Psalm 141

Here is a Song of immense practical value for the righteous of all ages.  The question is, “How can the godly live godly in an unrighteous world?”  Given our enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil, how can we ever hope to be faithful in our walk?  This Psalm gives us the right focus as well as very practical helps.

·         141:1-2: Our brother turns us to the Lord from the very start.  When he is beset by the workers of iniquity (v4,9) and facing a struggle in his own heart and soul (v4,8) his cry is not to his mentors or parents or best friends; it is to the Lord!  All of the above may be used in our sanctification but our focus must be on God.  So first, as regular as the evening sacrifice, lift your prayer to God as you seek help in walking in righteousness.

·         141:3-4: We must have the restraint of the Lord.  We must ask Him to be on 24/7 patrol, something we cannot do in the flesh.  This is a Psalm of David so we are hearing the Old Testament saint plead for God’s guarding and keeping.  God promises the saints of the Church He is able to keep them (Jude 24-25) and preserve them blameless (1 Thess. 5:23).  And remember that our Lord Jesus promised a Helper/Advocate to help us at all times, the Holy Spirit whom He would send in His absence (John 14:15-18).  This is a great prayer given us by David.  Let us ask God to guard our tongue and our heart.

·         141:5-7: We must have the reproof of the Lord.  Notice: David pleads for the righteous to strike him; but to whom does he plead?  It is to the Lord!  The Lord, our Father who loves us enough to reprove and chasten us (Heb. 12:5-6, a quote of Prov. 3:11; so again we see a truth for saints of all ages).  Friend, examine your heart in this matter!  Do you resist God’s chastening?  You may accept the chastening of some physical or financial trial.  But what about God’s chastening through your brother in Christ?  What is common in our society is that when a brother reproves us we just change churches.  But what David says here (how it is better to be judged by the righteous than the unrighteous) is repeated for the Church by Paul (1 Cor. 6:1-8).  Let us not just endure this reproof; like David let us cry out to God for it.

·         141:8-10: We must have the refuge of the Lord.  1 Cor. 10:13 promises that God will not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to withstand with His help.  Jesus instructed us to pray for deliverance from temptation (Matt. 6:13).  Psalm 125:3 promises that things will never become so difficult that the righteous must reach out their hands to iniquity.  In the same vein as these passages we here have David, setting his focus on the Lord for refuge.  This must be our constant experience, that God is watching over us even when we do not realize it.  In this way we are trusting His protection as well as His righteousness, that in all things God is the Sovereign.

Let us so walk, praying without ceasing for His restraint, reproof and refuge.

Ez. 34:1-5; Jn. 10:11-15, The Sacrifice of the Good Shepherd

However you understand the order of events regarding the death and resurrection of Christ (i.e. Wednesday, Thursday or Friday crucifixion), today (Saturday) is the day of silence; the body of Jesus is in the tomb, in a garden, near the place of crucifixion. I’m not really up on the purpose of all the “holy days” during “holy week.”  So I checked, and because nothing is happening above ground (apparently the “descent into hell” can be celebrated on this day) it’s a good day for reflection on the eternal significance of the crucifixion.  So let us do some of that reflection.

Ezekiel tells us there are seven problems experienced by sheep.  Jesus said He was and is the Good Shepherd, and that the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.  So let us briefly acknowledge, entrust ourselves to, and put our hope in the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep.

·       Weakness (from a poor diet).  John 6:35,51: And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 51: I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

·       Sickness. 1 Peter 2:24: who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

·       Injury (broken, by poor choices or the enemy). 

Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed.”

Matt.11:28: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

·       Straying (being driven away).  1 Peter 2:25: For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

·       Lost. Luke 15:3-7: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ ⁷ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

·       Scattered. Matt. 9:36: But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 

·       Attack by wild animals. 

1 Peter 5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Heb. 2:14-15: Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

If I can make one further suggestion for meditation, now would be a great time to read Psalm 23.

Jn. 1:29-34,47-51, The Son of God in the Old Testament

Both John the Baptist and Nathaniel confessed that Jesus was “the Son of God.”  Both of these men were Jews.  All they had for Scripture was what we call the “Old Testament.”  So how did they know that the appropriate response to Jesus was to affirm Him to be “the Son of God.”  In other words, where in the OT is this taught?

