The Gospel of John Lesson 29 (4-06-2013)
Lesson 29 – John 8:42-47
Over the next several verses, vs. 42-7, the dialog continues
going back and forth pretty much hashing over the same issues, that is, except
one thing. In v. 44 Jesus tells them plainly who their father is putting it out
into the open for all to see. To them this was a reality that was considered a
slap in the face. They had refused to identify and agree with what He was
insinuating and Jesus had no option but to clearly and openly declare the
truth. Ouch!
Jesus did not make this statement out of losing control just
blurting something out being overcome from frustration attempting to win an
argument. We must remember that in all these pointed and somewhat heated
discussions that this was God speaking and as such He was bound to only stating
that which was true. But, they were still after all of their discussion unwilling
to face the truth. They had forced Jesus to go deeper in revealing their
offence and problem revealing the source of the problem, their father the devil,
too them.
But, before we point a finger at those mentioned here in
this passage we must study this encounter while remembering to look at
ourselves also in the mirror as we ponder the truths found here. For you see,
we find our self in reality in the same position as them often denying the reality
of our family tree and our intimate connection originally with sin and the one
who sin originated with. Read Eph. 2:1-3
He tells them in v. 44 of John chapter 8 that in reality
they were originally the offspring of the devil and that their works prove this
to be so. Again Jesus brings up something that they could not deny, them
wanting to kill Him. They had indeed plotted to kill Him which they could not
deny. This was a direct violation of the Law that they claimed to embrace and
reminds them who the father of this kind of action is. Their premeditated
desire to kill Him could only be connected to one family tree and it wasn’t
Abraham’s or God’s for that matter.
The Apostle John will make this clear again to those who are
claiming to follow Jesus I Jn. 3:1-10 telling them that the children of the
devil are clearly identifiable by their sinful habits and lifestyle, God’s
children being characterized by love.
In v. 44 of chapter 8 Jesus pours salt on their wound by
essentially identifying them with the one Jesus said was their father by
telling them that by taking the position that they are taking that they are not
identifying with the truth, but by not receiving and upholding the truth they
are actually carrying out and propagating the works of the one that they belong
to their father the devil. In doing so Jesus declares plainly that there is
essentially no neutral or middle ground telling them in essence that they are
either for Him and the truth or they are against Him and His message.
In the next few verses Jesus tells them to judge His actions
and works again telling them clearly what the two choices are and in essence
telling them to ‘make their choice’, telling
them to make it full and clear ending up clearly on one side or the other. He reminds
them that their actions will clearly declare which side they have chosen. In v.
48 we will see clearly what side they will choose.
V. 44 is a key and very important verse stating clearly some
important truths concerning sin and the author of it. In looking at this
passage appropriately we need to look at what is said here remembering that in
Scripture all of man and his works or actions are placed in one of two buckets
or camps. They are either the works of children of the Kingdom God being their
Father or they are the works of the children of this world having the devil as
their father. Read Eph. 2:2
This is borne out clearly in other passages of Scripture
that there is a division of all mankind into one of two groups. One of the most
prominent passages is found in Matt. Chapter 25:31-46 where the Son of Man will
eventually divide all peoples and all nations into these two groups. In that
passage He divides all of the peoples of the nations into what He terms either
the group called His sheep or a group designated as goats. In reading this
passage we find that there is no third group, just these two. All of the people
of the world are found either in one group or the other. But, He also tells those
here that they have a choice as to which group they want to be in.
In saying what Jesus says in v. 44 He in reality is not
doing a dispose so to speak exposing the total depravity of Satan, but in
reality He is giving those present a warning that if they are children of this
one then they are also made up of the same stuff as him and as such they are
fully capable of acting and being just like him. This is scary stuff! In
sharing what He shared He did so in hopes that they might reconsider their ways
before they ended up just like their father, being beyond hope.
Even though v. 44 is more for the benefit of those religious
leaders that were present warning them of the end of such logic and lifestyle, there
are, however, some important points concerning Satan that are helpful to us in
choosing how we approach life tempering our perspective in how we view things.
