Believe the Gospel! Mark 1:14-15

Belief- The On-ramp
The message cannot end here, for if we simply repent, there is still sin in our lives that have not been paid for. It is like the person who is told that he has cancer and at that moment he or she begins a healthy eating and exercise regimen in order to improve their health and to stave off the cancer for a while. The cancer is still there, and it has not been removed. Eventually, all the good food and exercise will not help, because the cancer that was there continues to grow. The cancer must be removed. Many people will get on the off ramp of repentance, and even make some personal changes. But if they never reverse their direction and believe God alone for their salvation, all their past sins will kill them. The past sins must be removed and killed.
Just as the illustrated cancer patient must believe or trust in a doctor to do this, so must we place our trust in God to remove our sins and their penalty-death. In other words, we must believe the Gospel. The word believe used here and other places in relation to the Gospel is translated from the Greek word pisteuo, which means to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit and to place confidence in. This really gives the picture again that we must have not only a mental ascent; that is, we must be persuaded of the facts. In our study of the book of John, we have emphasized that belief in the historical Jesus as presented in the Bible is crucial to salvation. We must be persuaded that Jesus is fully man and fully God, and that he died and was resurrected on the third day for the payment for our sins. (We already discussed last week how we must be convinced of our sins and repent for this to have any meaning for us. ) The cancer patient must fully believe in his condition, and fully trust the doctor before giving the doctor permission to operate. In doing this, we believe the doctor is who He says he is, and trust the diploma on the wall of his office. We must believe God and His Word, and trust Him that He has the ability to remove sin and death through the death, resurrection, and life of Christ.

Emotionally, we are devastated by the news of cancer, but the emotions must motivate us to respond. Many times, when we are warned about our sin, we respond in anger and denial. Our emotions can get in the way of belief, for we must be able to agree with God about his assessment of our condition (also a part of repentance) and use our emotions to move us to act. The Bible speaks about Godly sorrow that leads to repentance, and worldly sorrow that leads to death. Worldly sorrow does not lead to repentance; it may lead to regret that changes us for the length of time it takes the pain to disappear. At the outset of our start in Christ, Godly sorrow leads us to repentance, but also directs us to the Savior in trusting him to remove our guilt and shame. We are placing our confidence that we have in ourselves upon Him.
Finally, belief shows itself in the will. Using the illustration of the patient again, we must not only believe the fact that we have the disease, and trust in the doctor to cure the disease, and use our emotions to move us to act, we must maintain or walk in the cure. A friend of mine recently had a major heart attack. The doctor saved his life, fixed what needed to be fixed, and my friend, glad that he is fixed, is determined to follow the health regimen the doctor gave him. He is going to walk in the cure by following dietary and exercise guidelines given him by the doctor. Now, my friend says he will miss his deserts, but the payoff is far greater. Imperfect illustration aside, we must follow this same thing in the third aspect of saving faith, and that is our verbal and emotional belief must translate into the will. I am not talking about legalism; but our belief must show itself true by the way that we conduct ourselves, how we walk on the new path. The great physician has given us a new heart with new desires, and we must walk in them by the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember, we must bear fruits in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8).

1 John 3:19-24 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

1 John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
This is done through the daily mortification of the flesh and submission to the Spirit of God. It is not easy, and we are not perfect. We still sin even in our belief and full trust in God. And it is a thin line between keeping His commands and legalism. As we walk in communion with God, in submission to Him, it is natural to follow and do what He does.

The Gospel- The New Road!
The way of Jesus is encapsulated in the good news called the Gospel. The Gospel that Paul preached was very simple, and is in 1 Corinthians 15:

15 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

The Gospel Paul preached, the one in which He stood was very simple and very basic. It is given in order of importance: Christ died for our sins. The good news is not very good news if you do not understand the evil from which you have been rescued. In the cancer patient illustration earlier, what if I had gone to that patient, before he was convinced of the disease, and tried to get him to take a very controversial and painful regimen to cure his disease? Well, if he is not convinced of the disease, he will not want the cure. Christ’s death is foolishness to the unregenerate man if that man does not understand why Christ had to die. If he is not convinced of his disease- sin, and the painful consequence, death (eternal damnation), he will not understand the depth of love that was demonstrated on the cross. So, in very first importance Christ died for our sin according to the scriptures.
9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”13“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.”18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Our sins are very clear, and very wicked in God’s holy sight. There is no one righteous. Men believe they are good, mostly compared to other men. But when we see ourselves in the true light of God’s holiness, we must understand that we are wretched before God. We are not righteous, cannot be righteous, and have no desire for righteousness. We love darkness rather than light. The Bible proclaims in this passage that we are worthless, we curse God and men, we lie, we hate, we become angry, we murder. There is definitely no fear of God before our eyes, even though the wages of sin is death.

The Gospel is good news in that God sent Christ to become that sin so that we could be made righteous in Christ.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

This very short verse speaks volumes about what God did for us through Christ. For our sake, God made Christ who never sinned, who knew no sin, nor had any sin in Himself to be sin. That is, God regarded Christ as though He was sin itself. The word sin is the Greek hamartia and the passage of Isaiah

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

He did this on our behalf, thus Christ became our substitute. He bore the wrath of God that we deserved for our sins. He became sin for us, he bore our sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God. But yet, in order for this to be transferred to our account, we must look to God to take our sin and to grant us righteousness. All too many of us try to gain God’s favor and gain righteousness when we cannot possibly do so.

Also of first importance was that he was buried. He bore the wrath of God for our sins, and the human Christ died. He was crushed under the wrath of God for our iniquities, and he was buried. But that was not the end of the story. Because (also of first importance), he was raised again on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. It is the resurrection that proved that God accepted the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. It was proof positive that Jesus was who He said He was. And it was proof positive that we who are in Christ have the same hope.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
If Christ was not resurrected from the dead, Paul argues, we have no hope. In fact, Christians are to be pitied above all others! But because God did raise Him from the dead, it proves the power (dunamis) of the Gospel. The power of the Gospel saves- it saves us from sin (justification) and of death (redemption). Our sin is transferred to Christ, and his righteousness is placed in our account. But the power of the Gospel does not end there, for it is the power of God for we who are being saved (1 Cor 15:2), which is the process of sanctification. The same power that justifies us and redeems us makes us into the image of Christ. Finally, one day, we will experience the resurrection power as we are saved (glorified). The power of the Gospel is the same power which resurrected Jesus from the dead, ( 1 Corinthians 15)and it is the same power that causes Christians to be made righteous, who were once children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3, 1 Corinthians 10:9-12) pass from death to life, to become new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).

Have you repented (changed your mind) and believed (with your whole self) in the Gospel? I do not know the order of things, I do know that God grants you both faith and repentance. I know that God gives us a changing of our mind to place our trust in Christ for our salvation and a changing of our thoughts, our desires, our very way of life. This is the Gospel, and it is an everyday reality and way of life for the true believer.

How do we get on the Way of Jesus? Mark 1

As I was reflecting on the message this past week, knowing that it is in many traditions Palm Sunday- that is we are looking at the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem with all the people shouting Hosannah! I began to think about the road that he Had travelled that led him straight to this place where, on the following Friday, He would give Himself to be crucified to pay the penalty for our sins. This road, this way was orchestrated by God in eternity past so that we could be reconciled to Him. Jesus was making the way, indeed he is the Way (John 14:6) for us to be able to be reconciled to God. Jesus is also called the Door (John 10:6) by which we must enter into the kingdom of heaven (Luke 13:24). Indeed, only he can open this door and place us on the Way.

