Book: John

A Tale of Two Fathers
In this sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia continues examining John 8:31-59, Jesus’ final public discussion with the Jews at the Feast of the Booths. John reports this discussion in his Gospel so that you will recognize your true spiritual state and turn to Jesus with perseverant faith.

In the second part of Jesus’ discussion, John 8:37-47, Jesus raises the question: are you demonstrating devilish parentage or divine parentage?

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Summary

John 8:37-47 teaches that every person has one of two spiritual fathers: God or the devil. Spiritual parentage is not merely influential but determinative—it shapes how we live, what we love, and especially how we respond to Jesus Christ. We are challenged to examine our own lives honestly: Do our deeds, desires, and response to Christ reveal that we are children of God or children of the devil?

Key Lessons:
1. Spiritual descent matters far more than physical heritage—being religiously affiliated or ethnically connected to God’s people does not make someone a child of God.
2. Our deeds reveal our true spiritual parentage; those who belong to the devil reflect his murderous, truth-hating character, while those who belong to God reflect His love and obedience.
3. How we respond to the biblical Jesus is the definitive test of spiritual parentage—children of God love, welcome, and obey Christ, while children of the devil reject, twist, or ignore His word.
4. There is no middle ground—every person is either a child of God or a child of the devil, and this reality explains everything about how they live.
Application: We are called to honestly assess our spiritual state by examining our deeds, desires, and response to the real Jesus of Scripture. If we find ourselves resistant to God’s word and living in sin, we must repent and turn to Christ in persevering faith rather than hiding behind religious identity or past spiritual experiences.

Discussion Questions:
1. How does the distinction between physical and spiritual descent challenge the way we think about religious identity and church membership?
2. Jesus says that children of the devil cannot hear God’s word because of contradicting desires in their hearts. What are some ways people today demonstrate an inability or unwillingness to hear God’s truth?
3. How can we take both the warning and the comfort of this passage seriously—examining ourselves honestly while also resting in the assurance that comes from genuinely following Christ?
Scripture Focus: John 8:37-47 — Jesus declares that spiritual parentage is revealed by one’s deeds and response to Him; those who hear and obey God’s word are God’s children, while those who reject truth and desire sin are children of the devil. 1 John 3:1-10 is also referenced as a parallel passage providing both sobriety and assurance about spiritual identity.

Outline
Introduction

That’s an answer to prayer and congratulations to them. All right, well, let’s pray as we look to hear from the Lord.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. Lord, the passage before us is meant to help us understand where we are with you. God, I pray for those that don’t know you, that they’d see that and they’d see their need to turn to you. But I pray for those who do know you, they would see that too and they’d find comfort and encouragement to keep on after you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Children Take After Their Parents

Well, something that I’ve always found fascinating is how often children take after their parents. How often children look like, talk like, and even act just like their moms and dads.

For example, though my son Benjamin is just over a year old, I can already see this reality in him. His face seems to be truly a combination of my own and my wife’s faces. He’s already getting tall, just like his dad, and he loves eating bread, just like his dad has always loved eating carbs.

Growing up, I basically subsisted on Cinnamon Toast. So when I see Benjamin happily munching on a waffle or a pancake, I say, “That’s my boy!”

He also likes eating pickles, though, which he definitely did not get from me. I’ve always despised pickles and would never taste briny. So I think he got that from his mother.

But surely all of us can testify that, to some degree, children take after their parents, even when the children or the parents don’t mean to make that happen.

“Children take after their parents, even when the children or the parents don’t mean to make that happen.”

To give another example, my dad has a Christian ministry in which he produces audio recordings of great old sermons—like 1700s, 1800s old—and he does this by re-preaching these sermons in his own voice.

The first time I heard one of these re-preached sermons, I was completely shocked at how much my dad sounds like me when he preaches, or rather, how much I sound like him. I never consciously tried to imitate the way my father talks. It just happened regardless.

But to give an example on the other side, I remember once talking with a Christian parent who was trying to be careful to train up his young daughter in proper behavior and speech. And he told me how dismayed he was one day to find out that she had learned and had begun to use some unclean words.

And he thought to himself, “Where did she learn to talk like that? We don’t have any movies with that kind of language. She doesn’t have any friends that she’s been hanging around who speak that way. Where’d it come from?”

And then he thought a little bit longer, and he realized, “Oh wait, that’s the way that I sometimes talk. I didn’t mean to teach her those words, but she nonetheless learned them from my own example.”

It’s amazing what kids will pick up from their parents. Though surely parents wish kids would pick up more of the good things rather than the bad things.

Parents can have a significant influence on their children by simple genetics, by the example they live, by purposeful discipline, and communication with their children. It’s not true that a parent can make their child turn out a certain way—good or bad.

Ultimately, a child will himself choose how to respond to his parents’ influence. As my biblical counseling professor used to say in seminary, “Parenting is influential but not determinative.”

The Case of Spiritual Parentage

Except in one case. One very important case: the case of spiritual parentage.

As we’ll see today in our next passage in the Gospel of John, the Bible makes clear that spiritually speaking, every person ultimately has one of two fathers: God or the devil.

Spiritual fatherhood isn’t merely influential. It is determinative. It will make you act a certain way, make you live a certain way, so much so that based on how a person speaks and acts, and especially on how a person responds to Jesus Christ, you can know a person’s spiritual paternity. You can know who his father is.

“Spiritually speaking, every person ultimately has one of two fathers: God or the devil.”

After all, as people say, “Like father, like son.”

The consequent startling truth is that when assessed this way, many religious people—many even professing Christians—demonstrate that their spiritual father is not God. It’s the devil.

The question for us is: What about me? What about you who are listening? What does your life show about your spiritual paternity?

That’s the central question of our next passage. That’s what we want to look at together today.

Please take your Bibles and turn to John 8:37-47.

The title of the message is “A Tale of Two Fathers.” John 8:37-47 is our passage, but I’d like to read the full section with you again so you can appreciate how it all fits together.

Scripture Reading: John 8:31-59

Follow along with me as I read John 8:31-59.

Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say you will become free?”

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever. The son does remain forever. So if the son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, yet you seek to kill me because my word has no place in you. I speak the things which I have seen with my father. Therefore, you also do the things which you have heard from your father.”

They answered and said to him, “Abraham is our father.”

Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. You are doing the deeds of your father.”

They said to him, “We were not born of fornication. We have one father: God.”

Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God. For I have not even come on my own initiative, but he sent me.

Why do you not understand what I’m saying? It is because you cannot hear my word.

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.

Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me.

Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe me?

He who is of God hears the words of God. For this reason, you do not hear them because you are not of God.”

The Jews answered and said to him, “Do we not rightly say, or do we not say rightly, that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”

Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my father, and you dishonor me. But I do not seek my glory. There is one who seeks and judges.

Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also, and you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste of death.’ Surely you are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too. Whom do you make yourself out to be?”

Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ and you have not come to know him. But I know him, and if I say that I do not know him, I will be a liar like you. But I do know him and keep his word.

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.”

The Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and have you seen Abraham?”

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”

John 8:58: “Before Abraham was born, I am.”

Therefore, they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Context and Main Idea

We’ve returned to this unexpected bonus round of argument between Jesus and the Jews during the last day of the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem. Jesus is still in the temple courts, as we saw last time, which should have been, on the surface, merely a final exhortation from Jesus to those Jews who had newly believed in him to persevere in following and obeying his teaching.

It turns into a debate of escalating hostility until these believers try to kill Jesus on the spot.

Now, while this demonstrated fickle faith may be surprising to us, it was not surprising to Jesus. In fact, in John 6:1, Jesus specifically speaks words to expose his new disciples’ incomplete, ultimately false faith—to show them, to show the world, their true spiritual state as enemies of God and in desperate need of God’s salvation, which is only found in Jesus, his son.

Now, our author John records these words from Jesus with a similar purpose for his original audience. He was speaking to Hellenized Jews in the first century, but these words are also relevant for us today. The Spirit of God wants us to see them.

I gave you the main idea of this whole section last time. Here it is again: In John 8:31-59, John reports Jesus’ final public discussion at the Feast of Booths so that you will recognize your true spiritual state and turn to Jesus with perseverant faith.

“John reports Jesus’ final public discussion so that you will recognize your true spiritual state and turn to Jesus with perseverant faith.”

Now, again, to remind you, this climactic conversation between Jesus and the Jews proceeds in three parts, each part focusing on a certain question to get his listeners—to get us—to see our true spiritual state.

We saw the first part last time in verses 31-36, focused on this question: Number one, are you experiencing spiritual slavery or spiritual freedom?

Jesus says that he offers spiritual freedom and life to any who will persevere in his teaching. But only those who first recognize that they need such freedom and life—that they are, without Jesus, spiritual slaves bound to their sins and bound to an eternity apart from God—only such will take Jesus up on his offer.

The Jewish believers at this feast prove unwilling to see themselves that way—unwilling to see themselves as anything but spiritual royalty, as descendants of Abraham. They totally miss out, therefore, on Jesus’ generous invitation.

In response, Jesus proceeds to the second part of the discussion, in which he uses another overarching metaphor to get his original listeners and us to see where we really stand with God. This is the part we’re looking at today, in verses 37-47, which is focused on a second question: Number two, are you demonstrating devilish parentage or divine parentage?

We’re going to explore these words of Jesus under four subheadings, each capturing a main assertion from Jesus under this overarching question. I’ll give you those subheadings as we go along.

Spiritual Descent Matters More Than Physical

And the first one covers verses 37 to 38, and that’s this: 2A. Spiritual descent matters more than physical.

Spiritual descent matters more than physical.

Look at those two verses again, verses 37 to 38: “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, yet you seek to kill me because my word has no place in you. I speak the things which I’ve seen with my father. Therefore, you also do the things which you heard from your father.”

John 8:37: “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, yet you seek to kill me because my word has no place in you.”

In some ways, these words are a transition from the thought Jesus just expressed in John 8:31-36. There, Jesus made his plain exhortation and offer unto true spiritual freedom. However, based on Jesus’ supernatural knowledge and based on the Jews’ initial reply to Jesus—insisting that they, as Abraham’s descendants, have essentially never been enslaved to anyone or anything—Jesus acknowledges here that these disciples are not true disciples and thus really not true descendants of Abraham.

These Jews instead are living out the results of an entirely different and more profound spiritual descent.

Notice Jesus does admit in the beginning of verse 37 what the Jews asserted back in verse 33. Jesus says, “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. I know that you are Abraham’s seed.”

Abraham’s Descendants Wanting to Kill Jesus

And calling his people’s attention to their dire spiritual state, he’s not disputing their ethnicity. Yet Jesus says in the middle of verse 37, “Yet you seek to kill me.”

Now, the Greek word translated “yet” is “alla.” It’s a word that’s used in Greek to set up a strong contrast. But what’s being contrasted here? Being a descendant of Abraham and wanting to kill Jesus. Why the contrast?

Well, Jesus is pointing out that these items shouldn’t go together. After all, think about Abraham. Abraham knew God. He believed God. He loved God. He obeyed God’s word. He was not a murderer, or, as far as we know from the content of scripture, he never even desired to murder.

Yet his physical descendants—these Jews—they do want to murder. And not just murder a random person. They want to murder the very Messiah and Son of God. This is not what one would expect from the blessed, even righteous, seed of Abraham.

“They want to murder the very Messiah and Son of God. This is not what one would expect from the seed of Abraham.”

Jesus’ Word Has No Place in Them

And why do they want to kill Jesus? Jesus actually clarifies: “Because my word has no place in you.”

We could alternatively translate this phrase: “Because my word makes no headway among you.”

Commentators debate which one is more accurate, but either way, we get the idea. Though Jesus has freely taught these Jews the life-giving truth of God, they not only refuse to believe this truth in any meaningful or lasting way, but they also desire to punish Jesus for telling them that truth by killing him.

That also is not what one would expect from the seed of Abraham.

Indeed, how could righteous Abraham’s own seed act in such a heinously evil way? The answer must be: there is something more determinative than physical descent at work.

“There is something more determinative than physical descent at work.”

Jesus Knows Their Hearts

By the way, is it fair what Jesus asserts here—that these Jews, his nominal disciples, seek to kill him? We know by now in John that some Jews, especially the religious leaders, seek to kill Jesus because of Jesus healing on the Sabbath and breaking man-made tradition, and also Jesus calling God his own father. We saw that starting in John 5:1.

But surely those who believe in Jesus don’t seek to kill him. That doesn’t make any sense, right?

Are Jesus’ words here, then, an example of what we sometimes see happen in human arguments? When one person says, “Why are you getting angry with me?” the other person says, “I wasn’t getting angry until you accuse me of getting angry with you.”

Is Jesus simply provoking his disciples to want to kill him by telling them that they want to kill him?

No. Jesus is not so oblivious.

Rather, Jesus knows all men, which we heard expressed directly in John 2:24-25. Even if these Jews have never breathed the word about murdering him to anyone, even if these Jews have never even fully articulated the thought of murder in their own minds, Jesus knows their hearts. He knows their core loves and commitments—even the kind that will manifest in murder if these Jews do not receive from Jesus what they want from him.

In other words, the attempted murder at the end of this section—verse 59—it’s not some tragic, random happening that they were just provoked into. It is the manifestation of an evil, murderous heart that was already present, even at the beginning of this discussion. It’s just external confirmation of what Jesus declares is already there internally.

“Jesus knows their hearts—their core loves and commitments—even the kind that will manifest in murder.”

But how could this be? How could this be true of the descendants of Abraham?

Doing What They Learned from Their Father

Jesus alludes to the answer in verse 38. Jesus essentially says that both he and these Jews are just doing what they’ve learned from their true fathers.

Jesus speaks what he does. He even declares what religious people like the Jews will often consider offensive, because Jesus saw it or learned it directly from his father.

In response to these words, note that “therefore” in the middle of verse 38. In response to these words, the supposedly religious Jews do what they heard or learned from their father.

“Saw” and “heard” are basically used as synonyms for the idea of “learn” here. Jesus does what he saw from his father. They do what they heard from their father.

“Both Jesus and these Jews are just doing what they’ve learned from their true fathers.”

But who’s the Jews’ true father? Who has so instructed them in the way that they should act?

Your Deeds Show Your True Parentage

This brings us to our second subheading, which covers verses 39 to 41A: 2B. Your deeds show your true parentage.

Look at the first part of verse 39: “They answered and said to him, ‘Abraham is our father.’”

Likely not quite catching on to what Jesus is getting at in verse 38, the Jews go right back to insisting that they are and demonstrate themselves to be sons and inheritors of blessed Abraham.

But this does not fit with what Jesus just said in verse 38. So Jesus points out the discrepancy for them.

Look at the rest of verse 39 down to verse 40: “Jesus said to them, ‘If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do.’”

You see here that Jesus speaks more plainly about what he only alluded to before. Even though Jesus has admitted that the Jews are the physical seed of Abraham, they could not be the true spiritual seed of Abraham. And why not?

Because they don’t do father Abraham’s deeds. Despite whatever they think of themselves, or whatever rituals and rules they keep on the outside or in particular contexts, these Jews are not faith-filled people and are not obedient to God. They are quite the opposite.

“They could not be the true spiritual seed of Abraham because they don’t do father Abraham’s deeds.”

As Jesus says in verse 40, they are presently seeking to kill Jesus when all he did was tell them the truth given to him by God to speak.

Emphatically, Jesus declares, “This Abraham did not do.”

Abraham was not a murderer of God’s messengers. Rather, according to scripture, Abraham received, he believed, and he obeyed the messengers of God. Even in Genesis 18, when Abraham incredibly showed hospitality to Yahweh himself—to God, even to the pre-incarnate Son of God—when God told Abraham that amazing word, old Abraham would have his promised son by the next year. Abraham believed. He received. He responded in faith.

See the contrast between the righteous deeds of Abraham and his physical descendants? It’s too great. There’s no way that these Jews are true spiritual sons of Abraham.

Thus, Jesus says again at the first part of verse 41: “You are doing the deeds of your father.”

By disputing their essential heritage from Abraham, Jesus was not contradicting what he said before. “Oh, you Jews are doing the deeds of your father.”

All right, but it’s not Abraham. So who’s their father?

Your Response to Jesus Shows Your True Parentage

The Jews have another answer, which will take us into our third subheading. This time, covering verses 41B to 42:2C. Your response shows your true parentage.

Your response—and that is, your response to Jesus—shows your true parentage.

“Your response to Jesus shows your true parentage.”

Look at the second part of verse 41: “They said to him, ‘We were not born of fornication. We have one father: God.’”

The Jews’ Claim to Have God as Father

This reply from the Jews might strike you as a little bit odd. Why did they start off by denying that they’re the products of immorality?

There are a few possibilities. One: the Jews could be misunderstanding and misinterpreting Jesus’ words and think that Jesus is alleging that these Jews, while being physical descendants of Abraham, are not pure physical descendants and thus are not qualified to inherit Abraham’s blessing.

Perhaps they think that Jesus is alleging they are descendants of Abraham by Ishmael rather than Isaac, or worse, that these Jews are the products of the union of Jewish mothers with Gentile fathers, which should make these Jews just like the unclean and hated Samaritans. So they definitely want to dispute that. Perhaps they say this to Jesus to dispute any alleged illegitimacy in their own bloodline. That’s one possibility.

A second would be: the Jews could be using these words to once again mock Jesus for his own mysterious bloodline. As I noted to you before, the Jews apparently had some knowledge of the unusual circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth—circumstances that could be easily misinterpreted as suggesting that Jesus was born from an immoral union by Mary with some unknown man.

Therefore, when Jesus starts saying words that appear to these Jews to question the Jews’ legitimate inheritance of Abraham’s blessing, these Jews feel compelled to bring up their own qualms about Jesus’ origins. “Jesus, you’re one to talk about us not being true descendants of Abraham. Are you sure that you’re a true descendant of Abraham? We ourselves were not born from immorality, but we don’t know about you.” That’s a second possibility.

A third is that the Jews could actually be catching on to Jesus’ true meaning about spiritual parentage, and then they use the same metaphor to insist that they are not disqualified from blessing as products of any spiritual adultery. After all, notice the Jews follow up their protest by saying, “We were not born from immorality. We have one father: God.”

If you study the Old Testament, you see one of Israel’s main problems is not so much totally abandoning God, but trying to serve Yahweh alongside other gods at the same time. It was syncretism, or in other words, spiritual adultery.

Yet something changed after Israel’s exile experience. Once the Jews returned to the land from Babylon and other places, they generally did not worship false gods or set up idols alongside Yahweh. Their bad habit of syncretism had been broken. That’s good, right?

Well, yes. But Malachi and the New Testament show us that the Jews exchanged one form of false worship for another. They simply exchanged outward idols for inward ones and exchanged syncretism for going through the motions and holding to man-made traditions.

Nevertheless, in the minds of the Jews, they were not only in God’s good books because the Jews were physical descendants of Abraham, but because they served, at least outwardly, the one true God. There were no longer any false gods or idols.

“The Jews exchanged one form of false worship for another—outward idols for inward ones, syncretism for going through the motions.”

Therefore, they say, “We are not children of spiritual immorality. We have one father: God.”

Which one of these possibilities is behind their words? It’s hard to say for sure. I lean towards this third one, though the Jews may be trying to hit multiple birds with one stone here.

Ultimately, the Jews tell Jesus, “We are not only the physical seed of Abraham. We also have the one true God as our spiritual father.” But Jesus quickly disputes that reply.

If God Were Your Father, You Would Love Jesus

Notice verse 42: “Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your father, you would love me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God. For I have not even come on my own initiative, but he sent me.’”

Notice to what Jesus points to contradict the assertion that God is their true spiritual father: lack of love, lack of acceptance of God’s specially sent one.

Isn’t this the truth that we’ve already seen in this gospel? Because God so loves and is so intimately united with his son, it is not possible for someone to truly love God and reject or be apathetic to Jesus.

“It is not possible for someone to truly love God and reject or be apathetic to Jesus.”

The Jesus a person must love and accept must be the Jesus of the Bible, not some made-up Jesus of a person’s own mind. After all, these Jews already love their own made-up Jesus. That’s why they’ve become believers in him.

Their made-up Jesus doesn’t condemn them for their sins but rather pats them on the back for all their hard effort and keeping God’s law according to human tradition. Their made-up Jesus will soon deliver them political independence and temporal prosperity and the banishing of all diseases that they so want and crave.

But as this conversation goes on, the made-up Jesus of their own minds that they love and the Jesus who actually exists are starting to clash more and more. This is what is causing their faith to start crumbling, their love to start turning into hate, and their discipleship to start turning into murder.

Yet, as Jesus says, such would not happen if these Jews were truly sons of God. If they were truly spiritual sons of God, they would love God and consequently they would love the special one who came forth and is now present from God.

After all, Jesus says, “I have not even come on my own initiative, but he sent me.”

What Jesus is speaking and doing on the earth is not even his own words and works. It’s his father’s. So how could anyone who truly belongs to the father not love Jesus and receive Jesus’ words?

If you love one, you’ve got to love the other.

These Jews say they love God, but they cannot hear one simple exhortation from Jesus to persevere in his word and experience true freedom without arguing with Jesus and perhaps even mocking Jesus over the circumstances of his birth.

Abraham can’t be these Jews’ true spiritual father, and neither can God. So who is it really?

Your True Spiritual Parentage Explains Everything

We come now to our fourth and last subheading, which covers verses 43 to 47: 2D. Your true spiritual parentage explains everything.

Your true spiritual parentage explains everything.

“Your true spiritual parentage explains everything.”

Verse 43: “Why do you not understand what I’m saying? It is because you cannot hear my word.”

Jesus says here what probably some of you have been thinking since the beginning of the feast in John 7: Why is it that these Jews so frequently misunderstand Jesus? They don’t get it, or they just offer up all these objections to what he says.

Are they just slow in their minds? Has Jesus simply not tapped into their best learning style? Is Jesus a poor communicator?

No. The problem is not Jesus’ mode of communication, nor is it the mental ability of his hearers. The real issue is that spiritually, they cannot hear or accept what Jesus has to say. There is no room in their hearts for it. God’s word cannot make any forward progress.

Why can’t they accept God’s word? Because of contradicting fundamental desires in their hearts, inherited from their true spiritual father.

In the next verse, Jesus finally makes plain what he’s been hinting at since verse 38.

Verse 44, beginning part: “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.”

What a thing for Jesus to say to a bunch of religious people who are at a feast to God and at least in their own hearts profess to believe in Jesus!

“You are of your father the devil, and you desire to do your father’s desires.”

Yet such finally makes sense of everything that both Jesus and we have observed in this passage. The reason you sin, Jesus says, the reason you reject God’s genuine sent one, and the reason you ultimately cannot accept that sent one’s teaching is because you are the spiritual offspring of the devil.

Devil—by the way, Greek “diabos”—it means “slanderer” or “accuser.” You are spiritual sons of the devil, Jesus says. You are offspring of that created but fallen angel who set himself up as the arch-enemy of God.

And like any child, you take after your father, whether you mean to or not. You learn his ways. You love what he loves. What he desires to do, you desire to do.

Like father, like son.

Verses 44B to 45: Jesus applies this diagnosis to make perfect sense of even the specific things that Jews are doing with Jesus.

The Devil: Murderer and Liar from the Beginning

Jesus says, “He was a murderer from the beginning.”

“That one was a murderer from the beginning.”

This statement most likely refers to how the devil, or Satan, or the serpent—they’re all different names for the same being—led the human race in the beginning of the world, in the garden, led the human race into sin, death, and separation from God.

He didn’t put a knife in Adam and Eve, but essentially, he did. He murdered the human race by bringing the whole human race into sin. And soon after those beginning days, the devil’s continual intent to murder and destroy it was seen again in how the devil led Cain to literally kill his brother Abel, who was righteous.

Now, how is noting the devil’s constant and even ancient murderous streak relevant for Jesus’ talk with the Jews?

Well, what did Jesus already say? The Jews seek to kill him. They seek to murder him. That’s not taking after God. Whom is that taking after? The one who is a murderer from the beginning.

“The Jews seek to kill Jesus. That’s not taking after God. That’s taking after the one who is a murderer from the beginning.”

And again, why do they want to kill Jesus? For telling them the truth of God. This also fits with devilish parentage.

For Jesus says next of the devil, “He does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.”

Satan hates the truth. He does not tell the truth, nor can he stand to listen to the truth, because truth is the opposite of his own essential being.

The devil, therefore, the slanderer, he is about the business of destroying truth, distorting truth, and destroying those who speak the truth.

And if you find yourself doing the same—like these Jews do—guess what? You are showing devilish parentage.

Preferring Lies Over Truth

Jesus goes on in the end of verse 44 into verse 45: “Whenever he, the devil, speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me.”

Notice here Jesus gives the corresponding opposite to the devil’s relationship with truth. The devil hates God’s truth, but the devil loves lies.

To tell a lie isn’t second nature to the devil. It’s first nature. He is fundamentally a liar and a spiritual father to all those who love and speak lies.

“To tell a lie isn’t second nature to the devil. It’s first nature. He is fundamentally a liar and father of all who love lies.”

Now, notice Jesus connects the devil’s nature to the nature of these supposed disciples: “Because I speak the truth, Jesus says, not in spite of my speaking the truth, because I speak the truth, you do not believe me.”

What kind of person does that? What kind of person is completely averse to the truth—even the truth of God?

What kind of person doesn’t believe the truth just because it’s the truth? “Oh, is that the truth? I don’t believe it.”

Only a child of the devil. Only a child who loves lies as much as his spiritual father does reacts that way.

Jesus’ Sinless Challenge

Jesus presses the point further on his listeners in verse 46: “Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe me?”

“I’m sorry, if I speak truth,” he says.

Notice here Jesus invites the Jews to try to prove that Jesus has committed some kind of sin.

Jesus’ enemies have multiple times before accused Jesus of committing sin. “This fellow blasphemes. He doesn’t keep the law. He doesn’t keep the Sabbath.”

But they can never prove that to be true of Jesus, nor would they be able to, even at the sham trial before his crucifixion.

As the sinless Son of God, Jesus knows that he hasn’t and he doesn’t commit sin ever.

“They can never prove sin to be true of Jesus. As the sinless Son of God, Jesus knows he doesn’t commit sin ever.”

Which one of us could ever say this? “Which one of you can convict me of sin?” I can. I can.

Jesus is different. It’s because he’s the Son of God.

Jesus wants that fundamental difference—that spotless record of his as the divine son—to weigh on his opponents’ hearts.

If you can’t prove that Jesus has committed any sins, then what must that mean? That means that he is truly from God and he’s telling you the truth.

If Jesus is telling you God’s truth, you have no legitimate excuse for not believing him and for not believing in him. He’s the one. He’s not the one who is wrong. You are.

If you have no legitimate excuse for not believing, yet you still do not believe, what’s the implication? What are you demonstrating?

That you are a child of the devil. Like your father, you prefer lies over the truth. There’s no other explanation. This is the only way to make sense of that situation.

He Who Is of God Hears God’s Words

Jesus cements the indictment with the final statement in verse 47: “He who is of God hears the words of God. For this reason, you do not hear them because you are not of God.”

This is another version—just for emphasis—of what Jesus has already said.

Anyone who truly belongs to God, who truly is God’s spiritual child, hears, loves, believes, and obeys the word of God.

John 8:47: “Anyone who truly belongs to God hears, loves, believes, and obeys the word of God.”

If you do that—if that’s what marks you, even you who are listening this morning—and the scripture says you’re a child of God, that God’s truth, that God’s own son has set you free, and you are free indeed. What a wonderful place to be!

But if you do not hear God’s word—that is, if you are not willing to listen to, to accept, to obey what God has spoken through his son and unique revelator, Jesus Christ—there’s only one explanation: you are not of God.

Even if you claim to be, you are an illegitimate child. Your true father, your true spiritual father, is the devil.

What amazingly bold and powerful words from our Lord to a group of supposed disciples!

The Jews’ Response: Hatred and Contempt

You’d think that with such a piercing word, there’d be some serious soul searching, right?

But what is the result of these words? Let’s take a peek at next week’s passage.

Verse 48: “The Jews answered and said to him, ‘Do we not say rightly that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?’”

What’s the result of Jesus’ words to them? It’s hatred and contempt in ugly arrogance.

When the perfect Son of God mercifully exposes the people’s wickedness so that they can own it and repent, these disciples—these supposedly religious Jews—they only insult him in reply and suggest that he, not they, is the one under the determinative influence of the devil.

“We’re not sons of the devil. You are.”

These Jews thus only prove further that they really are the children of the devil who prefer Satan’s damning lies to God’s humble but saving truth.

“These Jews only prove further that they really are children of the devil who prefer Satan’s damning lies to God’s saving truth.”

Application: Assess Your Spiritual State

But as I said last time, we here have the opportunity to respond differently to Jesus’ merciful word than the original audience did.

This passage has been given to us so that we might recognize our own true spiritual states before God and then turn to Jesus with perseverant faith.

So, my dear listeners, assess yourself according to the words and categories that Jesus gives in this passage.

Spiritual descent matters much more than physical. What kind of spiritual parentage are you showing?

Look at your deeds. Look at the way you live your life. Look at your thoughts, your speech, your behavior, your relationships. Do these demonstrate? Do they show? Do they cause—would they cause someone to think that you resemble a child of God or rather a child of the devil?

Do you have, and are you fulfilling by obedience, God’s desires in your life? Or do you have, or are you fulfilling by your sin, the devil’s desires in your life?

Furthermore, look at your relationship—or the lack thereof—with the biblical Jesus. Do you love? Do you accept? Do you embrace Jesus as the Son of God, even as the only Lord of your life, the only one who can save you from your sins?

Or do you care little for Jesus? Do you even regard him with contempt and hatred? Do you constantly ignore, twist, argue with the word of Jesus? Or do you instead welcome it and abide in it?

Friends, it may be that the fundamental reality that explains everything in your life—especially your lack of remaining and persevering in Jesus’ teaching—is that you are not of God. You also are a child of the devil.

Consider that as a real possibility. Don’t merely say to yourself, “But I’m so religious. Surely I’m not a child of the devil.”

The Jews of this passage were religious too. They even believed in Jesus. But Jesus told them in no uncertain terms who their real spiritual father was.

So, brethren, I tell you on the authority of God’s breathed scripture that no matter how outwardly religious a person is, no matter what right theological doctrines he affirms, no matter if that person once prayed a prayer to receive salvation or not—if that same person lives a life of sin, or if that person does not love and believe in the genuine Jesus of scriptures, then that person is not definitively—is not—a child of God, but a child of Satan.

“No matter how outwardly religious a person is, if they do not love the genuine Jesus, they are not a child of God.”

And that person is headed for the place reserved for Satan and his fallen angels to be punished and tormented forever.

Truly, based on Jesus’ own simple criteria from this passage, do you realize how many religious, even monotheistic, people in this world are really devilish children on the road to hell right now? And how many have died that way—died in their sins, died without Christ, died as children of the devil?

Turn to Jesus Today

But that does not have to be true for any of you, because this word, as I said, was given so that you might see your true spiritual state and so that you would then turn to Christ and persevere in following his word.

Turn today. Don’t live another day as a child of the devil. He’s not a good father. He’s cruel, and all the ways you will learn from him are poison.

“Don’t live another day as a child of the devil. He’s not a good father. He’s cruel, and all his ways are poison.”

Turn to Jesus. Let go of your sins. Let go of all your efforts to earn righteousness before God. Let go of your own will for your life. Give it over to God and say, “Lord, I take you up on your word that you will offer mercy to any who come to you in Jesus Christ only.

He has the righteous life that can make me acceptable to you. I therefore ask that you apply his life on my behalf. I take him to be my savior. I take him to be my Lord. What he commands, where he says to go, how he lives—that’s the direction I’m going now.

It’s the end of me in control of my life, and Lord God, now you are in control.”

As Jesus said earlier in this chapter, “If you will persevere in loving and knowing and following Jesus, then you will know the truth that will set you free.”

But now we can say, in addition to that, you will also know for certain that you are a child of God.

Comfort and Assurance for God’s Children

We read 1 John 3:1-10 earlier in our service. If you’ve gone through the book of First John before, it’s pretty sobering. John is pretty black and white, both in this book and the other one, about what it means to be a child of God versus a child of the devil.

To know God, not know God. But don’t forget: the letter of First John is written to provide comfort. It’s written to provide assurance. Actually, that’s stated in the book: “These things have been written so that you will know—know—that you have eternal life.”

So it’s really a side application in that letter to say, “You will know that you don’t yet know God and you need to repent.”

No. Those words were written to give comfort. He says, “We know who the children of God and the children of the devil are. Therefore, you who are actually resembling children of God, take comfort. You are children of God. Let the Holy Spirit’s assurance wash over you.”

And so that ought to be an application to this passage as well.

I know it’s the beautiful testimony of many in this church that they are children of God because they fulfilled the criteria that Jesus is talking about in this passage. They have responded to Jesus’ word with welcome. They do love Jesus, and now they are walking in—not perfect, but in fundamental and increasing—obedience to Jesus.

To be a child of God, to be under the heavenly Father’s care, is a wonderful thing, a wonderful reality.

“To be a child of God, to be under the heavenly Father’s care, is a wonderful thing, a wonderful reality.”

For any of you who are not experiencing that, you could if you will repent and believe. Jesus is giving you another invitation today. He’s been patient with you. Don’t let that patience be put to waste.

For those who are children of God, you not only get to experience the comfort of knowing God in this life, but you will go into the kingdom of God. That’s not true of children of the devil.

As we said, this has been a tale of two fathers. Who is your spiritual father? Let it be God and not the devil.

Closing Prayer

Let’s close in prayer.

Lord, we thank you for your word. I pray, Lord, you’d apply it in the ways that it needs to be in the hearts of those who’ve heard it today.

This is another passage that makes clear there’s no middle ground. You either are a slave of sin or you’re a slave of Christ. You’re either a child of the devil or you’re a child of God. There’s no other category. You’re either an enemy of God or you’re a friend of God.

Lord, I pray for those who think or who dally as if there were some middle category, that they’d see the urgency of getting out of that place because they are yet still children of wrath, which is another way to describe sons of the devil.

Lord, I pray that you would be pleased to use your word to transform, to open the eyes of those who don’t know you, so that they may believe and be saved and be reborn as children of God.

And for those who already are children, I pray, God, that you would provide encouragement, assurance, joy: “Yes, I am a child of God. I know the Father. I know his Son. I’m going to him.”

Lord, I thank you, God, that you not only made us individual children, but you made us children together. That’s what this church is: an assembly of the children of God.

I pray, God, as we go towards the Lord’s table now, that this be a reality that sobers us but also causes us to rejoice.
June 2, 2024
Only Jesus Gives True Freedom
In this sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia begins examining John 8:31-59, Jesus’ final public discussion with the Jews at the Feast of the Booths. John reports this discussion in his Gospel so that you will recognize your true spiritual state and turn to Jesus with perseverant faith.

In the first part of Jesus’ discussion, John 8:31-36, Jesus raises the question: are you experiencing spiritual slavery or spiritual freedom?

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

True freedom is not political or economic—it is spiritual freedom found only in Jesus Christ. John 8:31-36 teaches that unless we abide in the word of Christ with persevering faith, we remain slaves to sin, destined not for God’s kingdom but for eternal destruction. We are reminded that a one-time profession of faith is not sufficient evidence of genuine discipleship; rather, true disciples are marked by ongoing commitment to knowing, believing, and obeying Jesus’ teaching.

We are called to recognize our desperate spiritual condition apart from Christ and to receive the free gift of salvation that only the Son of God can provide.

Key Lessons:
1. True discipleship is demonstrated not by a single profession of faith but by persevering in Jesus’ word—knowing it, believing it, and living it out over time.
2. Everyone who practices sin as a characteristic pattern of life is a slave to sin, regardless of religious heritage, church attendance, or good works in other areas.
3. Only Jesus, as the Son of God, has the authority to free slaves of sin and grant them an eternal inheritance in God’s kingdom.
4. False or incomplete faith is exposed when people resist the humbling truth that they are spiritually needy and cannot save themselves.
Application: We are called to honestly examine whether sin characteristically marks our lives, to stop excusing ongoing sin through religious activity or family heritage, and to turn to Jesus with genuine, persevering faith—using all the resources God provides (His word, His Spirit, and His church) to fight against sin and walk in true spiritual freedom.

Discussion Questions:
1. Jesus says the mark of a true disciple is abiding in His word. What does that look like practically in your daily life, and where do you see room for growth?
2. The Jews in this passage were blind to their own spiritual slavery because they relied on their ancestry and religious practices. What are the modern equivalents we might rely on instead of genuine faith in Christ?
3. How does understanding that “freedom isn’t free”—that Jesus paid for our spiritual freedom on the cross—change the way you view both your sin and your daily walk with God?
Scripture Focus: John 8:31-36 — Jesus teaches that true disciples abide in His word, know the truth, and are set free by the Son. Romans 6:23 — The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. John 2:23-25 and John 6:66 illustrate the reality of false or incomplete faith.

Outline
Introduction

Just a quick heads up. The sermon passage and title today will be a little different from what’s in the bulletin. Let’s pray.

Lord God, I pray that you’d open my mouth to speak your word to your people. God, that those that don’t know you would be saved today, and those that do know you, Lord, would be encouraged, instructed, and convicted to persevere in following Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Freedom in America and Spiritual Freedom

Well, tomorrow is Memorial Day. And we, especially after Greg’s prayer, we know what Memorial Day is all about now, right? It’s not about getting a day off and grilling. It’s about honoring and mourning the people who died while serving in our nation’s military.

A day of sober remembrance such as this is appropriate when we consider the precious gift that our dying countrymen have ultimately given us and protected.

Greg mentioned this too. What is that ultimate gift? It’s freedom. You’ve probably heard the slogan: “Freedom isn’t free.” And that’s a true statement. Freedom hasn’t simply cost our country time, resources, trouble. It has cost the lives of more than a million people—beloved sons and daughters, fathers and mothers.

We should be grateful to God, just as Greg said, for those who have sacrificed themselves to protect our country and preserve our freedom. But here’s a question for you: Are the people of America truly free?

“Are the people of America truly free?”

The answer, of course, depends on how you define “free” and “freedom.” From a military and geopolitical perspective, America is indeed free. By the grace of God, we are not, and since our war for independence, have never been conquered or put into subjection by another country.

We are not ruled over by a foreign power, but have been able to create our own Constitution. And we have a government that is ruled by our own people.

Furthermore, from the standpoint of economic opportunity and social rights, we Americans are also free. This freedom isn’t perfect. There are aspects of injustice, discrimination, and persecution that have waxed and waned over the course of our nation’s history and still exist today.

Nevertheless, we are blessed to live in a nation that fundamentally guarantees the personal rights of all its citizens, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to private property.

Growing up in America, we can sometimes take these rights for granted or think little of the economic abundance available to us in this country. But again, Greg and I are on the same page here. Those who immigrate from less fortunate nations to our country repeatedly testify of the amazing amount of freedom and prosperity that exists in America.

So clearly, all Americans are free in certain ways. But are all Americans free in the most important way? Are all Americans spiritually free? Are you spiritually free?

The answer to that question is going to come down to this: Unless you love and you persevere in the word of Christ, you are not spiritually free. You are, in fact, a slave. A slave to what? A slave to sin.

“Unless you love and persevere in the word of Christ, you are not spiritually free.”

You, in yourself, are compelled to serve sin. You cannot help but pursue sin, and you cannot ultimately avoid the consequences of sin, which right now for you are an increasingly destroyed life and poisoned heart.

But one day, the consequences will be both your physical and eternal death under the wrath of God.

Truly, most Americans are not truly free in the way that counts the most. But there is good news. God himself specifically sent someone to free slaves of sin, and that person is Jesus Christ, God’s own son.

Setting the Scene: John 8:31-59

And in our next passage, this son of God, Jesus, will teach you how you can enjoy a spiritual freedom in him. Please take your Bibles and open to John 8.

The title of the message today is: “Only Jesus Gives True Freedom.”

Only Jesus gives true freedom. We’re looking at John 8:31-59. Actually, we’re only going to focus on the beginning of the passage today, but I want you to see and appreciate how the full section fits together.

So John 8:31-59. Remember the context before we read. Jesus is still at the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem, about six months before his crucifixion. He’s just finished his fourth round of debate with the Jews in the temple during the feast.

“Jesus is still at the Feast of Booths, about six months before his crucifixion.”

And while Jesus’ discussion with his Jewish opponents had plenty of contention, our author John has informed us that some Jews have also believed in Jesus. Some Jews at this feast have come to believe in Jesus.

If you glance back at John 7:31, we read: “But many in the crowd believed in him.” And John 8:30, which is right before our text, it says: “As he spoke these things, many came to believe in him.”

So before Jesus exits the stage of public discussion in the temple, he desires to say something to those who have so recently believed in him. Let’s see what he says. Let’s see what kind of response it generates.

Scripture Reading: John 8:31-59

John 8:31-59:

“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed him, ‘If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine. And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say you will become free?’

Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. But the slave does not remain in the house forever. The son does remain forever. So if the son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36: “If the son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you seek to kill me because my word has no place in you. I speak the things which I have seen with my father. Therefore, you also do the things which you heard from your father.’

They answered and said to him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. You are doing the deeds of your father.’

They said to him, ‘We were not born of fornication. We have one father: God.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your father, you would love me. For I proceeded forth and have come from God. For I have not even come on my own initiative, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear my word.

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe me? He who is of God hears the words of God. For this reason, you do not hear them because you are not of God.’

The Jews answered and said to him, ‘Do we not rightly say that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?’ Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon, but I honor my father, and you dishonor me. But I do not seek my glory. There is one who seeks and judges.

Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.’ The Jews said to him, ‘Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also. And you say, “If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste of death.” Surely you are not greater than our father, Father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too. Whom do you make yourself out to be?’

Jesus answered, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my father who glorifies me, of whom you say he is our God. And you have not come to know him. But I know him. And if I say that I do not know him, I will be a liar like you. But I do know him and keep his word.

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw and was glad.’ So the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet 50 years old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.’

Therefore, they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.”

A Surprising Passage

I don’t know about you, but that’s a pretty surprising passage. I mean, we’ve seen a number of surprises in the Book of John, but this one might be the biggest one yet.

What begins in verse 31 as a simple exhortation from Jesus to new believers to persevere in Jesus’ teaching and prove to be his true disciples ends in verses 58 and 59 with those same persons trying to kill Jesus by crushing him with stones. How could so much go so wrong so quickly?

“What begins as a simple exhortation to new believers ends with those same persons trying to kill Jesus.”

Seeing this extremely unexpected development, some interpreters suggest that Jesus’ conversation in this passage isn’t really with those persons described in John 7:31 and John 8:30—those who John told us believed in Jesus during the feast. Those verses were talking about genuine believers, but this passage is not that same group. These are fake believers.

Other interpreters suggest that Jesus starts out the passage by talking to true believers, even the ones who believed in him during the feast, but then some unbelieving Jews barge in and hijack the conversation and turn it into this hostile debate.

But grammatically and contextually speaking, neither of these interpretations can be valid. Verse 31 directly follows verse 30, telling us that Jesus is addressing those same Jews who came to believe in him during the feast. Even on the last day of the feast, furthermore, verse 33 indicates that those who reply to Jesus with resistance to his exhortation are the same group that he began to address in verse 31.

There’s been no interloper introduced. Really, if we’re being honest with the text, we cannot justly avoid the conclusion that what this passage reports is that many who believe in Jesus based on the words he’s taught during the feast quickly turn on him and even try to kill him.

False Faith in the Gospel of John

But perhaps you’re getting déjà vu, because didn’t something like this already happen in the Gospel of John? Do you remember John 6?

It began with Jesus producing this massive food multiplication miracle. The people were so amazed that some of them said, “John 6:14: This is truly the prophet who has come into the world.” But then do you remember how the chapter ended? After Jesus taught some things that the people didn’t like, “John 6:66: As a result of this, many of his disciples withdrew and were not walking with him anymore.”

So we have disciples who believe in Jesus, confess him to be God’s promised prophet, and then fall away.

Actually, we were introduced to the concept of false, incomplete, fickle faith as early as John 2. Remember there? Jesus boldly cleanses the temple during the Passover in Jerusalem, and he begins doing miraculous signs. And John 2:23-2:25 reports:

“John 2:23-2:25: Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover during the feast, many believed in his name. That is, they believed in him observing his signs which he was doing. But Jesus, on his part, was not entrusting himself to them. For he knew all men, and because he did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for he himself knew what was in man.”

Many believed in Jesus at that feast, but Jesus did not believe in their belief.

“Many believed in Jesus at that feast, but Jesus did not believe in their belief.”

See, the nature of true belief—genuine, saving faith—as opposed to false faith, which cannot save—that is one of the main themes of the Gospel of John. And we see it again on display in our new passage.

How this passage in John 8 begins and ends is ironic. In exhorting these Jewish believers to prove themselves as true disciples by persevering, Jesus in fact proves them to be false disciples because they will not endure his teaching anymore.

And don’t misunderstand. Jesus didn’t somehow blow it with some true seekers of God here. “Oh, if Jesus, if only you weren’t so demanding so quickly, well, you wouldn’t have lost all these new converts.” No.

Just as in John 6, the perfect son knows that the real issue isn’t pushing away souls who are almost saved. The real issue is leaving souls in the deception of thinking they are saved when they’re not. That’s the real issue to be avoided.

“The real issue is leaving souls in the deception of thinking they are saved when they’re not.”

And all of that is instructed for us, isn’t it? Because we also are those who would publicly confess we believe in Jesus.

The Main Idea and Outline

Here’s the main idea of this entire section in John 8:31 to 59:

John reports Jesus’ final public discussion at the Feast of Booths so that you will recognize your true spiritual state and turn to Jesus with persevering faith.

John reports Jesus’ final public discussion at the Feast of Booths so that you will recognize your true spiritual state and turn to Jesus with perseverant faith.

“Recognize your true spiritual state and turn to Jesus with persevering faith.”

This unexpected, this bonus round of debate is climactic, and it dramatically unfolds in three parts.

Part one is verses 31 to 36. Each one of these parts focuses on a certain question we could say. And the question of verses 31 to 36 is: Are you experiencing spiritual slavery or spiritual freedom?

The second part is verses 37 to 47, where the question is: Are you demonstrating a devilish parentage or a divine parentage?

And the last part is verses 48 to 59, where the question is: Do you give God’s sent one ultimate contempt or ultimate glory?

And my plan is not to try and look at this whole passage today. We’re just going to look at part one. Next two weeks, we’ll go over parts two and three.

Are You Experiencing Spiritual Slavery or Freedom?

That means we’re focusing on verses 31 to 36. And again, that first implied question from Jesus in this beginning part of the discussion is number one: Are you experiencing spiritual slavery or spiritual freedom?

If you’re going to recognize your true state and turn to Jesus in perseverant faith, you first need to consider this question: Are you experiencing spiritual slavery or spiritual freedom?

Now, I’m going to give you three subheadings as we move along, just to help organize this passage for you. Since this is the only point we’re going to do today, these will help structure our discussion.

Exhortation: Continue in My Word (vv. 31-32)

The first subheading covers verses 31 to 32, and that is: 1A. Exhortation.

1A. Exhortation.

As Jesus addresses this question, he begins with an exhortation. Let’s see it ourselves, starting with just verse 31:

“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine.’”

John 8:31: “If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine.”