In v. 44 John mentions two of Satan’s many un-admirable
attributes. He tells us that Satan is a murderer and a liar. In this verse the
Apostle John makes it clear that the act of lying began or originated with the
devil here referring to him as the ‘father’ of lies. He also reminds us of the
same concerning murder and goes even further identifying him, Satan, as
essentially the source of all trouble saying that there is no truth found in
him at all.
If we were to stop and ponder what the Apostle John is
saying or implying here it is that if you were to gather all sin or wrong acts ever
committed and traced them back through their learned origin and often execution
person to person or step by step all wrong or evil actions would be traced back
to only one source. Satan.
If the entire universe were able to point a finger at the
source of all the trouble it would come down to one source and one person, the
devil. He is not the cause of most of the trouble, but is the originator and
the cause of ‘all’ of the trouble
working behind the scenes influencing and tempting those involved in his work
and schemes to be involved performing his work often unaware of his presence. And,
he did not just start the ball rolling, but continues to this day and is intimately
involved in the details of this world and his evil schemes and would desire all
of God’s creation to do the same him ending up being the head of it all. This
one, he, is ‘bad to the bone’. Eph. 2:2-3
A fictional example of this is found the Sherlock Holmes
mysteries in the character of Professor Moriaty. In these novels Professor
Moriaty is portrayed as a very intelligent brilliant individual that is
secretly pulling strings and setting in motion events that affect and change
the landscape and direction of the world which he initiates for his own
purposes and for his own benefit.
In these novels and TV mystery series episodes Professor
Moriaty is not portrayed as someone lurking in the shadows down a back alley,
but we find him set as an individual in a public and prominent position a
leader in world affairs and knowledge having a public position at a prominent
university. This is an individual that the world would seek out and consult for
answers. He would be asked to speak at commencements and graduations and other
important events. Yet, with his mastermind no one would ever dream of what he
does in his spare time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Almost every major world conflict or confrontation had a
seemingly insignificant beginning being traced back to one or only several
individuals. World leaders know that sometimes it is the most obscure incident
that begins a conflict that rises to global significance. However, once the
wheels are set in motion and as events progress it is almost impossible to
trace the outcome back to its beginning and the one it began with.
Those present here in John chapter 8 literally had no idea
that they were connected to such an evil source, but Jesus says that they were
still intimately involved with this sinister person and actually were
performing his works not God’s carrying out their master’s plan instead of God the
Father’s.
In looking at all trouble, pain and heartache in this world
caused by all the injustice, acts of greed, selfishness and hate an obvious
question would arise, ‘How did it all get started? How did it get this way?’
If it were possible to somehow trace all the evil that we
see back to its source and beginning it would all be traced back to one source
found here in v. 44, the devil. Jesus here in this verse makes it very clear
that Satan was a murder right from the beginning and that there was no truth
found in him at all his actions being devoid of any goodness whatsoever, none. This
is a truth that truly is hard for us to fully comprehend. This is who Jesus was
associating them with. They, also, had trouble comprehending that such a thing
could be true that they were actually actively involved in and supporting and
working for in actually ‘the other side’.
The obvious observation and question is that these religious
people were fooled and were not connected to One that they would have openly
claimed to be associated with. The Question arises, ‘What about us?’ How do we know
that we are rightly connected to the One true God and in actuality a part of
His family? Even His disciples wondered about this when they ate their last
meal together with Christ after Jesus told them that someone at their table
would end up betraying Him.
The answer is actually simple. Here in this chapter Jesus
offers us the same offer of full and complete forgiveness that He offered to
those here in chapter 8. In this chapter Jesus points to and clearly reveals
the problem and obstacle between God and man telling us and them that we are
originally in bondage to sin, v. 34, and will remain there until we die to face
God in judgment if we do not receive the offer that He made to those here in
chapter 8, v. 21, 24.
Those shown here in this dialog and discussion made an
obvious choice shown to us in v. 48. They chose not to believe Him and His
message choosing instead to bear the debt and penalty of their sin. Were these
some of the same ones that we saw earlier in v. 30? We do not know for sure. But,
in taking this encounter and dialog in full context one could wonder if those
in v. 30 actually fully bought into what Jesus was selling or if it was just
infatuation that faded as a deeper commitment to the Savior was required.
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