the beginning of time.  His words are true, but if you need a second witness, you have God the Father who can speak on His behalf.

Who's Your Daddy?

In a debate, whenever one side starts to lose on facts, they will often try to besmirch the character of their opponent.  This is called an ad hominem attack.  Since Jesus mentioned His Father, the Pharisees brought up His questionable parentage.  They all knew that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus.  They had likely spread rumors that Jesus was the bastard child of some man, probably a Roman soldier.  

They did not believe in the virgin birth, so they used this opportunity to demand that Jesus produce His biological dad.  "Who is your father?" they asked.  "Name him.  Bring him out to us, we want to question him."

Jesus responded that they didn't know what they were talking about.  They did not know Jesus, and they certainly did not know God the Father.  There was no point in engaging them further on this topic.

Suicide Is An Unpardonable Sin

Jesus begins to speak prophetically about His death.  He also alludes to the final judgment of the Pharisees, saying they will seek after Him but will die in their sins because of their unbelief.  The Jewish leaders miss this point, or ignore it completely, and go directly to the point that He predicts His own death.  No one knows the day or the hour that they will pass away, so if Jesus predicts His own death, it must mean He is suicidal.  David Guzik writes, 

The Jews of Jesus’ time taught that the lowest levels of Hades were for those who committed suicide. Here the Pharisees tried to twist Jesus’ words to imply that He will commit suicide and therefore be damned. “According to Jewish thought, the depths of hell were reserved for those who took their own lives.” (Barclay)

So if Jesus was having suicidal thoughts, they argued, then He could not be counted on for spiritual guidance.  His words were to be discounted and not followed.

Jesus takes the idea of the lowest level of Hades and turns it back on them.  "You are from beneath," He says.  "I am from above."  Your thinking is rooted in this world, but I am not of this world, He tells them.  Then He doubles down on the curse that their sin brings down on them: if they don't believe in Him, they will die in their sins.  If they die and their sins are not forgiven, where will they spend eternity?

Just Who Do You Think You Are?

Jesus has just condemned the Jewish leaders to hell.  They are appalled.  "Who are You?" was not a cry for help--it was an accusation.  How dare He condemn them, the religious leaders of their day?  How can He claim that they would die in their sins?  Just who did He think He was, anyway?

Jesus responds that He speaks the truth, and if the truth condemns them, then He will act as their judge by His words alone.  The words He spoke come directly from God Himself, and they did not understand it or believe it.

What about you?  Do you take Jesus at His word?  Do you believe in Him with all your heart?  Or do you side with the Pharisees?  Do you question His veracity, His lineage, His message, or His deity?  If so, you are in danger of dying in your sin.  Trust in Jesus, believe in His words, and repent of your sin today.

Isaiah 9:2 says, "The people wo walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined."  What is your response to the Light of the World? Will you be drawn toward the Light in faith? Or will you shield your eyes and look away.  Will you run back to the shadows and die in your sins because that is what you know and are more comfortable with?  Do not gamble with your eternity, my friend.  Trust in the One who died in your place, who bore your sins upon Himself, so that you can take on His righteousness before God.  Then and only then will the Holy God allow you into His presence for eternity.

Something's not right here

 

Qui alterum incusat probri, ipsum se intueri oportet. (He who accuses another of improper conduct ought to look to himself.) --Plautus (Roman playwright, ca. 200 BC)

 "Houston, we have a problem."  These words attributed to the Apollo 13 mission are part of our national consciousness.  They symbolize unexpected challenges and human resilience in the face of crisis and adversity.  This phrase, at least as we know it, was never actually spoken by any of the crew of that ill-fated mission.  It is a mis-quote, a mash-up of what was actually said by Jack Swigert and John Lovell in April, 1970.  Swigert actually said, "Okay, Houston, we've had a problem here," followed by Lovell confirming the issue with, "Ah, Houston, we've had a problem."

I bring this up because many who read our passage today, found in John 8:1-11, have a serious problem with it.  There is manuscript evidence that John did not include it in his Gospel.  Although it may have been an anecdote that the disciples all shared, a memory of Jesus that they all cherished, it was not part of the original Greek manuscripts in any of the four Gospels.  It appears to have been added later, and when they did add in this account, there was some confusion as to where to put it.  Bible commentator David Guzik says that one group of manuscripts inserts this passage after Luke 21:38.  Other manuscripts have it after John 21:24.  “All this evidence suggests that scribes were often ignorant of its exact position, though anxious to retain it as part of the four Gospels.” (Tasker) They knew it belonged, but they didn’t exactly know where.

Some ancient Christians (such as Augustine and Ambrose) omitted this story, not so much because of the textual evidence but because they thought it made Jesus appear to approve of sexual immorality, or at least not regard it as serious.  At the same time, the character of the story makes it seem obvious that it is genuine, and many scholars note that it is historical and factual. Early Christian writers mention this account as soon as the early second century (A.D. 100). We have good reason to believe that this actually happened, and that John really wrote this. There is some debate as to where it belongs in the Gospel accounts, but there is good reason to believe it belongs.  “If not John’s it was a very early interpolation: it may possibly have had the sanction of Simeon or Jude (early 2nd century), the second and third bishops of Jerusalem, ‘brethren’ of our Lord, the last survivors of the Apostolic age. These two seem to have been connected with the editing of this gospel, for they are probably the ‘we’ of John 21:24 and the two unnamed disciples of John 21:2.” (Trench) “If we cannot feel that this is part of John’s Gospel we can feel that the story is true to the character of Jesus.” (Morris) --David Guzik, Study Guide For John 8

 I love this passage.  I'm sure many of you do as well.  That's why many are disappointed in some modern translations, like the NIV, that place this passage in the footnotes.  It makes sense to separate it somehow from the main text, since John's narrative flows so much better if you go from the end of chapter 7 to verse 12 of chapter 8.  It has caused some fundamentalist Christians to become adamant KJV-only readers.  They think that the editors of the more modern translations "left out" passages like this (it also happens at the end of Mark) for nefarious reasons.  Their reasoning is that the KJV is the older English version, therefore it should be afforded more respect.