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

So, I got to thinking, how is it that we find this narrow way, this straight gate? How is it that we get on to join Jesus on the road to the Kingdom of God? It brought me back to the book of Mark, chapter 1, speaking about of all people, John the Baptist. I remembered his mission:

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
 who will prepare your way,3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”

John was sent to prepare the way of the Lord...he was sent to hetoimazo-prepare. The picture is of a ancient custom of a servant that went before a King on a path to make sure that it was passable by that king. What did John do in order to made the way passable for Jesus who was coming? What is the way that man can make Jesus’ way passable? What are the necessary preparations that we must make for the kingdom of God to become a reality in our lives? Well, when Jesus says He is the way, and we are to walk on this way- hodos- the literal translation is road. But it also means a course of conduct, a way of thinking, feeling, and deciding. How do we transfer from our way- the way that we think, the way we feel, the way that we decide, our very way that we live our lives, our conduct- to the way of Jesus, the way John was sent to prepare? Well, the answer is found in the very next verse:

4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

John prepared the way by proclaiming (kerusso) a baptism of repentance (metanoia) for the forgiveness of sins. Repentance of this sort (Metanoia) is a change of mind, a turning around of something he has done, a style of life, or a way of thinking. John made the way straight for the Lord by proclaiming that we must change our way- the path we are on- by changing our mind, our path to be in line with the way of the Lord. The proof of this change of mind was a baptism of repentance; a public proclamation that they had changed their minds. Indeed, baptism was a regular event for Jews who desired to be ceremonially clean. This is what Jesus spoke of to Nicodemus when he said one must be born of water and the Spirit. The water is symbolic of cleansing, of baptism. . This cleansing weaves its way throughout the Gospels- the theme of the starting point of repentance. Even in this chapter, Jesus himself preached repentance:

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

So Jesus is agreeing with the message of John, the way to approach the way and get on the way is to repent and believe the Gospel. Jesus uses the same word- metanoeo- for repentance, pisteuo for believe, and euaggellion- the Gospel. We will spent the remainder of our time together today examining these words and concepts, for if we desire to walk in the way of Jesus, and enter into the kingdom of God, we must enter in through that door which has been provided, which is Christ Jesus.

Repentance- the off ramp
Using the road illustration, repentance is the off ramp by which we get off of the road we are on. There are two greek words that are translated repentance. Metanoeo is the type which leads to salvation, metamellomai is a worldly sorrow, a temporary sorrow that is directly related to consequences. It is the type of repentance that I see most often in the world today, and it is not wrought in God. If we continue in the illustration, metamellomai is getting off the road, but then getting right back on the on-ramp in the same direction. The type of repentance that is called for that pleases God, indeed that is wrought in God, is metanoeo, a complete change of direction.

Saving repentance , like saving belief, deals in all three aspects of our human makeup. Saving repentance deals with our mind, our emotions, and our will. The first is our mind, where we agree with God about our direction. I liken it to my GPS system in my car. When I am trying to go to a place and my GPS is on, and I take a detour, the GPS warns me and insists that I change direction. Now, I want to go one way, but the stated destination being what it is, it seems that I am traveling the wrong way. The GPS warns me and shows me the way to get back on the path to my destination. The way I agree with it is to turn around and get back on the path. I must agree with the direction, and go that direction in order to get to my desired destination. If our destination is the kingdom of God, we must agree with God on how to get there, and adjust our path accordingly. We must agree with God as to his assessment of our current path.

It is the kindness, first and foremost, that is to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4) This kindness is expressed in the creation, in the provision of air, food, clothing, housing, health. The greatest kindness is something we are not aware of, however, until we are aware of our need of and God’s provision for our redemption. We have a built in GPS that God has put into each one of us, the conscience. We have God’s basic law written on each of our hearts. It warns us when we do something against that law. Unfortunately, many of us turn that off when it warns us against that which we desire to do. We must come to a place where we fear God and the eternal consequences of breaking his law. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If our mind does not fear or reverence God, no change will ever come about.. If there is no knowledge of sin, its penalty, and who it offends, we cannot and will not agree with God or change our mind. If we do not know that we have offended God by our disobedience, we will not understand his kindness in sending Christ to die In that sense, if our mind is not changed regarding sin and our very nature, we will never agree of our need for repentance and we will continue on the broad road that leads to destruction.

This is why we speak directly to the conscience when we witness. So many people have turned off the built in warning system, or have at least muted it so that they can enjoy their sin for a season. The use of the law helps break the hard heart, and is appropriate when dealing with all sorts of unregenerate sinners:

8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine

So it is that the use of the law is appropriate in addressing the sinner, making them aware of their sin so that they can experience the grace of repentance in their lives. Without this knowledge of sin, and of who the sin offends, and the penalty for sin, we are unlikely to change the road we are on. When we are in the flesh, controlled by the flesh, we cannot do what the Spirit desires. This is why we need to change our mind about sin.

The second aspect which saving repentance deals with is our emotions. Voddie Baucham spoke on this at the True Church conference we attended last month. Brokenness, he stated, is the place where we are able to see what will happen in we keep going down the road we are on. It is the place where we are crushed by God under the weight of our sin. The unfortunate problem is, like our GPS, we are quick to unplug this warning system, because it sometimes manifests itself in anxiety, depression, and other medical maladies for which we can simply take a pill to numb the pain. This is not to say there are no legitimate medical conditions; it is to say that we do not like pain and sometimes that is what God uses to warn us. That said, there is a type of sorrow that is not reflective of the type of repentance that leads to saving faith. It is called metamellomai, and it is a repentance to ones self, or regret. This comes often as a result of fear of repercussions or earthly consequences. There is often sorrow, but it does not lead to a change of behavior, a forsaking of sin in the long run. The sorrow that is wrought by God works repentance that changes the mind and drives a person to Christ.

2 Cor 7:10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

All that the grief of the world can produce is death, for it does not result in a saving faith in Christ. Temporary regret, even apologizing for sins committed against others and God , is insufficient. Repentance must involve grief given us by God, and is characterized by metanaeo-a change of mind. The brokenness described by David in psalm 51 is a good place to start. A broken and contrite heart God will not despise. An awareness of the sin, whom it offends, and the breaking of the relationship is too much to bear for one who loves God. For one who does not yet love God, this awareness, this brokenness, must be provided by God. This leads to a change of life, indeed a change of desire to reverse our old way of life and live for God, bringing our conduct in line with His word.

This is where the all-important will comes in. The mind can understand that the behavior is wrong, and can feel regret. We can even weep and mourn over our sin, but fall back into the same habit. In Matthew 3, John the Baptist recognized those who would have an outward appearance of repentance, even a desire to be cleansed in a ritual baptism. He demanded more:

Matthew 3:8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

We must bear fruit, in other words, there must be an actual change of life. Repentance is a grace of God, a part of salvation, therefore, as we are justified, indeed as we are redeemed and are being brought into sanctification, our very lifestyle changes as a result of the inward change that God has wrought in our lives. Our actions match the inward reality. This is not preached very often today, as Paul did in Acts:
Acts 26: 19-20
19 “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance

This is where the rubber hits the road, where we make daily choices to walk according to the flesh or walk according to the Spirit. This is where we know if we have died to self and now live to God, or if we are just living a lie. In this sense, Repentance is like sanctification. We repent and turn from our sin, and turn towards God. When he justifies us, he accepts our repentance unto faith. But repentance is a continual process by which the Holy Spirit will reveal sin in our life, and we must choose to repent of it. In a very real way, as repentance is part of salvation, so it is a very real part of sanctification. As we turn away from who we are in the flesh, we are made me in the image of Jesus.

