John 8,46-59. Judica

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

John 8,46-59        2119 

Judica  028; 5. Sonntag der Passionszeit „Vindicate me“

Hegesippus, Church historian, ✠  180 at Jerusalem 

7. April 2019 

1. O Lord, our Righteous Judge, send out Your Light and Truth, so that they lead us onto Your holy hill, Mount Calvary, where we behold Your justice upon sin and forgiveness purchased.  Amen. (Judica Introit, tlh)

2. »Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.“ The Jews answered Him: „Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?“ Jesus answered: „I do not have a demon, but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. Yet I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks it, and He is the Judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.“ 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.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the Prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?“ 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.’ 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. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad.“ So the Jews said to Him: „You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?“ Jesus said to them: „Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.“ So they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.«  

3. With Easter soon approaching, various TV stations will be showing programs about the life of Jesus, and you can be certain that a number of their Bible experts will make some statement that Jesus did not claim to be God. The event described in John 8 demolishes such false statements.  

4. Jesus declares Himself to be God when He said: »Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am«. The response to this was: »So the Jews picked up stones to throw at Him.« There were only a few crimes punishable by death through stoning in the Old Testament, and blasphemy was one of those crimes. Blasphemy took one of two paths: a person takes the Name of God in vain or a person declares him- or herself to be God. The Jews in John 8 clearly interpreted Jesus’ statement to be a declaration that He is Divine, and they immediately proceed to carry out the sentence for such blasphemy. 

5. When Jesus said: »Before Abraham was, I am«, He claimed to be Yahweh, the very God who spoke to Abraham, visited him and ate with him. Furthermore, Jesus told the Jews: »Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad.« Jesus told these Jews, who prided themselves as heirs of Abraham, that He was in the midst of Abraham just as He is now in their midst. Abraham acknowledged Him as the Lord and believe in Him; why don’t you do so as your father Abraham?

6. Abraham saw Jesus’ day. Abraham saw Jesus’ day when he went up to Moriah to sacrifice his son. Abraham saw Jesus’ day when he received Isaac back from the dead. Abraham and Isaac on Mt. Moriah are the great Old Testament type of the glorious New Testament antitype of God the Father and His Son, Jesus. Abraham received from Yahweh the promise of the gospel, the promise that the Christ would descend from him, the promise that this Christ would be a sacrifice for the world’s sin and raised up again. 

7. Jesus is teaching us about salvation John 8. Abraham saw the Lord, believed and was saved. The Jews in John 8 likewise saw the Lord, refused to believe and were condemned. What you confess about Jesus is eternally important. Last week we heard how the Jewish crowd believed that Jesus was the Prophet and wanted Him to be their king (John 6,14-15). In John 5 they believed Him to be a great healer. Now Jesus claims to be God and the promised Christ. To believe Him means eternal life, but to reject Him means eternal death. In John 8 Jesus told the Pharisees: »For judgment I entered this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind« (John 9,39). During Holy Week He said: »The one who rejects Me and does not receive My words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge them on the last day. The hour has arrived for the Son of Man to be glorified. When I am lifted up from the earth, then I will draw all people to Myself« (John 12,48.23.32). 

8. Who do you confess Jesus to be? Is He merely a Prophet who teaches us the Word of His Father? Is He simply a virtuous preacher who tells us how to live a good life through helping others? Or is He the Christ, the Son of Man, who offered up His life as a sacrifice so that we may all live? This is the question that Lent wants us to ponder; it is the path Lent takes us on from Jesus’ temptation to His death on the cross. 

9. The Apostle Paul tells us: »If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you will be saved. But with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says: Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame« [Isaiah 28,16] (Romans 10, 9-11). 

10. We confess Christ to be the Way, the Truth and the Life who alone leads us to the Father (John 14,16). The Lord who counted Abraham’s faith to him as righteousness (Romans 4,22) also counts our faith to us as righteousness. Behold, the Crucified Christ who is our Savior and our Righteousness.  Amen. 

11. Let us pray. O Christ, the Son of Man, You gave up Your life to serve us and to be our ransom, so that believing and trusting in You we are saved.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

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All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand. 

Lutheran Service Book Agenda. Copyright © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.