Jesus, hated by sinners, honoured by God - John 8:48-59
Jonathan Stephen -
Introduction
The great debate at
the Feast of Tabernacles, which has occupied most of Chapters 8 and 9, is now
about to draw to its dramatic close. Here we see:
What
the Jews conclude about Jesus
Having run out of theological
arguments, Jesus' enemies resort to personal abuse (verse 48). They accuse him of being 'a Samaritan' (because
no 'true' Jew would question his fellow-Jews' ancestry - as Jesus had done
[verses 39-44]). Twice, they say he is 'demon possessed'. Jesus ignores the
first accusation and calmly denies the second (verse 49). Look up 1 Peter 2:23.
Those who would claim to be his disciples must be similarly restrained. But are
we sufficiently Christ like to attract the abuse of the world?
What
Jesus concludes about the Jews
He tells them
that they 'dishonour' him (verse 49), but he is actually far more concerned about their attitude towards
his Father. He says that though they 'claim' to know God, they are in fact
'liars' (verses 54-55). Their rejection of the Son is the ultimate proof of
this. It remains true that those who reject the Christ of the Bible have
no knowledge of the God of the Bible - whatever they may think.
What
Jesus concludes about his Father
Unlike his accusers, Jesus tells us that he
'knows' the Father, 'honours' him and 'keeps his word' (verses 49, 55).
Jesus knew that, in order to glorify his Father perfectly, he must not steal
any glory for himself. But the result of living such a life was that the-Father
glorified his Son (verses 50, 54) - and will continue to glorify him for all
eternity. We may share in that glory, by God's grace, if we truly come to know
and honour
him - and seek to keep his word. We are to defend the Lord's reputation,
without worrying about our own. Ultimately, he is the Judge (verse 50).
What
Jesus concludes about himself
Jesus reveals three vital and startling truths
about himself:
1. 'If anyone keeps my word he will never
see death' (verse 51). Christ's 'word' is the gospel of salvation itself.
We 'keep' it by accepting, believing, loving and obeying it. Those who do 'will
never see death'. This means entering immediately into spiritual life
(Ephesians 2:1), receiving a glorified, resurrection body on the Day of Judgement (1
Corinthians 15:35-58) and escaping the 'second death' of eternal punishment
(Revelation 2: 11).
2. 'Abraham
rejoiced at seeing my day; he saw it and was glad' (verse 56). Abraham saw
Jesus' 'day' typically - in the life of his son, Isaac. Isaac was the miraculously-born
son of promise, through whom all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3;
15:4-6; 17:1-8; 22: 18). Note Hebrews 11: 13, and verses 17-20 of the same
Chapter. The patriarchs of the Old Testament knew far
more of the gospel than we sometimes give them credit for.
By contrast, the Jews had Jesus
standing in front of them - and still they did not believe. Where does that
leave us - with the evidence of 2,000 years of the growth of Christ's Church?
How much do we rejoice at seeing Christ's Day? How do we show it?
3. 'I tell you
the truth before Abraham was born I am!' (verse 58).
(Compare verses 24 and 28 of this Chapter). Again, Jesus adopts the Divine Name
by which the Lord chose to reveal himself to Moses, when he promised to redeem
his people from