Notice the transition word that begins this verse and section. It’s the word “so.” This word indicates that what Jesus says here is based on something that just happened or that was just mentioned.

What just happened? Verse 30 again: “As he spoke these things, many came to believe in him.”

Jesus, the text shows us, is aware—probably by his supernatural knowledge—that some Jews have come to believe in him based on what he said during the feast. This realization causes Jesus to begin saying something new to these new believers.

What is this new message? What is this necessary message for those who have now come to believe in him?

In summary, it’s that they need to persevere.

What It Means to Abide in Jesus’ Word

Notice the specific way that Jesus phrases it: “If you continue in my word.”

The Greek verb translated “continue” here is more literally translated “remain,” “stay,” “abide.” Jesus says there’s something important for these new believing Jews to stay in or to remain in. And what should these believers remain or stay in? “My word,” Jesus says.

Which word do you mean? Jesus’ word is just the way to refer to his teaching—the revelation given him by the Father to speak to God’s people and to the world, even the good news of salvation by repentance and faith in Jesus alone.

So new believers need to abide in Jesus’ teaching, Jesus’ gospel teaching. What does that entail?

Well, certainly it means believing in Jesus’ teaching. But it also means learning, obeying, and holding fast to what Jesus says. After all, you cannot really be said to remain in Jesus’ teaching if you do not know it, or if you keep on forgetting it, or if you do not obey it or apply it, or if you abandon it when people make fun of you for it or threaten you over it.

“You cannot remain in Jesus’ teaching if you do not know it, obey it, or hold fast to it.”

Now, Jesus is telling these new believers—and old believers too—that they must seek out, treasure, hold on to, teach faithfully, and put into practice Jesus’ word, Jesus’ whole word, everything that Jesus says.

Jesus’ word today is what forms our Bibles. This is Jesus’ word now.

Notice this exhortation in John 8:31 is given in the form of a conditional, an if-then statement: “If you who believe in me fulfill the stated condition, which is if you remain in my teaching, then what?”

Notice the next phrase: “Then you are truly disciples of mine.”

True vs. False Disciples

Now, that short statement—that second part of the condition—it reveals a sobering truth. Just that little statement right there reveals that it is possible for Jesus to have false disciples.

If he says, “You’re going to prove to truly be disciples of mine,” it means that it’s possible to be a false disciple—a person who thinks or says that he’s a disciple when in reality he’s not.

This is one of the difficulties that comes with being a Christian. Trying to understand who is and who isn’t a real disciple of Christ.

We all know plenty of people who say they are disciples. They say they are followers or learners of Christ. That’s what a disciple means. But how do we know if they’re for real?

Parents, how do you know if your kids, who say all the right things and have the good answers from the Bible—how do you know if they’re for real in their love for God?

Kids, how do you know if your parents are for real? They say all the right things. They seem to know the Bible. But how do you know if they’re for real?

Perhaps for those of you listening today, you’re not sure that even you yourself are for real. How can you know?

Well, Jesus here gives us a fundamental indicator for discerning whether you or others are truly disciples of Jesus. And that indicator is continuing in or remaining in Jesus’ word.

A one-time profession of faith is not good enough evidence to tell whether a person’s for real. A one-time act of baptism is not good enough evidence to tell if someone’s for real. Neither is attending church, giving to the church, or teaching in church.

Jesus says the reliable mark of true discipleship is abiding in his word.

“The reliable mark of true discipleship is abiding in his word.”

Again, what does that mean for us? That means knowing the Bible, believing the Bible, and living out the Bible.

Now, note the tight connection here between Jesus and his word. You cannot say that you believe in Jesus if you do not believe in his word. You can’t pick and choose.

If you believe in Jesus, you believe his word. Furthermore, you cannot say you love Jesus if you do not love his word. You’re not abiding in it. And you cannot say you follow Jesus if you do not follow his word.

He’s too connected to his word.

Now, does a true disciple of Jesus abide in Jesus’ word perfectly? No. But abiding in Jesus’ word is a notable characteristic, and it is a growing characteristic of a true disciple of Jesus.

So for everyone here who professes to be a believer in Jesus, hear the word of Jesus directly to you: “If you yourselves—and the pronoun is emphatic in Greek—if you yourselves abide in Jesus’ word, then you are truly his disciple.”

That should be comforting for those of you who do walk with Christ. But that should be convicting for those of you who are not walking with Christ.

The Promise of Knowing the Truth

But there’s more. Because Jesus describes two blessings for the one persevering in his word. In verse 32: “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

The truth and freedom are such buzzwords in American culture today. Every politician is talking about truth and freedom. But not just them—celebrities, media personalities, philosophers—all talking about truth. And even freedom.

Everyone today seems to be searching for truth—the truth, his truth, truth. Some claim to have found the truth, even truth that will set people free. Others despair of ever finding the truth, whether they’re wondering whether there even is such a thing as truth.

Lot of people talking about truth. But unlike many today who claim to offer freedom-giving truth but ultimately don’t know what they’re talking about and cannot deliver it, Jesus promises that those who remain in his word and prove his true disciples will know the truth.

What truth? Not merely scientific truth like E equals MC squared, or historical truth like Alexander the Great died of illness in 323 BC in Babylon.

What kind of truth, then? Divine truth. Universal truth. Saving truth. Truth that not only finally and reliably discloses to you the answers to the most fundamental questions of life—who are you? From where did you come? To where are you going? Why is the world the way that it is? What is God’s salvation? How do you receive it?—but also the truth that finally and reliably reveals God himself to you.

“Divine truth finally and reliably discloses to you the answers to the most fundamental questions of life.”

Because what is God in his essence? Truth.

The truth reveals God himself to you in Jesus Christ because he is God. Through the words of Jesus, you will not only come to know the most fundamental truths that you need to know, but you will know him who is the truth himself.

See, people are searching for ultimate, life-changing truth. But outside of Jesus, they will never find it. And that is because he is the truth.

Truth That Sets You Free

If you abide in Jesus’ word as his true disciple does, then you will know that truth. And knowing God’s truth in Jesus will have a noticeable effect on you.

For Jesus says at the end of verse 32: “And the truth will make you or set you free.”

Jesus promises his true disciples that if they will indeed continue in his word, they will experience a special kind of freedom that only comes from Christ’s truth. They will walk in the light of Christ and experience his eternal life. That’s another way to say it.

After all, knowing the truth of God is no mere academic exercise, though his truth does strongly engage our minds. To know God’s truth truly is also to experience God’s truth, even in a way that delivers you from all your worst enemies—namely, death, the devil, the judgment of God, the darkness of ignorance, the domination of sin.

This, then, is an incredible promise from Jesus: “You will know the truth, and it will set you free. You will know God’s truth, and it will transform you and fill your life with light and life.”

“You will know God’s truth, and it will transform you and fill your life with light and life.”

What a strong encouragement, then, to persevere in learning and obeying Jesus’ word. If you will do this, Jesus says, you will prove yourself my true disciple. You will know the truth, and you will experience true and lasting freedom.

Now, are you willing to respond to that kind of exhortation with obedience and persevering faith?

Objection: We Have Never Been Enslaved (v. 33)

One reason you might not is if you think you’re already experiencing true freedom without Jesus and without holding fast to his word. For this is the stance that Jesus’ supposedly new followers take in verse 33, where we see our second subheading.

We had 1A. Exhortation. One B. Objection.

Objection.

Look at verse 33: “They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and I’ve never yet been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say you will become free?’”

With just this one response, Jesus’ new disciples have already revealed they don’t have saving faith in Jesus. Their faith is incomplete.

“With just this one response, Jesus’ new disciples have already revealed they don’t have saving faith.”

How so?

Well, in this objection, they show that they’ve not understood—they have never understood—their own deep spiritual need or how Jesus is the only one who can fulfill it.

Notice Jesus has apparently struck a nerve by promising the Jews that they will become free if they stay in his teaching. Because this statement suggests that before or without perseverance in Jesus’ word, the Jews are not and have never been free. And that is a humbling idea that these Jews vehemently object to.

And notice how they do so by appealing to their status as descendants—or literally, the seed of Abraham—and they also connect that reality to the idea that they have never been slaves.

“Jesus, you implied with your exhortation that we have been slaves at some point, some kind of servitude. But we can tell you, as the seed of Abraham, we have never yet been enslaved to anyone.”

The Jews’ False Confidence

Now, if biblical history, this response from the believing Jews at first seems comical. Because how does Israel’s history as a nation begin? In the book of Exodus, with slavery.

Furthermore, in the Old Testament history and in intertestamental history, the Jews as a people are many times subjugated, enslaved, taken captive, taken into exile, or forced into a client kingdom relationship by a stronger power.

Even in Jesus’ day, the province of Judea is ultimately not under control of the Jews but under the control of Rome. So how can these Jews protest that they are not and have never been forced to serve anyone ever?

Likely, the Jews are not being stubbornly ignorant of their historical or political position. Rather, they are referring to their inward sense of freedom—like many Americans might do. They are even referring to their inward sense of spiritual privilege as Abraham’s seed.

After all, didn’t God declare to Israel in Exodus 19:5-6 that they—the chosen descendants of Abraham—were God’s own special possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation?

In other words, the Jews did not think of themselves inwardly, essentially, as slaves, but as royalty. “Whatever we may be on the outside, inwardly we have never been slaves. We are royalty.”

“The Jews did not think of themselves inwardly as slaves, but as royalty.”

Indeed, one first-century rabbi allegedly wrote that every Jew is a king’s son. Why? Because he’s a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Furthermore, a second-century section of the Jewish Talmud—which is the authoritative collection of oral tradition and biblical commentary in Judaism—asserts that hell has no power over the physical descendants of Abraham. Even this section bizarrely asserts that Abraham himself will come and rescue any circumcised Jew who inadvertently finds himself in hell because of sin.

Now, Jews today admit that this is a confusing passage and section of the Talmud. Even though it’s from the second century, we don’t know that the Jews in Jesus’ instance are believing that exactly. But its existence in the second century certainly gives some indication as to the kind of thoughts that may have been circulating even in Jesus’ own time.

Modern Parallels to False Confidence

Okay, then, these Jews who supposedly believe in Jesus are not conscious of any deep spiritual needs that they have that only Jesus can fulfill. They certainly do not see themselves as helpless, humiliated, pitiable slaves. And they make that clear to Jesus.

“Well, they descend from Abraham. With their commitment to keep God’s law from Torah, these Jews are confident that they are already acceptable to God. I mean, Jesus is a nice cherry on top. He makes a nice Messiah, especially if he’ll fulfill the people’s ambitions for political independence, miraculous prosperity. They can get behind that. They’ll believe in Jesus for that. But they don’t need Jesus to bring some soul-saving truth or deliverance from spiritual slavery. No, that’s just an offensive idea.”

Perhaps some of you are thinking something similar today. Perhaps you are confident that on your own you already are keeping God’s commands, or by your baptism, or taking communion, or association with the church, or a prayer that you once prayed, or maybe the prayers you pray every day, or you’re being raised in a Christian family—one or all those things are already enough to save you from hell.

Perhaps you think that Jesus will be a nice cherry on top. He’d be a nice perk if he can make your life go better, if he can relieve you from that naggy sense of guilt, he can deliver you from your constant anxieties. “Okay, okay, I can get behind Jesus. But you’re not really desperate for him because you’re not in desperate spiritual need.”

“You’re not really desperate for him because you’re not in desperate spiritual need.”

Perhaps you already, apart from Jesus, think of yourself as a child of God, a prince, princess in his kingdom. Definitely not a slave. Not a slave in eternal danger.

Well, if so, Jesus has the same clarification for you as he provides to his original listeners. Which is what we see in the last part of our text today, verses 34 to 36.

Clarification: Everyone Who Commits Sin Is a Slave (vv. 34-36)

1A. Exhortation. 1B. Objection. 1C. Clarification.

Clarification.

Start with verse 34: “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.’”

Notice here that Jesus pulls out one of his favorite phrases: “Truly, truly I say to you.”

Jesus pulls this phrase out when he’s about to say something shocking, but something that is particularly important for people to pay attention to and believe.

“I know this is going to shock you, but you got to believe it. What must people hear and believe? That everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”

The Greek verb translated “commits” is a present participle. A present participle of the verb “to do” or “to make.”

Now, a participle is basically an “-ing” verb used as an adjective to emphasize continual or characteristic action of a person.

So we could translate this clause: “Everyone doing sin, everyone practicing sin, everyone who’s characteristically committing sin is the slave of sin.”

In other words, if sin is your practice, is your pattern, your habit, your characteristic behavior, then you are not religious royalty on the way to God’s kingdom. You are a sinful slave destined for eternal punishment.

“If sin is your practice, your pattern, your habit, you are not religious royalty—you are a sinful slave.”

Now, we sinners are really good at, or often are really good at, downplaying, excusing, ignoring our own sinfulness. “I’m not that bad.”

Examining Our Own Sinfulness

Let’s just meditate for a second. Let the full weight of Jesus’ startling pronouncement fall on you as you look at your own life and compare it to the standard of God and his law.

Any deviation from God’s standard or character is sin. That’s what sin is.

So think: Do you lie? Do you complain? Do you gossip? Do you use foul language? Do you tell or laugh at inappropriate jokes? Are you greedy for money or pleasure? Do you lust after other people’s bodies? Do you indulge in any form of sexual gratification outside of the marriage bed?

Do you often get angry? Do you fight? Do you seek vengeance? Do you unleash hurtful words? Do you give the silent treatment? Are you proud? Hateful? Judgmental? Are you always ready to critique and correct others, but very resentful if anyone tries to do that to you?

Are you consumed by discontent, jealousy, anxiety, hopelessness? Do you consistently blame God and others for failing to provide what you think you need? Are you an idolater? Is there something you regularly feel you cannot be happy without—whether it’s drugs or alcohol or video games or the approval of others or good grades or whatever?

Friends and brethren, if any of what I’ve just mentioned—and those are just examples, there’s more—if any of what I’ve just mentioned consistently marks your life, then realize you fit the category of Jesus’ statement. You are a doer or practicer of sin, which means you are the slave of sin.

“If any of these consistently marks your life, you are a doer of sin, which means you are a slave of sin.”

The examples I gave in comparison to God’s law are just the negative ones. There are positive commands too.

What about this? Ask yourself: Do you have consistent failure to love your enemies? To forgive? To be patient? To be generous? To work hard as unto the Lord? Because if not, that also marks you out as a slave of sin.

True Christians vs. False Christians and Sin

But “Pastor Dave, can’t true Christians, can’t true disciples of Jesus fall into seasons of sin or struggle to overcome certain sins in their lives for a time?” Of course they can. And of course they do. I’ve been there myself enough times in my life.

Don’t misunderstand me today. True followers of Christ do still sin. Jesus is not contradicting that.

What’s the difference, then, between those who know Jesus and those who only think they know Jesus when it comes to sin?

It’s this: True Christians don’t stay in patterns of sin. They are not content to do so. God’s spirit will not let them do so. They eventually break the habits of their particular sins. They put an end to those sins’ dominations in their lives. They make progress against these sins.

They use all the resources that God has given—his spirit, his word, and his church—to do spiritual battle against these sins. And eventually, little by little, sometimes they overcome.

Isn’t that what Jesus uses in the beginning of the book of Revelation when he’s promising all these rewards to those who follow him? He says, “He who overcomes.”

I also think of that passage in Pilgrim’s Progress when Christian is doing battle with the devil. He gets knocked down several times, but he doesn’t give up the fight. And eventually, he drives them off.

That’s the difference. True Christians never give up the fight, and they eventually overcome. Fake Christians don’t do that. Fake Christians are not motivated to do that, or they don’t believe they can do that.

“True Christians never give up the fight, and they eventually overcome. Fake Christians don’t do that.”

And perhaps that’s you today. Maybe you resonate with one of the examples of sin that I’ve shared, or maybe you have another example—a different sin pattern. And maybe nobody knows about it except you and God.

Even though you’ve tried to do right, you felt guilty, you’ve tried to get rid of this sin’s control over you, you find yourself unable to do so. You just keep going back to it. It’s like a master that you need to obey.

You’re seeing and feeling that this sin is wrecking you. It’s doing so much damage to you and to your relationships, even to your livelihood. But you just can’t seem to stop.

Why You Experience Spiritual Slavery

Why is this? Why is it that you are experiencing spiritual slavery?

It’s possible you simply don’t know or haven’t been willing to use the resources that God has given his believers in Christ to overcome. God has given you spiritual weapons that will help you win the battle. And you just keep leaving them on the rack.

You’re like, “But I don’t know how to use the weapons.” But you never ask anybody how. Maybe that’s it.

But maybe the explanation is what Jesus is talking about in our passage. The reason you experience spiritual slavery is because you are a spiritual slave. You are still walking in the original sin of Adam, his corruption passed down to you from the fall. It marks your life. And that’s why you keep going back to sin.

You may switch sins, but it’s just sin. Maybe from open sin to self-righteous sin. You are still a slave.

And one other explanation of it is that because you still love your sin and self more than God. After all, we always end up doing what we love deep down.

“You still love your sin and self more than God. We always end up doing what we love deep down.”

If you keep ending up doing sin, it’s because you still love it, even though it’s destroying you. You still love it. Don’t kid yourself.

If that’s the situation you’re in, don’t kid yourself like the Jews kid themselves here. They excuse their ongoing sins. They’re doing sin characteristically. They excused it by their good works in other areas. They excused it by their ancestry. They excused it by their participation in religious rituals like the Feast of Booths.

They thus held themselves in high esteem. They expected entrance into God’s dwelling place. But they were wrong. They were foolish.

Enslavement to sin is sure evidence that you are not headed to God’s kingdom at all.

The Slave and the Son: An Analogy of Inheritance

Yeah, notice now in the next verse Jesus is going to present a twist on the slavery metaphor. He’s going to alter it slightly to emphasize the predicament of anyone outside of Christ, but also the opportunity available to them in Christ.

Look at verse 35: “The slave does not remain in the house forever. The son does remain forever.”

What is Jesus saying here? He’s comparing the eternal inheritance situation of a sinner—of a practicer, a doer of sin—with the inheritance situation of a domestic slave in the ancient world.

After all, imagine if you were a slave, say, in a king’s household in ancient times. You would be foolish to expect that you would inherit your royal master’s wealth and position. What slave would do that? That’s not for you. That’s for the king’s son.

Furthermore, as a slave, if indeed you were a slave, even after years of service to your royal master, how much of what belongs to your master can you say you’ve earned or deserve and have a title to? You may desire it, but according to the standards of that time, you have no right to it. The king has no obligation to give you anything of his own. You’re just a slave.

The fact that the king wanted to sell you or get rid of you as a slave—that’d be hard, but that’d be his right. For as Jesus says, “The slave does not remain in the house forever.” That is, a slave has no lasting inheritance in his master’s house because he’s only a slave.

That’s a pitiable situation, isn’t it?

Jesus presents this as an analogy of the Jews’ and every sinner’s true condition before God. The Jews thought of themselves as royal sons ready to be brought in to God’s everlasting kingdom. But Jesus shows them—and us—by your disobedient, self-righteous living, you prove that you are not sons but in fact slaves. Slaves of sin.

“By your disobedient, self-righteous living, you prove you are not sons but slaves of sin.”

Therefore, you will receive no part in God’s coming kingdom.

But there is one of the royal master’s household who will receive the king’s inheritance and also has the power to free any slave and guarantee them an inheritance with them. Who would that be?

That would be the master’s son.

Jesus says, “The son does remain forever in the household. The son does have a lasting inheritance. He even has the authority to share that inheritance with freed slaves.”

What’s Jesus saying in this analogy? Jesus is describing himself in relation to desperate sinners like us.

On our own, not a single person in this room could do anything better than total slavery to sin all our lives, which means none of us could ever gain any expectation of eternal life with God. Rather, the opposite.

But if the son of God is willing to free us and give us a forever inheritance with his father, well, then how many of us here could be saved? All of us.

If the Son Makes You Free

This is Jesus’ point as he goes on to say in John 8:36: “So if the son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

How could it be otherwise? The son, with the authority given to him from his father, has the right to free, to give an inheritance, even to former lowly slaves to sin, which is what we all are or were outside of Jesus.

No one else in the household has the authority to contradict this intention from the son. Therefore, the son, Jesus, the son of God—anyone set free by him, and truly only those set free by the son—they will be, no doubt about it, truly free forever.

“Anyone set free by the Son—and truly only those set free by the Son—will be truly free forever.”

And the great news is this: This potential, theoretical situation that we’ve just described in John 8:35-36, Jesus has already told us that this is his intention for all his true disciples.

He’s already told us in John 8:31-32: What did he say? “If you will believe and persevere in my word, you will prove yourself my true disciple. You will know the truth. You’ll even know me who is the truth in himself. And the truth will set you free.”

That is a promise from God himself to anyone who will respond.

So what should you do? What should you and I do? Take him up on that offer. Amen.

You should heed Christ’s exhortation. You should take up his amazingly generous offer. And you should persevere in the word of Christ.

Doing this means you must first recognize what the Jews were not willing to recognize. You must first recognize that apart from Christ, you are a doomed slave of sin, destined not for heaven, not for God’s kingdom, but for eternal destruction in hell.

You are not able to do any good on your own. You fall far short of God’s standard. As Romans 6 says—the passage we read earlier—all you’ve earned by your slavery to sin is what? Death. You haven’t earned a place in God’s kingdom. You’ve earned death.

And the worst part is you cannot even hope to change your sinful, doomed condition.

But what’s the other part of Romans 6:23 say? “But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Therefore, turn and receive that gift. Believe in Jesus. Recognize that only Jesus, the son of God, has the power to free you from your slavery. And this is what he does for all those who entrust themselves to him and trust themselves wholly to him.

When you give up whatever it is that you’re trusting in to bring you salvation, then you can receive the free gift of salvation that is in Christ.

As many a preacher has said, Jesus not only sets you free from the penalty of your sin, but he also frees you from the power of sin over you presently. And one day, he will free you from the presence of sin when he brings you into his kingdom. You will be free indeed if you will turn to Jesus.

But remember, as we saw, true saving faith is a persevering faith. It’s faith that makes a person stay in Jesus’ word, wanting to know it, believing it, doing it.

It means if you truly believe in Jesus, you cannot also hold on to your practices of sin. And why would you want to?

As Paul says again in Romans 6: “What true benefit were you gaining while you were serving sin as a slave? The outcome of that was death. But now that you’ve been set free as a slave to Christ and to righteousness, now you derive your benefit. Now you experience life.”

Bible commentator D.A. Carson well describes the state of the freed believer when he says: “True freedom is not the liberty to do anything we please, but the liberty to do what we ought. And it is genuine liberty because doing what we ought now pleases us. To be freed up to righteousness, to be freed up to follow God—that’s true freedom.”

Amen.

The Cost of Freedom: The Cross

But perhaps a thought now occurs to you, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it seem like it’s a little too easy? I mean, how can Jesus just suddenly grant me spiritual freedom and inheritance like with a snap of his fingers? Isn’t that arbitrary? Shouldn’t somebody somewhere have to pay some kind of cost?

Oh, but someone did.

After all, like we said in the beginning, freedom isn’t free. Someone must pay for your freedom. Yes, even die for it.

And that is what Jesus did on the cross for you if you believe in him.

Though he was the perfect, kingdom-inheriting son in God’s household, Jesus died in the place of sinful slaves like you, like me. And in doing so, Jesus supernaturally exchanged his perfect life of righteousness with the utterly sin-stained records of each one of us—each one of us who believe in him.

“Jesus supernaturally exchanged his perfect life of righteousness with the sin-stained records of each one of us.”

He suffered the hellish penalty for that record once and for all on the cross, paid off the whole thing, suffering to the point of death. And then he rose again three days later, which was incontrovertible evidence that his sacrifice on behalf of his true disciples was accepted by the Father.

And they are free.

Now, what does that mean? It means that if you believe in Jesus, all your sins—past, present, future—they’ve been washed away. There’s now no condemnation in Christ Jesus.

You can never be lost from God’s salvation, not only because your sins have been dealt with once and for all, but you are now clothed in the very righteousness of the Son of God.

Which means that when God looks at you as a true disciple of Jesus, he doesn’t see your record. He sees Jesus’ record. And he thus pronounces you righteous, justified, acceptable.

That one’s going into the kingdom.

With the work of Jesus on the cross, with his resurrection, John 8:36 proves absolutely true: “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

Responding to Christ’s Invitation

This is an amazing message, an amazing invitation from the Son of God, which is given here to fake believers, shoddy followers.

Now, we’re going to see next time they won’t take him up on his amazing invitation. Jesus knows they won’t. But we today, hearing this word, we have the opportunity to respond differently.

How will you respond?

I pray that it’s with genuine trust in Jesus as the only savior, as your lord, even a trust that is demonstrated by your committed perseverance in his word.

“Genuine trust in Jesus as the only savior is demonstrated by committed perseverance in his word.”

Closing Prayer

Let’s close in prayer.

Lord, we thank you for this word. In many ways, it is an offensive word. Who wants to be told you are a slave of sin? The sin in your life marks you out as a slave of sin.

But God, if we will recognize that truth, then we can turn to where there is true freedom. And that is in Jesus Christ.

God, I pray for those who are indeed still slaves of sin but have heard this message, that they will respond as your heart desires, which is with repentance and faith, giving up the sin, embracing Jesus Christ, and saying, “He’s the master now. I want to walk in his freedom.”

I pray, God, for those who do know you and yet don’t experience the spiritual freedom that they will see what they have in Jesus Christ. Those sins that press upon them, those temptations that are all around them—they say, “I can’t resist. I can’t hold up. I can’t overcome.”

They would see Jesus says differently: “You are free indeed in the son.”

I pray, God, that they would use the resources that you’ve given them—your word, your spirit, the brothers and sisters in the church—so they will experience spiritual freedom.

And I pray, God, for those who are experiencing that spiritual freedom, that they would give you thanks, that they would not forget, Lord, where they came from and what they are. What we are, God, apart from your saving intervention, we are the lowliest, most despicable slaves who were never going into your kingdom.

But you freed us, and you gave us an inheritance.

Lord, cause us to live lives worthy of such an amazing reality. And God, give us that heart and that boldness that says, “This is a message too good to keep to myself. It must be shared.”

God, give us this message of freedom to those who are still not experiencing that in our country, right here.
May 26, 2024
Beware Dying in Your Sins
In this sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia examines John 8:21-30 and Jesus’ profound warning to religious unbelievers at the Feast of Booths. John reports Jesus’ fourth round of discussion with the Jews at the Feast of Booths so that you will heed Jesus’ warning and not die in your sins.

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

This passage from John 8:21-30 presents Jesus’ fourth round of discussion with the Jewish leaders at the Feast of Booths, where He issues a sobering warning: without Him, people will die in their sins. We are confronted with the terrifying reality that religious activity, moral effort, and self-righteousness cannot save anyone. Jesus declares Himself to be the divine “I Am”—God in human flesh—and makes clear that faith in Him alone is the only escape from eternal condemnation.

The Jewish leaders’ shocking response of mockery and spiritual dullness serves as a warning to all who hear God’s truth and fail to respond.

Key Lessons:
1. To die in your sin means to die condemned, unreconciled to God, with no second chances—religious identity and good works cannot prevent this.
2. Jesus’ “I Am” statements are declarations of deity, connecting Him directly to Yahweh’s self-revelation in Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 43.
3. The only sin God will never forgive is unbelief in His Son—belief in Jesus alone, not works, is what saves.
4. True saving faith always includes repentance—turning from sin and surrendering control of your life to God.
Application: We are called to examine ourselves honestly, not assuming that church attendance or religious activity makes us right with God. We must believe in Jesus as the divine “I Am,” repent of sin, and surrender full control of our lives to Him—today, not someday.

Discussion Questions:
1. In what ways might we, like the Jewish leaders, focus on secondary questions while ignoring the most urgent warnings from God’s Word?
2. How does understanding Jesus as the divine “I Am” change the way we approach faith—moving beyond seeing Him as merely a good teacher or moral example?
3. What areas of your life have you not yet surrendered to God’s control, and what would genuine repentance look like in those areas?
Scripture Focus: John 8:21-30 teaches that dying in sin is the inevitable outcome for anyone who rejects Jesus; Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 43:10-13 establish the “I Am” identity that Jesus claims for Himself; John 3:5-6 reinforces that no one born of the flesh can transform themselves—only God can save.

Outline
Introduction

The church, or those that you mother at home, let’s pray before we hear from God’s word.

Lord, open our eyes to wondrous things in this book in your Revelation. Help me to be able to declare it, and help us, Lord, to be protected from distractions and from worldly things that do not let us accept the things of God. Help us to heed this word this morning in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The 11-Foot-8 Bridge: Warnings Ignored

And preparing the message this week, I began thinking about the infamous 11 foot 8 Bridge. Have you ever heard of it? It’s also known as the can opener Bridge or the Gregson Street Guillotine. Officially, this railroad bridge in Durham, North Carolina is called the Norfolk Southern Gregson Street overpass.

Built in 1940, this bridge allows trains to cross over South Gregson Street in downtown Durham while cars drive underneath. The problem is that this bridge was built when the standard clearance for bridges was only 11 ft 8 in, instead of 14 ft like it is in most places today. This means that many large vehicles cannot pass safely under the bridge.

But that should not be too big of a problem, right? Just put up some warning signs about the bridge’s low height so that any over height vehicles can turn away before running into the bridge. And this is precisely what the city of Durham did.

Today, large signs alert drivers to the low clearance bridge several blocks before drivers encounter it. Also, a half block before the bridge, an electronic sensor detects over height vehicles and triggers an LED blackout warning sign that reads “over height must turn.” This same sensor also triggers a red light phase at the traffic light directly in front of the bridge so that a driver can stop and have 50 seconds to read the warning sign and consider carefully how he should respond.

Finally, just in front of the bridge itself, there are two signs on either side of the street listing the bridge’s height. So you’re getting the picture? You’ve got multiple warnings leading up to and present at the bridge itself so that tall vehicles do not collide with it.

But do the warnings work? Well, many drivers do indeed heed the warnings and keep themselves safe. However, some drivers do not heed the warnings.

“Many drivers do indeed heed the warnings and keep themselves safe. However, some drivers do not.”

Hence the bridge’s reputation. Since 2008, when a local office worker set up a camera observing the bridge and its preceding intersection, there have been 182 collisions into the bridge with many over height semi-trucks, buses, and RVs traveling at high speed toward the bridge and then losing roof fixtures or even having their entire roofs sheared off as if by a can opener. Actually, two collisions have already happened this month.

Now, thankfully, injuries from these crashes into the bridge have been few, but the damage to the vehicles has been quite extensive. And all because drivers foolishly do not pay attention to or heed the many warnings.

The Most Serious Warning

There’s a much more serious warning that many people ignore today. A repeated warning, actually—not about protecting your property or even protecting your body, but instead about your eternal soul. In the Bible, God repeatedly warns people.

He even warns you and me that you must get right with him or you will die in your sins and be thrown into a place of darkness and burning forever called hell. Yet so many people react to these warnings like the foolish drivers careening towards the can opener bridge—oblivious or kidding themselves that they are the exception. God’s holy anger will not touch them.

“God repeatedly warns you that you must get right with him or you will die in your sins.”

These people are in for a terribly rude awakening. But what about you? In our next passage in the Gospel of John, we see Jesus give a message of sobering warning to his listeners.

But amazingly, his listeners ignore it. It’s like they don’t even hear it. Jesus repeats the warning and he explains it further so that his original hearers and we today might finally listen and therefore might finally turn from sure eternal death to sure eternal life.

Let’s look at this together. Please open your Bibles to John 8:21-30. The title of the message today is “Beware Dying in Your Sins.”

Beware dying in your sins. John 8:21-30. If you’re using the Bibles we’ve provided, it’s page 1069.

Context: Jesus at the Feast of Booths

Before we read the passage, remember the context. We’re six months before Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus is still in Jerusalem at the Feast of Booths, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, one of Israel’s three yearly religious feasts.

Messianic expectations are high. Everyone is talking about whether this man Jesus could be the Christ. Jesus’ enemies—the Jewish religious leaders and their closest followers, usually simply called the Jews in John’s gospel—are more determined than ever to oppose and kill Jesus.

So far at this particular Feast, Jesus has avoided their murderous designs. But he has nevertheless engaged in multiple rounds of public debate and discussion with the Jews.

In round one, John 7:10-36, Jesus began teaching in the temple and refuting the shallow objections people were using to justify not believing in him.

In round two, John 7:37-52, Jesus declared himself to be the source of living water, even the giver of the promised indwelling spirit of God.

In round three, John 8:12-20, which we covered last time, Jesus declared himself to be the life-giving light of the world.

In these discussions, Jesus has made wondrous declarations and given generous invitations to believe in him and receive God’s abundant life and salvation. Yet the Jews and the Pharisees in particular have opposed Jesus the whole time. Rather than taking him up on his invitation to believe in him and be saved, they not only have refused to believe but have tried to prevent others from doing so.

“Rather than believing in him and being saved, they refused to believe and tried to prevent others.”

Scripture Reading: John 8:21-30

So Jesus engages in one more round of discussion with his Jewish opponents, which is our passage. Let’s now read John 8:21-30.

Then he said again to them, “I go away and you will seek me and will die in your sin. Where I’m going you cannot come.” So the Jews were saying, “Surely he will not kill himself, will he, since he says where I’m going you cannot come?”

And he was saying to them, “You are from below. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”

John 8:24: “Unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”

So they were saying to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning? I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but he who sent me is true, and the things which I heard from him, these I speak to the world.”

They did not realize that he had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

As he spoke these things, many came to believe in him.

This is round four of Jesus’ public discussion with the Jews at the Feast of Booths. You may notice that, like rounds 2 and 3, round four begins with a profound declaration from Jesus.

However, the previous two rounds began with declarations of wondrous compassion: “I am the source of living water. Come to me and drink.” “I am the life-giving light of life. Follow me and live.”

The beginning declaration here in round four is instead a frightening warning. Such a shift should have shaken the supposedly God-fearing Jews. But as you can see, they ignore Jesus’ warning and focus on the less important part of his declaration.

In the rest of the passage, Jesus repeats his declaration and gives three clarifications to his listeners so that they cannot pretend they do not understand Jesus’ warning and so that they might heed it.

We can describe the passage’s main idea in this way: In John 8:21-30, John reports Jesus’ fourth round of discussion with the Jews at the Feast of Booths so that you will heed Jesus’ warning and not die in your sins. John writes this passage so that you will heed Jesus’ warning and not die in your sins.

Jesus’ Declaration: Without Him, You Will Die in Your Sin

Let’s look first together at Jesus’ declaration in verses 21 to 22. The declaration is: without Jesus, you will die in your sin. Without Jesus, you will die in your sin.

Let’s look at verse 21 just to start. Then he said again to them, “I go away and you will seek me and will die in your sin where I am going you cannot come.”

Notice in verse 21 that Jesus is again speaking to them. Who’s them? We just look at whom he was just talking to. He’s talking to the Pharisees, the popular religious leaders with whom Jesus has just been speaking in the previous round on this last day of the Feast of Booths.

Though it’s not just the Pharisees now. If you just glance at verse 22, it says that those who answer Jesus are the Jews, indicating the others of Jesus’ enemies besides the Pharisees. They are re-entering the discussion.

Jesus is speaking to them all again. Here he is addressing his opponents. But what does Jesus say?

Jesus gives a warning that sounds like something he’s already said back in the middle of the feast. If you just glance back at John 7:33-34: “Jesus said, ‘For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to him who sent me. You will seek me and will not find me, and where I am you cannot come.’”

John 8:21 looks like Jesus is just repeating what he previously said. But there is a notable twist, a slight difference. He tells the Jews here, “I am going away,” which is a phrase he doesn’t totally explain. But he is again referring to his coming death, his burial, his resurrection, and his ascension back to his God in heaven.

Jesus is indicating he will not remain among the Jews very much longer. Therefore, they will have little opportunity to hear him further and respond so that they may have life. He says, “I’m going away,” and he says, “and you will seek me.”

Now, with this, as I’ve told you previously in the John 7 passage, Jesus probably does not mean that they will seek him in the future again to kill him or harm him in some way—not that kind of seeking. Rather, Jesus is indicating they will seek God’s Messiah and they will seek all that comes with God’s Messiah: God’s promised salvation, God’s promised kingdom, God’s promised blessing.

He says, “You will seek these things. You will seek the Christ. You will even seek me after I go away.” But will they find the Messiah? Will they find what Messiah has and brings?

Jesus says next, “and will die in your sin. You will seek me and you will die in your sin.”

“You will seek me and you will die in your sin.”

Now, surely, because this is more or less a repetition of John 7, this is an equivalent statement to what Jesus said before: “and you will not find me. You will seek me and you will not find me.”

What It Means to Die in Your Sin

But what exactly does it mean to die in your sin? This phrasing may be an allusion to some famous verses in the Old Testament, Ezekiel 3:18-20. I won’t take you there right now, but in that passage, God is telling his prophet Ezekiel that he—Ezekiel—must warn God’s people to turn from their sins lest those people die in their iniquity, or as the passage also says, die in their sin.

For somebody who doesn’t turn from his sin, he can die in it. He can die in his iniquity. Now, whether Jesus is alluding to that specific passage or not, the Jews would have understood what it means to die in your sin.

Basically, to die in your sin is to die condemned by your sin and unreconciled to God. Your sin is not covered or forgiven. It clings to you like a filthy, rotten garment as you go into the grave. Therefore, upon death, the anger of a holy and just God is immediately poured out on you.

This means that you will never see God’s life, God’s kingdom, God’s salvation at all—forever. You will only know everlasting regret, everlasting torment with no prospect of relief or escape. To die in your sin is no light matter. It is a horrifying prospect.

“To die in your sin is to die condemned and unreconciled to God. It is a horrifying prospect.”

No Second Chances After Death

And Jesus’ last statement in verse 21 makes total sense in light of what dying in sin means. He says, “Where I am going you cannot come.”

Now, where is Jesus going? Not simply into the grave, but back to life and then to the glory at the Father’s right hand in heaven. Jesus came from God and is going back to God. But for those who die in sin, they cannot ever come to God—not even after suffering in hell for thousands of years.

Truly, to miss Jesus when you have the chance to come to him and to die in your sin is the worst tragedy. Because there are no reset buttons. There are no do-overs. There are no second chances. As the other scripture says, “It is ordained that man will die once and then the judgment.”

“There are no reset buttons. There are no do-overs. There are no second chances.”

Those who seek Jesus when it is too late will never find him, and they will never go where he goes.

A Warning Even for the Religious

Now, notice that Jesus doesn’t pronounce this warning to theoretical sinners somewhere out there, but to whom? To the Jews. To God’s own chosen people. Even to the religious leaders among those people—the scribes and Pharisees, the priests and rabbis and their most devoted followers—who are all, let’s remember, in the middle of celebrating a religious feast to God.

To them he says, and using emphatic pronouns in the Greek, “I myself will go away and you all will seek me and in your sin you all yourselves will die. Where I myself go away, you all yourselves are not able to come.”

Jesus is telling the most religious people of his day—or at least those who’d be considered the most religious—that they are not going where he is going. They are not going to God. That should be shocking. That should be very sobering. Not just to them, but to us too, right?

Because could it be true among those who style themselves religious today that what Jesus says about the Jews is true about them now? Such is man’s proud, sinful heart. No matter the era, no matter whether it’s biblical times or modern times, you can have people who think they are going to God—very religious people—but God’s assessment is, “You will die in your sin.”

“You can have very religious people who think they are going to God, but God’s assessment is: you will die in your sin.”

And again, this is something that could be true not just out there in other religions and other denominations and other churches. It could be true here. Could be true here, even at Calvary.

Now, I love you all. I’m persuaded that this is a congregation of people who truly love God. But I cannot see your hearts. God does, though. It is possible that the warning that Jesus gives the Jews here is the very warning that you personally need.

Because despite the words you say, despite the service you offer in the church, it is still true that you have not turned from your sins. Therefore, you do not have Jesus, and you are in terrible danger of dying in your sin.

So bring back that introductory metaphor: the low hanging bridge of God’s wrath is approaching. Jesus has just put up a warning sign. How will you respond?

The Jews’ Mocking Response

Let’s see how the Jews respond in verse 22. “So the Jews were saying, ‘Surely he will not kill himself, will he, since he says where I’m going you cannot come?’”

To me, that response is almost comical. There’s a feel to you that the response does not really follow what Jesus just said. It does to me. Because instead of paying attention to the part where Jesus warns in multiple ways that these outwardly religious people are going to seek him too late and they are going to die under the wrath of God, what do the people focus on in Jesus’ statement?

Where Jesus could possibly be going. In some ways, this response from the Jews is not surprising. First of all, even Jesus’ own disciples are confused about where Jesus is going when he tells them he’s going away. They are confused until it actually happens.

This is, secondly, not surprising because the Jews have already shown confusion towards Jesus when he makes a statement like this back in round one of the feast. John 7:35-36: “The Jews then said to one another, ‘Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? He’s not intending to go to the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he? What is this statement that he said, “You will seek me and will not find me, and where I am you cannot come?”‘”

They’ve shown that they’ve been confused about this before. So surprise, surprise, they’re confused again.

But there’s a third reason this is not surprising, and this is the most notable. The Jewish leaders, up to this point in the gospel, have consistently proven themselves to be spiritually dull—even to the point of being hard-hearted, proud, and mocking of Jesus’ words and warnings.

You may remember that I told you before regarding John 7:35 that the Jews did not seriously believe that Jesus, when he told them he would go away, meant to go among the Gentiles and teach the Gentiles and the Hellenized Jews in the dispersion. That was probably a statement of contempt, a suggestion of mocking: “You can’t make it here, but maybe he thinks those dirty Gentiles will give him a better reception. Maybe that’s where he means he’s going to go.” It’s probably mockery.

We probably see the same thing here. This is the proud attitude of the Jews toward Jesus on display in verse 22. It’s probably not that they really just can’t think of anywhere Jesus might go except into the grave by his own hand. No, this is probably more mocking.

Because the Jews at this point had come to believe that suicide was a particularly heinous sin in the eyes of God—even that God banished such persons to the lowest part of hell for what they did. So with their statement to Jesus, the Jews would be saying to Jesus—essentially, if indeed they are mocking him—”Couldn’t possibly mean he’s going to kill himself, could he? I mean, I can see why maybe that would be an attractive option for such a loser like him, and the lowest part of hell really is the appropriate place for this so-called teacher.

I mean, we righteous Jews certainly wouldn’t be able to follow him there. He’d be right about that. Maybe he does mean suicide.”

“Far from heeding his warning, they only use it as an opportunity to mock him.”

This is ugly. This is arrogant contempt from the Jews toward Jesus. Far from heeding his warning, they only use it as an opportunity to mock him.

How People Dismiss Warnings Today

And how many do this today with the good news about Jesus? I sure hope that none of you do. People scoff at the warnings about hell. They brush off any warnings with self-justifications: “I’m not as bad as that person. Oh, I’m going to church now. I should be fine.” Or they evade the warnings by thinking God must be talking about someone else: “Oh, I know who needs to hear this message.” They never apply it to themselves.

We can’t be like that. You can’t be like that. Don’t be like these self-righteous Jews.

“People scoff at warnings about hell. They never apply it to themselves. Don’t be like these self-righteous Jews.”

Well, as we learn as the scriptures go along, many of them—most of them, indeed—died in their sins just as Jesus warned. You don’t want to be like them. You want to listen to God’s warning so that you yourself might be saved.

Now, because the Jews so quickly misunderstand Jesus and ignore his warning, Jesus gives three clarifications about what he has just declared. So we’re going to look at those.

Clarification 1: You Will Die in Sins Unless You Believe

The first clarification appears in verses 23 to 25A.

Clarification 1: You will die in sins unless you believe. You will die in sins unless you believe.

Look at verse 23: “And he was saying to them, ‘You are from below. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world.’”

Notice the imperfect verb tense that begins this verse. Jesus was saying—that is, he was saying something repeatedly to the Jews so that they wouldn’t miss it. And what does Jesus keep emphasizing to his dismissive opponents?

Well, a fundamental difference in origins. You yourselves—the emphatic pronouns are back here. We don’t see it in English so much, but it’s there in the Greek—you yourselves are from below, Jesus says. Which, probably because of the parallel statement that comes at the end of this verse, this doesn’t mean that the Jews are from hell, but merely they are from earth.

You yourselves are from below, whereas Jesus says, “I myself am from above.” Unlike the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus came from God in heaven to the earth. He didn’t come from earth like they did.

You yourselves are of this world, Jesus says. That is, you were born into the dwelling place of mankind that is fundamentally in rebellion against God. It’s a dark place. It’s ruled over by Satan.

So you are dark people. Your thinking is worldly. Your desires are worldly. And your destiny is the same as all the other this-world-focused dwellers of the world.

Whereas Jesus says of himself, “I myself am not of this world.” That is, not only did I ultimately not come from this fallen world, but also my desires, my thinking, my destiny are not of this world. I am about my Father’s words and will, and I am going back to him.

Not all of this is explained in Jesus’ words, but because we know the rest of the scriptures, we get what he’s talking about.

But why bring out the fundamental differences between Jesus and the Jews? Why start with this in his first clarification?

Well, on the one hand, Jesus is, in a sense, answering their mocking question: “Where is he going?” Since he is not of this world, the place to which he will soon be going is back above, to heaven, the place from which he came.

On the other hand, Jesus mentions this immediately in reply to them to explain why even these supposedly religious Jews will in fact die in their sins without him. It’s because they are fundamentally just like everyone else in the world.

The Great Lie of Self-Righteousness

Here is the great lie that all other world religions besides biblical Christianity teach—even some religions that claim to follow the true God or label themselves as Christian. They teach this fundamental lie: that you can be good enough for God. You can do enough good works. You can participate in enough rituals. You can be religious enough. You can earn your way into God’s favor and into some kind of heaven that God promises you.

This was the teaching that the Jews in Jesus’ day had swallowed hook, line, and sinker. It is the same teaching that many people swallow today and think they are on the road to God and heaven.

But as Jesus points out, people from below, people of the world, can never be good enough for God. That is because they are born into a corrupted world and are of a corrupted world. They are themselves corrupt. Their desires, their thinking, their destiny are all fallen. Which means their good works are too.

“People from below, people of the world, can never be good enough for God because they are themselves corrupt.”

Those who are of this world cannot please God, nor can they transform themselves into those who can. For no person can change his own nature.

Didn’t Jesus already tell us this in John 3:5-6? “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Flesh cannot transform itself into spirit.”

John 3:5: “Unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

Ultimately, all that sinful people of the world can do—and all of us are sinful people—is produce sinful works. They may look good on the outside to some people, but they are tainted by sin. You can dress it up in religiosity, but God sees to the core. It’s corrupt.

How can anyone in this world be saved? The only way is if someone who is not of this world—someone who is uniquely qualified to come and rescue—is sent into the world for the world. We need God himself to come to the rescue.

Jesus points out, by his contrast with the Pharisees and the Jews, that he is that fundamentally different one. He is God’s ordained means of rescue. Yet what have they just done? What have they been doing the whole time?

They say, “Thank you, but no thank you.” They reject and even mock the one sent by God because they think they don’t need him. “No, we got this, Jesus. We’ll be fine on our own.”