The Paschal Discourse, Part 3- Will you eat?

We enter today into God’s Word, into the middle of this paschal discourse of Jesus Christ, where Jesus is teaching a large group of people the truth about the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, and the miracle of walking on water. Indeed, these miracles, these signs point to Jesus Christ as the one true Son of God. But the people did not believe, indeed the people grumbled against Jesus because they could only see and understand earthly things.
41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
Jesus made the claim that he is the bread of life, the true bread from heaven, and that he came down from heaven. He made the radical claim that if they would only look to him and believe on Him (verse 40) they would be saved. But these men who were following Jesus at this time could not and would not believe. They believed on a limited view of who Jesus was. Yes, he was a miracle worker, a prophet, one approved by God. But that was it; he was only a man, a son of Joseph and Mary, born like the rest of us. Like many today who question scripture, these folks wished to tear down and argue rather than just believe. I think of Rob Bell, a modern emergent author who, in his book Velvet Elvis, questioned the importance of the virgin birth. Well, in this instance, we see that it is VERY important, for these men could only see the physical parents of Jesus and it blinded them to his teaching about himself. He could indeed say he came down from heaven, because he was the only begotten of the Father, sent directly through Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit; not by the will of man but by God. But they could not see that as possible, for even in searching the scriptures about Messiah they were blind to who He was.
43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
You see, they were focused on the temporal. They wanted their bellies to be filled, and they were not happy with the way that Jesus answered them, nor were they satisfied with the fact that He was not the prophet that they were expecting. So, like their fathers in the wilderness did before them, they grumbled and they complained against Him. They only recognized him as the Son of Joseph and Mary, a common man. But, he was not the prophet, nor was He a common man; He was God Himself and recognized their grumbling towards Him. The Father did not draw them, so they could not possibly recognize Him for who He was in truth. One-way of knowing that was the way that they responded to Him. They did not recognize Him from the signs he did, or the words He spoke. The reason? They had not been taught by God, nor had they recognized the teaching that God had given them through His Word. They had not seen God, as Christ had, for if they had seen God in His Word, they would have believed on the One He sent.
They all related to the manna in the wilderness, for this was one of the great stories of their faith. This is part of the exodus from Egypt, the salvation of the people of Israel by God through Moses. They thought that Jesus was the Prophet like Moses that would lead them out from under the rule of the Romans and restore their land to them. But it was not Moses who gave the Manna, nor was it Moses who rescued them; it was God. However, they were focused on Moses, and so Jesus had to reprove their thinking, to correct their misconceptions. Yes, the manna came from heaven, but it was just physical bread that satisfied for a day. It had to be gathered daily, just enough for that day, or it would rot. Everybody that ate that bread eventually died, like any other human being. Jesus Christ is superior to that bread, for in consuming Him (so to speak) you will live for eternity.
Here is the proposition for you today; who is Jesus to you? Is he merely the son of Mary and Joseph, a prophet, a great teacher? Are you satisfied with the bread of this world, and even the bread that we find in so many different churches and ministries today that teach an incomplete Jesus? Or are you in pursuit of the Bread of Life, the only bread that truly satisfies? Do you believe what He says about Himself? If you do, stay with me and dig deeper into his Word with me this morning.
(6) The watchword of the Kingdom is not self-satisfaction, but self-sacrifice.
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
As usual, we see Jesus here use the natural (bread/flesh and eating) to illustrate a spiritual truth. And people without eyes to see and ears to hear, in other words, those not taught (verse 45) by God will not be able to receive or understand this teaching. It is a difficult one, to be sure, for it is repulsive to our sensibilities. But in it lies ultimate truth; that Jesus Christ gave Himself first by coming from heaven, condescending to us, becoming flesh and making His dwelling among us. Then, he gave Himself by striving with men to show Himself for who He was while He walked on this earth. Finally, he gave Himself willingly as a sacrifice for sin for all mankind. This is the meaning of the loaves: Jesus Christ, the One from God came to this earth and was broken once for all for the sin of all mankind. All who will believe (eat) and look to Him, as the One sent from God will have their hunger for God satisfied in Christ. The Bread of Life gave himself for the life of the world. Jesus did not come to fill our bellies; He came to save our very soul. We must look to Him alone in order to be saved.
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
Jesus Christ had life in him, and He had the authority to give up his life and the authority to take it up again. The Jewish leaders did not understand this; they were focused on the natural and not the spiritual meaning of Jesus’ words. They were also blinded to who Jesus was in truth; the one and the only Son of the living God. So, in verse 53, Jesus re teaches the shocking words. The key word is life- for Jesus is life. His life is the light of men. We can obtain this life, but, as Jesus has made it very clear in this passage, this life comes only from God. This does not mean that these folks must physically eat his flesh, nor does it teach that somehow the communion meal later instituted would mystically or otherwise become actual flesh and blood. The spiritual meaning of eat is to believe in Him, especially in who he is and in his atoning death for mankind. The verses go on to teach that we should feed on this; that is, our trust in this sacrifice should be constant, we should not try and feed on anything else for salvation such as works of self righteousness. To drink his blood is to trust fully in the shed blood of Christ for our atonement. For those who will believe and trust, pisteuo, Jesus Christ will grant them eternal life in Him.
If we go on believing and trusting in our own good works, this is like those who ate of the manna, which was but a shadow of the true Bread from heaven. This food was temporary, having to be gathered daily, and any left over would spoil. Our works, no matter how frequent and admired by the world, have a temporary nature like the manna from heaven. This bread can only satisfy temporarily. Like the sacrificial system that was in place in the Old Testament, the blood of animals shed was simply a temporary cover-up for sin. It was a shadow, which pointed to Christ, but was not sufficient to pay the penalty for sin. Under the old system, the works of the law could only produce death. Grace is to be had by faith, faith alone in Christ the true bread from heaven. That faith is demonstrated by belief in who Jesus says he is, changing our minds to agree with what God says about us, and obedience to His Word and His will for our lives. This is ‘eating his flesh and drinking his blood’. And the result of feeding on Jesus in this way is eternal life in Him, granted by the Father.
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
There are obviously two possible responses to the truth being proclaimed here, the first by a larger group of disciples who were following Jesus. They could not even listen to it. Was it that they were so disappointed that he was not the prophet that they were looking for? Was it because they interpreted what He was saying literally? We do not know, but what we do know is that there was an offense that they took, for Jesus perceived it. He even perceived part of the reason; for they could not believe that he was from above. His answer- what if I ascended to where I was before, and you were witnesses? He reproves their understanding again. The flesh- their will, their mind, their intellect, indeed, their very human nature could not produce spiritual life. The only way to produce spiritual life is to get it from God. There is nothing in ourselves that can or even desires to produce spiritual life! This life is one which is described by the Greek word Zoopoieo (dzo-op-oy-eh'-o) which means that the words Jesus spoke, upon believing in them can impart spiritual life. This is a quickening, like the dry bones spoken to by Ezekiel. We are dead in trespasses and sins, but when Jesus speaks to us, if we hear his voice and respond, we will be quickened unto eternal life. Jesus spoke these words of truth; within his very words were spirit and life, and what they had to do was to believe. There were some who simply refused to believe, for the Father did not grant them that ability. Jesus demonstrates that He is God once again, for He and only He has the ability to discern their thoughts. He also knows the future, for He knows the one that will betray Him.

