To the glory of God

 

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.  --1 Corinthians 10:31

 Arguably the greatest musical composer of all time was J.S. Bach.  Not only was he quite prolific, writing over 1128 pieces during his lifetime, but each piece of music was unparalleled in it's technique and quality.  His works are still performed some 350 years after they were written.

Yet this musical GOAT did not write music for himself.  It was not composed for personal fame or fortune.  On every piece of music he wrote, Bach placed the initials SDG.  Soli Deo Gloria.  Glory to God alone.

In our ongoing study of the Gospel of John, we see that Jesus did all of His works for God's glory.  And as we will see in our passage today, doing things according to God's will and for His glory do not always appear to be logical, or in our best interest.

 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed Him there.  Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then, after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  --John 10:40 - 11:16.

 This story has a lot of moving parts, a lot of things going on in a very short time.  So let's break it down.

First, Jesus left Jerusalem, where the Jewish leaders had questioned Him relentlessly, and had tried to kill Him--twice.  After answering all of their accusations and miraculously evading their execution attempts, Jesus got out of town.  He went to the countryside, across the Jordan river to a place where John had preached.  It is implied that Jesus was doing miracles there beyond the Jordan.  Although the text does not specifically say that He was doing good works there, the people were flocking to Him and exclaiming that "everything John said about this Man is true."  They said John did not do miracles, so we can infer that Jesus was doing miracles there; either that, or word had spread of Him healing the man born blind in Jerusalem some time before that.  Given mankind's woefully short attention span (think "what have you done for me lately"), I believe Jesus was doing miracles there beyond the Jordan.  The Bible says many believed in Him there, because of His miraculous works.

What lessons can we draw from this?  Well, sometimes we might think we want to minister in the capital, in the center of commerce and industry.  After all, that's where all the people are, right?  If our mission is to take the Gospel to the most people, then it stands to reason we'd want to go to the place where more people are.  However, that's not always the case.  Sometimes God may be calling us to more remote areas, to minister where the nets can't be cast so widely, but the message can penetrate more deeply.  The worldly truism says, "Bloom where you are planted."  The deeper truth is that we should minister wherever God puts us, to His glory.

Next, they get word that Jesus's friend Lazarus was sick.  The two sisters Mary and Martha sent Jesus an urgent message.  The message did not say, "Come quick."  They thought it went without saying that Jesus would drop everything and run to help his friend Lazarus.  John doesn't say why Jesus didn't go right away, only that by delaying, God would be glorified.  Death would not win this battle.

A quick internet search says that Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan, where many think Jesus was staying at this time, was an 8 or 9 hour journey by foot.  If the messenger took a day to get to them, and Jesus delayed the journey two days and then set out on the third day, that's four days from the time that the sisters had sent their message to Jesus.  But we will see that when Jesus got there, Lazarus had already been dead for four days.

So perhaps Lazarus's death happened quickly, maybe even before the messengers could return home to Martha and Mary.  Maybe that's why Jesus didn't immediately go.  We don't know for sure.  Maybe the work He was doing at that place would not wait.  Perhaps the Jews were laying in wait for Him until the third day.  The text doesn't say.

We do know that Jesus explained it this way to the disciples: There are only 12 hours of daylight, and our work must be done then.  That way we don't stumble in the darkness, trying to make up for lost time.  Jesus is reiterating what He had said in chapter 9, where in verse 4 He said, "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work."  He will say it again in 12:35, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going."

When Jesus repeats something three times, we ought to pay attention.  So we can take from this that we need to stay close to Jesus, who is our Light.  The further we get away from Jesus, the more we walk in darkness.  We should also work each day for the glory of God, and not put it off for another day.  Indeed, we do not know when our life will be taken from us, and we can no longer do what we were meant to do.

The third thing we see in this passage is Jesus explaining to the disciples that Lazarus had passed away.  At this point, Jesus was ready to travel back toward Jerusalem.  Bethany was just two miles away from Jerusalem, in the region of Judea.

It took a while for the disciples to process this information.  If Jesus knew that Lazarus had died, then there must have been a reason for His delay in returning.  Some of the disciples must have thought that the reason He did not travel back to Judea before was that there was a danger of Jesus being arrested and killed.  Well, if that was the reason Jesus did not go to Judea yesterday or the day before, why would they go to Judea today?  Wasn't it still dangerous?

One of the disciples named Thomas, the one called Didymus or "the Twin", said the quiet part out loud.  If Jesus goes back to Judea, that close to Jerusalem, He will surely be walking into a trap.  He would most certainly be staring at His death.  As a result, each of the disciples had a decision to make: were they going to continue to follow Him, even if it meant certain death? or would they let Him go alone?  Thomas made his decision.  "Let's go," he said, "that we can die with Him."

We know Thomas by a different nickname.  We don't call him "the Twin."  We know him as "Doubting Thomas," because after the disciples told him that Jesus was resurrected, Thomas couldn't believe his ears.  "I saw Him die," Thomas would say.  "Unless I see the nail prints in His hands and the mark of the spear in His side, I will not believe it."