So Jesus puts two and two together for them. He says, “Here’s the reality. Here’s what you’re doing. Here’s the outcome.”

Only Faith in Jesus Saves

Verse 24: “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”

Is there any other logical conclusion? If you cannot save yourselves and you reject the only one sent from heaven who can save you, there’s only one outcome: you will die in your sins.

“If you cannot save yourselves and you reject the only one who can save you, there’s only one outcome.”

Jesus is making it very plain. They cannot miss it. We cannot miss it.

Notice one difference here, though. In Jesus’ repeated warning in verse 21, it was “you will die in your sin”—singular. In verse 24, twice here, we have “you will die in your sins”—plural.

Is that difference in number significant? You might say no, except for the clarifying reason that Jesus gives in the middle of verse 24: “unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”

From a certain point of view, it is true that every kind of human sin can be forgiven except one. Even the worst sins you can think of, committed over and over and over again, God can forgive. He is that merciful. He is that great in his kindness.

But there is one sin that God cannot and will not ever forgive, no matter what. What is that sin? It’s unbelief in his son Jesus.

If you believe in Jesus, incredibly, God will forgive everything else—past, present, and future. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. If you believe in Jesus, God will forgive it all.

But if you don’t believe in Jesus—in the only provided provision of God for your sin—then, because you won’t believe, that sin of unbelief will take the lead among all your other sins and stampede you all the way to hell.

This is why, in describing why people become eternally damned, the Bible can answer by speaking both of general sins of rebellion and also the specific sin of unbelief. Both are what condemn a person to eternal punishment. Your sins condemn you, but also the sin of unbelief is what condemns you.

So that may account for the difference in number in our passage. In verse 21, Jesus is referring to the soul-damning sin of unbelief. In verse 24, Jesus is referring to all the other soul-damning sins that are left uncovered and unforgiven because of unbelief in Jesus.

Now, don’t miss the fundamental truth of verse 24: only faith in Jesus saves. It is not works. It is not faith plus works. It is faith alone in Jesus alone.

“Only faith in Jesus saves. It is not works. It is not faith plus works. It is faith alone in Jesus alone.”

Only those who believe in Jesus will not die in their sins. That is the only category of exception.

Jesus’ ‘I Am’ Claim to Deity

But believe what about Jesus? Notice here, very intriguingly, Jesus says, “unless you believe that I am he.”

Who’s he? What’s he? What am I supposed to believe about this he? What am I supposed to believe about Jesus in order to be saved?

Even more interestingly, the original Greek text for this phrase is more literally translated “unless you believe that I am”—the he could be implied by the grammar of the Greek, but it’s not literally there.

So what is Jesus saying?

Well, as we’ve already seen in this gospel, and we will see again, Jesus sometimes makes “I am” statements that have an overtone of claim to deity, to asserting himself to be God. We saw one of these last week in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world.” We’re going to see one again soon in John 8:58: “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”

And I would argue that we see another one here in verse 24, as well as in verse 28.

Now, what does saying “I am” have to do with claiming to be God? Anyone can say “that I am blank” and still mean something totally normal. We’re going to see this in John 9 with the man born blind. They’d be like, “Is this, is this your son? Is this the one who was born blind and now he can see?” And he says, “I am he.” “I’m the one.” He was not claiming to be deity there.

But when someone says “I am” and then fills in the rest of the statement with something that can only be true about God, or if someone says something like Jesus does here—”you must believe that I am”—and then doesn’t fill in the rest of the statement, such statements most likely are declarations of divinity.

Why do I say that? Because that’s the way God himself talks.

I reminded you last time of God’s famous self-identifying statement to Moses in Exodus 3:14. Just to recall it to your mind: “God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am,’ and he said, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, “I am” has sent me to you.’”

“I am” is a phrase specially connected to God and his very nature. “I am” expresses his eternality, his self-sufficiency. Fundamentally, God is “I am.”

Exodus 3:14: “God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ ‘I Am’ is a phrase specially connected to God and his very nature.”

But it wasn’t just expressed there in Exodus. God sometimes uses that title again or uses that phrasing again in a poignant way in other places in the Old Testament, like in the one we read earlier in our service, Isaiah 43:1-13. God is stressing to Israel how much different he is compared to the false gods who can’t do anything, who can’t foretell the future.

Let me remind you of two things that God says in Isaiah 43:10 and Isaiah 43:13.

Isaiah 43:10: “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord—or the word there is Yahweh—”you are my witnesses, declares Yahweh, and my servant whom I have chosen so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me there was no God formed, and there will be none after me.”

Similarly, Isaiah 43:13: “Even from eternity, God says, ‘I am he, and there is none who can deliver out of my hand. I act, and who can reverse it?’”

Are you seeing the parallel to our passage? In these verses in Isaiah, God doesn’t define the “he” of “I am he” because it doesn’t have to. Here again is a declaration—like in Exodus 3:14—a declaration of divine self-existence, independence, eternality. “I am God,” says, “When you see me do things that only God can do, you’ll know I am.”

So bringing all this back to John 8: If Jesus is validated by God in his words and works, but Jesus also speaks like God and makes the same assertion about himself that God does—even in statements like “I am” and “I am he”—then who must Jesus be?

Jesus Is God: The Heart of the Gospel

Jesus is God. Jesus is God. He’s not merely a good man. He’s not merely a moral teacher or an example to follow. He’s not merely an exalted angel. He is the Son of God, the one sent by the Father into the world of darkness to be Israel’s promised Messiah and the saving light of all people who will believe in him.

“Jesus is God. He’s not merely a good man or a moral teacher. He is the Son of God.”

He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is the only one who could deliver you and me from our sins because he fundamentally is not of this world. Though he was eternally God, he became a man.

He did come into this world so that he could grow up and live a perfectly righteous life—the very one that you and I were supposed to live, as Jesus himself will mention in a moment.

He then went to the cross to accomplish a desperately needed exchange for people. He took the sins of all those who believe in him into his own account and suffered the eternal hell penalty for those sins once and for all.

He also took his perfect righteousness—the very righteousness of the Son of God—and he placed it into the account of those who believe in him.

This is the exchange. He takes your sin if you believe, and he gives you his righteousness. As a result, when God looks at those newly redeemed people, those believers, God doesn’t see their sins.

He doesn’t see their pitiful, corrupted, self-righteous attempts to get right with God. He sees the perfection of his own Son.

God therefore declares all those people righteous and justified in Jesus alone.

Only God himself could accomplish the saving sacrifice that we needed and then rise again from the dead when it was all accomplished.

This is he. This is the “I am.” This is the one that you must believe in and give up all to have.

True Faith Includes Repentance

One word that’s often linked with faith or belief in Jesus in the Bible is the word “repentance.” This is because no one can truly believe in Jesus as the Lord, as the Savior, as the “I am,” who then hangs on to sin and control of his own life. “Yes, I believe in you, Jesus, but I’m still going to live the way that I want.” That’s not how it works.

See, repentance is the flip side of true belief. If you truly believe in Jesus, you will also turn from your sin. There are two sides of the same coin. In belief, in true faith, you give up everything that displeases and dishonors God so that you may follow him. You give up your sin. You give up your self-righteous attempts at God’s favor. You give up your own will.

“Repentance is the flip side of true belief. If you truly believe in Jesus, you will also turn from your sin.”

Now, that’s a big one, right? We all start out thinking, “I am the captain of my own life. I’m going to decide what I want to do. I’ve got my dreams. I’ve got my goals. I’m going to pursue them.”

But God says, “But I’m the Lord, and I made you for me.”

Genuine faith says, “Okay, God. I believe I am made for you. I’m giving you control. I’m giving up my sins. I’m giving control over to you. You’re worthy of it, and I want you.”

If you really believe, your heart tells God, “You are my master. You now have full control of my life. I now live for you because you have saved me—not to keep myself saved, because you have saved me. I commit my entire life in growing obedience to you, Lord. I’m still going to struggle. I’m going to get confused. I’m going to fail. But I’m going to keep pursuing you. And where sin crops up in my life, I’m going to put it to death. I’m going to put it away because I believe in you.”

Amen. That is true saving faith in Jesus. And that is the only way not to die condemned in your sins.

The Jews Still Don’t Understand

So Jesus has given this clarification. Do the Jews get it?

Look at verse 25, just the first part: “So they were saying to him, ‘Who are you?’”

Once again, we have to stand back amazed at the spiritual dullness and hard-heartedness of these supposedly religious leaders. Even after three years of public ministry, even after seven days of teaching at this feast, even after the explanation that Jesus has already just given, the Jews still ask him—and apparently more than once, according to the verb tense—”Who are you?”

“Even after three years of public ministry, even after seven days of teaching at this feast, the Jews still ask, ‘Who are you?’”

How can they still not get it? Why do they ask this question? Why do they keep asking this question?

Perhaps they did catch Jesus’s allusion with the statement “I am he.” Perhaps they think that Jesus is blaspheming by claiming divine, Messianic titles for himself, and they want him to clarify further so that they can entrap him and have some grounds to accuse him. “Tell us exactly who you are in ways that we can then accuse you.”

Maybe that’s why they ask him. Or maybe they just cannot conceive that even they would need God himself to be their savior. So even though Jesus has already been abundantly clear with them, they just can’t compute it. So they say, “Who are you?” again.

Well, Jesus will answer their question with a second clarification in verses 25B to 27.

Clarification 2: You Should Know Who Jesus Is by Now

Clarification 2: You should know who Jesus is by now.

Look at the rest of verse 25: “Jesus said to them, ‘What have I been saying to you from the beginning?’”

Jesus points out to the Jews—what I just pointed out to you—they ought to know who he is by now. If they are trying to entrap him into some sort of what they think of as blasphemous divine declaration, he’s not going to play that game. Not yet. He just points back to what he’s already told them, what he’s already showed them.

“They ought to know who he is by now. What worldly desires prevent you from seeing the plain truth?”

If you’ve gotten to John 8, if you’re reading through the Gospel of John, and you still don’t know who Jesus is, you really should go back and read the first eight chapters again because it’s obvious. Or better yet, ask yourself: “What worldly desires and expectations are you holding on to that prevent you from seeing the plain truth that Jesus is God, he’s the son of God in human flesh?”

It’s clear. What’s holding you back from seeing that?

Jesus Speaks Only the Father’s Words

Look what Jesus says next in John 8:26: “I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but he who sent me is true, and the things which I heard from him, these I speak to the world.”

In this verse, Jesus acknowledges the Jews’ culpability in not being able to understand who he is. They cannot understand even after all this time because they will not understand. Therefore, Jesus mentions that he has many words of spiritual exposure and condemnation stored up for these religious hypocrites. But he will not speak them now.

You may notice the contrasting word “but” in the middle of the verse. Because the sending one—the one sending Jesus—is true, fundamentally totally reliable, Jesus will only speak the words given him from that sending one. And Jesus will speak these words not only to his Jewish opponents but also to the whole world.

Remember, Jesus’ first coming was primarily for salvation, not for judgment. So though Jesus could rightfully and truthfully sentence each one of his hearers to immediate judgment—”These Jews, wow, you still don’t get it. You deserve to be judged”—he could do that right now. But he again demonstrates his identity as the Son of God who is intimately united with and completely humbly dependent on the Father.

“Jesus’ first coming was primarily for salvation, not for judgment.”

Jesus shows he will continue to seek the Father’s will and the Father’s timing. He’s not going to start judging because now is not the time. That’s not what the Father has ordained for him. As the perfect Son, as the perfect explainer of God, he will only speak the Father’s words and the Father’s time.

Yet even this clarification from Jesus soon demonstrates further the spiritual density of the Jews. For notice John 8:27: “They did not realize that he had been speaking to them about the Father.”

You almost want to hit your head on the desk. How could they miss even that? Even if they didn’t believe Jesus really has God as his Father, they should have been able to understand that he was making that claim.

Who could the sending one be if Jesus came from above and came from heaven if not the Father? And how many times has Jesus clarified to the Jews his relationship with the Father in heaven? John 2, John 5, John 6, earlier in John 8. Actually, it’s partly due to the claim that Jesus has previously made about his relationship with the Father that the Jews want to kill him. He called God his own Father, making himself equal with God. That’s John 5:18.

And now they don’t understand he’s talking about his Father when he’s talking about the sending one.

Clarification 3: You Will Know Jesus Better After the Cross

Jesus has one more clarification to make to the Jews and to us as well. We see this in the final part of our passage, verses 28 to 30.

Clarification 3: You will know Jesus better after the cross.

Look at verse 28: “So Jesus said, ‘When you lift up the son of man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as the father taught me.’”

Have you ever watched a movie and then later watched that same movie again? It’s a totally different experience the second time, right? Yes, you no longer experience the surprise, the tension, the humor like you did the first time because you’ve seen it all before. You’re more familiar with the story.

But once you know how everything ends, you can suddenly appreciate and understand the details leading up to that end which didn’t make sense to you the first time. “Oh, that’s why that character says that here. Oh, that’s why the camera lingers on this scene for a while. It’s foreshadowing the end.”

Jesus says that knowing who he is and knowing his relationship with the father is a little bit like that experience. As Jesus has just clarified in verse 26, there is already ample evidence as to who Jesus is and why everyone must believe in him to avoid dying in sin. It’s not as if he’s giving them a pass.

Nevertheless, he says in verse 28, “When you lift up the son of man”—doesn’t exactly explain what that means, but we know what that means—”when you Jews cause my body to be lifted up on the cross, when you kill me, then you will know that I am.”

“When you Jews cause my body to be lifted up on the cross, then you will know that I am.”

Literally, “I am” could also be translated “I am he.” Then you will know. And additionally, specifically, you will know that the whole time I was doing nothing on my own initiative or according to my own solitary will, but was always perfectly speaking and obeying the father.

“You’re not sure who the sending one was? It’s the father. You’ll realize the whole time I was obeying the father just as he instructed me.”

The Cross Makes Everything Clearer

Indeed, it is the lifting up of the cross—or I should say the lifting up on the cross itself—it gains new significance once you see the final outcome for Jesus, which is not death. It’s resurrection and it’s glorification of the son by the father.

Remember, we saw this back in John 3: lifting up also means to glorify, to exalt. Jesus is playing with that double meaning. What at first glance looks like a mere tragic lifting up to death becomes, on second view, once you see the whole story, a lifting up in glory before the whole world. And it even functions as the drawing of many peoples—Jew and Gentile—to believe in Jesus.

“What at first looks like a tragic lifting up to death becomes a lifting up in glory before the whole world.”

Jesus is saying the cross is going to make everything clearer. But don’t misunderstand Jesus. He’s not saying that when they know that “I am” after the cross, he’s not saying that means they will all believe to the point of salvation. The other gospels and the book of Acts reveal quite the contrary. Many of the religious Jews remain stubborn enemies of Christ and of his people even after the cross, even after the resurrection, when the evidence is so obvious.

What Jesus is saying is that even if they resist the truth, they will know it even better after the cross. There will be such new, plain evidence that what Jesus had been declaring all along is true—even that it was the father, it was God himself, it was the father who sent him and gave the son the words to speak.

Greater Knowledge Means Greater Accountability

Now, that’s not just an academic, idle point. That is a directly relevant point to us. Because what are we? We quite surely are people post-cross, post-empty tomb.

If Jesus held them to account for what they already knew up to John 8, how much more we, when we know so much more of the story? We should be able to understand Jesus better, much better.

So how much greater our punishment will be from God if, even with all this extra information, even with all the more warning signs that are so clear, we still proudly do not turn?

“We are people post-cross, post-empty tomb. How much greater our punishment if we still proudly do not turn?”

How much greater will our punishment be?

The Son’s Perfect Confidence in the Father

Jesus concludes in verse 29 by saying, “And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

As the Son of God, Jesus doesn’t need to wait for the cross, the resurrection, or the ascension to understand what’s really going on or what his relationship with the Father is really like. He knows it all perfectly from the start and constantly enjoys it.

Even when facing opposition, mockery, and death threats, Jesus is fully confident both in what he says and what he does because he knows his God, his Father, is always with him. And Jesus is always pleasing his Father.

Whatever he does and says, he makes sure that it’s pleasing to the Father. After all, the Son of God knows best where the greatest pleasure in the universe is: in God and pleasing God.

“The Son of God knows best where the greatest pleasure in the universe is: in God and pleasing God.”

Therefore, we who have believed in Jesus can experience a version of the confidence and joy that he’s testifying of here in verse 29. By the Spirit of God inside us, we have the Father with us, the Son with us, and the Holy Spirit with us.

When we rely on the Spirit and we heed God’s word, we can please the Lord as well, following after him, testifying of him, and honoring him.

Many Came to Believe

Now, this is where Jesus’s fourth round of discussion with the Jews ends. What is the result?

Look at verse 30: “As he spoke these things, many came to believe in him.”

How interesting. Even though many of the Jewish leaders won’t believe, there are others—maybe among them, certainly in the crowd—who are apparently willing to heed the Son of God’s warning and pass from death to life.

“Even though many Jewish leaders won’t believe, there are others willing to heed the warning and pass from death to life.”

Though, as we’ll see next time in the Gospel of John, not all who believe in Jesus even here will turn out to be true disciples, but the possibility of belief is there.

Conclusion: Turn to Jesus Today

So it’s time to assess ourselves. Where are you with Jesus?

Like the 11 foot 8 bridge, God has again given you multiple warnings by his word, by his spirit, so that as you approach the immovable overpass of God’s wrath, you will not crash. God’s word has scanned you. Now there’s an LED sign lighting up that says, “Dying in sin must turn to Jesus.”

Relatively speaking, in light of eternity, you have a short time left. How will you respond to this word from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?

Don’t be like the fools too caught up in the world, too trusting in self-generated works, to turn. Take seriously Jesus’ word: “Unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.”

Yet if you will turn, if you will believe, then you will know. You will gain eternal life. You will gain God himself by the spirit. And you will finally see the great glory of the Son that was there all along.

John 8:24: “Unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.”

Because the end of the story comes down to this: Turn to Jesus today. And if you’ve strayed, return.

Beware dying in your sins. Turn so that you may know the glory of the Lord.

Let’s close in prayer.

God, we thank you for your word today. We are not above needing your word of warning. We know how deceptive our own hearts can be. We know the allure of the world, the flesh, and the evil one.

Lord, I pray that we would take seriously this word, that we would fear with holy fear dying in sin, never turning from our sin, just keep going our own way to destruction. And God, you have warned us with compassion, and you’ve pointed us to a better way—the only way: Jesus Christ.

Lord, I pray that this congregation, all of us who’ve heard this message today, would believe that Jesus is the “I am” and that we would find our life in Jesus more and more. For those who haven’t tasted at all, I pray that they’d come and believe for the first time.

But for those who have believed, God, I pray that we would grow in the satisfaction of it, not distracted by the world, especially the fear of man, wanting people to approve us, wanting people to not have a harsh word to say against us. Help us not to be like the Jewish leaders who love the approval of men more than the approval of God.

Help us, Lord, again to take seriously this warning and to respond to those invitations you’ve already given. You are the source of living water. You are the light of life in Jesus’ name. Amen.
May 12, 2024
The Life-Giving Light
In this sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia examines John 8:12-20 and Jesus’ proclamation of himself as the light of the world at the Feast of Booths. John reports Jesus’ third round of discussion with the Jews at the Feast of Booths so that you might by faith gain Jesus as the light of life and not keep walking in darkness.

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

The life-giving light of Jesus Christ is declared and defended in John 8:12-20. We are reminded that just as physical light is essential for bodily life, spiritual light is essential for the soul—and that light is found exclusively in Jesus. At the Feast of Booths, against the backdrop of the great lamp-lighting ceremony, Jesus announces, “I am the light of the world,” fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecies and revealing himself as God incarnate.

When the Pharisees object that his self-testimony is invalid, Jesus dismantles their argument by showing his testimony is unique (he alone comes from and returns to God), corroborated (the Father testifies alongside him), and that their inability to see his light exposes that they do not truly know God.

Key Lessons:
1. Jesus is the exclusive source of spiritual light—no philosophy, religion, or worldly pursuit can deliver the soul from darkness.
2. True belief in Jesus requires ongoing following and obedience, not merely a one-time acknowledgment of his identity.
3. The testimony of Jesus is self-validating as God’s light, and is further corroborated by the Father through Jesus’ words, works, and the Old Testament Scriptures.
4. Religious activity and knowledge do not guarantee that a person truly knows God—only knowing Jesus reveals the Father.
Application: We are called to examine whether we are truly following Jesus or merely claiming belief while clinging to darkness. Where sin has crept back into our lives, we must repent, turn from darkness, and walk as children of light who reflect Christ to the world around us.

Discussion Questions:
1. What are some modern “false lights” that people pursue instead of Christ, and how can we recognize them for what they are?
2. Jesus says “He who follows me” rather than merely “He who believes in me”—what does it look like practically to follow Jesus daily rather than just affirm belief?
3. The Pharisees were the most religious people of their day yet could not see God’s light in Jesus. How can we guard against the same kind of spiritual blindness in our own lives?
Scripture Focus: John 8:12-20 — Jesus declares himself the light of the world at the Feast of Booths. Supporting passages include Exodus 13:21-22 (the pillar of fire), Isaiah 9:2, 42:6-7, and 49:5-6 (messianic prophecies of light), Deuteronomy 19:15 (the law of witnesses), and John 5:31-47 (the Father’s corroborating testimony).

Outline
Introduction

Let’s pray. Lord God, we want to glory in the cross and not be ashamed of Jesus Christ, but to put him on display. Lord, I pray that you would shine the light of Christ this morning in this local congregation. Enable me, Lord, to declare Christ, and spirit work among us in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Universal Need for Light

Start off today. I want you to imagine something with me. Imagine a world with absolutely no light. There’s no sun, there’s no moon, there’s no stars, there are no candles, there are no lamps, there are no screens. The world has no lights. It’s pitch black. It’s total darkness. Imagine such a world.

And then let me ask you: could you live in that world? The answer is no. Not only would you not want to, you literally could not. Though blind people can still get along in a world that has lights that they cannot see, no one can live in a world with no lights at all.

And why is this? Because according to God’s original creation design, we need light to live. The light of the sun is what warms our planet so that we in our world do not simply freeze. Sunlight also is what grows plants on which animals feed, and then we eat both plants and animals. Sun rays cause our bodies to synthesize vitamin D, which is necessary for our health.

“According to God’s original creation design, we need light to live.”

Lights of various kinds help us to see and to know our surroundings so we can actually move and act in the world. And the beauty of light, especially sunlight, is necessary for our inner person to the point that if we are deprived of light for too long, we will find ourselves prone to discouragement and even hopelessness.

The Search for Spiritual Light

So then, because we need light to live, we could say that light is life-giving for us. But so far I’m only talking about physical light. There is another kind of light that we need, which all people are searching for in one way or another. And that’s spiritual light—light that is needed by our spirits.

What is this spiritual light? People would describe it in many ways. It is the light of truth, the light of justice, the light of freedom, the light of love, of joy, of peace, of holiness, of hope, or most simply, the light of life. We all long for true life, abundant life, that goes beyond this world and will last even forever.

We long for it like we long for physical light. Haven’t you felt that? Why is it that we long for true light for our spirits? Because we, in fact, do live in a world of darkness—not physical darkness, but spiritual darkness. And this darkness is not simply around us; it’s in us.

What kind of darkness is spiritual darkness? Surely this is something you have felt as well. The darkness of lies, of ignorance, of bondage, of misery, of hatred, of fear, of despair, of sin, and ultimately, the darkness of death. Death so pervades our world and even our own hearts so that we long for light.

We long for true light to dispel the darkness and all its manifestations and bring us into lasting life. More than we need physical light for our bodies, we need spiritual light for our souls. But where to find it? Many people simply don’t know.

“More than we need physical light for our bodies, we need spiritual light for our souls.”

Some think they have found this true light in various places: in pleasure-seeking, in worldly achievement, in philosophy, in a moral religious system, in an enlightened guru. But all these, like the fallen angel Satan, they have the appearance of life-giving light, but they are not true light. They cannot give the soul what it really needs, nor can they deliver from physical or spiritual death.

No. The only way to find true spiritual light is to go to him who is the creator of light. After all, God’s first recorded words in scripture are, “Let there be light.” And he was able to create physical light because he is spiritual light in himself, in his very being.

Just as we read earlier in the service, God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. And God did not hide his true light away from our dark world. He actually sent his light into our world in the most obvious way. Indeed, in our next passage in the Gospel of John, we will again see God’s amazing light identified and offered to all.

But we will also see, astonishingly, that when God’s true light is again put on such obvious display, many supposedly religious, light-seeking persons will say, “I don’t see God’s light.” Which will force us to ask the question: What do we see? What do you see? Do you see and do you follow God’s true light so that God’s eternal life is now manifest in your heart?

Setting the Scene: The Feast of Booths

Please take your Bibles and open to John 8. We’ll be looking at verses 12 to 20 today as we examine the life-giving light. The life-giving light. John 8:12-20.

For those using the few Bibles that are on page 1069. Recall the preceding context—what has come before this passage. If we exclude John 7:53 to 8:11, the account of the woman found in adultery, from the context (and the reason for that is because, as I explained to you last time, these verses are not found in the earliest manuscripts, the earliest copies of John, and therefore the story is likely not original to John), it’s unique in the New Testament in that way, just like Mark 16:9-20—just those two special, difficult, challenging passages.

If we exclude that section from the context, then we can see that in John 8:12 to 20, Jesus is still at the Feast of Booths, also called the Feast of Tabernacles. It is one of the three required religious feasts in Israel.

The Feast of Booths celebrates specifically God’s amazing provision for Israel as his people lived in tents or booths while they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness.

“The Feast of Booths celebrates God’s amazing provision for Israel as they wandered 40 years in the wilderness.”

We’re only about 6 months at this point before Jesus’ passion, his crucifixion. At this Feast of Booths, while teaching, Jesus has been engaging in a number of verbal tussles with his Jewish enemies, who are all the while hoping to seize and kill Jesus.

In round one (if you just glance back to John 7:10-36), Jesus engages in some divine apologetics, refuting the shallow reasons offered for not believing in him while exposing the real reason: the people do not know, do not love, and do not want the true God.

In round two (John 7:37-52), Jesus, on the feast’s last day, uses the feast celebration of miraculous provision of water in the wilderness to proclaim himself to be the source of living water. Anyone who thirsts can come and drink. He even proclaims himself (though the people did not understand it at the time) to be the source of God’s outpoured Holy Spirit that was promised to Israel by the prophets.

Now, Jesus’ opponents in round two (if you remember) do not respond directly to Jesus’ declaration about being living water. But the crowd does debate whether Jesus really could be the promised Messiah, while the priests and Pharisees, the religious leaders of Israel, unbelieving religious leaders, contemptuously dismiss Jesus’ words and all the people who are believing in Jesus.

Reading the Text: John 8:12-20

Our new text follows right on the heels of round two of Jesus and the Jews in the Feast of Booths. Let’s now read John 8:12-20, our passage for today.

John 8:12-20: “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.’ So the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying about yourself; your testimony is not true.’

Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone.

But even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone in it, but I am with the Father who sent me. Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. I am he who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me.’

So they were saying to him, ‘Where is your father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither me nor my father. If you knew me, you would know my father also.’ These words he spoke in the treasury as he taught in the temple, and no one seized him because his hour had not yet come.”

John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

What we have in this passage is round three of Jesus’ discussion and debate with the Jews—that is, with the Pharisees and his other Jewish opponents. As with round two, round three opens with a wondrous declaration and an implicit invitation for all to come to Jesus and believe in him.

But unlike round two, this time the Pharisees respond directly to Jesus’ words with an objection. Jesus responds to their objection in a manner reminiscent of round one: first by showing why their objection is groundless, and second by exposing the real reason for their objection.

Thus we see the three-part structure of this passage, which will become the sermon outline: declaration, objection, and response.

The main idea of this passage is the following: In John 8:12-20, John reports Jesus’ third round of discussion with the Jews at the Feast of Booths so that you might by faith gain Jesus as the light of life and not keep walking in darkness.

John reports Jesus’ third round of discussion with the Jews at the Feast of Booths so that you might by faith gain Jesus as the light of life and not keep walking in darkness. It’s going to be one or the other.

Declaration: I Am the Life-Giving Light

Let’s take a closer look at each of the sections of our text, starting with the first one, which just covers verse 12.

First section: we can use the heading “Declaration: This is Jesus speaking. I am the life-giving light.”

Declaration: I am the life-giving light. Look at verse 12: “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

Now notice the word “again” in verse 12. This word tells us that Jesus is continuing here what he was doing before, back in John 7:37-39. Jesus speaks to the people in the temple court and invites them to believe, and he’s doing the same again here.

Now notice: this time Jesus does not proclaim himself to be the source of life-giving water, but instead the source of life-giving light. Now, as before, there is some notable historical context for this declaration from Jesus.

You see, another important part of the Jews’ celebration of the Feast of Booths was a commemoration of how God provided light for the people of Israel in the wilderness. And do you remember how God did that? It was by being a light for them in the darkness. He didn’t just give them light; he was their light.

To remind you: Exodus 13:21-22. Exodus 13:21-22 says, “The Lord—that is, the Hebrew Yahweh—Yahweh was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.”

Can you picture that situation? In Exodus, whenever Israel had to travel by night in God’s plan, God himself, in the form of a column or a pillar of fire, led the way and showed his people where they should go. And when their pillar of fire stopped traveling, it rested above the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle so that Israel always had the light of God’s presence in their camp at night.

“God himself, in the form of a pillar of fire, led the way and showed his people where they should go.”

Now that’s a pretty amazing happening, and definitely something worthy to remember and celebrate. However, God’s providing himself as literal light for his people in the wilderness also points to the greater reality that God provided spiritual life for his people all their days, even up to Jesus’ own time. He was their literal light, but he was also their spiritual light.

The Lamp-Lighting Ceremony

Therefore, at the Feast of Booths, the Jews celebrated God’s being a light to his people with a special ritual. On the night of the first day of the feast, the Jews lit four giant golden lampstands in the court of the women in the temple.

That was the main area of Jewish worship in the temple grounds. It’s called the court of the women, but all the Jews would be passing through that area. That was as far as the women could go in worship, but that was the main area where people would be worshiping and gathering.

About in the middle of this court, they would set up four giant golden lampstands. According to rabinical writings, these lampstands were so tall and so bright when lit that they provided beautiful light for every house’s courtyard in Jerusalem. There’s light in the temple, but it’s spreading all over Jerusalem.

If you went outside to your house’s courtyard, you saw the light. It lit up everything around you. This would be reminiscent of what the pillar of fire did in the days of Moses.

“These lampstands were so tall and bright that they provided beautiful light for every courtyard in Jerusalem.”

When these lamps were lit during the feast, the Jews who were gathered there in the temple danced with torches around the lampstands while singing praise to God, while the temple musicians played. The lighting ceremony was considered one of the most joyful events of the feast. The Jews would often sing and dance for hours into the night when these lamps were lit.

We know that the Jews had this celebratory lighting ceremony on the first night of the feast. There’s some debate as to whether it happened on the other nights of the feast or not. But you can imagine on the last evening of the feast, if the lighting ceremony was indeed taking place again, there would be a certain bittersweet quality to it.

Yes, it’s again a joyful moment of celebrating God’s life-giving light to his people. But this was the last one. The light, the celebration—it’s soon coming to an end. The singing and dancing will have to stop. The great lights of Jerusalem will have to be extinguished.

Jesus’ Dramatic Claim at the Feast

Perhaps then, when the Jews are preparing to light the lamps for the last time in the feast, or perhaps just after they have been lit and people are starting to celebrate, or maybe just some other moment on the last day of the feast when people have been thinking about the light of God as commemorated in the feast, we have Jesus say what he does here: “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

This is the second of Jesus’ famous “I am” declarations in the Gospel of John. We had “I am the bread of life” in John 6:48, but now we have “I am the light of the world.”

“This is the second of Jesus’ famous ‘I am’ declarations in the Gospel of John.”

The ‘I Am’ Declaration and Its Old Testament Roots

Once again, the phrase “I am” is emphatic in the original Greek. We could translate it as “I myself am the light of the world” or “I, even I, am the light of the world.” There’s emphasis on the “I.”

Also, once again, though the Greek phrase here, “ego a me,” is the correct way for anyone to say “I am blank” (he wants to say something about himself), Jesus’ phrase does carry overtones of the revelation of God to Moses in Exodus 3. You remember when Moses asks, “Whom shall I say has sent me?” God says, “I am who I am. Tell them that’s the one who sent you.”

Now this possibility of divine assertion is confirmed by what appears in the rest of the phrase. If he just said “I am” and then said something weird, we wouldn’t necessarily say he was claiming to be God. But notice what follows: Jesus proclaims himself to be light, but not just any light. He’s not merely “a light.” He is “the light.” And he’s not merely a light for Jerusalem or the light for Israel. He’s the light of the world. He’s for the whole world. He’s for all the people who dwell on the earth, both Jew and Gentile.

“He’s not merely ‘a light.’ He is ‘the light.’ And he’s not merely a light for Israel. He’s the light of the world.”

Further, notice what Jesus promises about himself as the light: “He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” That’s a pointed assertion to be making at the Feast of Booths. The Jews have just been celebrating how Israel followed God’s light in the wilderness and thereby found life. But here Jesus says if you follow me, you will be rescued from the darkness and have life.

“Light of life,” by the way, would mean either the light that brings life or the light is life, but the meaning is more or less the same either way.

So then, in the backdrop of this feast and its ceremony, and in the context of the Old Testament that declares God himself to be light and the one who brings life-giving light and salvation to his people, if all that is the backdrop, what is Jesus saying about himself? He can only be saying that he, Jesus, is God—God, even the Son of God—and the Messiah of God, the one sent into the world to be God’s life-giving light to all who believe.

Isaiah’s Prophecies Fulfilled

Kind of like the Nicene Creed says: “God of God, light of light.” And what Jesus declares about himself as the Messiah, it fits exactly with what the prophets foretold. Specifically, in Isaiah, just to read a few passages to you:

Isaiah 9:2 (probably remember this one around Christmas time): “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.” Why? You read further in the passage: “Because a son will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and his name shall be called Mighty God,” and all the rest.

Isaiah 9:2: “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.”

Isaiah 42:6-7: “The speaker of this verse is God himself: ‘I am Yahweh. I have called you in righteousness. I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you. And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.’ God said, ‘That’s what my servant, that’s what my special one, is going to come and do.’”

And then one more: Isaiah 49:5-6: “This is spoken from the perspective of the servant of the Messiah: ‘And now,’ says Yahweh, ‘who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him so that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of Yahweh, and my God is my strength. He says, “It is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel. I will also make you a light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”‘”

Do you see this dramatic declaration that Jesus is making at the Feast of Booths? He is announcing himself as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies and the perfect incarnation of God’s life-giving light.

Now this isn’t new to us in the Book of John. Our author has already identified Jesus as God’s true light in the prologue, back in John 1:1-18. But we can see now that John didn’t invent that description for Jesus. He didn’t think, “That’s a good way to describe him.” No. John heard that from Jesus’ own mouth. Jesus declares himself to be God’s life-giving light.

The Call to Follow the Light

Is that relevant to you? It should be. Because are you looking for light? For true light? Light for your soul that can rescue you from darkness? The passage reveals: come to Jesus. He not only gives such light, but he is that light. He gives you himself.

Believe in Jesus, and Jesus promises you will be delivered from true darkness—from lies, from ignorance, from misery, from fear, from sin, from death, from false hope. Only Jesus is God’s true light. Therefore, only Jesus gives abundant, eternal life to those who will believe in him.

“He not only gives such light, but he is that light. He gives you himself.”

But do you notice the phrase that we see in John 8:12? “He who follows me.” This phrase is equivalent to what Jesus says in John 7:38: “He who believes in me.” That’s when he was talking about himself as living water. “He who believes in me”—they’ll get this. This is an equivalent phrase.

But notice the emphasis here in John 8:12 with the word “follow.” The emphasis is on perseverance and obedience. You don’t just believe; you follow. That’s what it means to truly believe.

To bring back the light metaphor: you don’t come to God’s light, get a good look, admire it for a little while, and then go back to the darkness. No. Like Israel in the wilderness, once you’ve got the light, you follow him wherever he goes, wherever he directs you.

“You don’t come to God’s light, admire it for a little while, and then go back to the darkness. You follow him wherever he goes.”

Why? So that you may enjoy abundant life. You may enjoy eternal life. You must follow the light.

So the question from God’s spirit to you, based on this verse, is: Are you following Jesus? Do you truly follow Jesus? Plenty of people say that they believe, but they don’t actually follow Jesus. What about you?

Do you see the light of life, God’s own light, in Jesus? If so, then are you willing to give up darkness—anything, everything that is darkness in your life? Are you willing to give it up so that you may follow him? Are you willing to give up the false lights so that you may follow him?

It’s a free offer. It’s an amazing invitation from Jesus. You come, you get this, you follow, you’ll have life. But no, you cannot cling to darkness at the same time.

Objection: Your Solitary Testimony Is Invalid

Well, as we see, Jesus has once again made quite a dramatic claim, a startling claim, considering the context of the feast. And this time the Pharisees are going to object, which is what we see in our next section, which covers just verse 13.

Verse 13: we have “Objection: Speaking from the Pharisees. Your solitary testimony is invalid.”

Objection: Your solitary testimony is invalid. Look at the verse: “So the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying about yourself; your testimony is not true.’”

Now this is interesting. The Pharisees, no doubt hoping to prevent the crowd from listening to Jesus or believing in him, do not accuse Jesus of blasphemy. They do not try to disprove his claim to messiahship. They instead try to dismiss Jesus’ words based on a technicality.

“The Pharisees do not try to disprove his claim. They instead try to dismiss Jesus’ words based on a technicality.”

Jesus, such a momentous claim that you’re making—it needs supporting testimony to be taken seriously. After all, just because someone makes an assertion about himself, that doesn’t make that assertion true. Since you appear to offer only self-testimony, your declaration is invalid and not worth considering.

Perhaps the Pharisees, in making this objection, are drawing upon a principle in God’s law. Deuteronomy 19:15 says this: “On the evidence of two or three witnesses, a matter shall be confirmed.”

The Pharisees’ Cheap Tactic

Now I think I told you before: this principle from God was originally given for the prosecution of capital crimes in court. A person could not be put to death unless there were two or three witnesses. That’s why this principle appears.

If that was the original intent of this principle, then obviously it was not given as a rule that nobody should ever be believed about anything anywhere without supporting witnesses. “I don’t believe you. You don’t have a witness. Just talking about it looks nice today.” That’s not the idea of God’s scripture.

But apparently the Pharisees are trying to treat Jesus’ assertion of messiahship like it’s a court claim. “Hey, you need a witness if you’re going to make that kind of claim.”

Furthermore, the Pharisees likely are trying to use Jesus’ own words against him. You might remember back in John 5:31, Jesus admitted, “If I alone testify about myself, my testimony is not true.” You may see John 8:13 is practically the same words, just with switched pronouns.

“Hey, Jesus, you admitted before that solitary testimony is not believable. And look, that’s precisely what you’re giving. You’re doing it again. We, therefore, and the rest of the Jews have no reason to accept your new grand assertion as true, as even you yourself have confessed.”

But I can imagine Jesus heaving a big sigh as he hears this objection from the Pharisees. I don’t know if he did that. I don’t want to put words in or a sigh in Jesus’ mouth. But I can imagine it. Why? Because Jesus has already dealt with this same objection both in John 5 and since then.

In fact, Jesus’ words in John 5:31, which the Pharisees have appeared to cherry-pick and are now using against them, are originally followed by this statement from Jesus: John 5:32, “There is another who testifies of me, and I know that the testimony which he gives about me is true.”

The Pharisees conveniently forgot that part—the part where Jesus insists that he does not, in fact, give solitary testimony about himself, but he has plenty of witness. He has a complete witness from a trustworthy other.

By the way, this cheap tactic is still used today to dismiss Christianity. How many times have you heard people repeat the same old arguments against the Bible or against Christ or against Christianity, even though those arguments have been thoroughly and sufficiently dealt with before? But that’s what people do. It’s an easy out.

“People repeat the same old arguments against Christ even though those arguments have been thoroughly dealt with before.”

Now Jesus conceivably could have chosen not to answer this tired old objection from the Pharisees. It’s ridiculous. But perhaps for the sake of the crowd, which he did not want to see so easily misguided, Jesus decides again to dismantle the foolish argument that has been laid before him.

And in verses 14 to 20, we see Jesus give his response—a really three-part response to the Pharisee objection. I’m going to make each one of those responses, each one of those parts, a sermon point. So we’ll look at response one, response two, response three.

Response One: My Testimony Is Unique

Starting with the first response in verses 14 to 15:

Response one: “Jesus speaking. My testimony is unique.”

Response one: My testimony is unique. Look at verses 14 and 15: “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I’m going. But you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone.’”

Notice here that Jesus, even apart from any corroborating testimony, insists that his self-testimony is both true and valid. It is worthy to be accepted by all his hearers.

Notice the reason Jesus gives for making that claim: “For I know where I came from and where I am going.”

Now at first glance, that seems kind of like an odd justification. I mean, “I know where I came from and where I am going,” but that doesn’t automatically make me believable in everything that I say. So why should that reason convince Jesus’ hearers that his self-testimony is definitely valid?

Well, we must answer that question as it relates to Jesus. From where did he come, and where is he going? Jesus came from God, and after his crosswork, he is going back to God.

Is there anyone else like that? No. What does that mean? It means Jesus’ testimony is suddenly put into a separate category from any other testimony you might see or receive from man.

Jesus is not just a man making amazing claims. He is the Eternal Word made flesh. He is the sent one. He is the explainer of God, the one who had the glory of God and is going back to the glory of God. He is the Son of God himself.

“Jesus is not just a man making amazing claims. He is the Eternal Word made flesh. He is the Son of God himself.”

God doesn’t need corroborating testimony. He’s God. Whatever he says is obviously and automatically true and worthy to be believed.

Light Is Self-Validating

Actually, here again is where the light metaphor is instructive. How do we know that there is light—light of the visible spectrum—in a room, for example, this room? Do you need to consult some textbook to tell you? Do you need to hire an expert witness to say, “Is there light in this room?” and he says, “Yep, there is definitely light in this room”? You don’t need that.

Why not? Because you can see it. You can tell just by looking.

Light, true light, makes itself obvious. If there’s light somewhere, as there is in here, you will see it. If there’s no light somewhere, what will you see instead? Darkness. You could say, therefore, that light has a self-validating testimony. You don’t need somebody to tell you about light. It’s obvious. Light is there because you can see it.

“Light, true light, makes itself obvious. If there’s light somewhere, you will see it.”

The same is true for Jesus. The true light of God doesn’t need some witness to prove his nature as light. God’s light should be obvious when you see it. More specifically, in Jesus’ case, recognizing Jesus as God’s light should be obvious when you hear the words and when you behold the works of Jesus. They shine the light of God. It should be obvious.

Yet apparently the Pharisees don’t see the light of God in Jesus, as is obvious from their objection. In fact, Jesus says they don’t know where he comes from or where he was going. They don’t recognize his uniqueness as the one from God who’s going back to God.

Yet these are Israel’s popular religious leaders. How could they, of all people, fail to see the light of God?

Judging According to the Flesh

Well, Jesus diagnoses the deeper issue in verse 15. He says the Pharisees “judge according to the flesh.” That is, they base their conclusions and even their condemnations merely on what they desire and what they are able to reason in their fallen human nature.

You see, like the natural man spoken of in 1 Corinthians 2:14, the supposedly pious Pharisees cannot see, cannot understand, and cannot accept the truth of God because it appears as foolishness to them. They are still enslaved to their base desires. They still think with broken minds. They still prefer the darkness over the light, despite what they say.

In other words, why is it that they cannot see the life-giving light of God? It’s because they are blind—culpably blind. That is, they don’t see because they won’t see. Jesus doesn’t fit their reasonable expectations as to what the Messiah should be. Jesus doesn’t fit their desires as to what the Messiah should be.

“They are culpably blind. They don’t see because they won’t see.”

No matter how much light, no matter how much evidence is put before them, these Pharisees will not see Jesus as anything special, and certainly not the life-giving light of God. They refuse to see. All they see instead is an upstart Galilean rabbi who is morbidly interested in overturning pious religious tradition and leading the whole nation of Israel to ruin, which is why they want to get rid of him.

Worse than judging by mere appearances (which Jesus warned against in John 7:24), the Pharisees judge according to the flesh, and therefore they cannot see God’s life-giving light.

Jesus Came to Save, Not to Judge

Jesus adds at the end of verse 15: “I am not judging anyone.” Which is an odd statement, since the conclusion that the Pharisees judge according to the flesh itself seems like a judgment from Jesus. “I’m not judging anyone, but what did you just say about the Pharisees?”

Certainly, in verse 15, Jesus intends to contrast himself with the Pharisees. “This is what you do; this is what I do.” But what exactly is the contrast? What does Jesus really mean?

It could be that Jesus means that he doesn’t judge anyone like they do—that is, according to the flesh. That’s pretty obvious. Jesus is regularly associating with sinners and giving them the life-giving gospel. Pharisees can’t understand that. “How can you hang out with these tax collectors and immoral women?” So certainly Jesus doesn’t judge like they do.

But is that really what Jesus is saying? It sounds like he’s not judging at all. I think more likely what Jesus is getting at is that he’s stressing a point that he has made before and he will make again. That is, Jesus did not come into the world the first time to judge, but to save. Judgment will come. Jesus has even said that before.

God’s life-giving light will eventually be withdrawn. But now is not the time for the Son to judge, to assess each person and pronounce sentence on each person. Now is the day of salvation.

“Jesus did not come into the world the first time to judge, but to save. Now is the day of salvation.”

Yet the stubborn Pharisees turn their faces away from God’s light and thereby consign themselves to the future judgment. However, though Jesus’ primary mission in his first coming is to save and not to judge, such does not mean that Jesus cannot accurately diagnose the hard-hearted spiritual condition of his hearers or that he cannot warn them of the judgment that is sure to fall upon them.

When Jesus makes such an assessment, even in his first coming, he is worth listening to. Not only because Jesus is God’s light, but because of a second reason that Jesus is about to explain. And this is a reason that he has explained before.

Response Two: My Testimony Is Corroborated

The first response from Jesus to the Pharisees is that his testimony is unique. Here’s his second response in verses 16 to 18.

Response two: “My testimony is corroborated.”

My testimony is corroborated. Look at those verses again, verses 16 to 18: “But even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone in it, but I am the Father who sent me. Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. I am he who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”

Notice the reason Jesus gives in these verses for why his testimony should be believed: God the Father testifies alongside the Son and leaves no doubt that what the Son proclaims is true.

“God the Father testifies alongside the Son and leaves no doubt that what the Son proclaims is true.”

How does the Father testify on behalf of Jesus? Jesus doesn’t explain fully here because he already did back in John 5:32-47. Remember when we looked at that section? Jesus explains that the Father testifies on behalf of the Son in the Son’s words because they are the Father’s words. Jesus doesn’t say anything unless it came from the Father. So the Father testifies through the words of Jesus.

The Father also testifies of his Son Jesus in the Son’s works. Jesus says he doesn’t do anything unless the Father gave him to do it and is doing it with the Son. And Jesus says the Father testifies on behalf of the Son through the Old Testament scriptures, which are about Jesus.

