Verse 48, Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”  And so the Jews there in the temple continue their insults.  Remember last week we saw them launch a sucker question…a question that doesn’t really desire a truthful answer but simply deployed to harm.  Aren’t You the Son of fornication?  Aren’t You a Samaritan (in other words “an enemy to our national faith)?  Don’t You have a demon…and you know what, with questions like that, the truth doesn’t have a chance.

 

So ridiculous.  Jesus was born in Bethlehem which is south of Jerusalem, Samaria is north.  And Jesus lived in Nazarath which is north of Samaria…and they knew it.  They are simply insulting Him here…

 

Verse 49, Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  This really is a perfect answer.  First, Jesus completely disregards their first question because it was not a question at all.  But to the second question notice, His answer…He speaks the truth without pomp, unlike a demon and He honors God, not Himself, unlike a demon.  His response is calm, dignified and Godly.  Awesome.  Perfect response.

 

Verse 50, “And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.”  My Father is about My glory…not Me.  That is what Jesus is saying here.  Turn over to Philippians and look at Chapter 2 verses 5 – 11.  Jesus knew that this day was not the end of the conversation…that it is God and God’s ways and God’s truth that will ultimately and completely overcome and so His response here was not that of frustration…but that of confidence, mercy and love.

 

And so Jesus says to them, “I know what is to come.  I know that the cross is before Me but after the cross, after the price has been paid for the sin of man, I will rise from the grave, never to die again.  I know that is to come…and I know that if you reject Me, there is no other way.”  Look at what He says next, Verse 51.

 

“Most assuredly, I say to you, If anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”  Notice the perfect harmony of God’s sovereignty and mans’ responsibility denoted by Christ’s word “if.”  If you keep My word…if you accept My word and in that accept Me, you shall never see death.

 

Turn over to 2 Corinthians 5 and look with me at verses 1 – 8.  These are not words of sorrow…words of loss…but rather words of life aren’t they?  For the born again believer in Christ, the physical death is something similar to graduation…Paul says here that he desires not to be unclothed – because in death Christians suffer no loss – but to be further clothed having mortality swallowed up by life.  And ultimately to be in the presence of the Father and in that Paul draws confidence.

 

For the unbeliever however, mortal death is terrifying.  Turn over to Hebrews Chapter 10 and look at verses 26 – 31.  The Lord will have to judge those that remain in their sin…those that looked to themselves for salvation and that, it says here in Hebrews, is cause for fearful expectation…as opposed to Paul’s guaranteed confidence.

 

And so Jesus says here, follow Me and live!  Although this corrupted body may die, My followers will never see death but rather they will live!  John 11:25.

 

Verse 52,  Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’  Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do you make Yourself out to be?”

 

Remember last week Jesus asked them (back in verse 43), “Why don’t you understand what I am plainly saying to you?  Because you have closed (stuffed) your ears and hearts to My word!”  It’s striking isn’t it?  Again they ask Him, who are You?  He’s already told them!  Plainly!

 

But truly what is revealed to even the toddler in Christ is completely hidden from those who are wise in their own eyes…those that look to their own way, their own truth and their own life…instead of simply trusting in the Lord and believing in their hearts that He is the way, truth and the life.  These Jews here are Romans 1:21 personified, “Although they knew God (He’s right there talking with them) they did not glorify Him as God (in other words, they rejected His Godship), nor were thankful (they rejected their own futility) but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  No light…no understanding…Jesus, tell us again, maybe this time we’ll get it…who are You?

 

Verse 54, Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  There it is again fellas…and here it is again for us plainly folks…Jesus says I AM the very Son of God.  It’s so amazing how longsuffering our Lord is.  How truthful and graceful He is.  If anyone knocks, He will answer.  If anyone seeks, He will be found. 

 

Verse 55, Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.   Interesting what Jesus says here, ‘I do know Him and that is evidenced by the fact that I keep His word.’  Turn for a moment with me to Hebrews Chapter 3.  Look at verses 12 – 19.  It’s made quite clear here in Hebrews that true belief will result in obedience to God’s word.  And that is confirmed by Jesus offering evidence of Him knowing the Father by His own obedience.

