John 8:48–59 Sermon
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48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
Outline
Outline
1. First Question (v.48-51)
1. First Question (v.48-51)
2. Second Question (v.52-56)
2. Second Question (v.52-56)
3. Third Question (v.57-59)
3. Third Question (v.57-59)
Introduction
Introduction
In we are told and reminded where Jesus was when saying what He had been saying.
We see that Jesus went out of the temple in verse 59.
If you remember us covering this before, the temple was where the people of Israel came together for the weekly reading and teaching of Scripture.
Last week we read and learned of Jesus responding to some who claimed to be of Abraham’s seed.
39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,
We looked into who Abraham was because of what was said in verse 39.
39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,
We answered the question of who was Abraham and what was it that He did. Since Jesus told them that if they were children of Abraham they would be doing what he had done.
We looked into and to understand exactly what it was that Abraham did.
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
We spent time talking about who Abraham was and what exactly was it that Abraham did.
Romans 4:3
And of course what Abraham did was not possible in himself and by himself.
It took what Paul pointed in :7-9 for Abraham to believe.
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
So what did Abraham do?
He believed God (which could not have happened apart from God giving him the gospel) and it was counted to him as righteousness.
Jesus told them who had not believed that they were not doing what Abraham did but that they were doing the works of their father. This found in verse 41.
Their rejection proved that they did not love the God they professed to believe.
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
Which brought to us a question.
What does loving God look like?
We went to to find out what loving God looked like. And we found three things
We went to to find out what loving God looked like. And we found three things
First, loving God comes from God and it is the cause to us being born of God (v.7-10).
First, loving God comes from God and it is the cause to us being born of God (v.7-10).
Second, loving God is proven by a love for one another. Specifically, a love for God’s people (v.11-12,19-21).
Second, loving God is proven by a love for one another. Specifically, a love for God’s people (v.11-12,19-21).
Lastly, loving God is shown in God giving us His Spirit which brings to us our testimony and confession (v.13-18).
Lastly, loving God is shown in God giving us His Spirit which brings to us our testimony and confession (v.13-18).
Those who were answering Jesus in our text today in verse 48 did not love God. They did not love Him, nor confess that His testimony was true.
Which meant that God was not their God.
They couldn’t understand what Jesus was saying because,
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
Jesus told them clearly that their father was the devil in .
And because those who had rejected Christ had proven that they were not of God they were doing what the devil does.
Which is to be liars. Exposing again their unbelief.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
They, along with everyone here today when found without faith, show their inability to believe because of a sinful disposition that denies the truth of who Jesus said He was.
They did not abide in His word. They were liars in rejecting what Jesus had said. And Jesus called them out on it..
This caused the people here to be angry.
Which is what they were answering in verse 48.
They were answering the truth that Jesus exposed by telling them that they were not of faith.
It left them angry which then led to the accusation that Jesus was demon possessed.
Sermon Outline
Sermon Outline
We see three questions in todays portion of Scripture.
1. First Question (v.48-52)
1. First Question (v.48-52)
2. Second Question (v.53-56)
2. Second Question (v.53-56)
3. Third Question (v.57-59)
3. Third Question (v.57-59)
1. First Question (v.48-52)
1. First Question (v.48-52)
2. Second Question (v.52-56)
3. Third Question (v.57-59)
Verse 48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
Verse 48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
It would be good to get into who were the Samaritans.
Who were they and why did those in our passage use this offensively?
Dictionary of Bible Themes 7560 Samaritans, the
7560
Samaritans, the
The people of the northern kingdom of Israel, named after its capital city established by Omri. At the time of the NT, Samaritans were despised by Jews, on account of their intermarriage with Gentiles after the fall of the northern kingdom in 721 B.C. However, the NT presents them as generally responding favourably to the gospel.
Samaritans came from the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
The Samaritans claim descendancy from the northern Israelite tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh following the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.
They claimed to be of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh following the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel. Which happened at the hands of the Assyrians in 722 B.C.
Which happened at the hands of the Assyrians in 722 B.C.
Samaritans were rejected by the Jews because of being from intermarriages that took place when the Assyrians sought to mix in with the people of Israel.
by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.