To answer that question, and I do believe we can answer the question, we need to notice that both men also confessed Jesus by the use of another title.  John referred to Him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  Nathaniel referred to Him as “the King of Israel.”

Where in the OT do we see “the Son of God” and “the Lamb of God” together?  The answer is, of course, in Genesis 22, when Abraham was directed by God to offer his son Isaac, his only son, his beloved son, as a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah.  This story does tell us something about Abraham that, as the Angel of the LORD said, “for now I know that thou art a God-fearing man” (22:12; all OT quotes in this post are from the 1917 translation of the Jewish Publication Society of America).

But we also know that this story has a larger purpose.  It is, in my view, the preeminent picture of Calvary, other than Calvary itself.  How can we miss it?  “Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac” (22:2).  “God will provide Himself the lamb” (22:8).  “Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son (22:13). The larger purpose is to declare how God would provide for salvation (22:14).  He would send His only Son, His only beloved Son, to be the sacrifice for sin.  Abraham joins “the Lamb of God” and “the Son of God.”

Where in the OT do we see “the Son of God” and “the King of Israel” together?  The answer is, of course, in Psalm 2. 

 ⁶ ‘Truly it is I that have established My king Upon Zion, My holy mountain.’

 ⁷ I will tell the decree: The LORD said unto me: ‘Thou art My son,

This day have I begotten thee.

 ⁸ Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for thine inheritance,

And the ends of the earth for thy possession.

 ⁹ Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron;

Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’

This was common knowledge among the people of Israel, that the Messiah would be their King.  The Magi were seeking “the King of the Jews” (Mt. 2:2).  The crowd recognized Jesus in this way at the time of the “Triumphal Entry” (John 12:13).  The crowds ridiculed Jesus as “King of Israel” while He was on the cross, but in so doing were acknowledging that this was who He claimed to be (Mt. 27:42; Mk. 15:32; Lk. 23:37; Jn. 19:3).  Pilate’s sign over the cross called Jesus the “King of the Jews” because in the conversations between Jesus and Pilate, the Lord affirmed that the title was correct (Mt. 27:11,37). 

This is Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Son of God.  We should know Him both in His humiliation as the Lamb of God, for “He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross”; and in His glory as the King of Israel, for “God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Phil. 2:5-11).

John 19:17-30, The Seven Last Words of Christ (2)

Here are numbers 4-7 of the words of Christ from the cross.  The first three involved His concern and provision for other people.  These words today emphasize His relationship with the Father and the completion of His earthly ministry. 

WORDS	SCRIP.	TRUTH
My God, My God, Why?	Mt. 27:46	Isa. 53 1)    The REALITY of His bearing our sin! 2)    He was there for us, on our behalf … a)    Not figuratively, symbolically,  mythically. b)    But factually, He atoned for us. 3)    Propitiation: the Father’s wrath  was satisfied.
I thirst!	Jn. 19:28	Heb. 2:10-18 1)    He had been offered a drugged  drink earlier, but to take it then  would have been to dull the pain. 2)    He was fully human, tasted death  fully.
Done!	Jn. 19:30	Heb. 10:11-18 1)    “I thirst” called attn. to the person;  “It is finished,” to the work. 2)    Many sacrifices culminate in  ONE sacrifice, once for all. 3)    The veil torn in 2; redemption  complete so men can know God. 4)    There is nothing to do but to  receive!
Father, into Thy hands.	Lk. 23:46	Acts 2:22-35 1)    We are saved by the faith(fullness)  OF Christ. 2)    These words clearly and plainly  anticipate the resurrection; His death  was not the final event. 3)    So for us: we are saved by grace  through faith … a faith that unites  us with Christ in His death/burial/ resurrection!

Man of sorrows what a name

for the Son of God, who came

ruined sinners to reclaim:

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Luke 23:33-46, The Seven Last Words of Christ (1)

On “Good Friday” in 1968, I had a blessed experience with the Lord.  I was working in downtown Los Angeles while I was at Biola.  My boss, at the Ace Print Shop, permitted me to go around the corner to the Church of the Open Door (the original location of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, and where J. Vernon McGee was pastor during my Biola years) and attend part of their Good Friday services.  They had 7 half hour segments, each with a congregational song, special music and one of their pastors speaking on one of the “seven last words of Christ” from the cross.  Growing up in my church, I don’t remember an emphasis on the seven last words.  Perhaps that was why it meant so much to me in 1968, and why I have preached on them in my own ministry.  For two posts I would like to present these words of Jesus, along with brief notes from one of the occasions when I have led a congregation in the study of these words.  May the Lord encourage you in your faith in Christ as you meditate on what our Lord considered important during those hours at Calvary.

