Tag: Faith

Lifted Up

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John 12:27-36 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spoke to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die. The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abide for ever: and how says thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man? Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walk in darkness know not whither he goes. While you have light, believe in the light, that you may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. 

The devil tried to kill Christ before He could get to the cross, but God heard Jesus’ prayer and saved Him from death (Heb. 5:7; Luke 22:43-44). If satan could have succeeded in killing Christ anytime from infancy to the cross he could have defeated God’s plan of redemption. Christ had to get to the cross where He spoiled satanic powers and triumphed over them (Col. 2:14-17; 1Pet. 2:24). His soul was troubled because of the cup of death on the cross where He carried our sin on Him.

‘I have both glorified it’ referring to Christ glorifying God in satan’s defeat; (Matt. 4:1-11) ‘will glorify it again’ referring to satan’s final defeat at the cross (Col. 2:14-17).

The people heard the voice from Heaven as a sound, like those who heard Christ’s voice to Paul as a sound, not hearing the distinction of the words the voice uttered (Acts 9:7 with 22:9).

‘For your sakes’ – for the sake of the Gentiles that had been brought to Jesus to confirm their faith in Christ.

‘Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.’ The 25th New Testament prophecy in John that is fulfilled through His crucifixion.

‘Judgment’ is the Greek word crisis. This refers to the judgment of the world upon the cross. Yes, salvation came for those accepting Christ and living as commanded in obedience, (1 Pet. 2:21-23) but judgment for those who seek their own glory or that of other people.

‘The prince of this world’ the Greek word archon; applied to Satan as ruler of the world-system (John 14:30; 16:11); ruler of demons (Matt. 12:24; Mark 3:22); and ruler of the air (Eph. 2:2).

‘Lifted up’ from this we conclude that Jesus being “lifted up” refers more to the heavenly exaltation through crucifixion than merely to the cross itself (John 3:14; 8:28).

‘Draw all men unto me’ It is because of His exaltation that He can draw all men to Him by the Holy Spirit and miraculous works through believers in confirming the gospel (John 7:37-39; 14:12; Acts 2:33; Heb. 2:3-4).

‘Yet a little while is the light with you.’ The Messiah does abide forever, but like the sun He is not always visible. He told them to believe in Him [trust on Him] while they can and be children [followers] of light and that darkness was to come when they longed for Him and couldn’t find Him (Luke 17:22; John 7:34; Matt. 21:43).

The Deeds of Your Father

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John 8:41-47 You do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, you would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech? even because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, you believe me not. Which of you convince me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do you not believe me? He that is of God hears God’s words: you therefore hear them not, because you are not of God. 

‘You do the deeds of your father’ the fact that one does the deeds of the devil proves that one is of the devil (1Jn. 3:8). Since they had sought to kill Jesus, He accused them of being the offspring of satan who was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:41-44).

The Jews answered Him that they were not born of fornication. They said that they were not idolaters, but that God was their Father. Idolatry refers to spiritual fornication or a violation of the spiritual and covenant marriage between God and Israel (Jdg. 2:17; Isa. 1:21; Hos. 1:2; 4:12; 2Ch. 21:11; Eze. 16:1-63).

Jesus told them that if God were their Father they would have loved Him. They would not persecute Him if they were of the same Father that He was.

They couldn’t understand Jesus because they cannot hear His Word; it exposed their hypocrisy and condemned their sins, so they were determined not to hear just as others today who refuse to change from a sinful life.

Jesus explained that they were of their father the devil whose lusts they will do (Greek word for lust is epithumia) which means desires, craves and longing for. Satanic lusts are like those of men but much stronger because of being agitated by spirit forces. Fallen angels and men are capable of misusing their creative faculties in deeper and deeper degrees of sin and rebellion as time goes by.

‘He was a murderer from the beginning’ this refers to the death of the whole human race by sin (Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:12-21; Heb.2:14). Death comes through satan and he kills those who fell away from God’s protection because of their sin.