The flaw in this reasoning is that the New Testament was not originally written in English.  In 1611, when the KJV was published, the oldest Greek manuscripts available were from around the year 1200 AD.  Today, over 400 years later, we have discovered manuscripts from the second century AD, over 1000 years earlier.  There is no conspiracy by modern editors to leave out portions of Scripture.

So let's get to the Scripture.

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.  Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery.  And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned.  But what do You say?"  This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.  But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.  So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.  And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord."  And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."  --John 8:1-11

Most of the time when this passage is preached, the emphasis is on the forgiveness of Jesus. We like the message of no condemnation, no matter our past.  We appreciate Jesus's ability to "stick up for the oppressed" and "stick it to" those in authority.  I've even heard it preached that when Jesus stooped down to draw in the dust on the ground that He listed the names of the Pharisees and their specific sins.  There is no evidence whatsoever to support this assumption scripturally.  No one knows what marks He made on the ground--whether it was pictures or doodles, shapes or letters, we just don't know.

What we do know is that by stooping down to the accused woman's level, he diffused a volatile situation.  By ignoring their shouts of accusation and calls for "justice" according to the law of Moses, Jesus forced them to step back, and take a moment to think about what they were demanding.  It also made them consider the conspiracy it took to arrest the poor woman in the act and own up to their part in it.  Let me explain what I mean here.

 Yes, the Mosaic law did condemn adultery, and there were severe consequences associated with it.  The consequence of this particular sin was death, since the Old Testament law was set up so that the people of Israel would be "set apart", distinctly different than the other nations around them.  In actuality, however, this law was very seldom enforced.  Because adultery is such a personal act, hidden from public view, there were very few instances where anyone would be caught in the act.  Nor would they normally be subject to a public trial.

So then, to what lengths did these men go in order to present this case to Jesus, and thereby trap Him in His words?

• They had to agree together that one of them would either seduce a young woman to lie with him, or else to take her by force.
• The one among them who was appointed would have to find such a woman and initiate sex with her.
• At least two of them would have had to observe them in the act. Morris points out that legally speaking, the standard of evidence was very high for this crime. There had to be two witnesses, and they had to agree perfectly. They had to see the sexual act take place; it wasn’t enough to see the pair leaving the same room together or even lying on the same bed together. “The actual physical movements of the couple must have been capable of no other explanation…. conditions were so stringent that they could have been met only on rare occasions.” (Morris)
• In the end, only the woman should be charged.  The man who was also caught in the act would not be accused and set before a judge, thereby saving his own reputation.

“Under these conditions the obtaining of evidence in adultery would be almost impossible were the situation not a setup.” (Boice).  When Jesus heard the accusation and the case that these co-conspirators had brought against the woman, He immediately knew what had happened.  He realized right away that these men were as guilty as the woman they had accused, if not more so.

Matthew Henry's commentary says this:

The crime for which the prisoner stands indicted is no less than adultery, which even in the patriarchal age, before the law of Moses, was looked upon as an iniquity to be punished by the judges, (Job 31:9-11; Gen. 28:34). The Pharisees, by their vigorous prosecution of this offender, seemed to have a great zeal against the sin, when it appeared afterwards that they themselves were not free from it; nay, they were within full of all uncleanness, (Mt. 23:27-28). Note, it is common for those that are indulgent to their own sin to be severe against the sins of others.

Let's look now at the reaction of Jesus to this situation.  Before Him were a group of men, shouting accusations and demanding a verdict, along with one lone woman, probably half-dressed, dragged from her bed, guilty of the charge yet helpless to do anything but lie prostrate at Jesus's feet.  The men had brought her as a test, a Hobson's Choice for Jesus, who would be indicted by whichever way He decided.  Matthew Henry described the conundrum facing Jesus in this way:

[1.] If he should confirm the sentence of the law, and let it take its course, they would censure him as inconsistent with himself (he having received publicans and harlots) and with the character of the Messiah, who should be meek, and have salvation, and proclaim a year of release; and perhaps they would accuse him to the Roman governor, for countenancing the Jews in the exercise of a judicial power. But,
[2.] If he should acquit her, and give his opinion that the sentence should not be executed (as they expected he would), they would represent him, 

First, As an enemy to the law of Moses, and as one that usurped an authority to correct and control it, and would confirm that prejudice against him which his enemies were so industrious to propagate, that he came to destroy the law and the prophets.

Secondly, As a friend to sinners, and, consequently, a favourer of sin; if he should seem to connive at such wickedness, and let it go unpunished, they would represent him as countenancing it, and being a patron of offences, if he was a protector of offenders, than which no reflection could be more invidious upon one that professed the strictness, purity, and business of a prophet.

 Jesus responded with silence.  His silence was at first seen as though He were not listening, or even that He might be stumped, unable to appropriately decide the matter before Him.  When they pressed Him for an answer, He responded with infinite wisdom.  "Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone."

His response did not exonerate the woman.  She was indeed guilty as charged and could have been subject to severe punishment.  Indeed, her reputation was forever tarnished, as she was an adulterer.  This may have resulted in her losing her husband (if she was married) or forever losing any hope of marrying (if she was single).  It may have cost her standing in her own family, as her parents may have rightly disowned her for bringing shame upon the family.

However, she realized that Jesus had shown her grace.  Her response was to call Him Lord.  I believe this was the moment she was saved from her sin.  Psalm 32:1-2 says, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit."  David, you will remember, wrote this psalm after his own sexual sin had been found out.  Yet he repented, and called out to the Lord his God.  In the same way, the woman did not deny her sin, she did not make excuses, she did not point to others as worse sinners.  She confessed in her heart and called Him Lord.