67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.

The other response, demonstrated here by the twelve, is to believe. Peter, taking his role as a leader among equals, responds on their behalf. Lord (Kurios) to whom shall we go? The Greek for Lord is Kurios, and it has a meaning of ‘he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord the possessor and disposer of a thing
the owner; one who has control of the person, the master in the state: the sovereign, prince, chief. Lord is a title of honor expressive of respect and reverence, with which servants greet their master. This title is given to: God, the Messiah. What Peter was saying to Jesus was really expressed in this one word, but Peter goes on. Jesus was the One who had the words of eternal life. Peter recognized that Jesus’ very words brought life. There is no other place we can go, Peter says, to hear these words of life; there is no way that we can have this life in ourselves! And it appears that the disciples have received this life, for they, through Peter, confirm his testimony. They believe on Him, and in him, as Peter goes on and testifies that Jesus is God Himself by calling him the Holy One of God. God, for throughout the Old Testament is called the Holy One of Israel. Peter again was testifying that Jesus Christ was who He said He was; God Himself, in the flesh.
Jesus acknowledged their testimony by saying that he had chosen them. The question is, has he chosen you? One sure way of finding this out is do you believe? For, as those who departed when the teaching got hard, they could not understand the things of God because God had not drawn them. If God is drawing you, He will give you illumination to know what His Word says concerning Jesus. There is also the problem of Judas, who had heard all the words of Jesus and walked with Him, yet betrayed Him at the end. We can have all the knowledge, yet if we do not respond in belief- pisteuo- we will ultimately betray our faith, as did Judas. So the question is, have you received this life? If God is drawing you to Himself, do not fail to respond to Him in repentance and faith.

The Paschal Discourse John 6:22 ff

22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

In my last message, we observed two miracles that were to give those present and we who read of the event a picture of who Jesus was in truth. By being there and by seeing the loaves and the fishes multiplied, as well as Jesus’ command over the natural world, we should be able to conclude that he was who He said He was, God in the very flesh. These signs also set up the discourse or sermon that Jesus will preach in the remainder of this chapter, all centered on the statement that “I AM the bread of life”

The very set-up for the discourse on the bread of life is the fact that Jesus had to escape a crowd that believed he was the Prophet, and not the very Son of God. They believed he was the deliverer- the prophet like Moses- that would help them get out from under Roman rule. Unfortunately, many Jews at the time of Jesus were waiting and seeking after a completely different Messiah than that what God intended and ultimately sent to them. The messianic kingdom for which the Jews waited was completely materialistic. Edersheim describes it this way:

"What they waited for, was a Kingdom of God—not in righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost, but in meat and drink—a kingdom with miraculous wilderness banquets to Israel, and of coarse miraculous triumphs over the Gentiles. Not to speak of the fabulous Messianic banquet which a sensuous realism expected, or of the achievements for which it looked, every figure in which prophets had clothed the brightness of those days was first literalized, and then exaggerated, till the most glorious poetic descriptions became the most repulsively incongruous caricatures of spiritual Messianic expectancy. The fruit trees were every day, or at least every week or two, to yield their riches, the fields their harvests; the grain was to stand like palm trees, and to be reaped and winnowed without labor. Similar blessings were to visit the vine; ordinary trees would bear little fruit trees, and every produce, of every clime, would be found in Palestine in such abundance and luxuriance as only the wildest imagination could conceive

The Jews, along with those who followed after Jesus, in large part were there because they believed that He would fulfill their imagined desire of what Messiah was supposed to be. They were filled with the expectation that not only would He take the foot of the Romans off of their neck, but Messiah would also provide them with unlimited food and drink and comforts in this life that they could only imagine. They, like many today, were concerned with the temporary comforts of this life. This even hearkens back to the woman at the well, who sought after physical comforts at no personal cost. Jesus had to change their perceptions and correct their misconceptions about who He was and why He came. Thus began this discourse on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, summarized by six points:*

(1) The issue is not one of physical bread, but spiritual.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

Jesus cut to the quick with those who had come across the sea to seek him. He exposed their motives with these cutting words, again emphasizing that they followed him for the wrong reasons. They had not seen the signs- many of them did witness the signs, but they did not see. They did not see the signs for what they were for; to point to Jesus and reveal Him in truth as the Messiah. They were stuck on the physical, the temporal. They, like many of us, sought only to get their bellies full so to speak. They were focused on the things that were temporary and not eternal. Jesus confronted them in this behavior. Do not seek after food that perishes; do not just look to get your bellies full. Look to me and be satisfied unto eternal life! He is approved by God Himself, the proof is in the words that he speaks, the signs that he performs, and the shaded glory that those in His presence observed.

28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”

They (the Jews) were stuck on the physical works that they could do in order to to gain God’s favor. They still believed that by following the works of the Law that they could please God. We know this because of their response to Jesus’ answer to them:

(2) Christ's Kingdom was not one established by the good works of (as Israel supposed), but on the basis of faith (verse 29).

29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Jesus repeats the idea that the only work that is acceptable to God is no work at all, but faith. Jesus has identified Himself as God repeatedly, and the signs he did proved again He was God. In John 3:14-18, He calls on all mankind to do the work of looking to Him, the One that the Father sent, to be saved. The wrong idea that the Jews had at this time is shared by many today; this idea that there is some sort of work that pleases God, that the more people we help, the more money we give, the more religious acts we do, the more that we please God. Jesus was correcting this error for them and for us. The only work that pleases God is the work that has been accomplished on the cross on our behalf, performed by the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ. What we must do is to look to Him by faith. We must believe God and demonstrate it by believing His Son.

(3) Christ came not as a spectacular wonder worker but as the wonder. 

30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Herein lied the problem; this was truly a wicked and perverse generation, always looking for a sign. We are guilty of the very same thing; we look to Jesus not so much for what he has done for us, rather, for what he can do for us on the physical and temporal level. Jesus Christ indeed did many incredible works and signs in front of people, but that was not his purpose in coming. The signs were to point to Him and prove who He was; He was the Son of God. He was the one that the signs pointed to. The signs just lent credibility as a source of proof that Jesus was who He said He was.

32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Jesus was superior to Moses, indeed Moses did not produce the bread that their forefathers had in the wilderness, God provided this manna from heaven. In the same way, Jesus is not the miracle worker; He is the miracle. He is the bread of God who comes into the world to give life to those in the world. This bread is superior, for those who ate the bread in the wilderness still died, yet the Bread God provided was to give eternal life to the world. Jesus Christ is that bread:

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.

The fact that Jesus was the bread provided by God to give eternal life was made abundantly clear by the teachings and by the signs that He did. The people who eat this bread will have their spiritual longing for God (represented by hunger and thirst) satisfied in Christ. Jesus was superior to Moses as well, because he is the I AM (Exodus 3:14) that Moses stood before on the mountain who identified Himself thus. But not everyone will sit down and eat, for not all will believe. Not all will look to God to have their eternal life provided for them. They will look to their own goodness to be saved. Many hear the words of Jesus, many saw his signs, still many more have read eyewitness accounts of these signs, yet they will not believe. The reason is made clear in the following verses:

(4) Those who are to enter Christ's Kingdom do so by means of election and divine drawing.

