John 11:20-31

Commentary:

John 11:20-22.  Martha lamented to Jesus that He came too late.  Why did she say that?  Being close to Jesus, she obviously knew about Jesus’ miracles of healing.  She confessed that Jesus could heal at will.  Moreover, she probably heard of Jesus’ miracles of raising the dead.  But in saying that Jesus came too late, Martha was not convinced that Jesus could raise Lazarus because he had been dead for four days.  The dead persons in the previous two miracles died only a short while.  In other words, Martha really did not think Jesus could raise the dead.

After saying that, Martha reiterated her faith in Jesus.   It was questionable that she really meant that.  When Jesus later asked to open up the tomb, she advised Jesus not to do because the corpse of Lazarus would smell.  It was obvious that faith of Jesus’ resurrection power was missing.  Martha saw Jesus as a man of God; someone who taught the truth of God.  That was evident in how she referred Jesus to Mary (v. 28). 

John 11:23-27.   Jesus wanted Martha to know Him as who He is.  Jesus is more than a prophet or a teacher.  He is the resurrection and the life.  In Him lies the source of life.  The life all men have now is rooted in Adam and will end when we die.  Men can have a life rooted in Jesus that will resurrect and will never end.   How do men get that?  Jesus said, “Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”  The key is to trust in Jesus when we are still living.  There is no opportunity after we die.  The faith is to believe that He is the Son of God, who came to the world to die and to rise again. 

John 11:28-31.  It is interesting that Martha went away and told Mary that Jesus called for her.  Since that was not in the text, Martha just wanted Mary to talk to Jesus. 

Mary’s sudden action prompted others to follow her.  They were obviously concerned over her well being.

Meditation:

Martha lamented over the late coming of Jesus.  It was just too late.  In saying that, she obviously thought that Jesus could do little about the situation.  In Martha’s opinion, Jesus was too little too late. 

Do you feel that Jesus is too little or too late in your life as well?  Do you believe Him that He can do anything?  Do you treat Him as the Lord of everything?

Prayer:

Pray for opportunity to see the authority of Jesus over every details of our life.

John 11:1-19

Commentary:

John 11:1-2.  Bethany was a village about 2 miles away from Jerusalem.  It was known for its olive grove.  Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived there, but they had not been introduced in the book of John prior to this passage.  Mary was referred by John as the one who wiped Jesus’ feet.  Was John referring to a previous event or the event described in the next chapter?  In the gospel of Luke, there was a woman in sin who wiped Jesus’ feet (Luke 7:41-50); was that woman Mary?  Evidence supporting this idea was that both incidences happened in the homes belonged to a man named Simon.  However, careful reading of the passage would show that the two were not the same person.  Simon was a common name in Jesus’ time.  Peter was called Simon originally.  What distinguished the difference was where they were from or other details.  The Simon in the village of Bethany was a leper (Mark 14:3).   The other Simon was not identified as such.  One was in the city; the other in a village.  So the two Simon were not the same person. 

Moreover, there were other evidences suggesting that it was not the same woman.  The woman in Luke was a sinner living in a city; her sins were well known and despised by others in the city (Luke 7:37).  Mary here lived in village and was by no mean a despised sinner.  She was not rejected by the villagers because they gave her support in her brother’s illness. 

In conclusion, John had to be referring Mary to an event that would be happening later.  Why a later event?  It was because that event was well known by the time John wrote the book (Mark 14:9). 

John 11:3-7.  Where Jesus stayed was about two days travel from Bethany.  If Jesus were to leave immediately for Bethany, He would still be too late.   Lazarus would be dead for two days by the time He arrived.  Why did Jesus stay an extra two days before He started the journey?  In Jesus’ words, He stayed longer to bring glory to God.  How would that extra two days make any difference? 

In Jewish custom, a person was considered to be really dead only after three days.  Jesus had raised people from the dead two other times prior to that.  Both times, the death occurred only a short while ago.  Did the Jews consider those two people really dead?  That was subject to the doubters.  The death of Lazarus, on the other hand, was indisputable. 