What about the men's response?  David Guzik writes, "Instead of passing a sentence upon the woman, Jesus passed a sentence upon His accusers. He didn’t say, 'Don’t execute her.'  He simply demanded that justice be fairly and righteously applied."  Verse 9 says they were convicted by their own consciences.  One by one, from the oldest and most mature, to the youngest and most impetuous, they dropped the stones they were about to throw and silently left.  The woman they accused was still guilty, but that didn't matter so much to them anymore.  While they were not quite ready to follow Jesus as Lord, at least they weren't caught up in a riot or a mob rule situation.  Each of them was convicted of his own sin, as well as of their collective sinning.  

The conspiracy to trap Jesus by His own words did not work out for them.  They had no more use for the woman, so they turned their backs on her, and on Jesus.  Jesus then addressed the woman.  

"Woman," He said, "where are your accusers?  Is there no one left to condemn you?"

"No one, Lord," she replied.

"Then I won't condemn you, either.  Now go home, and don't get caught up in any more sinful situations."

The woman was not perfect; she would commit more sins.  She was, however, forgiven.  We also, who are called by God according to His purpose, are encouraged to avoid sinful situations and conduct.  John 2:1 says, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin.  And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

My wife showed me a meme this week that popped up in her Facebook feed.  It said, "If you believe in Jesus but do not obey His words, you are doing just what Satan does."  In this passage, the men were no different than Satan, the accuser.  They called Him "teacher" but would not follow His teaching; they asked Him to judge others but would not accept His judgment on themselves.

Let's all be more like the repentant woman who acknowledged Jesus as Lord, and less like the "righteous" men who followed the letter of the law but rejected Jesus as Lord.

 

Jesus controls the narrative

 

I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.  --Job 42:2

My father used to tell a story of a time he was in Seminary.  He, along with the other 30 or so students, were listening to a lecture and were taking notes.  A fellow student raised his hand.  The professor, annoyed with being interrupted, called on him.  "Professor," the student asked earnestly, "that last point you made--was that subsection 4 of point B, or was that point C?"  He was trying desperately to structure his notes into a proper outline form on the fly, while the lecture was going on in real time.

The instructor shook his head.  "Son," he said dryly, "don't worry about the skeleton.  Get the meat."

I was thinking about that story as I prepared for this blog post today.  My mind kind of jumps around, so try to follow me here.  I am kind of a drama nerd.  Sometimes when I read Scripture, I see a movie in my mind, with actors playing all the parts.  So when I read our passage today in the last part of John 7, my mind went immediately to the stage or screen.

So here is my summary of John 7:32-53:

Scene 1

In the halls of the Sanhedrin, adjacent to the home of the High Priest Caiaphas

Caiaphas:  This Jesus is sowing discord among the people!  He must be stopped.  Guards!

Moishe and Sh'muel approach

Sh'muel: Yes, my priest?

Caiaphas: Go, arrest this Jesus.  Bring Him in for questioning.  Go quickly!

Moishe and Sh'muel exit

Scene 2

Outside the inn where Peter and the other Disciples are staying

Moishe: Listen, Peter, your boy Jesus is in trouble.  The High Priest has sent us to arrest Him.  Just give Him a heads up, okay?

Peter: All right, thanks for the heads up.  We'll tell Him.

Jesus from inside the room : It's all right, Peter.

Peter opens the door a little wider, and Jesus appears in the doorway

Jesus: I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I will go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.

Moishe exits, scratching his head

Moishe: Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Diaspora among the Greeks and teach them there?  Hmm, I wonder.

Scene 3

On the Temple steps, in the Temple courts

Jesus: If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of His heart will flow rivers of living water.

Sh'muel: Truly this is the Prophet.

Moishe: I agree; this is surely the Christ. Let's get out of here.

Scene 4

 Back at the home of the High Priest

Caiaphas: Why have you not brought Jesus?  We told you to arrest Him!

Moishe: No man ever spoke like this Man!

Caiphas: Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that doesn't know the law is cursed for following Him.

Nicodemus: Wait a minute.  Does our law judge a man before we hear him and figure out what he is doing?  Let's not be so quick to judge.

Caiphas: Are you also from Galilee like this Jesus is?  Search the scrolls, look at the Scriptures; no prophet has ever arisen out of Galilee.  Or are you one of His disciples, too?

Now, the problem with turning Scripture into a movie or a play is that, in order to flesh out the story, you have to add things that are not there, in order to have continuity in the story.  And you need to make some assumptions.  For instance, verse 32 says "the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him."  Then verse 33 says, "Jesus said to them, 'I shall be with you a little while longer.'"  Now who is Jesus talking to? His disciples? The men who went to arrest Him?

In my little script above, I made the assumption that Jesus spoke to the men who were going to arrest Him, because of the syntax.  The "them" in verse 33 refers back to the antecedent, the "men" in verse 32 who were sent to arrest Him.  If that was true, then why didn't they arrest Him then and there?  Jesus's words seem kind of cryptic, and I wouldn't think they would change the minds of the soldiers, unless the Holy Spirit convicted them right at that moment.  That's why I made the editorial decision to portray the soldiers as giving the disciples a warning, even though the text doesn't actually say that. It makes more sense that Jesus would have said those words to the disciples, when they heard that the Pharisees were looking to arrest Him.  John leaves out little details like this, in order to get to the meat of His message.  Even here, Jesus controls the narrative, and if we are left wondering about the details, then we miss the point.

So let's take a quick dive into what the Scripture actually says, shall we?