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

The people could not believe, that is, come to a saving faith unless God gave them to Jesus. In other words, being Born Again is not a human decision. It is ultimately an act of God. Nobody comes to Christ, or ‘receives’ Christ because they one day were pushed or encouraged to pray a prayer. They are born again out of an act of God drawing them to Jesus and bringing them to repentance and saving faith. And the promise is that all that God will bring Christ will save and raise them up on the last day. Jesus Christ is 100 % efficient at saving and raising those who are drawn to Him by His Father’s act of drawing. Unfortunately, many of those who He was speaking to and many today are blinded by their own self-righteousness and pride and unable to hear the still small voice. They reject Christ, not because He is unattractive, but because they love their sin.

(5) The Kingdom of our Lord is not merely for the present, but also for eternity.

40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Many people today have a hard time grasping this simple truth, or they are simply changing the truth for a lie that they perceive in their own mind. Today, people with pride will say that they are more concerned with social justice issues to make the world a better place. They claim that this is the whole of what we are supposed to do as believers. But the truth is that we are saved and transformed for eternity. This is something that begins today, and the benefit of it can and should extend to others as we walk as salt and light to the world. When Jesus changes us, it is not for our temporary benefit. It is for eternity! And our role on this earth is not to make it a better place to got to hell from; our role is to proclaim the good news that others can be saved! The Jews held this same perception, and could not see eternity for the temporary trees in front of them.

41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 

43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 

You see, they were focused on the temporal. They wanted their bellies to be filled, and they were not happy with the way that Jesus answered them, nor were they satisfied with the fact that He was not the prophet that they were expecting. So, like their fathers in the wilderness did before them, they grumbled and they complained against Him. They only recognized him as the Son of Joseph and Mary, a common man. But, he was not the prophet, nor was He a common man; He was God Himself and recognized their grumbling towards Him. The Father did not draw them, so they could not possibly recognize Him for who He was in truth. One-way of knowing that was the way that they responded to Him. They did not recognize Him from the signs he did, or the words He spoke. The reason? They had not been taught by God, nor had they recognized the teaching that God had given them through His Word. They had not seen God, as Christ had, for if they had seen God in His Word, they would have believed on the One He sent.

They all related to the manna in the wilderness, for this was one of the great stories of their faith. This is part of the exodus from Egypt, the salvation of the people of Israel by God through Moses. They thought that Jesus was the Prophet like Moses that would lead them out from under the rule of the Romans and restore their land to them. But it was not Moses who gave the Manna, nor was it Moses who rescued them; it was God. However, they were focused on Moses, and so Jesus had to correct their misconceptions. Yes, the manna came from heaven, but it was just physical bread that satisfied for a day. It had to be gathered daily, just enough for that day, or it would rot. Everybody that ate that bread eventually died, like any other human being. Jesus Christ is superior to that bread, for in consuming Him (so to speak) you will live for eternity.

Here is the proposition for you today; Who is Jesus to you? Are you satisfied with the bread of this world, and even the bread that we find in so many different churches and ministries today? Or are you in pursuit of the Bread of Life, the only bread that truly satisfies? This brings up our final point:

(6) The watchword of the Kingdom is not self-satisfaction, but self-sacrifice.

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

And this is the ultimate truth; that Jesus Christ gave Himself first by coming from heaven, condescending to us, becoming flesh and making His dwelling among us. Then, he gave Himself by striving with men to show Himself for who He was while He walked on this earth. Finally, he gave Himself willingly as a sacrifice for sin for all mankind. This is the meaning of the loaves: Jesus Christ, the One from God came to this earth and was broken once for all for the sin of all mankind. All who will believe and look to Him, as the One sent from God will have their hunger for God satisfied in Christ. The Bread of Life gave himself for the life of the world.
Jesus did not come to fill our bellies; He came to save our very soul. 

Look to Him and be saved.

Four Witnesses- John 5:30-47

John wrote His Gospel, as he states in His own words: 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. As we examined in these last few verses, Jesus Christ gave testimony that God was His Father, and, as the Son of God and the Son of Man, he is not only equal with God, He is God. At this point, however, despite the fact that He spoke with authority, his witness about himself could not be held as true standing alone. Jesus knew this, as he spoke in verses 30-31:

30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. 31 If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not deemed true.

In antiquity, and even today, a statement to law enforcement and to a judge needs to be corroborated by other witnesses. For the Jews, there needed to be two witnesses to establish the guilt or innocence of another party. For this reason, Jesus went to great lengths to use external sources as witnesses that He was who He said He was. The purpose is deeper than simply to establish innocence; it goes to proving who He says He is and establishing the world as guilty before God for rejecting His messiah. As we will examine in the following verses, Jesus had more than enough testimony from outside sources to establish that He was indeed who He said He was. And the marvelous thing about Jesus’ witnesses was that the Jews did not only hold them in high esteem; they were unimpeachable.

1. John the Baptist 5:32–36; cf. 1:7–8, 15, 19, 32–34; 3:26

32 There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. 33 You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
34 Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John.

In verse 32, it would seem that Jesus is speaking about John, and even his listeners may have assumed this from the context of the following verses. But the Greek seems to say that He is speaking in coded reference about God. But verse 33 -36 speak very clearly about John as a primary witness about Jesus. At the time of Jesus’ testimony before these Jews, the jury was still out on John so to speak, so his testimony did not bear the full weight that it does today. John (the writer) spoke about what John the Baptist had to say in chapter 1:
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 15 John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me. 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

John, a human being empowered by the Holy Spirit, gave testimony about Jesus Christ. We see in Chapter one that John was sent from God, that he came as a witness to prepare people for Jesus’ coming, he was not the light, but a witness-bearer. He saw testimony from God Himself as to who Jesus was. John always testified that he was not the Christ, but rather a voice in the wilderness.
Jesus points out that John is a mere man, and uses the illustration of John being a lamp. The difference between a lamp and the light is that the lamp is temporary; in this culture its use was limited to the amount of oil. (In verse 35 it seems that John’s time has run out; he may be in prison or even dead at this time). John’s witness about Jesus was relatively small, and temporary, like a lamp. He enjoyed some success in his ministry, and for a while, the people accepted his ministry and rejoiced in it. Many received his testimony about Christ as John pointed to Him. John even pointed a number of his own disciples to Jesus. But for all of his work, John’s testimony is not the one that stands out, for he is but a man. Jesus has greater witness than even that of John.

2. Jesus' own works 5:36; cf. 10:25, 32, 37–38; 15:24

For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.

Jesus’ miraculous works also bear witness about who He is. These works were good in nature in that they benefited those people for whom they were done. The works brought glory to God, as good works should. But their miraculous nature proved that Jesus was more than mere man. Look at chapter 10:

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me 2 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?”
37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

His works were of the nature that there could be no doubt that he was God. In our study thus far we have seen Him change water to wine, raise the son of a roman official without even seeing him, bringing complete healing to a paralytic, and bringing salvation to the Samaritan woman. When we observe the Gospels, there are many more testimonies of complete healing, feeding 5000 with two loaves and a fish, calming storms, catching fish where there were none, and raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus asks these Jews in Chapter 10 point blank for which of these works from the Father are you going to stone me? Jesus was stating that these works pointed clearly to the fact that God was His Father and that He was equal with God; in other words He was who he said he was. Denying the works that he did in the name of the Father is the same as denying the Father; another reason Jesus is right to judge them and declare them guilty.