I think we should call Thomas "the Brave Disciple," or "the One Willing to Put His Life On the Line for Jesus."  And I think this is what we need to take from this passage--that following Jesus may not always be the safe path in life.  It may lead to persecution or even death.  Jesus said in Matthew 16:24-25, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."  Paul said in Philippians 1:21, "For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain."  Whether Jesus calls us to life or death, we obey for His glory.

Here comes the Judge

 

The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because made Himself the Son of God.  --John 19:7

One of the hardest and most stressful jobs in the world has to be that of a judge.  You must be a master of the law.  You must be committed to justice.  You need wisdom--wisdom to know when to apply the law strictly, and when to show mercy.

A judge must also have a thick skin.  Some will accuse him of favoritism of one side over another.  Some will accuse him of perverting justice.  Some may accuse him of not knowing the law, or of improperly applying it.  And some may accuse the judge of "playing God."

In the United States, a party to a dispute may have the right to an appeal.  If they disagree with one judge's verdict, they very often can take their case to a higher authority, even to the Supreme Court.  Imagine, though, if you were appointed a judge of a Supreme Law, given by a Supreme Being.  The judges of ancient Israel, from Moses on down to the Sanhedrin of Jesus's day, were called to mete out justice according to God's law.  Their only appeal was to God Himself.

In fact, when judges are mentioned in Exodus 21:6 and 22:8-9, the word translated "judges" is the Hebrew word elohim.  If this term seems familiar to you, it is because it is a word used for God.  The first words in Genesis 1:1 are, "In the beginning, God."  Beresit Elohim.

Now clearly there is a distinction between God on the one hand and the human judges on the other.  One was a Lawgiver.  The others were law interpreters and enforcers.  This does not negate the fact that the term that the Bible uses to describe them could be translated as "gods."  And it was in this context that the psalmist Asaph wrote Psalm 82.

God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods.  How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?  ...They do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are unstable.  I said, "You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.  But you shall die like men and fall like one of the princes."  Arise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall inherit all nations.  --Psalm 82:1-2, 5-8

The judges in Asaph's day were standing in the place of God but were not defending the poor and fatherless.  They were not doing justice to the afflicted.  They were not delivering the needy, nor freeing them from the hand of the wicked.  Therefore God demoted them.  No longer would they be known as gods or judges; no longer would they be called children of the Most High God.  Understanding this background passage is key to understanding Jesus's words in John 10.

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods" '?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  --John 10:34-39

Let's unpack this passage a little bit, because I can almost guarantee that your pastor has never preached on these verses.   It's layered.  It's nuanced.  And frankly, it's confusing.

First, let's remind ourselves what got us here.  Jesus healed a man born blind, but he did it on the Sabbath.  This caused a division among the Jews: some said He was from God because no one could open the eyes of the blind except he be sent from God.  Others said no, if He was from God, He would honor the Sabbath and do no work.

The Jews confronted Jesus when He came to the Temple, asking, "Are You the One, or not?  Tell us plainly."  Jesus answered by saying that He was the Good Shepherd, sent by the Father to shepherd the lost sheep of Israel.  This was blatantly calling Himself the Son of God and equating Himself and His ministry with God.  The Jews were ready to stone Him to death right then and there, picking up stones to throw at Him.  Jesus asked them which good work were they stoning Him for?  They said not for doing the works, but for blasphemy, equating Yourself with God by calling Yourself His Son.

Jesus quotes Psalm 82 to show them that calling yourself a child of God was nothing new; Jews had been doing it for centuries.  In fact, in this Psalm, God had called the judges of Israel elohim, little "g" gods.  How was this any different than Jesus calling Himself the Son of God?  Was this really blasphemy?  So on the one hand, reading what Jesus said at a surface level, Jesus was presenting a pretty solid defense against their accusations that He was guilty of blasphemy.

On a deeper level, we see that Jesus was turning the tables on the Pharisees, accusing them of failing in their jobs as judges over Israel and defenders of the Jewish faith.  Let me explain.  

Many times, Jesus would quote a portion of Old Testament Scripture that was meant to remind the Jewish listener of the larger Old Testament passage.  One example would be when Jesus first began His ministry.  In Luke 4 we see that He sat down in the synagogue and read the scroll from Isaiah.  The passage He read was Isaiah 61:1-2.  However, it could be inferred that the entire chapter was speaking of the Messiah.  Jesus didn't have to read verse 10, which says, "He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness."  The reason Jesus didn't have to cite that verse was that the Jews knew the passage by heart, and by just reading the first couple of verses, He would bring to their mind the entire passage.

Another example was when Jesus was on the cross.  One of the things He said as He hung dying there was, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"  All of the Jews (and Gentiles familiar with the Old Testament teaching) would immediately think of Psalm 22.  You can read the entire chapter for yourself; when you do, you will see that many of the things that David said in that Psalm came to pass at the crucifixion of Jesus.  Some people actually said, "He (Jesus) trusted in the Lord; let Him (God) rescue Him (Jesus)."  This was written in verse 8 centuries before Jesus came and died.  You'll also remember that the soldiers at the crucifixion cast lots for Jesus's clothes.  Psalm 22:18 says that very thing: "They divide My garments among them, and cast lots for My clothing."  How would David know this would happen?  Yet when Jesus said these words from the cross, it was not just despairing of life; it was also a reminder that it was He that David had written about so many years before.

