Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Text

Introduction

Last week we covered verses 12-20 of John chapter 8.

There we saw Jesus speaking according to in the treasury, as he taught in the temple.

The treasury being the treasury hall where the general public were allowed in the temple.

In verse 12 Jesus spoke to them saying, “I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The treasury was a public place in the temple;

Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, vol. 3 (New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1853), 321.

We talked about two things that happened when one followed what Christ said.

1. First, Whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness.

2. The second thing that would happen to those who follow Christ is that they would have the light of life

Because Jesus was and is the light of the world one would no longer walk in darkness.

Darkness being the state of not believing in Christ.

Which is someone who’s works are evil, worldly and deserving of God’s just punishment because of sin and rebellion.

Which we saw clearly in the responses of people who rejected what He was declaring.

Verse 13 showed us what man apart from the light of Christ which is life say when hearing what Jesus was crying out and declaring.

They rejected His witness which is what a non-believer does.

And though Jesus had the witness of God the Father, John the Baptist, His own works (which proved that He was the Messiah) and the Scriptures that spoke about Him (and Moses), this was not enough for them.

This very situation proved what John wrote in chapter 1:9-11,

This showed us that man (which in context here was the Pharisees who even had the Scriptures), it showed us that man could have the Scriptures but not have Christ.

Because they didn’t have Christ and rejected His testimony, they were in darkness and without life.

Which meant that they did not believe.

They denied the truth of who Jesus Christ was because they judged according to the flesh.

A denial of Jesus is a direct denial of the Father.

The truth of man apart from faith in Jesus Christ is that they do not know the God that they professed to believe in.

A denial of Jesus is a direct denial of the Father.

This text echoed what Paul said in

This is the preceding text to our text today.

Jesus is the light of the world but the world rejected Him, His own rejected Him but those who believe in His testimony are given life.

In today’s text we do see three things.

1.

Their ignorance apart from Christ (v.21-22)

2. The exposed condition apart from Christ (v.23-29)

3. The belief of many in Christ (v.30)

Sermon

1. Their ignorance apart from Christ (v.21-22)

Verse 21 starts with Jesus saying something to them again.

Which we can find in

Considering the context of , Jesus during the feast of booths was accused and sought for arrest by the crowds and the religious leaders.

In the following verse in 7:35 we see also that they had no clue about what Jesus meant when speaking about not being found and that where He would go they would not be able to go.

They proved consistently that they did not know and understand what Jesus was speaking of concerning where He was going.

In we see this again.

According to Josephus, De Bello Jud.

III. 8, 5, the self-murderer goes to the σκοτιώτερος ᾅδης.

Thus, according to the orthodox Jewish doctrine, to which the Pharisees bore allegiance, the suicide falls to the lowest hell of Hades, and is separated by a great gulf from Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:26), into which they hoped to go.

According to Josephus, those who committed suicide went to the lowest hell of Hades.

They were separated by a great gulf from Abraham’s bosom (), into which they hoped to go.

So their response in verse 22 was not only out of ignorance but it was said to mock Jesus as one who would go to the lowest place in Hades.

Some noted that the Jews (the religious leaders) were mocking Christ when saying that Jesus was speaking of suicide which was offensive.

I think the more imortant question

Again, we see that they did not understand what Jesus was saying.

It is very clear that they did not understand what Jesus was saying.

Why was this the case?

Why was it that many did not understand what Jesus meant?

And why was Jesus met with arrest, accusation and hatred for what He was saying?

In the previous chapters we have seen a pattern of people not knowing what Jesus meant when speaking of Himself as who He was.

Not only here but also in the chapter before we have seen a pattern of people not knowing what Jesus meant when speaking of Himself as who He was.

Examples of them not knowing what He was saying are all over the gospel if John.

shows us that they (the Jews) didn’t know He was speaking about the temple of His body

John 3:3–4 Nicodemus didn’t know that what He meant when speaking of being born again

the woman at the well didn’t know what He meant when speaking of living water

the disciples didn’t know about the bread Jesus spoke of which meant that His hunger was for the will of God to be done

the Jews didn’t know that Jesus healing on the Sabbath was permissible because of who He was

they didn’t believe that Jesus was equal with the Father

they believed in the writings of Moses but refused to believe that they were speaking of Jesus

(which speaks about the feeding of the five thousand in ) it tell us that their hearts were hardened and it showed that they did not understand what the feeding of the five thousand was meant to show

this shows us that they did not see Jesus as living bread

they thought that Jesus was speaking of His flesh

they called what Jesus had said “a hard teaching” His own brothers did not believe

John 7:40–41 people were divided as to who Jesus was

they said that the testimony of Jesus was not true

Throughout these passages we also saw that they questioned Him and sought to kill and arrest Him.

So what was at the core of their not believing in what Jesus said about Himself?

Why was this the case?

Why was it that many did not understand what Jesus meant?

And why was Jesus met with arrest, accusation and hatred for what He was saying?

We see the answer in their reaction to what Jesus said in verse 21.

Jesus said,

Then they said in John 8:22,

Notice what they didn’t address.

Jesus said:

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

Where I am going, you cannot come.”

Their response to this was: “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”

and you will seek me

and you will die in your sin

Jesus said (Where I am going you cannot come)

you cannot come.

They said (

Notice what they didn’t say.

They didn’t address what Jesus said about their sin.

He told them that they would will die in their sin.

Which is exactly why they could not understand and believe what He was saying.

This was the cause of their ignorance and inability to understand and believe what Jesus was saying.

Let me define as to what I mean by ignorance.

The Dictionary of Bible Themes defined ignorance as:

A lack of knowledge of God, regarded as inexcusable by Scripture.

God has made his existence, nature and power known to all through creation.

God himself is not ignorant of human sin, but is able to discern the real intentions of human minds and wills.

By ignorance I am not meaning a lack of information but a rejection of it which proves a lack of knowledge and a hatred for God.