15:24 if I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.

This passage really connects to part of the theme of John; the desire of Christ and of John is that people would look at the testimony of Jesus’ life and His works and would believe in Jesus and in God the Father who sent Him. However, the very works that Jesus did as a testimony to draw people to the Father through Him left the unbelieving guilty before God. The same rule is in effect today as we proclaim the Gospel. Those who hear the Gospel are making a decision with eternal consequences. If they will not believe the Gospel, they will be condemned, for they despised the sacrifice that Jesus accomplished on their behalf and God the Father who sent His Son. It is also why we must be careful in living and in presenting the Gospel in a complete manner, for we do not want to be held accountable for the blood of those who reject Christ. The final goal is that in all the works that we do would bring glory to God so that many would see and fear and put their trust in Him.

3. God the Father 5:37–38, 40-44; 8:18

37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from people. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

God the Father has borne witness about Jesus as well, in the writings of the Old Testament, God the Father gives a blueprint of what His Messiah will look like. From Genesis to Malachi, Jesus Christ is identified very clearly. This is the Father’s testimony! Immediately, as we enter the time of the New Testament, we see God’s testimony first to John the Baptist in stating that the Messiah, the Lamb of God, would be the one on which the holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, would rest after his baptism. God the Father also bore witness in the miraculous works that Jesus did in his Father’s name. Paul in Colossians 1:15 says that Jesus is the image of His Father. John in the 1st chapter of this Gospel says that

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

So, just as my sons are in my image, it is very clear that Jesus, being full of grace and truth (quite the opposite from normal humankind) was the image of His Father. There also seemed, as John testified, a manifestation of glory that identified Jesus. This is the same word that describes God’s presence in the holiest of holies, the same presence that shone on Moses’ face after He had been in the presence of God.

In verse 38, we see Jesus making a striking and harsh judgment about his hearers: That in not seeing Him as the Messiah, God’s one and only Son, they do not have God’s Word abiding in them. He goes on to say that they do not have the love of God in them.

8:18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”

Indeed, if God the Father bore witness about Jesus, and the hearers refused to hear, and were blinded by their own self-righteous pride, then they were going to be condemned. Jesus brought the offer of life to the Jews, but they refused his offer (v. 40). But it is not just life that they are rejecting; they are rejecting God the Father because they refused to believe the one He has sent (v.38). When people reject the Jesus Christ today, they are rejecting the very same thing. God, in His infinite kindness sent Jesus Christ that mankind would not be condemned for their sin and their rebellion. But as the Jews rejected this offer of life, so do many people today. Jesus Christ came in the name of the Father (v.43) meaning that he came in the authority of God as well as represented the very image and character of God. But people would rather follow those religions and men that come in their own name because the God of this world has blinded them to the truth (v.44) There have been and will continue to be people and religions that come in the name of God that are more attractive to the world than is Christ. They desire the favor and attractiveness of a man and the approval of others rather than the approval of God. (44) In their rejection of this gift of God they will find their deserved condemnation.

4. The Scriptures, by Moses 5:39, 45–47

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 45 do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

So, at least in those who truly searched the scriptures with an open heart towards God could see Jesus as the promised Messiah. The problem was with the Jews of this time and the people who are blinded in our time is that they sometimes miss the point. They search the scriptures in hopes that in them is some sort of secret to eternal life, and yet fail to see the clear witness to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. They search the scriptures perhaps with others in mind in terms of behavior instead of themselves. They are those who have a log in their eye and are trying to clean out the speck in someone else’s eye. They search the scriptures to build evidence for their own conclusions. They search for ways to live by the letter rather than by the Spirit of the law, and to be self-justified. In reading the scripture with wrong motives, the Jews really missed the point. We can also miss the point if we are not careful.

As mentioned before, the very scriptures from Genesis to Malachi proclaim the coming Messiah. But the Jews focused on the Pentateuch, written by Moses. Even there, the Messiah is clearly seen and testified to.

Deut. 18:15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—

Indeed, the entire five books of the Pentateuch are filled with types and shadows of Jesus Christ. The most famous one, the Passover where a lamb is slaughtered and the angel of death passes over those who have the blood of the lamb on the doorposts is a very specific type and shadow, as is the entire sacrificial system (see Leviticus). Jesus is the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world. As mentioned in John 3, Moses lifted up a serpent on a pole so that those who would look to it would be healed. This is another type and shadow of Jesus, used by Jesus to illustrate what He would do to save the world. The apostles recognized these types and shadows in the writings of Moses very clearly as Jesus Christ (See Acts 3:22, 7:37) and even in his testimony to Nathanael, Philip noted this:

John 1:45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

In this Chapter, Jesus makes the claim to be the Son of God, the Messiah. He lays out clear and compelling evidence of the testimony of John the Baptist, his own works, God the Father, and the Scriptures, specifically found in the Pentateuch. The Jews, in large part, did not accept what Jesus had to say, and made the determination to kill him. In large part to this day, people will accept their own made-up view of who Jesus is, and how He ought to look, but they will not take Jesus at His word and the evidences found in scripture. What are you going to do with Jesus? Have you seen enough evidence to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God?

Jesus claims He is God John 5:17-29

Jesus Christ was confronted by the Jews, (a general term for the leaders of the Jews, likely made up of those in the Sanhedrin, lawyers, religious leaders, and scribes) because He had healed a lame man on the Sabbath. But when he was confronted, he did something much worse in the eyes of these Jews. He made Himself out to be equal with God. And here begins the public and verbal proclamation of Jesus Christ as to whom He was and what He came to do. Now the Jews, and we, must decide what Jesus is. Either he was a liar, a deceiver who had some sort of god complex, or a lunatic believing He was something and someone He was not, and had some sort of death wish, for in this culture to claim equality with God was blasphemy. The last option is that he was Lord; which would mean that He was exactly who he said he was. We must each make that decision for ourselves as we look into the scripture:

15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working. 18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but also he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. 

The first claim of Jesus is made in conjunction with his healing of the paralytic, in answering the Jews as to why He would heal on the Sabbath. As we learned last week, the Sabbath command was for man, indeed even the Rabbis held that God’s work in maintaining and controlling the universe did not break the Sabbath command. Jesus said two things in relation to this: He called God his Father, observing that God is indeed working on the Sabbath, and he was doing the same. In this one sentence, Jesus claimed He was God’s Son, and as such, His work on the Sabbath was just a perfect reflection of what His Father God was doing. We observe the reaction of the Jews, and even if Jesus’ claim is not clear in the context of the scripture, the Jews’ reaction makes it clear. They recognized that He was calling God His father, and in doing so He was making Himself equal with God.

An observation here: Jesus Christ’s claims would not make such an impact if he did not speak with the authority of God. Indeed, another proof that He is God is that he survived this conversation. There were plenty of Jews around who knew the law who would pick up stones to immediately kill any blasphemer. This was multiplied by the fact that there was many more in Jerusalem and in the temple area that day due to the festival. What Jesus said was not said in a vacuum. What we must do as we look at this passage together is to decide if Jesus Christ’s claims were indeed true, or if they were just the ranting of another religious zealot or nut. That is what the people listening were doing; they were testing the Spirit so to speak to see if what Jesus was saying was true or false.