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priest sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What is this thing that He has said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"  --John 7:32-36

Jesus knows that His time has not yet come.  He will eventually be arrested and tried and found guilty, but not this day.  John remembers the words of Jesus, which to him are much more important than the context.  A lot is apparently going on here--the Pharisees are trying to arrest Jesus, the crowds are all abuzz about His teaching and His miracles, and all the while there are multitudes in Jerusalem during the Feast of Booths (which the Jews now call Sukkot), where everyone builds a temporary shelter and sleeps outside for 7 nights to commemorate the Jews in the Old Testament who lived in tents and tabernacle. In the chaos, Jesus's words are what's important. Sometimes we need to remember to focus on the words of Jesus rather than the chaos around us.  There will always be debates among Bible scholars about the context and what it means, but details are less important than the actual words of Jesus.  We must always remember this when we pick up our Bible to read and understand.

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  --John 7:37-39

Apparently, according to the commentaries I read, one of the traditions during the Feast of the Tabernacles was that the priests would take great big pots of water to the Temple steps and pour it out in front of all the people.  This would happen daily for seven days, but on the eighth day there was no water poured out.  The pouring out of the water was meant to commemorate Moses striking the rock and providing water for the people of Israel while they wandered in the wilderness. On the final day, no water was needed, just as when the people of Israel arrived in the promised land, there was no further need for manna or quail.  God's provision lasts as long as it is needed, and no more. 

Jesus used this opportunity to preach the Gospel to the people.  Just as He had told the woman at the well in John 4, Jesus calls Himself the living water.  There are many Old Testament references to water flowing from the Temple to bless all mankind, one of which is Ezekiel 47:1-12.  Many of the Jews there may have been thinking of these Old Testament scriptures as being fulfilled in Jesus.  They weren't wrong, but John adds a little commentary of his own here.  He says that Jesus was not only looking back and fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about Himself (He was), but He was also looking forward to the celebration of Pentecost in Acts 2, where the Holy Spirit flowed out like water and filled all believers.  John is essentially saying that the best is yet to come.

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.  Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man every spoke like this Man!"  Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  --John 7:40-49

The crowds believed, but they misunderstood.  They had heard that Jesus came from Galilee, not knowing that He was actually born in Bethlehem.  The Scriptures they had read stated clearly that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, but Jesus and most of His disciples grew up in Galilee.  This is why it is important to study all of Scripture, not just selected verses.  Both Matthew and Luke go into great detail about the birth and ancestry of Jesus to show how the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Him.  John, however, only hits the highlights.  His gospel emphasizes the works and words of Jesus.

We see here the confession of the guards who had been sent to seize Jesus and arrest Him.  When asked why they had failed in their mission, they replied in such a way as to indicate that they believed Jesus was the Messiah.  Psalm 105:15 says, "Touch not My anointed."  They did not want to follow an illegal order, for fear of God's retribution on them.  The Pharisees, on the other hand, doubled down on their anger: they accused the crowds that followed Jesus of not knowing the Law, and assigning a curse on them.

Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."  And everyone went to his own house.  --John 7:50-53

Nicodemus stands up and encourages them to not be so rash.  He wants them to slow down and think about what they are doing, to consider the potential consequences.  They accuse him of being one of the disciples.  Then they say something that shows they are not infallible.  They demand that Nicodemus search the Scriptures, because they are sure that no prophet ever came out of Galilee.  They are wrong on this point, for at least two and maybe more of the Old Testament prophets were, in fact, from Galilee: Jonah, who was called to preach against Ninevah; and Elijah, considered one of the greatest prophets in history, were both from Galilee.

Even in their error, Jesus controls the narrative.  Just as Jonah was sent to a wicked people, so Jesus was sent to preach repentance to the Jews.  And just has Elijah spoke the truth, healed the sick and even raised the dead, so Jesus came with signs and wonders to show He was sent from God.  That they did not believe in Him showed that they did not really believe the Scriptures at all.

What about you?  Do you follow vain traditions or rely on your own belief system to discount the works and words of Jesus?  Do you fall into the trap of trying to focus on the context rather than the message of Christ?  I would encourage you to read the Bible, not with your own preconceptions, but to allow Jesus to control the narrative. 

 

Driven to distraction

 

 

You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.  --Isaiah 26:3

We are often warned against distracted driving, and for good reason.  If we are barreling down the road at 10 miles above the speed limit and we hear our text tone jingle out from the cell phone we pay entirely too much attention to, we are tempted to pick it up and see the message.  When we see who the message is from, our minds are immediately flooded with such thoughts as: 

• our opinions on the sender, 
• our obligations to reply or not, 
• whether we remembered to do something that they had asked us to do,
• if our schedule will allow us to take that person to lunch,
• where we might like to go to lunch today,
• our need to go grocery shopping so we can have dinners next week,
• the need to put detergent on the grocery list...

and a thousand other rabbit trails that our minds might wander toward.  With our minds thus engaged, we may drive past a school bus without noticing its flashing lights, or we may run a stop sign.  If we see a policeman behind us, our minds immediately flood with a thousand other thoughts.

Such is life.  Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, we are driven to distraction.  As it is today, so it was in Jesus's day.  In today's study of John 7, we see Jesus trying to preach to the people, to teach them sound doctrine, and at every point in the story the people miss what He is saying and start voicing their own thoughts, chasing their own rabbit trails.

Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up to the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered and said, "My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  --John 7:14-18

Here Jesus is preaching in the temple, probably about what it means to keep the Sabbath.  We know that later in the passage Jesus refers to His healing of a man on the Sabbath (see John chapter 5) and being confronted by the Pharisees for it.  His message is interrupted by some murmuring about His curriculum vitae.  Some readers might think they were wondering about how this Son of a carpenter could read, as many in the trades in that day were illiterate.  Some Bible scholars might think they were asking about His academic credentials, as in which great teacher did He study under, and what school of thought He followed.  They were more concerned about whether He followed the line of thinking of the House of Hillel, or of the House of Shammai.

