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.

What's the plan?

 

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know.  --CS 2:22

How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? --Hebrews 2:3-4

 In our fast-paced world, we may feel burdened and overwhelmed by evil.  Whenever we see random acts of kindness or even what may be called supernatural acts--miracles, if you will--we may think of them as just that: random.  We see good things happen all around us, but to what purpose?

The Apostle Paul answers that question for us in Romans 8:28, when he says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."  In this world we see chaos, but God has ordered all things, and has a purpose for the works that He does in and through our lives.

The Gospel of John shows us seven specific signs, meant to bring us to faith in Jesus Christ.  John explained this purpose in John 20:30-31: "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."  The seven specific signs in John's Gospel are: 

1. John 2:1-11 — Water into wine.
2. John 4:46-54 — Healing of the nobleman’s son.
3. John 5:1-15 — Healing at the pool of Bethesda.
4. John 6:1-14 — Feeding the 5,000.
5. John 6:15-21 — Jesus walks on water.
6. John 9:1-12 — Healing of the man born blind.
7. John 11:1-44 — Lazarus raised from the dead.

We've already looked at the first three (you can read about them in my prior posts on this blog).  Today I want to look at the fourth and fifth signs, quickly going over them and then sharing what they mean to me.  The interpretations are my own, and not necessarily supported in any of the commentaries that I read in preparation for this lesson.  I don't claim some special revelation--the Word of God stands alone.  However, if after you read this you see the Scripture illuminated just a bit more, then maybe God can use the little light I can shed from my own thoughts and experience.

Let's dive right in.

After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the See of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test Him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is come into the world."  --John 6:1-14

 Notice that it says that Passover was almost upon them.  This may be why so many people were gathered there, traveling as pilgrims toward Jerusalem for the solemn feast.  Looking forward in our Gospel narrative, the next time the Passover is celebrated, it is with the Last Supper just before Jesus's crucifixion.  On this day, however, we see some foreshadowing.

Interestingly, only two miracles that John writes about are also described in the other four Gospels--the feeding of the five thousand here, and the account of Jesus walking on the water, which we will discuss a bit later.  When we read about Jesus feeding the five thousand in the other Gospels, they all say that He broke the bread; John simply says He distributed it to the disciples, who then passed it on to the crowd.  What is significant about Him breaking the bread?  Well for one thing, Jesus described Himself as the Bread of Life.  As the bread was broken, so was His body broken as a sacrifice for our sins.

In Jewish homes, when the Passover meal is shared, the bread was to be unleavened; in fact, they were commanded to cleanse the entire house of leaven before the Passover feast.  Leaven represented sin, and by purging all the leaven from the home up to seven days prior to the feast, it represented purging sin out of their lives.  Jesus, we know, was sinless His whole life.  If He is the Bread of Life, we know He is unleavened, or without sin.

But wait, there's more!  When a family eats the Passover meal, or seder, the bread is is placed in a bag called an echad, which means "one" in Hebrew.  Yet the bag is divided into three chambers or pouches, and one piece of bread is placed in each pouch.  The bread in the first pouch is never touched, never used, never seen; it represents God the Father.  "No one has ever seen God," the Scriptures say.  The second piece of bread is broken in half; one half is placed back in the echad pouch, and the other is placed on a linen cloth.  This second piece of unleavened bread could represent the Son, who was broken for our transgressions (see Isaiah 53:5-12); the linen cloth could represent His burial shroud.  The third piece of bread is used to eat the other elements of the seder plate.  This could represent the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us.  On the website https://www.gotquestions.org/Passover-Seder.html, under "How do the elements of the Passover Seder point to Christ?" it says: "Many Jews consider the three matzohs to represent Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But they cannot explain why they break 'Isaac' in half or why they place half of the middle matzoh back in the echad and keep the other half out, wrapped in a cloth." Both Christians and Messianic Jews see a greater lesson here.

Of course, the meal that Jesus and the disciples shared with the crowd that day was not a Passover meal.  Notice that the bread the boy shared was made of barley.  Barley loaves were never used in a seder meal.  In fact, many people would not eat barley, as they thought it was fit only for animal feed.  This shows how poor the lad was, that his family would send him with barley biscuits or rolls.  That Jesus would use this type of bread to do His work speaks volumes about how He can use us in our lowly state to His great purpose.  He came to seek and to save the lost from every class or caste of people, not just to the wealthy.  Just as many of the wealthier people would not be caught eating barley bread, many would reject Jesus of Nazareth.  Again, referencing Isaiah 53:5-12, "He was despised and rejected of men."

