< Previous41 AMAZING GRACE Read: John 7:53 - 8:11 She was guilty - caught in the very act. The Pharisees and religious leaders were opportunists, and took advantage of her indefensible guilt, to see if Jesus would abide by the Law of Moses which demanded the penalty of death. If He said “Do not stone her”, they could accuse Him of being a fraud by claiming to be from God yet failing to obey His command. They were only interested in trapping Jesus. The Lord, however, was interested in helping the guilty woman. They had put the spotlight on the woman, but the Lord turned the light back on them! It was true that the woman was guilty and worthy of death; but it was equally true that her accusers were also guilty of breaking God’s laws. It is not just the immoral who are under God’s curse, but all sinners. “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law” (Galatians 3:10). The Bible teaches that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). All of the woman’s accusers stood guilty and condemned because of their own sin, so they were in no position to call for judgement on the woman. Jesus wrote in the dirt with His finger. We do not know what He wrote, but it was obviously something which caused the woman’s accusers to sense their own guilt. Perhaps He wrote the words He had spoken in Matthew 5:28, “Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart”. The Pharisees could not bear the spotlight exposing their sinfulness, and so they slunk away silently. His words were powerful: “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” But only He was without sin! He was the only one in the crowd that day who had the right to carry out the sentence of God’s law upon the woman. But He had not come to judge people. His mission was to save people from judgement (John 3:17). Like the woman, all of us stand guilty before God. Any endeavour to obey God’s law will not save us from death and judgement, for “No one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law, rather, through the law we become conscious of sin” (Romans 3:20). The Pharisees boasted of observing God’s law but were not able to withstand the piercing eye of Jesus Christ. But Jesus did not come to condemn us. He came to be our Saviour, but He cannot save us unless we turn from our sin and trust in Him. If we do not turn, we will face Him as Judge. The woman was not forgiven - she was simply told to stop sinning and was given an opportunity to trust in the Saviour. That opportunity is also given to you. Have you taken advantage of it? 3242 THE LIGHT OF LIFE Read: John 8:12-20 A ship making its way into harbour at night needs the assistance of a light on the shore so that it can be guided safely between the shallow waters and the rocks. If the captain placed a light on his bow and used that as a guide, he would soon run aground! The light must be in a fixed position outside the ship so as to keep the vessel moving in the right direction. Many people today rely upon their own insight and feelings in order to determine the truth. They say: “You believe what you want to believe, and I’ll believe what I want to believe”, or “My thoughts on the subject are ...”. It is a mistake to set up your light on the bow of your own ship and use that as your guide. We need an infallible guide to find the truth. Jesus claims to be that light. He did not say, “I will show you the light of the world”. He said, “I am the light of the world.” When you trust in your own wisdom and reasoning power you will continue to walk in darkness. But when you look to Jesus Christ as teacher and guide, you will have the light of life. The Pharisees were intimidated by these words. They challenged His right to say such a profound thing about Himself. The Lord Jesus replied by saying that He was not deluded about who He was, because He had a perfect understanding of His origin (He came from Heaven). The Pharisees had accused Him of overrating Himself, but Jesus replied “You judge by human standards.” At first sight Jesus seems to be no different from any other human. Certainly He was a true man, but, had the Pharisees known God, they would have discerned His unique identity. They thought they were competent to make a judgement about Jesus Christ by the light on the bow of their own ship. Jesus, even though He is the Light of the World, does not presume to make judgements on His own. He only does so by reference to a 'light' outside of Himself - by communicating with His Father. “But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father who sent Me” (verse 16). In becoming man the Lord Jesus had voluntarily placed Himself in a position of total dependence upon the Father. He chose to limit Himself to the life of a normal human. The vital link He maintained with His Father enabled Him to know and judge correctly in all situations. Christians can enjoy a similar vital link with Jesus, and so make true judgements about what is truth and what is error. They have a Light to safely guide them into the harbour. 