 

Now remember what we just read in Romans 1…neither were the people thankful.  Why do I bring that up…because no one is completely, 100 % all of the time obedient and faithful.  Only God is good.  And check this out, flip a few pages to the right and look at Hebrews 8 verses 10 – 12.  God has taken His written word and He has eternally implanted it into the hearts of His children and so as Paul said in Romans 7 that in him he finds a law…a law of righteousness yet he struggles because he still does wrong…he still finds that he himself, the author of 13 of our books in the Bible, messes up and is sinful…yet God said it here in Hebrews 8 that through the New Covenant, through Jesus, ‘I will be merciful to their unrighteous deeds, or their disobedience.  I will even choose not to remember them’

 

Slate cleaned.  As sinful men and women, yet as perfect to the perfect Father!  Saved and so…understanding that, having righteousness imputed to us through Christ…listen doesn’t mean we’re perfectly obedient, no one can be, but what it does mean is that we are eternally thankful!  We are forever and always and all day…look the word is gracious, because we’re so grateful for what Christ has done!  And that my friends will simply permeate the one who, as Jesus says, knows His Father.  Your life will just wreak of it!

 

So the pulse of your spiritual maturity is not your legalistic perfection and flawless obedience…but rather it is your fruit!  Your thankfulness to God for what has been done and that will manifest in the form of love, grace, patience, longsuffering, kindness, self-control…first towards God and second towards man….

 

Of course that is not license to continue in sin and disobedience because Paul also says in Romans 7 that he hates the fact that he sins and strives towards the upward calling of Christ.  And also John remarks in 1 John that if anyone continues and regularly practices sin…does not address those things about themselves that Christ Himself even died for…then how can they say they know God?  So we’re not talking about sloppy agape here or greasy grace…we’re talking about the thankful answer and graceful aroma of a person’s heart towards a merciful and righteous God…which as Peter says, will lead us to holiness, will lead us to be more conformed into the image of Christ!

 

But Jesus, He kept the word in perfect obedience.  He alone was and is righteous and He alone is particularly qualified to be offered as a sin sacrifice for the entire race of humankind.  And so He says here, I know My Father, we are One, I am the Savior, and the proof is that I perfectly keep His word. 

 

Verse 56, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.  This statement by Christ could point to several instances.  First recall it was Abraham that out of obedience and in faith offered up Isaac, and right before he thrust in the knife, who was it that stopped Him…the Angel of the Lord…which many believe and even the text eludes to, was a Christophany…Christ Himself…Or this could be a mysterious reference to the King of Peace, the King of Salem, Melchizedek which I also believe is a Christophany as we read in Hebrews 7 that He had no father, no mother, no genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life but made like the Son of God and remains a priest continually. 

 

And this Melchizedek went out to meet Abraham and bless him when he was returning from his wars with the kings.  But without a doubt Jesus could also be simply speaking spiritually that Abraham understood that men were lost to sin and that God would provide Himself a sacrifice…God would send the Savior...and so Jesus says here, your father Abraham believed in Me and rejoiced in that belief…he even knew Me.

 

 

Verse 57, Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”  Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”  This is the end of this conversation because Jesus just put a bow on it!  Full, absolute complete disclosure of His glory to them in this statement.  Complete affirmation that Jesus is none other than the Eternal One Himself and they completely understood what He said because Verse 59…

 

Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 

So this chapter, chapter 8 has presented Jesus as the Light of the world…as the Truth…as the liberator…and ultimately as the Eternal One Himself and as the light has shined on sinful men, the religious elite there in the temple, their awful depravity has been revealed.  That they have no desire for the truth.  They are just fine.  They won’t see and they don’t believe and so what does John tell us here…Jesus hid Himself.

 

It is so, still today.  From the self-righteous and self-sufficient to those who deny that they need to be made free from the slavery of sin…He still leaves them to themselves…He has to, they have eyes yet cannot see, they have ears yet cannot hear…and Jesus passes right through the midst of them.  We watch and we wonder as they cling to their chains don’t we, because Jesus is right there, right in front of them, and yet they completely miss Him, they are blinded…and they continue as slaves to sin!  When what God has for them is to be sons and daughters!

 

But, but, but it is written in Isaiah 57:15…For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:  “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.