John 11:8-10. The disciples were concern that the Jews in Jerusalem could go to Bethany to arrest Jesus.  Jesus’ reply emphasized on the importance of seizing the day.  Jesus was not referring to the daylight but that people should be mindful of the opportunity God created.  If God represented the light of the world, we should work while there was still time.  When God closed the door of opportunity, it would be impossible to do God’s work. 

John 11:11-19.  Describing the deceased loved ones in Christ as sleeping is common for many Christians of today.  The sleep talks of the temporal nature of our death.  One day, we will wake from the sleep and be bodily resurrected.  It was obviously not a common description because the disciples misunderstood Him. 

Meditation:

Death is dreadful for many, while a good night sleep is much welcomed by most people.  Most do not mix the two, but not so our Lord.  Jesus wants us to know that what is eternal separation is only a momentary hiatus for a new day ahead.  Do you trust Jesus for that eternal security?

Prayer:

Thank the Lord for victory over death.  Give God the glory for the great things He has done.

John 10:19-42

Commentary:

John 10:19-21.  The Jews had two different opinions about Jesus.  The opinions were based on different premises.  The first was a logical analysis of what Jesus said in light of physical laws.  Some Jews were not convinced that Jesus was the good shepherd sent by God to save them.  With a humble beginning and no remarkable political achievement, Jesus was deemed unlikely to become the savior.  Since no man could be God, Jesus could not be the Son of God.  His miracles were ignored.  Jesus’ claim of leading the Jews out of the sheepfold was, therefore, crazy. 

The other opinion was based on the supernatural miracles performed by Jesus.  Jesus’ words might be impossible, but His miracles were even more odd-defying.  Hence, Jesus could be the Savior that was promised long ago. 

John 10:22-24.  The Feast of Dedication was a significant event to the Jews.  It commemorated the cleansing of the temple after Maccabaeus overthrew the Syrians’ rule.  Maccabaeus saved the Jews salvation from the mouths of the ravenous wolves.  The Jews wondered if Jesus would be the king, i.e. the Christ, to save them from the oppressive rule of Rome. 

John 10:25-31.  The Jews began by prompting Jesus to take up arms against Rome and ended by arming up against Jesus.  What happened?  Jesus basically rejected their request to be king.  He emphasized that His mission was not to lead people rebelling against Rome but to lead His sheep to have eternal life.   Jesus would for sure accomplish His mission because the He and the Heavenly are committed to protect the sheep from harm. 

John 10:32-39.  Why the Jews wanted to kill Jesus?  It was because Jesus claimed to be God.  If Jesus was not God, that would be blasphemes.  Blasphemes were punishable by death. 

Jesus tried to lead the Jews to understand that He is indeed the Son of God.  His first point was that even human was called gods in the scripture (Ps 82:1).  His second point was that He was different from those men.  His miracles set Him apart as evidence that God sent Him here.  If He was sent and supported by God’s hand working the miracles, His claim of being the Son of God was true.  

John 10:40-42.  Jesus went to the other side of the Jordan.  The authority did not have control over that region.  Jesus was safe to continue to preach.  He was waiting for the right time to be offered as the sacrifice.

Meditation:

Why do people reject or accept Jesus as the Son of God?  There are many different reasons.  Yet they can be boiled down to the two opinions expressed by the Jews in this passage.  Do people weigh the miracles performed by Jesus or weigh by some logical deduction without admission of these miracles?  The greatest of the miracles is His death and resurrection.  The timing of His death and the evidence of His resurrection are the strongest evidence pointing Jesus as the Son of God.  Ignoring these great miracles of Jesus is a spiritual blindness that leads to destruction. 

Prayer:

Pray that we have clarity to see Jesus as Lord.  Pray for the people around us to know that Jesus as Lord.  Pray for our boldness to preach the gospel.