3343 WHO ARE YOU? Read: John 8:21-29 The time for Jesus to die was drawing near. The multitude of visitors who were in Jerusalem for the feast would soon disperse and journey home. The question addressed to Christ in verse 25 was in the minds of all the people: “Who are you?” What they believed about Him was no small matter. He warned those who did not believe in Him, that heaven, would forever be closed to them. They would die in their sins and remain forever in a place of separation from God. Jesus alone could save them from divine judgement. Once they rejected Him, He was unable to alter their eternal destiny. He said: “Unless you believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” Jesus takes the name of God for Himself. In Exodus 3:13,14, God revealed Himself to Moses by the name “I AM”. The Jews knew what Jesus meant by these words because later and they tried to stone Him to death for speaking blasphemy (verse 58). From the beginning of His public ministry the Lord Jesus had claimed to be the revelation of God. Although these claims were veiled, they were unmistakable. When the people asked Him, “Who are you?” Jesus answered, “Just what I have been claiming all along.” He said that He was the True Temple (2:19), the Living Water (4:14), the Unique Son (3:16, 5:23), the Bread from Heaven (6:35), and the Light of the World (8:12). His miracles accom- panied His claims and gave evidence that He was not deceiving them, nor was He Himself deceived. Yet He did not come out plainly with a statement such as “I am God”. He veiled His identity so that even His closest disciples had difficulty coming to a clear, firm belief. When they did, He said to them “this was not revealed to you by man, but by My Father in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). Many people today do not believe that Jesus is God, but they arrived at this conclusion by their own reasoning alone; not as a result of an earnest and honest search aided by the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not want superficial followers. Their attachment to Him had to spring from sincere faith. He knew that many of His listeners who found it so difficult to believe in Him, would come to faith after He had died and risen again. Thus He prophesied that His death and resurrec- tion would be the great crisis point of faith for the nation, and eventually for the whole world. He would divide all humanity into two camps. If you struggle with Jesus’ claims, and find it hard to believe that He is God, it may be a help to reflect on His death and resurrection. Read each of the gospel accounts and ask God to show you the truth about Jesus. 3444 OUTWARD RELIGION Read: John 8:30-47 Anyone can say they have faith in Jesus Christ and call God “Father”. Every Sunday there are some who pray “Our Father whoart in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name ...”, but their lives do not in any way hallow His Name! They no doubt claim to be Christians. People in Jesus’ day often showed the same superficial attachment to Him. In verse 30 we read that “Many put their faith in Him”. The Lord was not dazzled by this apparent success. He knew their hearts, so He imme- diately challenged their sincerity. The test was a cause for stumbling for some, but a wonderful promise to those who had genuine faith. He showed that true Christians (disciples) would allow Christ’s Word to change their beliefs and behaviour. “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (verses 31, 32). Jesus knew that despite their claims to be His followers, they had no room in their hearts for His Word (verse 37). He could see them going so far with Him but eventually dropping away. The pathway of faith is always strewn with obstacles. Only those who overcome the stumbling blocks and, as Jesus said, “Hold to My teaching”, will enjoy the blessing of freedom from the power and penalty of sin (verse 32). Jesus condemns His new admirers. They are not His disciples, evidenced by His knowledge that they are slaves of sin. They are not children of Abraham or of God; they belong to their father, the devil! His judgement of them was not based on externals. Their outward keeping of the law did not mean they were free from the inner slavery to greed, hatred, jealousy and lust. Being outward descendants of Abraham did not make them God’s people. Inwardly they were far away from God. Outward appearance may be deceiving to some, but not to the Lord. His eyes are able to pierce to the very core of our being. We may pray “Our Father ...” but our hearts reveal that we do not share His holy nature. The devil is the source of all evil, and all opposition to the truth. He is the murderer and the “father of lies” (verse 44). If we do by nature what the devil does, then we must recognize him as our father. Jesus, showed by His life that He was from His Father, God. No one could prove Him to be guilty of any sin, so their opposition to Him only condemned them as ones who do not love God. The devil used those who only outwardly belonged to God to be his instruments of evil. They shut their ears to the truth and eventually murdered the perfect Son of God. Outward religion can blind our eyes to the truth, and leave us open to being an instrument in the hands of the devil. Be real! Open your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. 3545 THINKING IT THROUGH John 7:1 - 8:47 1. In your opinion, how different would history be if Jesus had been motivated by a selfish desire such as wanting to rule the world? What did motivate Jesus (7:18)? 2. What kind of thirst do you think Jesus refers to in 7:37? What does He say we have to do in order to have that thirst satisfied? 3. How did Jesus use the incident in chapter 8 to trap those who sought to accuse Him? What was the Lord’s response to the woman’s sin, and what does this tell us about His attitude towards our sin today? 4. What does it mean to “die in your sins” (8:21)? Why is the belief that Jesus Christ is God the Son so important (8:24)? 