WORDS	SCRIP.	TRUTH
Father, forgive them…	Lk. 23:34	Rom. 5:12-14 1)    Jesus prayed (1st, 4th, 7th sayings). 2)    Did not pray for Himself. a)    Prayed for those around Him. b)    Thus He condemned himself. 3)    This saying reminds us WHY He  was there & WHO put Him there.
Amen. With me.	Lk 23:43	Rom. 4:5-8 1)    Classic illus. of a)    “faith alone”. b)    The inability of man to please  God by works. 2)    No clearer picture that “God  justifies the ungodly.”
Woman, behold thy son…	Jn. 19:26-27	Mt. 1:20-23 1)    This speaks loudly of the  uniqueness of Christ as Savior! 2)    The point is NOT the  importance of family. a)    Though He was fulfilling  a family responsibility. b)    Mary had been there  at the start, Jn 2. c)    Mary had been with others  who thought He was crazy. 3)    The point is that Mary  too needed salvation! a)    After the cross Jesus &  Mary were not family. b)    Rather they are Savior/ Believer (Ac 1).

Isaiah 1:18; Lev. 14:4-7, The Crimson Thread

Let’s complete our thinking about why our sins are as scarlet or crimson.

·       To complete our initial word studies, let’s look at Isaiah 1:18.  “Red” is Adam.  “Scarlet” (sani, 42x in OT) and “crimson” (tola, 43x in OT) are both related to a particular insect according to Gesenius.  Strong describes it thus: “the insect ‘coccus illicis,' the dried body of the female yielding colouring matter from which is made the dye used for cloth to colour it scarlet or crimson.”  Over half of the uses of sani in the OT are in Exodus where scarlet thread and material was part of the Tabernacle. On eight occasions, in the NKJV, tola is actually translated “worm” (including Ps. 22:6 and Jonah 4:7).

Now, why are our sins said to be as scarlet and red like crimson?  Let me start with Jamieson, Faucette and Browne commentary: “The rabbins [sic] say that when the lot used to be taken, a scarlet fillet (not a piece of meat but a ribbon or band) was bound on the scapegoat’s head, and after the high priest had confessed his and the people’s sins over it, the fillet became white; the miracle ceased, according to them, forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem, that is, exactly when Jesus Christ was crucified; a remarkable admission of adversaries.  Hebrew for “scarlet” radically means double-dyed; so the deep-fixed permanency of sin in the heart, which no mere tears can wash away.”  JFB also points out that “scarlet” was the color of Jesus' robe when bearing our sins (Mt. 27:28), as well as the color of Rahab’s thread (Josh. 2:18) that brought salvation to her household.

I did do a little checking on this idea, and sure enough, there is a section in the Torah that talks about this in connection with the cleansing ritual in today’s reading from Leviticus.  In that passage we see that the cleansing of a leper required two birds, one being killed and the other left alive.  The blood of the one was sprinkled on the one to be cleansed, using the live bird and a scarlet cloth.  Interesting.  The article is at, https://www.thetoray.com/article/scapegoat-the-origins-of-the-crimson-thread.  It did not mention the part about changing from red to white, although many people refer to this without giving specific credit to an original source.

Here is another consideration from Henry Morris (Biblical Basis for Modern Science, Baker Book House, 1985, p73), which speaks of the worm: “When the female of the scarlet worm species was ready to give birth to her young, she would attach her body to the trunk of a tree, fixing herself so firmly and permanently that she would never leave again.  The eggs deposited beneath her body were thus protected until the larvae were hatched and able to enter their own life cycle.  As the mother died, the crimson fluid stained her body and the surrounding wood.  From the dead bodies of such female scarlet worms, the commercial scarlet dyes of antiquity were extracted.  What a picture this gives of Christ, dying on the tree, shedding his precious blood that he might ‘bring many sons unto glory’ (Heb. 2:10)!  He died for us, that we might live through him!  Psa. 22:6 describes such a worm and gives us this picture of Christ (cf. Isa. 1:18).”