19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 

As my kids were growing up, I could see different ways in which they were trying to be like me. John would imitate me when I was shaving, to the point where I had to get him a fake razor so he would not cut himself. This translated into chores; as soon as John could reach the handle on the lawn mower, he wanted to come along and push it with dad. It wasn’t long after that he was doing it himself, only needing help to start the mower. When he was 4, he climbed up the countertop in the kitchen, and took down our van keys. He walked his little friend and my son Eddie out to the van, strapped Eddie into the car seat, climbed into the drivers seat, started the car, and put it in reverse with his little friend pushing down on the accelerator. Fortunately, the retaining wall stopped him before he hit anybody.

This is a similar picture, which Jesus gave. He was one in essence with the Father, but he had a different role or purpose within the Godhead. It was a picture that the Jews could relate to, indeed, that parents could relate to. But Jesus was more than just a son; he was co equal with God. While He was on this earth, He could see things that ordinary humans could not. He could see His Fathers work in the world. He could see what was behind the circumstances that many of us cannot explain or understand. Jesus could see God’s fingerprints, His providential activities that were going on in the events around Him. Indeed, as we have emphasized in this series, Jesus had a sense of His Father’s perfect timing in all things, and submitted to this timing, never doing anything arbitrary. The Fathers purpose is to save sinners, and, in doing so, bringing glory to Himself. Jesus brought the Father glory, and demonstrated Himself as equal with God by doing God’s work on this earth.

20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so l also the Son gives life to whom he will

This verse reiterates that Jesus is fully God, and has an understanding of God’s plan and purpose in everything that He is doing. He also has insight like no man can into the greater works that God will do through Him. It seems, by verse 21 that Jesus is speaking about raising of the dead, something only God has the power to do. He may even be speaking of his own resurrection from the dead, which will be another proof that He is who He says He is. These greater works serve the purpose of glorifying God amazing those people who are following God, and will ultimately they will draw some men to Christ. But I believe the greatest miracle that Jesus is foreshadowing here is the actual raising of mankind from death to life not in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense. This great miracle that happens to this day is the truth that God has the power to impute His righteousness and His life to those who will place their faith in Christ alone for their salvation. In a very real way, the miracle of being born again, made a new creature in Christ, is the current display of the power and the glory of God that was purchased 2000 years ago. It is the current proof that Jesus Christ’s claims of equality with God were true.

 22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 

Jesus Christ is equal with God because he has the power to judge, given Him by His Father! In the Old Testament, it is made very clear that it is God alone who has the power to judge:

Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” Genesis 18:25b)

In this prayer, Abraham was seeking God’s face to spare the city of Sodom from destruction. He acknowledges and understands that God is indeed the judge of all the earth. He pleads with God to spare the city if there are any righteous to be found there. He also proclaims God’s judgment to be just. This was the understanding of the Jews at the time, That God was a judge of all things, and had the right to judge. This was part of their root of morality, for they feared the Lord’s all Seeing Eye and his righteous judgment. Jesus Christ was clearly making another claim to deity and equality with God, because he was saying the role of judge and the power of ultimate judgment was His, as a gift from God.

23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

Here Jesus is stating that as the Father is worthy of worship, praise, adoration, and glory, Jesus is as well. This is a striking claim of deity, for only God is worthy of worship, indeed, the first and second commandment demand exclusive worship of God. Jesus was claiming that exclusive worship for Himself, proclaiming that He is God. To the Jews that were listening, this was clear blasphemy. If Jesus was not who he claims to be, he would be seen as a crazed lunatic to make such a claim. But to the extent that it is true, and I believe the evidence shows that it is, then all the religions and people who say that Jesus is simply a great prophet or a great moral teacher, and thus refuse to worship him and give Him honor due His name, then they are not worshipping God who sent Him. This means that these religions are false, and they worship a false god.

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 

These verses are the most amazing and at the same time hard to understand phrases of this conversation with the Jews. These are statements of deity all over again, but also a statement of the quality and the timeline of eternal life. In verse 24, Jesus talks about the present reality of eternal life. Those who hear his words and believe in God who sent Jesus have passed from death to life. This means very simply that two things have happened: We have been justified, because we do not come into judgment. And what this means is that there is no judgment ever for any sin that we have or we will commit. When we sin as Christians, it is not time to beg forgiveness and wallow in guilt. That sin you have committed has been forgiven. It is time to confess and to repent and to return to the narrow road of eternal life that you have already found by the grace of God. We can also face the future judgment with confidence, because we have already been judged and declared not guilty. The second reality in verse 24 is that eternity is a now not yet. We experience a partial and joyful reality in the present that we have been born again, and Christ’s life by the Holy Spirit dwells in us. It is described as living water; our spiritual thirst is satisfied and we share with others so they can experience it as well. John says it like this in his first epistle, chapter 5:

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

Verse 25 says that an hour is coming and is now here that the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God (the name, another claim to deity) signifies that we, prior to coming to Christ by faith, are dead in our sins. The resurrection of the dead did not happen at this point, Jesus was speaking about those around him and even those today who are dead in their trespasses and sins. When we hear Jesus’ word, through the Bible, through the proclamation of the Gospel, and we believe, we pass from death to life and we are made alive in Christ Jesus. As it says in John 1:4 in him was life and the life was the light of men. Jesus has life, as His Father has life. This is another claim to deity, for God the Father through God the Son created and gave life to all things in the beginning. This draws a spiritual parallel here, for in Jesus we can have eternal life if we will simply believe and obey the Gospel. The promise is that if we hear and obey, we will live.

27 And he a has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

The reference here to Son of Man hearkens back to the book of Daniel, where God has given this eternal world ruler the authority to execute the final judgment of every human being. In this passage, Jesus has shown many convincing proofs that he is one with the Father, but Jesus is saying here that they should not be amazed at this final pronouncement. If He is truly God, as he has clearly stated he is, on the final day he will call the physically dead out of their tombs, they will come out, and they will be judged. Those who have looked to God by faith will rise to a resurrection of life; those who rejected God and thus did evil will rise to a resurrection of judgment.

The key is, in reality for us is what have we done with Jesus? The Jews and the people who were listening to Jesus in this passage had a clear choice, as we do. Is this man Jesus a liar, claiming to be someone He is not? Is he a lunatic, a crazed man with a god complex? Or is he Lord? If he is liar and lunatic, we can cast his words aside. If He is Lord, we must repent and believe the Gospel, placing our full trust in Him. If we will do that, He will grant us eternal life, even today, so that we can walk in the power of His resurrection life.

Paralyzed John 5:1-17

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

There is an unspecified amount of time between the healing of the official’s Son and this point where Jesus went back to Jerusalem. The term ‘after this’ indicates this. We know it is approximately 100 miles between Cana and Jerusalem, we know it was a rocky walk, with change in elevation (up to Jerusalem) so it is likely four days to a week passed. Jesus went where the Father led Him, for the purposes of fulfilling the mission that God sent Him for. We do not know what feast this was, but there were lots of people in Jerusalem during the feasts, and with them were lots of religious types. Jesus made quite an impact on these religious types during this particular feast.

2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 

John goes to great detail here in his writing as to where this sign took place. In His day, you could walk back and investigate this very specific location. Today, as with many places in the Holy Land, there was a place of worship built over this location called a basilica. Many early people who practiced Christianity thought that different locations were holy or sacred and would build over and around these sites. This is helpful in showing where these geographic locations are, but it was also a form of idolatry and mythology that surrounded the institutional and state churches such as Roman Catholicism.