In present day terms, we might ask whether a speaker has a degree from a prestigious university like Harvard or Yale.  If he has no degree, or if he went to a lower ranking university, or--worse yet--if he went to an unaccredited college, his teaching may be subject to criticism.  In much of Jesus's ministry, He was confronted with questions meant to pigeon-hole Him in the camp of the Pharisees or of the Sadducees.  Most of the time Jesus was able to answer in such a way as to keep them guessing as to which school of thought He most favored.

In this case, Jesus said that His doctrine, His teaching, was from God and not man.  People who flaunt their resumes or their credentials were more concerned about being popular, whereas Jesus was more concerned about righteousness.  His wisdom--the wisdom of God--was shared by the ancient prophets.  Isaiah 54:13 says, "All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children."  Jeremiah 31:33-34 says,  "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  For no more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord.  For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."  Micah 4:2 says,  "Many nations shall come and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.'  For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

Next, Jesus references Moses, who did not subscribe to the two prevailing schools of thought either.  Moses's words pointed to Jesus.  Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19 says, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren.  Him you shall hear.  [The Lord said] I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among your brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.  And It shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My Name, I will require it of him."  Thus Jesus says this:

"Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."--John 7:19-24

Again, Jesus was referring to the confrontation with the Jews after He had healed a man who had been sick or lame for 38 years.   Jesus healed him completely, but the Jews wanted to stone Him to death because He had done this work on the Sabbath.  Not only that, but Jesus had told the sick man to pick up his bed, meaning that He was instructing others to break the Sabbath as well.

Apparently, not all the people at the temple that day were aware of this incident or this confrontation.  They objected, saying, "Who is trying to kill you?  You must be crazy!"  Jesus let the accusation slide, and did His best to stay on topic.  His message was righteousness, not rules; His concern was obedience to God, not observation of good works.

Those in the know, who lived in and around Jerusalem (and therefore were familiar with the incident that Jesus was referencing and the confrontation with the Jewish leaders) started debating among themselves.

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have no come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  --John 7:25-31

Jesus was able to speak to the hearts of some of them, convincing them that He was the Messiah, the One sent by God to save the people from their sins.  Some wondered why the Jewish leaders were trying to arrest Him; others wondered why the Jewish leaders would not arrest Him, for He was making some outlandish claims.  Somehow they had in their minds that when Messiah came, He would appear from heaven suddenly.  These were likely the same ones who had been looking for a military leader, someone who would overthrow the tyranny of Rome.  But this Jesus?  They knew Him; they knew His family, His hometown, they knew everything about Him.  How, then, could He be the Christ?

The counter argument came immediately: "When the Messiah comes, will He do more than Jesus has done?  Will He do more signs, more wonders, more miracles?  Will He speak with more authority?  I don't think so!" 

I want to go back to Deuteronomy 18:19, a verse that I referenced earlier.  God told Moses that He would raise up a Prophet, and that the people should listen to Him, for He would speak the very words of God.  "Whoever will not hear My words," God said, "which He speaks in My Name, I will require it of him."  It means God will hold them accountable who do not listen to the words of Jesus and follow them.  At the final judgement, God will ask each of us, "Did you believe the words of Jesus, and did you follow them?"  Jesus will vouch for His own.  Like a Good Shepherd, Jesus knows His sheep.

Unbelievers and scoffers will be cast off, doomed to everlasting damnation, because they did not follow Jesus.  If you find that hard to believe, then you don't know the nature of God, that He will always keep His word.  "Whoever will not hear My words which He speaks in My Name, I will require it of him."  The message of Jesus will only be rejected at a great penalty.  

Do not be distracted by false teachers.  At the same time, do not disparage those who hold true to the word of God simply because they appear uneducated, or because you knew them (and their misdeeds) growing up.  Do not be driven by distraction away from the truth.  

Breaking a traffic law could get you a ticket, or maybe even a prison sentence.  Disregarding the law of God brings a much stiffer sentence.  "Depart from Me, for I never knew you."

Making waves at a family gathering

 

I have become a stranger to my brothers, and an alien to my mother's children.  --Psalm 69:8

So how was your holiday?  Was it awkward being in close proximity to family members that you only see once a year?  I hope not, but many times family dynamics can be trying.  You may have had to field such conversation starters as these:

• Gosh, I wish I could be so relaxed about housework.
• You know, it wouldn't take much decorating to get your house looking lovely.
• I wish I had the confidence you do to dress like that.
• That's not the ugliest shirt I've seen you wear.
• You're really fast for your weight.
• You look really pretty in the picture; it doesn't look like you at all.
• It's tough to underestimate you.

Would you believe that Jesus had a similar experience while He was here on earth?  In the 7th chapter of John, we are introduced to Jesus's family during a major Jewish holiday.  In fact, the whole Gospel of John seems to jump from one Jewish holiday to another.  The Cambridge Bible For Schools And Colleges commentary says this:

[The Feast of] Tabernacles was the most joyous of the Jewish festivals. It had two aspects; (1) a commemoration of their dwelling in tents in the wilderness, (2) a harvest-home. It was therefore a thanksgiving (1) for a permanent abode, (2) for the crops of the year.  It began on the 15th of the 7th month, Tisri (about our September), and lasted seven days, during which all who were not exempted through illness or weakness were obliged to live in booths, which involved much both of the discomfort and also of the merriment of a picnic.

This holiday, then, could be viewed as the  Jewish equivalent to the American Thanksgiving holiday.  Just like our sometimes disastrous family celebrations, Jesus had an awkward conversation with his family members.