John 10:10-18

Commentary:

John 10:10.  What is the intent of the thief?  He is not there to enrich the life of the sheep.  He does three things—stealing, killing, and destroying.   He steals the sheep.  He kills the spiritual life of the sheep.  He destroys what the sheep has.  The thief would do these three things to the sheep that do not belong to Jesus. 

John 10:11.  Jesus is diametrically different.  He is the good shepherd. He is there to enrich the life of the sheep.   He is willing to die for the sheep. 

John 10:12-13.  The hired hands can be anyone in leadership positions who have not been the ownership from God.  They look out for their own benefits.  The wolves could be Satan or his demons.  They would snatch sheep away.  How can Satan snatch Jesus’ sheep?  No, he can’t because Jesus promises that no one can snatch any of his own out of His hand in the passage follows right after this (John 10:28).  These sheep are just people in the world; they might go to church, but they have no genuine new life through Jesus. 

John 10:14-15.  What does a good shepherd look like?  He has sheep that know him.  The sheep naturally follow the voice that they know to be their shepherd.  Jesus is the good shepherd.  He would have sheep following him.  Jesus demonstrated His love by giving His own life for them. 

God the Father and the Son have no gap.  The Father knows the Son, and the Son knows the Father.  Not just any knowing, but an intimate knowing.  God knows that His Son would do for the sinners, even the ones who despises Him or the ones who persecutes His followers.  Jesus, meek and humble, is a carbon-copy of His Father. 

John 10:16.  By now, we should recognize that the sheep do not refer only to people who are genuinely saved.   If they are, they will not follow the thieves or the wolves.   Sheep are just people.  There are two types of people in this world—believers and unbelievers.   All Jesus’ sheep are believers.  Jesus sheep consists of two people groups—Jews and the gentiles.  The sheep who are not of this fold are the gentiles, who also follow Jesus their shepherd.  

John 10:17-18.  God the Father loves Jesus because Jesus is willing to die for the sheep.  Moreover, Jesus’ life can only be given up by  Him and be taken up by Him. 

Meditation:

No sheep would go near a wolf.  But wolf comes in sheep clothing.  They may appear to be a shepherd, a pastor, a trusted servant, and the last thing they look like is a thief.   How do we know who is the wolf or the thief?  We do not have to know, because Jesus asks us to follow Him and not men. 

Too often, we try to find men to follow.  Jesus asks us to hear His voice—the word of God.  We should follow Him and Him alone. 

Prayer:

Pray that we know the voice of our Lord.  Get to know our Lord intimately.

John 10:1-9

Commentary:

John 10:1.  The phrase “truly, truly” occurs 25 times in the book of John.  It is an emphasis of something important coming.  This is the 15^th times the phrase has occurred in the book of John.  

This passage is important because it describes who is and is not a genuine believer and who the true shepherd is.  It is an allegory of Jesus and the people in the world.  In the time of Jesus, the kings and priests of Middle East often called themselves shepherds and their subject sheep.  Jesus is a shepherd.  The political and religious leaders also call themselves the shepherds.  But Jesus emphasizes that He is the only true shepherd.  All other shepherds are thieves or robbers. 

The religious and political leaders at the time fitted that bill very well.  The land of Palestine was tumultuous between the Old Testament and the New Testament, a period of about 400 years.  Ptolemy, the general ruling Egypt after Alexander’s death, four times advanced his army to claim the land of Palestine.  In the next hundred years, the land was under constant war between the dynasties of Seleucus and Ptolemy. In 203 BC, Jerusalem was taken over by Antiochus the Great of the Seleucus dynasty.  His son, Antiochus IV, overthrew the priestly service by Aaron’s sons and sold the priesthood for money.  The priests in turn stole from the people and the temple to pay for the bid.  That began a period of stealing from the temple and was the cause for a rebellion.  Antiochus put down the rebellion and desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar and pouring its blood all over its place in 168 BC. 

That led to a rebellion in 166 BC by Maccabaeus, a descendent of Aaron.  He successfully overthrew the Syrian’s control and captured Jerusalem.  The day the temple was cleansed in 165 BC, it was called the Day of Dedication (John 10:22). 