Satan walked in truth for a time until he decided to rebel against God and this was before he ‘abode not’ or rebelled against truth (Eze. 28:11-17; Isa. 14:12-14). This was before Adam’s day for he was already a fallen creature when he came into Adam’s Eden (Gen. 3:1-24). The rebellion caused the flood of Lucifer (Gen. 1:2; Jer. 4:23-26; 2Pet. 3:5-8). He chose to reject all truth in his period of probation as the Jews were doing here (vv. 39-47). When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own falsehood, for he is a liar and the father of lies and liars. When we believe lies, we reject the Truth (Word = Jesus) and make satan our father.

Jesus asked the Jews that if they couldn’t convict Him of sin, error, or falsehood, why did they not believed what He said? The fact that they didn’t hear God’s Word proved they were not of God.

From the Beginning

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John 8:21-25 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and you shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: where I go, you cannot come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he said, Whither I go, you cannot come. And he said unto them, You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus said unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. 

‘I go my way, and you shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: where I go, you cannot come.’ This is the twenty-first New Testament fulfilled prophecy in John. They died in their sin of unbelief.

‘Will he kill himself?’ Note the contrast between this question and the one in John 7:35, both asked in connection with similar statements. They finally realized He was speaking of death, not of going to preach elsewhere, but now they raised the question as to who would kill Him.

‘You are of this world; I am not of this world’ they were capable of murder and suicide because they were of this world, earthly, sensual, and devilish; but He was of another world – from heaven – and was incapable of such. They confirmed His word by murdering Him and by many of them committing suicide to escape famine in 70 A.D.

‘I am He’ there is no “he” in the Greek in John 8:24, 28, reminding us of the name of God in Exo. 3:14-15. It means the Eternal, the ever-present One.

In verse 25 they ask Jesus: “Who art thou?” Where to Jesus answered them: “Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning” which was that He was the light of the world, as He said to them at the beginning of this discourse (John 8:12). Since there is no ‘from’ in the Greek, it could be literally translated, “that which I also say to you (now), the beginning,” that is, the beginning of all things, the head of all principality and power (Eph. 1:20-23; 4:15; 5:23; Col. 1:18; 2:10, 19; Heb.1:2-3).

Will You Also Go Away?

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John 6:64, 66-71 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will you also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

Jesus knew from the beginning of His ministry who they were that did not believe in Him not, and who was to betray Him. Jesus knew two things from the beginning of His ministry. Many disciples went back – left Christ and did not follow Him anymore – but not the twelve for He asked: “Will you twelve also abandon Me?”

Peter answered that they had no one else to go to, that Christ alone had the words of eternal life, that Jesus was the Christ and that Christ was the Son of the living God. This kind of confession brings the new birth (1Jn. 5:1)

Christ chose the twelve when they were eager to follow Him and they were seeking to hear God’s will. ‘One of you is a devil’ – Here it reveals Judas as an adversary of Christ and under the influence of a devil (demon) and not as some say that he was satan.

Judas Iscariot was an ordinary man, the son of Simon (John 12:4; 13:2, 26); a genuine chosen and empowered apostle (Matt. 10:1-20; Mark 3:14-19; Luke 6:12-16; 9:1-10; Acts 1:17); the one carrying the purse of the disciples (John 12:4-6; 13:29); and a successful teacher and healer (Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:10). He was named “Iscariot,” meaning “man of Kerioth,” a place in Judah (Jos. 15:25). He became a “thief” and an “adversary” of Christ late in His ministry (John 6:70; 12:4-6). He betrayed Jesus (Matt. 26:14-16, 47-50; Mark 14:10-11, 43-45; Luke 22:3-6, 47-49; John 13:2; 18:2-5; Acts 1:16-25), returned the money to the chief priests (Matt. 27:3-10), committed suicide and is lost (Matt. 26:24; 27:5; Mark 14:21; Luke 22:22; John 17:12; Acts 1:16-25). There are prophecies concerning him (Matt. 26:21-25; Mark 14:18-21; Luke 22:21-23; John 13:18-26; 17:12; Acts 1:16, 20; Psa. 41:9; 69:25; 109:8; Zech. 11:12-13).

Bread of Life

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John 6:47-59 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believe on me has everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which come down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoso eat my flesh, and drink my blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eat my flesh, and drink my blood, dwell in me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eat me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eat of this bread shall live forever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 

‘Believe on me’ – expresses an act and a continued process. It could not be that one act of faith and no more will save the soul (Luke 8:13; 1Tim. 1:19; 4:1; 5:12; Heb. 3:12-14; 10:23-38). The faith that saves is an ever-present active one; it cannot cease and still produce results. Even Believers live by the faith of the Son of God and must always live by faith (Rom.1:17).