Finally, we see that Jesus had the leftovers gathered, so that "nothing may be lost."  It is significant that the amount of food that was gathered up after the event was so much more than they began with.  If you plant a seed, the harvest will be plentiful.  If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will see great results.  I also think it is significant that twelve baskets were gathered.  Many of the commentaries I read said not to read too much into this, that it only means each of the twelve disciples went out to gather broken pieces, and each of them carried his own basket.  I, however, can't help but think that the twelve baskets represents the twelve tribes of Israel, and that they were gathered that "none would be lost."  A similar thing happened in the Decapolis during the feeding of the four thousand that we read about in Matthew 15:29-39.  At the end of that event, seven baskets of broken bread were gathered.  Seven is usually the number of completeness, and the fact that these participants were non-Jews signifies that Jesus came and His body was broken for the whole world, not just the Jews.

Let's look at the next miracle.

Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.  Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the Sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come with them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  They they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  --John 6:15-21

Other Gospel accounts say that Jesus compelled the disciples to leave Him, to get in the boat and start the journey to the other side.  The other Gospel accounts also mention that, though they started out about dusk, they did not see Jesus until dawn the next day.  That means it took them six to eight hours to row halfway across the lake.  Many of the disciples were fishermen, accustomed to operating a boat and experienced on the sea.  Imagine the frustration!  Their slow progress was underscored by Jesus being able to overtake them on foot.  When Jesus arrived and got into the boat, then not only did the storm abate, but they were immediately on the other shore, at their destination.  As we apply this to our lives, we know that sometimes Jesus asks us to perform nearly impossible tasks.  We may not see that we are making much progress, if any at all; but when we see Jesus, He makes our task infinitely easier.

We also see Jesus's mastery of the physical world.  The wind and the waves obey His voice, as the disciples knew full well.  In times of fear and frustration, we need only speak His Name.  When Jesus shows up in our lives, miracles happen.

Finally, I want us to notice that in the Bible, the accounts of rivers or seas are often associated with chaos.  In Revelation 21:1 says in the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be no more sea.  Why? Because the sea is unruly, chaotic, and dangerous.  Chad Bird writes:

In the remarkable psalm which concludes the book of Habakkuk, the Lord is described as a warrior who “rode on [his] horses, and on the chariot [merkava] of salvation” (3:8). Horses and chariots, ordinarily associated with Pharaoh and his army at the Red Sea, are here linked with the Lord’s saving battle for his people as he defeats rivers and seas: “Was your wrath against the rivers, O LORD? Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against the sea, when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation?” (3:8).
This is one of several places, in both the OT prophets and psalms, where the Lord wages war against rivers and seas. For instance, Isaiah says the Lord will utterly destroy the Euphrates River (Isa. 11:15) and rebukes the sea (Nahum 1:4). Habakkuk echoes this with the Lord’s anger and indignation against rivers and seas.
So, you might be wondering, what does the Lord have against seas? Why does he attack rivers? Why harness horses and ride in a chariot of salvation?
Rivers and (especially) the sea are, in the Hebrew mind, iconic of chaos and disorder in the world. Historically, they are linked with the Red Sea, where the Lord exercises his authority over those waters to rescue his people and destroy their enemies.
All this is in the background when Jesus walks atop the Sea of Galilee, during a storm no less. He marches over and amidst the chaos, as the great “I am,” Yahweh incarnate. Then by his word alone he brings calm. He curbs the chaos. What’s more, he brings his disciples to the other side of the sea safely, in a Red-Sea-crossing fashion.
Jesus doesn’t just walk on water to “wow” us. He walks atop the sea of chaos to reveal that he is the same Yahweh who rode on his chariots of salvation, and who now walks in our own flesh and blood.

Next time we will discuss further how Jesus compares Himself with the manna of Moses.  He is truly the Bread of Heaven.  He is the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that led Moses and the Israelites across the Red Sea on dry ground.  He is God in the flesh.  That is the purpose of our reading about these two miracles together--because they had a significant back-story of significant importance to the Jews.   The New Testament narratives are encouraging to us, but even more so if we see the symbolism of the seder, and remember the deliverance of the Jews from Pharaoh's army.  Remember, the signs were given so that we would believe in Jesus.