That reign of the Maccabaeus was terminated when Rome invaded the land in 63 BC.  The city was overrun, and the people were slaughtered like before. 

This tumultuous 400 years of Israel could easily be related to the analogy of shepherds, thieves, and robbers.  But Jesus was primary concerned with the spiritual life of believers.  The sheep are the Jews and the people of the world; there are two kinds of sheep, one belonging to the shepherd; the others not.

John 10:2-5.  Jesus Christ is the shepherd.  Jesus is not the only shepherd.  There are others who proclaim to be shepherds as well, but they are thieves and robbers.  What is the difference between them?  There are two. Jesus is the true shepherd because the Gatekeeper lets Him in the sheepfold, which holds the sheep.  And the Gatekeeper lets no others people in.   The thieves and robbers entered the sheepfold by climbing in.  They are the ones who pretend to be the Savior or preach a gospel not of Jesus.   The gatekeeper is God the Father.  He had only let His Son Jesus to be the Savior of the world, which is the sheepfold.

The second difference is that the true shepherd will lead the sheep out of the sheepfold.  While the other sheep stays in the sheepfold, only Jesus’ sheep can follow Jesus and leave the world to enter heaven. 

Who are those sheep that follow? The ones who hear the voice of our Lord and follow Him are the genuine believers.  When a stranger comes calling, the sheep of Jesus will flee from the stranger.  The shepherd will know the sheep by name and lead them out. 

John 10:6-9.  Although people were aware of the shepherd and sheep situation, they did not understand the spiritual dimension of the allegory.  Jesus spoke the same allegory with a different subject. 

Now Jesus is the door.  There was no door before He arrived.  God promised the saints in the Old Testament that there would be a door.  People who came before Him and called themselves saviors were just thieves and robbers.  This door allowed the sheep to go from this earth to heaven.  Since there is no other door, this analogy is akin to Jesus’ proclamation that He is the Way and that no one can to the Father except through Him.  

Meditation:

Through Jesus the door, people can enter heaven.  God has not put in another door.  Jesus is the only way. 

Anyone saying that Jesus is not the only way is just the thief and robber.  They do not necessary have to be religious leaders, they can be civic or political leaders, like President Obama saying that Jesus is not the only way.  These people intentionally mislead people, so they themselves can become the savior of the people. 

Trust in Jesus.  God has not sent anyone else to earth but His only begotten Son.  He is the only Savior to lead us from hell to heaven.

Prayer:

Pray that God would give you the gift of faith, so that you would do nothing but to love God and follow Him.

John 9:17-41

What do you say about who Jesus is?  Have you ever been asked of that question?  What is your response?  Today’s passage goes into the four different answers people can have about Jesus.

Commentary:

John 9:17. This verse began a numbers of depositions, headed by the Pharisees.  The Pharisees were the religious and legal authority in the times of Jesus.  In the sequence of the blind man, his parents, the blind man, and Jesus, they tried to build a case against Jesus. 

The blind man was asked what he thought about Jesus.  It was a probing question trying to determine the stance of the blind man had toward Jesus.  His answer revealed his initial thought.  Without much processing, the blind man called Jesus one of the prophets. 

John 9:18-23.  The parents of the blind man were called to determine the medical condition of their child.  Being aware of the Pharisees’ dislike of Jesus, the parents were fearful of what the authority would do to them if their answers were not to their likings.  They were factual in their answers but withheld their personal conviction of who Jesus was.  They deferred to their son to respond to the Pharisees.

John 9:24-34.  The Pharisees had already judged Jesus to be a sinner.  This was not a general description of the condition of mankind; it was a specific charge because Jesus healed the blind man on Sabbath.  They basically were stuck with their standard and judged God according to their standard.  