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  --John 7:1-5

Jesus was keeping a low profile.  The Jewish leaders had the equivalent of a warrant out for His arrest.  As we saw in chapter six, many of those who had been called His disciples turned away from Him.  His brothers here make a slight jab, saying, in essence, "Where are your disciples, Man?  I don't see any of them here in Galilee.  Maybe you ought to go to Jerusalem.  Take your show on the road--go to where the people are."  David Guzik's Study Guide for John 7 says this:

“It was widely believed that when the Messiah came he would make himself publicly known in some spectacular way.” (Bruce) The Living Bible gives a good sense of this: You can’t be famous when you hide like this! If you’re so great, prove it to the world! “His brethren were thinking that His success depended on the world’s attitude to Him: in other words, they believed in the world rather than in Him.” (Trench)

 It would be similar to you going to the home of a family member and sitting down at the piano to play or sing, and some wise-cracking sibling or in-law rolling their eyes and saying, "You should go on American Idol," or "Look out, Las Vegas, here you come."  The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary puts it this way (please forgive the olde English vocabulary and writing style):

Indeed here their language is more that of strong prejudice and suspicion (such as near relatives, even the best, too frequently show in such cases), than from unbelief. There was also, probably, a tincture of vanity in it. "Thou hast many disciples in Judea; here in Galilee they are fast dropping off; it is not like one who advances the claims Thou dost to linger so long here, away from the city of our solemnities, where surely 'the kingdom of our father David' is to be set up: 'seeking,' as Thou dost, 'to be known openly,' those miracles of Thine ought not to be confined to this distant corner, but submitted at headquarters to the inspection of 'the world.'"

Thankfully, these same brothers would later become His disciples after the Resurrection (see Acts 1:14).  But for now, they gave Him these back-handed compliments suggesting that He might be more welcome somewhere else, somewhere far away from them.

Jesus then gives His answer to them, perhaps overlooking their rudeness:

Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to the feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come." When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  --John 7:6-9

There are two Greek words translated "time."  One of those words is chronos, from which we get the English word "chronological".  It means sequential, quantitative time measured in minutes, hours, days, and years.  That's not the word Jesus used here.  “In this passage the word is kairos, which characteristically means an opportunity; that is, the best time to do something, the moment when circumstances are most suitable. (Barclay)"  As Jesus obeyed His Father, He lived out the truth that God’s timing is an important expression of His will. Something may be in God’s will but not yet in His timing.

When God's timing was right, Jesus did go to the feast, but quietly so as to not draw attention to Himself.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  --John 7:10-13

The brothers of Jesus probably had all kinds of people recognizing them and coming up to them saying, "Hey, where's Jesus?  Why isn't He with you?"  They probably heard the people arguing in hushed tones about Jesus--was He good? or was He a deceiver?  Some of them may have even stood up for their brother; it's one thing for family members to give each other grief--it's quite another for someone outside the family to throw shade.

Why were they complaining?  "They complained because they wanted Jesus to fulfill their wishes for the Messiah, and to fulfill them now — when they wanted them. (Guzik)"  They all had different opinions of Him.  Then, as now, Jesus divides people.  It's difficult for anyone who hears Jesus's words or sees what He does to remain neutral.  For example, Jesus did come to the feast, even after He had told His brothers that He would not come.  Does this make Jesus a liar?  No, because He only said that He would not come with the rest of the family, that He would not come openly.  “The secret departure for Jerusalem was not an act of deception. It was an attempt to avoid unwelcome publicity. Jesus’ enemies were watching for him, obviously for the purpose of arresting him.” (Tenney)

They say that to avoid conflict at these family holiday gatherings, you should avoid talking about politics or religion.  This is hard to do, as we saw in our passage today.  Jesus's brothers talked about both politics and religion, potentially causing conflict.  Jesus was not drawn into that conflict, but met conflict head-on when He went to Jerusalem by Himself.  Next time we will see that He even spoke publicly in the Temple when we continue our study of John 7.

Sometimes it is better to speak the truth in love.  This does not mean getting drawn in to whatever controversy the others at the dinner table are dishing out.  It does mean sharing what Jesus means to you.  Who knows?  This may be the last time your brother or sister may hear the gospel.  Wouldn't it be better to spend eternity in heaven with your family than to keep silent because you didn't want to make waves at the family dinner?

Sic Transit Gloria Mundi

 

But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.  --Luke 9:62

Thomas à Kempis was a 15th century German-Dutch Augustinian scholar and author of a Christian devotional The Imitation of Christ.  One famous quotation from this work is "And when he is out of sight, quickly also he is out of mind."  Another is, "If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him."  He also wrote this: "O quam cito transit gloria mundi"--Oh, how quickly the glory of the world passes away.  This phrase has been suggested as the origin of the more popular phrase sic transit gloria mundi, or "So passes away the glory of this world."

As we continue our study of John chapter 6, we see a great falling away of the followers of Christ.  You will remember that the crowds wanted to make Him king because He had fed them all with a few morsels of bread and two small fish.  Jesus then told them to seek spiritual food, and not physical.  He went on to say that He was the bread of life, and that like bread is broken to be shared, so will His body be broken for them.  To the Pharisees he likened Himself to the manna that came down from heaven to feed their forefathers in the wilderness.  Jesus's teaching caused quarrels and divisions among the Jewish leaders, and caused many of His followers to turn away from Him.

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying: who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  --John 6:60-65

The majority of people were what we might call fringe followers.  They were interested in the miracles more than the message.  When the words of Jesus became difficult to listen to, they bailed.  It was as if to say, "Jesus, you've had your fifteen minutes of fame.  It's time for us to move on to the next big thing."