The Court of Public Opinion

 

And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, "These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God."  --Revelation 3:14

We all seem to love a good courtroom drama.  The opening sets the stage, the narrative leads us to a certain conclusion, and then comes the twist--the witness at trial who proves an alternate version of the truth; or when we see a character that is not the accused who suddenly confesses to the crime. 

In reality, this almost never happens.  Every first year law student is taught that one never puts a witness on the stand unless one knows for certain what that witness is going to say.  The attorney's job is to use the witness statements to craft a narrative that will lead the jury to conclude that his theory of the case is correct, or at least compelling.  The prosecutor and the defense may have competing theories.  Indeed, they may believe with all their hearts and minds that their own version is correct.

In the fifth chapter of John we see Jesus present a beautiful defense of Himself and His purpose.  Unfortunately, knowing the hearts of His accusers, He stipulates to their unbelief.  His words are recorded for us, as if we ourselves were the jury.  We are each a jury of one, deciding for ourselves whether to believe in Jesus or in His accusers.

The Background

We have already seen early in this chapter that Jesus stands accused of profaning the Sabbath by healing a man who had been disabled for 38 years, and then telling him to pick up and carry his bedroll.  Both infractions--doing the work of healing on the Sabbath, and compelling another to labor on the Sabbath--were capital offenses.  Under strict Mosaic law, Jesus could have been taken out of the city and stoned to death.

In his opening statement, Jesus identifies Himself as the Son of God (thereby opening Himself up to a third charge, that of blasphemy).  He states that as a Son, He is following the directions of the Father.  Who dares to judge God?  Further, Jesus claims that God the Father has given Him authority to judge the world.  He concludes by saying, "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteious, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me." (John 5:30)

The Case For Christ

His own Testimony

If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  --John 5:31-32.

Like anyone else, it was not enough for Jesus to simply claim things about Himself. There had to be outside and independent witness to His true identity and nature.  This principle is established by Deuteronomy 19:15, which says by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. Jesus explained to the religious leaders that even though He was God, His testimony alone was not enough.

So when Jesus says, “If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true,” it does not mean our Savior was a liar. It refers to testimony in a court of law. If I testify on my own behalf, the jury will take my testimony with a grain of salt, knowing that I may have reason to stretch/shade/spin the truth to make me look more favorable. In the same way, Jesus, if He testified about Himself in a courtroom, what He says must be true, but it is not undeniably true—one may discount His testimony because of prejudices against one’s veracity when one’s self-interest is at issue.

The Testimony of John the Baptist

You have sent to John, and He has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  --John 5:33-35

The Jewish leaders no doubt recalled the words of John the Baptist, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29).  Many of them had likely heard John preach, and some may have even submitted themselves to John's baptism.  John bore witness that Jesus was the Messiah, but they were not convinced.

Jesus pivots here, saying there are other witnesses, not just one man.  Notice He slips in here a word about His redemptive purpose.  He is not standing there speaking in order to save Himself, but rather "I say these things that you may be saved."  Here Jesus is speaking directly to the Pharisees, yes, but also to us.  How do you respond to His words?  Do you believe Him?  Do you believe in Him?

The Testimony of His Works

But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish--the very works that I do--bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  --John 5:36

In 1 Corinthians 1:22, Paul noted that miraculous signs were important to the Jews.  God had always manifested Himself through miracles.  They taught their children that God parted the Red Sea, that He provided Manna in the wilderness, and that He brought healing to the nation of Israel.  Jesus's own miracles spoke volumes on His behalf, if they would only believe.

Commentator David Guzik writes, "The majority of the miraculous works of Jesus were simple acts of compassion and mercy, done for simple and needy people. In this, these works... bear witness to the heart of God. The Jews looked for a miraculous Messiah, but they did not look for One who would express His miraculous power in simple acts of compassion and mercy. They looked for the Messiah to use miraculous power to bring military and political deliverance to Israel. Because Jesus’ miraculous works didn’t fit in with what they thought the Messiah would do, they didn’t receive this witness of Jesus’ works."

The Testimony of God Himself 

 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His words abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  --John 5:37-38

God had testified of His Son verbally when He spoke at Jesus's baptism.  God testified of His Son viscerally through signs and wonders, one of which was what started this whole thing in the first place.   God also testified of His Son in virtually every book of Scripture.