So in our passage in John 10, when Jesus quotes from Psalm 82, He was essentially accusing them of not judging correctly, of not taking into account the poor and needy.  Like the poor man who had been born blind.  That man didn't need scorn, which the Pharisees had given him.  That man didn't need alms, which other, less "religious" Jews might have given him.  That man needed healing.  He needed his sight restored.  In a way, so did the Pharisees.  They, too, were blind in their sins, and could not see the Light.

Now before I conclude, I want to point out that many critics of the Gospel today say that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God.  They point out that Jesus referred to Himself as "the Son of Man."  As such, they (like the Pharisees and Jewish leaders ready to throw stones at Jesus) deny the deity of Christ.  To those people, I want to point to John 10:36 in our text.  Here Jesus specifically states, "I said, 'I am the Son of God.' "  He does not deny saying it, and He certainly does not deny being the Son of God.

So what can we take from this passage, now that we know the context?  First, we see that God is the true Judge, and that anyone who is given the responsibility of being a judge must judge righteously and fairly.  Next, we see that we who are called children of God must walk in the light, not in darkness.  We who bear His name are not merely "playing god," but are tasked with doing the works of God here on this earth.  Finally, we must watch out for false teachers who deny the deity of Christ.  Not only must we not follow them, but we must rebuke them and convince others not to follow their false teaching.

 

Who do you trust?

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."  --Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

When I was growing up, one of the worst things a person could be called was a lemming.  It was believed that lemmings were so stupid that if one of them jumped off a cliff, all of them would follow, jumping off a cliff just like their leader had done.

Today I learned that this is a myth.

It is true that lemmings are pack animals.  According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica website, when the pack becomes too large, and their numbers are unsustainable, a number of them might split off and go together to find a new home.  Since they are great swimmers, they might jump into a water barrier (like a river or lake) and swim across.  Some may get caught up in the current and drown, but it is not a mass suicide event.

The myth was actually created by the producers of a Disney film called White Wilderness.  Wanting some dramatic footage, they staged a mass lemming suicide by throwing the rodents off the cliff while cameras below were rolling.  It was deliberate fraud.  

"So why is the myth of mass lemming suicide so widely believed? For one, it provides an irresistible metaphor for human behavior. Someone who blindly follows a crowd—maybe even toward catastrophe—is called a lemming. Over the past century, the myth has been invoked to express modern anxieties about how individuality could be submerged and destroyed by mass phenomena, such as political movements or consumer culture." --www.britannica.com/story/do-lemmings-really-commit-mass-suicide

Sheep, on the other hand, are truly stupid animals.  They are not pack animals, so they do not have an "alpha male" or a natural leader among their own kind.  That's why Matthew 9:36 says of Jesus, "When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd."

You remember last time we discussed the assertion that Jesus made, that He was the Good Shepherd.  Many in the crowd believed--even those Pharisees and Jewish leaders who were self-appointed judges of Israel.  John documents this in these verses:

Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  --John 10:19-21

To review, this was the third accusation that His detractors had made.  In earlier arguments in John, Jesus had been accused of desecrating the Sabbath by healing (more than once) on this holy day, which in some cases could be a capital offense.  His second offense had been directing another person to do work on the Sabbath, when He had directed the man to carry his bedroll.  Now, some accused Jesus of having a demon, which could be associated with witchcraft.  Again, one could be stoned to death for this infraction of Jewish law.

In each case, those who wished to kill Jesus were restrained by others among the Jewish leaders who said His crimes did not rise to the level of a capital offense.  In fact, they might even be evidence of His Messiahship.  So there was a great discussion that lasted several weeks or months, because the next time John's narrative picks up again it is winter, during the celebration of the Feast of Dedication, which we would call Hannukah.

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  --John 10:22-32

This was the last straw.  There was no defense for claiming to be equal to God.  Blasphemy was not to be tolerated among God's people.  

One of the first prayers that a Jewish child was taught was known as the Sh'ma, which begins this way: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever."  It was a prayer to remind them to guard against idols.  Israel had a long history of rejecting the true God and falling into idolatry.  

It never worked out well for them.

Their worship was centered around one deity only, and only Moses had seen Him face to face.  Here Jesus was claiming equality with God.  Notice the progression.  In verse 28 Jesus said His sheep have eternal life in Him, and no one can snatch them out of Jesus's hand.  In verse 29 Jesus said God, whom He calls Father, has given Jesus the sheep, and that no one can snatch them out of the Father's hand.  Finally, in verse 30, Jesus says that He and the Father are one.

There are actual theologians today who claim that Jesus never claimed to be God.  They try to explain that Jesus's words here were vague, and could mean a number of different things.  However, the message was not lost on the Jews who heard Jesus first-hand.  They were ready to mete out punishment right then and there.  

When Jesus appealed to the less dogmatic among them, the ones who may have believed that He was the Messiah, notice what He said.  Remember when the Pharisees had said He was guilty of having a demon, the others among them pointed to His works.  "Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" they asked.  Here, Jesus points to His works.  For which of them was He going to be stoned to death?  

"We are not stoning You for good works," they said, "but because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus very clearly equated Himself with God.