5. What kind of freedom is Jesus talking about in John 8:32 and 36 (compare with verse 34)? What do the two responses to the teachings of Christ tell us about them (8:31,37,44)? QUESTIONS AND DIFFICULTIES:46 LUNATIC OR LORD? Read: John 8:48-59 Many of those who had professed to put their faith in Jesus Christ had been stripped of their shallow facade. They became angrier as the conversation continued, as Jesus exposed their true inner state. He condemned them as children of the devil. With this, their arguments turned to insults. They called Him an enemy of the Jewish people who should be as despised as a Samaritan. They reasoned that He must be a madman to condemn such respectable, God-fearing, law-keeping religious people! The Lord replied to their malice with a simple denial. He explained that their dishonour of Him, whose only aim was to honour His Father, proved the truth of His previous judgement of them. Jesus then gave a wonderful promise: “If anyone keeps My word, he will never see death” (verse 51). Those who allow Christ’s word to change their lives and beliefs, will share Christ’s victory over death. For them there will be no death in death! The body will die, but they will not even taste death. They will pass through the gate of death into life everlasting. “Who do you think you are?” the enemies of Christ retorted. “All the great men of God in the past have died, yet you say that anyone, no matter who they are, if they become your disciples will enjoy blessings which even men like Abraham and the prophets never received! Who do you think you are to be claiming such things?” Jesus replied that He knew God, and they didn’t. He also spoke of Abraham as rejoicing in anticipation of seeing the day when Christ would come to earth. His joy two thousand years before, was now matched by His joy in heaven as He actually saw the appearance of Christ in fulfilment of the ancient promise. Jesus then answers the challenge: “Are you greater than our father Abraham?” He says: “Before Abraham came into being I AM” (verse 58). Jesus contrasted His divine pre-existence with the historical beginning of Abraham’s existence. He did not say “I Was” (in existence before Abraham) but “I AM”, using the Name God gives to Himself in Exodus 3:14. There were only two alternatives for the Jews in response to Jesus’ claim. Either they could believe and fall down in worship, or they could charge Him with blasphemy and call for the punishment of death by stoning. They chose the latter, but failed in their murderous attempt. Jesus claimed to be God. Either He knew it was a lie and deceived the people, or He was not aware that it was a lie because He was deluded, or He was telling the truth. You must choose which one to believe. 3647 I MUST WORK Read: John 9:1-17 It was the Sabbath, and Jesus saw the blind man in need of healing. What would He do? The last time He healed on the Sabbath it almost cost Him His life (chapter 5). “We must do the work of Him who sent me” said Jesus, “as long as it is day.” In effect He was saying: “The night of rest from My work on earth will soon come, and that will be the true Sabbath rest. Until then, if a person is in need, and I am sent to help, I must work!” Jesus then chose a way to heal the man which would be less likely to arouse the anger of his enemies. To just speak or touch the blind man and heal him, the miracle would be seen as work on the Sabbath; so the Lord made two small patches of mud with His own saliva, and, having pressed these firmly over the man’s eyes, sent him to wash in the pool of Siloam. In this way the healing would be attributable to God, and yet the saliva would provide a vital and personal link between Jesus and the miracle. The Lord Jesus will never be turned aside from doing His work in people’s lives. He will find a way of bringing light and life to all who seek it, despite what others may do to hinder His loving work. The prevailing belief of the day was that a person’s suffering was caused by sin. Jesus' disciples were influenced by this thinking, and asked: "Since the man was born blind, was his own sin or the sin of his parents which caused his disability. Jesus did not deny that the man and his parents were sinners, but He did not link their past conduct with the man’s plight. Rather than delving into the cause of the man’s blindness, He directed their attention to the purpose God had in allowing it. The cause of suffering is often hard to determine, but the end for which God permits it is very clear. God’s work consists of making evil an occasion for good. A person who has suffered, or who has experienced great loss or sorrow, often thinks seriously about life. Our extremities become God’s opportunities to show His goodness and love. The blind man not only received his physical sight, he was healed spiritually as well. He will be forever grateful that his temporary handicap in life led to him finding Christ, and entering into the enjoyment of the permanent and very precious gift of eternal life. 3748 NONE SO BLIND Read: John 9:18-41 The old adage is true: “There are none so blind as those who will not see!” The Jewish leaders refused to see in Jesus more than a mere human. And not just human, but they regarded Him as a sinner, because He healed on the Sabbath! They were faced with a problem, however, as they could not deny the miracle of the blind man's healing. They were motivated by their wilful unbelief to find grounds to explain it away. To believe that the man had been healed by the power of God, and that this power had come through Jesus, would force them to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God! They recoiled at the very thought! They had to discredit Jesus or the blind man! It is always hard to be totally impartial. Have you ever gained an impression about someone which then affects your whole atti- tude? You find out months later that your initial judgement was wrong. All that time you refused to allow yourself to believe anything different about that person. Your mind had been preju- diced, and it took a significant event to turn your thinking around. The religious leaders were set in their