Fifth Sunday in Lent (2023)
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John 8:42-59
John 8:42-59
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, here we witness the Jews that Jesus is speaking with getting so angered by what Jesus is saying to them, that they are willing to pick up stones and put him to death. But what makes this so offensive that they are willing to stone Him inside the temple of God?
Who is God?
When Moses asked who God is, God answered, I AM WHO I AM.
This seems an odd way for God to identify himself, but this is how He is known to His people. God is the great I AM, and now in the Hebrew this is 4 Letters long, YHWH. Anytime you see Lord in all caps, the True name of God is there in the text. But this has to do with the world and the universe
Creation exists because it has a creator.
That is why we have words like creation, creature, they all point to the fact that they are created, and if they were created, that means there is something that brought them into existence. But to say I Am, which can also be translated as I exist.
God’s name reveals that He depends on no one.
God depends on nothing for His existence, He is the source of all things, and so when God says, I am to Moses, it not only reveals who He is, but What He is as well. This helps us understand what is happening in the Gospel of John.
So when Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I am.” He reveals Himself to be God.
He says this in the Temple, what He speaks is true, but to those who hear him, they think this is great blasphemy and given the place where he said, they pick up stones to put him to death.
They Seek To Take Jesus’ Life
Look at what Jesus says, their father is the devil.
Things had been getting a little bit heated so far in the text, but this is in keeping with what Jesus said, for what drives the devil is great hatred towards God, and the Church. This is talked about in Revelation when the dragon seeks to destroy the child, that points to Jesus.
For those who belong to the father of lies cannot bear the truth.
For Jesus is the one through whom the Father created all things, for the world came into existence by the Word, and that is who Christ is the Word made flesh. They cannot abide Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life.
Their response confirms that they do not belong to the Father or to Jesus.
For who would seek to put to death the light that shines in the darkness of this world? Who would seek to cover up the truth? Who would seek to kill Him who offered eternal life? You would have to belong to the kingdom of Satan, and be doing his work.
The Words of God
Whoever belongs to God, listens to the Words of God.
Those words at time are hard. We abide by them not because we are perfect people, but because these are the words of eternal life even at times that we don’t want to hear them.
Whereas the Devil says, you can choose which words you listen to.
From the beginning the Devil has encouraged us to look away from the Word and to look into our hearts. If you say, “The Bible says this, but...” whatever follows is not of God, and that means it comes from satan’s kingdom. You acknowledge that God has spoken, and then reject it. I know the Bible says it’s wrong lie, gossip, steal, fornicate but everyone else is doing it, it’s just this one time, is it wrong if it makes me happy? I know the Bible says that I must forgive, love, and help my neighbor, but
This applies not only to the Law but also the Gospel.
Quite often we think in terms of Law and what a person shouldn’t do, and point that out as sin. But the devil also twists the Gospel look at the crowd that Jesus is speaking to here in the temple.
Jesus promises that whoever keeps His word will never see death.
They reject it, the Gospel at times does make people angry, and they refuse it. Because it sounds too good, too free, too simple, and it means that we rely entirely on someone else for our salvation.
As Americans we don’t like depending on others. I don’t want to be a burden to my kids, I don’t want to depend on a machine to live, as though we didn’t depend on machines while we were healthy, and haven’t relied on others throughout other stages of our life. We are creatures, we have always been dependent.
What is the Word That Saves?
The Law is true, but does not save us.
It reveals our need for salvation, for who amongst us hasn’t shown by thoughts, feelings or our words that we are sinners in the kingdom of satan. Every time we say, I know the Bible says this, but
It warns that whoever sins is a slave to sin.
Indeed when you rage against sin on your own, you will strength of those chains, to remove all curse words from not only your lips, but your heart and mind? To remove all lust? To remove hatred? To speak only truth in love?
The Gospel is also true, and saves us from death.
It is this good news that depend on entirely for our salvation. The work of Christ and everything that He has done for our sake.
The Son has set us free from sin.
Here is the Son of God in the Flesh, as He says, Before Abraham was, I am. Jesus is the one through whom all things were made good, and He is the one that can take slaves to sin and transform from slaves to sons. For what He speaks happens.
What Does It Mean to Keep?
Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved.
Each of these things seems to simple when you look at them. Indeed the world laughs at it, for what is a little bit of water against the sins of my soul? But it isn’t the water by itself, it is the Word in the Water that regenerates sinners and calls them sons and daughters of God.
Whoever eats my flesh, and drinks my blood has eternal life.
Jesus gives this to us, and all the world sees is a bit of bread and wine, but we keep His Word which says take eat this is my body, take drink this is my blood. We trust that Word through whom all things were created.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.
We trust Jesus’ promise that He has done it all for our salvation, and depend entirely on Him.
Because Jesus is the Word that became flesh.
He is the great, I am, all of things was made through Him, and so all things depend on Him already. So it is no surprise that we would depend on him for our salvation too.
My Brothers and sisters in Christ, may we be on guard against setting aside the Word of God, for we are all born into the kingdom of satan and are slaves to Him. But Jesus the Son of God, I AM, who became flesh for us. He has set you free that you might remain in the house of God forever. Let us not fall back into sin and unbelief and put on the chains of slavery depending on our own wisdom, our own works, on our strength, let us rely solely upon His Work for there is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved, Jesus Christ our Lord. In Jesus name. Amen.