I find it interesting that those fringe followers said, "This is a difficult saying."  The Greek word translated "saying" here is logos, which in John 1 was translated "word."  John had already identified Jesus as the Word.  Now the people were discovering that the Word was difficult to hear, to understand, to follow.  This applies to us today, as well.  Calvary Church in Orlando, Florida has a blog calvaryorlando.org/blog and on March 23, 2025 they wrote this:

Many people assume following Jesus means simply believing in Him, attending church, or being a “good person.” But Jesus gives a much deeper and more challenging definition.  In Luke 9:23, Jesus says: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

They go on to say, "There’s a difference between admirers of Jesus and true disciples. A fan likes Jesus’ teachings but doesn’t commit to transformation. A follower lives out their faith daily, submitting every part of their life to Him."  Many of the people in Jesus's day were merely fans, and when Jesus's words became too hard to listen to or to put into practice, they fell away.  You may know of some people like that today.

Another blogger, Tim Shurfy, wrote in evenifiwalkalone.com this past June, 

Let me state the obvious: following Jesus is hard. If you think following Jesus is easy, my bet is you aren’t following Him in the manner His Word prescribes. It’s easy to say you follow Jesus. It’s even easy to place your faith in Him. None of that requires anything on your part, and you can take it back whenever that decision becomes inconvenient.

These so-called disciples found that following Jesus became inconvenient when He demanded more from them.  Jesus responded to them, "Does this offend you?  What will you do when you see Me in glory?"  If you are offended at this, Jesus said, what will you think when you have to answer to Me in judgment?  David Guzik writes, "Better to be offended now and get over it, than to be offended on that day."

Jesus knew from the beginning who would not believe, and who would betray Him.  He knew that Judas would betray Him over to be crucified.  Jesus still washed his feet.  I find this interesting.  Jesus preached against the enemies of the faith.  In Revelation 2, verses 6 and 15 He expressed hatred of the works of the Nicolaitans, who according to the Church fathers, cheapened grace by teaching that one did not have to repent of sin.  But this man Judas, a traitor, was welcomed to the same table as all of the other disciples, and was served by the same Savior.  I don't know why; maybe because Jesus knew that Judas was a vital link in the chain leading to His sacrificial death and the ultimate atonement for sin.  Paul said that "all things work together for good to them who love God, who are called according to His purpose."  All the other sinners with whom Jesus ate--the tax collectors and prostitutes--He challenged them to repent, to leave their lives of sin, to "go and sin no more."

Is this what He meant when He said, "No man can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father"?  God knows who will come into our lives, for good or for bad.  He also knows their motivation, and whether they will respond to the Gospel that they hear from us.  If they will not listen to the message of salvation, then Jesus told us to leave them, shaking the dust of their town off our feet (Matthew 10:14).  But if they follow you home, then they may just be a thorn in your flesh (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10) for the glory of God.

Let's read on.

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and to know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.  --John 6:66-71

David Guzik's commentary says, "Speaking for the twelve, Simon Peter gave a wonderful statement of faith.

• He recognized Jesus as Lord.
• He recognized Jesus as the preferred alternative, despite the difficulties.
• He recognized the value of spiritual things, more than the material and earthly desires of those who walked away (the words of eternal life).
• He recognized Jesus as Messiah (the Christ) and God (Son of the living God)."

Jesus knew who Judas was, and called him a "devil".  Australian scholar Bruce said, "One of them was a diabolos — the Greek word means a ‘slanderer’ or ‘calumniator’ or ‘false accuser’, but it is probably used here as the counterpart to the Hebrew satan, ‘adversary’.”  Reformed theologian Boice wrote, "There are Judases among the apparent followers of the Lord in our day. They are in our pews, even in our pulpits, and they are sometimes undetected. They betray the Lord and the gospel by both their words and their actions.”

God will undoubtedly bring some Judas into your life from time to time, to test and refine you.  Your job is to be like Peter: to keep your eyes on Jesus lest you sink into sin and despair, and to confess Jesus as Lord, and to hold fast to Him despite the difficulties.  Keep the faith, no matter what the world says.

Worldly glory is fleeting, but the Word of the Lord stands forever.  The world may follow a watered down Gospel, but we must teach the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth.  What is truth?  That Jesus is the Bread of Life.  As David Guzik puts it, 

• Seeing a loaf of bread on a plate will not satisfy our hunger.
• Knowing the ingredients in the bread will not satisfy our hunger.
• Taking pictures of the bread will not satisfy our hunger.
• Telling other people about the bread will not satisfy our hunger.
• Selling the bread will not satisfy our hunger.
• Playing catch with the bread will not satisfy our hunger.
• Nothing will satisfy our hunger and bring us life except actually eating the bread. He who eats this bread will live forever.

Hard to Swallow

 

Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come--buy and eat.  Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?  Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight in abundance.  Incline your ear, and come to Me.  Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you. --Isaiah 55:1-3

I have a little quiz for you.

1. What does “swallow your pride” mean?
A) Eat too much at once
B) Say something mean
C) Admit you were wrong

2. If someone had to “swallow the news,” what would they do?
A) Eating quickly
B) Accepting the news
C) Yelling it out loud

3. “That story is hard to swallow” means:
A) It tastes bad
B) It’s hard to believe
C) It’s about food

Okay, how did you do?  We all know that these idioms are not really about food, right?  I could cite dozens more examples: she swallowed it whole; he was eating out of the palm of your hand; they really drank the kool-aid.  All of these American idioms use terminology consistent with consuming, but in context we know if is not really about eating or drinking.  

Imagine, though, that you were from a different country with a different language, with different customs, and with different idioms.  What would they think if they heard you say, "I heard him talking, it was just hard to swallow the whole thing."  Would our foreign friend process the sentence in the same way, or might he think that you had placed the words in your mouth and chewed them insufficiently, causing you to gag or vomit?

When Jesus came teaching and preaching the truths of God to His people, the message was often received in such a way that it seemed as if He was speaking a different language.  Some of the people did not hear Him at all, they just saw His works.  Some misunderstood Him completely, or took His words completely out of context.  And some of His words often made people sick.  In the sixth chapter of John we see all of these reactions and more.