I also want us to see another eternal truth in this passage.  Not only is Jesus God, but He also shows here the way of salvation.  Commentator John Trapp says of verse 27:

It is easy to observe those five links of that golden chain of God's grace in our salvation:

• My sheep--there is Election.
• Hear My voice--there is Vocation.
• And I know them--there is Justification.
• And they follow Me--there is Sanctification.
• And I give unto them eternal life--there is Glorification.

Election is God choosing us for salvation.  Romans 8:29 says, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."  Vocation is God's calling or purpose for each believer.  Romans 8:28 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."  

Justification is God's declaration of our righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.  Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."  Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ, a lifelong journey of spiritual growth and transformation.  1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Glorification is the final stage of our salvation, where believers are fully conformed to the image of Christ and receive their resurrected bodies.  Romans 8:18 says, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."  

We exist for His glory.  We are saved for His glory.  He calls us for His glory.  His glory will be fully revealed when we get to heaven to live with Him forever.  Hallelujah.

This was not the first time that the Jews had tried to stone Jesus.  In chapter 8, He simply walked past them as they were blinded by rage (or by the Spirit).  This time, Jesus continues to speak to them, and we will see next time He escapes their grasp because His time had not yet come.

We who are His followers have been called lemmings for our apparent blind allegiance to His words and teaching.  Jesus calls us His sheep.  If we were to be thrown off the cliff, who do we trust to catch us in His hand?  Isaiah 12:2 says, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid."

Be true to your calling

 

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.  --Psalm 121:8

Christian comedian Michael, Jr. performs mostly in churches now, as his calling is not just comedy, but also equipping the saints for the work of the ministry (see Ephesians 4:12).  In one of his messages, he shares a video of the birth of his daughter.  In the delivery room of the hospital, there are a lot of different people with different jobs, and a lot of sounds from not only a lot of different people, but also of machines and medical monitors.

The hand-held camera follows the newborn as a nurse or med tech carrier her from the mother's bed to a table, where she is weighed and measured.  The lights and sounds are overwhelming to the newborn baby, and she cries (as babies do).  

But then something amazing happens.

The dad speaks.  He says some soothing words and calls her by name.  The baby stops crying.  She listens attentively to her father's voice.  Out of all the tumult in the delivery room, the child recognizes her father's voice.  When she hears him calling, her anxiety is lifted, she is no longer confused or perplexed, and she listens attentively.

As she grows, she may find herself in unfamiliar places.  She may get lost in a sea of sights and sounds that seem foreign to her.  But as long as she listens to her father's voice, she will not be lost.

Jesus alludes to this familiarity when He tells us an allegory about the Good Shepherd.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  --John 10:1-6

Jesus makes a scathing indictment of the Pharisees and religious leaders of the day.  Remember that this chapter follows closely the events of chapter 9, where the man born blind sees more clearly than the religious leaders who cast him out of the synagogue.  After closing chapter 9 with some encouraging words to the man born blind, Jesus opens chapter 10 with chastising words to the Pharisees.

He calls them thieves and robbers.  Theft takes place when criminals remove property and take it as their own.  Robbery introduces violence.  A robber will steal at gunpoint; some may even injure or kill the victim in order to take their property.  These are some pretty serious accusations.

By contrast, Jesus refers to Himself as a better shepherd.  He does things the right way.  He enters by the door, not sneaking in another way.  He leads the sheep and does not drive them from behind.  He calls them by name, and they follow Him.  They flee from strangers trying to drive them away.

The message went over their heads.  Jesus patiently explains it to them.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  --John 10:7-10

The criticism gets more pointed.  The message mirrors Ezekiel 34, where the prophet accused the "shepherds of Israel" of feeding themselves at the expense of the flock.  Verse 5 says, "The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them." Notice here that Jesus said the reasons He came were to do what the shepherds had failed to do.

Jesus goes a step further.  He accuses them of a perverse purpose, one that is associated with Satan himself: He says they have come to "steal, kill, and destroy."  This underscores what Jesus said in John 8:44, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."

In contrast, Jesus says His purpose is to give life, and not just living but living abundantly.  David Guzik's Study Guide for John says this:

“The Greek word for ‘abundance,’ perissos, has a mathematical meaning and generally denotes a surplus…The abundant life is above all the contented life, in which our contentment is based upon the fact that God is equal to every emergency and is able to supply all our needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.” (Boice)

• Abundant life isn’t an especially long life.
• Abundant life isn’t an easy, comfortable life.
• Abundant life is a life of satisfaction and contentment in Jesus.

Charles Spurgeon said, “Life is a matter of degrees. Some have life, but it flickers like a dying candle, and is indistinct as the fire in the smoking flax; others are full of life, and are bright and vehement.”  Guzik also says, " Abundant life sheep give honor to the Shepherd. They are a credit to Him."

Jesus goes on to give another illustration to help explain the first parable.

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  --John 10:11-16

I want to point out several theological truths here.  First, notice the mention (both direct and indirect) of the Trinity.  We clearly have God the Father, and God the Son.  Way back in verse 3 there was an indirect mention of God the Holy Spirit, who acts as the door keeper--the One who allows (maybe even invites?) the Good Shepherd into the fold.  Later in verse 7 Jesus says He is the One who stands in the doorway, keeping the sheep in and the wolves out.  There is an equivalency of purpose, if not in person, of the Son and the Spirit, just as there is an equivalency of purpose of the Son and the Father as seen in verse 15.