Ultimately, truly, the Son was never solitary in his testimony. The Father was always testifying on behalf of his Son. The Pharisees’ inability, therefore, to see the light of God in Jesus becomes all the more inexcusable, as Jesus himself points out in verse 17.

Even Your Own Law Strengthens Jesus’ Case

Now notice the way Jesus does this. He begins the verse by saying, “Even in your law.” Which is interesting for two reasons.

First, Jesus says “your law,” even though he’s referring to God’s Old Testament scriptures. Why does Jesus distance himself from his people’s and God’s law in this way? That’s a tricky question. We can’t say for sure. Though perhaps he’s merely seeking to distance himself from their improper interpretation of God’s law by their religious tradition.

If we examine the rabinical writings, apparently they did take that rule about two or three witnesses and they applied it in all sorts of situations which seem to go beyond what the scriptures originally intended. So perhaps that’s why Jesus says “your law.”

But a second interesting aspect in that phrase is the way Jesus uses the word “even.” “Even in your law,” he says. By that word, Jesus indicates that he does not concede the Pharisees’ assertion that two witnesses are always required to prove an authoritative claim.

However, by citing the law—the one that they’re holding to, the one that they’ve misinterpreted—Jesus shows that even when that rule from God is improperly invoked, it only strengthens Jesus’ case and it only exposes the Pharisees’ failing in hypocrisy.

Jesus, as the true light, doesn’t need another witness. But if you’re going to use God’s law unfairly to demand one, well, guess what? Jesus has another witness: the Father who sent him. What are you going to do with that?

“Even when that rule from God is improperly invoked, it only strengthens Jesus’ case and exposes the Pharisees’ hypocrisy.”

And it’s not like, “Oh, the Father gave testimony, but it stopped now.” No. Notice the verb tenses in verse 18. They’re present tense. Jesus says, “I am he who testifies presently, and the Father testifies presently.” It’s an ongoing witness.

They were still witnessing in the time that Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees. And what they are still witnessing today, by the Spirit, by the scriptures, the Father and Son are still giving testimony that Jesus is God’s life-giving light.

Therefore, friends and brethren, we also have no excuse for refusing to believe that testimony of God or for insisting that we do not see God’s light in Jesus. The testimony of God’s light is unique and self-validating. And as if that weren’t enough, the Father of light has corroborated it.

So what will you gain by continuing to resist God’s light?

Response Three: You Do Not Know God

But perhaps someone will say, “I hear all that you’re saying, pastor, but I still don’t see any light in Jesus.”

Well, Jesus has one more response to the Pharisees in verses 19 to 20. And it’s one that you must pay heed to as well.

Response three from Jesus: “You do not know God.”

You do not know God. Look at the beginning of John 8:19: “So they were saying to him, ‘Where is your father?’”

Where Is Your Father?

Just stop right there. Note the verb tense of this beginning part of the verse. “They were saying to him.” This is the imperfect tense. It indicates an ongoing action in the past. In other words, they didn’t ask Jesus this question once. They kept asking him, “Where is your father? Where’s your father, Jesus? Where’s your corroborating witness? This father that you speak of—why did the Pharisees ask this question, and why do they ask it of him more than once?”

It’s possible that they simply do not understand what Jesus is saying. That’s happened before in this gospel. They do not understand what Jesus is saying. But they’re getting more and more riled up by his words and impatient for a clarifying answer, so they keep on asking this question: “Where’s your father?”

“They didn’t ask Jesus this question once. They kept asking him, ‘Where is your father?’”

But it’s also possible that this question is not genuine. That is, it’s instead a proud and hateful attempt to mock Jesus. How so?

Well, consider two possible angles. One angle would be having to do with the fact that Jesus’ human father, Joseph, is already dead. Considering his absence outside of the infant narratives, Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, likely died before Jesus’ public ministry began.

Thus, when the Pharisees hear Jesus appeal to his father’s corroborating testimony, they only think of Joseph. And therefore they mock Jesus for appealing to someone who is obviously dead. “Where’s your father, Jesus? Is Joseph going to come back from the dead to vindicate you, to witness for you? Where is he, Jesus? Tell us.”

Another angle would have to do with the unusual circumstances of Jesus’ birth. Let’s not forget: Mary was pregnant with Jesus before Joseph married her. The Bible reveals that this pregnancy was by the Holy Spirit, apart from any sexual union.

But what did Mary’s relatives and neighbors think? Certainly there were some unusual circumstances at the birth of Jesus Christ—pretty wonderful. But did everyone believe Mary when she told them about Jesus’ origins? Did everybody believe Mary when she told them the message of the angel Gabriel? Or did some, even many, think that Mary was just lying from shame or perhaps she was traumatized into believing a fantasy?

To this day, the unbelieving rumor about Jesus’ birth is that he is the product of immorality—either Mary voluntarily slept with someone or she was raped. So perhaps that’s what’s going on here in verse 19, when the Pharisees keep asking Jesus, “Where is your father?” What they’re really saying is, “Who’s your daddy, Jesus? Is your long-lost father going to show up and give testimony about you? You don’t even know who he is. Where’s your father?”

“To this day, the unbelieving rumor about Jesus’ birth is that he is the product of immorality.”

No Knowing God Without Knowing Jesus

Or whatever the motivation for their question, notice Jesus’ profound answer in the rest of verse 19: “Jesus answered, ‘Neither me nor my father. If you knew me, you would know my father also.’”

Notice that Jesus doesn’t answer as we and probably the Pharisees expect. It doesn’t say, “My father is in heaven,” or “My father is here in my words and works.” Rather, Jesus communicates the fact that you Pharisees are asking the question that you are shows that you neither know me nor my father.

How could Jesus say that? Well, we can just look back. What Jesus already told the Jews in John 5: God the Father and God the Son are intimately united so much so that the Son’s words and works are the Father’s words and works. Whereas Jesus will tell his disciples later, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father. We’re that intimately united.”

So then, Jesus tells the Pharisees, and he tells us: No matter how religious you think you are, no matter how convinced you are that you have found true light and you can teach others about it, if you’re asking, “Where’s your father, Jesus? Who can testify to your claims? Who can prove that you really are the Messiah?” you reveal that you don’t really know Jesus.

You don’t really know God. And you don’t really have eternal life. You don’t have the light. You’re still in darkness.

As we’ve seen from this gospel before, there is no knowing God and therefore no eternal life without knowing Jesus Christ. Let anyone tell you, “I love God, but I don’t love Jesus.” You don’t love Jesus? You don’t love God. You don’t know Jesus? You don’t know God. Because the Father and the Son are intimately united.

“There is no knowing God and therefore no eternal life without knowing Jesus Christ.”

The Hour Had Not Yet Come

Well, how do the Pharisees react to Jesus’ words? Look at verse 20: “These words he spoke in the treasury as he taught in the temple, and no one seized him because his hour had not yet come.”

We learn here that Jesus has been speaking in the treasury, which is likely another reference to the court of the women—that section of the temple. There were various chests with trumpet-like openings spread around the court of the women for the people to give money towards the temple, so you could call it the treasury. It’s where people gave money.

As I said earlier, this court was the most active part of the temple, which means that many people, many worshippers of God, were assuredly passing through and potentially listening to this conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees. After having their hypocrisy and foolishness exposed again in such a public form, we can bet the Pharisees are likely angrier than ever with Jesus and again determined to seize and kill him.

But they don’t. And neither does anyone else in the crowd. Why not? Because, as the text says, Jesus’ hour—it is the hour of the cross, leading to the Son’s glorification—has not yet come. In God’s sovereignty, the hour will come in just about six months. But for now, God’s life-giving light continues to shine among a stubborn people a little while longer.

“God’s life-giving light continues to shine among a stubborn people a little while longer.”

Application: Walk in the Light

What about us? What about you? This passage is, as I’ve said, written so that you will by faith gain Jesus as the light of life and you will no longer walk in darkness.

Have you fulfilled that purpose? Have you begun to follow Jesus? Have you believed in Jesus? Have you received the light of life? Has Jesus lit up your heart so that you have become a child of light who now walks in the light, demonstrated especially as we heard earlier from 1 John, and that you are a loving person? Do you love your brothers and sisters?

I told you in the beginning that none of us could live in a world of literal darkness. But did you know that such a world does exist? In the most terrifying poetic justice, the Bible reveals that for all those who reject God and insist they do not want his light, they will ultimately be given what they’ve asked for in a place that the Bible calls hell.

We know hell as a place of fire and burning, and that is not inaccurate. But the Bible also describes hell as a place of utter darkness, where there’s absolutely no light. Darkness really is appropriate for hell, is it not?

If the place of God’s kind presence is light and eternal life, then the place that does not have an ounce of such kindness from God must be darkness and eternal death.

Heed the kind word of the Lord to you today. It’s no accident that you’re here. It’s no accident that you’ve heard this passage. Jesus Christ himself has shined his light on you. The Holy Spirit has put the life-giving light of God on display.

Why? So that you would believe. You would gain the light of life, and you would no longer walk in darkness.

“It’s no accident that you’re here. Jesus Christ himself has shined his light on you.”

Respond to the kind purpose of God while the light shines among you.

Closing Prayer

Let’s close in prayer.

Lord, it is such joy and blessing to walk in the light. Many of us can think back to those times in our lives when we did not know you. The metaphor that perfectly describes what that state is, is darkness. It just felt like we were stumbling in the dark.

We were looking for light. We thought we found it in various places. We thought we even found it in sin, in our own way. But it was just more darkness. And we were stumbling, and we were hurting ourselves, and we were on the path to death.

But then you shined your light on us. You brought your word to us. You showed us Jesus Christ. And now we see. Now we say, “This is the truth. Here is life. It is God. It is God’s Son, who can save me from the darkness, who can save me from my sin and save me from the just wrath of God forever.”

Thank you, Lord, for your light.

If there are any today, Lord, who have not yet found you in your light, or rather, Lord, that you have not found yet in your light, I pray, God, that you would draw them. I pray, Lord, that they’d say, “I don’t want the darkness. I want the light. I want the light of life.” I pray, God, that you would do that today.

But for us, God, who have found the light, I pray, God, that we would walk just as you command in your scriptures, as children of light. That we would not say, “I know the God of light. I am in the God of light,” and yet walk in darkness. Because your spirit-led writer John already told us that if we say that, we lie and do not practice the truth. The people of light do not continually walk in darkness.

God, where darkness has attached itself again in our lives, Lord, I pray that we would repent. That we would throw off the darkness. We’d come to our wonderful Advocate, the life-giving light, Jesus the Savior, and we say, “Lord, I’m sorry that I’ve sinned in this way. I repent. I’m not going to do this anymore because I want you. I want to follow you wherever you go. You are the light.”

I pray that be true in our congregation, Lord. And I pray it be more true than ever. And that as the people of light, as the children of light, we would shine before this world, before the people in our families who don’t know you, before the people in our families that do know you but need encouragement, for the people in our workplaces, Lord, the people that we meet. I pray, Lord, that we would shine you.

You have made us into lights. But we don’t have our own light. We just shine as reflectors, as little lamps of him who is the true light. Forgive us, God, for where we have blocked that light with our own sin. And we have distorted that light with a hypocritical life.

Lord, let your people repent. And let us walk in the light as you are in the light, that this people might see. And that they, those that don’t know you yet, Lord, might repent and believe in Jesus.
May 5, 2024
The Conundrum of the Woman Caught in Adultery
In this sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia examines the story of the woman caught in adultery, noting the difficult text-critical background of this unique New Testament passage. The passage’s original writer reports Jesus’ amazing handling of the adulteress’ conundrum so that you also might escape condemnation by believing in Jesus and then might walk in grateful holiness.

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

This passage in John 7:53–8:11 presents both a textual puzzle and a powerful picture of the gospel. We are reminded that though this passage likely did not originate from the Apostle John, the science of textual criticism gives us confidence that the Bible we hold today faithfully reflects God’s original revelation. The story of the woman caught in adultery, while not definitively inspired scripture, rings true with everything we know about Jesus and the gospel.

Key Lessons:
1. Textual criticism is a friend to the Bible — through careful comparison of manuscripts, we can reconstruct with near-perfect certainty what the apostles and prophets originally wrote, confirming God’s word has not been lost or corrupted.
2. The central conundrum of the Bible — how can a just God justify the ungodly? — is answered only through the cross, where Jesus bears the penalty sinners deserve and clothes them in his own righteousness.
3. The true order of salvation is grace first, then obedience — Jesus does not say ‘sin no more and I won’t condemn you,’ but rather ‘I do not condemn you; now go and sin no more.’
4. Self-righteous condemnation of others while ignoring our own sin is more spiritually dangerous than being the openly guilty sinner who comes humbly to Jesus.
Application: We are called to examine which character we identify with in this story — the humble sinner who receives Jesus’ forgiveness, or the self-righteous accuser who walks away. If we have received Christ’s forgiveness, we must live in grateful holiness, actively repenting of sin and following Jesus as Lord.

Discussion Questions:
1. How does understanding textual criticism strengthen rather than weaken your confidence in the reliability of Scripture?
2. In what areas of your life might you be acting like the scribes and Pharisees — quick to condemn others while overlooking your own sin?
3. How does the order of Jesus’ words — ‘I do not condemn you’ followed by ‘go and sin no more’ — reshape your understanding of the relationship between grace and obedience?
Scripture Focus: John 7:53–8:11 (the woman caught in adultery), Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 17:6–7 (Old Testament law on adultery and witnesses), Matthew 7:1–5 (removing the log from your own eye), Matthew 9:12–13 (Jesus came to call sinners), and Romans 13:14 (put on the Lord Jesus Christ).

Outline
Introduction

Let’s pray together. Great God, Lord Jesus, we come to a difficult and unique passage today. Help me, Lord, to be able to explain this well. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Please take your Bibles and turn to today’s passage: John 7:53 to 8:11. If you’re using a few Bibles, it’s on page 1069.

I’d like us to read the text, and then I want you to notice something important about this text with me. John 7:53 to 8:11:

“Everyone went to his home, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to him. And he sat down and began to teach them.

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery in the very act. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say?’

They were saying this, testing him, so that they might have grounds for accusing him. But Jesus stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’

Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones. And he was left alone, and the woman, where she was in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’

She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you either. Go from now on. Sin no more.’”

The Brackets in Your Bible

This is a famous account. This is the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. But hopefully, having looked at the text yourselves, you may have noticed something curious about this passage.

In your Bibles, likely you see the entire text enclosed in brackets, or perhaps there’s a line before and after the text, and all the words of the text are italicized. You probably also see a note before the text or at the bottom of the Bible page that says something like, “Later MSS”—that is, manuscripts—”later manuscripts add the story of the adulterous woman, numbering it as John 7:53 to 8:11.”

Or perhaps the note says, “The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53 to 8:11.”

What’s this all about? Why these brackets? These lines? These italics? These notes for this passage?

Well, these are the ways that our faithful Bible translators indicate to us that John 7:53 to 8:11 does not appear in the earliest and most reliable manuscripts we have for the Gospel of John. Therefore, this text most likely is not original to John’s gospel.

“This text most likely is not original to John’s gospel.”

In other words, the Apostle John did not write this passage. Someone else wrote it, and the passage somehow later got inserted into John’s gospel.

Now, at hearing such a statement, I bet you immediately have several pressing questions. First, how can translators and scholars be so certain that John the Apostle did not write this?

Second, if John did not write it, who did? And how did that person’s work end up in John’s gospel?

Third, if John did not write it, is this text still true? Still the Bible? And still profitable for study today?

I’d like to answer those questions for you this morning. Then I’d like to walk you through this passage, which, despite its problematic origin, does ring true with the heart of our Savior and the wonder of the Gospel.

The title of the message today is: “The Conundrum of the Woman Caught in Adultery.”

What Is Textual Criticism?

Let’s talk first about how the science of textual criticism shows us that this passage is not from John. To begin with, we must remember that we no longer have the original autographs of different Bible books.

We don’t have, for example, the original scroll of the five books of Moses. We don’t have the original piece of papyrus on which the Apostle John wrote the letter of Third John.

This is potentially a significant problem. Though the Bible teaches, and we do believe at this church, that the Bible is God-breathed, inerrant, and completely authoritative, the Bible possesses these qualities only in its original documents—in its original autographs—in what was actually written by the apostles and prophets by the Spirit of God.

If those original documents had been lost, destroyed, or have deteriorated over time in their physical makeup—which they have—then how do we know any longer what God actually said via the apostles and prophets in ancient days?

Though we do not have the original documents, we do have many, many copies of those original documents. Hundreds of copies were made from the originals, or made from other copies of the originals, during the classical and medieval periods.

These copies are called manuscripts, and they may consist of a fraction of a Bible book, an entire Bible book, or even a collection of several Bible books.

But how reliable are these surviving copies of the Bible? Could errors possibly have crept into our ancient and medieval copies of the Bible so that, like in a game of telephone, what we think is the Bible has in fact become hopelessly corrupted over time?

This is an accusation made by opponents of Christianity. But this is where textual criticism comes in.

When I say textual criticism, don’t get it confused with higher criticism, which is bad—which is what I talked about a little bit in Sunday School. Textual criticism is good. It’s a friend to the Bible.

“Textual criticism is good. It’s a friend to the Bible.”

What is textual criticism? Textual criticism is a scientific discipline in which people use the copies of a now non-existent original document to reconstruct what that original document must have said.

In textual criticism, scholars compare the surviving copies to see where the copies are all the same, where the copies differ, and then try to offer explanations as to why there are differences.

It’s a little bit like a CSI investigation. You try to figure out how different versions of a text might have emerged, how variance within a text might have emerged, so that you can figure out which one is more likely the original.

Reconstructing the Original Text

Now, there’s much to the science of textual criticism that would be too much to try and explain right now. But the upshot is: since this science really began in earnest in the Renaissance period, around the 1400s, Bible scholars have been able to use the surviving copies of the Bible that we do have to reconstruct with 99.99% certainty the original autographs as given by the apostles and prophets.

So we have not lost the scriptures. They have not become hopelessly corrupted. By this study of the copies, we are able to reconstruct the original, authoritative, infallible, inspired word of God.

“We are able to reconstruct the original, authoritative, infallible, inspired word of God.”

In most cases, comparing the copies and figuring out the original was not hard to do. Because the vast majority of differences or errors in the Bible copies that we have are totally inconsequential. They’re usually just spelling variants.

There are a few extremely rare cases where there is a variant in the text such that it’s difficult to determine what the original was. But these, as I’ve already said, are a very small minority.

They’re usually marked in some way in your Bible, and they do not substantively affect the Gospel or any Christian doctrine.

All this to say, and to emphasize again: though the Bibles we use have been produced 3,300 to 2,000 years after the original writers actually wrote these different books of the Bible, we can be confident that the copies we have today faithfully reflect those original writings.

We have the scriptures. In accordance with God’s word, “My word shall not pass away.” He will always be able to verify what God actually declared.

Evidence This Passage Is Not from John

But back to our passage: why do Bible-believing textual critics assert that this passage—John 7:53 to 8:11—is not part of the original writing of John’s gospel?

Allow me to summarize the most significant evidence. The earliest copies we have of the Gospel of John—the earliest manuscripts—do not contain this passage.

In fact, the first time that this story shows up in any surviving manuscript is around AD 400, in a manuscript called Codex Beza, which notably has a number of other weird variants in it.

If John really wrote this passage, shouldn’t it have appeared in the earliest copies of his book? And why is it then that when the passage does first appear, it is only in a manuscript known for not being completely reliable?

“If John really wrote this passage, shouldn’t it have appeared in the earliest copies of his book?”

Now, the passage does appear in the majority of later manuscripts, later medieval copies of John’s gospel. But even many of those copies mark this passage as having disputed authenticity.

Even more telling is the fact that of the Bible manuscripts we have that do contain this passage, those manuscripts do not all put this passage in the same spot.

There are some manuscripts that place this account earlier in John, after John 7:36. Others place it at the end of John, after John 21:25. And still other manuscripts place this account in a totally different book—in Luke, after Luke 21:38 or after Luke 24:53.

Again, we might ask: if John really wrote this passage, how come the manuscript copies cannot agree on where this passage should be placed? How come even Luke becomes a candidate?

Internal Evidence

There are also internal clues—that is, details within the passage and within the passage’s context—which also suggest that this passage is not original to John.

These observations are admittedly more subjective, but they are worth noting. The style and vocabulary of John 7:53 to 8:11 is different compared to the rest of John’s gospel.

For example, it is only here that we see the word “scribes” being used. John will talk about the Pharisees. John will talk about the priests. But he never mentions scribes anywhere else in this gospel.

Or the Mount of Olives—we see the Mount of Olives mentioned here, never mentioned anywhere else in John. That’s interesting.

The writing here really is overall more similar to the synoptic gospels than to the rest of John.

“The style and vocabulary of John 7:53 to 8:11 is different compared to the rest of John’s gospel.”

Furthermore, the account here awkwardly interrupts what has just been happening previously in John 7. Jesus’ discussion with the Jews and Pharisees on the last day of the Feast of Booths—as I’ve been teaching you those passages, I’ve been emphasizing Jesus has several rounds of discussion, and he’s about to go into another round. But this passage interrupts it.

The text flows more naturally if John 7:52 is followed by John 8:12.

This internal evidence, like I said, is a bit subjective. So on its own, it would not be decisive. We would just say, “It’s weird. But hey, this is John’s gospel.”

But with the overwhelming external evidence—that which we see by comparing the surviving manuscripts—we can safely conclude that John 7:53 to 8:11 was not originally part of John’s gospel, but was only added later by someone else.

Which, again, is why most Bibles today mark off this passage in some special way.

Where Did This Story Come From?

But now we need to ask: if this is not from John, from where did the story originate? And the answer is: we don’t know.

Likely, this story is ancient—even from the first century, even from the time of Jesus.

It’s an interesting anecdote in the writings of Eusebius of Caesarea. He was a fourth-century Church Father and historian. He makes comment on the writings of a first-century Church Father—late first-century Church Father—named Papias of Hierapolis.

And he says that Papias once related a story, quote, “of a woman who was accused of many sins before the Lord,” unquote.

Now, we don’t get any more information about that story from Eusebius or Papias. But Eusebius could be indicating that the story of Jesus and the adulteress, or something similar to it, was already known in the late first or early second centuries.

Even if it didn’t make it into the Bible, most likely then, here’s what happened: at some point in the early centuries, an unknown Christian scribe heard the story of Jesus and the adulteress, and he felt like the story was true and needed to be preserved. And therefore, he included it in his copying of the Gospel of John.

“An unknown Christian scribe heard the story and felt it was true and needed to be preserved.”

Indeed, the impression one gets when examining the evidence related to this passage’s authenticity is that this is a story—or this is a tradition about Jesus—that is looking for a home. Looking for a home somewhere in the gospels.

For whatever reason, the home which Christian copyists eventually allowed for this passage is what we see in our Bibles now: John 7:53–8:11.

Is This Story True?

But now, perhaps the most important question: is this story a true story? Did this really happen?

That’s a difficult question to answer. We cannot automatically say yes simply by appealing to the Bible’s inerrancy, since this story really is an interloper among the New Testament books.

We Christians rightly hold to the verifiable teachings of the Apostles. But we have no hard evidence that this story comes from the apostles or is inspired by God.

Nevertheless, most evangelical commentators today agree that while this account may not be inspired scripture, the story most likely is true. This probably did really happen.

“While this account may not be inspired scripture, the story most likely is true.”

Why did they conclude that? Well, one: it’s difficult to imagine an early Christian making up the story about Jesus, especially because in an early church context, they treated adultery very seriously.

Two: this story does not contradict any other scriptures. Usually, if you’re going to throw something in there that’s not from the Bible, you make it different. You have a reason for inserting it.

And then three: what the story depicts about Jesus, about sin, and about the hypocritical righteous—it rings true. If you study the other gospels, if you get to know the scribes and Pharisees and how they act, well, they act like this.

If you study the Gospel of John and the other gospels and you get to know Jesus and how he acts, well, he acts like this.

The Central Conundrum

Indeed, the conundrum this story raises is the central conundrum of the Bible. That is: how can God be just and the justifier of the ungodly? How can a holy God forgive sin?

“How can God be just and the justifier of the ungodly? How can a holy God forgive sin?”

The scribes and Pharisees think they can use this seemingly unsolvable dilemma to trap and destroy Jesus. But not only does Jesus foil their trap, he once again demonstrates that these realities can be true at the same time.

God is both holy and merciful. Thus, all sinners can have hope in coming to him.

While I acknowledge that this passage is not really from the Apostle John, and while I do not believe we can confidently call this passage inspired scripture, I do believe that we can receive true edification and encouragement from this passage, especially when we interpret it in light of that which is definitely God’s scripture.

Therefore, with the rest of our time this morning, I’d like to look more closely at this passage with you.

Main Idea of the Passage

What’s the main idea of this text? I’ll say it this way: the writer of John 7:53–8:11 reports Jesus’ amazing handling of the adulterous conundrum so that you also might escape condemnation by believing in Jesus, and then might walk in grateful holiness.

I’ll say that again: the writer reports Jesus’ amazing handling of the adulterous conundrum so that you also might escape condemnation by believing in Jesus, and then might walk in grateful holiness.

“You also might escape condemnation by believing in Jesus, and then walk in grateful holiness.”

The Background (7:53–8:2)

We’ll work our way through this text under four simple headings describing the flow of events. The first heading covers verses 7:53 to 8:2, and that is: number one, the background.

Number one: the background. Let’s reread those verses: “Everyone went to his home, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to him, and he sat down and began to teach them.”

These verses establish that the events about to be related happened during one of Jesus’ visits to Jerusalem. Almost certainly, these events did not happen in the middle of Jesus’ discussion with the Jews during his last Feast of Booths before his crucifixion, as the insertion of this text between John 7 and 8 would otherwise seem to indicate.

But the description given here does accurately describe Jesus’ habit when visiting Jerusalem. As we can verify by paying attention to the descriptions about Jesus in the other gospels when visiting Jerusalem, Jesus indeed often stayed on the Mount of Olives—that is, at the village of Bethany on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives.

He often went into the temple courts to teach, as was customary for rabbis to do in Jerusalem. And when Jesus did teach in the temple, many people often came to hear him teach, even if he wasn’t doing any miracles.

“When Jesus did teach in the temple, many people often came to hear him teach.”

The Test (8:3–6a)

With this description from our unknown author, we are in one of Jesus’ customary teaching settings in Jerusalem. When a certain shocking event takes place, we hear about that event in verses 3 to 6A, where we have our second heading: number two, the test.

Number two: the test. Let’s reread those verses: “The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery in the very act. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say?’

They were saying this, testing him, so that they might have grounds for accusing him.”

“They were saying this, testing him, so that they might have grounds for accusing him.”

The Scribes and Pharisees

Notice here who confronts Jesus: the scribes and Pharisees. The Pharisees we’ve already met in the Gospel of John. These were the popular religious leaders known for their fastidious, overzealous devotion to the law of Moses as interpreted according to Jewish tradition.

Who are the scribes? The scribes were experts in the law of God. They were responsible for its copying, its interpretation, and its being applied in legal cases among God’s people.

Though not all scribes were Pharisees, and not all Pharisees were scribes, the two groups fit together like a hand and glove, as one commentator put it. The scribes interpreted how God’s law was to be kept, and the Pharisees made sure to keep the law just as the scribes interpreted.

“The two groups fit together like a hand and glove.”

Unsurprisingly, the scribes often joined the Pharisees as committed enemies of Jesus. Jesus, meanwhile, often condemned the scribes along with the Pharisees.

This evil double team is after Jesus again. Like cartoon villains, they seem to have come up with an ingenious scheme.

This time, they thrust before Jesus, and for all those he is teaching, a woman allegedly caught in the act of adultery. That is, while she was in bed with a man who is not her husband.

With such obvious evidence of her guilt and with her wicked crime most likely committed very recently, they demand from Jesus his opinion as to what should be done with her. Should she be stoned in accordance with Moses’ law, that adulteresses should be executed? Or should she instead be spared and forgiven?

Now, verse 6 tells us that the scribes and Pharisees come to Jesus not because they are unsure of what to do, or because they need him to preside as some kind of official authority. Not at all.

They already know what to do, and they have their own courts—their official courts—to adjudicate this woman. All this is merely to test Jesus, to trip him up in something he might say, so that they might have something substantive with which to accuse and destroy Jesus.

A Seemingly Impossible Dilemma

Really, their test is clever. Because seemingly, Jesus will lose no matter how he answers.

If, on the one hand, Jesus replies, “Stone her,” well, he will have destroyed his reputation as a friend of sinners, and he will greatly alienate himself from the people. You see, most of the common people of Israel at this time were not in favor of the death penalty for adultery, as adultery was usually difficult to prove and the penalty was selectively enforced.

Furthermore, as the other gospels testify, Jesus was regularly sought out by tax collectors, sinners, and immoral women for forgiveness of sins and entrance into God’s kingdom. What sinner would come to Jesus if, instead of mercy from God, they think they might find sudden condemnation and even execution from Jesus?

But if, on the other hand, Jesus replies, “Spare her,” well, then he will have set himself up against Moses, and thereby up against the law of God. He would have taught not to obey the scriptures, because this is commanded. God didn’t indeed command the death penalty for adulterers in Israel.

With such an obvious and public repudiation of God’s law, Jesus’ opponents could justly condemn him as a false teacher and then find an excuse to execute him as such.

“He would have taught not to obey the scriptures — his opponents could justly condemn him as a false teacher.”

And the pressure is on for Jesus to answer. The woman was caught red-handed. She faces execution. The scribes and Pharisees have invaded Jesus’ teaching circle, and they demand a ruling. She’s standing before him. Everyone is on the edge of their seats.

How will Jesus answer?

Something Fishy About This Situation

But before we find out, does something strike you as fishy about this whole situation?

First: isn’t adultery an act committed by two people? Where’s the man? After all, God’s law didn’t only command that adulteresses be put to death, but also the adulterous men who participate with those women. Leviticus 20:10.

If the scribes and Pharisees caught this woman in the act, how is it that they failed to catch the man? Were they simply more lenient with him because he was a man?

Additionally, God’s law prescribed that a person could only be put to death for a crime if there were at least two witnesses to that crime. That’s Deuteronomy 17:6.

Adultery is a capital crime in Israel, and thus that provision from God also applies to the adultery situation. But what if the chances of two witnesses both being there at the precise moment when normally secretive adulterers are committing the act of adultery—after all, circumstantial evidence such as furtive glances at one another or even being found in the same room together—that is not enough to count as evidence of two people committing adultery.

They must be caught in the act. Therefore, this two-witness requirement was one of the reasons why adultery was rarely prosecuted in Israel to the point of the death penalty. You just never found a situation where those requirements were fulfilled. Divorce was a much more common outcome.

So how is it that these scribes and Pharisees can implicitly claim—if they’re really keeping the law by insisting that this woman has been caught in the act—that they remarkably have at least two witnesses to prove it, considering these peculiarities?

There is a possibility that there’s something very sinister at work here. It is possible, though unlikely, that the scribes and Pharisees indeed just happened to have two witnesses who caught a woman in the act of adultery, but somehow failed to catch the man—maybe because he was better at escaping.

But it is also possible, and I would say more likely, that all of this is a cold and disgusting setup. That is, the scribes and Pharisees set out on purpose to entrap a woman in the act of adultery just so they could turn around and use her as a pawn to destroy Jesus.

After all, wouldn’t such make sense of the otherwise peculiar details? The adulterous man got away because he was the one who had been arranged to lure the woman into the act in the first place. And the two witnesses were ready because they knew the attempted adultery was about to take place.

“The scribes and Pharisees set out on purpose to entrap a woman just to use her as a pawn to destroy Jesus.”

If the woman was indeed set up, if this was a version of entrapment, then whatever rationalization the scribes and Pharisees told themselves, they are just as guilty of sin as the woman that they throw before Jesus.

But however this peculiar situation came about, Jesus has to come up with a response. Or does he?

The Response (8:6b–8)

Look now at verses 6B to 8, where we see our third heading: number three, the response.

Number three: the response. “But Jesus stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground.’”

Notice that at the moment of greatest drama in this confrontation—when the woman’s life hangs in the balance and the scribes, the Pharisees, and the crowd are holding their breath—they hear Jesus answer. Jesus says nothing.

Instead, he stoops down and starts writing with his finger on the ground.

What Did Jesus Write?

The question everyone wonders is: what does Jesus write on the ground? There are all sorts of theories. Perhaps an Old Testament Bible verse that applies to the situation. Perhaps he’s writing out what he’s about to say. Or maybe he’s writing down the names of the women’s accusers.

But what the real answer is to what Jesus writes—it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter, and it can’t be known.

If it did matter, our author would have told us about it, or someone in the story would have commented on it. They would have reacted to it, to what he specifically wrote.

As far as we know, Jesus may have just been scribbling on the ground. Because Jesus writing on the ground is not about what he writes, but what it’s about: delay.

It’s a delay tactic. You see, the scribes and Pharisees are ready to force this situation to its climax. But by refusing to answer their question right away and just doodling on the ground, Jesus reestablishes control of the situation.

“Jesus writing on the ground is not about what he writes — it’s about delay.”

After all, the scribes and Pharisees really have no right to demand an entrapping ruling from Jesus. He currently has no official role in Israel’s judicial system. So if Jesus does offer his opinion, it will be voluntary, and it will be on his timing, not theirs.

Furthermore, by delaying his answer, Jesus de-escalates the attention in the situation a little bit.

Notice, though, even when Jesus does answer, he again then resumes tracing on the ground with his finger, giving time for his answer to have its intended effect on the scribes and Pharisees.

Let Him Without Sin Cast the First Stone

And what is the answer Jesus finally gives to the scribes and Pharisees, annoyed at his delaying scribbling? They keep asking Jesus to give his opinion, and finally Jesus straightens up and declares: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

This reply from our Lord Jesus is brilliant. Once again, when presented with losing choices A and B, our invincible Lord chooses C.

“When presented with losing choices A and B, our invincible Lord chooses C.”

With his answer, Jesus shows, on the one hand, that he does agree with the law of God. Jesus affirms that the penalty due a convicted adulterer or adulteress is death, even by stoning, according to the law given to Israel.

But in approving the enforcement of God’s law, Jesus also attaches a merciful condition: only the one without sin among them may initiate the bloody proceeding.

What exactly is this condition that Jesus expresses? It’s worth noting that this specific condition does not explicitly appear in the Old Testament regarding how to initiate an execution specifically by stoning.

Instead, Deuteronomy 17:7 says that the two or three witnesses who testify of another committing a capital crime—they shall be the very ones who throw the first stones of execution. That’s what the Old Testament law says.

So then, why does Jesus supply a different condition for the one to begin throwing stones at this woman?

We should also note that Jesus cannot mean by his statement that only a sinless person has the right to initiate justice. For then the whole Old Testament law would be completely pointless and unenforceable.

So what does Jesus mean?

Justice Must Not Be Hypocritical

Well, one concept assumed in all God’s law is that justice must not be hypocritical. You cannot enforce a standard on others that you yourself do not uphold.

If you want to enforce a standard on others—and you should seek to enforce God’s standard—you must first uphold that standard on yourself.

“You cannot enforce a standard on others that you yourself do not uphold.”

And doesn’t Jesus himself teach this in the New Testament? Matthew 7:1-5: “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged, and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?

You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Matthew 7:5: “First, take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Therefore, in this instance with the adulteress, Jesus is clarifying that only those who themselves could not be found guilty, even worthy of death, according to God’s law have permission to participate in this woman’s legal condemnation and execution.

The Outcome (8:9–11)

Well, what sort of result does this word from Jesus produce? Let’s find out as we look at the last verses of our passage, verses 9 to 11, and our final heading: number four, the outcome.

Number four: the outcome.

“When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones. And he was left alone, and the woman, where she was in the center of the court.

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Straightening up, Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’

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She said, ‘No one, Lord.’

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And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you either. Go from now on. Sin no more.’”

Why Did the Accusers Leave?

Contrary to what we might expect, the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees do not respond to Jesus’ statement by beginning to throw stones at the woman. Instead, these supposedly holy men start to leave one by one, beginning with the older ones.

“These supposedly holy men start to leave one by one, beginning with the older ones.”

Why do they leave?

It could be that Jesus’ wise response foiled their trap and only exposed their hypocrisy to the crowd. Meaning that executing the woman at this point wouldn’t make Jesus look bad—it would make the scribes and Pharisees look bad.

The older ones, who would basically be the leaders of their group, begin leaving and signaling to the rest, “Boys, the jig is up. Might as well just leave.”

That could be. At a more basic level, though, Jesus’ words probably brought a measure of conviction to these men, especially if they had—as I and other commentators have suggested—violated God’s law themselves by helping arrange this adultery showdown with Jesus.

Even apart from any sins that took place with this particular episode, we do know from other parts of John’s gospel and the other gospels that the scribes and Pharisees were indeed guilty of sins which, according to the law, carry the death penalty.

They were generally speaking serial adulterers who skillfully used the loophole of divorce to trade in wives who no longer pleased them for younger, richer, more beautiful, and more fertile wives.

They were also greedy idolaters who again used loopholes of religious tradition to justify the pursuit of money, even by defrauding vulnerable widows or by denying financial assistance to aging and needy parents.

These men were also hateful murderers who very early on decided that Jesus had to be put to death, no matter what, and they justified their self-serving intent as if it would be honoring to God.

These men were just as guilty, just as worthy of death, as the woman was.

“These men were just as guilty, just as worthy of death, as the woman was.”

Though these men surely were skilled in violating their own consciences, in this instance they apparently felt the pain that executing this woman meant that they would also have to submit themselves for execution. They couldn’t stand the hypocrisy of that.

Thus, the older ones, with more sins to remember, leave first. The others follow eventually. All the woman’s accusers are gone.

Only Jesus, the woman, and the observing crowd remain.

It’s curious that the woman herself doesn’t try to leave. You might think that, out of trying to protect her own life, she might have left as soon as it was safe to do so. But she doesn’t. She stays right where she is.

I Do Not Condemn You Either

Jesus then points out to the woman that legally she has escaped the sentence of death. There are no more witnesses willing to come forward and prosecute her for adultery.

But then Jesus says something profound in John 8:11: “I do not condemn you either. Go from now on. Sin no more.”

On the surface, Jesus is again giving his legal opinion here, as if to say: “They asked me earlier whether you should be condemned, and I said yes, if they went about the prosecution the proper way. But it appears the charges against you have been dropped.

Since there are no charges and no witnesses, then in accordance with God’s law, I do not condemn you either. You are free to go.”

But notice what Jesus adds at the end of his final statement: “From now on, sin no more.”

Why include that statement? Is this not a recognition? Is this not a revelation that Jesus, the Son of God, knows that she really is guilty? She really has committed sin—even adultery—no matter how she was enticed, no matter how she was led, no matter whether witnesses can be produced or not?

God knows. Thus, Jesus knows that she chose her sin, and therefore deserves to die.

“God knows. Jesus knows that she chose her sin, and therefore deserves to die. Yet Jesus still says, ‘I do not condemn you.’”

Yet Jesus still says to her, “I do not condemn you either.”

Wait a second. How can the all-knowing Son of God say that? Does he not care for justice? Does he not want to uphold the honor of God’s institution of marriage?

How can he just let adultery go like this without her suffering any penalty?

In other words, we return to the question raised earlier: how can a just God justify the ungodly? How can he tell her, “I do not condemn you”?

The Cross: The Answer to the Conundrum

The answer is not explained here. But it would be explained soon. How? The cross.

There is only one basis upon which Jesus can offer forgiveness to this adulterous woman: someone else has to suffer the penalty due her adultery and all her other sins. And only one person could do that, and that is Jesus himself.

The Son of God would go to the cross to suffer for sinners like her, to pay the debt of their sin, and to suffer the wrath that they justly deserve from a holy God. And also to give them his own record of righteousness.

In other words, Jesus dying on the cross—his work on the cross—would expunge the scarlet letter written on this woman and instead write upon her as faithful and chaste as the Son of God himself.

“Jesus dying on the cross would expunge the scarlet letter and instead write upon her as faithful and chaste as the Son of God himself.”

That’s the new writing that would be upon her and on her soul.

This is what Jesus does for all those who believe in him. This is what Jesus has done for you if you believe in him. And this is what Jesus will do for you if you will come to believe in him.

Did this woman believe in Jesus? I think we have to answer yes. Because otherwise, how could Jesus say, “I do not condemn you”?

For Jesus to make the pronouncement, he recognizes that she too is covered by the Son of God.

The True Order of Salvation

Yet notice how her life is meant to change because of that fact. Jesus follows “I do not condemn you either” with “Go from now on. Sin no more.”

Notice the careful order in this whole statement. Jesus does not say, “I do not condemn you either if you go and from now on sin no more.”

That would be teaching some kind of life of good works to earn or keep your forgiveness from God.

Rather, Jesus says, “I do not condemn you either. Period. Full stop. Done deal. Finished. Reality. Salvation is not something you earn. It is a gift of grace you receive.”

“I do not condemn you either. Period. Full stop. Done deal. Salvation is not something you earn — it is a gift of grace.”

And she received it.

But now, because she is free, because she is no longer condemned, because she is forgiven and saved, how should she live?

“Go and from now on sin no more.”

Woman, don’t live for yourself anymore. Live for me. Turn from your adultery. Turn from all your sins. Come follow me. Make me the king of your life. Love me. Worship me. Keep my commandments.

Do you see the difference?

Biblical Christians always must stress the true order of salvation, because there are so many perversions of the gospel out there.

You do not obey God in order to be saved or in order to keep your salvation. And you do not receive salvation, revel in God’s love and forgiveness, and then just keep living in your sinful ways.

Neither of those is true.

Rather, for all true salvation, the order is exactly as we see here: “I do not condemn you either. Now go from now on sin no more.”

Go and Sin No More

So, brethren, are you saved? Are you forgiven? Do you now know the love of the Lord Jesus?

Praise God!

But now heed the command that Jesus gives—the same one that he gave to this woman here: “From now on, sin no more.”

You won’t be perfect. But if you love Jesus, you will obey his commands.

Therefore, repent of whatever sinful ways still exist in your life or have crept back into your life. Put to death the old man, the old thinking, the old speech, the old ways.

As Romans 13:14 says, “Put on instead the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to indulge his lusts.”

Romans 13:14: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to indulge his lusts.”

That’s how a true Christian lives. That’s how a true person who is no longer condemned and forgiven—that’s how that person lives.

Who Are You in This Story?

Now, as we close and get ready for baptism, I have one final question for you to consider: who are you in this story?

Who do you see yourself to be?

Do you see yourself spiritually as the adulteress who justly stands condemned before Jesus but amazingly receives his covering and forgiveness?

Or are you the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees, ready to condemn others but never willing to deal with your own sin? And even when your sin is exposed and you feel convicted, what do you do?

Don’t come trembling before Jesus. Don’t come humbly to those you’ve sinned against. You run away, and you distract yourself from the guilt within.

Notice, my friends and brethren, the great irony of this story: it’s the adulteress who ends up justified, while the scribes and Pharisees are the ones who end up truly condemned.

“It’s the adulteress who ends up justified, while the scribes and Pharisees are the ones who end up truly condemned.”

Which one are you?

We read from Matthew 9 earlier in our service. But allow me to read Matthew 9:12-13 again before I pray.

Matthew 9:12-13: “But when Jesus heard this, he said, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire compassion and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’”

Those of you who are being baptized, you are dismissed to get ready.

Closing Prayer

Let me now pray.

Lord Jesus, you have such a beautiful heart. Lord, it indeed was the question of the prophets all throughout the scriptures: how can a holy God forgive, save, and even dwell with sinful people?

There was no answer to that question—no full answer to that question—except that it is indeed the case. God does do that. God will do that.

But Lord, now that Christ has come, now that the New Testament has been revealed, now that the work of the cross has been accomplished, we now see it. And how glorious it is!

God, only you could do this. Only you are such a God who is perfectly holy, who will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, but at the same time who is full of loving kindness, compassion, truthfulness, forgiving sin—even the worst sins we can think of, even the most sins we can think of. You forgive them for all those who believe, all those who turn to and trust in Jesus Christ.

Lord, what a magnificent truth! What amazingly good news!

Thank you for revealing it to us. Thank you for reminding us of it this morning.

But Lord, I do indeed pray that what Jesus says to the woman would be true of us: that because we are forgiven, because we believe in Jesus, that we will now go and sin no more. That we be putting to death those sins as they rise up in our lives, and we say, “No matter what this costs me, no matter how vulnerable this makes me before other people, I want to follow Jesus first of all.”

So I’m repenting of this sin. I’m turning from it. I don’t want to make any provision for it anymore. I want to follow Jesus.

I pray that you do that in this congregation and among those who are visiting with us today.

Lord, I pray that they would know your salvation. They would escape condemnation. But then they would walk holy. Walk holy—not to keep their salvation, but to express gratitude for it, as is only right, as is worthy of the great salvation you have accomplished.

Lord, may your name be proclaimed. May it be blessed and glorified as we look forward to the baptism.
April 21, 2024
Living Water vs. Livid Rulers
In this sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia examines John 7:37-52 and the account of Jesus’ second round of discussion with the Jews at the Feast of Booths. John reports Jesus’ offer of living water at the Feast of Booths so that you will side with Jesus by faith no matter what others may do or say.

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

This passage from John 7:37-52 reveals Jesus’ dramatic declaration at the Feast of Booths, where He stands and offers rivers of living water to anyone who believes in Him. Against the backdrop of the feast’s water ceremony celebrating God’s provision and the prophetic promises of the Spirit, Jesus claims to be the fulfillment of Israel’s deepest hopes. We are reminded that the Holy Spirit—the living water Jesus promised—is now a present reality for all who believe.

The passage also exposes the sad division Jesus causes: some in the crowd believe, others raise objections, and the religious rulers respond with proud contempt, dismissing every witness in favor of Jesus.

Key Lessons:
1. Jesus is the sole source of spiritual life, fulfilling the Old Testament promises of God’s Spirit being poured out like water on His people.
2. The real reason people reject Jesus is not intellectual objections but sinful pride and love of darkness—excuses are just a cover.
3. The Holy Spirit’s indwelling is an overwhelming blessing already given to believers, and we must learn to rely on Him rather than living as spiritual paupers.
4. Remaining undecided about Jesus is just as spiritually fatal as outright rejection—each person must choose individually.
Application: We are called to personally side with Jesus by faith regardless of what the world’s leaders, our culture, or even our families say. If we already believe, we must stop discounting the Spirit’s power within us and actively pursue the means by which the Spirit works—Scripture, prayer, fellowship, service, and evangelism—so that we experience the abundant life Jesus promised.

Discussion Questions:
1. Why do you think Jesus chose the climactic moment of the water ceremony at the Feast of Booths to make His declaration, and what does this teach us about who He claims to be?
2. Have you ever encountered someone (or yourself) raising intellectual objections to Jesus that were really masking a deeper heart issue? How should we respond to such objections?
3. In what practical ways can you begin relying more on the Holy Spirit’s power this week rather than living like a “spiritual pauper”?
Scripture Focus: John 7:37-52 records Jesus’ offer of living water and the divided response it provokes. Isaiah 44:3-4, Joel 2:23-28, and Ezekiel 36:25-27 prophesy the Spirit being poured out like water. Isaiah 12:3 promises joyous drawing of water from the springs of salvation. John 4:13-14 parallels Jesus’ promise of water that eternally satisfies.