Sadly, They will not receive the testimony of the Father, because they do not have His word abiding in them. They can’t hear God the Father audibly, or see Him, but they have His word. They are guilty because they do not abide in the word that God gave them.

The Testimony of the Scriptures

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  --John 5:39-40

They studied Scripture diligently, but of no avail.  Australian New Testament scholar Leon Morris said, "They read them with a wooden and superstitious reverence for the letter, and never penetrated into the great truths to which they pointed.”  Commentator William Barclay wrote, "They read it not to search for God but to find arguments to support their own positions. They did not really love God; they loved their own ideas about him.”

The Expositor's Greek New Testament says this: The true function of Scripture is expressed in the words, ἐκεῖναί εἰσιν αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ (and they are the ones who testify about me, or they (the words) are that which testify of me): they do not give life, as the Jews thought; they lead to the life-giver. God speaks in Scripture with a definite purpose in view, to testify to Christ; if Scripture does that, it does all. But to set it on a level with Christ is to do both it, Him, and ourselves grave injustice."

Closing Arguments

I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses your--Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?  --John 5:41-47

John bore testimony of Jesus, but he was just a man.  God bore testimony of Jesus, but they did not believe God.  They would rather follow false teachers who speak eloquently or have a charismatic personality, but are not sent from God.  They did not even believe the words of Moses, whose books were contained in their Torah.

In Deuteronomy 18:15  Moses said, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites.  You must listen to him."  Jesus was saying that Moses was speaking these words about Him--not about Joshua, or Elijah, or Daniel--and they did not believe.

What about you?  Do you believe?

The Deliberations

The Jewish leaders did not pick up stones to kill Jesus right there.  They let Him live.  However, I am certain that they went back to the Sanhedrin and deliberated among themselves as to whether He was the Christ.  Later, when they brought down an indictment and had Jesus arrested, He did not make any defense.  Why? Because He had made this defense, but also to fulfill the scripture.  Isaiah 53:7 says, "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth."

In the court of public opinion, Jesus was a good man, maybe a good teacher.  In the eyes of the Jewish leaders, He was a heretic, a blasphemer who needed to be executed for violating the Law of Moses.  In Christian belief, He was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

What is your verdict?  You have the evidence in front of you.  Jesus made His defense.  It is up to you whether you believe Him or not.  If you do not believe in Him, you may spend eternity separated from Him in a place prepared for the devil and his demons.  If you do believe in Him by faith, then repent and follow His commands.  It's that simple.

Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Holiness

 

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.  He who does not love his brother abides in death.  --1 John 3:14

Billy Graham once said, "A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets of our society."  Hedy Lamarr said, "I am not ashamed to say that no man I have ever met was my father's equal, and I never loved any other man as much."  Keith Urban said, "I only hope when I have my own family that every day I see a little more of my father in me."

These quotes, of course, were all said in praise of earthly fathers.  Whenever Jesus speaks of His Father, though, we get a glimpse of God for ourselves.  When the Pharisees and keepers of the Law accused Jesus of blasphemy, as we saw last time in our study of the first half of John 5, He started talking about His Father.  We left off with verse 18, "Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God."  The following verses expand on this connection that Jesus had with the Father.

Jesus was at risk of the Jews stoning Him to death.  Everyone was looking to Him, to see how He would give an answer for Himself.  I'm sure you could hear a pin drop.  Jesus spoke with the authority of a Rabbi, sharing three points that all start with the same phrase.  In Greek, that phrase was amen, amen.  We are taught to say "amen" after our prayers, meaning "may it be so."  Many times Jesus doubled the word for emphasis.  Most Bible translations render the phrase, "Truly, truly I say to you."  When Jesus says the double-amen three times in short succession, you can bet there is a message there that we should listen to.

What the Father does

Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can to nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  --John 5:19 - 21

When the Pharisees gave Jesus the floor, ready to hear how He would defend Himself, Jesus starts talking about father/son relationships.  "Like father, like son," is a popular saying now, and this concept would have been familiar to the people to whom Jesus was speaking.