The people of the northern kingdom of Israel, named after its capital city established by Omri. At the time of the NT, Samaritans were despised by Jews, on account of their intermarriage with Gentiles after the fall of the northern kingdom in 721 B.C. However, the NT presents them as generally responding favourably to the gospel.
The Assyrians would not only conquer but they would allow and even promoted intermarrying in order to infiltrate a culture
, on account of their intermarriage with Gentiles after the fall of the northern kingdom in 721 B.C. However, the NT presents them as generally responding favourably to the gospel.
There clearly was a dislike for the Samaritans.
Even among the disciples who were themselves of Israel had a negative view of the Samaritans.
51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 And they went on to another village.
What followed after in was the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Which Jesus used to point out that one can show mercy who was even considered unclean and an outsider.
While pointing to those who were supposed to do good.
This being a story I believe pointing to what the New Covenant would do.
Which was to make those who were considered outsiders of faith when believing in Jesus Christ.
We also see in where the preaching of the gospel went forth even to the Samaritan villages. Fulfilling the mandate to go and to make disciples.
Even to those considered outsiders.
Which we also see in where the preaching of the gospel went forth even to the Samaritan villages.
25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
Here, to call Jesus a Samaritan from them was not a good thing.
It was meant to call Jesus unclean and an outsider of the promise.
What followed was calling Jesus demon possessed which shows clearly their rejection and stupor.
Jesus answered them in verse 49.
Verse 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
Verse 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
Verse 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
Verse 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
Jesus made it clear that honoring the Son is to be done in the same way as honoring the Father.
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
If honoring the Son is honoring the Father in the same way, then dishonoring the Son is dishonoring the Father in the same way.
Then dishonoring the Son is dishonoring the Father in the same way.
Jesus is honoring the Father perfectly and in complete submission to His will. This is done because Jesus is God the Son who alone can perfectly submit to the Father.
Dishonoring the Son is to not believe in the truth that the Son is honoring the Father.
Dishonor of the Son is a rejection of truth about the Son.
By honor we are meaning: to attribute a high status and respect to someone.
87.8 τιμάωa; δοξάζωb: to attribute high status to someone by honoring—‘to honor, to respect.’
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 734.
Not recognizing the truth of how high of a status the Son has, is a rejection of what He has been saying about Himself.
So how can one dishonor the Son?
One dishonors the Son by rejecting that He was sent by the Father.
Cults do this where they reject in the divinity of Christ
They deny that He pre-existed
They deny His full humanity (which is the result of a Jehovah’s Witness theology) as an example
A refusal to believe that Jesus is God the Son, sent by God the Father proves that a person does not have God the Holy Spirit.
Not attributing a high status and respect to Jesus Christ as who He said He was (not what you think He should be) is to compromise the gospel.
One of the greatest mistakes made, seen in the cults, is that they distort and confuse the humility of Jesus Christ.
Jesus was seeking to honor the Father which was His highest priority.
That is why He said in verse 50,
Verse 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.
Verse 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.
Jesus was seeking to honor the Father. He was not seeking for approval (that’s our problem)
That our problem.
It is important to note that Jesus is not seeking for approval.
He is not trying to get praise from man (that’s our problem)
He is not trying to get praise from man.
He wasn’t seeking His own glory or asking people for it. Which is our problem. Being that we do not seek the glory that comes from the only God.
When speaking of honoring the Son, Jesus is simply speaking the truth about Himself and the truth of the benefit in honoring the Son.
Jesus doesn’t need us.
But we need Him. And not honoring Him will only leave us at a loss.
In actuality, it will leave you with condemnation.
When speaking of honoring the Son, Jesus is simply speaking about the truth of Himself and the truth of the benefit in honoring the Son.
When speaking of honoring the Son, Jesus is simply speaking the truth about Himself and the truth of the benefit in honoring the Son.
Some may ask “what benefit does someone have in believing what Jesus said about Himself?” Or “what do we receive from the humility or humiliation of Christ?”
What do we receive from the humility or humiliation of Christ?
Verse 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
Verse 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
The truth of Jesus being the Christ and sent by the Father (His humiliation) brings eternal life to those who believe.
And those who believe will prove that they genuinely believe by keeping His word.
And those who keep His word will never see death.