I also want to point out the Greek word translated "calls", as in the shepherd calls his sheep.  The Greek word there is kaleo.  According to Strong's Concordance, the word can mean to call or invite, to call by name, and to give a name to.  It can also mean to be called, as in to bear a name or a title.  Look at verse 3 again.  It is the doorkeeper, whom we have already identified as the Holy Spirit, who calls His own sheep by their name.  We are called Christians because we follow Christ, who is the Good Shepherd; we bear the name of Christ.  According to verse 16, Jesus also calls other sheep "who are not of this fold".  That is, He also calls Gentiles, not just His Jewish followers addressed here in this passage.

Later in the New Testament we see the compound Greek word parakaleo, which means to encourage.  It is used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit and also the encouragement that members of Christ's church should give to one another.  If we are true to our calling, we will encourage others in the faith and follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

When we hear God's voice and respond positively, we are set apart from the world.  We recognize the sound of His voice and respond, like sheep respond to the shepherd, and like a newborn baby responds to the sound of his father speaking to him.

The unforgiveable sin

 

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.  Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing.  For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.  --Isaiah 35:5-6

 This morning I was scrolling through social media, and came upon a reel from one of my favorite authors, Chad Bird.  Here is a transcript of Bird's commentary on Mark 3 and the unforgiveable sin:

The sin against the Holy Spirit or the unforgiveable sin.  What is it?  Well, we read about it today in Bible in One Year, in Mark chapter three.  Matthew 12 and Luke 12 also discuss this.  Now, in brief, what's going on?  Well, never neglect the context here, because that is very, very important to understand what this sin is.  Jesus has cast out a demon.  The Pharisees attribute this work of Jesus to the devil.  They have thereby "Satanized" the work of Jesus.  And that gets to the very heart of what this unforgiveable sin is.  It's not just a general sin.  It's not just unbelief.  It's not even just a blasphemous thought or word that's spoken. It's certainly not a big sin, like murder or adultery.  This a very context-specific sin.  It is to "Satanize" the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  And to do this vocally, it's not something which is merely thought.  The Pharisees said these words.  They knew what they were doing.  It's not something which is done in ignorance.  They did it quite purposely.  It's not an accidental kind of thing.  So to vocally, with knowledge and with purpose, to "Satanize" the work of Jesus, that is what the sin against the Holy Spirit or the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is.  This, then, leads to a permanent hardening of the heart against God.  And that's important because it means that a person who's committed this is never going to be worried about committing it.  So if you're worried about committing the sin against the Holy Spirit you haven't.  Because those who have committed this would mock repentance, would mock God.  They have forever hardened their heart against the work of God.  And that ultimately is why the sin cannot be forgiven.  All of the sins, all of the blasphemies can be forgiven because that person can be brought to repentance and faith.  But to "Satanize" the work of Jesus is going to lead to this forever hardening of the heart, which will forever therefore resist the work of the Holy Spirit.

Mark 3:2 says that the Pharisees "watched Jesus, to see whether He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him."  We've seen this theme quite a lot in our study of John: Jesus preaching and teaching and healing, and the Pharisees finding fault. 

But there was division among them, because the Old Testament had prophesied this about the coming Messiah, that He would come "like streams in the desert," and that He would cause the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the lame to walk (Isaiah 35:5-6 quoted above).  Wasn't that what Jesus was doing?

Throughout Scripture there have been times of decision, of turning to the right or to the left.  Exodus 32 tells of one of those times: Moses came down the mountain with the Ten Commandments and found that the people had made a golden calf that they had worshipped.  Moses stood before them and asked, "Who is on the Lord's side?"  Joshua 24 gives us another example, when Joshua stood before the people and said, "Choose you this day whom you will serve; as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

This brings us back to our study in John 9.  We have seen a contrast in the man born blind, who can now see as a result of his faith and trust in Jesus, versus the Pharisees who have seen the light and have turned a blind eye to the truth.

And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains.  --John 9:39-41

Commentator David Guzik writes, "John recorded these words of Jesus as part of a larger theme in his Gospel — that men were divided over Jesus, with some accepting and some rejecting. This is one way Jesus brought judgment…into this world, by being a dividing line.

i. In this sense, Jesus is like the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains; a single place where an entire path is decided. Jesus is “the pivot on which human destiny turns.” (Tenney)

ii. “His statement that He had come to judge the world meant that He would be the separating One, the One through whom God would judge.” (Morgan)

NT Wright, in his commentary John for Everyone, writes:

The position of the man's accusers--the hardline Pharisees who are sticking to their principles at the cost of the evidence--is then all the more devastatingly exposed.  Not only are they wrong, but they have constructed a system within which they will never see that they are wrong.  It is one thing to be genuinely mistaken, and to be open to new evidence, new arguments, new insights.  It is another to create a closed world, like a sealed room, into which no light, no fresh air can come from outside.  Their condition, in fact, is not far removed from that which Paul describes in the first chapter of Romans (1:32).  There are some people who not only do the wrong thing but adjust their vision of the moral universe so that they can label evil as 'good' and good as 'evil'.  Once that has happened, such people have effectively struck a deal not only with evil but with death itself.  They have turned away from the life-giving God and locked themselves into a way of thinking and living which systematically excludes Him--and, with Him, the prospect and possibility of rescue.

