The Gospel of John Lesson 28 (3-31-2013)

The Gospel of John Lesson 28 (3-31-2013)

Lesson 28 – John 8:31-41

After telling those present that he would be lifted up and that when that happened that they would know that He is indeed the Promised One many change their opinion of Him and John tells us believed on Him. In v. 31 He sets the standard or mark for evaluating whether one’s faith was genuine or not telling them that if your actions meet your words over time then you can be encouraged that your faith was genuine.

One commentator on this passage made the distinction concerning their reaction here to what Jesus had said saying that those Jews present in actuality had truly at this point believed that He was indeed the One He claimed to be and that He was the One sent from God, but as yet they had not committed themselves to Him as His followers. This is why he believes that Jesus made this statement found here concerning discipleship in v. 31. One example of what this commentator meant might be like the emotion of love or caring. Even proper love or caring for someone or something is just that an emotion and emotions change by themselves until commitment is added. Jesus was telling them that their actions would tell Him if they were committed or not to Him.

Later Jesus after presenting His full declaration of His offer of salvation to the world will give us an even clearer picture of what a true follower or disciple of His really looks like. Following His resurrection recorded in Matt. 28:19-20, He will tell His followers that a true disciple will also go and make other disciples teaching them also the things that they have practiced and learned from Jesus.

But, Jesus goes on to make a statement in v. 32 that does not ring true or fully resonate with those Jews who were listening that day proving that they hadn’t fully received Him without reservation. He tells them in v. 31 and 32 that if they truly were committed to Him and had become His followers that they would begin to see the complete reality of the Truth that He had been proclaiming to them and would receive it making it part of their life and their lifestyle and because of the new knowledge and lifestyle they would be free from the bondage and darkness that they had been held in. The only problem was that they did not realize that they were in bondage. They bring up the point of their ancestry in response, in their mind identifying themselves with Abraham being his offspring claiming not to be in bondage at all.

It was true that technically they were Abraham’s offspring and they were actually his descendants, but the part about the bondage confuses me. They make the statement that they have never been in bondage to any man. At the present time of this conversation these men and people were in bondage and were ruled by the Romans, and prior to this they had been in bondage to the Greeks, the Medes and Persians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians and the Egyptians. So, their statement to Him was not well founded.

But, there was one more thing that they were in bondage to that they had not recognized that was even more devastating than all of those afore mentioned conquests and conquerors. That was their bondage to sin which they were totally blind to. Oh, how quickly things change. A verse or two earlier they begin to believe that He is the One, but their true need to commit themselves to the Savior admitting that they were really right now in bondage not just a little bit, but a lot, and, in need of some serious help to be set free was difficult. The conversation really gets interesting from here.

In v. 34 and 35 He makes a clear distinction between them and Him. In these verses He addresses them as servants making it clear that their claim to be part of the family by inheritance was not completely accurate and might have been more wishful thinking on their part. He makes a distinction here that physical birth or physical nationality was not enough to make peace with God and in essence in these verses He differentiates between physical and spiritual birth. We remember that He addressed the same thing with Nicodemus in chapter 3 informing Nicodemus that to be adopted into God’s family one needed a second birth, a spiritual birth, initiated and preformed by God Himself. Being born into a Christian home did not make them a Christian.

They had referred to Abraham assuming that they knew how this family thing worked. But, they did not take into account God’s part of the equation. They were forgetting the spiritual component of Abraham and his relationship with God which they did not have.

In v. 35 He tells them that even though they are an Israelite by birth or nationality that essentially all that does is to let them into the house so to speak letting them in on a servant level, in other words, in the house, but not part of God’s family, and He makes this clear by making a clear distinction between Him and them. He tells them that a servant does not abide in the House forever, but the True Son does, and in saying this in this way He identifies Himself as that Son.

In v. 36, as the Son and Official heir, He makes to them as servants, and us also, an offer to be FREE from the indentured servant position to be freed from the debt that is upon them offering them full freedom not only having their debt released, but receiving adoption into the family with FULL benefits.

He continues in v. 37 by acknowledging that they were indeed earthly descendants of Abraham, but points out one of their major offenses, their wanting to kill Him. He ends v. 37 by reminding them that their actions prove that they are not Abraham’s offspring continuing in v. 38 reminding them to judge Him by His works proving that He is part of God’s family. He tells them to not forget to stop and use the same standard of judgment and judge themselves also at the same time. In doing so they will find that they will identify themselves by their works with their father, which by the way, was/is not God.

In vs. 39-40 they flatly deny His insinuation sticking to and depending solely upon their earthly connection to Abraham. But, Jesus tells them that action speaks louder than words and brings them back to the issue at hand telling them in essence that if Abraham were here that he would not claim them as his descendants. He, Abraham, did not do such things.

But, in v. 41 Jesus presses the point clearly openly stating who they are acting like and by their deeds that they should open their eyes to the reality that God cannot be their Father, but that they do indeed have a father and should face the reality of who that is. Their response is one of total denial, rejecting the facts that were just given and make a last ditched attempt to hold onto their claim to being part of God’s family.