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The Gospel of John, The Period of Conflict - The Clash of Belief and Unbelief, Continuing discourse after the feast, Jesus as the Light of the World, Part XX, John 8:54-59 - Lesson 67
Read Verses John 8:51-53, for review: Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?
John 8:54, Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
To honor someone is to esteem him highly for what he is and to lead others to esteem him also.
Honor of self is not valid honor.
Praise of oneself is no praise.
Jesus knows that the Father honors him.
The only glory that matters in Jesus' eyes is the glory that comes from the only God and the only God is his Father.
He honored him at his birth, by sending angels to announce him as Christ the Lord.
He directed the wise men to come vast distances to worship him.
He honored him at his baptism by proclaiming him his beloved Son.
He honored him at his death by not allowing his body to see corruption.
He honored him at his ascension when he exalted him to his own right hand.
He will honor him at the final judgment when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
And throughout all eternity he will honor him by a people redeemed by his blood.
He is the lilly of the valley, the bright and morning star, he is the fairest of ten thousand to our soul.
Did he not save your soul and is he not fully and completely worthy of our honor and the Father's honor?
John 8:55, Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
Jesus refused to be silenced about his knowledge of the Father.
His life proclaimed his knowledge of the Father.
He could not be silenced about it.
He said, that if he said that he knew him not, he would be a liar like they were who said they knew him and they did not know him.
A Christian cannot be silent about the Father.
If you know the Father, if you know Christ it will come out.
It will come out by your voice, or it will come out by your actions and your deeds.
Jesus gave evidence of his knowledge of the Father because he kept his Word.
And so will your knowledge of the Father be manifest by your keeping his Word.
If we really know the Father it will be evidenced by our subjection to his Word and his will.
John 8:56, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
More literally the Greek reads:
Abraham, your father, was transported with an exultant desire that he should see my day, and he saw it and rejoiced.
Jesus says that Abraham looked forward with great joy to meet the Object of his desires, and exalted or "leaped for joy" in a sight of it.
He saw his day, meaning the whole saga of Christ, the whole dispensation of Christ, the birth, the death, the glorification of Christ.
Abraham had faith in the promises of God.
Jesus tells us here that God revealed to Abraham the day of Christ.
Did not Abraham offer up his son as a type of Christ and received him back as if it were from the dead?
Did not Abraham himself say that God will provide himself with a lamb for the burnt offering?
Did not Abraham pay tithes to Melchizedek, who some believe was one of the types of Christ?
Abraham indeed was privy to much knowledge of Christ.
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and God was pleased to show Abraham the day of Christ.
This was proof that these Jews were not of the Father for if they were of the Father they also would have rejoiced with Abraham to see the day of Christ dawning before them.
They would have known Jesus Christ.
By their lack of rejoicing they were in no sense like Abraham.
John 8:57-59, Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
The Jews certainly had Jesus now.
He is not yet fifty years old and Abraham has been dead 2000 years.
How could he have seen Abraham?
Did Jesus tell these Jews that he had seen Abraham?
See how they distort his word.
He told them that Abraham saw his day, not that he had seen Abraham, although this was true but he did not say it to them.
But the Jews hear only what they want to hear.
They are totally incapable of understanding his speech because they are totally incapable of understanding truth.
They are only capable of understanding lies, because they were of the father of lies.
To these words of unbelief he answers in certain terms that they can understand in their religious zeal.
He tells them that he is the "I AM" the Eternal One.
This is the third time that he has told them this.
This statement arouses active hatred and is more than the religious zealots can take.
This is blasphemous.
He is using language only God can use!
This is a name for God that they would not dare to speak.
So upon the authority of Lev. 24:16, and even though they are in God's temple they proceed to stone him as a blasphemer.
Lev 24:16, And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.
They pick up stones to destroy him who came to seek and to save that which was lost.
This chapter has revealed Christ as the Light of God.
We have seen a glimpse of the human heart that that light reveals.
Only by that light can we know the utter depravity of man.
Man, the created one, here orthodox Jews, pick up stones to attempt to destroy the one who created them.
But Jesus hides himself from them and so it is the same today.
He only reveals himself to babes, to the humble ones, to the ones that know nothing.
To the self righteous he hides himself! |