The manna of the wilderness (Deut. 8:3) was not the ‘meat which endureth unto everlasting life’ it was only the typology of the MAN that would have come in the flesh (John 1:1,14) which is the sixteenth New Testament prophecy fulfilled in Christ’s first advent. Any man that eats thereof will not die, refers to eternal life, not physical life which all men have (Heb. 9:27; 1Cor. 15:51-58; 1Thess. 4:16-17).

The fourth and last time in this chapter Christ claims to be the bread of life, this bread is His flesh which He gave for the life of the world (John 6:33, 51). Conditions must be met by the world in order to get this life, for example: ‘if any man eat of this bread’ is one of the first conditions one must meet to have everlasting life.  Christ is the life-producing bread, and eating of Christ simply means that man must accept by faith what Christ did for him and live by obedience to Him without sin so the penalty will not have to be paid again. We live when we accept Christ as our substitute and meet the Word’s conditions.

‘Eat my flesh, and drink my blood’ Eating and drinking is used figuratively of partaking of the benefits of the death of Christ. We partake by faith and enjoy the benefits because God gives them on the basis of what Christ did for us (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 3:24-25; 5:1-11; 10:9-10; Acts 3:16; 4:12; 15:9; 26:18; Gal. 2:16-20; 3:1-26; 1Pet. 1:5-13). Eating is used figuratively of partaking of spiritual food (1Cor. 10:1-3); of other benefits received (Psa. 69:9; Eze. 2:8; 3:1-3; Rev. 10:9); and even of the evil results of sin (Pro. 9:17; Hos. 10:13; Jas. 5:3). No figure of speech was more common to Jews at this time, so there was no excuse for them to misunderstand His words. By comparing John 6:47-48 with 6:53-54 we see that believing on Christ is the same as eating and drinking Him.

Three times Christ here claims to be sent from heaven (6:38, 41, 42) and five times He claims He was sent by the Father (6:38, 39, 40, 44, 57).

Seven times manna and the true bread are spoken of as coming from heaven (6:31, 32, 33, 50, 51, 58).

Six times here men are promised everlasting life if they meet certain conditions (6:40, 47, 50, 51, 54, 58).

Come Unto Me

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John 6:41-46 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, come unto me. Not that any man has seen the Father, save he which is of God, he has seen the Father. 

As a last resort for their unbelief, the Jews always fell back on the excuse of ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from Heaven?’ The same excuse so many uses today to deny that Jesus is God as the second person of the Trinity and not just a mere prophet.

The way the Father draws men to Him is always through the Word which is Jesus as clearly explained in John 1:1, 14 and in John 14:6 it is stated that  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no man can come to the Father, except through Jesus (the Word). No man is able to come to God except by God’s Word through the Holy Spirit and his own conscience, both of which are God-given (John 16:7-11; Rom. 2:12-16).

The Word must be heard for faith to grow (Rom. 10:11-17; 2Cor. 1:17-24) and the Holy Spirit to convict of sin (John 16:7-11). Man’s conscience then condemns or sanctions his own action as right or wrong according to the light received (Rom. 2:12-16; 2Cor. 2:15-17; 1Jn. 1:7). God draws or allures but never drags or uses force.

‘It is written in the prophets’ – the Old Testament was known as the Prophets, (or the Law and the Prophets) because it was the period that the Father spoke to the world through prophets (Heb. 1:1; Lk. 16:16) for there were no Bibles yet, only book scrolls of the Old Testament.  ‘And they shall be all taught of God’ through the prophets that wrote the books of the Old Testament man was told about God.

‘He has seen the Father’ For those – in the days of the apostles – who have seen Jesus (His example) they have also seen the Father (John 14:7).

Emptied Himself

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John 5:17-18 But Jesus answered them, My Father work hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. 