Outline
Introduction

Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, on this Palm Sunday, I pray that you would be exalted. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ would be praised. Would help me to explain your word. Help the people to hear it, Lord. Help us to put these words into practice, first and foremost, by believing in you, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Every once in a while here at the church, we host a question and answer session about the Bible. People submit questions about the Bible’s meaning in a particular passage or application in a particular situation. I, or sometimes also the other elders, will do our best to give answers from the Bible.

Usually, we do this as part of a Sunday school class. We do have one coming up for our marriage and parenthood class in a few weeks. But I remember a question someone submitted one time for a Q&A session that is relevant for our passage today.

The Bible’s Sufficiency and Historical Background

Someone once asked: if proper Bible interpretation requires paying attention to the historical setting of a Bible passage, how much history information from outside the Bible do you need to properly understand what the Bible says?

This is an important question. Because if outside history is necessary to understand the Bible, then the Bible is not truly sufficient. It is not enough on its own. We need something else, extra to the Bible, to complete the Bible and to rescue us from coming to wrong conclusions about what the Bible says.

And this is a worrisome thought. Not only because the Bible claims to be sufficient all by itself, but also because man’s understanding of history, especially ancient history—the history at the time the Bible was written—that understanding is constantly changing, constantly being updated. How could we ever be confident that we have the proper historical understanding of an ancient period and thus a proper understanding of a related Bible passage?

But the answer I gave to that question in the original Q&A is the answer I still hold to today. Whatever history you must know to understand the Bible is contained within the Bible itself.

“Whatever history you must know to understand the Bible is contained within the Bible itself.”

After all, what is the Bible if not largely a history book? It tells you what actually happened in the past and how that history is relevant for how you should live life before God and how you should believe in Jesus. As the Bible is a divine, perfectly written book, the Spirit of God perfectly put in the Bible all the history that is necessary for understanding the Bible, thus keeping the Bible sufficient.

And that should be a great comfort and encouragement to all of us believers. However, just because history information outside the Bible is not necessary does not mean that information is not helpful. On the contrary, extra historical background can often explain why certain events take place in the Bible as they do, or why certain words spoken in a teaching setting in the Bible are particularly significant.

Extra-Biblical History as Helpful Illustration

For instance, why the ten plagues on Egypt in the book of Exodus? Why those plagues specifically? The Nile turning to blood, frogs everywhere, the sun being darkened? We don’t need to know the answer to that question to understand the Bible.

Yet extra-biblical history reveals that these plagues specifically exposed the different Egyptian gods and indeed the whole Egyptian religious system as completely powerless before the one true God. These gods couldn’t even protect or stabilize their own realms: Ra, the sun god; Hapi, the Nile god; et cetera.

“These plagues specifically exposed the Egyptian gods as completely powerless before the one true God.”

Or another example: why does Jesus call the church of Laodicea lukewarm in Revelation 3? There’s enough information in the passage to understand what Jesus means by that metaphor. Yet extra historical information reveals that the city of Laodicea was known for its gross, lukewarm, practically undrinkable water.

Thus Jesus is not using a random metaphor in Revelation 3, but purposefully giving the members of the Laodicean church a poignant reproof. When he calls them lukewarm, he’s saying: you are just like your city’s water. You are useless and foul because you find your security and satisfaction in worldly treasures and wealth rather than me.

Now, in today’s passage, we’re going to hear Jesus make a famous declaration having to do with water. There is, again, enough information in our passage and the rest of scripture to understand Jesus’ meaning. Yet when we bring to bear some extra historical information, we will discover that this water-related announcement from Jesus at the end of the Feast of Booths is extremely significant.

It is significant both in dramatically underscoring the greatness of Jesus and his offered salvation, but also in explaining the extreme hatred Jesus’ opponents have for him because of what he says. To see this yourselves, please turn to the Book of John 7, where we will investigate Living Waters versus livid rulers.

Setting the Stage: Jesus at the Feast of Booths

Living Waters versus livid rulers in John 7:37-52 today, which is page 1,068 if you’re using our pew Bibles. While you’re turning there, remember what we saw earlier in this chapter in John 7:10-36 last week.

We are about six months before Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus has come from Galilee to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Booths. Because his Jewish opponents have been seeking to kill him, Jesus keeps his presence at the feast a secret until the right moment.

“Jesus keeps his presence at the feast a secret until the right moment.”

Then, in the middle of the feast, Jesus suddenly appears in the temple courts and begins to teach. There’s much whispered talk about Jesus among the crowd in Jerusalem at this point. Some of the whispering has to do with cheap objections as to why Jesus cannot truly be the Christ or the Messiah, and therefore why no one should listen to his teaching.

Jesus, therefore, takes the opportunity while teaching in the temple to refute these objections. He shows in the end that the real issue among those who disbelieve is not these specific apologetic problems, but their own sinful, self-righteous pride and lack of any real relationship with God the Father.

As a result of Jesus’ words, some in the crowd unsuccessfully try to seize Jesus so that he might be killed. But others in the crowd believe in Jesus. Meanwhile, the popular religious leaders of Israel, the Pharisees, find out about Jesus gaining some support among the crowds.

The Pharisees decide to act. They team up with their hated enemies, the chief priests, also known as the Sadducees, to order the Levite temple guards, the temple officers, to arrest Jesus so that the leaders can put him to death.

Aware of the religious leaders’ murderous order, Jesus warns his listeners, including the Jews who follow him, that the time to hear and believe in him is running out because Jesus is going away soon. The narrative then picks up again in verse 37, which is what we’ll read now down to verse 52.

Reading the Text: John 7:37-52

John 7:37-52: “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ For this he spoke of the spirit whom those who believed in him were to receive. For the spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 7:37: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.”

Some of the people, therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, ‘This certainly is the prophet.’ Others were saying, ‘This is the Christ.’ Still others were saying, ‘Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is he? Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?’

A division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to seize him, but no one laid hands on him. The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, ‘Why did you not bring him?’

The officers answered, ‘Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.’ The Pharisees then answered them, ‘You have not also been led astray, have you? No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in him, has he? But this crowd which does not know the law is accursed.’

Nicodemus, he who came to him before, being one of them, said to them, ‘Our law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?’ They answered him, ‘You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.’”

The Passage’s Structure and Main Idea

What we see here is round two of Jesus’ discussion with the Jews at the Feast of Booths. I may notice that what unfolds here is basically the same events in the same order as what we saw last time.

We have Jesus teaching. Then we have the reaction of the crowd. And then we have the reaction of the rulers. Whereas Jesus says less here than he did in round one, the religious leaders react with greater hatred and contempt than they did before. Their anger is rising.

Meanwhile, the crowd is caught in the middle, both literally in the middle of our passage and in the middle of deciding for Jesus or against him. The flow of our passage and the content of it points to the author’s main idea, which is as follows:

In John 7:37-52, John reports Jesus’ offer of living water at the Feast of Booths so that you will side with Jesus by faith no matter what others may do or say.

“John reports Jesus’ offer of living water so that you will side with Jesus by faith no matter what others may do or say.”

The Christ’s Declaration (vv. 37-39)

Let’s look more closely at the passage as we follow its basic three-part structure. The first part is verses 37 to 39, where we see number one: Christ’s declaration.

The Last Day of the Feast

We begin by rereading the first part of verse 37: “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out.” Notice the time change here. Previously, Jesus was speaking during the middle of the feast. But now we are on the last day of the Feast of Booths, the last of seven days.

There is some debate as to whether this last day is indeed the seventh day or actually the eighth day, a Sabbath day, which is also prescribed along with the command of the Feast of Booths in Leviticus 23. This Sabbath day was to immediately follow the seven-day feast.

But seeing how historically speaking the eighth day was kind of like a wind-down day, we’re probably looking at the seventh day and the final official day of the Feast of Booths. This indeed would be, as the text says, the great day of the feast.

“This was the last day of all the religious feasts for the Jews that year—the grand finale.”

It was like the grand finale. Not only because it was the last day of the Feast of Booths, but it was the last day of all the religious feasts for the Jews that year. The people in Jerusalem, especially because they love the Feast of Booths, wanted to go out with a bang.

Jesus Stands and Cries Out

It just so happens that on this last day, Jesus does something to dramatically draw attention to himself. No doubt Jesus is back in the temple as he in verse 37 stood and cried out. Now, we saw Jesus crying out at the end of his teaching last time in round one of the Feast of Booths. Cried out. He’s doing it again, shouting, perhaps with emotion, certainly trying to draw attention to himself and reach as many people as he can with his voice, all those gathered pilgrims in Jerusalem.

Notice, though, along with crying out, Jesus stands up. Something we didn’t see of Jesus previously. And unlike today, standing up was unusual for a religious teacher to do at that time. Usually, teachers among the Jews sat down to teach.

But Jesus stands up. Perhaps to increase his lung capacity so he can shout even louder and be heard. But also to make him stand out visually. And what is it that Jesus wants everyone to see and hear?

“Standing up was unusual for a religious teacher—Jesus stands to make himself stand out visually.”

We look at the rest of verse 37 going into verse 38. Jesus cries out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”

The Feast of Booths and Its Association with Water

And before I explain these verses, I’d like to share with you some extra historical background information. Sometime after God ordained the Feast of Booths way back with Moses in the wilderness, the feast became associated among the Jews with water. The reason for this association is simple: the feast celebrates God’s supernatural provision for Israel while they traveled in the wilderness for forty years.

What did God miraculously provide for the people of Israel during all that time? Food and water. The Torah of Moses records that God most famously provided water for Israel in the wilderness through Moses striking a rock, and water flowed out of it.

Doesn’t seem normal for a rock to do that. But not only did water come out, but it was enough water to quench the thirst of all the people of Israel and their animals. That’s an abundant water source.

“God provided water for Israel through Moses striking a rock—enough to quench all the people and their animals.”

Part of the Festival of Booths, the Feast of Booths, was celebration of God’s provision of water in the wilderness. But there’s more. The feast also served as a time for the Jews to, in their own day, give thanks for the past year’s rainfall and pray for good rainfall in the year to come.

After all, Israel, Palestine, it is a rain-dependent land. There are not enough rivers and lakes to sustain the people all by themselves. God had always meant for the land’s dependence on rain to drive his people to seek him.

In Jesus’ day, the Jews purposefully did this, seeking God and his rain at the Feast of Booths. One biblical example of this emerging rain association with the Feast of Booths is Zechariah 14:16-19, which foretells that when God reinstituted the Feast of Booths in God’s and Christ’s coming kingdom, all the Gentile nations of the world are supposed to gather in Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths.

Guess what happens to any nation that refuses to come and celebrate the feast? According to Zechariah, no rain. They get no rain.

But there’s more. Not only did the Jews come to associate literal rain and literal prosperity that the rain would bring with the Feast of Booths, but the feast also became an opportunity for Israel to celebrate the spiritual prosperity to be poured out on Israel and its eschatological future.

Old Testament Prophecies of Water and the Spirit

That is, during the reign of their coming Messiah. Indeed, many prophetic passages in the Old Testament associate the coming of God’s spirit and life blessing with God’s visiting Israel in the future with water. Let me give you a few examples.

God says in Isaiah 44:3-4: “For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground. I will pour out my spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your descendants. And they will spring up among the grass like poplars by streams of water.”

Isaiah 44:3: “I will pour out water on the thirsty land… I will pour out my spirit on your offspring.”

Another passage: Joel 2:23 and the first part of verse 28. God speaks again and says, “So rejoice, oh sons of Zion, and be glad in the Lord, that is Yahweh, your God. For he has given you the early rain for your vindication. And he has poured down for you the rain, the early and latter rain as before. It will come about after this that I will pour out my spirit on all mankind.”

God also says in Ezekiel 36:25 and 27: “Then, again speaking about Israel’s future, then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes. And you will be careful to observe my commandments or my ordinances.”

Those are three examples. But perhaps the favorite verse that Israel would remember and recite during the Feast of Booths was Isaiah 12:3, which was part of the larger passage that we read earlier in the service.

Isaiah, that larger passage, describes the blessing that is coming for Israel in the kingdom of Messiah. And Isaiah 12:3 reads, again, this is speaking of future Israel: “Therefore, you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.”

The Water Ceremony at the Temple

So then, because of the Jews’ thanksgiving, prayer, and expectation connected to God, water, and his spirit at the Feast of Booths, there developed a celebratory ritual which was completed by the Jews each morning during the feast.

The high priest would take a golden pitcher and draw water from the pool of Siloam in the southern part of Jerusalem. He would then carry it back in a celebratory procession to the temple.

Once there, he and other priests would march with the pitcher of water around the altar of burnt offering while the temple choir sang the Hallel Psalms 113-118. Many eager worshippers watched as the water processing went around the altar, people singing, and the crowd watching.

Once the marching and singing was complete, the high priest would then pour out the water on the altar as the sacrifice of thanksgiving and petition to God.

It was a very joyful moment in the Feast of Booths. It happened every day with the morning sacrifice, and it was even a little bit more elaborate on the last day, the seventh day of the feast.

“The high priest would pour out water on the altar as thanksgiving and petition to God—a very joyful moment.”

Jesus’ Dramatic Declaration of Living Water

Now, considering this historical and scriptural background, the actions and words of Jesus in verses 37 and 38 take on a greater significance, don’t they? I can imagine that right as the procession of the golden pitcher passes by Jesus in the temple, or right as the pitcher is about to be poured on the altar, or maybe right after the pitcher has been poured, it’s at that moment Jesus stands up and shouts: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”

Talk about a way to steal a show! What is Jesus saying? He’s declaring, in an extremely dramatic way, that he is the fulfillment of their festal prayers.

Do you want life-giving water from God? Is that what you’ve been praying for and celebrating this whole time in the feast? Well, guess what? Here it is. I have it. I will give it to you freely.

“He’s declaring that he is the fulfillment of their festal prayers: Do you want life-giving water? Here it is. I have it.”

Are you looking for the water that comes with the association of God’s blessed spirit? He who believes in me will experience what the scripture foretold: that from within that person will flow abundant water, rivers of living water, full of God’s blessing.

It’s all about me. That’s what Jesus is declaring.

Come to Me and Drink: The Invitation Explained

Notice how inclusive is this attention-grabbing invitation from Jesus. He says, “If anyone is thirsty.” If anyone recognizes his need for God, anybody recognizes his inability to keep God’s law, his own sinfulness, his own necessity for life, cleansing, joint peace, things that only God can truly provide, let that one come to me and drink.

Actually, that is an invitation that is both inclusive and exclusive, right? Anyone can come, but they must come to me. I’m the only one who can give him what he’s looking for.

“Anyone can come, but they must come to me. I’m the only one who can give what he’s looking for.”

What does it mean to come to Jesus and drink? The parallel statement in verse 38 clarifies. It means to believe in Jesus. It means to believe in all that Jesus claimed and demonstrated himself to be: that he is the Son of God, he is the Lord of all, he is the only savior, he is your only righteousness.

And what does Jesus promise to anyone who will come to him in this way? Supernatural thirst-quenching to an almost ridiculous degree. You may recall Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus spoke something similar to what we see here in John 4:13-14. I’ll read that again for you.

John 4:13-14: “Jesus told the woman, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again. But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst. But the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water, or you could translate that a spring of water, springing up to eternal life.’”

Similar idea here. Except actually it sounds even greater now. Since when does drinking living, or you could translate that flowing, since when does drinking living water result in springs or even rivers erupting inside a person to forever satisfy his thirst? Doesn’t happen naturally. But it does happen with Jesus’ supernatural water, the waters of salvation that only Messiah has authority and ability to give.

The Promise of the Holy Spirit (v. 39)

Now, in case it wasn’t clear enough already, based on some of the scriptures I read to you, our author John supplies an aside in verse 39 to explain Jesus’ words: “But this he spoke of the spirit whom those who believed in him were to receive. But the spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

If we are aware of what the Old Testament foretold, that explanation makes total sense, right? The spirit was to come like water to enliven and cleanse God’s people from the inside out. When Jesus says, “I offer you rivers of living water,” he’s declaring those prophecies fulfilled in him. You will receive the abundant waters of God’s spirit in me.

“When Jesus says ‘I offer you rivers of living water,’ he’s declaring those prophecies fulfilled in him.”

Yet notice here, this is a promise of future blessing, not present, at least at the time of Jesus speaking. The spirit was not yet. The text here literally says not that the spirit didn’t exist at all or wasn’t doing anything. No, other verses make clear that those are not true. But rather the spirit was not yet accomplishing his blessed indwelling work in the people of God. That was not yet a reality.

Compare John 14:17, where Jesus tells his disciples, “The spirit is with you but will be in you.” Why no indwelling yet? Why is that something the people had to wait for? Well, again, the text tells us, verse 39, something important had to take place first. Jesus had to be glorified.

What does that mean? Jesus had to be glorified by his crucifixion, by his resurrection, and by his ascension. We’ll see more about the promised ministry of the Holy Spirit as we keep moving in John, especially right before Jesus’ death.

But simply based on what we see here from Jesus already, the coming of the spirit is going to represent overwhelming blessing for God’s people. This is not like, “Oh, the spirit’s here, okay.” No, this is like, “Wow, I can’t believe it. We have the spirit!”

The Spirit as Present Reality for Believers

All who believe in Jesus received the abundant waters of the spirit upon conversion, upon believing in him. It was a future reality when Jesus first spoke these words, but it is a present reality now, brothers and sisters.

If you are in Jesus Christ, if you believe in Jesus Christ, then you have what Jesus talks about. You have rivers of living water flowing inside you because you have the Holy Spirit. This is an amazing privilege that we receive as a preview of what God is going to do one day for his people Israel when they repent.

“You have rivers of living water flowing inside you because you have the Holy Spirit.”

We’re amazingly the wild olive branches that have been grafted in until the natural olive branch is grafted back in and the people repent. But this is an amazing reality. Praise the Lord!

An Invitation to the Unbeliever

If you’ve not yet believed in Jesus Christ, listen to his invitation. He says that you too, upon believing him, if you just come, you will receive his cleansing and livening soul-blessing spirit. He just asks: are you thirsty? Are you sick of your sin in your own way?

Are you sick of living for passing idols and treasures of the world which will not save or satisfy you? Are you sick of trying to fulfill God’s perfect standard which you’ll never be able to fulfill?

Jesus says, “Come to me and drink. Believe in me. Take me as your savior. Take me as your Lord because I am those things. Let me be for you what you can never be. I will take your sin, totally deal with it. You can take my righteousness, and it is the only thing that will make you acceptable to God.”

“Come to me and drink. Believe in me. Let me be for you what you can never be.”

Jesus offers. He says, “Let me give you the very life of God in me and in my spirit. It’s yours if you will believe.” What a gracious invitation! Will you accept?

Why Do I Still Feel Thirsty?

What reason have you not to accept? Now, to all those who might say, “Pastor Dave, if I have the spirit because I have believed in Jesus, if I have the spirit, why do I still feel so thirsty? Why don’t I feel what Jesus is talking about? I don’t feel God’s abundant life. Why do I feel the opposite of enlivened and blessed by God? I feel burdened. I feel cast down. Feel like I’m parched?”

Well, brethren, I know the feeling. Don’t think to yourself that if you ever feel this way, this must obviously mean you are not a Christian. Even Jesus, the one on whom the spirit rested mightily, was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

He wept over his friend Lazarus when Lazarus died. He wept over unbelieving Jerusalem when he came in on Palm Sunday.

He also sweat drops of blood in the garden because he was praying fervently to his father regarding the coming cross, and he was so distressed. Being a Christian is not all fluffy puppies and rainbows.

Paul testifies in 2 Corinthians how much he has had to suffer as a Christian.

And this is to say nothing of our remaining struggle with sin: doing what we don’t want to do, not doing what we do want to do. Yes, true Christians can cry out to the Lord from the heart: “Oh, wretched man that I am! Who will save me from the body of this death?” That is a reality for us sometimes.

“Even Jesus, the one on whom the spirit rested mightily, was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”

So do not despair, my brother or my sister, when you feel low. Your Lord has felt that. Your true brethren have felt that across the ages.

However, let us not sell the spirit short.

The Difference the Spirit Makes

The Bible demonstrates that there is characteristically a profound difference between those who have the spirit and those who don’t. Just look at the believers of Acts before and after the spirit’s coming.

Before: the disciples look sorrowful, frequently failing, slow to believe, slow to understand the scriptures. After the spirit’s coming: bold, empowered to holiness, full of faith, full of peace, full of confidence in God, able to learn, able to remember, able to minister the scriptures, joyful in the midst of trouble and persecution, and willing to sacrifice their own lives for others and for the Lord out of love.

“After the Spirit’s coming: bold, empowered to holiness, full of faith, full of peace, full of confidence in God.”

The spirit makes a difference. The spirit ought to make a difference in your life, brethren. It is possible.

Don’t automatically go here, but it is possible that the reason you don’t experience the abundant life of the spirit is because you don’t have it. You have not yet come to believe in Jesus Christ. You’re still holding something back.

It may also be that you do have the spirit, but you have grieved and quenched the spirit by your own sin, by unrepentant sin in your life, by ongoing pride, by idolatry. You’re trying to serve an idol and God at the same time.

And then you’re like, “Why don’t I feel the joy of the Lord?” Well, you’re grieving the spirit. You’re quenching the spirit.

Realizing and Relying on What You Have

Both of those are possibilities. But still, a third possibility is you simply do not realize what you have, and therefore you seldom appropriate the spirit’s abundant life for yourself. This is another issue for us as Christians.

We are, you could say, princes and princesses in the kingdom of God, but we live like paupers because we do not realize or touch the riches that God has given us. I’m talking about spiritual riches here. I’m not talking about material riches.

Brethren, do you realize that fundamental to your experiencing the blessing of the spirit is actually believing that you have the spirit? And if you have the spirit of Christ, the spirit of the eternal Word, the spirit of God, what sin can you not overcome?

What challenge that God has placed before you can you not succeed in?

When we say, “I can’t do it. It’s too much,” we are discounting the Lord’s spirit inside us. Yes, we will feel that way in our flesh. But persevere against the flesh and say, “But I have the spirit. I believe in Jesus. His rivers of living water are flowing inside me. I can do this despite what I feel.”

“If you have the spirit of Christ, what sin can you not overcome? What challenge can you not succeed in?”

Believing in the spirit, relying on the spirit, letting the spirit dominate and influence your life as he directs you towards Christ, his word, prayer, singing, fellowship with the brethren, service, and evangelism, that’s how you allow the spirit to manifest his abundant life.

You will experience an increasing measure of what Jesus promises in this passage if you pursue these things. So whatever is inhibiting you from this, if it’s maybe just your own simple unbelief, remove that. If you believe in Jesus, you have the spirit. And if you have the spirit, rely on the spirit.

Seek the things that the spirit wants you to seek. You’re going to see those rivers flow.

Well, as you can imagine, Jesus cannot make such a dramatic declaration on the last day of the Feast of Booths without generating a reaction from the common people and from the rulers. The rest of the passage describes those two reactions, and we’ll take a look at both of those briefly.

The Crowd’s Division (vv. 40-44)

Look now at part two of the passage in verses 40 to 44: the crowd’s division. We saw the Christ declaration. Now we see the crowd’s division. We’ll read all these verses together.

Verses 40 to 44: “Some of the people, therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, ‘This certainly is the prophet.’ Others were saying, ‘This is the Christ.’ Still others were saying, ‘Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is he? Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?’

So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to seize him, but no one laid hands on him.”

What is the crowd’s reaction to Jesus’ amazing invitation to believe and receive living water? It’s division. As before in round one of the feast, some believe, some don’t.

Some of those who don’t believe want to kill Jesus, though they’re unsuccessful right now because, as we heard before, his hour has not yet come.

“Some believe, some don’t. Some want to kill Jesus, though unsuccessful because his hour has not yet come.”

Signs of True Belief in the Crowd

Now, for those who believe, again, we might ask: how true is their belief? They are testifying about Jesus positively here. But we’ve seen that kind of thing happen before, and Jesus didn’t believe in that belief. So what about this belief? Is this true? We don’t know.

But there are positive signs, more positive than we’ve seen up to this point. For one, their conclusions about Jesus are exactly correct. For some in the crowd, he is indeed the promised prophet like Moses in Deuteronomy 18:1. He is indeed the Christ.

You say, “Well, why were there two different opinions?” Well, many Jews at this time expected that the prophet and the Christ would be two different people. They didn’t yet know that God actually ordained that they would be one. But these are accurate conclusions. And so that is a positive sign.

Another positive sign is that these conclusions come in response to Jesus’ words and not Jesus’ signs. Remember, we’ve seen so far in John that when people believe in Jesus because of signs, it’s not bad, but that often turns out to be suspect. But there are no signs here. Jesus is just speaking, and speaking pretty provocatively.

“These conclusions come in response to Jesus’ words and not Jesus’ signs—that’s a good sign.”

We could imagine many of the crowd taking offense at what Jesus is declaring about himself at this climactic moment of the Feast of Booths. But apparently, some of the crowd didn’t take offense. They instead believed. That’s a good sign.

And then a third good sign is that these believers apparently persist in their opinion despite being opposed by others in the crowd. That’s a good sign too. Can’t say for sure, but this looks good. It looks like some of them truly believe in Jesus.

Ironic Objections from the Unbelieving

But some obviously don’t believe. And notice their reason for doing so in verse 42. They say Jesus seems to have the wrong lineage and background to be the Messiah. Now, that should sound a little bit familiar because that was an objection already raised against Jesus earlier in the feast.

Though this time, the reasoning given by the dissenters in the crowd is a little bit more theologically sound. The scriptures indeed declare that Christ would be of the seed or lineage of David. You can see that, for example, in Psalm 89:3-4. The scriptures also declared that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2.

Jesus, this Jesus, therefore, the son of some nobody’s from Nazareth, he doesn’t fit the bill. These people are saying. Do they have a point? Are these Jews justified in dismissing Jesus?

Well, as before, the objection of these unbelieving Jews is ironic. And why is that? Because the very criteria that they use to dismiss Jesus are in fact the criteria that Jesus fulfills and should cause them to believe in Jesus. He is of the seed and lineage of David. He is one who was born in Bethlehem.

“The very criteria they use to dismiss Jesus are in fact the criteria that Jesus fulfills.”

Yet strikingly, Jesus, nor any of his disciples, according to John here, they do not intervene to clarify this truth to Jesus’ objectors. In fact, neither does our writer John. Nowhere in this gospel will you hear Jesus declared to be the son of David who was born in Bethlehem. You only hear that mentioned by people who are trying to dismiss Jesus.

It’s kind of odd, isn’t it? Why doesn’t anybody clarify? Why doesn’t Jesus? Why don’t disciples? Why doesn’t John? Well, speaking for John, it’s possible, I would say even likely, that John’s audience, his original audience of Hellenistic Jews and Gentile God-fearers, they probably have been exposed to the synoptic gospels before or have at least heard the testimony of Christians who have already made clear: Jesus is the descendant of David. Jesus is the one who was born in Bethlehem. It’s not like they’d never heard that before.

But even if that is not the case, there’s a more important reason why no reply is given to the erroneous objection given about Jesus here. And that reason is really the reason that we learned last week, last time we were in John, namely that cheap excuses like this, they aren’t the real reason that somebody doesn’t believe.

Surely, if the objectors in the crowd were interested, they could have done their homework. They could have found out about Jesus’ true lineage and his true origins, at least in an earthly sense. But the fact is, it wouldn’t really do them any good. If you can’t hear the testimony of God and Jesus’ own words, nothing else will help.

Even if the truth were clarified to them, they would just move on to some other flimsy objection. They don’t really want the truth. They don’t really want him who is the light. They may look pious on the outside, but John has already told us what they really love is darkness. It’s why they don’t come to Jesus.

Responding to Religious Objectors

And we’re going to see the same thing, by the way. We’re going to see the same thing in particular with religious people. You can count on it that many religious people with whom you try to give the gospel, whether Jews or Roman Catholics or Muslims, will give you sometimes pious-sounding reasons. They will even use the scriptures to argue with you why what you’re saying cannot be true, they cannot believe in Jesus, they cannot believe the gospel as you’ve declared it.

Now, we should try to reason with these people from the scriptures and explain to them the true intent of God’s word because maybe the Lord will use that. He does say his word is what he uses by his spirit to open eyes. Maybe, as we explain it to people, even religious people who object, God will open their eyes.

But after a while, when they do not accept your answers, or if they just move on to more and more objections, you have to stop. You have to call them out and say, “My friend, there are answers to your objections. But I have to tell you from the Bible, the real reason why you can’t believe what I’m saying, the real reason why you can’t believe in Jesus and you can’t believe the gospel is because you love your sin. You love your sin. You love your self-righteous way. You love the idols of this world. And Jesus warns you: you must repent before it is too late.”

“The real reason you can’t believe in Jesus is because you love your sin and your self-righteous way.”

Now, that may provoke an angry reaction from some. But if we speak thus, we will be properly following in the footsteps of our Savior. He declared the truth that was given to him from the Father. We declare the truth that has been given to us by the Son. And we’ll leave the results to the Lord.

The Danger of Remaining Undecided

We should also note, as an application of verses 40 to 44 here, that many people are going to remain apparently undecided about Jesus. Indeed, whole people groups will.

If you’re relying on somebody else, or you’re relying on some group to figure Jesus out before you’re willing to come to a conclusion, that’s not going to be helpful.

Many in the world are happy to leave open the possibility of believing in Jesus. They won’t believe, but they’re not ready for that right now. They’re still thinking about Jesus. They’re still trying to decide about Jesus.

But being undecided about Jesus is just as spiritually damning as angry unbelief regarding Jesus. We cannot wait for our country, our ethnic group, even our own families to make the right decision about Jesus. It may never happen.

We’re going to have to decide for ourselves, have to decide individually how to respond to Jesus’ invitation, whatever other people may do or say.

“Being undecided about Jesus is just as spiritually damning as angry unbelief regarding Jesus.”

Notice Jesus’ invitation is to individuals: whoever is thirsty, any single one. Yet this is a decision to make soberly, as we will see underlined in the last part of our text, verses 45-52.

The Rulers’ Derision (vv. 45-52)

This is number three: the ruler’s derision. We have the Christ declaration, the crowd’s division, and the ruler’s derision. We’ll read these verses all together as well.

Verses 45-52: “The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, ‘Why did you not bring him?’ The officers answered, ‘Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.’ The Pharisees then answered them, ‘You have not also been led astray, have you? No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in him, has he? But this crowd which does not know the law is accursed.’

Nicodemus, he who came to him before, being one of them, said to them, ‘Our law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?’ They answered him, ‘You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.’”

The Temple Officers’ Testimony

You can see here the rulers, especially the Pharisees, hatred for Jesus the Galilean. Twice here, the Pharisees encounter evidence for Christ and evidence against themselves. Each time, the Pharisees respond only with proud, mocking contempt for Jesus and anybody who stands up for Jesus.

Notice first the temple officers. They had been dispatched earlier in the week, as we saw last time, to seize Jesus at an appropriate opportunity and bring him back to be executed. But when trying to explain why they didn’t do as ordered, the officers testify in John 7:46, literally, “Never has a man spoken thus.”

There’s something about the way that Jesus talks. These guards are saying his authority, his grace, his truthfulness, his claims, his power, his confidence. When we heard him, we couldn’t arrest him. He arrested us.

As the gospel readers, we already know the reason that this is so. No man speaks like Jesus because Jesus is no mere man. He is the word of God.

“No man speaks like Jesus because Jesus is no mere man. He is the word of God.”

The temple guards speak better than they probably know. Hearing the voice of God does have a profound effect. But what kind of response do the Pharisees give to this bold and risky testimony on behalf of Jesus?

The Pharisees’ Proud Contempt

“Oh, surely he didn’t lead you all astray too? I thought we trained you Levites better than that. How could you let Jesus deceive you, that Galilean? Are you really so foolish? None of the rulers, especially none of the Pharisees, have believed in Jesus. Shouldn’t that tell you everything you need to know? Why’d you think you knew better than us? Are you really so simple-minded?”

You can see the Pharisees belittle the officers. In doing so, they reveal their own exalted view of themselves. They don’t consider for a minute what these temple guards are saying. They just insultingly dismiss them and quickly dismiss the testimony of the common people as well.

“They don’t consider for a minute what these temple guards are saying. They just insultingly dismiss them.”

You may notice in verse 49, this is part of their answer to the guards. But to paraphrase, the Pharisees are saying something like: “We know what happened. You were probably influenced by some of the crowd who’s beginning to believe in Jesus. But what do they know? They don’t know the scriptures like we do. They haven’t studied the traditions like we have. They haven’t received our special religious training. So they’d get it wrong.”

“This crowd, these people of the land.” That was actually a pejorative term that religious teachers would use at that time among the Jews. “These people of the land who do not know the law, they are accursed. They’re going to hell. Don’t pay attention to them. Pay attention to us.”

And here again, we see some deep irony, don’t we? Professing to be wise, the Pharisees became fools. They accused the crowd who actually found life of being the ones who were going to hell, when they themselves, the religious leaders, were the ones on that path.

Nicodemus Speaks Up

Furthermore, the Pharisees are not as united against Jesus and not as well informed as they might suppose. In verse 50, we see old Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees who actually visited Jesus before in John 3. Nicodemus steps up to give a tentative defense for Jesus.

This is not anything bold, but it’s a step. In verse 51, Nicodemus reminds his fellow Pharisees that according to their own religious tradition, which is itself based on principles of justice from God’s Old Testament, the rulers would be unjust to condemn and put a man to death without a fair trial.

“We got to hear and see what he does first. We got to thoroughly investigate. Otherwise, we Pharisees would be exposed as law breakers.” Really, this is what the Pharisees have been doing since John 5: trying to kill Jesus. But how do the Pharisees respond to Nicodemus’ valid point?

“Nicodemus reminds his fellow Pharisees that the rulers would be unjust to condemn a man without a fair trial.”

“Nicodemus, you’re right. I can’t believe we almost transgressed our own law.” That’s not the response. It’s more of what we’ve already seen.

“Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Because that’s the only reason that we Pharisees can think of for why you would say something so ignorant and ridiculous. Nicodemus, you cannot seriously be suggesting that this untrained Galilean could be right and we could be wrong. Don’t make us laugh.”

The Pharisees’ Scriptural Ignorance

And pride, the Pharisees also insultingly dismiss Nicodemus’ words. But then the Pharisees say something odd at the end of verse 52. It’s part of laying into Nicodemus.

“Search the scriptures yourself. Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” That is odd. Because the scriptures reveal that there were indeed prophets from Galilee in the Old Testament. Jonah was from Gath Hepher in Galilee (2 Kings 14:25). And perhaps some of the other Old Testament prophets were from Galilee.

So the Pharisees would be plainly wrong in making the assertion if that’s what they mean. Perhaps, though, they mean that no future prophet, according to the scriptures, is said to arise from Galilee. “No prophet arises,” they say, present tense. Well, if that’s their meaning, then they’re only making an argument from silence.

Just because the scriptures may not specifically declare that a future prophet arises from Galilee doesn’t mean that a prophet couldn’t arise from Galilee. How can you dismiss him out of hand like that? Besides, what about Isaiah 9:1?

In Isaiah 9:1, God promised that one day he would treat the contemptible land of Galilee with glory. “When the people who walk in darkness see a great light.” I don’t know, but that sounds like a prophet. That sounds like somebody special from God is going to arrive in Galilee.

So no matter how you look at it, in angrily dismissing Nicodemus, the Pharisees only betray their own ignorance of the scriptures. They boasted in their knowledge of God’s law, but in their pride, they showed they don’t really know it.

“In angrily dismissing Nicodemus, the Pharisees only betray their own ignorance of the scriptures.”

The Real Reason for the Rulers’ Rejection

But then again, it never really was about the scriptures for the Pharisees, was it? We’re kind of like those who oppose Jesus in the crowd. The real reason the Pharisees dismiss what the temple guards say, what Nicodemus says, is they simply cannot stand Jesus.

They cannot stand the untrained Galilean who would have the audacity to say all the things that he has said, even recently at the feast. He’s the source of living water. They cannot stand that he calls into question their entire religious system, everything that makes the Pharisees feel righteous about themselves.

No, the Pharisees cannot be wrong. Jesus cannot be right. No matter what people say, no matter what the scriptures say, he simply does not fit the Pharisees’ expectations of what the Messiah should be.

He fundamentally interferes with their agenda. So obviously, Jesus is wrong. He has to go. End of story. Really, instead of putting faith in Jesus, the Pharisees put faith in themselves. It’s not really rational, but it’s what makes their hearts feel good.

“Instead of putting faith in Jesus, the Pharisees put faith in themselves.”

Thus, we see at the end of this second round of discussion in Jerusalem the sad truth that the religious leaders really are set against Jesus, not for scriptural reasons, but for proud and selfish reasons. And how true this has proven across time.

By and large, the elites of society, the celebrities, the icons, the philosophers, the influencers, the rulers, the billionaires, yes, even some of the most popular religious leaders of monotheistic faiths, they can find no place in their lives for the real Jesus of the Bible. He is an obstacle to be removed, even destroyed, for a god more in line with human desires.

Choose Jesus No Matter What

There’s a reason 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 says: “There were not many great, noble, and mighty among you that were called. God chose the weak things of the world, the things that are not, to shame the strong.” Therefore, those looking for God’s true salvation today cannot simply rely on what the world’s leaders say.

You can count on the leaders to be opposed to Jesus by and large. Rather, those who love God must decide for themselves apart from the leaders where they stand with Jesus. In fact, most of the leaders of the world would not only reject Jesus, but they will reject his followers, even kill them, as many of our martyr brothers and sisters across time can testify.

The choice facing John’s readers and us today is the same choice that the Jews faced who were in the crowd with Jesus. With whom will you side? Will you side with the one who freely gives living water to all who believe in him, who generously gives his own spirit, the spirit of God?

Will you side with the angry human leaders who are determined to oppose Jesus and his followers? Will you remain undecided, gaining neither Jesus and his spirit nor the leaders’ respect?

There’s only one answer that will save your eternal soul. That is by faith to side with Jesus, no matter what others may say or do. Let the crowd engage in its endless debate. Let the rulers rage uselessly against God’s chosen one.

As for you, choose Jesus. You will have the fountain that never runs dry. You will have the inheritance that will never fade away.

“Choose Jesus and you will have the fountain that never runs dry and the inheritance that will never fade away.”

It will cost you. But it’s worth it. Here at this church, we have decided to follow Jesus. As the old hymn says: “The world behind me, the cross before me. Though none go with me, still I will follow. My cross I’ll carry till I see Jesus. No turning back. No turning back.”

Let’s pray. Lord, everything you say in your scripture is true. We have not only seen historically, but also in this present day, Lord, the senseless hatred towards Jesus, the senseless resistance to Jesus’ way and wisdom and life.

Jesus, what person could encounter this offer of living water, rivers of living water for his soul, and say, “I don’t want that”? The only person who could say that is someone who is deeply evil to his core. Your gospel declares that is who we all are, that is who every person in this world has come to be because of the corruption of sin.

And yet you had mercy. Your spirit came and has given life. You have opened blind eyes. You have given new birth from above so that people who only had hearts that would hate you now say, “I want Jesus, and I’ll stand with him no matter what.”

Lord, we thank you for doing that on behalf of the brothers and sisters of this church. We want your living water. We have your living water. We love you. By your grace, Lord, we will stand with you until the end.

But we need your help to do that. We know the world is going to be confused. We know the world, and especially its leaders, are going to hate you and hate those who follow you. But help us not to grow weary. Help us not to be afraid, for your spirit is with us, your powerful spirit.

Help us to rely on your spirit, Lord God. For those who still don’t know the power of the spirit, I pray that they would repent and believe in Jesus today. They say, “I side with Jesus. I don’t side with the world. I don’t side with the leaders. I don’t side with the idols and passing treasures and false gods. I side with Jesus. I want to know his life, whatever other people will say and do.”

I pray, God, that you do that this morning through your word. In Jesus’ name, amen. Let’s stand.
March 24, 2024
Divine Apologetics
In this sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia examines John 7:10-36 and the account of Jesus’ first round of discussion with his people at the Feast of Booths. John reports Jesus’ first public day at the Feast of Booths to confront your own hesitancy and objections about Jesus so that you might believe and find in Jesus eternal life.

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

John 7:10-36 reveals how people use cheap objections and debate tactics to dismiss Jesus rather than honestly engage with his life-giving words. We are confronted with the reality that our objections to Jesus—whether about his credentials, his law-keeping, or his origins—are ultimately baseless and expose our own pride and unbelief rather than any deficiency in him. Jesus self-evidently receives his teaching from God, genuinely fulfills the law, and possesses a divine origin that we can only recognize when we humbly know the Father.

Key Lessons:
1. Cheap debate tactics—attacking credentials, deflecting blame, appealing to force—prevent us from hearing truth that could save us.
2. Jesus’ teaching is self-validating: anyone who truly desires to do God’s will can recognize that Jesus speaks from God, not from himself.
3. The real barrier to believing in Jesus is never a lack of evidence or information, but our own pride, self-righteousness, and rebellious commitment to live on our own terms.
4. Jesus’ warning that ‘you will seek me and will not find me’ reminds us that the window for repentance and faith is not open forever.
Application: We are called to examine our own excuses and objections to Jesus honestly, to stop hiding behind flimsy reasons for unbelief or half-hearted faith, and to come to Christ fully as Savior and Lord before it is too late. We should also extend grace and truth to others rather than resorting to cheap tactics in our own conversations.

Discussion Questions:
1. What ‘cheap debate tactics’ do you tend to use when confronted with uncomfortable truth—whether from Scripture, a sermon, or another believer?
2. Jesus says that anyone willing to do God’s will can recognize his teaching as divine (v. 17). How does a genuine desire to obey God change the way we read Scripture and listen to Jesus?
3. How does Jesus’ warning in verses 33-34 create urgency for sharing the gospel with people in your life who have not yet believed?
Scripture Focus: John 7:10-36, with key connections to John 5:18, John 5:44, John 6:37-39, John 8:14, Isaiah 55:6, and Micah 5:2. These passages collectively teach that Jesus’ authority comes from the Father, that unbelief stems from not knowing God, and that the time to seek the Lord is now.

Outline
Introduction

Let’s pray. Jesus, you are so lovely. What a compassionate, powerful savior we really did need. You shield us, you absorb the wrath of God on our behalf. Thank you for giving yourself, Lord.

As we go to your word now, Lord Jesus, we pray that you’d make it clear to us, that you’d speak to this people this morning, even using me. Lord, let your words come through. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Cheap Debate Tactics

I’ve been thinking this past week about debates. Have you ever noticed that despite the fact that God made us humans in his image and gave us the capacity for gracious, respectful, reasoned discussion with one another, it seems that we humans seldom use this capacity?

Rather, our debates, our discussions, our arguments are frequently filled with cheap, unloving tactics that do nothing to promote harmony or understanding or solutions. Instead, they produce disharmony, disinformation, and plain hatred.

The sad fact about human discourse is not only observable at the highest levels among academics and politicians, but also right in the home among families or at the school playground. For example, one frequent tactic in debate or argument is ad hominem.

“One frequent tactic in debate or argument is ad hominem—you don’t address what a person is saying, but you attack the person.”

You don’t address what a person is saying, but you instead attack the person. You denigrate his character. “You dork. What a goody two-shoes. You’re disgusting.”

A related tactic is to attack a person’s credentials. You dismiss what a person is saying by asserting that he doesn’t have the proper qualifications to speak. “What does a girl know? Try again once you’ve gotten a job. You’re too young. You’re too old. You’re too rich. You’re too poor to understand.”

Still another tactic is deflection. You prevent someone from assigning you blame for your faults by quickly pointing out the faults of the one speaking to you. “Hey, you started it. Well, at least I’m not a liar like you. Well, what about you? You sin worse than I do.”

One other frequently employed tactic is the appeal to force. That is, you threaten or actually carry out harm against the other person to get him to stop talking. “If you keep going, we won’t be friends anymore. Don’t make me mad. You won’t like that. You better stop before I pound you.”

Have you heard these kinds of tactics used in conversation? Have you used them yourselves? If so, did it lead to a good outcome for you? For the other person?

Indeed, the true tragedy of resorting to these cheap conversation or debate tactics is not only do they manifest sinful pride, failure to show God’s love, and a disregard for precious relationships, but also these tactics fundamentally prevent the one using them from learning or accepting the truth. Truth that could help a person grow in his life. Truth that could save him from a self-destructive path. Truth that could even bring a person to repentance and faith and be saved.

A person may make himself look good or feel good by resorting to cheap debate tactics, but even if he seems to win the argument, his soul loses in the end.

“A person may seem to win the argument, but his soul loses in the end.”

Setting the Scene: John 7:10-36

I bring this all to your attention because in our next passage in the Gospel of John, we’re going to see people use these kinds of tactics on Jesus. Rather than listen to the life-giving words that he has to say, they find cheap ways to dismiss him or to discredit his message.

But the truly amazing part of this next passage is not only does Jesus expose his opponent’s tactics as unfair and baseless, then turns the tables on his opponents and seems to use their same tactics against them. Yet this is not Jesus descending to his opponent’s level, because where their attempts to dismiss Jesus are born from folly, from pride, from ignorance, Jesus uses similar words against them from divine authority, from omniscience, and from a true understanding of what keeps his opponents from believing in him.

Our author John reports this very intriguing conversation so that we might see the folly of our own objections to Jesus and to Jesus’ words. And then, once doing so, we might instead be moved to invite Jesus to be our Lord and savior, and to do the same for others.

Please take your Bibles and turn to John 7:10. As we will examine some surprising divine apologetics, John 7:10-36 is our passage today, which you can find on page 1067.

Because this is a longer passage than typical, I’m not going to read the whole text to start. We’re going to read as we analyze, as we go through the text.

We read this earlier in the service. Do you remember the preceding context, though, which we saw last time in John 7:1-9? Jesus is in Galilee. The Feast of Booths, one of the three religious feasts at which all law-abiding Jewish males must be present in Jerusalem, is drawing near.

Jesus’ brothers advise him to go up immediately to Jerusalem to the feast so that he might show off his miracles there, win disciples, and be officially proclaimed Israel’s Messiah. But Jesus reminds his brothers that he is bound to God’s agenda, not man’s agenda, and that the time for going up to the feast is not yet fulfilled.

He therefore tells them to go up to Jerusalem without him, which is what they do. The narrative picks up again in John 7:10. That’s the beginning of our new section.

What we’ll see here in John 7:10 down to verse 36 is the first of several rounds of debate or discussion between Jesus and the unbelieving Jews at the Feast of Booths.

Here’s the main idea of our passage in John 7:10-36: John reports Jesus’ first public day at the Feast of Booths to confront your own hesitancy and objections about Jesus so that you might believe in him and find in him eternal life.

“John reports Jesus’ first public day at the Feast of Booths to confront your own hesitancy and objections about Jesus.”

John reports Jesus’ first public day at the Feast of Booths to confront your own hesitancy and objections about Jesus so you might believe and find in Jesus eternal life.

The narrative here proceeds in five parts, and our plan will be to look at each part, with extra focus on the second part because that’s where the debate is.

The Crowd Whispers About Jesus (vv. 10-13)

We’ll start with the first part, covering verses 10 to 13, where we will see number one: the crowd whispers about Jesus.

