Untitled Sermon (6)

The question of Jesus’ identity is a question that has occupied and innumerable amount of written text and an unimaginable amount of minutes in conversation and debate. It is quite remarkable to me how curious we are of him. Regardless of your religious affiliation no one gets away without contemplating this man. In fact, as you sit in this room this morning you also have to come to terms with the identity of Christ. We cannot merely brush him aside as one who lived and is now dead, only to be remember in history.

I remember a few years ago I was able to have a conversation about Jesus with a muslim friend that I worked with. I asked him, “Who do you say Jesus is?” I knew the answer but I was taken back still by his response, “He was a prophet.” Another time I was speaking with an atheist who told me that they believe Jesus was a good man who led a good life and taught others to do so as well. While each of these individual had very different answers, neither affirmed the true identity of Jesus. C.S. Lewis said in his book Mere Christianity,

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Indeed, for those with eyes to see (John informs his readers), so deft had been Jesus’ self-references, his use of the Old Testament, his handling of titles, his discussions of the relation between God and himself, that he has virtually pointed himself out as the Messiah

Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (p. 392). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.

In our text this morning we find and interesting scene. It is the feast of dedication which celebrated the reconsecration of the temple. We know it today as Hanukah. Jesus is walking in Solomon’s Colonnade and he comes across a group of Jews. They recognize him and it is likely that this is the same group from our text last Sunday. They gather around Jesus and they ask, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

The Greek wording here is interesting. This could be translated, “How long will you keep our souls in suspense.” These people were no interested in actually believing Jesus. They were ready to trip him up on his own words, catch him in his claims and accuse him of blasphemy. For their souls to be in suspense means that Jesus is not giving them what they want. Up until now they lack the evidence that they need. D.A. Carson observes,

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to John a. Jesus the Messiah (10:22–30)

This suggests that the Jews are not seeking for clarity in order to worship him without restraint; rather they want to obtain from him an unambiguous statement that would provide an adequate basis for their attack.

They are tired of figures of speech. Jesus used phrases like, “I am the door, I am the good shepherd.” None of this made sense to them. Jesus never came out and said, “I am the Messiah!” Give us plain speech Jesus. If you are the Messiah just tell us! At this time I am sure Jesus can see the stones in their hands. They are waiting for their opportunity and we may be expecting Jesus to leave. It’s not his time to die. But, he doesn’t.