 What about you?  Have you sought Jesus with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength?  Or have you been blinded to His message for you and for the world?  If you reject Him and His message, you become like the Pharisees, who have attributed the work and words of Jesus to the work and words of Satan--what Chad Bird called "Satanizing Christ."

Repent and believe, before it is too late.  Do not commit the unforgiveable sin; do not let your heart be hardened toward Christ.  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Once I was blind, but now I see

 

Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  --John 9:3

Some animals get a bad rap.  Take the badger as an example.  Badgers are small, furry carnivores native to the northern United States.  The state in which I now reside is known as the Badger State.  The University of Wisconsin has the badger as their mascot.

Somewhere around the 16th century the term "badgering" was coined.  Badgering is believed to be inspired by the behavior of this harmless furry creature, known for its persistent digging.  The term "badgering" evolved from an earlier meaning related to trading and haggling, eventually taking on connotations of annoyance.

If you have ever seen a courtroom drama on television or in movies, you may be familiar with a certain phrase:  "Objection!  Badgering the witness."  I think of this phrase every time I read the ninth chapter of the Gospel of John.

One of the pitfalls of doing a verse-by-verse Bible study is that sometimes you lose context.  When you break down Scripture into tiny segments to glean nuggets of wisdom, you sometimes overlook the big picture.  You may even miss the point entirely.

With that in mind, today I am going to break out of my usual routine.  I like digging into Scripture.  But if you keep digging incessantly and miss what God is saying, it can be annoying.  So let's take a broader view, shall we?

With the exception of a mis-placed passage about a woman caught in adultery, John chapter 7 and 8 are all about Jesus being on trial.  No, it's not set in a formal courtroom, but rather on the Temple steps.  The Pharisees and Jewish lawyers keep interrogating Jesus while He is trying to teach openly.  They keep badgering Him about who He is, where He came from, and what He is doing.  

Their main objection is not His healing people, but rather His desecration of the Sabbath.  The Scriptures command that the Sabbath should be a day of rest.  No work should be done on this day.  There are many writings in Jewish literature documenting debate on the definition of the word "work" for purposes of keeping the Sabbath.  "Keep the Sabbath holy" was the fourth commandment.  The Mosaic law went on to say anyone who goes out and gathers from his field or works the ground on that day should be cut off from His people, and even stoned to death.

Scripture gives us seven miracles that Jesus performed specifically on the Sabbath:

1. Withered hand--Matthew 12:9
2. Demoniac at Capernaum--Marck 1:21
3. Simon's mother-in-law--Mark 1:29
4. Woman bowed down 18 years--Luke 13:14
5. Man with dropsy--Luke 14:1
6. Paralytic at Bethesda--John 5:10
7. Man born blind--John 9:6-7

These acts were considered so dangerous that the Pharisees truly believed that Jesus must be stopped.  In fact, at the end of John chapter 8 they took up stones to kill Him, but He walked away.

It is in this context that, when the followers of Jesus come upon a man begging near the steps of the Temple, they start asking questions.  The poor blind beggar probably was calling out, "Please help me.  I was born blind.  I've never been able to work, to support myself.  Can you please give me a little money?"  This is most likely how they knew that the man had been born blind; because he told them.

So the disciples are asking Jesus about the blindness, which to them was obviously a result of sin.  In verse 2, they ask Jesus, "Who sinned, this man or his parents?"  Jesus answered in verse 3, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  In other words, this man was born blind so that Jesus could make a point right here in front of the Temple on a Sabbath.

Remember the passage in Ruth, where she was worried about some testimony she had to bring before the king?  She was told, "Perhaps you were born for such a time as this."  I believe this poor blind man was there that day to become a witness for Jesus.  As we will see in the coming verses, testifying for Jesus was not all sunshine and roses.  Sometimes following our calling will require us getting outside our comfort zone.  Instead of Jesus gently calling, He sometimes has a message of, "Buckle up--it's going to get bumpy up ahead!"

Jesus heals the man by spitting on the ground and making mud, then applying the wet dirt to the man's eyes.  Some commentaries say that in ancient times, they believed that applying spit (especially saliva from a righteous man) had medicinal purposes.  Anyway, Jesus asks the man to go wash the mud off at the pool of Siloam.

When the man does this, he can see.  So instead of going back to begging in front of the Temple, the man goes home.  Verses 8 and 9 say that the neighbors saw him and started talking.  "Is this the same guy that was born blind, the one who sits by the road and begs?" They were perplexed.  "Sure looks like him."  This is the first opportunity that the man has to testify to what Jesus did for him.

When he tells his neighbors about Jesus, they want to see Jesus, too.  They ask him where Jesus is.  He answers truthfully.  "I don't know."  So the next day they take him to the Temple, where he last saw Jesus.  The Pharisees were sitting in session at the Temple gate, and they took note of him.  They probably recognized him as one who had been begging for alms, and now he can clearly see.  They question him.  Was he lying all this time to get sympathy, to prey upon people's sympathy?  What caused the change in his life?