What death is Jesus talking about? Is He speaking of physical death or spiritual death?
We know it wasn’t what they thought in verse 52.
Verse 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’
Verse 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’
Verse 52 shows us clearly that they made the mistake of believing that it was about physical death.
The death Jesus was speaking of was the condition of a life apart from saving faith.
Those who keep His word are alive and they shall never see death.
We will never see death. Meaning “never.”
Because He will preserve us to the very end!
Calling Jesus demon possessed shows us what spiritually dead people look like and what they would say.
The language used in verse 52 literally says, “we have known that you have had a demon.”
Showing us that they have had a pattern of rejection and accusation.
Not only were they accusing Christ in our passage but they had been accusing Him which we can see throughout the gospels.
Just prior to this passage they had said the same thing in about Jesus being demon possessed.
They would also say this afterwards in ,
20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?”
They asked the question, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
And the answer Jesus gave was:
You dishonor me
And in dishonoring the Son you dishonor the Father
In other words, your in big trouble!
You are not keeping my word because
Their rejection and accusation of Jesus had proven that their profession of God being their Father was a lie.
All stemming from their disbelief in the truth of who He said He was.
2. Second Question (v.53-56)
2. Second Question (v.53-56)
3. Third Question (v.57-59)
Verse 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’
Verse 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’
Verse 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Verse 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Here we have a second set of questions.
First, they asked if Jesus was greater than their Father Abraham.
First, they asked if Jesus was greater than their Father Abraham.
They asked if Jesus was greater than their Father Abraham.
Remember that Jesus had already told them that they weren’t of God. This brought them to the point of accusing and rejecting Him.
And in their response we see them asking if Jesus was greater than Abraham who had died.
They are asking this because of what Jesus said in the end of verse 52, “If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.”
52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’
Abraham, who God had chosen to be the father of the people of Israel, died.
But Jesus, claiming here to be the Son who had come from the Father, makes Himself the object of faith that would give someone eternal life if believed.
This is what Jesus said, “If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.”
How does this make Jesus greater than Abraham?
The truth of Jesus being greater comes from the truth of who He is. Which is what He had been saying the whole time.
He was sent by the Father.
Jesus was far greater! He is the Creator who made Abraham.
What lie to believe that Jesus was demon possessed!
Second, Who do you make yourself out to be?
Second, Who do you make yourself out to be?
The second question in the Greek assumes that Jesus was fashioning Himself to be someone important.
Which correctly exposes their not seeing Jesus for who He was.
Jesus refutes what they were saying by telling them that what He was saying about Himself was true and that though it is true, He did not come to glory in that truth.
Verse 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
Verse 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
Abraham could not have gloried in Himself and be right about it!
Jesus however could have.
Now, why would Jesus say that if He did glory in Himself that His glory would be nothing? Especially, when it was true that He could have gloried in who He was.
The answer is that His mission given by the Father was to take upon flesh which placed Jesus in His humiliation.
He did not come revealing all of His glory.
He came and lowered Himself.
And when Jesus did speak of Himself it was because God the Father told Him to do it.
30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
Jesus was living in absolute dependance upon the Father to do everything He was doing.
That was His mission.
The incarnation of Jesus was the display of perfect obedience and submission to the Father’s will.
God the Father would have never told Abraham to glory in Himself. There would have been no truth in that.
Abraham had sinned and fallen short as we all do.
God the Father would have never told Abraham to glory in Himself.
But in telling God the Son to tell people that, it would be the truth that would give eternal life to those who believe because it was true.
It was the Father glorifying the Son.
Sadly, they did not know this truth. They rejected this truth. And because Jesus knew the Father as the Son sent by Him, He would perfectly obey and tell them exactly what the Father would say about the Son.
Them not knowing this about Jesus Christ and not believing this proves that they did not keep His word.
Which means that they will see and taste death.
Verse 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.
Verse 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.
The condition that man finds himself in is that, apart from knowing Jesus as the Son sent by the Father, they are in a condition that does what the father of lies does.
Namely, denying the saving truth of who Jesus Christ is.
Not believing leaves one without life but one who has Christ? John 20:31,
31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Verse 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”
Verse 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”
Those who refuse to believe do not have life in His name. Which is no life at all.
