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We used to play a
party game in which a blindfolded child would stand on a plank, then people at
either end of the plank would lift the plank and child up about 2 inches while
someone told them that they were being lifted up to the ceiling—a book would be
lowered onto their head as the ‘ceiling’. Then they were invited to jump to the
floor. Another was to tell a blindfolded child that ‘Jimmy’ has something in
their eye and we’d like you to get it out. The child’s finger was guided into a
hole in an orange. They were cruel days and left their marks forever on all of
us! When you’re blindfolded you lose all
sense of perspective and proportion.
As we come to
this event in John 8, Jesus has just said that he is the light of the
world—whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of
life. The conversations which follow
through to the end of chapter 9 are all in the light (!) of this statement.
There is a problem
which appears in our English translations.
At the end of
v.30 we’re told that many put their faith in Jesus, then in v.31 he is speaking
with ‘the Jews who had believed him’ - and an acrimonious debate follows in
which those who had ‘believed him’ (v31) are even told they belong to their
father the devil! What is going on here? Our English translations hide the fact
that John uses different Greek constructions to tell us that we have 2 kinds of
‘belief’ and 2 kinds of ‘believers’.
In 31-58 Jesus is
debating with those who have given intellectual assent to Jesus—they ‘believed
him’ rather than making a personal commitment to him—see v.30 ‘they put their
faith in him’.
We see some who
thought they believed, yet only academically, and others who wanted to follow.
Let’s look at the
difference… The genuine
disciple / The nominal believer
1. The genuine disciple continues
and doesn’t give up.—31-32
v31—Jesus warns
those who have given assent to Jesus —If you hold to my teaching you
are really my disciples, then you will know the truth and the truth will set
you free.’
The true disciple
of Jesus is a follower across deserts of
uncertainty and through the marshes of opposition. They are held by the person of Christ and what
he has done, rather than the intellectual arguments which can persuade you
either way. They’ve seen the light—caught up in the light and nothing will send
them back into the darkness again! This
is the light that comes into the world—that the world does not understand but a
light which has never been put out. (John 1:4-9) It lasts eternally and so do
the children of the light.
All Christians
have doubts, but we are held by Jesus by something that is stronger than
intellect and argument alone. It is spiritual life.
2. The genuine disciple enjoys
freedom and not slavery.—34-38
Jesus uses an
everyday illustration of the household—where there are members of the family
and servants or slaves. They may be under the one roof, they may eat from the
same kitchen, and enjoy many of the same benefits but there’s a massive
difference—the family belong – and forever, slaves do not.
Those who are not part of the
family don’t belong in the same way,
·
they are present but not part,
·
they have a temporary shelter in the
house but can’t share in the home,
·
they may be involved in the economics
of the home but can’t share the inheritance.
·
they attend the master but can’t share
his table or sit on his lap.
Now in other ways
there may be a sense of servitude—slaves to money, people’s opinions, material things. There can even be religious slavery—as the
Pharisees had—that blinded them from the fact that there was something else
they were missing! They were also slaves to national patriotism as children of
Abraham which blinded them to the need to be children of God in Jesus!
But Jesus tells
us that he came to set us free—he wants us to be part of the family, to come
and play as the Lord’s children on his lap as it were! To call Him Daddy
instead of Sir, adopted into the family and share the family inheritance forever!
3. The genuine disciple sets no
eternal store on his human ancestry. —33-41
The Pharisees set
great store on being sons of Abraham. It was their heritage, their past and
(more importantly) their present and future! Hadn’t God’s promises to Abraham
come to pass? Greater
in number than the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky?
True—but in clinging on to their past they were throwing away the One who
fulfilled their past—all the promises given to Abraham were fulfilled in Jesus!
Abraham was a great past but he could
not be their present and future! Only Jesus could be that!
Do you have the
impression that having a certain upbringing, or a certain nationality—being
British—a child of Boadicea—or
belonging to a certain church (being a
son of Thomas Helwys—father of us Baptists) —is
what makes you a child of God?
Jesus says—gently
but firmly - that you’re blind—and he wants to shed his light on the
matter—that light may not be welcome for it will reveal that you are only a
child of your parents or of that certain nation or just a Baptist or Methodist
or Anglican. He calls you to be a child of God and share the inheritance of the
Kingdom! Put the past behind—value it
for what it is but don’t exalt it to be what it is not! Take Jesus as your
future hope and salvation!
This is why – at
the foot of the cross there is no racial superiority or national prejudice. We
are all one in Christ because He - not our background - is our saviour!
4. The genuine disciple is seeking a
lifestyle to match. —39-47
Children bear their
parents’ nature and characteristics. Those who expressed a support for Jesus
ridiculed Him – in v.46 they can’t find any fault in Jesus yet they suggest
that Jesus is illegitimate, a Samaritan and demon-possessed, they dishonour the
Father by dishonouring the Son and take up stones to kill Him! Their aggression
and violence on its own is a litmus test of their acid nature!
Those who are genuine children of
God try to live in love, in peace, as examples of the grace of God. There are
some who, in the name of Christ, get hot-headed about how they’re hard done by
in the world, angry when they’re misunderstood and frustrated when they’re
rejected.
·
Did Jesus tell James and John to call down fire on their
enemies?
·
Did Jesus warn his disciples to take to the streets when
they’re attacked?
·
Did Jesus behave that way when they were driving the nails
into his wrists?
Far from it! - instead
He told us to take up our cross and walk with him!
If we were sons
of God by new birth instead of sons of Boadicea or sons of Thomas Helwys (the Baptist church) we’d be much more likely to
bear the family likeness.
5. The genuine disciple puts Christ
first in life. —48-59
Those who declared a belief in
Jesus were not prepared to have Jesus anywhere in their lives let alone as
their master! It’s not just a lifestyle which is compatible with Jesus but a
relationship in which Jesus is my personal friend and master.
He is my priority, He is my everything. He is the one who stays firmly in charge of
my life though all else fails. He is
the beginning and the end!
And we know —not only is it true but we know Him and we’ve
committed our lives and future and eternity into His hands and we’re prepared
to follow Him with all our hearts!
So what have we seen?
These were in the dark. Their blindness had kept them from true commitment to
Him. They have light but it is manmade, they haven’t come into the light of the
Spirit, a personal commitment to the person of Jesus, being born again!
Group
Discussion – read John 8:31-58, summarise the notes and select
from these questions: 1.
If we were once in darkness, what was it brought
us to the light? What lessons can we learn as we seek to bring others to
the light? 2.
What can help us to ‘hold’ to Christ’s teaching –
to keep on keeping on! (Point 1) 3.
Is it wrong to doubt? How do you deal with
doubts? (Be honest!) (Point 1) 4.
Put in your own words the difference between
being slaves and family in a household. What would religious slavery feel
like? (Point 2)
see also Romans 6:15-23. 5.
What part does being British
(or
other) or Baptist (or other) play in our lives? How
might they help us in our discipleship? What is valuable about them? How
might they get in the way of following Jesus? (Point 3) see also Galatians
3:26-29, Philippians 3:17-21. 6.
How can we cope with being sidelined and treated
unfairly in society? Is there anything we should do to rectify matters?
(Point 4) What might Luke 6:27-38
say about this? 7.
Have you faced a situation when you had to chose to put Jesus first? Share experiences. (5) 8.
Is there something you’ve learnt about Jesus
lately which has expanded your view of Him? Is there something you’d like
to know more of Jesus? What steps might you take to see more? (5)