This is the second time the man gets to testify about what Jesus did for him.  As soon as the Pharisees hear the name Jesus, they warn the man: this Jesus is a bad guy.  There is some discussion--how bad could Jesus be if He was able and willing to make a blind man see?  The Pharisees then ask the man what he thinks of Jesus, since He had opened the man's eyes.  The man identifies Jesus as a Prophet.

The Pharisees launch an investigation as to whether this man was truly born blind.  They get his parents and interrogate them.

"Is this your son?"

"Yes, he is our son."

"Was he born blind?"

"Yes, he was born blind."

"Well, then, how is it that he now clearly can see?"

"We don't know.  Ask him, he is of legal age."

The parents didn't want to be expelled from the synagogue.  They had heard that anyone who spoke in favor of this Jesus would not be welcome to worship there anymore.  They were afraid.  Fortunately, their son had more confidence.  He was willing to speak truth to power, and even give them a little lip, a little sass.

He was called back before the Pharisees and was told, "Give glory to God."  This was basically telling him to swear to the truth, even if it resulted in his death.  You can find this same phrase in Joshua 7:19 when Achan had disobeyed God's direct command and had kept some spoils of war.  Joshua adjured him to "give glory to the God of Israel and confess what you have done."  In Achan's case, that confession would mean the death penalty.  In the blind man's case here in John 9, it would mean his excommunication from the Jewish synagogue.

The Pharisees let him know what they thought of Jesus.  He was a sinner, in that He didn't honor the Sabbath.  The man gave this memorable answer:  "Whether He is a sinner or not, I do not know.  One thing I do know--I once was blind, but now I see."

He told the truth.  His testimony is sung about in churches even today.

The religious leaders pressed him.  Think about what you are saying, they seemed to warn him.  What exactly did He do for you?  The man answered, "I told you once already, and you didn't listen.  Why do you want me to tell you again?  Do you want to be His disciple, too?"

After some harrumphs and well-I-never's, they cast him out of the synagogue.  He was cut off from his family, his community, and his former faith.  All because he told the truth.

In John chapter 8, amidst the same harassment and accusations from these same Pharisees, Jesus said to those who did believe in Him, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."  For the man born blind, he was free now to exercise his new-found faith.  This idea was scary to his family, who had held their opinions of Jesus to themselves for fear of being ostracized.

Sharing your faith may come with consequences.  You may be expelled from school or lose your job because of your testimony.  In some countries today you could be jailed (or worse) for testifying to the truth.  God calls us to speak the truth anyway, no matter the cost.

At the end of John chapter 9 Jesus finds the man, and gives him some encouragement.  He says the man who was born blind can see the truth of Christ clearly, but those who reject Him are in fact blind.  The Pharisees asked stupidly, "Are You talking to us?  Are You saying we're blind?"

Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin."  After all that they had seen, however, they were compelled to believe in Him.  If they did not believe, then they were stuck in their sinful ways.

Following Christ may come with a cost.  

We should testify of all He has done for us, whatever the cost may be.

Evidence that demands a verdict

For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.  --1 Thessalonians 2:13

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.  Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."  He also wrote, "You Christians look after a document [Bible] containing enough dynamite to blow all civilization to pieces, turn the world upside down and bring peace to a battle-torn planet.  But you treat it as if it is nothing more than a piece of literature."

The Bible is powerful when applied correctly, but powerless when ignored or misapplied.  When we see that the entire Bible points to Christ and His supremacy, then God can affect a change in our hearts, and we can affect change in our world.  Rejecting Christ means rejecting the word of God.  Rejecting the word of God makes you an enemy of God, like those Jews who confronted Jesus in John chapter 8.

We have seen in the first half of this passage the Jewish leaders confronting Jesus and questioning His authority.  Jesus made some bold claims, and some believed.  Those who did not believe turned a spirited debate into a life-and-death struggle with the Savior.

Let's take up our reading in verse 28:

Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift us the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.  --John 8:28-30

If you looked at an inter-linear Bible, you will see that Jesus did not say, "I am He."  Bible translators and editors changed it so that it would make more sense grammatically.  What Jesus actually said was, "I am." 

Now any self-respecting Jew would know that I AM refers to Exodus 3:14, where God told Moses, "I AM that I AM; tell [the people of Israel] that I AM has sent you."  If they were having a light theological discussion up to now, at this point it became serious.  Jesus was actually identifying Himself with God, not as a mere follower or disciple of God, but as the Son of God.  

When Jesus self-identified as "Son of Man", He was referencing the prophet Ezekiel.  Jewish leaders knew that the book of Ezekiel explores such profound themes as the glory of God, judgment and restoration, divine sovereignty, and the consequences of disobedience.  "Son of Man" is a name that God Himself gave to the prophet Ezekiel, and it was a name that Jesus gave to Himself.

When Jesus referred to God as His Father, He was claiming not only a relationship with God, but that He was equal to God, having the same authority as God and exhibiting the same power as God.  This is why we will see later in our passage that the Jews questioned His lineage, calling Him an illegitimate son and a Samaritan.