Look at these verses all together: “But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he himself also went up, not publicly, but as if in secret. So the Jews were seeking him at the feast and were saying, ‘Where is he?’ There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning him. Some were saying, ‘He’s a good man.’ Others were saying, ‘No, on the contrary, he leads the people astray.’ Yet no one was speaking openly of him for fear of the Jews.”

You’ll notice here that Jesus goes up to the feast only after his brothers do also. Jesus does not go up the way that his brothers advised him to do, but in the opposite way. They advised openness; he goes up privately, as if in secret, wanting to maintain secrecy.

This was evidently the way that fit the Father’s agenda, and the Son obeyed. Even in Jerusalem, Jesus is committed to keeping a low profile until the right moment.

“Jesus does not go up the way his brothers advised, but in the opposite way. This was the Father’s agenda, and the Son obeyed.”

Verse 11 tells us that even after Jesus goes up, the Jews are trying to find him at the feast and asking, “Where is he?” Or more literally, “Where is that one?”

Remember who the Jews are in John’s gospel. That term, “the Jews,” refers not merely to Jewish people, but usually and more specifically to Jewish people who oppose Jesus, especially the Jewish religious leaders.

So verse 11 is not simply telling us that Jewish people are seeking Jesus at the feast, but that Jesus’ opponents are seeking him at the feast. Why? They want to hear what he has to say? You want to sit down with him for a nice cup of tea?

No. John 5:18 and John 7:1 have already told us that the Jews in Judea are seeking to kill Jesus. But right now they can’t, because Jesus has arrived quietly and with a low profile in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, verse 12 tells us that the crowd takes a different stance toward Jesus. Actually, the term is “crowds,” plural, in verse 12, indicating masses of people. Why “crowds” and not “crowd”? Isn’t a whole bunch of people still a crowd?

Well, no doubt John, our author, uses the term “crowds” to reflect the great influx of Jews arriving into Jerusalem from all over the Middle East and the Mediterranean, where the Jews had been scattered since the exile, to celebrate the Feast of Booths. You’ve got crowds coming from all over and forming one extra big crowd, a giant crowd.

Notice in what activity this giant crowd is continually engaged, according to verse 12. You see the word “grumbling.” This is a similar Greek word to the one that we saw in John 6, where the people were grumbling about Jesus when he taught them.

However, though “grumbling” is an adequate translation of the Greek term here, better is the NIV’s “whispering,” since the basic idea of the Greek term is just conversation in low tones.

Conversation in low tones is often complaining and grumbling, but it may not be. It may just be whispering. And that is the case here. Not everyone is complaining about Jesus in Jerusalem, but everyone is talking quietly about him.

There’s much whispering among the crowds concerning Jesus. And this is notable, right? You have Jews coming from all over the world into Jerusalem, but once they arrive, there’s one topic on all their minds: that Jesus fellow.

Notice there’s a pretty strong difference of opinion among the Jews in this giant crowd. Some say he’s good, which is not wrong, but it’s a pretty low-level endorsement of Jesus. “He’s a good man.” While others say, “Definitely not. This guy is deceiving and misleading the people.”

But why is everyone whispering? Verse 13 gives the answer: “for fear of the Jews.” Hostility and paranoia among Jesus’ opponents has reached such a level that if those opponents even hear anyone talking about Jesus—whether that conversation is good or bad—like Big Brother or the KGB, the Jews have to investigate.

“Hostility among Jesus’ opponents has reached such a level that people only whisper about this hottest of topics.”

People don’t want to risk being investigated and perhaps banished from the synagogue. So they only whisper about this hottest of topics: “What do you think about Jesus?”

Jesus Teaches the Incredulous Crowd (vv. 14-29)

But then, at the right time, according to the Father, Jesus launches himself boldly into the public eye, which is what we see in the second part of the narrative, that covers verses 14 to 29.

This is the main part. Number two: Jesus teaches the incredulous crowd.

Now I’m going to look at this part with you under a number of subheadings. Three pairs of subheadings. Each subheading will have to do with a cheap objection raised against Jesus or Jesus’ answer to one of those cheap objections.

Objection: Jesus Is Not a Qualified Teacher (vv. 14-15)

And the first objection raised appears in verses 14 to 15, and that is: 2A. Objection: Jesus is not a qualified religious teacher.

Look at verse 14: “But when it was now the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach.”

Notice that in the middle of the feast, Jesus suddenly appears in the temple complex and starts teaching. In those days, Jewish rabbis or religious teachers would often find a spot in the temple complex. If those rabbis were in Jerusalem, they would sit down and teach their followers there and also teach whoever was passing by and wanted to listen.

We see in verse 14 that Jesus assumes this rabbinic custom for himself. After all, he is a rabbi. He goes up with his disciples to teach in the temple, which was assuredly jam-packed with worshippers.

This bold act, however, causes some commotion among the Jews, as we see in verse 15. “The Jews then were astonished, saying, ‘How has this man become learned, having never been educated?’”

At first glance, verse 15 might sound to you like a positive observation about Jesus. But notice who’s speaking. Verse 15 says, “The Jews then were astonished.” These are Jesus’ opponents, the ones who hate him.

Furthermore, the New American Standard 95 translation “were astonished” is a good one, because a person could be astonished in either a positive way or a negative way, and that reflects the original Greek verb. You could be astonished like, “That’s amazing and great,” or you could be astonished like, “That’s disturbing and wrong.”

In this case, the Jews’ astonishment over Jesus must be negative. Thus, their question at the end of verse 15 is not a positive marvel at the greatness of Jesus’ teaching, but a complaint and a slam against him for his lacking proper teaching credentials.

“Who does this man think he is, setting himself up like some great rabbi in the temple? Oh, sure, he sounds learned. He can wax eloquent about the Bible. But where’s his proper religious training? He never sat at the feet of our rabbis. He never apprenticed himself to any one of our prestigious teachers. That means his teaching cannot be trusted. He’s self-taught. He’s making it up as he goes.”

“This is a cheap way to discredit Jesus and to not deal with what Jesus actually says.”

This is a cheap way to discredit Jesus and to not deal with what Jesus actually says. Jesus has a ready answer, which we see in verses 16 to 18.

Answer: Jesus Gets His Teaching from God (vv. 16-18)

Our next subheading: 2B. Answer: Jesus self-evidently gets his teaching from God.

Look at verse 16: “So Jesus answered them and said, ‘My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.’”

Here you see the wisdom of our savior. He will not fall into the trap of declaring that he is self-taught. They will just jump on that. But neither will Jesus declare that he relies on man for his teaching, because he does not.

Jesus declares the truth: his teaching is not his own. Rather, he was taught. He received it from another. And who was that other? The one who sent him, which is one of the ways that Jesus likes to identify God.

“Jesus declares the truth: his teaching is not his own. He received it from the one who sent him—God himself.”

As we see in John 7:17, Jesus essentially is telling his opponents: “You Jews think I’m unqualified to teach as a rabbi. I tell you, I was given my teaching by God himself.”

Thus, Jesus easily shows the cheap attempt to discredit him has no basis. But then Jesus turns the table on his accusers. Because look at verse 17: “If anyone is willing to do his will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from myself.”

The Condition for Recognizing Jesus’ Teaching

You see what Jesus is saying here? He declares that his teaching is self-validating. That is, his teaching self-evidently comes from God and is not merely from Jesus himself. This should be obvious if one fulfills a certain condition.

There’s a condition to being able to recognize the true nature of Jesus’ teaching, and Jesus gives that condition at the beginning of verse 17: “If anyone is willing to do his will.” That is, God’s will. “He will know.” He will be able to recognize.

What does that mean? Well, what Jesus says is just another way of saying: anyone who truly loves God, believes in God, and wants to obey God’s revealed will will recognize Jesus’ teaching as being from God.

Haven’t we heard this concept before in the Gospel of John? John 3:21, John 3:33, John 5:37-38. You see, because God the Father has sent the Son, testifies of the Son, and speaks through the Son, no one can say they love God and believe in God and then reject the teachings of Jesus. It just doesn’t work that way.

“No one can say they love God and believe in God and then reject the teachings of Jesus. It just doesn’t work that way.”

In fact, we could state the truth that Jesus is declaring here another way: the real problem is not Jesus’ unqualified teaching. It’s the Jews’ unqualified hearing. They don’t have the necessary credentials to recognize Jesus’ teaching for what it really is, because they don’t know God. They don’t love God. They don’t seek God’s will.

Whatever they might say or do on the outside, that’s something Jesus is pointing out to them that needs to change.

Now, that’s a bold claim from Jesus. Is it unfair? Is it a cheap shot?

Well, no, because Jesus is God, and he has the authority to make such claims. He has the ability. But also, because what Jesus says should be obvious even to them from another angle, which is what he shows in verse 18.

No Selfish Motive in Jesus

“He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory. But he who is seeking the glory of the one who sent him, he is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”

Here, Jesus draws attention to a characteristic of every false teacher: every person whose teaching comes ultimately from himself seeks his own glory. He seeks his own reputation, his own honor, and what that honor and reputation can bring him—which characteristically, even the Bible identifies: money, power, women, the approval of men.

But quite obviously, Jesus is after none of these worldly rewards. If he were, he’d be giving the people what they want. He would be following his brother’s advice: do more miracles, deliver them from the Romans. But Jesus is not doing that.

That’s because he’s after what God wants and is willing to say what God wants him to say, even if Jesus must suffer for it. And though Jesus will not deny his own person and position—he’s the Son of God—he’s always seeking the glory and will of his Father rather than his own.

So what is Jesus getting out of his teaching if he’s really speaking for himself and of himself? It’s like a crime investigation: a person can’t have committed a crime if there’s no motive. There’s no evident selfish motive in Jesus, which points to the truth, doesn’t it?

That Jesus isn’t speaking from himself, seeking his own glory, but the glory of the one sending him. This also means Jesus is as true as God himself is, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

“There’s no evident selfish motive in Jesus, which points to the truth that he isn’t speaking from himself but from God.”

By the way, verse 18 again exposes Jesus’ listeners, doesn’t it? He’s not the one with selfish motives, speaking from himself, but they are. This is just like what Jesus said in John 5:44: “The Jews seek the glory of men rather than the glory of God.” That’s the real issue here.

So the Jews’ objection to Jesus is not only baseless, but it exposes their own hearts. And ours too, if we think similarly.

Jesus self-evidently gets his teaching from God. But what Jesus says at the end of verse 18 causes Jesus to anticipate another cheap objection against him. And so he brings it up in verses 19 to 20.

Objection: Jesus Does Not Keep the Law (vv. 19-20)

2C. Objection: Jesus does not keep the law. That’s why you shouldn’t listen to him.

Look at verses 19 and 20: “Did not Moses give you the law? And yet none of you carries out the law. Why do you seek to kill me? The crowd answered, ‘You have a demon. Who seeks to kill you?’”

What’s going on here? The next few verses will clarify more, but Jesus is talking about his healing on the Sabbath, an act that the Jews felt was an obvious violation of God’s law.

We already learned back in John 5 that when Jesus healed on the Sabbath and declared himself to be the Son of God, the Jews wanted to kill Jesus as a law breaker and as a blasphemer.

We are again reminded of the Jews’ intent to kill Jesus at the beginning of John 7. So while bringing up this unspoken objection of the Jews—that Jesus is a law breaker and therefore whatever he says cannot be trusted—Jesus is also pointing out the irony.

How can the Jews, who receive the law and say they want to keep the law and want to kill someone for breaking the law, actually show that they break the law themselves in their murderous intent? Wanting to kill Jesus is breaking the law that they say they want to uphold.

“How can the Jews who say they want to keep the law break the law themselves in their murderous intent?”

Then we have the words of verse 20, in which the people claim that no one wants to kill Jesus and that Jesus must have been made insane by a demon if Jesus thinks that people are about to get him. This is a little confusing, because we already know as readers that the Jews do in fact want to kill Jesus.

If you glance down to verse 25, we will hear the people say, “Isn’t this the one that the rulers want to kill?” We haven’t even addressed the fact that they very irreverently and carelessly say that he has a demon. Say that to the Son of God? That is a problem.

But what about this denial that anybody wants to kill Jesus? Are they just lying? Are they playing dumb? Are they trying to preserve some sort of facade of righteousness? Possibly.

But notice who’s speaking in verse 20. It doesn’t say “the Jews.” It says “the crowd.” Also, if you glance at verse 25, who’s speaking there? It’s not “the crowd,” but “the people of Jerusalem.”

What’s most likely happening here is that the crowd, which is at this point mostly made up of pilgrim Jews not from Jerusalem, do not actually know about the hardened intent of the Jews to kill Jesus. They are ignorant. But the people living in Jerusalem, who make up a minority of the crowd, do know about it.

So this isn’t necessarily a lie. Some of the crowd really do believe there’s no reason for Jesus to think anybody’s after him. And yet, even some of this supposedly innocent crowd will soon try to kill Jesus, as we’ll see in verse 30.

So even if some people in the crowd are ignorant about plots against Jesus, Jesus’ statement about the people—really, the people in general—wanting to kill him is correct. And that is a violation of the law.

But how does Jesus deal with this objection, this cheap shot that Jesus is a law breaker for not keeping the Sabbath, therefore don’t listen to him?

Answer: Jesus Genuinely Keeps the Law (vv. 21-24)

We see his answer in verses 21 to 24. Here’s 2D. Answer: Jesus genuinely keeps the law, even though you do not. That’s what he tells his hearers. And it’s for us too.

Jesus genuinely keeps the law, even though you do not.

Look at verses 21 to 24 together: “Then Jesus answered them, ‘I did one deed, and you all marvel. For this reason, Moses has given you circumcision—not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers—and on the Sabbath you circumcised a man. If a man received circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath?’”

To summarize what Jesus is doing here: Jesus presents the crowd with an argument by analogy.

In verse 21, Jesus refers back to his healing on the Sabbath—that one deed or that one work—which still in the present causes many of them to marvel. Or we could translate that word to become astonished. It’s the same word that we just saw previously in the passage.

And remember, astonishment can be positive or negative, and it’s negative here. They are disturbingly astonished because of that one work that he did.

Yet the Jewish practice of circumcision, Jesus says, should show that their disturbed marveling and even their murderous anger against Jesus is completely unjustified.

The Jews recognize that it is right and merciful, even a proper fulfillment of the law of Moses, to give priority to certain commands from God over the command to keep the Sabbath.

Circumcision, a gracious rite prescribed earlier to the Jews than the Sabbath was, is one example. Thus, Jews will circumcise male babies on the eighth day of that baby’s life, even when that day is a Sabbath, and thus requires them to break the Sabbath rule. It’s because other priorities make that appropriate.

Jesus thus challenges the Jews: “If you recognize the rightness of circumcision on the Sabbath mercifully to make right, or make well, just one member of a man, how can you be angry with me when I follow the same principles and made an entire man well on the Sabbath?”

Far from breaking the law, Jesus says, “I was fulfilling the law by accomplishing what should have higher priority: loving a neighbor and doing good to him, even on the Sabbath.”

“Far from breaking the law, Jesus was fulfilling the law by accomplishing what should have higher priority: loving a neighbor.”

Now, in laying out this argument, you may notice that Jesus is also implying something provocative to his hearers. In the whole healing episode, Jesus wasn’t the one breaking God’s law and teaching others to do the same. No, it was the Jews who condemned him for what he did. They’re the true law breakers.

Judge with Righteous Judgment

Thus, Jesus concludes in John 7:24: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Jesus once again is showing what the problem really is. It’s not with Jesus. It’s with the people’s interpretation of Jesus’ actions, even their entire interpretation of God’s law. They are judging self-righteously according to mere appearance, according to external criteria. But God calls them, even in the law itself, to judge with righteous judgment. Literally, that phrase appears in the law.

They are not keeping the law. They’re teaching the wrong thing about the Sabbath. They want to kill Jesus for doing right on the Sabbath, and they won’t even judge appropriately according to what the law requires.

Jesus is again inviting people, by exposing the true problem, to repent. To repent of their proud, ignorant, externals-focused, self-righteous kind of judgment and adopt a truly righteous judgment system, a type of judgment which should lead them far from condemning him, instead to believe in him. And us too.

“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

If you think Jesus doesn’t keep the law and you do, Jesus says you’ve got it backwards. He genuinely keeps the law, even though you do not.

There’s one more cheap objection raised against Jesus, and it emerges as a result of his bold teaching. We see the third and final objection in John 7:25-27.

Objection: Jesus Has a Known, Pedestrian Origin (vv. 25-27)

2E. Objection: Jesus has a known, pedestrian origin.

Look at these verses: “So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Is not this the man whom they are seeking to kill? Look, he’s speaking publicly, and they’re saying nothing to him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they? However, we know where this man is from. But when the Christ may come, no one knows where he is from.’”

We heard an objection from the Jews before, and then from the crowd, but now we hear from the people of Jerusalem specifically. In verse 25, the Jerusalemites display their inside knowledge. They dwell in Jerusalem. They’re close to the center of power. They’re with the religious leaders most of the time. So they know that Jesus is the man that the Jewish leaders seek to kill.

Yet the Jerusalemites are surprised by something: the fact that these leaders are letting Jesus teach out in the open and saying and doing nothing to stop him. That doesn’t seem to make sense.

For a moment, the Jerusalem dwellers wonder if the rulers have secretly come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that’s why they don’t stop him. But they quickly discard that possibility for themselves—that Jesus could really be the Messiah.

The reason they’re so confident is because they say they know where Jesus is from. They all know about his origin. But no man will know the true origin or background of the Christ, the Messiah, whenever he comes.

You might ask: “How can that be true? Doesn’t the Old Testament declare that the Messiah will be from the line of David? Doesn’t Micah 5:2 say that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem? Why would the Jerusalemites say that no one will know the Christ’s origin, no one will know from where he comes?”

That’s a very good question. The answer appears to be: it’s all based on religious tradition from a Bible misinterpretation.

Based on the fact that the Old Testament foretells very little about the Messiah—aside from his birthplace and lineage—and based on the fact that Malachi 3:1 talks about God’s messenger suddenly coming to the temple, a tradition developed among the Jews. They believed that no one would know anything about the Messiah, including the Messiah himself, until the moment he suddenly appeared in Jerusalem, realized he was the Messiah, and set up the kingdom.

Now, Jesus has had some sudden appearances throughout his ministry, even in Jerusalem, even at the temple, including here at the Feast of Tabernacles. He suddenly shows up in the middle of the feast. But we’re already at Jesus’ third year of public ministry. The people feel like they know Jesus. He’s that non-traditional rabbi from Nazareth that does some notable miracles. But we know his background. We know his parents. We know what he’s all about. He can’t possibly be the Messiah. He’s not mysterious enough. He’s not special enough.

Of course, there’s an incredible irony in that conclusion, isn’t there? If you just read John 1, you realize Jesus has an incredibly mysterious and special background. You Jerusalemites don’t know the half of it. But they think they do.

“If you just read John 1, you realize Jesus has an incredibly mysterious and special background. They don’t know the half of it.”

So Jesus is going to give them an answer. He’s going to tell them that they don’t really know, and why they don’t really know.

Answer: Know God to Understand Jesus (vv. 28-29)

Look at Jesus’ answer to the third objection in verses 28 to 29. It says: 2F. Answer: You must know God to understand Jesus coming from God. You must know God to understand Jesus coming from God.

Verse 28, actually, we’ll read both of them together, verses 28 and 29: “Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, ‘You both know me and know where I am from. And I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you do not know. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.’”

Notice first, in verse 28, the verb “cried out.” This is unusual. Up to this point, Jesus has merely taught or spoken. But now he lifts up his voice and shouts. No doubt with emotion.

Is Jesus becoming frustrated with the people’s pride and lame excuses? Is he grieved over their hardness of heart? Does he feel a kind of desperation to break through to them with the life-giving truth? It’s probably something about each of these ideas.

Jesus cries out, and he says, first, probably sarcastically: “You both know me and know where I am from.”

Actually, Jesus will assert, just in the next chapter, John 8:14, that the people in fact do not know where he comes from. So if Jesus is acknowledging anything about the people’s knowledge of him at this point, it is that they only know him in a superficial way.

Some commentators think that these words should be translated as a question: “Do you know me? Do you know where I’m from?”

Jesus then next alludes to his heavenly origin with God: “I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true.”

Note that before, Jesus called himself true, but now he calls God true. He’s in another way setting himself at the same bar as God. There is a sublime realness and truthfulness to both Father and Son. “I am true. He is true.”

Jesus declares his heavenly origin. He brings that up again. But then, right afterwards, Jesus clarifies the real reason people do not really know him or recognize his ultimate origin.

They do not know the one who is true. They do not know the one who sent him. They do not know God.

Jesus has once again turned the tables on his opponents. They dismiss Jesus because they think they already know him. But Jesus asserts that he knows them, and he can give the real reason why they don’t really know him: they don’t really know God.

Despite living in Jerusalem, despite whatever religiosity they have attempted to adorn themselves with, they don’t know God.

Jesus again holds out an implicit invitation to his hearers. In verse 29: “I know the true God because I am from him and he sent me. Do you want to know God? You can, through me, if you will give up your proud prejudices against me. If you will give up your man-centered expectations as to what the Messiah is or will be. If you will finally listen to me and will believe in me for real, I will show you the true God. You will know him, and then you will know me and where I’m really from.”

“You must humble yourself to know God through Jesus before you really get Jesus.”

Dismissing Jesus based on supposedly well-known and pedestrian origins is an unjustified cheap shot. Truth is: you must humble yourself to know God through Jesus before you really get Jesus.

The Crowd Reacts to Jesus (vv. 30-31)

Well, as you can imagine, shooting down the baseless objections and exposing the true issue of proud unbelief in supposedly religious, God-fearing people who are there at the feast—remember, out of religious devotion—doing all this is going to provoke a reaction. And that’s what we see in part three of our narrative, verses 30 to 31.

Number three: The crowd reacts to Jesus.

We’ll read those two verses together, verses 30 to 31: “So they were seeking to seize him, and no man laid his hand on him because his hour had not yet come. But many of the crowd believed in him, and they were saying, ‘When the Christ comes, he will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will he?’”

It’s a two-fold reaction from the great throng of people in Jerusalem to Jesus, isn’t it? Some of the crowd, angry over this fresh batch of Spirit-filled words from Jesus, keep trying to seize Jesus to kill him. Yet they ultimately cannot.

Why is that? Well, practically speaking, it’s difficult to snatch someone away when he’s in the most public space in Jerusalem, surrounded by supporters and very interested listeners. There’s something strategic about Jesus being in the temple. It makes him hard to kill.

But the more important reason is theological, and it’s given in our text: “because his hour had not yet come.”

Not only is Jesus determined to fulfill the divine agenda, but his Father is also. Jesus cannot be lynched at this Feast of Booths because he must die about six months later at the Feast of Passover, crucified as a wrath-bringing substitute for sinners.

Thus, Jesus is both supernaturally and providentially safe at this feast. And there’s a principle there for us, isn’t it? You’ll never be hurt or killed before the time that God determined is right. Not a hair of your head will fall, God says. “I’ll protect you until moments that are for my glory and your ultimate good.”

“You’ll never be hurt or killed before the time that God determined is right. Not a hair of your head will fall.”

But not all in the crowd are angry. We learn that some believe in Jesus on the basis of his abundant signs.

Which is intriguing, because what we’ve just read here in John 7 is that Jesus has not done any new signs at this feast. He’s only taught. Which, you may remember, goes against his brother’s advice: “Go to Jerusalem and do signs.” Apparently, he hasn’t done any, or at least it’s not been recorded by John.

Jesus has only gone up to teach. But nevertheless, many in the crowd have assuredly heard of Jesus’ signs or experienced them previously. And, not being put off by Jesus’ new words, they believe in Jesus.

But is this saving faith? Is this a persevering belief? We don’t know. John, our author, always wants us to think about the word “believe” whenever it comes up. What does that really mean? Is this true belief? John doesn’t clarify for us here.

Maybe some of them are true. It is interesting, though, that in John 8:31, Jesus will speak to those who have believed in him based on the feast. And moments later, they will try to kill him because he will assert his eternal divinity. Not all belief is true belief.

But some believe here. And John 6:37 and 39 remains true. John 6:37–39: “All that the Father gives me,” Jesus says, “will come to me. And of all that he has given me, I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”

The Rulers React to Jesus (v. 32)

But this is just the crowd’s reaction. What about the religious leaders of Israel? We see that in part four of the narrative, which is just verse 32.

Number four: The rulers react to Jesus. The rulers react to Jesus.

Verse 32: “The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him. And the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize him.”

We see the Pharisees mentioned again in this verse. They haven’t actually appeared that much in John, but we’re going to see a lot more of them in this book going forward.

Who are the Pharisees again? They are the popular religious leaders. They’re the scribes and rabbis whose ministry was centered in the synagogues rather than the temple.

We learn that despite the efforts of the people to be quiet in their discussions about Jesus—only mutter or whisper, the same word here as before, translated “grumbling”—the popularly informed Pharisees realized that more people are believing in Jesus. “Oh, did you hear that? They just say that they believe in Jesus?”

Pharisees don’t like that. So they decide the time to act against Jesus is now. While normally very hostile to the Sadducees, or the chief priests, as they are called in our text—that would be the religious leaders at the temple and in Jerusalem—normally the Pharisees and Sadducees could not get along. They were opposed forces.

But both realized that Jesus is a threat. So we see here in our text that they team up. They order a group of officers—these will be part of the temple guard, drawn from the family of Levi—to arrest Jesus so that the religious leaders may put Jesus to death.

“One cheap way to win an argument is just to arrest and kill the other person. The unbelieving religious leaders are prepared to do exactly that.”

It is, as I said earlier, one cheap way to win an argument: just arrest and kill the other person. The hateful, unbelieving religious leaders of Israel are prepared to do that.

Though, as we’ll see later in this chapter, their efforts will be unsuccessful this time. Yet Jesus, the one with supernatural knowledge, knows about this plot. He knows what the religious leaders are doing, what they’ve ordered. And he reacts in a poignant way.

Jesus Gives Everyone a Warning (vv. 33-36)

It’s the fifth and final part of our narrative, verses 33 to 36.

Number five: Jesus gives everyone a warning.

Look first at just verses 33 and 34: “Therefore, Jesus said, ‘For a little while longer, I am with you, then I go to him who sent me. You will seek me and will not find me. And where I am, you cannot come.’”

Notice the “therefore” in verse 33. Jesus is speaking in reaction to what the religious leaders have just ordered. Perhaps Jesus can even see some of the temple guard filtering through the crowd.

What Jesus says has everything to do with the evil desire of the Jews to be rid of Jesus, to be rid of God’s Son.

Notice what Jesus says, probably with recognizable emotion: “For a little while longer, I am with you, then I go to him who sent me.”

Jesus is foretelling his death, isn’t he? He’s foretelling his death and his soon return to the Father’s side by resurrection and ascension.

In essence, Jesus is telling his soon-to-be murderers, his own people, that they will win the argument against him. Eventually, he will go away. But at the same time, he’s revealing to them that they will ultimately lose.

Soon, he says, they will seek Jesus and will not find him. Where he is, they will not be able to come.

Understand that Jesus is not merely saying that one day he’ll be beyond his enemy’s grasp, that they won’t be able to kill him anymore. No, we can’t be saying that, because Jesus will speak a similar message to his own disciples in John 13:33. But in that context, Jesus also assures his disciples that though they cannot be with him now, they will follow him later.

He goes to prepare a place for them so that he might come back to get them, so that where Jesus is, there his disciples will be also.

But Jesus doesn’t give those guarantees in this passage. So what is Jesus saying to the crowd?

The Urgency of Believing Now

He’s saying that the time to listen, to repent, and to believe is running out. Soon, the speaker of the words of eternal life will go away. Death and judgment will come for every person.

Every person—whether an angry rejector, a confused person with questions and objections, or a nominal believer—will eventually find themselves desperate for Jesus again and for his words of eternal life. But it will be too late.

They will seek him and will not find him. And where he goes—to the Father’s side in heaven—they will never come.

As I say, to win the argument against Jesus and banish his uncomfortable words from your life is to lose something much more important and to banish your own soul to hell.

“To win the argument against Jesus and banish his uncomfortable words from your life is to banish your own soul to hell.”

Jesus’ words in verses 33 to 34 are a warning and a plea to come to Jesus before it’s too late.

As Isaiah 55:6 says: “Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near.”

Isaiah 55:6: “Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near.”

Do not hide behind your flimsy excuses and cheap objections. There’s a good answer to whatever reason you might raise for not believing in Jesus. Face the real reason that you do not believe.

As Jesus even exposes in our passage, the real reason is not a lack of information, a lack of miraculous signs, or a lack of good apologetic answers. It’s your own pride. It’s your self-righteousness. It’s your insistence that you are a good person.

It’s your own rebellious commitment to live the way that you want rather than the way God wants.

Jesus pleads with his listeners. He pleads with you: “Turn from your self-destructive path before it’s too late. Believe in Jesus. Take him truly, wholly, as your savior and Lord, and you will be saved.”

That’s the promise from the scriptures.

The Jews’ Mocking Response

Beware the path that Jesus’ stubborn Jewish opponents take, which is what we see in our last two verses, verses 35 to 36.

“The Jews then said to one another, ‘Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? He’s not intending to go to the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he? What is this statement that he said, “You will seek me and will not find me, and where I am, you cannot come”?’”

Notice we’re hearing from the Jews again in these last two verses. These are Jesus’ enemies. These are the religious leaders.

How do they react to Jesus’ warning? Not just with perplexity, but probably with mocking. “Where’s he going to go? Where we can’t find him?” They even ask, “Does Jesus intend to go across the Middle East to the Mediterranean to all the places that the Jews have been scattered and teach the Hellenistic Jews there and even teach the Gentiles there? Surely not. Surely he will not do something so pathetic, so preposterous.”

But then they repeat the question. They repeat their question of where Jesus is going and repeat Jesus’ statement, which is the only time in the whole Gospel of John that someone repeats Jesus’ statement word for word.

It’s like the Jews are, even as they mock, even as they dismiss Jesus’ warning, still disturbed. Still disturbed by this pronouncement from Jesus. Even haunted by it.

“Even as they mock and dismiss Jesus’ warning, they are still disturbed—even haunted—by his pronouncement.”

I believe our author John wants the discomfort from this warning from Jesus to remain in the minds of his readers, which is why he reports the repeating of this statement word for word by the Jews. He wants us to be uncomfortable about this statement so that we will not persist in unbelief.

Final Appeal

That’s the way I will end my sermon today.

If you’re in Christ, praise the Lord that though he went away, he has prepared a place for you. But if you’re not in Christ, hear again the warning from Jesus to all those who wait until it’s too late to come to him: “You will seek me and will not find me. And where I am, you cannot come.”

“If you’re not in Christ, hear again: ‘You will seek me and will not find me. And where I am, you cannot come.’”

Let’s pray.

Oh Lord, when I think about this passage and the cut and thrust of the debate, Lord, we can hide behind a lot of things. We can come up with a whole bunch of excuses as to why we cannot obey, why we cannot believe. But Jesus, you show they are only flimsy excuses. And the worst part is they only doom us. They keep us away from the one who can save us.

But I pray that for the people who have heard your word today, preached from this passage, that they will not know the horror of what Jesus says at the end of his teaching: “You will seek me and not find me.”

Lord, we are aware that hell is a real place. And one of its descriptors is that it is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Why is there so much weeping in hell? Due to the suffering, but also due to the bottomless regret. “Why would I not turn when I had the chance? Why wouldn’t I seek him when he could still be found?”

Lord, please don’t let that be true for anyone here today. Please don’t let that be true for the loved ones in our families, Lord, who don’t know you, who have walked away from you.

Thank you, Lord, that for us who are in Christ, that is not a true statement. Lord, we have sought you. We have found you. It was because you sought us first. You found us. And when we rebelled against you, you said, “I’m going to open your eyes. I’m going to give you a new heart. I’m going to give you my own life so that God and thus me and you will believe.”

Thank you, Lord God. There is no regret in following after you. Thank you for showing such mercy to us.

Oh Lord, there are so many things in this life that can distract us from the seriousness of spiritual reality. We can even take for granted you and your salvation. I pray that wouldn’t be true for me or for anyone who’s heard this message today. That we would tremble, even as we rejoice, and say, “God, how is it that you are merciful to me, a sinner? How is it that you are preparing a place for me forever? How is it that I gain a place in your kingdom?”

Thank you, Lord, for your kindness. Lord, help us to show that same kindness to others, even to one another in this church.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Amen. Let’s stand and sing.
March 17, 2024
Only One Agenda
In this sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia examines Jesus’ response to his brothers’ advice in John 7:1-9. John shows Jesus’ commitment to God’s agenda rather than man’s agenda so that you will believe in Jesus and follow Jesus’ example.

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

John 7:1-9 reveals Jesus’ unwavering commitment to his Father’s agenda rather than man’s agenda. When Jesus’ unbelieving brothers urge him to go to Jerusalem and perform miracles to gain a following, Jesus refuses to follow worldly wisdom. He draws a sharp contrast between his own posture of waiting on God’s timing and the world’s insistence on immediate self-fulfillment. We are reminded that worldly strategies—giving people what they want—cannot produce true disciples. Only God’s truth, spoken at God’s time, in God’s way, accomplishes God’s purposes.

Key Lessons:
1. Jesus’ absolute devotion to the Father’s will confirms that he is the Christ and the Son of God, worthy of our complete trust.
2. Worldly wisdom can attract a crowd, but only God’s truth and the Holy Spirit’s work can produce genuine, lasting faith.
3. Proximity to Jesus—even being his biological family—does not guarantee saving faith; belief must be granted by the Father.
4. Living with a single agenda—God’s agenda—rather than two competing agendas removes the stress and anxiety of trying to control our own lives.
Application: We are called to let go of our own agendas and embrace God’s will alone, trusting his perfect timing even when circumstances don’t make sense. Rather than relying on the world’s counsel for how to live and do ministry, we must be anchored in God’s Word and ready to endure the world’s misunderstanding and hostility with confident joy.

Discussion Questions:
1. In what specific areas of your life are you most tempted to impose your own agenda on God rather than trusting his timing and plan?
2. How does the world’s counsel to the church today mirror the advice Jesus’ brothers gave him, and how should we respond differently?
3. What does it look like practically to live with “only one agenda” in your daily decisions, relationships, and prayers?
Scripture Focus: John 7:1-9 — Jesus refuses his brothers’ worldly advice and affirms his commitment to the Father’s timing. Supporting passages include John 5:18, John 6:63, John 3:19-20, John 15:19, Matthew 4:1-11, and Proverbs 3:5.

Outline
Introduction

Let’s pray. Lord, how wonderful is your salvation. Things can dishearten and discourage us so much in this world, and yet when we realize what we have in you, Lord, how can we not praise? How can we not consider ourselves the most blessed people, the most fortunate people, the most happy people?

You are our God, and not a single sin remains against us to accuse us. Everything has been covered. Everything has been paid for. We have been clothed with Jesus’ own righteousness. Thank you, God. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Son, and Holy Spirit.

But we need to learn how to walk worthy. God, show us from your word today how to do that. Enable me to speak this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Temptation to Advise God

In preparation for today’s passage, I was reminded of a famous statement allegedly uttered by a 13th century Spanish king, Alfonso I, 10th of Castile, also known as the Wise King. Alfonso was interested in various fields of learning, including astronomy.

One time, after listening to an explanation of the complicated math that justified a geocentric, or Earth-centered, view of the cosmos, Alfonso supposedly remarked, “Had I been present at the creation, I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe.”

Now, to be fair to Alfonso, the overcomplicated system of geocentrism did turn out not to be true. The Earth revolves around the sun, not the sun around the earth. Nevertheless, what a statement!

Did Señor Alfonso truly think himself so wise that if the movements of the cosmos seemed needlessly complicated to him, that he was then in position to offer some useful hints to his creator? Even to teach God a better way?

We may laugh. We may shake our heads at the hubris, the naive arrogance of his statement. Yet aren’t we frequently guilty of taking the same stance with our creator?

Think about it. Why do you sometimes get angry with other people? Why do you sometimes become anxious, discouraged, hopeless in your circumstances?

It’s not because in those moments you believe that God has not properly ordered his universe, that God has let your particular circumstances get out of control, and now you’re not sure whether God will really vindicate or take care of you. “God, you’re doing it wrong. You’ve let me down. Don’t you see what I need? Why are you orchestrating events this way?”

We could even take Alfonso’s words into our own heart or our lips. “Had I been present at the creation, or had I been present at the establishment of your eternal divine decree, I could have given some useful hints. I could have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe.

God, I know you already had some interesting ideas for how my life should go and how the world should go, but how about doing things this way? That would be better, right? And rather than having this thing happen later, why don’t we have it happen at an earlier time? That would be better for everybody, wouldn’t it?”

“We are being plainly ridiculous if we think or talk that way—it runs contrary to our own interests.”

We are being plainly ridiculous if we think or talk that way. For not only is taking this attitude with God obviously a manifestation of ignorance and pride, but also doing so runs contrary to our own interests.

After all, God reveals in his Bible that though God’s ways are infinitely higher than ours, God is completely sovereign, completely wise, and completely loving. He does not allow a single atom in his universe to escape his purpose of bringing about his own ultimate glory and his people’s ultimate good.

“God does not allow a single atom in his universe to escape his purpose of bringing about his own glory and his people’s good.”

So if you could get God to adopt your agenda instead of his, who would suffer for it? You would. So rather than agonizing about establishing your own agenda with God, whose agenda should you adopt? His.

Setting the Scene: John 7:1-9

And in our next passage in the Gospel of John, we’re going to see a situation where certain people give Jesus some useful advice and essentially encourage him to adopt man’s agenda. But in response, our Lord Jesus will make clear to them and to us that not only does man’s agenda in the end make no sense, but as the Holy One of God, Jesus is committed to only one agenda: his Father’s agenda, God’s agenda.

Thus, Jesus will show us once again that he is the Christ, and that we not only are to believe in him but to follow his example. Please take your Bibles and turn to the Gospel of John.

The title of the sermon today is “Only One Agenda.” Looking at John 7:1-9 today, a relatively small section. You can find it on page 1,167 in your pew Bible.

Reading the Text

Let’s read the text. “After these things, Jesus was walking in Galilee, for he was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. Therefore, his brother said to him, ‘Leave here and go into Judea so that your disciples also may see your works which you are doing. For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’ For not even his brothers were believing in him.

John 7:6: “”My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.””

So Jesus said to them, ‘My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it that its deeds are evil. Go up to the feast yourselves. I do not go up to this feast because my time has not yet fully come.’ Having said these things to them, he stayed in Galilee.”

What we have here is a short conversation between Jesus and his brothers regarding what Jesus should do about an upcoming religious feast in Jerusalem. Jesus’ brothers advised Jesus to use the occasion of the feast to give the Jews what they want and thereby gain their support to fulfill his Messianic mission.

But we ourselves could probably conclude from what we’ve seen up to this point in John’s gospel that Jesus knows this advice from his brothers is foolish. Giving the Jews what they want will not cause them to accomplish his mission, nor will it cause them to believe in him.

More importantly, Jesus has a commission to fulfill from his Father, which means that what Jesus does and how he does it and when he does it is not up to him. It’s up to God.

Here, then, is the main idea of our passage in John 7:1-9. John shows Jesus’ commitment to God’s agenda rather than man’s agenda so that you will believe in Jesus and follow Jesus’ example.

Jesus’ Brothers Advise Following Man’s Agenda

The passage divides into two basic parts based on who’s speaking in the conversation, and we’ll take a closer look at each part, starting with the first, in verses 1 to 5.

The label we can give to this section is number one: Jesus’ Brothers Advise Following Man’s Agenda.

After These Things: Jesus in Galilee

Look again at verse one. “After these things, Jesus was walking in Galilee, for he was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill him.” Notice the beginning phrase: “After these things.” After what things? Well, after what was mentioned in the previous chapter. Jesus feeding the 20,000-plus persons miraculously and then giving the Bread of Life discourse in Capernaum. The discourse that drove most of his false disciples away.

“Despite the exodus of his many disciples, Jesus stayed in the area to preach and minister.”

The beginning of verse one tells us that we are sometime after those events. What’s Jesus doing now? We’re told in verse one that he was walking in Galilee. Or we could also translate that he was going about in Galilee. In other words, despite the exodus of his many disciples, Jesus has stayed in the area to preach and to minister in different villages and places around Galilee.

Now, the other gospels clarify that much of Jesus’ ministry at this point is in places private and remote, and most of his ministry is focused on the twelve themselves, his core group of disciples, rather than the crowds. But John, our author for this gospel, doesn’t get into all those specifics. He just says Jesus is going about in Galilee.

Now, why focus on the northern area of Galilee and not go back to the southern area of Judea where Jesus was before? We’re told of a pretty compelling reason, and that is Jesus did not want to go there because some of the Jewish people there, in particular the Jewish leaders, are seeking to kill Jesus.

Notice the verb tense in verse one: “were seeking.” This is the Greek imperfect tense, which indicates ongoing action in the past. This is to say, the Jews were seeking in an ongoing way to find and kill Jesus. And we saw this ourselves, didn’t we, back in John 5:18?

John 5:18 says, “For this reason, therefore, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him because he not only was breaking the Sabbath according to their tradition, but also was calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but if I knew a group of people was actively seeking to kill me, I’d want to stay away from wherever they were as well. But Jesus isn’t merely concerned for his own life. After all, he’s already told his disciples at this point about his impending death in Jerusalem.

Rather, Jesus knows he must die at the right time and in the right way. So for now, Jesus must avoid Judea. But then something happened that brings up the possibility, indeed the necessity, of visiting Judea again. And that’s what we see in verse two.

The Feast of Booths Approaches

“Now the Feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near.” Remember that according to the Torah, the five books of Moses, the beginning part of the Bible, Jewish men were required to go up to Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate God’s ordained religious feasts. That was for the Feast of Passover, the Feast of Pentecost, also known as Weeks or In-Gathering, and then the Feast of Booths, also called the Feast of Tabernacles.

Now, what was the Feast of Booths? It’s first commanded of Israel in Leviticus 23:33-34, but we get more instruction in Deuteronomy 16. The Feast of Booths was a holy commemorative feast celebrating how God miraculously provided for Israel while the nation traveled through the wilderness and dwelt in tents or makeshift shelters, i.e., booths.

The feast was also an opportunity to give thanks for grape and olive harvest, which would be gathered in around this time. Now, Israel was to celebrate this feast for seven days with sacrifices and worship in Jerusalem. But the most distinctive part of the Feast of Booths was that, and this separated it from the other two feasts, those who gathered in Jerusalem were commanded to recreate the wilderness experience by dwelling in booths, by dwelling in tents or makeshift shelters for the duration of the feast.

I don’t know how that sounds to you. Probably depends on whether you like camping or not. But the Jews loved this. It was like a weeklong holy camping party.

People set up their booths in the streets or on the flat roofs of their houses or in the courtyard area of their homes. The Jewish Roman historian Josephus reports that the Feast of Booths was particularly popular and considered particularly sacred, probably the favorite of the three required feasts of the Jews.

Verse two tells us that the Feast of Booths is now near, and this fact has two implications.

“The Feast of Booths was considered particularly sacred, probably the favorite of the three required feasts.”

One, that tells us that we’re about six months after the events of John 6, because the miraculous feeding, the Bread of Life discourse, took place around Passover, so March-April. But this is now the Feast of Booths is near. So that means we’re in September-October, about six months later. Jesus has been going about Galilee for about six months.

But the more important implication is that as a Jew intent on perfectly fulfilling God’s law for his people, Jesus is required to go to Jerusalem for this feast. We just learned he doesn’t want to go to Judea because of the death threat hanging over him. But now he must go, lest he transgress God’s law.

The Brothers’ Counsel: Show Yourself to the World

And this is where Jesus hears some not-so-helpful advice. Verse three: “Therefore, his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go into Judea so that your disciples also may see your works which you are doing.’”

Wait a second. You might ask, according to this verse, Jesus had brothers? Oh, yes, indeed. We actually saw Jesus’ brothers previously mentioned in this gospel back in John 2:12. The other gospels give us more information about them, even some of their names.

Matthew 13:55 tells us that Jesus had at least four brothers because their names are James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. And two of those, James and Judas (or Jude), ended up writing books of the Bible. Matthew 13:56 confirms that Jesus also had sisters, though none of them are named.

How could Jesus have siblings? Well, obviously they would have been born to his earthly parents, Joseph and Mary, after Jesus was born. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary alone, and according to Matthew 1:25, Joseph did not have relations with Mary until after Jesus was born.

But then Joseph and Mary assumed life together as a regular married couple, and God blessed them with many children, both sons and daughters.

Now, the Roman Catholic Church, in order to support the myth that Jesus’ mother was a sinless and perpetual virgin, sometimes claims that these siblings mentioned in the Bible were actually cousins or even step-siblings for Jesus from a previous marriage that Joseph had. But there’s no biblical evidence for this. These are just theories read into the Bible for the sake of upholding a man-made tradition.

No, Jesus indeed had half-brothers and half-sisters through his mother Mary. So verse three tells us that Jesus’ brothers, seeing that the Feast of Booths is near, give Jesus some counsel: “Leave here and go into Judea.” This is advice that makes sense because the law requires that Jesus do this. He has to go to Judea, to go to Jerusalem, to celebrate the Feast.

“Jesus’ brothers give counsel: ‘Leave here and go into Judea so that your disciples may see your works.’”

But notice the reason they give: “so that your disciples also may see your works.” We might ask, which disciples do the brothers have in mind? It’s a little bit unclear. They certainly can’t mean the twelve because those are always around Jesus and regularly seeing his works.

Perhaps they mean the Galilean disciples who just left Jesus around six months ago. Or perhaps they were referring to disciples that Jesus already gained in Judea but who haven’t been with him for a while. Let’s not forget Jesus did minister in Judea for a time, and John 2:23 told us that while he was in Jerusalem for the Passover during a certain feast, many believed in his name, observing the signs which he was doing.

So Jesus apparently does have some disciples in Judea who, for simple logistical reasons, can’t follow Jesus up to Galilee. So maybe the brothers are referring to those Judean disciples. Or perhaps Jesus’ brothers have in mind Jesus making totally new disciples—you don’t have them yet, but you could have them if you do what we tell you.

Well, whatever they mean, notice that what Jesus’ brothers proposed for him to do with these disciples is to let them see your works. What are Jesus’ works? Well, chiefly his miracles, his miraculous signs. Jesus, leave here, go to Judea, and show your disciples your miracles.

Why? The brothers give the reason for that in verse four: “For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”

You can see that in explaining their reasoning, the brothers tell Jesus an obvious truth: nobody who wants to be known publicly, nobody who wants to gain a following or make a national impact or worldwide impact, nobody like that does his great works in secret. That would be counterproductive. A person who wants to make a name for himself acts in the open so that everyone can see.

What are the intended implications of this truth for Jesus? Well, Jesus, aren’t you on a mission to establish yourself as the Messiah of Israel? Why, then, do you seem to be acting in secret? Why are you going off to remote places with your disciples? Why are you hanging out here in rural Galilee instead of at the nation’s center?

Why are you doing your miracles so that only a small number can witness them? Why? Take your team to Jerusalem. Show off your mighty works where everyone can see. Put yourself on the national stage. It’ll be much more effective than getting followers. The Feast of Booths is the perfect opportunity. Hundreds of thousands of people will be there from all over the Mediterranean.