The blind man’s reply struck at the fallacy of the argument of the Pharisees.  If Jesus were a sinner, why would God hear Him?  God does not hear the prayer of the sinners (Isa 59:2).  This miracle of eye opening was no small thing.  The eye was a fascinating, intricate organ.  Capable of distinguishing about 10 million colors, the human eye has 4.5 million cone cells and 90 million rod cells in the human retina.  It was not a mistake that no sight recovery was found in the Old Testament.   God had reserved this to coincide with His own incarnation.

What did it mean to be cast out?  It was not a social club that the blind man was dismembered.  The life of the Jews was intimately connected to their status in the synagogue.  People cast out from the synagogue were not welcomed and would be hard-pressed to find employment.  

John 9:35-39. Jesus knew that the blind man knew some truth and went to get a hold of him.   He asked if the blind man believed in the Son of Man, the definition is in the commentary of John 8:28.   The blind man knew the Bible and wanted Jesus to tell him.  Why Jesus?  It was because he believed that Jesus was a prophet. When Jesus revealed Himself to be the Son of Man, the blind man believed in Him and worshipped Him.  In the act of worship, the blind man acknowledged Jesus as God not as a prophet of God.  Jesus did not avoid the worship neither; thus, He acknowledged that He is God.

John 9:40-41.  The Pharisees around Jesus insisted on the supremacy of their own judgment.  Their question was a challenge to Jesus’ comment in verse 39.  They were right because they obviously were not blind.  However, Jesus was not talking about physical attribute but spiritual. Israelites who professed to know God would become blind because of their unbelief, while the peoples without the word of God would receive light from God if they believed.  Since the Pharisees focused on the physical attributes, Jesus responded to that aspect.  He concluded that they were capable to observe and to make judgment; therefore, they would be guilty of rejecting the Messiah. 

Meditation:

Verse 17 was a good probing question to ask ourselves, “What do I say about Jesus?”

There are three types of answers that reject Jesus.  One is to not think much about it and just go with the world.  Another is to defer to someone’s else opinion.   The last is to prejudge Jesus because He violated one’s own predetermined arbitrary rules. 

Human beings who are capable to observe and to make judgment should be concerned with what Jesus said in verse 41.  One day, we will be judged by the Almighty God for our answer to the probing question.  If we reject Jesus by one of the three answers listed above.

We should learn to be like the blind man.  Be humble and learn to listen to the voice of God.  Jesus is the Son of God and is the Anointed sent by God to save us from sins.

Prayer:

Pray to receive Jesus as your Savior.  Pray for the forgiveness of sins.  Pray to follow Jesus and to stay away from sins.

John 9:1-16

Commentary:

John 9:1-3.  Physical illness or deformity can be attributed to past sins committed by the person or his parents.  This thought is consistent with the principle of reaping and sowing.  But sin is not the only reason.  Jesus points out that physical deformity can bring out the glory of God. 

John 9:4-7.  What is day and night?  Jesus is the light of the world.  When Jesus was on earth, it would be day.   If Jesus is gone, darkness would reign.  The world would be chaotic, sinister, and evil.  But reality tells us that did not happen after Jesus went to heaven.  Is our perception wrong or is the understanding incorrect?  What have happened, since Jesus ascended up to heaven is the descending of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit leads and guides the believers to be the light of the world.  Fortunately for the rest of the world, Jesus’ light shines in His disciples. 

To demonstrate His authority, Jesus proceeded to heal the man with blindness.

John 9:8-12.  What was changed in the blind man that others could not recognize him?  He was blind, but now he could see. That alone was enough to cause others to not recognize him.  The man most likely became confident in his walk and had a different persona.  

John 9:13-16.  The focus of the Pharisees was the work on Sabbath.  They accused Jesus of violating the law of Sabbath when Jesus put mud on the eyes of the blind man.  The law does not forbid miraculous healing on Sabbath.  In fact, life saving work could proceed on Sabbath.