By these comments we can then remind ourselves.  Sin is like leprosy in that it goes deep into the soul and spreads to every aspect of our lives.  The reddishness is a sign of the presence of this disease.  Thus, our sins are as scarlet, red like crimson.  Further, death has passed upon all men because all have sinned in Adam/the man (Rom. 5:12).  We agree with Morris: the red gives us a picture of Christ, solving the issue of sin by taking our reddishness upon Himself, being numbered with the transgressors, and shedding His blood for our cleansing.  Hallelujah!

Lev. 13:18-23; Isaiah 1:18, Why are sins like scarlet? (1)

(We are going to turn our attention this "Holy Week" to posts related to the death and resurrection of Christ.  We will, Lord willing, return to complete our studies in John's Gospel on April 2.)

When was the last time you did some reading in Lev. 13?  It’s one of those parts of Scripture where, if you are reading through the entire Bible, and don’t want to skip anything, you might, nevertheless, read as fast as possible.  You might ask, if “all Scripture is inspired of God and is profitable …”, how is this profitable to me?  You might understand how it benefited Israel in the OT but wonder about it now.

As I read this recently, I gave this some thought.  First, I have heard some pretty good sermons that used leprosy as an illustration of sin.  There are some pretty good comparisons.  Maybe that’s why it's still profitable today.  But then, in connection with that, I noticed that indications of leprosy that the priest looked for were reddish color, whether the sore was getting deeper or spreading.  As I was thinking about this, my brain pulled up Isa. 1:18: Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.  This raised another question: why are sins described as “red?”  I am familiar with the black and white idea.  That is the sharpest contrast in colors it seems, and makes sense.  But why red? 

Well, I went to work, starting with a check of several OT words for “red” and associated colors like scarlet and crimson.  Consider the following.

·       The word for “red” that you should know, if you are an English reader and don’t read Hebrew (like me) is Edom.  “Esau” means hairy (Gen. 25:25) but “Harry” was also called Edom or “Red” after he sold the birthright for some of Jacob’s red (adom) stew (Gen. 25:30).  His descendants were the nation of Edom.

·       Here’s something interesting.  “Adam” means “red.”  Now wait, you might say.  “Adam” means something like father of mankind doesn’t it?  The first use of the name is in Gen. 2:15, where the NKJV says “the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden.”  Then, in 2:19 God brought the animals “to Adam to see what he would call them.”  When used as a masculine noun, this word appears over 550 times in the OT and is most often translated “man/men.” As the Heb. scholar Gesenius said, “perhaps so called from the idea of redness.”  It is used as a proper name around a dozen times.  I’ll mention one passage in Job (31:33) where Job is defending himself and says, If I have covered my transgressions as Adam (or, a man), by hiding my iniquity in my bosom …  Job is using the man/Adam as an illustration of the wrong way to deal with sin.

·       Here’s another interesting thing.  In Lev. 13-14, the term “reddish” (used 6 times and nowhere else in the OT) is literally, adamdam.  Gesenius calls it a “reduplicated” form. 

We will conclude this subject in the next post.

Psalm 140

Let us briefly consider this Psalm which has a tremendous message for us today given the ascendency of the wicked to places of great power.

·         140:1-5: The nature of the proud.  Note that David’s enemies were not always kings with armies.  As with us, he was often attacked by people with warring words and with schemes to make him stumble (discredit him) or get him off the narrow path where they could catch him in a trap.

·         140:6-8: The nature of the God in whom David trusts.  God IS the strength of David’s salvation; God HAS sheltered David in the past.  This encourages David’s faith.  David’s concern is that if the wicked succeed then they will be exalted rather than God.  That is an issue that is important enough for what follows.

·         140:9-11: The imprecations of David’s prayer.  This may sound a bit over the top.  Perhaps you would think that today we should pray for their salvation.  We should, certainly.  But we should also pray that they will be absolutely frustrated in their plans, because their success denies the glory of God.  So David’s prayer is correct for us as well!

·         140:12-13: The confidence of David’s prayer.  Not only is God’s glory at stake; God’s faithfulness to the humble is at stake.  Since David knows God’s heart he is emboldened in this prayer.  The righteous tend to be on the short end of earthly power, given the god of this age.  But God exalts the humble and desires their presence forever.

Let us not deal with the deceitful, powerful people of our day by complaining about politics and politicians.  Let us rather come before God lest they be exalted.

