Sermon Tone Analysis

In 1978, Arnold Shapiro directed a documentary titled “Scared Straight.”

The documentary unfolds the drama of a group of juvenile delinquents and their three-hour session with convicts of Rahway State Prison.

“A group of inmates berate, scream at, and terrify the young offenders in an attempt to scare them straight” in order to keep these teens from a life in prison.

Message 40 | | September 1, 2019

In 1978, Arnold Shapiro directed a documentary titled “Scared Straight.”

The documentary unfolds the drama of a group of juvenile delinquents and their three-hour session with convicts of Rahway State Prison.

“A group of inmates berate, scream at, and terrify the young offenders in an attempt to scare them straight” in order to keep these teens from a life in prison.

In somewhat similar fashion, in , Jesus outlines for these hardened Jews what their life will be like if they choose to not believe in him.

Hopelessly Seeking (8:21, 28)

First evidence of hopelessly seeking (8:21).

“I am going away and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin.

Where I am going you cannot come.”

What did he mean?

They wouldn’t seek for Jesus per say; they would be glad he was gone.

But they would continue to seek for the Messiah not realizing that they had just killed Him.[1]

And this seeking provides no hope.

Jesus acknowledges the fact that they will all fail to find him and will instead die in their sin.

Not only will they fail to find the Messiah, this failure will result in eternal loss and damnation.

Not many years would pass, and Rome would come and destroy them.

In those moments, and many others like it, they would cry out for the Messiah.

In those moments, their voices would fall on deaf ears.

Their Messiah had come, and they had rejected him.

A Second Evidence of Hopelessly Seeking (8:28).

“Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.”

Three times in this gospel, John writes of Jesus being “lifted up.”

In chapter 3, John reminds us of how “Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” ().

The second usage is here in chapter 8, and the third time John uses this phrase, Jesus speaks to his disciples about how when he is “lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” ().

John then informs the reader that Jesus “said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die” ().

Clearly, each of the three context references Christ’s death as he is lifted-up on the cross.

With this being the case, verse 28 may offer some confusion.

Jesus says, “when you have lifted up the son of man then you will know that I am he” ().

Logic and historical evidence would indicate that the Jews, more specifically these religious leaders, did not know that Jesus was the Messiah immediately following Christ being lifted-up in his death.

Therefore, the reader should avoid thinking with a strict chronology.

Christ was lifted-up in his death.

He was then lifted-up in his exaltation to the right hand of the Father.

He will then reign as the lifted-up Messiah.

The lifted-up Messiah will be recognized as Jesus, whom they killed.

At this point, there is no hope.

He will have already been rejected and they will have already died in their sin.[2]

Kruse.

When they have ‘lifted him up’, and when they see the exalted one coming with the clouds of heaven, they will realize who he is, and that he said and did nothing on his own, and that all he said was what the Father taught him, but then it will be too late.[3]

Implications for today.

Implicit in both verses is the truth that we have been given a limited window of opportunity in which to accept Christ.

Once that window closes, whether through death or the hardening of one’s heart, there is no hope.

The closing of that window, leaves us hopelessly seeking.[4]

Cynically Hostile (8:22)

“Will he kill himself?” ().

What did they mean?

Jesus made a similar statement in .

In that instance the Jews, likely sarcastically, responded by saying, “He is not intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He?”

The response in chapter 8 is even more biting.

This question is not genuine concern over Jesus’ emotional state.

They simply make jabs at him with cynicism and cruelty.

Suicide was considered a horrific act, not unlike today.

Josephus wrote, “while the souls of those whose hands have acted madly against themselves, are received by the darkest place in Hades . . .

Accordingly our laws determine, that the bodies of such as kill themselves should be exposed till the sun be set, without burial.”[5]

In similar form to their opinion of Jesus being a demon, the Jews thought Jesus was a mad man and would end up dying and going to hell.

Ironically, He does not commit suicide but does voluntarily lay down his life, and they would take it.

He, instead of going to hell, is gloriously lifted to heaven; and they, instead of going to heaven, die in their sins and go to hell.

Implications for today?

We should expect no less today.

Genuine concern over the lost state of others will likely be received with cynicism and cruelty.

Worldly Shortsighted (8:23)

"You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world” ().

What did he mean?

In a little bit of a twist, Jesus counteracts their implication that He would be in hell by stating that He is truly from above (heaven) and that their motivation or focus was earthly (potentially hell bound).

Jesus does, later in this passage, tell them that their father is the devil.

The Jews couldn’t shift their focus and attention from the realities, perceptions, and longings for the things of the world to heavenly truths.

Their inability resulted in earthly frustration and eternal damnation.

Likeness to Ecclesiastes.

Similarly, Solomon outlines his attention to the things of the world.

Solomon searched for everything “under the sun” hoping that he would find satisfaction in life.

It was not until he got his mind off the earthly and looked heavenward that he found where true satisfaction rested.

Implications for today?

Paul exhorts us with the same principle.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” ().

John writes in his first epistle,

Do not love the world or the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.

And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever ().

The corruption of our nature is most vividly seen in our seeming inability to remove our determined focus on the earthly things, our ignorant and destructive focus on the creature and created things instead of the creator.

Everybody's talking about heaven like they just can't wait to go

Saying how it's gonna be so good, so beautiful

Lying next to you, in this bed with you, I ain't convinced

'Cause, I don't know how, I don't know how heaven, heaven

Could be better than this[6]

Of course, we desire to avoid future misery, yet we still hold fast to our worldly possessions and things.

In so doing we jeopardize our infinite joy and heavenly treasures for trifles of worldly joy.

Thomas Reade, 1827.

Blessed Jesus! thou who art the kind Physician of souls, heal this fatal distemper of my fallen nature — an earthly mind.

Spiritualize my affections — elevate my views — enlarge my heart.

Fill my soul with thine own self.

Let me not grovel here below, fond of the perishing vanities of time.

Wean my heart from the fugitive enjoyments of sense, and fix my affections upon thyself, the eternal unchanging source of good.

O! satisfy me with thy mercy and that soon.

Hasten to help me, for thou art my God.[7]

Overwhelmingly Condemned (8:24)

“I told you that you would die in your sins” ().

Take note of the change from singular “sin” in verse 21 to the plural “sins” in verse 24.