Jesus, The Light of the World, Part VII, John 8:49-59

 

We began this chapter by witnessing Jesus dealing with a woman taken in adultery. 

 

She was presented to Jesus by wicked men who intended to use her sin against Jesus for they wished to see him discard the law in favor of this woman. 

 

Jesus of course could not be entrapped by wicked men for he knew their hearts and he knew their manipulative ways, ways of using people for their own benefit.

 

He dealt in compassion with this poor woman, this woman who was being used by those whom Jesus later would call children of the devil.

 

So after telling her: neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more, He readily joins in this confrontation by declaring to these religious vipers a declaration that could only be spoken by God himself.

 

For He boldly declares:

 

I am the light of the world, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

 

It is obvious that viper blood began to boil at the reception of such an idea for what follows after this declaration reveals the utter wickedness of these leaders of Israel.

 

Accusations are cast back and forth as to from whom this declaration flows for Jesus is accused of coming from the devil which is always the normal strategy of the devil himself.

 

The natural man who believes the Lie sees the light of the world as from the devil for all is upside down in the heart of the natural man.

 

So Jesus, who is the truth, speaks truth in John 8:49,50, ………..I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.

 

In saying that he sought not his own glory he is inferring that that was indeed their purpose for they sought not the glory of God but their own.

 

And if he sought his own glory he would not have told them the truth.

 

If he sought his own glory he would not have followed the course he was on that led to his cruel death on a Roman cross.

 

He sought not his own glory but was an example to us of one who humbles himself and one who will be lifted up by the Father at the appointed time.

 

He knew that this was in the plan of God; that the Son was to be glorified. 

 

But that was to be the Father's doing, not his own. 

 

Jesus Christ knew that this was not the time for his glory but this was the time to glorify the Father. 

 

He was doing the Father's will, and these pretenders were treating him with contempt. 

 

God’s message is woe unto these who treat God the Son with contempt! 

 

Dreadful is the judgment that awaits such as these! 

 

Be careful where you place your contempt for there is one who seeketh and judgeth!

 

So another bold statement comes from the lips of Christ in John 8:51 where He says: Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

 

He speaks this with full power for He himself is the resurrection, he is the life: and he that believeth in him, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

 

So He says to His enemies, there is one who seeketh and judgeth, but my invitation is extended to you, you who hate me and despitefully use me. 

 

If you keep my saying you shall never see death.

 

Notice to whom this is effective. 

 

Note the word "keep". 

 

Keep means what it says. 

 

Keep means to hide Jesus Christ's word in your heart. 

 

Keep means a heart transaction. 

 

Keep means that the heart now belongs to God as a repository, as a safe deposit box for God's word. 

 

Keep means to retain it in our memory. 

 

Keep means that the word is effective in our daily lives. 

 

Keep means I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

 

Keep is only effective for the child of God, the born again one, the believer in Christ and in his word. 

 

Ye shall never see death, because that which the world sees of the believer is not death, but only that which brings the believer into a presence with God for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

 

John 8:52,53, 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?

 

Hear the natural man speak such lofty words, such bold words! 

 

The natural man only knows natural things. 

 

He has no capacity for spiritual things. 

 

He is not alive to spiritual things for his realm is the low realm of trespass and sin.

 

Don't try to force fit spiritual things into the natural man. 

 

This is done all the time in the church of the apostasy for this is what the church of the apostasy is all about for it is only the church of the natural man. 

 

The church of the natural man is best at assuming the appearance of the spiritual man.

 

The natural man is without discernment; having no capacity to perceive what Christ is saying about death. 

 

They see only what the eyes see; they see only what the flesh sees and therefore the things of God are foolishness to them. 

 

They are not babes in Christ but fully mature in their own naturalness. 

 

Their interests are elsewhere and having no desire to know light they have no understanding of the word of Christ.

 

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 to Jesus 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 lily of the valley, the bright and morning star, he is the fairest of ten thousand to my soul. 

 

Did he not save your soul and my 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 for His life proclaimed his knowledge of the Father. 

 

He could not be silenced about it. 

 

He said, that if he said 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 the Father’s 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.

 

So Jesus places more fuel on the fire in 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 a jubilant 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 the sight of it.

 

He saw his day, meaning the whole story 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 rising 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 or so they thought. 

 

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 unable to understand truth for they live in darkness. 

 

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 for they are content to be righteous in themselves alone!