John 9:6-25, A Man Who Didn’t Know Any Better

Jesus performed the miracle, bringing sight to a man born blind.  Now John takes us through the steps by which the formerly blind man comes to believe in Jesus.  Remember, Jesus had not asked the man for any “commitment” before the miracle.  And yet, by the end of the chapter, the man had come to faith in Christ.  Let’s note the various steps he took to come to that conclusion.

·       9:6-12: Jesus was the man who told the blind man to wash in the Pool of Siloam.  The acquaintances of the man were a little confused, which is to be expected.  Some could not believe this was the man, even though his appearance was not significantly changed.  The man assured them he was, and when asked who had healed him his answer was simply, “a man called Jesus.”  He had not seen Jesus since he didn’t regain his sight until he washed the mud from his eyes.  Furthermore, he had not been part of the debate going on in the temple area over Jesus and His claims.  He didn’t take up sides.  He didn’t know any better than what he had experienced through his encounter with Jesus.

·       9:13-17: Jesus must be a prophet.  The man was brought before the Pharisees, apparently because what Jesus had done required the man to do work on the Sabbath, which it was.  By the way, it wasn’t necessarily Saturday.  The last day of the Feast of Tabernacles was a Sabbath, as was the day following.  Nevertheless, a debate ensued.  The Pharisees said that this “Man” was not from God because He violated Sabbath rules.  But others asked, if He is such a sinner how could He do the signs (miracles) that He did?  The debate continued.  But as for the man who had been blind, having heard the debate, he realized this “Man” must be a special sort of person.  “He is a prophet!” 

·       9:18-34: Jesus must be from God.  What followed was, essentially, a formal inquisition by the Jews, the leadership, on the matter.

o   9:18-23: First, the Jews took the position that the man had not really been blind.  So, they called in his parents, asking how he could now see if he had really been blind.  Their answer was true, although they were also trying to protect themselves from the authorities.  They knew he was their son and that he had been blind.  They had not been around when the healing took place.

o   9:24-34: Then they turned again to the man for questioning, and the man was anything but “protective” of himself.  The Pharisees even crafted a question, designed to bring some sort of explanation from the man that would give them a narrative by which they could spin the story to fit their position: “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.”  The man’s answer was as clear a testimony as you can give, which we will consider in our next post.

Take a moment to consider your approach to Jesus.  Are you wanting to define Him in a way that fits your desired outcome?  Or are you allowing the Bible to define Jesus and bring you to God’s desired outcome?

John 9:1-7, Joy From the Wells of Salvation

Jesus was hiding Himself from those who were intent on stoning Him to death.  But as He hurried out of the temple area, He saw a man who was blind from birth.  Probably he was sitting, begging, near one of the entrances into the temple area (a good place for beggars given the high traffic, especially during Feast time). 

The story begins with a conversation, instigated by Jesus’ disciples: who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?  As we said, they were in a hurry, but during a feast, “hurry” was a relative term as the temple area would have been quite crowded.  The crowds provided some cover as they sought to escape the stone-throwers.  But still, they were in a hurry, intent on finding a place to hide. 

Yet, both Jesus and His disciples noticed the man.  The question of the disciples turns on his being blind “from birth,” and is built on the assumption that our maladies are always someone’s fault.  Since he was born blind, it’s an open question: was it the parent’s fault or the man’s fault, for some sin the Creator knew he was going to commit and who therefore could be punished in advance?

Jesus’ answer shows the fallacy of this kind of thinking.  Sure, sometimes our problems are self-created by foolish or sinful actions.  But that is not the bottom-line assumption.  We would be much more accurate if we assumed that our trials provided an opportunity to glorify God. 

Having said that, we must also recognize that Jesus knew this situation to be of special importance to the purpose of His Father in sending Him to earth.  Even though they are intent on escaping a mob, Jesus knew He could not bypass this opportunity to do “the works of Him who sent Me.”

Jesus did not take the time to ask the man if He wanted to be healed, as He had done previously (Jn. 5:6).  He also did not just say, “Be healed!”  Instead, He spit on the ground and made some mud, put it on the man’s eyes, and sent him to the Pool of Siloam to wash it off. 