The actual pool, called Bethesda, was rumored to be visited by an angel. The first in the pool after the angel visited was to be healed by touching the waters. This is why it was called Bethesda, for in Aramaic, Bethesda means house of Mercy. Friends or relatives in hopes that they would be healed would carry these invalids who surrounded the pool there. The man who will become the focus of the miracle was an invalid for 38 years. This is longer than most people of Jesus’ day lived. The Greek (asthenia) for invalid is a general term for a disabled condition; likely it’s meaning here is paralyzed, lame, or extremely weak. What John is attempting to emphasize here is that this is a man who had no hope of a cure outside of a miraculous intervention.

6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”

John demonstrates again Jesus’ omniscience by mentioning that Jesus saw the man lying there and that he knew the man had been there a long time. He asked a simple question that may be deeper than we realized. One of the aspects of Jewish religion and culture at this time was giving of alms for the poor and the disabled. A good Jew, to demonstrate his righteousness, would give alms for the poor and disabled. On the other hand, the disabled specifically could make a pretty good living depending on their location. John did not mention this fact, but obviously Jesus asked this question for a reason. I am not sure, but the obvious answer would be yes! But again, there is a point where faith meets God’s power. This man had put his faith for a number of years into a specific and narrow cure. By his answer, we can see a level of frustration with his feeble attempts to get well by his own power. So his answer is sort of like yes, I would love to be cured, but I can’t because nobody will help me. He was asking Jesus in a round about way to help him into the pool. He was asking Jesus to heal him the only way he thought he could be healed. He didn’t know whom he was talking to.

8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. 

Jesus spoke with the authority of God here; he commanded the man to get up and walk. The scripture does not tell us specifically how this all worked, but on the command, we see that the man was healed at once- that is instantly upon the hearing of the command. He knew it; or did he have faith in the words- we do not know. But John tells us that he followed the command of Jesus- and he got up took up his bed, and he walked. We do not see the man arguing with Jesus that this was an impossibility for him to walk, or even a moment of doubt. We see the man doing just what Jesus commanded Him to do. This is a real demonstration of faith; for the man had not walked or carried anything for at least 38 years.

This is a picture of us before Salvation in Christ Jesus. We are invalid, unable to save ourselves. He is there, seeking after us, drawing us to Himself, asking us if we desire to be saved. We have no real desire to be saved; for the scripture is very clear in the fact that there is no one that seeks after God. We are laying by the pool, trying everything humanly possible to reach out to God of our own understanding, a god we create. When we finally understand that there is nothing we can do, when we come to an end of ourselves realizing that sin has paralyzed us and death has us in its grip, we can finally call out to Jesus. This man did not even do that; he still had this belief that it would be the pool that would heal him, if only some kind person would come along and place him in the pool. Jesus, in His infinite mercy, and by his grace takes us before we have a full understanding of what has happened and converts us. We do not understand the process, but we can see the result. We are free from the paralysis, we can walk, and we can do the work the Lord commands us to do.

10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.

The man was simply doing as Jesus had commanded him; and likely he was enjoying this newfound freedom. But there were the Jews, the leaders, religious people, who noted that this man was breaking their man-made codes of conduct. You see, God had given the command regarding the Sabbath being a day of rest; the Jewish lawmakers added to this basic code and made it far more confusing and strict. They were not going by the Spirit of the law, which was to remind the Jews of the creation and that God rested, and a day to thank and to worship God, to take the focus off of them. They changed the law so that they could seem ultra-righteous in the eyes of man because they did not do what others did. It was perfectly lawful, according to the perfect law.
What was worse in their eyes was there was a man more powerful than them, clearly, because he could heal one so miraculously. Think about it; this man had been an invalid for 38 years. These Jews likely knew the paralytic, and his former condition. This healer had told this former paralytic to break their code, their law. The Bible does not tell us their emotion or their motive, but I think it is clear they were angry and wanted to go after this healer. But the man, in his excitement, did not know where Jesus had gone off to, and there was a crowd in the area.

14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.

The man went to the temple, probably to give thanks to God that he had been healed. Jesus found him there, I do not believe by chance. He had a message for this man who was basking in his new found healing: Do not sin any more. Many people look at this verse and make a theology out of it that somehow to say that it is sin that causes people to get sick. That is true some of the time, and certainly, the Jews associated sickness with sin. Indeed, when sin entered into the world, sickness and death entered with it. In this case, it was definitely the cause of this man’s paralysis. If you are sick, infirmed, laid up, born with a birth defect and on down the line, it does not mean that you have sinned and caused the disease. If you have not been healed, it also is not necessarily a result of a lack of faith. The point in this story is that this man had sinned, and Christ by His mercy and His grace healed this man, before he could even repent, before he could even do a good work! When Christ saves us it is the same way. It is not by our own merit, or even by the effectiveness of our repentance. It is by grace, through faith, and even that is not of ourselves. And when he heals us, when he saves us, it is for the glory of God! Even though we get the joy, He gets the glory. And with His power, we can walk in repentance on the narrow road through the narrow door, which we cannot even find without Him.

The man then left Jesus and told the Jews who it was that healed him. I do not think that he was trying to do any thing to harm Jesus, however, the Jewish religious leaders made it clear that they wanted to meet this healer. The next verse gives insight to why the Jews really wanted to meet Jesus:

16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.

Healings and a level of work were never restricted on the Sabbath; again it was the Pharisees and the other religious sects of Judaism that added to the law so that they could look more pious and moral before men. They were putting their religious rules above genuine compassion and love towards others, which the Old Testament commanded, indeed, it was the foundation of the law (loving God first, neighbor as self). There are many examples of legalism today in the modern church, which are truly ridiculous. For example, God’s law never says anything about drinking wine, or other alcoholic beverages. God’s law does talk about how we ought to be self-controlled in all that we do, the principle being that nothing except the Holy Spirit ought to be in control in our lives. However, there are many unwritten laws and rules concerning alcohol consumption and Christians. We hold one another to these unwritten rules, and place unnecessary burdens on others, while trying to make ourselves look more spiritual. This is what the Pharisees were doing here. And it made them downright angry with Jesus, who exemplified the very purpose and right practice of the law of God. Here was a man, clearly righteous, clearly in authority, clearly having the power of God demonstrated by this miraculous healing, and they wanted to persecute him because he broke their human rule. It was Jesus, not these self-righteous Jews that fulfilled the law. He made their righteousness look filthy; so they wanted to get back on top by persecuting him according to their law.

17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

Obviously, these Pharisees missed something. If God did not work on the Sabbath, then how was this man healed? In other words, if God did not approve of Jesus’ ministry of healing on the Sabbath, why would He allow this good deed, this miracle to happen? He is claiming two things here: First, that God is His Father. This claim to deity is the first direct public proclamation Jesus makes that God is His Father. He also claims that God, his Father, is lord over the Sabbath, and therefore He, as God’s Son, co-equal with God, has the right to do healing or any other work on the Sabbath. The Jewish Rabbis agreed that God upheld the universe continuously, and this without breaking the Sabbath. Jesus was saying that these things that He was doing was his work, but indeed, like God doing His work, was not a transgression of the Sabbath law. He was working, just like God, and hence he is Lord of the Sabbath.

18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.