God the Father works on all days in upholding Heaven and Earth and running its infinite mechanism; He works in providence, watching over and caring for all creation of dependent creatures, so here Christ worked in healing on the sabbath, in providing food for the hungry, and performing acts of mercy and love. This was the true principle of sabbath observance if there is to be any recognition of one day above another (Rom. 14:5-6). We are not to rest in indolence or merely rest from physical and mental toll, but we are to follow the divine examples and “do good on the sabbath days” (Mat. 12:12; Mark 2:27-28; 3:4; Luke 6:9; 13:16; John 7:22-23; Gal. 4:9-10).

‘Hitherto, and I work’ refers to the delegated authority given to Jesus Christ by the Father (John 5:19-40; Heb. 1:1-2). He was working the works that the Father gave Him to do.

‘But said also that God was his Father’ This was another reason for wanting to kill Him. All Jews considered God as their Father, but here they understood Him to mean that God was His personal Father making Him equal with God. Before becoming man, Jesus was equal with both the Father and the Holy Spirit. He had a spirit body and all the natural attributes and powers like them; but in becoming man He laid aside this God-form and “emptied Himself” to be like man (Php. 2:5-11).

Bethesda

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John 5:1-8 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he say unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another step down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 

This was the second feast Jesus attended at Jerusalem where Jesus asked a man if he wanted to be healed. The pool where the man laid was located at the Sheep Gate which was not a market as stated in verse 2. (When a word is printed in italics, it means there is nothing in the Greek language for this word.) It was a swimming pool in the shape of a pentagon and it was called Bethesda, which means house of mercy – a public infirmary. It had five arches, a covered colonnade where people could be protected from the weather.

Weak, sickly, and helpless people waited for the moving of the water by an angel that came only seasonal into the pool to disrupt the water and whoever went in was made whole of whatsoever disease they had.

Jesus knew that the man had been lame a long time and He asked him if he wanted to be healed.  This is the third great miracle recorded in John. Why Jesus did not heal others that were here is not explained for we know it is God’s desire to heal everybody, otherwise, He would be impartial and the stripes of Christ would be in vain for some (Isa. 53:4-5; Matt. 8:17; 1Pet. 2:24).

Jesus commanded the man to rise, take up his bed, and walk. A simple action necessary to confirm obedience and faith to enable this miracle as is with all other miracles.

The Gift of God

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John 4:10-15  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knew the gift of God, and who it is that say to thee, Give me to drink; thou would have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman say unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drink of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drink of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman say unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. 

‘The gift of God’ according to the Word is Christ (2Cor. 9:15; Heb. 6:4; Rom. 8:32); the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17); Spiritual gifts (Rom. 1:11; 11:29; 12:6; Eph. 3:7; 4:7); Salvation (Rom. 5:15-21; Acts 4:12; Eph.2:8-9); Eternal life (Rom. 6:23; John 10:27-29); Divine call (1Cor. 7:7; Rom. 12:3-6; Eph. 3:7; 4:7); Good gifts (Jas. 1:17; Mat. 7:11); Ministers (Eph. 4:8-11).

‘The living water’ – ten gifts of this Gospel: Grace and truth (John 1:17); the Living Water (John 4:10); the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39; 14:16); a perfect example (John 13:15); God’s Word (John 13:34; 17:8, 14); the glory of God (John 17:22); the true bread (John 6:32); Eternal life (John 6:33; 10:27-29); Peace (John 14:27); and answers to prayer (John 15:16; 16:23). The woman did request for this gift of God that was here the living water that Christ offered to her.

Eastern travellers frequently carry a leather bucket with which to draw water from public wells. This well was about 32 metres deep, 2.7m in diameter and had 4.5m of water. It was cut out of solid rock and showed the engineering skill of ancient times.

God is True!

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John 3:30-33 He must increase, but I must decrease. He that come from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaks of the earth: he that comes from heaven is above all. And what he has seen and heard, that he testify; and no man receive his testimony. He that has received his testimony has set to his seal that God is true. 

‘He must increase, but I must decrease’ Jesus must be exalted in our lives above all else.  We are not to be arrogant and self-important, but to take a sane view of ourselves: that we cannot be complete without Him.

Christ that comes from above is above all, and He testified of what He has seen and heard, but men did not receive His testimony.

‘Set to his seal’ the Greek word sphragizo means to stamp, confirm, place beyond doubt. So for those who do accept Christ’s testimony, will confirm beyond doubt that God is true!