On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone--however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks--when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  --John 6:22-24

You will remember that Jesus had just fed 5000 men (not including women and children--the total number of people could have been much higher).  He then had to withdraw, for the people wanted to make Him king.  He then sent the disciples across the sea to struggle in the storm, and He then walked out on the water to join them (but the crowds did not see Him walking on the water, only the disciples knew.)  The next morning, all the people were looking for Jesus, for they did not see where He went.  Not seeing Jesus there, they followed after the disciples, hoping Jesus would be there.  Sure enough, He was.

And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you are of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  --John 6:25-27

Jesus knew their hearts.  They were looking for a meal ticket, not for spiritual guidance.  They asked Him how He managed to get to Capernaum without their seeing Him leave.  Jesus ignores their question, and goes straight to their motivation.  "You think I will give you physical food," He told them.  "Don't worry so much about physical food, but eat up (consume, swallow whole) the Word of God."  Jesus wanted to give them words of life that would sustain them always, not morsels of food that would pass through them and leave them hungry an hour later.

Unfortunately, that's not what they heard.  They heard Him say labor, so they wanted to know what kind of work they had to perform in order to earn His favor and perhaps get their next meal. 

 Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  --John 6:28-29

By this time the crowd had caught the attention of others, people who had not been present at the feeding of the 5000.  Some of them were Jewish leaders in the synagogue, and perhaps some Pharisees joined them, as well.  These devout Jews heard Jesus say, "believe in the One whom God has sent."  Realizing that Jesus was speaking of Himself, they asked for identification, for credentials, for proof.

Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe in You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat'."  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  --John 6:30-33

The Jewish leaders asked for a sign like Moses gave them in the wilderness: when the people were hungry, Moses prayed and God sent manna for them to eat.  "Manna" literally means "what is it?"  The people in the desert did not know what they were eating, only that it satisfied their hunger and that it was provided for their long-term needs.  Jesus reminds them of this when He said that Moses did not provide them bread, but God in heaven.  In the same way, Jesus was sent from heaven by God like bread from heaven, to give them life.  Not just life in this physical world, but life everlasting.

Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  --John 6:34-40

This passage is rich.  The people are still wanting physical food, much like the woman at the well in John 4 wanted water.  Jesus is telling them that all who believe in Him will never hunger or thirst, as He will supply all of their needs, both physical and spiritual.  He reiterates the message He had given to Nicodemus in John 3, that everyone who believes in Him will have everlasting life.  He also gives us that blessed assurance of our salvation, that if we are among those whom God has given to Jesus, that He will hold us to the end and our faith will not be in vain.  Just as bread is necessary to prolong and sustain physical life, so is faithful belief and obedience to Jesus necessary for our spiritual sustenance and our eternal hope of heaven.

The Jews, who were doggedly monotheistic and unyielding in their devotion to who they thought God was, took exception to Jesus identifying as a Messenger of God.  Jesus wants them to know His true nature--that He is not just a messenger or angel sent from God, but that He is Himself the same essence and nature of God. 

The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."  And they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written n the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."  --John 6:41-51

Jesus continues using the idiom that He is the bread of heaven, sent from God, the very bread of life.  Unlike manna, which they could not comprehend, He was there with them, in the flesh.  If they will swallow this truth, if they will eat this bread, then they will live forever.  He is willing to lay down His life by giving up His flesh to be broken like the bread.  This is foretelling of His death on the cross for us.  If we can drink this cup, we will be saved.

The second objection by the Jews centers on their literal understanding of the words of Jesus.  Much like the objection that Nicodemus had given when Jesus had said, "You must be born again."  Their literal interpretation of His words show that they can't quite grasp the true meaning, which has a spiritual basis.

The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead.  He who eats this bread will live forever."  These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.  --John 6:52-59

Jesus appears to have moved His discourse from the seaside to the synagogue.  John may be compressing many separate conversations into one long episode to highlight the point He was making.  The language becomes by degrees more scholarly and rabbinical, depending upon His audience.  To the common people, He would point to Himself and say, "He who eats this bread will live forever."  To the Jewish leaders in the synagogue, His language is more obtuse: "My flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed."  This may have been to purposely confuse them, to keep Himself hidden from their eyes so that His words may be fulfilled--that His body would be broken, and that He would give up His life by their hand.

Unfortunately, many in the Church have taken His words out of context, or at worst interpreted His words in a hyper-literal fashion.  Many have superimposed these words with those spoken at the Last Supper, when Jesus said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you."  And also the wine, saying, "Take, drink, this is My blood which is poured out for you."  Thus they have elevated the Eucharist as more than a mere remembrance, as Jesus said He intended it ("Do this in remembrance of Me.")  Not only do they think it a requirement for salvation, but they also believe that the bread and wine supernaturally transform into the actual body and blood of Jesus.

With respect to my Catholic and Lutheran brothers, I submit that we can take Jesus's words literally without twisting logic and reason, and without opening ourselves up to worldly criticisms that we Christians are somehow barbaric or cannibalistic.  We must remember that Jesus did not speak English, and that 2000 year old Greek or Aramaic idioms may not translate well to the modern languages in which our Bibles are written.  We don't have to swallow "hook line and sinker" that Jesus meant His body and blood were to be physically consumed in order to earn eternal life.  Taken in context, we must only believe in Him (see verse 29).  We must believe that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (see John 1).   We must hear His words, and fully believe that He is the bread of life.

The world may think that we are out of our minds.  Most of the modern idioms about swallowing are negative in nature.  They may mock us for our "swallowing whole" the Gospel of Christ.  They may lambaste us for "swallowing the bait," or falling for the Savior "hook, line, and sinker."  And that's the point Jesus was making, I think.  Unless we give ourselves completely over to Him, we are dead in our sins.  In order to trust Him fully, we must swallow our pride and drink the kool-aid.