How did these religious people become wrong?  Without a life in God, faith in God was reduced to some exercise of rules.  There would be a set of “do” and a set of “don’t.”  The Pharisees wore long flowing robe with tapestry of scripture over their hands and head.  They stood in the front of the people.  They learned to recite the long prayer.  They had another list of “don’t.”  They learned not to do anything on Sabbath; even good things were forbidden.  The Pharisees were concerned about keeping their religious “synagogue” rules more than what God wanted. 

Meditation:

The blind man met Jesus and had an eye-opening experience.  All disciples of Jesus also have an eye opening experience.  Before we know Jesus, we were in the darkness.  We really could not see things as they really are.  We saw thing as the world sees it.  Jesus is the light.  He allows us to see things as the way they are. 

The blind man was not easily recognized by others after he received sight.  We should ask ourselves this question, “How different we have become since we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior?”  Would our friends see that we have the major change?  Or do they just think that we pick up religion and expect that effect to be worn off over time? 

The life of disciples should be a changed life.  It is not about following some religious regimen for outward gain.  We should display an outward piety but is guided in a life connected with Christ and not some rules of do and don’t.  

Prayer:

Pray for the life change that is noticeable outwardly.  Pray for a life of pursuing Jesus.

John 8:48-59

Commentary:

John 8:48.  The Jews accused Jesus two things.  The first one was that Jesus was a Samaritan.  Samaritan was a mixed race of Jews and foreigner in blood; it also represented a syncretism of religions.  The Jews inferred that Jesus was debasing Judaism. 

The second accusation was that Jesus had a demon.  To be possessed by a demon meant that a person was unholy and had no sound mind.  They thought what Jesus said was not credible at all.

John 8:49-51.  Jesus had a four point rebuttal to the accusations of the Jews.  His first point was a flat denial of being possessed by a demon.  His second point was a reiteration of working to honor God the Father.  The third point was that Jesus would not seek to judge them even when they dishonored Him.  Instead God—the One who sought the glory—would judge them.  Finally, Jesus was not about some worldly power struggle, but He wanted people to have eternal life. 

John 8:52-53.  The Jews finally understood the point of Jesus.  While Abraham and other great prophets died, Jesus proclaimed that His followers would not die.  They were angry at Jesus’ claim of being greater than Abraham.  Calling Jesus possessed by a demon was an insult. 

John 8:54-56.  Is Jesus truly greater than Abraham?  While Abraham stayed dead, the Heavenly Father would resurrect Jesus from death, and Jesus would never taste death again.  The coming of Jesus was also anticipated with great eagerness by Abraham and the prophets. 

John 8:57-59.  Jesus announced that he is before Abraham.  His pronouncement was shocking because He used the phrase “I am.”  “I AM” is the name of God.  Jesus revealed His equality with God.  The Jews understood that Jesus was claiming to be God and was ready to stone Him for blasphemy.  Jesus escaped when he was hidden from the people.  The word “hidden” was in past passive tense.  Who hid Jesus?  Only God could hide Jesus from the plain sight of the Jews.  Jesus would not be killed right there because it was not the time, the place, and the method.

Meditation:

The book of John does not leave a lot of room for people to choose who Jesus is.  Jesus claims to be God.  Jesus’ claim leaves people little choice.  To call Him a good teacher would not be consistent with that claim.  Either He is God or He is just crazy, like the Jews called Him.  Crazy people are not good teachers. 

If Jesus is truly God, patronizing Him would be a big mistake.  He knows.  So make up your mind of who He is and starts living with your conviction. 

Prayer:

Pray to God for the revelation of Jesus in your heart, so your faith will be strengthened.  Walk with the Lord.

John 8:33-47

Commentary:

John 8:33.  The Jews were proud of being the descendents of Abraham.  That thinking kept them focus on their flesh.  They did not hear Jesus’ emphasis of how their sins would cause death (John 8:21; 24).   They misunderstood that Jesus would give a physical freedom.  But even that aspect of their argument was faulty.  The Jews have been enslaved once under the oppression of Egypt.  Moses was God’s chosen to free them from their physical bondage.  God sent Jesus to free men from the spiritual bondage. 