So the crowd was divided.  On the one hand were people who believed in Him: believed that He was the Son of God, the Messiah.  On the other hand were people who believed that He was a liar and a blasphemer.  Jesus addresses each group in turn.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  --John 8:31-32

Jesus wants to encourage believers to seek the truth.  In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me."  Jesus wanted His true disciples to listen to His words and put them into practice.  In short, He wanted them to live as He lived.

His detractors in the crowd challenged Him in a crazy way.  "They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, "You will be made free'?" (John 8:33).  You can tell that the Jewish leaders are getting desperate now, because their argument does not hold water.  Weren't the Jews slaves in Egypt?  Weren't they carried off into exile in Babylon?  Weren't they even now forced subjects of the Roman Empire?  How can they say, "we've never been in bondage to anyone"?

Jesus overlooks their historical inaccuracy and makes a different point.

Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father." --John 8:34-41

Jesus calls them slaves to sin, and sons of the devil.  Over their objection that they are not subject to any master, Jesus rightly points out that their master is sin.  NT Wright in his commentary John For Everyone, writes, "When people rebel against God in whatever way, new fields of force are called into being, a cumulative effect builds up, and individuals and societies alike become enslaved just as surely as if every single one of them wore chains and was hounded to work every day by a strong man with a whip."

They claimed to be children of Abraham, who was a faithful follower of God.  Jesus was sent by God, and they did not listen to Him.  Therefore their Abrahamic lineage counted for nothing if they did not do the work of God.  Jesus was doing the works of His Father, and He was faithful.  The Jews could not impeach His character, so they resorted to calling Him names.

Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father--God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are from your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand for truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.  --John 8:41-47

It has been said that when logic fails, an argument turns into name-calling.  They knew that Jesus claimed to be born of a virgin, and that Joseph was not His father, so the Jews reverted to name-calling.  "We were not born of fornication," they said, implying that Jesus's mother had been unfaithful.  Then they claimed that they were the true children of God.  Jesus overlooks the personal dig and exposes their lying. Satan is the father of lies, so their lying reveals their ancestry.  Satan is a murderer, so their plotting to murder Him is further evidence of their lineage and allegiance.

Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." --John 8:48-51

Continuing their name-calling, they threw a racial epithet at Jesus.  Jews hated Samaritans because they descended from unfaithful Jews who had inter-married with Gentiles during the Assyrian occupation in 721 BC.  Calling Jesus a Samaritan was another dig at His paternity, as there was a rumor that His mother Mary had been impregnated by a Roman soldier.  Jesus again ignores this dig and goes to the other accusation, that He was demon possessed.  

As proof that He was not possessed by a demon, Jesus points out that His whole life had been spent honoring God.  Demons do not honor God; they engage in self-promotion.  Jesus says He does not seek His own glory, as demons would.  Then He makes a bold claim: anyone who keeps His words will not face death.  Note that He is not saying that His followers will never die.  Of course we know that all mortal men die.  It is the spirit that lives on beyond death.  Followers of Jesus will not face the second death called Hell.  Further, we will not fear death, as it is not our final destination.

Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  --John 8:52-56

Jesus made a bold claim of immortality, something that most orthodox Jews believed in.  However, the Jews twisted His words.  Did you see it?  Jesus said His followers would not "see" death--they would not face it with dread.  The original Greek word has a meaning of pondering it or mulling it over.  The Jews thought He had said they would never "taste" death--never experience it.  The Greek word used here literally means partake of or enjoy.

They again invoke the name of Abraham, stating that he was dead.  Jesus had claimed to be a prophet, and all the prophets were dead.  Just who did Jesus think He was?

Jesus doubles down.  This Abraham you keep talking about?  He knows Me.  He foresaw My coming and rejoiced in it.  The Jews were taken aback by this statement.

Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by." --John 8:57-59

Abraham lived about 2000 years before Jesus.  Jesus was just over 30 years old.  The Jews stated the obvious--You are young, so You could not have seen Abraham alive.  Jesus answered that He Himself was alive before Abraham was even born.  In fact, before Abraham existed, Jesus co-existed with God. The New Cambridge Bible Commentary says,

The key to 8:58 is our recognition of two forms of existence.  All mortals come into existence and die; they are created in the past and perish in the future.  But God, the Immortal One, has no beginning or ending; God is uncreated and imperishable.  God eternally "is."  And this, too, the author [John] claims for Jesus.... Here, the claim is made that Jesus's "life in Himself" extends into the past, such that, unlike Abraham, Jesus did not "come into being" but always "was" or, more accurately, always "is."

The Jews correctly ascertained that Jesus was making a claim to be God.  This was heresy, a blasphemy deserving of death.  They picked up stones to execute Him, but He walked out through the midst of them.  It was not yet His time, but He had thrown down the gauntlet.  The Jews had picked it up, choosing to believe in their traditions and not in Jesus.

They had considered the evidence and were ready to act, based on their idea of "justice."  When you consider the evidence, are you moved to act?  You can't be impartial.  Either Jesus is the Christ or He is not.  If He is not, then you want to silence Him once and for all.  If He is, then you must side with believers, who placed their trust in Him.  If you believe He existed before time, that he has the power to lay down His life and take it up again, that He has the power to save--if you believe all of that, then you must be changed, transformed into a child of God, ready to lay down your own life for Him who laid down His life for you.