They could not stand what Jesus was saying about Himself because His word did not abide in them. Proving that they were not beleivers and followers of Christ.
They were physical descendants of Abraham but they were not sons of Abraham concerning the faith and promise given to Abraham.
Verse 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”
Verse 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”
When did Abraham rejoice?
I believe it to be when the gospel was preached to Abraham about the offspring.
16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
Abraham saw the day, meaning that he must have truly believed in what God had promised, and he rejoiced!
They asked Jesus, Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
His answer was yes. In fact, Abraham saw my day and rejoiced.
Abraham rejoiced at the gospel! The very same gospel we have heard and believed!
This is who He was making Himself out to be!
He told them that He was sent by the Father so believe in Him.
And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus was revealing who He was according to what He had been given by God the Father to reveal!
In our third question, we see the sad realty of what a life apart from faith does.
3. Third Question (v.57-59)
3. Third Question (v.57-59)
Verse 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”
Verse 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”
They didn’t believe.
If Jesus existed prior to the incarnation, which was said from Him saying that He had been sent by the Father, He would have seen Abraham.
They thought Jesus only to be a man in saying that He wasn’t even fifty years old. But Jesus had told them that He was sent.
This is what Jesus had been saying the whole time! But they refused.
But they refused.
I have to ask you a very serious question today.
Have you truly and genuinely believed in Jesus Christ being sent?
If so, then do you believe that Jesus is God?
Not believing that Jesus is God is to deny His pre-existence.
There are those who believe that Jesus became God. Or that Jesus is God but is the same person as God the Father.
Cults teach that Jesus did not pre-exist prior to taking upon flesh.
That he was just a man.
But this denies the clear admission of Jesus being sent.
Jesus made it clear. He was sent by the Father. And those who genuinely believe that Jesus was sent by the Father are of true faith.
Jesus pre-existed. And to prove it He said in verse 58,
Verse 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Verse 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
This is absolute proof that Jesus said that He was God and that He pre-existed before the incarnation!
Verse 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
Verse 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
Here Jesus said, egō eimi.
Which meant:
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .
I exist and have existed absolutely
13.69 εἰμίc: to exist, in an absolute sense—‘to be, to exist.’ πιστεῦσαι … ὅτι ἔστιν ‘must have faith … that (God) exists’ He 11:6; πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον εἶναι ‘before the world existed’ Jn 17:5; καλοῦντος τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα ‘whose command brings into being what did not exist’ Ro 4:17; ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ζῶμεν καὶ κινούμεθα καὶ ἐσμέν ‘in whom we live and move about and have our existence’ Ac 17:28.
‘to be, to exist.’ πιστεῦσαι … ὅτι ἔστιν ‘must have faith … that (God) exists’ ; πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον εἶναι ‘before the world existed’ ; καλοῦντος τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα ‘whose command brings into being what did not exist’ ; ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ζῶμεν καὶ κινούμεθα καὶ ἐσμέν ‘in whom we live and move about and have our existence’ .
Meaning that Jesus existed always without beginning and without end.
This is also said of God in .
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”
Jesus was clearly God and it is proven in naming Himself as the I AM.
We see Jesus with the Father.
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
God the Son was sent by the God the Father and God the Holy Spirit affirmed this truth.
Someone who denies that Jesus pre-existed denies that He was sent and they deny that He was and always has been God.
A denial of this lines up with those who were denying Him in our text.
And if that be the case, they cannot be of faith and neither can anyone denying what Jesus had said about Himself.
They are in the condition of those who are of their father and not God the Father.
People without faith will show themselves to do what the people did in verse 59.
Verse 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
Verse 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
Of course now we couldn’t throw stones at Christ today. But we are just as guilty apart from Christ.
But we are just as guilty apart from Christ.
We have stony hearts that reject Christ.
We may not be picking up stones today but apart from Christ we have stony hearts that are the cause of accusation and rejection.
It was only by God’s grace in the preaching of the gospel that we have come to saving faith!
Sadly, those in our passage continued in their rejection but we who are here today, may we repent and turn to Christ for salvation and assurance in who He said He was!
Those who are of faith believe that Jesus is God the Son, sent by God the Father and that He was affirmed by God the Holy Spirit.
Close in Prayer