Truly, if you do these things, Jesus, if you do these miraculous works, these great works, then don’t stay here in Galilee. Go up to Jerusalem. Show yourself to the world so that all may believe in you.

Why the Brothers’ Advice Is Foolish

Is this good advice? Perhaps it is well-meant, but ultimately this is foolish counsel. Why? Well, John has already clued us in by what’s appeared thus far in this gospel.

Certainly, the brothers’ advice makes good sense according to man’s wisdom. Jesus, the way to attract followers is with your works. People love miracles. The best way to do your miracles is center stage in Jerusalem, and the best time is now during the feast. So go.

But the brothers failed to remember or appreciate that the Jews in Judea want to kill Jesus. And why? Because Jesus did a miraculous work there on the Sabbath and claimed to be God.

The brothers also failed to remember or appreciate that Jesus essentially already did what they’re suggesting for the Jews in Galilee. And what was the result? Jesus indeed gained a massive number of followers. But they weren’t true followers. They weren’t real disciples. They only came to Jesus for bread and circuses, more food, more show, more miracles.

As soon as Jesus gave these disciples what they really needed—words of eternal life, the revelation of himself as the true and necessary food—what happened? Most of those disciples bolted.

Yes, worldly wisdom can attract a crowd, but it is useless for making true disciples. As Jesus said in John 6:63, “It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and our life.”

John 6:63: “”It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.””

Fundamentally, Jesus’ brothers fail to understand or appreciate what Jesus is really about. Jesus isn’t here just to make a name for himself or to get himself proclaimed king. He isn’t here to fulfill everyone’s desires or usher in a kingdom of prosperity for them.

He is here to proclaim himself as the bread of life, which a person must wholly take in by faith. He’s here to live, die, and rise again to save sinners. The brothers don’t get Jesus at all. Thus, their worldly advice is completely misguided.

The Brothers’ Unbelief Exposed

Verse 5 explicitly provides the explanation for the brothers’ bad counsel: “For not even his brothers were believing in him.”

Why don’t the brothers get Jesus? Why don’t they understand his situation and offer him proper advice? It’s because they don’t believe. They don’t believe in him.

“Why don’t the brothers get Jesus? It’s because they don’t believe in him.”

We’re meant to feel some shock at this revelation. Not even his brothers, the text says. I mean, who of all people should get Jesus and what Jesus is about? Who should believe in him if not his own family, his siblings?

They grew up with Jesus as their oldest brother. They saw his perfectly righteous life up close, continually. They heard his words. They experienced his kindness. They assuredly heard Joseph and Mary testify about his birth. They saw Jesus’ zeal for God the Father.

When Jesus began his public ministry, his brothers were there. Afterwards, they frequently had opportunity to witness or to hear about Jesus as he taught and performed miracles throughout Galilee. But even after all that, the brothers do not believe. They do not believe that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God.

The other gospels hint at this same sad truth. You might remember, according to Mark 3:20-35, one time Jesus gathered a group in his home at Capernaum to teach them. So many people were crammed in that there was no space even to eat.

What did Jesus’ brothers and even his mother conclude? “He’s out of his mind. He’s lost his senses. There’s only one explanation for Jesus’ odd behavior. He’s gone insane.”

Mark’s gospel reports that his mother and brothers went to take custody of him. “We better go collect him. He’s out of control.” That attitude is a long way from loving, worshiping, and trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Proximity to Jesus Does Not Guarantee Faith

Really, what we see here in John 7:5 is that Jesus’ brothers are no different from the crowd of false disciples that just clamored for more bread and miracles. His brothers don’t really believe. Which is why, unsurprisingly, they recommend that Jesus give the crowds in Judea what they want.

By the way, one truth that John 6 and 7—these two chapters—definitely prove to us is that continued proximity to Jesus does not necessarily lead to saving faith. Rather, no one, not even family, can come to Jesus unless, as Jesus says, it has been granted him by the Father.

“Continued proximity to Jesus does not necessarily lead to saving faith.”

So Jesus’ brothers advise following man’s agenda: give people miracles in Jerusalem right now. How does Jesus respond?

Jesus Affirms Commitment to God’s Agenda

Here’s our second heading, second sermon point, covering verses 6 to 9. Number two: Jesus Affirms Commitment to God’s Agenda.

Look at verse 6. “So Jesus said to them, ‘My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.’”

In one sense, Jesus’ response in verse 6 simply pertains to the specific question as to when Jesus is going to go up to the feast. Is he going to go up right now, presumably with his family caravan, to make sure he gets there nice and early so he can set up and maximize the impact of his miracle show? Or is Jesus going to go up to Jerusalem later?

He’s got to go. It’s required in the law. But is he going now or is he going later? Well, the answer is Jesus is going later, for he says, “My time is not yet here.”

My Time vs. Your Time

Yet if you notice, the latter part of verse six, Jesus’ answer applies more than to just this specific situation as to how and when Jesus is going up to the Feast of Booths. For notice Jesus tells his brothers, “Your time is always opportune.” That seems to apply to more than just this specific situation, doesn’t it?

The Greek word for time here is the word “kairos,” which rather than referring to chronological time refers more to a period, a season, or an opportunity, even the right time or the proper time. Thus, we could translate Jesus’ words in verse six this way: “My proper time is not yet present, but your proper time is always ready.”

“Kairos” refers not to chronological time but to the right time, the proper time, the season God has appointed.

What’s Jesus saying here? We’re going to see more of this in verse 7, but Jesus is drawing a contrast between himself and his brothers when it comes to characteristic attitude, even a distinction between God’s timing and agenda and man’s timing and agenda.

After all, generally speaking, what is man’s agenda in this world? Securing for himself whatever he wants and whatever he thinks he needs. And when does man think this agenda should be fulfilled? Immediately.

If what I want is good and it clearly is, then why should I have to wait for it? I should have my good instantly, right now.

Thus, when it comes to man’s self-seeking, worldly agenda, any time for fulfillment will do, but preferably right now. Man’s proper time is always ready, Jesus says. This attitude characterizes his brothers.

In contrast, Jesus says that his proper time is not yet present. Not yet here. Did Jesus have certain good desires, even needs, that he did not yet see fulfilled for himself? Yes, he did.

For example, he was not yet glorified in the fulfillment of his incarnation mission. He did not yet see every tribe and tongue acknowledging him as Lord as ought to be the case. He did not yet see all his enemies crushed under his feet.

Satan’s Temptation and Jesus’ Commitment

Well, if these should happen, why wait? Why wait to fulfill these desires and needs? After all, he’s the Son of God. Why should he have to wait for anything?

Indeed, someone once posed this question to Jesus in an effort to trip him up. Do you remember who that was? Satan in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1-11.

With the various forms of temptation, Satan asked: make this stone become bread, throw yourself off the temple, receive all the kingdoms of the world if you will bow down to me.

What was Satan really asking? Why should you have to wait for what should be yours by right?

But what was Jesus’ essential commitment through all those temptations, which is also evident in this verse here in John? “I wait for my Father’s perfect provision and his perfect timing. Why? Because I am committed to serving God and his agenda only. His will is my necessary food.”

“I wait for my Father’s perfect provision and his perfect timing because I am committed to serving God and his agenda only.”

Jesus Refuses to Fulfill Man’s Agenda

People are always trying to prevail on Jesus in his ministry to get him to fulfill their agenda. But because Jesus is fundamentally committed to his Father’s agenda and his Father’s agenda alone, sometimes Jesus must outright refuse the requests of others or even rebuke them for making that request.

Like Jesus does with the Jews again and again when they say, “Show us more signs. Give us more bread. Set up the earthly kingdom of prosperity that we’ve been waiting for.” He says, “No, that’s not the Father’s will.” Or as we read earlier in our service, when Peter says, “You’re not going to go to the cross, Jesus. You’re not going to die.” What does Jesus do? He rebukes him. He says, “You are not setting your interest on God’s interest but on man’s.”

“Because Jesus is committed to his Father’s agenda alone, sometimes he must outright refuse the requests of others.”

Other times, when people make requests of Jesus, he doesn’t outright deny, but he delays the granting of the request because it’s not yet the proper time. Jesus must fulfill the request at the right time according to the Father, or in the right way, a way different than what was asked by a certain person.

We saw this actually back in chapter 2 when Jesus’ mother asked for help with the wine running out at the Feast of Cana, at the wedding feast. He says, “Jesus, they ran out of wine.” And what does he say? “What does that have to do with me? My hour is not yet come. I’m following the Father’s agenda, not yours.”

You got to remember that. Now he would end up doing what she asked, but it had to be at the right time.

Well, when the royal official insisted that Jesus come to heal his son who was sick in another town, remember we saw this in John 4, Jesus instead healed the son from a distance. He says, “It’s not God’s will that I go all the way there with you. I’m going to do it this way.” And we’ll see this again in John.

Thus, in contrast to the people of the world, epitomized in John 7:6 by Jesus’ brothers, Jesus is not one who characteristically says, “My time is always ready,” but instead, “My time is not yet here.”

This is because, as the Son of God, Jesus appropriately only has one agenda: the Father’s agenda. Jesus is not simply concerned with proper timing but with the divinely authorized action for each moment.

The World Hates Jesus’ Testimony

For look at what Jesus says further in verse 7. “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it that its deeds are evil.”

There are several profound points packed into this one sentence from Jesus to his brothers. Notice the first two clauses: “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me.”

Previously, Jesus’ brothers had encouraged him, “Show yourself to the world,” meaning show yourself to everyone, show yourself to everyone who lives in this world. And now Jesus seizes upon that term “world” to say something about the people of the world, especially in relation to Jesus and his brothers.

Namely, that the people of the world hate Jesus but cannot hate Jesus’ brothers. Why is it that the world cannot hate Jesus’ brothers? Not merely that they do not hate, but they cannot hate. How can that be?

Only one possible reason, and that is because the brothers are the world. They are part of it. The brothers value and believe what the world values and believes, and consequently they gain the approval of the world. The world cannot hate them.

Jesus will say something similar to his eleven disciples later in John. John 15:19 says, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”

So the world doesn’t hate the brothers. Can’t. But why does the world hate Jesus? When all Jesus does is gracious miracles, speak the truth? Why does the world hate Jesus and hate all Jesus’ true disciples?

Well, Jesus gives the answer plainly in the second part of verse 7. “The world hates me because I testify of it that its deeds are evil.”

John 7:7: “The world hates me because I testify of it that its deeds are evil.”

As we’ve observed throughout the Gospel of John, the world, as John uses the term, is not a godly or even a neutral entity. The world represents all mankind in proud rebellion against its God and against its creator. The world is committed to its own way, and even in believing that the world is good, we are good people, in fact, the world is happy to have religion, to serve God, that is very much a part of the world.

But the god the world serves is a god of its own making, not the true God. The religions of the world are religions of its own making, not the true religion according to God’s revelation.

Furthermore, as shown by the proud and evil deeds of the world, the people of the world, yes, even the religious people of the world, are not good but instead the opposite: desperately wicked, totally corrupt.

And because the Father’s will is that Jesus should declare the truth and testify of the world’s evil deeds and thus evil heart, for this reason Jesus says the world hates him. People of the world want to think they are good outside of Christ. That’s what we want. We want to believe that we are good people, maybe not perfect but good enough.

Therefore, the world hates Jesus and his exposing testimony given him to proclaim on behalf of the Father. “Jesus, you don’t make me feel like I’m good. I don’t like that.”

This is just like what Jesus had said to Nicodemus back in John 3:19-20. John 3:19-20 says, “This is the judgment: that the light has come into the world, and men love the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

So then, you can see in verse 7, Jesus is drawing several more sharp distinctions between himself and his brothers. They are of the world, but Jesus is not of the world. Being of the world, they cannot receive the world’s hatred. But Jesus does so continually.

They think that to fulfill his mission, Jesus should fulfill all the world’s desires. But Jesus knows that fulfilling his mission means not fulfilling the world’s desires but instead speaking the truth that the world does not want to hear: that its deeds are evil, that they are at enmity with God, and they need to be reconciled to God, and it cannot be something that they produce in themselves.

Words Over Works: What Jesus Really Came to Do

By the way, do you notice how when Jesus’ brothers urge works, Jesus instead falls back on words? The world always wants more works, more compassionate works, more miraculous works, more merciful works from Jesus. That’s not primarily what Jesus came to do. He does that. That’s not what he primarily came to do.

He came to speak the truth and reveal God and die for sinners. That’s not what the world wants. It hates that. But that’s what the world really needs.

“The world always wants more works from Jesus. That’s not primarily what he came to do. He came to speak the truth and die for sinners.”

Moreover, this is what the Father wants, and Jesus is utterly committed to his Father’s will.

All of this demonstrates quite clearly that Jesus and his brothers are practically on different planets when it comes to what Jesus should do with his life and ministry. They think that Jesus should go up immediately to the feast to fulfill man’s agenda.

But Jesus uses that misguided advice in this specific instance to affirm his commitment only to fulfilling God’s agenda.

Jesus Stays Behind in Galilee

That will include whether, when, and how he goes up to the Feast of Booths. Indeed, Jesus brings what became a general description of his own situation versus his brothers’ situation back to the specific issue at hand.

Because in verse 8, Jesus says, “Go up to the feast yourselves. I do not go up to this feast because my time has not yet fully come.”

In other words, feel free to go up without me. I’m going to wait until God’s time is fulfilled.

Verse 9 shows us that Jesus is true to his word. “Having said these things to them, he stayed in Galilee.”

“Jesus is true to his word: he stayed in Galilee, waiting for the Father’s timing.”

Like good Jews, Jesus’ brothers go up, nice and early, to the feast, though their hearts are far from God. Meanwhile, Jesus, the Son of God, stays behind. I’m sure that the brothers leave scratching their heads, perhaps even a little annoyed at Jesus.

“I don’t get that guy at all.”

But they don’t see the full picture, nor do they appreciate that Jesus seeks only God’s will and not man’s.

Did Jesus Lie About Going to the Feast?

Now, if you’re looking ahead to verse 10, you will notice that Jesus does in fact go to the Feast of Booths, yet not with his brothers but later, in secret, as the Father wills for him. And this is where perhaps someone will say, “Well, then Jesus lied in verse 8 when he says, ‘I do not go up to this feast.’ Jesus says he wasn’t going to go, and then he did. That is called a lie.”

Well, if you’re looking to find fault, you could take Jesus’ words as indicating that he’s never going up. But that’s not actually what he said. Jesus said, “I do not presently go up to this feast because my time has not yet fully come.” Present tense verb. “I do not go up. I am not going up.” Or you could say, “I do not presently go up.”

With what Jesus actually said, it’s an open question as to whether he will go up or not. He hasn’t clarified that. But all Jesus is saying for sure is that he’s not going up right now. “I’m not going right now with you, my brothers.”

Actually, I would say that the final phrase included in verse 8 suggests that Jesus is going to go up later. Because what does Jesus say? “I do not go because my time has not yet fully come.” If that’s the condition that’s preventing him from going, what will happen when that condition is fulfilled? Well, he’ll go.

Again, think back to this situation with Jesus and his mother back in John 2 at the wedding of Cana. She says, “Jesus, they run out of wine.” He says, “What’s that got to do with me? My hour’s not yet come.” And then two verses later, he’s making water into wine.

“Jesus, I thought you said you’re not going to make any water into wine.” “I didn’t say that. I just reminded you that I’m on God’s agenda rather than yours.”

“I didn’t say I’m not going to act. I just reminded you that I’m on God’s agenda rather than yours.”

So it is by no means necessary to conclude that Jesus deceived his brothers in this passage.

Application: Believe in Jesus as the Son of God

What’s the takeaway from this short conversation? Jesus demonstrates his commitment to his Father’s will over man’s will. But so what?

Well, there are a few things I’d like to point out to you.

Number one: Jesus’ devotion to only one agenda is another reason why you should believe in him as the Christ and the Son of God. If Jesus deviated from the Father’s will even in the slightest to satisfy his own will or man’s will, he could not be the perfect Son of God. He could not save sinners, and he would not be worthy of your devotion or worship.

He has to perfectly obey the Father. But that’s what he’s doing. Jesus once again demonstrates that he is absolutely devoted to the Father as the Son of God should be. He will do and say whatever the Father wants of him, whenever the Father wants it, no matter the consequences, no matter how inconvenient or socially awkward, no matter how it even sets him at odds with his family.

So Jesus is indeed worthy of your trust. You can commit yourself wholly to Jesus. You can take him in wholly by faith as the bread of life because he proves it again and again and again. “I am the Son of God. You can and must believe in him.”

“Jesus is indeed worthy of your trust. You can commit yourself wholly to Jesus because he proves it again and again.”

That’s one implication. If you will believe in him, you will be saved.

Application: Follow Jesus’ Example

A second takeaway here is that you should follow Jesus’ example and embrace God’s agenda and only God’s agenda for your life. There are plenty of people in the world who are ready to offer Christians and Christianity some useful advice.

“Christianity needs to update with the times, or else the young people are going to leave all the churches. Hey, if you want to gain an ear in communities, you Christians need to focus on mercy missions rather than preaching. Come on, you’re never going to win anyone if you just talk about sin and judgment. Talk about God’s love instead.”

Well, recognize where much of this counsel comes from. This is from the people of the world who sincerely believe, like Jesus’ brothers, that the way to win the world is to give the world what it wants. But Jesus recognized such an approach as foolish in his ministry, and so we should do the same in ours.

No, I’m not saying that critiques of Christians by unbelievers are never true or never helpful. But I am saying that we should be like our Lord and not rely on the world to set our agenda but instead rely on God by his word. Here’s where the Lord set the agenda for us, and with this we shall stay.

“We should not rely on the world to set our agenda but instead rely on God by his Word.”

We should also remember, as Jesus clarified again, that faithful Christians will experience some level of misunderstanding and hostility from the world. Jesus said, “If they hated me because of my testimony, they will hate you also because you bear my same testimony, for you are not of the world but I chose you out of the world for myself.”

We need to be ready for that.

Application: Embrace Only One Agenda

A third and final takeaway is that you must make sure you yourself do not occupy the position of Jesus’ brothers, as if you were ready to tell Jesus, either out loud or in your heart, what he should be doing in the world or in your life.

I’m not saying don’t pray. But pray the right way. Pray, “Your will be done, not my will.” After all, Jesus’ brothers didn’t see the full picture, and neither do we.

God has clarified much for us in his word, but he says, “I still have secret things that belong only to me. You don’t see the whole situation. You are partly ignorant.”

Notice that the real problem with the brothers wasn’t merely ignorance but unbelief. You will frequently find yourself in situations in your life that you do not understand. You’ll ask yourself, “How does this make sense in a good God’s plan?” But you don’t really need more information. You need to believe based upon the sufficient information that’s already been given you in God’s word.

Another way to say this is that you must apply Proverbs 3:5. It says, “Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

Above all, let go of your agenda for your life and embrace only one agenda: God’s. Not only is this appropriate for you as Jesus’ disciple to become like him in this way, but God is worthy of this because he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is worthy of this from you.

But also, if you will let go of your agenda and only embrace his agenda, guess what? The Lord will give you his own joy and peace.

Do you think Jesus was upset? Do you think he was continually anxious because he couldn’t fulfill his own agenda and had to do the Father’s agenda instead? No, he was happy about that. And you can be too.

My wife and I have been reading through Jerry Bridges’ classic book “Trust in God,” and I was struck by a little story that Bridges shares in one of the chapters.

Bridges writes, “I once attended a seminar on the subject of Christians and stress. One of the speaker’s main points was that if we want to live less stressful lives, we must learn to live with a single agenda: God’s agenda. He pointed out that we tend to live under two agendas: ours and God’s, and that the tension between them sets up stress.”

Bridges thought that speaker made a good point, and so do I. Let us not take up the stance of King Alfonso X, ready to give God a lesson in how to govern his universe. Let us instead put on the humble trust of our Savior so that even when life doesn’t make sense, even when the world is correcting you, counseling you, hating you in its ignorance and unbelief, you and I can have confident joy. You and I can be unshakable as we submit ourselves gladly to the will of God.

“If we want to live less stressful lives, we must learn to live with a single agenda: God’s agenda.”

Closing Prayer

Let’s close in prayer.

Lord God, we acknowledge our frame, our weakness, that we are but dust. We are glad that you are our high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses. But we’re also glad that you don’t leave us there because your own spirit is inside your people. So we become more than conquerors.

We are not first of all squashed by our debt of sin and the wrath of God hanging over us. No, you’ve released us from all that by your own death and resurrection.

But also, we are not in chains, in bondage to our old way, that unbelief, that commitment to our own agenda, that devotion to idolatry. No, you’ve set us free, and you’ve given us your own power to walk anew, to actually do what you did, to believe, to obey, to have joy in not fulfilling our own agenda but fulfilling your agenda.

Thank you, God. But help this people. Help me. Help the brothers and sisters here actually take hold of these realities by faith to become an only-one-agenda people.

The flesh is always tempting us. The world is confusing us. Satan is trying to deceive us. But deliver us from the evil one. Deliver us from these evil forces in all their ways.

Help us to find joy, peace, satisfaction in seeking your way, whatever the cost. Your way is always the best way. Your way is life, God.

If there’s anyone who is still stuck on the outside, they don’t align themselves with Jesus, they align themselves with Jesus’ brothers. They think like the world. They want what the world wants, and they are destined for the world’s destiny, which is eternal destruction.

And I pray that even through this message they would be convicted and then say, “I don’t want to ally myself with the world against God. There’s no hope in that. I will instead go on Jesus’ side. I don’t have anything to offer him, but he has everything to offer me. I will let go of my sin. I’ll let go of my own self-righteous efforts. I will let go of my own agenda if it means I can have him.”

And Jesus, we thank you that in your word you promise, “Yes, anyone who comes to me that way can have me and will have me, and I will have him together with me forever.”

For those that don’t know you, God, I pray that you’d bring them this morning to saving faith. For those who do know you, Lord, I pray that you would sanctify us, help us really let go of our own agenda to embrace yours, and then fulfill it.
March 10, 2024
Words of Eternal Life
In this sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia examines John 6:60-71 and the depressing aftermath of Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse. Many of Jesus’ so-called disciples leave him over his unacceptable words, but, in these verses, John shows you the life-giving nature of Jesus’ words so that you will believe, rely on, and devote yourself to Jesus’ words as his true disciple.

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

John 6:60-71 reveals the life-giving nature of Jesus’ words and the two responses they provoke. When Jesus declared himself the bread of life who must be received by faith alone, the vast majority of his disciples abandoned him because his words offended their fleshly expectations. Yet the twelve remained, with Peter confessing, “You have words of eternal life.”

We are reminded that the difference between false and true disciples is not intelligence or circumstance but belief—a belief that is ultimately granted by the Father. The flesh profits nothing; only the Spirit gives life through the words of Christ.

Key Lessons:
1. Jesus’ words are spirit and life—they are the very means by which the Holy Spirit imparts eternal life to those who believe.
2. When people reject Jesus, the problem is never with his words but with the unbelieving hearts of the hearers.
3. Saving faith is not self-generated but is granted by the Father, who sovereignly draws his chosen ones to Christ.
4. Even among those closest to Jesus, false disciples can exist—as Judas demonstrates—making vigilance and mutual encouragement essential.
Application: We are called to treasure and devote ourselves to Jesus’ words rather than seeking satisfaction in signs, works, or worldly comforts. We must encourage one another daily so that none are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, and we must faithfully declare the gospel trusting that the Spirit will use it according to God’s sovereign will.

Discussion Questions:
1. Why is it that Jesus’ words—which are spirit and life—can simultaneously draw some people closer and push others away? What does our response to Scripture reveal about our hearts?
2. How should the doctrine of God’s sovereignty in salvation (that no one can come to Jesus unless granted by the Father) shape both our evangelism and our response when people reject the gospel?
3. In light of the warning about Judas and the many disciples who turned back, how can we practically encourage one another to persevere in faith and devotion to Christ’s words?
Scripture Focus: John 6:60-71 is the central passage, with key verses including John 6:63 (“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing”), John 6:65 (no one can come to Jesus unless granted by the Father), and John 6:68-69 (Peter’s confession that Jesus has words of eternal life and is the Holy One of God). Supporting references include Romans 10:17, 1 Corinthians 1-2, and Hebrews 3:12-13.

Outline
Introduction

Lord Jesus, you have the words of eternal life. Your words are spirit and are life. We want those words this morning. The flesh profits nothing, so Jesus, give us your word. And Father, Son, Spirit, work in our hearts to believe it. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Have You Ever Blown It?

Did you ever encounter a great-looking situation where a wonderful result seems totally assured, and then you blow it? You say something. You do something that totally ruins everything.

Maybe as a kid, you were making a request of your parents, and you were very respectful. You laid out careful arguments. You’re pretty sure that wasn’t a bad thing. Your parents seem close to accepting.

But then you add one more reason that you thought would be helpful, and poof—you blow it. “Whom did you say would be there?” “Oh, well, no question. You can’t go.” And you’re like, “Man, why did I think saying that last thing would be helpful?”

Or maybe you’ve prepared a romantic evening with your significant other. You’ve had a great day together. A wonderful dinner. You feel closer than you felt in a long time.

And then your spouse says something to you that seems that tiny bit critical. And you think to yourself, “I didn’t really like that. Should I say something about it?” You decide that you will, and you immediately regret your choice.

Because when you respond with your counter-criticism, your significant other takes offense, and an argument ensues. The whole evening is ruined. And you think to yourself afterwards, “Why couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut?”

Probably one of the main places that we feel like we blow it is evangelism. An opportunity appears to talk about Jesus, and your tongue just seems glued to the roof of your mouth.

Or someone asks you a spiritually-related question. It’s like an evangelistic opportunity on a silver platter. And you’re so happy, but you can’t think of what to say. You don’t know how to answer. Your mind goes blank. All the verses you memorized just seem to evaporate from your mind.

“One of the main places that we feel like we blow it is evangelism.”

So you spout out some kind of disjointed, pitiful response, and it goes nowhere.

The worst, though, is when someone seems so interested in the gospel. They’re very receptive to what you have to say. They’re eager to hear more about Jesus and salvation. They seem so close to the kingdom.

But when you share that one extra truth—maybe you tell them one more thing about what it means to believe in Jesus—suddenly the enthusiasm evaporates, or it turns to anger. That person is not interested in talking to you about Jesus anymore, or even talking to you at all, actually. They’d like to talk to your boss.

And you think to yourself, “Where did I go wrong? How did I blow it so badly?”

It Looks Like Jesus Blew It

I mention these situations to you because in our next section of the Gospel of John, it sure looks like the Lord Jesus blew it. He had accumulated a massive crowd of followers who were so excited about him and so sure that he was the promised prophet and Messiah that they were ready to proclaim him King and march him straight to Jerusalem right then and there.

But then, with just one speech, Jesus makes this whole excited group abandon him. “Jesus, what went wrong? How did you bungle that message so completely?”

But the truth is nothing went wrong with Jesus’ speech. He faithfully declared his Father’s word, trusting that the Father would use it exactly as the Father will, which was to draw some to Jesus and to push others away.

“Nothing went wrong with Jesus’ speech. He faithfully declared his Father’s word.”

Jesus’ words, you see, are no ordinary words. They are words of the Spirit. They are words of life. Thus, the response to Jesus’ words shows more about the one responding than Jesus.

For all those who ignore or reject Jesus’ words, they show that nothing could ever draw them to God. But for those who receive Jesus’ words and come to him and stay with him and follow him, they show that they had already been chosen in love by the Lord to receive his life forever.

Which one of these groups are you? That is the central question in our next text this morning.

If you haven’t already, please take your Bibles and turn to John 6:60, as we look at “Words of Eternal Life.” John 6:60 through verse 71 is our passage today. If you’re using the pew Bibles, it’s on page 1,167.

The Context: Bread of Life Discourse

We’ve been working our way through the Gospel of John. Recall the context of our next section. Just one day before the event we’re looking at, Jesus miraculously fed 20,000 or so people with just five loaves and two fish.

Then, just the night before, Jesus manifested his divine person and power by walking on water in the midst of wind and waves.

Then, right before our text—which is what we looked at last time—we were in John. Jesus has this conversation with a crowd of Jews, even his Jewish disciples, at a synagogue in Capernaum on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee.

These persons come looking for Jesus so that they might get more miraculous bread from him, or maybe see an even greater sign or miracle. But Jesus tells them that they should be looking for the true and lasting bread from heaven—Jesus himself.

Jesus says in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst.”

John 6:35: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst.”

When the Jews grumble about this answer from Jesus, Jesus plainly tells them that they cannot come to him or believe in him unless the Father has first chosen to draw them. Moreover, Jesus insists that he will succeed in his life-giving mission to give up his own flesh as bread for the life of the world.

When the Jews argue about this statement from Jesus, Jesus clarifies that only those who eat Jesus’ flesh and drink his blood have eternal life—which is a figurative way of saying that only those who wholeheartedly accept and trust in the intercessory life and the sacrificial death of the Son of God on their behalf can be saved.

It’s only by his death that he can offer his people life, and it is only by faith in Jesus that life enters a person like food and sustains him forever.

I told you last time: it is by union with Christ—he in us, us in him—that we receive eternal life and all the blessings of God and salvation.

This is what comes right before our passage. We heard Jesus end his speech, but we didn’t see the crowd’s final reaction. But now we will.

Reading the Passage: John 6:60-71

Let’s read John 6:60-71.

“Therefore, many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, ‘This is a difficult statement. Who can listen to it?’ But Jesus, conscious that his disciples grumbled at this, said to them, ‘Does this cause you to stumble? What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.’

“For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe and who it was that would betray him. And he was saying, ‘For this reason I have said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted him from the Father.’

“As a result of this, many of his disciples withdrew and were not walking with him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘You do not want to go away also, do you?’

“Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.’

“Jesus answered them, ‘Did I myself not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.’ Now he meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.”

Two Reactions to Jesus’ Words

You can see their reaction to Jesus’ wondrous bread of life discourse is a sad one. Mostly, the vast majority of Jesus’ disciples leave. Only a few stay.

Yet, looking at the passage as a whole, do you notice why most leave and some stay? It’s the same reason in both cases. It’s because of Jesus’ words.

Most of Jesus’ ex-disciples say, “I can’t stand these words anymore. I got to leave.” Meanwhile, Jesus’ true disciples say, “It’s because of these words I know I can’t go anywhere else.”

“Most leave and some stay—in both cases, it’s because of Jesus’ words.”

John, our author, is showing us something important about Jesus’ words. Here’s the main idea in John 6:60-71:

John shows you the life-giving nature of Jesus’ words so that you will believe, rely on, and devote yourself to Jesus’ words as his true disciple.

The passage divides into two basic sections, each focused on one reaction to Jesus’ words. So let’s take a closer look at the first reaction to Jesus’ words, starting in verses 60 to 66, where we see:

False Disciples Reject Words of Eternal Life

Number one: False disciples reject words of eternal life.

“False disciples reject words of eternal life.”

False disciples reject words of eternal life. We’ll start with just verse 60.

A Difficult Statement

“Therefore, many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, ‘This is a difficult statement. Who can listen to it?’”

Without reading the preceding context, you may not have noticed that there’s a shift starting in verse 60. Up to this point in the chapter, those who had been having difficulty with Jesus’ teaching were labeled “the Jews”—which is what we see in verse 41 and verse 52.

But that’s not what we see here. Now we read “many of his disciples.”

No doubt these disciples were Jewish—probably Galilean Jews. But with the change in label, John wants us to see that the ones who are about to make a despairing comment about Jesus are not angry opponents or disinterested observers. These are people who have believed and have decided to follow Jesus.

That’s what “disciple” means: it means a follower or a learner.

“These are people who have believed and decided to follow Jesus—because that’s what ‘disciple’ means.”

But Jesus had said something that gave these enthusiastic disciples second thoughts. What did Jesus say?

Verse 58 is a good summary, and it’s spoken as if Jesus were pointing at himself as he says it.

Verse 58: “This is the bread which came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

In response to that, Jesus’ own disciples say, “This is a difficult statement. Who can listen to it?” More literally, “This is a hard word. Who is able to hear it?”

The Problem Is Not Clarity—It’s the Message

Now, could it be simply that these disciples don’t understand Jesus? “Jesus, your teaching is too cryptic. We don’t get what you’re saying. What’s all this about eating your flesh and drinking your blood? That’s weird. It’s too hard to figure out. We’re leaving.”

Is that the issue? We might think so. But Jesus is going to reveal in the next few verses that lack of clarity in Jesus’ word is not the problem. It’s actually Jesus’ clarity that is the problem.

These disciples do understand, to a sufficient extent, what Jesus is saying. And they don’t like it.

“Lack of clarity in Jesus’ word is not the problem. It’s actually Jesus’ clarity that is the problem.”

You see, these disciples have certain ideas about who Jesus is, what he comes to do, what he requires. But then, in Jesus’ speech, Jesus revealed that he’s not the Jesus they thought he was.

He didn’t come to meet all their fleshly desires and fulfill all their dreams. He didn’t come to affirm their self-righteous efforts to get into God’s kingdom by keeping rules, by going through rituals.

Instead, Jesus shows these disciples that the only way to eternal life is to set aside all efforts to earn God’s favor by good works and, instead, believe in Jesus, identifying with Jesus in his coming sacrificial death on their behalf to deliver them from the wrath of God, which is justly coming upon them for their own sin.

Jesus has made this message sufficiently clear. But it’s not the message, and it’s not the mission, that these Jewish disciples are looking for from their Messiah.

Now they know what Jesus is really about. They’re ready to leave him.

Oh, but Jesus, maybe if you pull off some spectacular miracle now, you can get them to stay. Is that true?

Would a Greater Sign Help?

Look at verses 61 and 62.

“But Jesus, conscious that his disciples grumbled at this, said to them, ‘Does this cause you to stumble? What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?’”

At the beginning of verse 61, we see once again Jesus’ supernatural knowledge put on display. You see the word “conscious” there in the New American Standard translation. More literally, we could translate it as the ESV has it: “knowing in himself.”

Therefore, “But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples grumbled,” Jesus doesn’t have to overhear people grumbling to know that they are in fact grumbling. Many of these grumblings might not even be said out loud or in an audible way.

But what have we already seen in John? John 2:24: “Jesus knows all men. He knows their misgivings about him without having to hear it.”

Yeah, Jesus is not panicked. Actually, he uses this moment of grumbling to expose further the true problem in his so-called disciples.

Notice Jesus asks his disciples two questions: “Does this cause you to stumble?” That is, “Does what I said cause you offense? What then if you see the Son of Man—me—ascending to where he was before?”

Now, what’s Jesus getting at in this second statement? Some say that Jesus is alluding to his coming scandalous work on the cross. The idea would be: “If you think what I just said is offensive, wait till you see how offensive to your way of thinking is my actually dying on the cross for the sake of sinners—even supposedly religious, God-fearing people like you—who will crucify me yourselves.

“Far from a defeat, however, this will be how the Father glorifies me and eventually brings me back victorious to his side in heaven after resurrection.”

That’s not a bad interpretation of Jesus’ words. But this view does ask a lot to be contained in that one word “ascending.” Nowhere else in the scriptures is the word “ascending” or “ascend” used as a specific reference to Christ’s crosswork.

Therefore, I’d say that Jesus is communicating something more basic here, saying essentially: “Did my words offend you? What if I now gave you what you originally asked of me—a spectacular sign greater than what God did with Moses and Israel in the wilderness? I told you that I am the bread come down from heaven. What if you saw me ascending back to heaven with your own eyes? Would you believe me then?”

What’s the expected answer to that question? No, we wouldn’t. Why not? Because we don’t like your words. Your signs can’t make up for your words.

“Would you believe me then? No. Because we don’t like your words. Your signs can’t make up for your words.”

Exactly. Jesus would say, “Because that is essentially what he says next,” in verse 63.

The Spirit Gives Life Through Jesus’ Words

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”

See, the disciples who are following Jesus were really just seeking the flesh. That is, they were seeking that which is external, which feels good, that which is passing away and unable to give life.

They were seeking physical bread. They were seeking the works of the law. They were seeking miraculous signs.

And Jesus clarifies here, like he did with Nicodemus back in John 3:1, that only the Spirit of God can give life. No amount of physical bread will give you eternal life. No amount of good works will satisfy God’s holiness and justice. No amount of miraculous signs will give you a new and cleansed heart.

You need the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit. You must be born again. You must be begotten from above.

In the end, whatever the flesh seeks or is able to achieve gives no profit. It gives zero lasting benefit.

Well, if everyone needs life by the Spirit, how does the Spirit give life? Jesus provides the answer. He says, “The words—the words that I have spoken to you—are spirit and are life.”

John 6:63: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”

That is to say, “My words—yes, even the revelation of who I am, what salvation is, who you are—these are what the Spirit uses to impart the very life of God to you.

“Don’t look for signs. Don’t trust in works. Don’t devote yourself to that which is passing away. Devote yourself to my words, because these are the words of the life-giving Spirit.

“The flesh profits nothing, but the Spirit gives eternal profit. And the Spirit, Jesus says, is in my words. Thus, eternal life is in my words.”

We might ask: “Well, if Jesus’ words are life and spirit, if Jesus’ words are the very treasure that people desperately need, then how can it be that Jesus’ words are the exact problem to which his disciples object?”

As I said earlier, it’s not a problem with the words. It’s not a problem with the speaker of the words or of the Spirit in the words. Where’s the problem? It’s in the hearers of the words.

The Problem Is Unbelief

And what’s the problem? It’s unbelief.

Verse 64: “But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe and who it was that would betray him.”

Jesus knows why his life-giving words do not have a life-giving effect on most of his disciples. He even tells his grumbling hearers: “The problem is not my hard words. The problem is your hard, unbelieving hearts.”

“The problem is not my hard words. The problem is your hard, unbelieving hearts.”

Yet, even their unbelief, though surely painful to the Lord, is no shock to him. For we’re told, notice that Jesus knew from the beginning. That phrase surely goes back to the beginning of his ministry, and perhaps earlier.

Jesus knew from the beginning which persons did not believe and which person would ultimately hand over Jesus to be killed. No false believer deceives Jesus. Surprises Jesus. Jesus knows it from the beginning. He has known it from eternity.

We are surprised when a supposedly faithful brother or sister suddenly falls away from Jesus. But he is not. He knew it all along. He knows it all along.

Why do Christians fall away from Jesus? Why do some who are so close to believing suddenly turn back? It’s not really because some Christian blew it, said the wrong thing, did the wrong thing.

It’s not really because that falling-away person lacked some sign of God’s goodness or truth in the circumstances of that person’s life. It’s because that person does not believe, does not hold fast to the life-giving, Spirit-filled words of Jesus.

It all comes down to the words. If someone does not believe the words, nothing else will help.

It’s like we talked about previously: Jesus’ words are the greatest proof of the truth of Jesus’ words. They are spirit and life. God himself is testifying through the words of Jesus.

If that doesn’t cause someone to believe or to persevere in belief, nothing else will.

God’s Sovereignty in Salvation

Oh, but how can we then get people to believe and hold fast to Jesus’ words and be saved? Well, ultimately, there’s nothing we can do to force that to happen. God must do it.

Yes, in obedience, we are to follow the Lord’s pattern here. We are called to speak Jesus’ words ourselves. We are called to declare his gospel, speak his scripture. We are called to explain it, persuade on that basis, and to back up what we say with a holy life and a loving testimony.

That is God’s ordained role for us. But as Jesus says, “It is the Spirit who gives life.”

And though God does work through Christ’s words, unless God chooses to make that work effective for a particular person, that person will never believe.

Is this like what we read in other places in the Bible? Romans 10:17: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

If they don’t come to faith on the basis of Jesus’ words, they will not come to faith and thereby to salvation.

And what about the passage we read earlier in the service? 1 Corinthians 1:23-24: “God was pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save. We preach Christ crucified—to the Jews a stumbling block, to the Gentiles foolishness. But to the called, to those chosen of God, we preach Christ the power of God and Christ the wisdom of God.”

If that one is called and chosen, that message—and only that message—will be the thing that is effective to bring him to believe.

1 Corinthians 1:23-24: “To the called, those chosen of God, we preach Christ the power of God and Christ the wisdom of God.”

Jesus affirms this reality himself even further in verse 65 of our passage.

“And he was saying, ‘For this reason I have said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted him from the Father.’”

Sounds like what he already said earlier in the passage, doesn’t it? What is the “this reason” to which Jesus refers at the beginning of the verse? It’s what he had just said in verse 64.

Before that little parenthetical explanation, he says, “There are some among you disciples who do not believe.”

So what does Jesus say? And notice the verb tense: “he was saying.” That’s imperfect, which means it was likely happening more than once.

What does Jesus keep on saying when confronted by the unbelief of his hearers? That God is completely sovereign in salvation. And ultimately, God will—God has chosen and will draw effectively according to his own plan—those he’s chosen to believe.

Notice verse 65 says that no one can come to Jesus. That is to say, no one can believe in Jesus unless that belief has first been granted to that person by God the Father himself.

Anyone granted such belief obviously will believe. But anyone not granted that belief, Jesus makes clear, they will never believe. Not even with the greatest miraculous signs you could think of. Not even with the Son of God himself being in their presence. Not even with the words of eternal life being spoken to them.

God must grant their belief.

Now, to be sure, knowing this truth does not mean that we should become apathetic about unbelief or become callous about the situation of the lost. No, they are image-bearers of God like we are.

We ought to tremble for the lost. We ought to have great sorrow for them, even as we are in awe of the holiness and sovereignty of God. He’s the Potter. We are the clay. He has the right to do with his vessels as he wishes.

But, like Jesus, at the very least, we should not be fundamentally destabilized when we see even professing disciples, Christians, followers of Jesus, turn back because they no longer want Jesus’ life-giving words.

If it happened with the Son of God in their presence, don’t be surprised if it happens now.

Many Disciples Withdraw

This is exactly what happens in verse 66.

“As a result of this, many of his disciples withdrew and were not walking with him anymore.”

Because of Jesus’ words, many previously enthusiastic disciples totally and permanently abandon Jesus. They turn back. They’re no longer willing to go around wherever Jesus goes.

“Because of Jesus’ words, many previously enthusiastic disciples totally and permanently abandon Jesus.”

Their miracles weren’t enough. When those miracles were paired with Jesus’ offensive message declaring himself to be the bread of life—the true treasure—even as he has given over in death so that all those who might believe in him would have eternal life.

However, not all of Jesus’ disciples leave.

We move now to the second section of this passage, verses 67-71, where we see the opposite reaction to Jesus’ words—a reaction that shows us how the author hopes and prays we will react to Jesus’ words by the grace of God.

True Disciples Receive Words of Eternal Life

Number two: True disciples receive words of eternal life.

True disciples receive words of eternal life.

“True disciples receive words of eternal life.”

Look at verse 67.

“So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘You do not want to go away also, do you?’”

This is actually the first time, and one of only a few times, that we see the term “the twelve” in this gospel. Our author John never explains who the twelve are. He just assumes his readers are already familiar.

The twelve are the twelve close disciples of Jesus, chosen by Jesus himself and called by Jesus himself. We know many of their names.

Amid the exodus of hundreds and perhaps thousands of other disciples from Jesus, Jesus asks the twelve—the twelve closest—if they also want to leave.

Now, there are different ways to ask questions in Greek that indicate the kind of expected answer. The question here expects a negative answer. Surely the twelve don’t want to leave, right?

Well, look at the beginning of the twelve’s response in verse 68.

Peter’s Confession: Words of Eternal Life

“Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.’”

Considering how talkative Peter is in the other gospels, it’s kind of amazing that we haven’t heard Peter speak in this gospel since chapter one, when Jesus first called Peter.

But here we see Peter doing his thing—characteristically speaking up for the entire group when Jesus asks a question.

And what is Peter’s answer? The answer of the twelve: “Lord, to whom shall we go? Jesus, there’s no one else who’s like you. There’s no one else who has a better claim to truth than you do.”

Then Peter clarifies what makes Jesus unique when he adds, “You have words of eternal life.”

John 6:68: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.”

Peter was listening to what Jesus said in verse 63, when Jesus claimed that his words are spirit and life. Peter, speaking on behalf of the twelve, affirms this to be true. They all agree in this.

“Jesus, you have indeed the words of spirit and life. You have words of eternal life.”

Now, to be sure, the disciples do not understand everything that Jesus says. And sometimes, even when they do understand, they are slow to believe.

But notwithstanding their incomplete understanding, the twelve recognize that Jesus does not speak ordinary words. He speaks the very words of God. His words are life and spirit.

And realizing this, why would you ever want to take yourself away from those words? Why would you take yourself away from life-giving words—even words that embody and bring about eternal life?

Sure, sometimes Jesus’ words seem hard. Sometimes others turn back from following these words, from receiving these words. But these words and the one who speaks them are such treasure. You dare not let them go.

Believed and Come to Know

In fact, notice the next part of Peter’s answer in John 6:69.

“We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Here, the contrast between the twelve and the other abandoning disciples becomes even sharper. The others left because they despise Jesus’ words. The twelve stay because they treasure Jesus’ words.

“The others left because they despise Jesus’ words. The twelve stay because they treasure Jesus’ words.”

The others left ultimately because they would not believe. The twelve stay because they do believe.

But what kind of belief do the twelve have? Is it that kind of shoddy belief that we saw in John 2:25—the kind that Jesus himself would not believe in?

Well, notice Peter here. He doesn’t just say, “We have believed”—that is, “We began to believe in the past and still do.” But also, “We have come to know.”

There’s a strength to Peter’s and the twelve’s faith in Jesus. This is not an anti-intellectual faith. This is not a mere feeling-based faith. This is a conscious, fully informed, fully convinced trust and belief in Jesus.

And you can notice the perfect tense again: “have come to know,” or more literally, “have known.” The twelve came to this knowledge in the past, and they have continued in it to the present.

The Holy One of God

What is it exactly that the twelve have come to believe and know about Jesus? “That you, Jesus, are the Holy One of God.”

Now, that is a rare description of Jesus in the Bible. We might have expected Peter to say instead, “We’ve come to know that you are the Christ” or “that you are the Son of God,” as Peter does say elsewhere on another occasion.

Yet “the Holy One of God” is a profoundly appropriate title for Jesus.

“Holy” means special or set apart—especially from that which is common or sinful. And though the term is sometimes used in the Old Testament for an angel or even the Davidic seed, “Holy One,” “Holy One,” most often appears in the Old Testament as a title for God himself: “the Holy One of Israel.”

After all, who is more special? Who is more high and lifted up? Who is more set apart from all that is imperfect and sinful and common than God himself?

So then, for Peter and the disciples to confess Jesus as “the Holy One of God”—or “from God”—that is not only to confess Jesus as special, but even that, though a man, Jesus is as pure and set apart as God is.

“For Peter to confess Jesus as ‘the Holy One of God’ is to confess that, though a man, Jesus is as pure and set apart as God is.”

That is quite the confession for a first-century Jew. Good job, Peter. Good job, twelve.

And if you are a true disciple of Jesus, you should be able to make this same confession from your own heart: “Jesus, you are the Holy One of God—even God himself.”

Jesus Chose Us First

But how did the twelve reach this conclusion when most others didn’t? What caused the disciples to believe and know and not turn back from following Jesus?