Why did Jesus do this?  I don’t think there’s any doubt but that His actions were meant to connect with the traditional daily “water ceremony” at the temple during Tabernacles (cf. post on March 11, 2024, second to the last paragraph).  If the purpose of the daily ceremony was to acknowledge Isa.12:3, Therefore with joy you will draw water, from the wells of salvation, Jesus’ use of the Pool of Siloam was a statement that the joy of salvation the Jewish people hoped for was here now! 

The Pool of Siloam has only recently been discovered in Jerusalem, by accident when city workers were working in the area.  It should be a powerful statement today, for the Jewish people and everyone of the validity of Jesus’ offer of salvation to all who believe in Him.

Jn. 1:1-5; 8:12; 9:1-5, Jesus: The Light of the World (2)

The story in John 9 is about a blind man, but it also continues the themes developed in the previous chapters.  Jesus challenged the “status quo” when He healed the man by the pool of Bethesda in John 5.  He had performed this miracle on the Sabbath, thus violating established rules about what was legal to do or not do on the seventh day (5:16-18). 

It is still the “Feast of Tabernacles” (Jn. 7:2.) This encounter with a man born blind continues the friction between the Jews (the leadership) and Jesus.  Even more, Jesus continues speaking the truth about Himself, and confirming that truth through a specific, miraculous sign.  Jesus had proclaimed in 8:12: I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.  He restates this in the opening verses of John 9: As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.  This story is about the light being turned on for a blind man.

I want to quote a paragraph from Arthur Pink’s commentary on John that summarizes John 8 as we move into Chapter 9:

So it was in John 8.  Christ as the Light of the world discovers (i.e. “uncovers”) not only the state of Israel, but too, the common atheism of man.  He affirmed His power to make free the bondslaves of sin (8:32): but His auditors (the leaders whose responsibility is to evaluate Jesus so as to advise the people) denied that they were in bondage.  He spoke the words of the Father (8:38): but they neither understood nor believed Him.  He told them that their characters were formed under the influence of the Devil and that they desired it to be so (8:44): in reply they blasphemously charged Him with having a demon.  He declared that He was the Object who had rejoiced the heart of Abraham (8:56): and they scoffed at Him.  He told them He was the great and eternal “I am” (8:58): and they picked up stones to cast at Him.

You might think that things were not going well for Jesus and His plans.  But, of course, things are actually going according to the plan.  Don’t forget that Jesus knows His death is a major part of the Father’s plan.  Jesus had referred to His death by crucifixion in John 8:28: When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  The “lifting up” refers to crucifixion (cf. John 3:14; 12:32-33; 19:18).  As John pointed out, while there was a plot in the making to put Jesus to death, no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come (8:20). 

And while we are speaking of God’s plan, don’t you just love how our story begins?  As Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.  It sounds like an accidental encounter.  Don’t you believe it!  This was a perfect situation to show Jesus as “The Light of the World.”

John 8:48-59; Exodus 3:13-15, The Great “I Am”

As the conversation between Jesus and the Jews continues, we see two things happen: those who reject Jesus become more hardened in their rejection, and Jesus becomes more bold in His claim to be “God in the flesh.”

When an argument isn’t going well, sometimes we foolishly get into name calling. That’s where the Jews (the leadership) went, calling Jesus a “Samaritan” and then accusing Him of having demons.  The first is “rumor mongering.”  Jesus had gone through Samaria and many people had believed in Him (cf. John 4:39-42). Since the Jews were “too holy” to ever deal with those “Samaritans” this was an effective accusation to whip up the crowd.  The latter was “tit for tat”: Jesus had said they were of their father the devil so they claimed He was full of demons. 

Jesus responded to the “demon” charge by continuing with the “like father, like son” argument.  In all He said and did He had honored and glorified His Father.  The devil was a liar and there was no truth in him.  Jesus’ words were from His Father (8:28) and they were true.  He assured them and assures us: if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death. 

What an amazing statement!  “Never see death.”  But what could Jesus mean by this?  We know that eventually He would die.  Did Jesus overstate His power?  The Jews certainly thought He had.  Abraham had died and so had all the other Old Testament prophets.  How could Jesus make such an obviously ridiculous statement?  “Who do You make yourself out to be?”  Finally, they asked the right question, the question we must all be willing to ask of Jesus.

Jesus’ answer comes in two parts.  First, He assured them that Abraham is alive, and that he rejoiced to see His (Jesus’) day.  Abraham lives in God’s presence and is joyfully aware that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.  Thus, the Jews and we have an idea of what Jesus meant about never seeing death.