minds. Jesus did not measure up to the type of Messiah they expected, so they did everything in their power to discredit Him. But the life and mira- cles of Jesus could not be dismissed. The parents of the man, though afraid to identify Jesus as the healer, bore witness that a miracle had occurred. Their son had been born blind. At that time Rabbis believed that some miracles were possible in answer to prayer, but there were a few miracles that only Messiah could do. One of these 'Messianic Miracles' was that of healing a person who had been born blind. No wonder they responded the way they did! Enraged at the mounting evidence against their disbelief, the Pharisees attacked the character of Jesus (verse 24) and then the character of the healed man (verse 34). They cast him out (but Jesus received him)! He had been healed physically, but now he received spiritual sight. He believed in Jesus and worshipped Him as God. In contrast, the Pharisees who claimed to know the truth, were judged by Christ as blind to the very things they prided them- selves in knowing. There is no middle ground! We are forced to choose to believe in Jesus or reject Him. The more we know of His life, miracles, claims and teaching, the harder it is to stay indifferent. 3849 HIS MASTER’S VOICE Read: John 10:1-21 I used to take our neighbour’s dog with me for a jog. He was an English Setter, and I had trouble controling him without a lead! He would run off in all directions in an exuberant display of freedom. At times he would sprint down a side street, and when I called, clapped, and whistled to turn him back, the scent of another dog made him oblivious to everything else around him. However, when my neighbour called him there was an immedi- ate response. He obeyed. My efforts to mimic the sound of my neighbours voice did not fool the dog. He knew his master’s voice and would not listen to any other. The blind man’s faith, which had led him to worship and follow Jesus, stands in sharp contrast to the unbelief of the Pharisees (chapter 9). The Lord Jesus here pointed out the reason for these differing responses to Him. The blind man was one of God’s true sheep within the whole flock of Israel. All Israelites would claim to belong to God, but Jesus knew better! Jesus is the true Shepherd, and He came to draw out to Himself those who were genuine. Others had come who claimed to be the Messiah, but Jesus alone is the One whom God appointed. From among the outwardly religious Jews, Christ calls His sheep. He “leads them out” and they recognize His voice (verse 3). They will not follow a stranger (verse 5), because the voice does not sound familiar. Those who did recognize Jesus as their shepherd and came out to follow Him, He saved from God’s judgement (verse 9) and gave them life in its fullest measure (verse 10). He proved His genuine care for His sheep by laying down His own life to protect them. He did this when He died on the cross to pay sin’s penalty. In contrast, other religious “Christs” only cared about their own welfare, and would not be willing to give up their wealth, reputation, and power, let alone their lives, in order to care for their followers. Jesus, in calling the true sheep out of Israel, spoke of another flock, the Gentiles, which He would join with them to make one new flock (verse 16). He anticipated the church, made up of both Jews and Gentiles. This one flock would be made up of all who have heard their Master’s voice and followed Him in faith and obedience. 3950 40 STANDING OR STUMBLING Read: John 10:22-42 The same sun that melts the snow, hardens the mud. Jesus always divides people into two camps. Peter spoke of Him as a Rock which, for the Christian, is very precious. But the same Rock is for unbelievers a stone that causes them to stumble and fall (1 Peter 2:6-8). Jesus was nearing the end of His three year public campaign. He had presented Himself to Israel as their King, and the whole nation was faced with a decision. Some had come to believe that He is the Son of God, and having watched Him, and listened to His teaching, had grown strong in their faith. Those who did not believe or who were only aroused by the sensation of His mira- cles, became increasingly settled in their unbelief. The words of Jesus in verses 27 to 30 brought the division of faith and unbelief closer to its climax. His followers were like sheep with their shepherd. For them, Jesus' words give comfort and hope. No matter what life may throw at us, whether health issues, financial stress, hurt and suffering, or grief and loss; Christians have the great assurance that eternal life for them is secure, both now and after death. No power or person can take us out of the safe-keeping of our Lord. The foundation for a Christian’s security is not a doctrinal creed or a system of ethics. It is not even the teachings of Jesus. True security is found in Him as a person. Jesus, as Shepherd of His sheep, calls us out to Himself (“My sheep listen to My voice”). He gives us eternal life, He saves us from judgement, and He protects us for eternity. The reason He can offer such security to us is that He is one with the Father. He is not working independ- ently, so He will bring to complete fulfilment what the eternal God has purposed. This very same truth, which is so encouraging to the believer, caused the enemies of Jesus to try and kill Him. They stumbled over His words. To say He was one with the Father was blas- phemy and unforgivable! But Jesus reminded them that His claim was not just empty words. The miracles He performed were undeniable evidence of God’s power. He was the Son of God, and the only reason they could not believe was their refusal to become one of His sheep (verses 25-26).Next >