Well, Jesus has already told us, hasn’t he? Back in verse 65.

And lest the disciples become full of themselves, Jesus again emphasizes the true origin of their faith at the beginning of verse 70.

“Jesus answered them, ‘Did I myself not choose you, the twelve?’”

Why did the twelve choose Jesus? Because Jesus chose them first. Not merely as close disciples, not merely as workers in his earthly ministry, but as recipients of saving faith and thus as heirs of salvation—the salvation of God through Jesus Christ.

And make sure you catch the order here. Sometimes people, trying to understand God’s sovereignty and salvation, will say, “Well, God chose people based on whom he foresaw would choose him.”

Yet here, in response to Peter’s confession of the disciples’ own choice and belief in Jesus, Jesus insists that he himself first chose the disciples. He himself chose for himself the twelve.

In short, we choose Jesus because he first chose us. Not the other way around.

“We choose Jesus because he first chose us. Not the other way around.”

So, brethren, if you are in Jesus this morning, be in awe of this truth. Rejoice in this truth. Give thanks to God for this truth.

Your confession, your faith, your life in Jesus, is nothing short of a miracle. How on earth did that happen? How did you become a true, faithful follower of Jesus, an heir of God, in Christ?

Well, God had mercy on you, and he chose you. He caused the word of Christ to be preached to you. He opened your heart to hear the life-giving word of the Spirit. And he gave you the faith to believe. And believe you did—willingly, happily, fully.

Why should God have done that for you when he has not done it for everyone? You don’t know, and I don’t know. But all we can say is, “Thank you, gracious God, for saving a wretched sinner like me. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for your words of eternal life. Thank you for being my bread of life, and not simply letting me perish like you would have been so just to do.”

A Call to Believe

And if you’re listening today and you are not yet in Jesus Christ, maybe God is drawing you right now. No one can see the secret and sovereign workings of the Spirit. All we can know is your responsibility.

Jesus has words of eternal life. Will you believe them? Will you thereby confess Jesus as the Holy One of God, which is who he truly is?

Remember, as Jesus said, “The flesh profits nothing.” You do not need more evidence to believe. God has given you enough in the words of Jesus.

“The flesh profits nothing. You do not need more evidence to believe. God has given you enough in the words of Jesus.”

Furthermore, external acts like good works, rituals, church attendance cannot save you. Your sinful heart pollutes all the supposedly good acts that you do.

How can you be saved? You must believe. You must repent of your sin and believe in Jesus Christ.

You are to put off—you are to turn from—you are to give up your old way, your sin, your efforts to earn God’s righteousness, the world’s treasures. And you would take with both hands, with all of you, the Lord Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

Trusting his righteous life to be accounted as your righteous life, and trusting his sacrificial death to count as the payment for what your sin deserved. And that payment is accepted because of Jesus’ resurrection.

Jesus makes those who believe in him right with God once and for all, apart from works, only by repentance and faith in him. He calls you to do that. Will you do that?

You respond as you ought to words of eternal life.

One of You Is a Devil

Now, there’s a little bit more to the passage, and what remains is startling. For Jesus did not only respond to Peter in verse 70 with, “Did I myself not choose you, the twelve?” But he adds the second part of verse 70.

“And yet one of you is a devil.”

Wow. That’s kind of a surprising way to respond to someone’s profound confession of faith, indeed.

The Greek word for “devil,” “diabos,” can be translated “slanderer” or “adversary.” Often in the New Testament, though, the term is used to refer to that great enemy of God, the fallen angel Satan.

In fact, some commentators believe that the most proper translation here is, “And yet one of you is the devil”—one of you, one of my chosen twelve, is the very vessel and embodiment of Satan.

“One of my chosen twelve is the very vessel and embodiment of Satan.”

That would have been a shock to the original twelve, I think, and probably a shock to the first-time readers of John’s gospel.

Jesus does not go on to explain further to his disciples here. But John does add an explanation for the reader in verse 71.

“Now he meant Jesus meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.”

Jesus knows every man and woman. He knows from the beginning those who did not believe and who it was who would betray him. He even knows in the very moment that a group of his twelve closest disciples stand together and say, “Whatever others may do, we have believed and have known that you are the Holy One of God.”

Jesus knows in that moment that one of the ones making that confession does not believe and will soon betray Jesus.

This is the first time Judas Iscariot is mentioned in John’s gospel. But, as is the case in the other gospels, as soon as Judas is introduced, he is identified as Jesus’ betrayer.

Now, is Judas sincere here? Does he really think he does believe in Jesus? Does he actually put his heart behind what Peter is saying to Jesus in verses 68 to 69?

Or is he already walking hypocritically? Is he already planning how he can use Jesus to further Judas’s own fleshly ends?

We don’t know. But Jesus does.

Judas: Chosen but Not for Salvation

And verses 70 to 71 remind us of Jesus’ supernatural knowledge as well as of God’s complete sovereignty.

It was no accident that Judas the betrayer was part of the twelve. He too was chosen by Jesus. Jesus chose Judas before Judas chose Jesus.

But Judas was not chosen for salvation. He was chosen to experience the words of eternal life, to enjoy the sweet fellowship with the Holy One of God, and then to betray all those privileges in the most heinous way.

“Judas was not chosen for salvation. He was chosen to experience the words of eternal life and then to betray all those privileges.”

Notice the repetition of the word “the twelve” between verses 70 and 71. “Judas, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.”

Could there have been a greater crime? A greater ingratitude for love and generosity?

Yet God ordained that it would happen. Yet, in such a way that God did not make Judas sin, nor forced Judas to do something that Judas did not already want to do.

Judas did exactly what he wanted. And yet it was all according to the plan of God.

Where Did Judas Go Wrong?

We might ask, from a human perspective: “Where did Judas go wrong? How did Judas blow it? He was literally so close to the Savior.”

There are many ways we could answer that question accurately. But one answer that’s very relevant to our passage is: Judas, like the crowd, at some point began to despise the words of eternal life rather than treasure them.

“Judas, like the crowd, at some point began to despise the words of eternal life rather than treasure them.”

And that’s instructive for us, friends and brethren. What about you? Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe in his words to the point of being devoted to them?

Are you devoted? Do you rely on and treasure the words of eternal life?

Preparing for Apostasy and Encouraging One Another

One sobering application of this passage is that—and we’ve already seen this throughout—the betrayal and turning back of even longtime, zealous, productive followers of Christ is a sorrow for which every church in every age must prepare.

It makes me very sad to think about, but it’s true. For this church too, some of the people that you love and look up to, you learn from, you serve with—some of them will turn back from following Jesus.

How can you say that, Pastor Dave? It’s just because I know a church is not unique. I don’t know that for any of you. I just know what the scripture says.

It is always a grief. It is always a shock. It’s always terribly discouraging. Who will it be? When will it be? How will it be? We don’t know. We can’t know. We cannot see into each other’s hearts. Only the Lord can.

But he says in his word that he will reveal what is secret into the open at the appropriate time.

But what are we to do in the meantime? We are to be sober, and we are to obey the exhortations of the scripture.

One scripture that we’ve heard recently, and I think is worth repeating as we end our examination of the scripture this morning, is Hebrews 3:12-13.

The Lord himself speaks through the writer of Hebrews when he says: “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called today, so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

It is inevitable that some will turn back. But our calling is to encourage one another, to protect one another, to warn one another, to keep striving together after the Lord Jesus Christ—after him as our prize and after his words.

Hebrews 3:13: “Encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called today, so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Let us renew our commitment to that this morning.

Closing Prayer

Let’s close in prayer.

Jesus, to follow you sometimes is very hard. When our flesh is so incited by sin, when we are suffering long and deeply, trying to be obedient to you, trying to stand up for you as your disciple, and we are tempted in that moment to say, “Is this really worth it? Maybe I should give up being a Christian. Maybe I should give up following Jesus.”

Oh, Lord, your passage exhorts and warns us not to do that. Where else? To whom else shall we go? There is no other hope. There is no other truth in the world.

We can bury our heads in the sand and maybe enjoy the pleasures of sin for a while. But we cannot escape. We cannot escape the fact that everything you declare in this word is true.

Lord, to whom else shall we go? Only you have words of eternal life. It would be foolish for us to hide from the truth. Not only because destruction awaits that path, but also because we would be denying ourselves true life and joy.

Jesus, you did not give us your word so that you can make us all miserable for the rest of our lives. No, you came so that we would have life, that we would be satisfied in a way that no other satisfaction of the world even approaches.

You are the bread of life. He who eats you will never hunger, and he who drinks you will never thirst. Calling us to come after you, to believe, and yes, even to suffer for your sake, you were saying, “This is how you will discover and experience the greatest joy. You will experience eternal life even now as you wait for the fullness of eternal life to come.”

God, I pray for this people, this assembly, the brothers and sisters here. Lord, that we would not fall away, that we would persevere and help one another to persevere, to treasure your words, to rely on your words.

The flesh profits nothing. It is your word that saves. It is your word that sanctifies. Help us to be devoted to your word. Help us not to neglect it or to think that some worldly wisdom is better than it.

Your word is so precious, God, because it shows us you. I pray that everyone in this church would come to know Jesus in a saving way, but also come to know Jesus more and enjoy knowing and walking with him.

Lord, please do that for this assembly, for your own glory, in Jesus’ name, amen.
March 3, 2024
The Jesus Diet
In this sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia examines Jesus’ Bread of Life Discourse in John 6:22-59. There, Jesus makes three profound assertions about himself as the bread of life so that you will by faith feed on Jesus as your soul’s exclusive food and thereby experience eternal life:

1. Jesus Is the True Bread from Heaven (vv. 26-35)
2. Jesus Will Succeed in His Life-giving Mission (vv. 36-47)
3. Jesus Imparts Life by Sacrifice and Union (vv. 48-59)

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

Jesus declares Himself to be the bread of life in John 6:22–59, calling all people to feed on Him alone for eternal satisfaction and life. The passage reveals that Jesus is the true bread from heaven—superior to the manna given under Moses—and that saving faith means wholly identifying with Christ, including His sacrificial death. We are reminded that God sovereignly draws people to saving faith, yet every person bears genuine responsibility to believe. The bread of life metaphor teaches that believing in Jesus is not a one-time event but a continual lifestyle of feeding on Him.

Key Lessons:
1. Jesus is the true bread from heaven, of which the Old Testament manna was merely a shadow—He alone gives eternal, imperishable life.
2. God’s sovereign drawing of sinners to faith does not eliminate human responsibility; both divine sovereignty and genuine human choice stand side by side in Scripture.
3. Saving faith wholly identifies a person with Christ’s sacrificial death—eating His flesh and drinking His blood means embracing the gospel of the cross.
4. Feeding on Christ is not a one-time act but a continual lifestyle of finding satisfaction, security, and salvation in Him alone.
Application: We are called to examine the diet of our souls—to stop seeking satisfaction in perishing things and to commit exclusively to Jesus as our spiritual food. Those who already believe are urged to stop “cheating” on the Jesus diet by turning to sin, idols, or self-righteousness, and instead to continually feast on Christ with joy.

Discussion Questions:
1. In what areas of life are you tempted to seek “perishing bread”—satisfaction from things that cannot ultimately fulfill—instead of feeding on Christ?
2. How do divine sovereignty and human responsibility in salvation encourage you rather than confuse you, especially when others reject the gospel?
3. What would it look like practically in your daily life to “continually chew” on Jesus—to make feeding on Him a lifestyle rather than a one-time decision?
Scripture Focus: John 6:22–59, where Jesus declares “I am the bread of life” and explains that believing in Him—including fully identifying with His sacrificial death—is the only way to eternal life. Supporting references include Psalm 78:24, Exodus 16:4, Isaiah 54:13, and John 4–5.

Outline
Introduction

Let’s pray together. Holy God, open up your word to us and feed us with the food of Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Bread of Life Metaphor

Here’s a hypothetical question to start us off this morning. If you had to eat just one meal repeatedly for the rest of your life, what would it be? I know that this is perhaps a dangerous question to ask close to lunchtime, but think about it. Which meal would you choose to eat exclusively from now on?

For me, I’d like the answer to be a simple but well-made set of hamburger and fries. No, it may not be the most cultured meal, but I tell you, a juicy burger slathered with a nice layer of ketchup and mayonnaise next to a copious collection of crispy and well-salted fries—it’s a little affirmation of God’s goodness in the world. I might choose to eat that meal for the rest of my life.

But if I’m thinking soberly, I know that I would quickly come to regret that choice. I think you can understand why. For one, a steady diet of burger and fries is not exactly healthy. All that fat and cholesterol would quickly take a toll on my body.

Not to mention, I’d be missing out on a lot of other important nutrients from fruits and vegetables. Also, no matter how tasty a particular meal is, I’m sure that I would eventually grow bored of it. Part of the goodness of food as God has created it is its variety.

To eat only one kind of food forever—even the best food—it would soon be like torture. In fact, I bet that no matter what meal you come up with to answer my hypothetical, you could not actually eat it for the rest of your life. Not exclusively.

But what if I told you there is one meal that is an exception to that rule? This meal is not just healthy; it’s life-giving. If you eat it, you will never die but live forever. More than that, this meal is fundamentally satisfying.

Eating it not only removes hunger but also cravings for other food. And the more you eat of it, the more enjoyable it becomes for you, not less. Also, this meal is absolutely free, available immediately to anyone who asks for it.

But there is a catch. This is not a meal for your stomach but for your soul, where you actually have a more serious hunger and you’re in danger of starvation. Also, if you choose to enjoy this meal, you cannot enjoy other meals alongside it anymore. You must make this meal your exclusive diet for the rest of your life.

What is the meal?

I alluded to it in my prayer. It’s the Son of Man. It’s the Lord Jesus Christ, who the Bible declares has come down from heaven as the bread of life to the world so that all kinds of persons might feed on him and find life and satisfaction forever.

“This meal is not just healthy; it’s life-giving. If you eat it, you will never die but live forever.”

Setting the Scene: John 6 Context

How is Jesus the bread of life? What does it mean to take him as your only food? That’s what I want to look at with you this morning as we investigate the Jesus diet from John 6:22-59.

Please, if you haven’t already, take your Bibles and turn to John 6. It’s a large passage before us today—38 verses. I will not reread the passage to start. We instead will read as we work our way through the verses.

Do you recall the preceding context of John 6:22-59, which we see in the first 21 verses of our chapter? In verses 1-15, we have Jesus’ miraculous feeding of 20,000 people or more. After which, a group of impressed Jews—you may remember—they were about to force Jesus. They were going to take Jesus by force and make him King. But he didn’t let that happen.

Then in verses 16-21, which is where we were last week, we saw Jesus’ miracle of walking on the water while the disciples were attempting to cross the lake, the Sea of Galilee.

What happens the next morning is our passage. It’s Jesus’ famous bread of life discourse. According to verse 59 at the end of our passage, this conversation takes place between Jesus and Galilean Jews in the synagogue at Capernaum, Jesus’ second hometown.

“We see the first of seven profound ‘I am’ statements of the Gospel of John.”

In the conversation, we see the first of seven profound “I am” statements of the Gospel of John. This is the first one, where Jesus says, “I am the bread of life,” and he explains what that means.

In terms of organization, the passage has a short section of introduction and then three sections of extended conversation focused on particular truths. That’s going to form our sermon outline.

We can summarize the main idea of the passage in this way: In John 6:22-59, Jesus makes three profound assertions about himself as the bread of life so that you will by faith feed on Jesus as your soul’s exclusive food and thereby experience eternal life.

A Hungry Crowd Seeks Jesus (vv. 22–25)

Let’s see this for ourselves, starting with the introduction in verses 22 to 25.

The introduction—if I can summarize it—is a hungry crowd coming looking for Jesus. Let’s read those verses.

“The next day, the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there except one, and that Jesus had not entered with the disciples into the boat, but that his disciples had gone away alone. There came other small boats from Tiberius near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there nor his disciples, they themselves got into the small boats and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’”

Now, these verses are mostly important for setting up the discourse that is about to take place. We won’t look at these in great detail, but notice a few aspects of this section with me.

We learn here that the crowd that had previously been fed miraculously by Jesus—fed and dismissed—they go back to that rural spot on the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee to find Jesus again. There are even some people who come from Tiberias, which is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. They also come to look for Jesus and perhaps to get in on that miraculous bread action.

But the crowd doesn’t find Jesus, and they don’t find his disciples, which mystifies them because they’re pretty sure Jesus did not leave the area by boat with his disciples. Verse 24 says that the crowd, or whatever portion of the crowd could fit into the boats around Tiberias, decide to search for Jesus in Capernaum. And lo and behold, they find him.

“The crowd goes back to find Jesus again—to get in on that miraculous bread action.”

When they do, they ask him a question: “Rabbi, when did you get here?” It’s a somewhat reasonable question to ask. But we find out Jesus’s response as we get to the main part of this text and the first profound assertion Jesus makes about himself as the bread of life. This covers verses 26 to 35.

Jesus Is the True Bread from Heaven (vv. 26–35)

Number one: Jesus is the true bread from Heaven.

Look at verses 26 to 27.

“Jesus answered them and said, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, you seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him the Father God has set his seal.’”

Seeking Jesus for the Wrong Reasons

So notice there’s a bit of an ouch here. Jesus, as he’s done before in conversations in this gospel, he doesn’t answer the question posed to him. But he responds omnisciently to the main issue in the heart of the inquirer.

Jesus puts his finger right on the problem of their heart: the Jewish people are seeking him not because they revere him, not because they believe in him as God’s Messiah, but because they want more food.

“Truly, truly I say to you,” Jesus says. We’ve seen that phrase before. In other words, Jesus is saying, “It’s shocking, I know, but you’ve got to believe what I’m about to tell you. I know that you’re coming after me for the wrong reasons. You like food. You like the food that I gave you, and you want more of it.”

Jesus then gives some counsel along with his rebuke. Stop working for the food which doesn’t last, but seek the food which does last and even brings about eternal life for the eater.

“Stop working for the food which doesn’t last, but seek the food which does last and brings eternal life.”

Where can the Jews find this food? It’s not so subtle. It’s with Jesus, who notice calls himself the Son of Man here in verse 27. That’s his favorite title for himself, ostensibly highlighting his humanity but also subtly alluding to his messiahship and even deity.

Jesus is saying in verse 27: the Son of Man is able to give you enduring food if you seek it. You can count on the Son of Man’s food because on him, Jesus says, the Father God has set his seal.

What does it mean to set one’s seal? It means to mark someone or something as approved. Jesus says that he, as the Son of Man, has God’s seal of approval.

How do we know that? How can he say that? Jesus doesn’t explain here, but we already heard in John 5:3 about how the Father gives testimony—supernatural testimony—on Jesus’ behalf through the Son’s works, the Son’s words, and through the Old Testament scriptures.

Well, how did the Jews respond to Jesus’ offer of better food than what they’re seeking?

The One Work God Requires: Believe

Verse 28: “Therefore they said to him, ‘What shall we do so that we may work the works of God?’”

The Jews have not fully understood Jesus’ words to them. They understand that they need to seek better and more lasting food than literal loaves of bread. The Jews think that Jesus is telling them they need to seek the lasting food of fulfilling God’s rules.

See the phrase “the works of God” at the end of verse 28? This is best understood as “the work which God requires.” So essentially, these Jews—like all religious people in the world—they are displaying their natural belief in works-based righteousness here.

They say, “Jesus, you’re right. We should be seeking that which gives us lasting life, and we know where to find it: the commands of Torah. So tell us, what are the works that we need to do to meet God’s required standard?”

Notice the proud assumption here: that these people can do whatever God says are the necessary works.

But Jesus gives another surprising response to the Jews in verse 29.

“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God: that you believe in him whom he has sent.’”

You see the irony in Jesus’ response? The Jews are asking which works God requires for eternal life. God only has one requirement—one little work, work which is really no work at all. You simply must believe in him whom God has sent.

John 6:29: “This is the work of God: that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

And whom did God send? What has Jesus been saying all along in this gospel? God sent Jesus.

So Jesus is saying: if they would believe in him, they will have the food that lasts to eternal life.

But do the Jews get it?

The Jews Demand a Greater Sign

Look at verses 30 to 31.

“So they said to him, ‘What then do you do for a sign so that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written. He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’”

You see, the Jews kind of get what Jesus is saying. They realize that Jesus is calling on them to believe in him for eternal life. But incredibly, they indicate that they haven’t seen enough miraculous signs from Jesus to believe.

Why do I say that’s incredible? Because Jesus has been doing sign after sign as he’s been ministering in Galilee, including the massive sign just recorded in John—from the day before—in feeding thousands of people from five loaves and two fish. It was Jesus’ most massive miracle up to this point. But it’s not enough for these Jews. They want more. They want bigger. They want more spectacular.

In fact, they not so subtly suggest what kind of sign would really get them on board the “believe in Jesus” train. “Hey, Jesus, can you top Moses, who miraculously fed the whole nation with manna—bread from heaven—for 40 years while they wandered through the wilderness? That was pretty massive, right?”

They even quote the scriptures at Jesus to indicate or to assert that this is what God’s promised Prophet would do. Their quotation—you read the quotation—”He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.” That’s a quotation of Psalm 78:24, but probably combined with other scriptures like Exodus 16:4 and Exodus 16:15.

But do you see what’s so insidious about this reply from the Jews to Jesus? The Jews are now trying to validate as biblically warranted their shallow seeking of perishing food, for which Jesus just rebuked them in verses 26 to 27.

They’re essentially telling Jesus: “Jesus, we will believe in you as God requires if you will continually give us all the fleshly things that we want. Then we’ll know that you’re really the Son of God if you fulfill all our lusts.”

“Do not many people do the same with God today? ‘Give me all I want, and I will believe.’ But that person doesn’t really want God.”

How foolish and wicked a response is that? And yet, do not many people do the same with God today? “God, give me all the things that I want, and I will believe in you.” But that person doesn’t really want God.

How did Jesus respond to this fleshly request for another sign?

As we might expect, with correction.

The Father’s True Bread vs. Moses’ Manna

Verse 32: “Jesus then said to them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.’”

Notice again we have that “truly, truly” opener. Jesus is trying to get the people’s attention. Then he offers a double correction.

Jesus clarifies: it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but God, my Father. But also, the bread that God gave under Moses was not the true bread. That is, it was not the ultimate bread. That manna was merely a type, a shadow of better bread to come.

Jesus says this better bread is presently here and available. Notice the present tense in verse 32. He says, “My Father who gives you the true bread”—is present. Jesus says the Father—not Moses—who’s currently giving the true bread and doing so apart from obedience to Moses’ law.

How does Jesus know that this true bread is different and has now arrived?

Well, look at verse 33.

“For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.”

Really, the ancient manna was pretty special, but it only gave life temporarily to one people—people of Israel. But Jesus says you’ll know the true bread because it gives life to the whole world. That is, it gives life to the entire dwelling place of mankind, to mankind generally. It is able to save the human race.

John 6:33: “The bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.”

But are the Jews tracking with Jesus?

Look at verse 34.

“They then said to him, ‘Always give us this bread.’”

Oh boy. They still think that Jesus is talking about physical bread. “Jesus, you’ve got the Father’s super bread somewhere? That’s the bread we want all the time.”

This may remind you of the woman at the well’s response to Jesus when he offered living water. She says, “Oh, give that to me all the time. I don’t have to keep coming to this well.” She thought he was talking about physical water.

Well, as in that other situation, because the Jews still don’t get it, Jesus speaks to them plainly.

I Am the Bread of Life

In John 6:35, Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst.”

Notice the phrase “I am the bread of life.” Here again, we see that Greek phrase which we’ve often drawn attention to through this gospel: “ego eimi”—”I am.” This is a clear statement of self-identification, but it also, especially in this gospel, has overtones of deity. And here it’s attached to a predicate: “I am the bread of life.”

Jesus says, “of life” attached to bread—that would be with the sense of “I am the bread that gives life, that has life and gives life.”

Jesus is telling the Jews: I am what I’ve been talking to you about. I am the enduring, life-giving bread. I am the ultimate bread of which manna under Moses was just a type. I am the one who has come down out of heaven to give life to the world.

John 6:35: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst.”

But how does one enjoy or benefit from Jesus as the God-sent bread of life? Well, it’s the same as Jesus said back in verse 29. A person must come to Jesus and believe in him. That’s exactly what he says in this verse.

And notice the promise results: the believer will not hunger and will never thirst. Actually, the Greek is even more emphatic than what appears in our English New American Standard 95 translation. A more literal translation of the Greek would read something like: “He could not possibly be hungry, and he absolutely will not be thirsty ever.”

How could Jesus speak so confidently? Well, it’s like what Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John 4. When someone eats—by belief—the bread of life, Jesus the Son of Man becomes in that person a source of both continual hunger satiation and also thirst quenching. It’s not one and done. It’s always there, like Jesus told the Samaritan woman: a spring welling up inside someone.

So whenever he’s thirsty, he takes a drink. What a revelation!

And do you notice that this is an implicit invitation from Jesus to his listeners and even to us today? Jesus says to you, even now: “I am the life-giving, soul-satisfying bread to everyone who comes to me and believes.”

“Jesus says to you: ‘I am the life-giving, soul-satisfying bread to everyone who comes to me and believes.’”

Will you not partake? What a kind, what a generous offer!

Yet, even in the face of such, Jesus realizes that many will not come, many will not believe. They will refuse to believe. Yes, even among the Jews, his own people, the people of God supposedly.

Therefore, is there some failure in God’s plan to save the world with the true bread of heaven? Well, not at all. As Jesus will explain in his second profound assertion about himself as the bread of life.

This one covers verses 36 to 47, and it is:

Jesus Will Succeed in His Life-Giving Mission (vv. 36–47)

Number two: Jesus will succeed in his life-giving mission.

Jesus is the true bread from heaven, and he will succeed in his life-giving mission.

Look at verse 36.

“But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.”

This is a sudden shift in the conversation, isn’t it? Especially following that beautiful offer.

Jesus knows all men, and he knows that most of the people to whom he is speaking here have seen Jesus. They’ve seen the supernatural testimony of the Father on Jesus’ behalf. And yet they do not believe. He told them this before, most recently in verses 26 and 27. Now he tells them again.

But Jesus is not discouraged.

For notice verse 37.

The Father’s Gift and the Son’s Keeping

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out.”

Where does Jesus find comfort and confidence in the face of rejection and apathy? The sovereignty of God. Specifically, Jesus notes—and he’s even willing to tell his believing disciples and the unbelieving Jews—that everyone whom the Father gives to the Son will come to the Son in saving faith.

Not “these persons might come,” hopefully will come, probably will come. No, they are given as a gift from the Father to the Son. And so those persons will come and believe.

“Everyone whom the Father gives to the Son will come to the Son in saving faith.”

In other words, Jesus knows that his bread of life ministry will be effective for those chosen by God.

Furthermore, Jesus says he is committed to keeping all those given to him and not driving them out.

Why?

Verses 38 to 39.

“For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of him who sent me: that of all that he has given me, I lose nothing but raise it up on the last day.”

Do you see the reason that Jesus will cast out no gift from the Father? Because Jesus doesn’t seek his own will but the Father’s will.

What is the Father’s will? Jesus spells it out in verse 39. Not only should Jesus not voluntarily cast out a person chosen by the Father and gifted to the Son, but also Jesus should make sure not to lose any of them to unbelief and condemnation.

On the contrary, Jesus’ specific mission from the Father, as reported here, is to ensure that everyone chosen by the Father for belief in the Son should persevere in faith and be raised up by the Son in resurrection on the last day.

Jesus is not only confident that all those chosen by God will come and take Jesus as the bread of life, but also that none of those who do will ultimately fall away.

“Jesus is confident that all chosen by God will come and that none of them will ultimately fall away.”

Sovereignty and Free Invitation Side by Side

But does that mean that Jesus’ evangelism, his proclamation of the Gospel, is therefore useless, not necessary?

Look at verse 40.

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

What’s this? It’s another implicit invitation to come and believe.

Jesus sees no contradiction in resting in the ultimate sovereignty of God while also freely offering the gospel, even guaranteeing to those who hear it that all who are willing to respond in true faith will gain eternal life.

You see? Complete divine sovereignty and real human choice and responsibility—they exist side by side in the Bible, as they literally do right here.

“Complete divine sovereignty and real human choice and responsibility exist side by side in the Bible.”

The Jews Grumble at Jesus’ Claims

But what are the Jews making of what Jesus has said thus far?

Verses 41 and 42.

“Therefore the Jews were grumbling about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down out of heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he say, “I have come down out of heaven”?’”

We can see that Jesus was speaking accurately in verse 36, can’t we? These Jews have seen, they are seeing again, but generally they do not believe.

Just like that Exodus generation that grumbled about the manna that God had provided, so this generation of Jews also grumbles at the presentation of Jesus as God’s greater bread.

“Just as that Exodus generation grumbled about manna, so this generation grumbles at Jesus as God’s greater bread.”

Now, why specifically are the Jews grumbling here? Well, it’s because they know Jesus’ origin, and it’s not from heaven. They think: “How could Jesus claim to be special when we all know his family? We know his mom and dad. He’s just a man. He’s not divine bread worthy of our full devotion and belief.”

How does Jesus respond to this fresh resistance from Jews, even his close countrymen in Galilee?

No One Comes Unless the Father Draws Him

Verses 43 and 44.

“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.’”

Isn’t that interesting? In his response, first Jesus calls out the Jews’ grumbling as unjustified. But second, Jesus then affirms the sovereignty of God in salvation even more strongly than he did before, back in verse 37.

Jesus said that all those given by God to the Son will come and believe. But now Jesus describes the flip side: unless God gives someone to the Son, or to use the words here, unless God draws, pulls, or attracts a person, that person cannot come to Jesus and believe.

Yet notice the last part of it: everyone who is drawn thus by the Father, Jesus will raise that one on the last day. Nobody but a certain condition will come, but those Jesus will raise on the last day.

John 6:44: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

This is Jesus’ comfort amid the grumbling of the Jews. And it is the explanation for the Jews’ grumbling.

Did you notice that Jesus does not try to correct the Jews’ misunderstanding of his origins? He doesn’t clarify: “Oh, Joseph is not really my birth dad, and I was born in Bethlehem under these miraculous circumstances.” You don’t see any of that.

Why not? Jesus recognizes that this clarification will not fix the Jews’ fundamental heart problem: the fact that they really want perishing bread over living bread and evidently are not being drawn by God to desire otherwise.

In fact, look at what Jesus says next.

Taught by God: Isaiah 54:13

Verses 45 and 46.

“It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.”

Here Jesus quotes Isaiah 54:13, and that verse is from a section of Isaiah that’s all about Israel’s future repentance and restoration by God.

Jesus quotes this verse to affirm a fundamental New Covenant reality that is already evident in Jesus’ ministry. Those drawn by God to saving faith have God himself speaking to their inner man. God is revealing himself to them in their hearts by his Spirit and writing his law on their hearts. He’s teaching them in the inner man about him, with the result that such taught ones come to Jesus and truly believe in him.

God never drags anyone kicking and screaming into the kingdom. He irresistibly woos and regenerates the heart so that the person thus spoken to and taught by God cannot help but believe. That’s the only thing he wants. He must do that.

“God never drags anyone kicking and screaming into the kingdom. He irresistibly woos and regenerates the heart.”

Yet this process—this magnificent, miraculous process—never occurs without the word and revelation of Jesus. For as Jesus says in verse 46: “No one has seen or knows God except the one who is from God.”

If the Father is teaching you and speaking to your heart, he must be doing so by means of the only ordained explainer of God, who is the Son, whom the Father sent into the world.

To say that another way: as we’ve already learned from John, in John 5, the way the Father speaks to the hearts of men and draws them to salvation is through the words of the Son, which we have as the scriptures.

Therefore, if you, like these Jews, hear the words of the Father through the words of the Son and are not moved to believe, then the Father’s not drawing you. No extra evidence will be effective in bringing you to the Son. You will not come.

You Must Believe

But again, this does not absolve you of your responsibility to come, your responsibility to believe.

For Jesus again says in verse 47.

“Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.”

This may seem like an incredible statement after everything Jesus just said about God’s sovereignty. Truly, you will not believe unless God speaks to your heart through Jesus’ word and draws you—supernaturally draws you.

Yet, friend, you must believe. It is your own momentous choice. If you believe, you will have eternal life. If you will not believe, you will not have eternal life but experience eternal death.

Never excuse your own unbelief or disobedience by the sovereignty of God. No, the Bible will not let you do that. You are responsible. You make your own choice. You do what you want.

“Never excuse your own unbelief or disobedience by the sovereignty of God. You are responsible.”

Yet, when others reject God or only show apathy to the gospel, as a Christian, do not be discouraged. Jesus will succeed in his life-giving mission. The precious bread of life will not be wasted.

There’s more to the bread metaphor for Jesus beyond what we’ve seen thus far. Like bread, Jesus gives life—just better life.

As we move to the third and final profound assertion Jesus makes about himself as the bread of life, we’ll see why bread is a particularly appropriate metaphor for Jesus.

This last point will cover verses 48 to 59.

Jesus Imparts Life by Sacrifice and Union (vv. 48–59)

Number three: Jesus imparts life by sacrifice and union.

Look at verses 48 to 51, first part of 51.

“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever.”

Notice here that after again declaring himself to be the bread of life, Jesus returns to the comparison that began this discourse. Basically, the manna under Moses versus the bread of the Father now given in Jesus.

Jesus highlights for the Jews a fundamental shortcoming of that original heaven-sent bread. Those who ate it still died.

“Why are you clamoring for that food? You’re still going to die. They died.”

But Jesus says: “If you will eat of the living bread that now comes down from heaven, you will not die but live forever.”

“If you will eat of the living bread that now comes down from heaven, you will not die but live forever.”

By this point, we do understand what Jesus means by eating living bread, right? Jesus means to believe. That’s what he’s been saying the whole time. Eat equals believe. That’s what he’s been calling on the Jews to do.

But Jesus adds something at the end of verse 51 that certainly raises the Jews’ eyebrows.

The Bread That Gives Up Its Flesh

Look at the end there: “And the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

What’s this? Jesus now begins to describe more specifically how he functions like bread.

Jesus says: “In the future, I will give up my flesh as bread to bring life to the world.”

Now, what kind of description is that? What is that reminiscent of? “Give up my flesh for the life of the world”—that is a description of sacrifice. That is the language of sacrifice, even the death of one for another.

Now, flesh is a pretty visceral term, isn’t it? When we eat meat today, maybe in a hamburger, we don’t say, “Mmm, delicious cow flesh.” Why not? Because that’s way too vivid. That’s too real. That’s too much a reminder of the physical existence of another creature whose life has been taken for our sustenance.

Yet this is the word that Jesus chooses to describe how he serves as God’s bread to the world.

“‘Give up my flesh for the life of the world’—that is the language of sacrifice, even the death of one for another.”

And the Jews are not happy about this, as we soon find out.

Verse 52: “Then the Jews began to argue with one another saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’”

And this is worse than before, right? Before, the Jews were grumbling. Now they’re fighting, quarreling with one another.

“Jesus cannot be talking about cannibalism, right? No, that can’t be. So what does he mean? What is this?”

And if you’re feeling a little uncomfortable about Jesus talking about eating his flesh, imagine how the kosher Jews feel!

But then Jesus turns up the discomfort up a notch.

Eat My Flesh and Drink My Blood

Verse 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 yourselves.’”

Could Jesus be more provocative?

Notice he starts out again with that introductory, attention-grabbing phrase: “Truly, truly I say to you.”

Then Jesus declares that the Jews must not only eat the flesh of the Son of Man—Jesus—but drink his blood.

Now, that’s a distasteful image, isn’t it? Pardon the pun. Many people get queasy at the sight of blood.

But Jesus wants God’s people to drink blood.

On the surface, this act is actually forbidden in the Bible. It’s forbidden in the Torah of Moses as a reverence for the fact that God declared a creature’s life is in its blood. The Jews were forbidden from consuming blood, ever, or eating meat with blood still in it. Those who violated that command willfully would be executed.

Yet now Jesus says that people must drink his blood.

And notice the absolute terms of this declaration: “Unless you do as Jesus outlined—eat his flesh, drink his blood—you have no life in yourselves.”

To put it positively: the only way that anyone may have eternal life, according to Jesus, is if they eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man.

“The only way anyone may have eternal life is if they eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man.”

You say, “Pastor Dave, what is going on here?”

The answer is actually straightforward. Jesus is saying that true saving faith wholly identifies a person with Jesus Christ, including with Jesus’ sacrificial death for sinners.

Truly, if giving up flesh is the language of death and sacrifice, how much more is the pouring out of blood?

Jesus is not being needlessly gory with this imagery. No, he is appropriately describing the most shocking truth of the Gospel. Indeed, he is drawing attention to the two truths that are most bothersome to proud religious people.

Number one: they, despite all their religiosity, are terrible sinners in need of rescue by sacrificial death. And two: the only one who could provide that sacrificial death to save them is the King of Glory, the Messiah, the Son of God himself.

Remember, as the rest of the New Testament bears out, the bloody cross is the stumbling block to the Jews. The Jews can’t stand the idea of a crucified Messiah. They don’t think they need a crucified Messiah to pay for their sins. They need a living Messiah to commend them, reward them, usher in that kingdom of prosperity.

But Jesus is confronting that proud notion in the most poignant way.

And perhaps he’s also doing so for you today. Are you proud in your religiosity? Do you realize that you must eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, or else you have no life in yourself?

But could Jesus be talking about something more literal here, like the Eucharist or the Lord’s table celebration? Many assume so when they come to this passage. But that cannot be the case.

Because look at what Jesus says next.

Verse 54.

“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up. I myself will raise him up on the last day.”

Say, “What are you talking about, Dave? How does that prove your point?”

Well, do you notice how this parallels exactly something we’ve already seen in this passage?

Go back to verse 40.

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

It’s the exact same phrasing. The first part is just different.

Is Jesus contradicting verse 40 with verse 54? No, he’s just saying the same thing in another way.

To eat Jesus’ flesh and to drink his blood is to do what verse 40 says it is: to behold him and to believe in him. Because the outcome is the same. Jesus is not teaching about the need for the Eucharist for salvation in verses 53 to 54. That is foreign to the context and doesn’t even make sense in the passage.

The Jesus Diet: Continual Feeding by Faith

But there’s something else here, and it’s the whole reason for my sermon title.

Starting at verse 54 and going all the way to verse 59, Jesus starts to use a different word for eating than he’s used up to this point.

Before, Jesus used the Greek word “esthio.” But now he uses the Greek word “trogo.”

Now, they do both mean “to eat.” This is not an improper translation. But “trogo” is a word that also includes the idea of chewing food, especially in the context of a happy occasion.

Furthermore, every time this word “trogo” appears for the rest of the passage, it is in the form of a participle.

In English, a participle is just an “-ing” verb that describes someone’s continual action, characteristic action.

So to illustrate, in verse 54, a more literal translation of this verse would read—or at least of the section having to do with verbs—”The one chewing my flesh and drinking my blood has eternal life.”

You notice the “-ing” verbs there: chewing, drinking. We see that actually in the Greek for the rest of the passage.

Why does that matter? Because Jesus is revealing, starting at verse 54, that eating him by faith is not just a one-time fundamental act, but actually what begins a continual lifestyle.

You don’t eat Jesus’ flesh and blood and then move on in your life to eat other food. No, you are continually chewing. You are characteristically drinking him in your heart as you celebrate the gospel.

I told you that verses 53 and 54 are not about the Eucharist, the Lord’s table as being necessary for eternal life. Yet this truth that I’ve just expressed to you—that is the same truth that is being declared in the Lord’s table, that memorial meal which in obedience we follow because it is prescribed by our Lord.

It is the symbolic eating and drinking of Jesus as an expression of our faith in him and as an expression of our trust in his salvation work on our behalf. You’re saying: “I fully identify with him. I take him in, all of him, including his death.”

Truly, to become a Christian is spiritually to adopt the Jesus diet. Your soul feeds on him alone. No longer sin. No longer idols. No longer false gods. No longer self-righteousness. You’ve given up all those foods because you want the best food. You want the only food that gives resurrection life.

“To become a Christian is spiritually to adopt the Jesus diet. Your soul feeds on him alone.”

Jesus explains a little bit further in verse 55.

“For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.”

Again, Jesus is not saying that other food and drink in the world are fake or false, but rather that they are just types and shadows. They fall short of he who is the ultimate food, the ultimate bread, the ultimate drink.

All regular food that you and I eat—we’re going to eat after church today—that’s just a dim representation of the one who gives true life, lasting life. A burger gives you life for a little bit of time. Jesus gives you life forever.

It is indeed the sacrifice of Jesus, indestructible life, that results in life-giving food for all who believe.

This is why the bread of life metaphor is appropriate. He’s giving up himself. He’s giving up his body. He’s giving up his flesh in death. And he says: “This is so that you might live. Eat it. Believe it. And gain eternal life. Keep chewing on it. Keep ruminating on it so that you may enjoy it and be satisfied always.”

Union with Christ: The Source of Life

But that’s another aspect of the bread of life metaphor that Jesus begins to explain in verse 56.

He says: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”

Here’s something mysterious. Jesus draws attention to how eating him by faith results in continual union and fellowship.

Normally, when you eat bread or any other food, the food goes in your stomach and it abides for a time until your body extracts all the nutrients it can. Then your body gets rid of the food.

But Jesus said the bread of life is different. Similar, but different. He does go into you, but not into your stomach. He goes into your heart. And he has such everlasting life, such nutrition—if you want to call it that—that he always remains. You never use him up. Your body, or your soul, never spends him.

Furthermore, Jesus says: when you take him into you, he also takes you into him.

No earthly food does that. It’s not like when I eat a hamburger, it also takes me into itself. No, that makes no sense.

But Jesus is different. When you eat him—that is, when you believe in him—he indwells you by his Spirit. But also, he mysteriously places you in his Spirit.

I can’t fully understand that. I just declare that because that’s what the Bible says.

This is the amazing doctrine of union with Christ. When you believe, you become spiritually one with Jesus. He and you, you and him.

It is this spiritual oneness, it is this union with Christ, that is the source of all our salvation blessings, eternal life included, as Jesus himself explains in verse 57.

“Union with Christ is the source of all our salvation blessings, eternal life included.”

“As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me, he also will live because of me.”

Follow the analogy here. As the living Father is the source of all life, and as the Son is in spiritual union with the Father, the Father’s life is shared with the Son. Thus, as Jesus says, the Son lives because of the Father.

In a similar way: as the Son has life in himself, and as the Son is in spiritual union with a believer, the Son’s life is shared with the believer. And thus, the believer lives because of the Son.

You see, brethren? This is how Jesus functions as the bread of life for his people. Jesus imparts his life by his voluntary sacrifice for sin. But also, Jesus communicates his life to his own by spiritual union.

Therefore, those who believe in Jesus as the bread of life are not only assured of the Son’s satisfying fellowship, his presence, his fellowship now and forever. But they also know, they can know with full confidence, that they will indeed overcome death.

Why? Because the Son’s own life is in the believer, and the Son’s life cannot be quenched. Therefore, you will never die. You will be raised up on the last day.

In verse 58, Jesus concludes his discourse by summarizing his final assertion.

“This is the bread which came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

That’s what he’s been explaining the whole time, right? “I am better bread. Don’t seek that bread. Eat this bread. Believe in the one whom God sent, and you will live forever.”

Verse 59 then concludes: “These things he said in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum.”

Application: What Is the Diet of Your Soul?

Well, brethren, what is the diet of your soul?

Have you, as Jesus and John urge from this passage, come to see Jesus as the bread of life? The bread of life upon whom you wholly and continually feed for the eternal life and satisfaction of your soul?

You say, “I want Jesus. Jesus is where I find satisfaction. Jesus is where I find contentment. Jesus is my life.”

Is that you?

Or are you instead munching on that perishing bread from the world, which cannot save you and cannot satisfy you?

It was kind of Jesus to warn the Jews: “Don’t seek the bread that is perishing. It won’t satisfy you, and ultimately its fate will be your fate. You will perish. Your soul, in a sense, will starve to death. Take Jesus as the bread of life instead.”

“Don’t seek the bread that is perishing. It won’t satisfy you, and ultimately its fate will be your fate.”

Perhaps you say, “I have.” Well, let me ask you this: Are you cheating on the Jesus diet?

You’ll eat Jesus sometimes, but other times your soul feels like it needs some of Satan’s fast food to slake that fleshly craving, and you go for it.

But like we know from diets in this world, that doesn’t work, does it? It doesn’t satisfy that craving so that it doesn’t come back anymore. No, it inflames it. And you feel guilty for not eating what you knew you should have eaten.

Maybe you cheat on your diet so much it’s not really a diet, is it?

You say, “Yeah, Jesus is my only food. He’s my exclusive food.”

But then you look at your life, or others look at your life, and you say, “I don’t think so.”

If that’s the case, you need to ask yourself: Have I eaten the bread of life at all?

Because like I said, once you take in Jesus, he becomes your continual food. If that’s not the case, maybe you’ve never taken him in.

Whatever your situation, what is the Lord telling you today?

That it’s time. It’s time to really take the bread of life, or it’s time to come back to the bread of life. It’s time to commit to Jesus as your only food, your fundamental bread of life.

So that even as you do enjoy other good things in this world, you don’t look to them for your ultimate satisfaction. You don’t look to them for your ultimate security. You don’t look to them for your ultimate salvation.

You say, “This is just another way of enjoying him who is truly saving and satisfying: Jesus Christ.”

Yes, even physical food—it just becomes another way of enjoying him who is the true food.

May that be more and more true of us as a church.

Closing Prayer

Let’s close in prayer.

Lord Jesus, it’s so interesting the way you created the world from the beginning. You created man to eat in the garden. You gave him food not just so he could sustain his physical processes but for enjoyment.

We know a lot about eating. It’s so ever-present with us. And yet you reveal in this passage: yes, food—that basic necessity, that basic pleasure of food—it’s a type. It’s a shadow. It’s a pointer to him who is the ultimate of what all regular food is.

Jesus, you are the true food. You are the real food. You are the ultimate food. You are the bread that is life and gives life. And you offer yourself freely to anyone who will come and partake.

Lord God, I pray that you would be so kind in your sovereignty—which is highlighted in this passage—to move in the hearts of the people of this church, people visiting with us today, people listening online, so that they say, “I want that food. I want the food that lasts. I’m done with this fake food. I’m done with these idols. I’m done with the sin. I’m done with the things of the world which are vaporous and cannot satisfy. I want the true food.”

Lord God, I pray that you would cause the listeners today to repent and believe.

And for those who do have you as their food, who do believe, who have repented and believed already, God, I pray that they would enjoy you. You meant for your people to savor you, to chew on you, to be continually drinking you, celebrating your salvation—yes, and all its parts, even your sacrificial death on our behalf, that was so necessary for us.

God, I pray that the enjoyment of you as the true bread would be experienced in an even greater way to all those who know you and have heard your truth in this passage today.

I pray that for myself. I pray that for my brothers and sisters. Lord, where we do indeed momentarily move away from the true food to go back to the fake food, the perishing food—Lord, forgive us for that. But help us to finally learn the lesson and say, “This will never satisfy me. I want Jesus.”

And I pray that you’d sanctify this church, sanctify this people, so that we, in our hearts first, but then manifested in how we behave, show, Lord, that you are our bread of life and that we are satisfied only in you.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Amen.
February 11, 2024