Then, when Jesus was challenged, that He could not have seen Abraham, the cloak of Jesus’ full humanity is pulled back so we can see His full deity: Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.  Jesus referred to the occasion when God revealed Himself to Moses and the people of Israel.  God told Moses to tell the people: Say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent you.’  This was and is God’s special name for Israel.  As the “I AM” He is self-existent, having no beginning or end.  He is life and He alone gives life to all that live.  Jesus claimed to be the God of Israel, the I AM!  And, of course, we know there is no other way to understand what Jesus said, because the Jews took up stones to put Him to death.

Now we know who Jesus made Himself out to be.  He is the One sent from Heaven, the Son of God.  He is the One who can say: if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.

John 8:31-47, Who is Your Father?

The major portion of John 8 involves Jesus’ concerns about His Father and about who is the father of the Jews with whom He is engaged.  Jesus first said, “I am with the Father who sent Me” (8:13-18).  Then He made the powerful claim: “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also” (8:19-20).  The result was that many believed in Him, including some from the Jewish leadership (8:30-32). 

Now He challenged them to be true disciples or followers of Him by abiding in His word.  If they did this, that “word” would make them free.  Talking about “freedom” with Jews in Jesus’ day could be volatile.  They chafed being under the authority of Rome, and were notorious for their rebellious attitude and actions. 

·       8:33-38: First, they rejected the thought that they needed to be “free” from anything: We have never been in bondage to anyone.  Jesus clarified the issue: I am not talking about bondage to some political power; I am talking about bondage to sin. Specifically, He referred to their desire to put Him to death.  Then He charged them: you do what you have seen with your father.

·       8:39-41a: Second, they claimed that Abraham was their father.  Again, Jesus challenged them: if Abraham was your father, you wouldn’t be trying to kill Me.  Abraham never tried to kill those who spoke God’s truth.  And again, Jesus charged them: you do the deeds of your father.

·       8:41b-43: The response of these Jews was, “God is our Father.”  Jesus had pointed out something from the life of Abraham, a story that is recorded in Scripture for all to see.  So, they changed their story, claiming that God, whom no one has seen at any time, was their Father.  Jesus’ response, however, was essentially the same: if God was your Father then you would love Me! 

Did you ever have a discussion like this, where every time you challenged someone they changed their position to something else.  That’s what we do if we are not pursuing the truth but just trying to win the argument.  In this case, these Jews who believed in Jesus were struggling with what it meant to follow Jesus.  Jesus called them to abide or remain or continue in His word (v31).

They failed to understand the principle of, “like father, like son.”  They were not acting in a way that fit either Abraham or God.  Jesus spoke the truth: you are of your father the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning, and in whom there is no truth (v44).  Becoming a follower of Jesus would require them to openly separate from the leadership that desired to kill Jesus.  They claimed to believe Jesus (v31), but as Jesus pointed out, they did not believe Him (v45-46), and thus could not be true disciples because they did not continue in His word.

To believe in Christ is a simple matter.  It is also a monumental event because we are no longer slaves to sin but become children of God.

John 8:30-36, Abiding in Jesus’ Word

We concluded our previous post asking, “what do you think of Jesus?”  Today’s passage seems to be answering the question, “what would Jesus say to you if you were to profess faith in Him?  John says many believed in Him“ (v30), and then Jesus addressed those among “the Jews” who “believed Him” (v30).  We have explained that the term “Jews” refers to the leadership (see Day 4 on John 7:11-18). 

Perhaps this was the time when Nicodemus believed in Jesus.  He had argued about the treatment of Jesus and been reproved wrongly by his fellow Jews (Jn. 7:50-52).  Perhaps Joseph of Arimathea was in this group.  He was the member of the Jewish ruling council whose tomb was borrowed for three days, after the crucifixion of Jesus (Mk. 15:43; Lk. 23:50).  Until the time he asked to bury the body of Jesus he had remained secret about his faith “for fear of the Jews” (Jn.19:38).  As Jesus’ ministry continued there came to be many among the leaders in this category.  Note this passage from John 12:42-43:

⁴² Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Why did Jesus challenge these believers at this point?  There are many who see the issue to be, was their faith genuine?  If their faith was not genuine then they would not experience the freedom Jesus offered.  Jesus made public confession of Him a critical issue in what it means to be in a relationship with Him (Matt. 10:32-33).  One brother put it like this:

They were just converted – converted under a single sermon.  They had had no time to test their faith.  Jesus assures them that if their faith should abide the test, if it should produce obedience to his commandments and a holy life, it would be proof that their faith was genuine, for the tree is known by its fruit. (Albert Barnes)

But one difficulty with this view is that we are told, “many believed in Him” (v30).  In John 1:12 and 3:16 and elsewhere we are promised that all who believe in Him have eternal life.  Perhaps this is why Jesus challenged these particular believers here.  The goal of a believer in Christ is to grow and mature in His faith.  In other words, he needs to be a follower or disciple of Christ.  Jesus challenged them to become “disciples indeed” by abiding (remaining) in His word.  John, both in his Gospel (John 15) and his letters (1 and 2 John) uses the word “abide” to refer to our ongoing “union and communion” with Christ.  Without this the believer will not experience the freedom Jesus offers in this life.

Jesus didn’t really raise the question as to whether their faith was genuine.  But He did, clearly, exhort them, and us, to continue on in our relationship with Him.

Psalm 139

This Psalm is a favorite for many.  God’s knowledge of His people is an immense encouragement to many.  The third stanza is often quoted in pro-life settings for what it says about the unborn child.  The closing verses are often quoted in prayer and are worth memorization.

We referred to God’s knowledge of His people.  This Psalm is about God’s deep and intimate knowledge of us; but note that it is very personal.  It applies to each individual in the corporate body of Israel or the Church.  David writes this and fills it with “You” (he is speaking directly to God) and “me” (he refers to God’s knowledge of him).  So this is not simply a Hymn about God’s omniscience.  It is God’s omniscience in the context of His full and complete knowledge of the individual.  God knows the universe and eternity.  But what is amazing is that the same God knows me.

The overall thoughts are not hard to understand, in my view.  Our need is to take time to meditate on these things.

·         The fact of this knowledge God has for me, v1-6.  God knows because He has searched us (v1), as spies searched out the land before Israel crossed the Jordan (always connotes a diligent and difficult probing); and because He has winnowed (root word is pitchfork used to toss the stalks at harvest to separate them so they can dry) my path and my lying down.  Two things we might do without thinking: walk a familiar path and lay down for a rest; but God knows intimately what we take for granted.  He understands (v2) my thought, meaning He has insight, not just knowing my thought but why I have these thoughts and where they are leading me.  He is acquainted (v3) with my ways (choices), meaning he is familiar with them.  He encloses (hedges) us in, in back and in front.  Spurgeon understood the imagery to be that God walks behind observing our faults and dispensing His grace and walks in front providing our needs according to His foreknowledge on the path He has ordained for us to walk (Eph. 2:10).  Truly this knowledge God has for us is too wonderful to fully appreciate.

·         The inescapability of this knowledge, v7-12.  There is no place in the universe nor time of day (or night) when I am outside the knowledge of God.

·         The extent of this knowledge, v13-16.  Even before I left my mother’s womb, yea even before I entered my mother’s womb, God knew me!

·         The value of this knowledge, v17-18.  To a person walking in wickedness this knowledge might be and should be frightening.  But to David, to the righteous who fear God and trust Him, this knowledge is unimaginably precious.  For one thing, God’s knowledge is not just static; it’s not that He is merely reading the newspaper of my life.  From His knowledge come thoughts,  thoughts to me.  How marvelous: God knows my thoughts (v2, desires, intentions) and then He formulates His own thoughts Because of this David brings two requests to God.

·         Slay the wicked, O God, v19-22.  If God be for us (His very thoughts are for us) who can be against us (Rom. 8:31).

·         Search me, O God, v23-24.  God has already searched David (v1) and David can never escape God’s eye.  Why would he need to make this prayer?  It is David’s way of acknowledging his faith.  He is saying, O LORD, continue to search me until all wickedness is gone and I am on the everlasting path. 

The word for everlasting is olam.  God is the Everlasting God (Gen. 21:33).  For I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Ps. 23:6).  As with us (2 Cor. 4:16-18) so David is focused on things eternal.  God doesn’t need our permission to search us.  But when we give our permission, no, when we plead for God’s searching, then we are one with the Everlasting God.