The Gospel of John Chapter 8
Easter Sunday
LOVE
In our study of the Gospel of John we’ve come to the 8th chapter.
The controversy raging over who Jesus is.
Some say he is a prophet.
Some say he is the Messiah,
Some say he is a nut job,
Some say he is a heretic.
In chapter 7 there are 11 references to either plans to kill Jesus or to arrest
Jesus.
In chapter 8 Jesus is forcing the issue.
He is pushing for the people to make a decision about who he is—
Truth teller from God, Lie teller from Satan.
In his pushing it seems to me that he is really picking a fight with the
Some of the Pharisees.
The Pharisees again question his authority to teach.
By authority I mean a school of rabbinical thought.
The Pharisees question the validity of his testimony about who Jesus says he is.
Jesus answers just stir up more controversy.
At the end of the chapter Jesus gives the most straight forward answer to the
question of who he is.
John 8:58 (MSG)
"Believe me," said Jesus, "I am who I am long before Abraham was anything."
This is huge.
Its not the first time we’ve run across the name “I am who I am”
We first encountered that name in Exodus.
Exodus 3:13-14 (NLT)
But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.”
Jesus has been asked about whose authority he is teaching under
Jesus has been asked about the validity of his testimony
Jesus has been repeatedly asked who he thinks he is.
Jesus answer is that he is One with God from all eternity.
That freaks out those who had already drawn the wrong conclusions about
him.
John 8:59 (MSG)
That did it—pushed them over the edge. They picked up rocks to throw at him. But Jesus slipped away, getting out of the Temple.
A few year ago I presented an Easter message based on an article Josh McDowell
Had written.
I asked the folks gathered that day to decide for themselves who Jesus is.
There really are just three educated options.
1. Jesus lied.
He knew that he was not who he said he was.
2. Jesus was a lunatic.
We usually don’t think folks who claim to be God today as
Not playing with a full deck,
their straw doesn’t go to the bottom of the cup,
They’re one taco short of a combination
Plate
3. Jesus is Lord
Jesus is exactly who he claims to be.
Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic or Lord.
So here we have that situation again.
Jesus says he is identical with the God.
The Jews heard this and started looking for stones to kill him.
They heard Jesus say he was God,
In their thinking that was blasphemy,
And they took blasphemy rather seriously.
What’s your understanding?
Is he a liar or a lunatic—if that’s what you decide
then Jesus is someone you can dismiss.
But if he is Lord---if he is God, then that is something you dare not dismiss.
It requires a response.
A faith response to Jesus’ testimony.
Do you believe Jesus is who he says he is?
We are going to watch Chapter 8.
If you brought your Bible with you please read along.
The verse that we will focus on today is 28
John 8:27-29 (MSG)
They still didn't get it, didn't realize that he was referring to the Father. So Jesus tried again. "When you raise up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am—that I'm not making this up, but speaking only what the Father taught me. The One who sent me stays with me. He doesn't abandon me. He sees how much joy I take in pleasing him."
Role Video
Entering back into the debate…
Jesus said that he was the light of the world.
The Pharisees demanded that Jesus back up his claim with valid
testimony, the witness of two reliable people.
But the Pharisees kept missing Jesus’ point.
So Jesus finally says
"When you raise up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am—that I'm not making this up, but speaking only what the Father taught me.”
Being raised up is a reference to the crucifixion.
It’s not the first time we have encountered this thought.
In Chapter 3 in His conversation with Nicodemus
John 3:14-15 (MSG)
In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.
In the book of Numbers we have the account of what Jesus is referring to
The people were grumbling against Moses and therefore against God.
Numbers 21:5 (MSG)
They spoke out against God and Moses: "Why did you drag us out of Egypt to die in this godforsaken country? No decent food; no water—we can't stomach this stuff any longer."
By the way, the food that they didn’t consider decent was the manna.
So God allowed the people to be plagued by venomous snakes.
When the people began to repent of their sin of rebellion God told
Moses to make a brass snake and put it on a pole.
Numbers 21:8 (NLT)
Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!”
Jesus makes the connection for us
When he is raised he will be a means of redemption for sinners.
Looking forward to chapter 12,
Jesus ties the concept of being lifted up with Glorification.
John 12:23 (NIV)
Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Remember that glory can refer to a physical manifestation of the presence of
God.
Jesus is saying that when he is lifted up,
You will see God,
and in seeing be able to believe,
and in believing receive eternal life.
Christ Crucified is a physical manifestation of God.
What is it that we see?
LOVE.
John 15:13 (NIV)
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Love seeks to meet the need of others even at the cost of personal sacrifice.
To make it possible for you to have a right relationship with God again,
God had to do what only God could do,
Make atonement for the sins of his creation.
Romans 5:7-9 (MSG)
We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way.
The Son raised is a revelation of the Father.
In the Gospel of John, the apostle has gone to great lengths to make us
understand that the Son and the Father are one.
Jesus said “I am who I am”
John 10:30 (NIV)
“I and the Father are one."
Mel Gibson’s movie,
The Passion of the Christ,
Is the most horrific depiction of the torture that Jesus endured that I
have ever seen.
Each drop of blood screams—God is love.
Each drop of blood screams—My love for you knows no limits.
Each drop of blood screams—I’m doing this because I love you.
Each drop of blood screams—I do this for you
Jesus in this 8th chapter is telling the people,
If you don’t get it now,
If you don’t understand what he is saying,
If you can’t figure it out by the miracles he is doing,
The cross is the biggest and grandest revealing of God
that can be given to you in a way that you can understand,
who Jesus is, who Father is, and how to enter into a right
relationship with God.
God is love.
The cross and then the seal of truth,
The cross and then the validation of Jesus teachings.
The cross and then the miracle that proves the authenticity of Jesus.
John 20:1-16 (MSG)
Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, "They took the Master from the tomb. We don't know where they've put him."
Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed.
No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home. But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping.
As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus' body had been laid. They said to her, "Woman, why do you weep?" "They took my Master," she said, "and I don't know where they put him." After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn't recognize him. Jesus spoke to her, "Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?" She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, "Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him." Jesus said, "Mary." Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, "Rabboni!"
The miracle of the resurrection,
This is why we commemorate Easter.
The resurrection is the corroborating event that Jesus told the truth.
The resurrection is the confirming testimony that everything Jesus
taught is accurate.
The resurrection is the endorsing witness of Jesus’ earthly ministry
The resurrection is authentication of Jesus’ revelation of who God is,
And who we are to be.
John 20:26-28 (NIV)
A week later
his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the
doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with
you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out
your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Today you have been given an opportunity
to put your finger into the hole in Jesus wrists,
and put your hand in the spear wound in his side,
that you may stop doubting and believe,
that God loves you.
Do you understand?
There is only one response for those you understand
Those who understand dedicate their lives to following
Their Lord and their God, Jesus Christ.
Those who understand commit themselves to love.
Look to Jesus raised up from the earth.
Look to Jesus risen up from the grave.
Do you understand?