Bible Scholar FF Bruce wrote, "C.H. Dodd discerned an ‘embedded parable’ in verses 19 and 20: Jesus draws an analogy from his own boyhood experience in the carpenter’s workshop, when he learned to imitate the things he saw Joseph doing, thus serving his apprenticeship.”  Indeed, when the Jewish leaders heard Jesus start speaking in this way, many may have assumed that He was talking about how He was brought up in the house of Joseph, the man who raised Him.  Joseph was a carpenter, a trade that he would have taught Jesus.  A child would not know how to build a structure unless he saw his father do it first.  A loving father will gently correct the child's mistakes, and show them the proper way to carry out the task.

Then Jesus takes a hard turn, one that must have made the other rabbis' ears perk up.  He started talking about the Father raising the dead.  He was clearly not talking here about Joseph taking dead pieces of lumber and raising a house or a barn for living things.  He was referencing the Old Testament, where God raised the dead.  Three times in the Old Testament we read of the dead being raised.  1 Kings 17:17-22 tells of Elijah raising from the dead the son of the Zarephath widow.  In 2 Kings 4:32-35 we read of Elisha raising the son of the Shunammite woman.  And 2 Kings 13:20-21 tells of an unnamed man killed in battle; instead of taking time to bury him, the soldiers threw his body into the grave of Elisha; as soon as the body touched the bones of Elisha, the man revived.

We know from our study of the life of Jesus that He raised three people from the dead: He raised the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-15), He raised the daughter of Jairus (Luke 8:41-55), and He raised Lazarus (John 11).  The Pharisees in this story did not know this as the events had likely not yet occurred.  Jesus was foreshadowing how He would do as His Father had done, and show His power over physical death.  Linguistically, there was also a bit of a double-meaning, as His ministry was specifically to raise the spiritually dead to new life in Him.

How the Father gives life

For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  --John 5:22 - 24

David Guzik writes, "Jesus used the work of judgment as an example of a division of labor between the Father and the Son. It is before God the Son that people will stand on the Day of Judgment. Even during His earthly ministry, Jesus was something of a judge among humanity."  He goes on to say:

i. Just being in the presence of Jesus led one to know, “I’m not like Him.” Jesus looked at the rich young ruler, and he was judged. He looked upon Simon Peter, and he was judged. Those were not looks of anger; they were looks of love. Yet when they saw the face of Jesus they knew a love was extended to them that they were not worthy of.

ii. “Wherever Jesus was, there was the element of judgment… there was always self-reproach where Jesus was. Men were ashamed of themselves, they knew not why. His life was an unceasing act of love, and yet it was an unceasing act of judgment.” (Morrison)

This concept was already made clear to Nicodemus in John 3:16-18, and it is the second "Amen" statement Jesus makes to these religious leaders.  God loves the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  God didn't send His Son into the world to condemn us, but to bring us salvation.  So if we believe in Him, we are not condemned; but if we don't believe, we condemn ourselves to life apart from Him because we do not believe. 

Who the Father gives authority for life and death

Most assuredly I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.  I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  --John 5:25-30

This is the third truth bomb, the third "AMEN" statement Jesus makes in these verses.  Jesus, who spoke creation into existence (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2, and 11:3) will speak life to those spiritually dead, and eventually to those already in the grave, at the resurrection.  The same Father who has the power of life in Himself granted the power of life to the Son also.  Not only that, but the Father granted the Son the authority to execute judgement--calling us all to Himself, then separating the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46).

The voice of the Son of God - The voice is that by which we give command. Jesus raised up the dead by his command, or by his authority. When he did it he spoke, or commanded it to be done. Mark 5:41, "He took the damsel by the hand, and said, Talitha cumi." Luke 7:14, "and He came and touched the bier, and said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise." John 11:43, "He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth." So it is by his command that those who are dead in sins are quickened or made alive, John 5:21.  And so at the day of judgment the dead will be raised by his command or voice. (Barnes' Notes on the Bible)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary says this:

Our Lord declared his authority and character, as the Messiah. The time was come when the dead should hear his voice, as the Son of God, and live. Our Lord first refers to his raising those who were dead in sin, to newness of life, by the power of the Spirit, and then to his raising the dead in their graves. The office of Judge of all men, can only be exercised by one who has all knowledge, and almighty power. May we believe His testimony; thus our faith and hope will be in God, and we shall not come into condemnation. And may His voice reach the hearts of those dead in sin; that they may do works meet for repentance, and prepare for the solemn day.

Amen, Amen!