John 8:34-38.   How do people become slaves to sins?  Jesus declares that anyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.  It is like saying that people who go to a bar become slaves to the bar.  But it is not that we become alcoholic because we went to the bar once.  This is not about addiction.  This is about payment.  We do not have mans to pay for the tabs. Sins do not discriminate.  They welcome all who come.  It is not about how often we sin and becoming addicted to sins.  It is about the wages of sin.  All have to pay for sins with our life. 

The analogy of the house is about eternal death and eternal life.  Slaves are people who sin; they do not get to stay in the house, which is the heaven.  In order to go to heaven, we need to be set free from the bondage of sin.  Someone has to pay the price.  Only Jesus has paid a ransom for all men free.

The Jews are the offspring of Abraham.  They recognize the physical heritage but are spiritually deaf to word of Jesus—the Son of God. 

John 8:39-41.  The Jews proclaimed that their father was Abraham.  Jesus reputed the claim because Abraham would have followed Jesus.

John 8:42-47.  The Jews claimed that God was their Father.  Jesus also reputed that.  They would have loved Jesus if God was their Father.  They would have listened to Jesus if they knew God.  Instead, they lied about Jesus and intended to kill Jesus.  These were the acts of the devil.  The Jews were the children of Satan.

Meditation:

Who is our father?  What house do we call home? 

Prayer:

Pray that we live as if we live in heaven.  Things we do would be a blessings to us and the others.

John 8:21-32

Commentary:

John 8:21.  Life without Christ would end in eternal death.  Heaven is not something given free to everyone.   Only the ones whose life is in Christ have eternal life.  Why are people seeking Christ would not be able to go to heaven?

John 8:22-24.  The substance of what people seek is what matters.  People look for the material things on earth from God.  They believe that Jesus can do great things for them, but they do not believe that their sins need the cleansing from the blood of Christ.  Jesus emphasizes that mankind needs to believe Him as the One that would resolve their sins.  When they seek not the eternal life from Jesus, they would not get to go to heaven. 

John 8:25-26.  What was the role of Jesus to the people on earth at His time?  Jesus answers that He was here to judge and to teach.  He taught people about the Father.  He explained unknown things about the heaven and God.  He clarified the intent of the Law of Moses and judged the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of His days.

John 8:27-29.  Jesus’ teaching was not perceived by the people.  Why?  Jesus explained that His time had not yet come.  What time was Jesus referring to?  He pointed out that the time was when the Son of Man would be lifted up.  At that time, the people, i.e. the Jews would see that He is the Son of Man.   Many people explained that this would be the time of His crucifixion.  But the fact remained that very little number of people believed Him at the time of His crucifixion.  So Jesus could not be referring to that.  If it were not the crucifixion, when was Jesus ever lifted by the Jews?   Could it be at the resurrection?  The Bible made clear that it was not the faith power of the Jews but the glory of God the Father raised Jesus from the grave (Rom 6:4).  So that could not apply.  

The answer lies in the understanding what the Son of Man means.  Not just a term to describe the humanity of Christ, it is rooted in the prophecy of Daniel.  The Son of Man is prophesized to take the throne over the world, when everyone will serve Him (Daniel 7:13-14).  In that day, the Jews will lift Jesus up and will acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God.

John 8:30-32.  Believing in Jesus is rooted in trusting Him as the Son of God, who alone cleanses our sins away. Trusting is an action word; it is an outgrowth of believing.  Jesus points out that we would abide in His word if we believe in Him.  The word “abide” is to join in His life (John 15:1-8).  We will actively pursue the life of Christ by living in and living by the word of God.  The word of God is the truth.  The word of God will set us free.

Meditation:

Why do people stop at meeting the needs of this life?  Why not the needs of the eternal life?  Believing is an active pursuit of the life of Jesus in oneself through living in the word of God.  Is that the believing you have in Christ?

Prayer:

Pray that individually we live in the word of God.  Pray that the life of Christ is in us.