Judging Others

John 8:1-11

A note in your Bible probably mentions that most scholars feel these verses were not a part of the original text because they are not in the earliest manuscripts we have found. Most agree, however that the incident was historical and this is a part of history mentioned by John in the last verse of this book: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books which were written” (John 21:25). Jesus does speak on this subject in Scripture and in Matt. 7:1 He says “Do not judge lest you be judged yourselves.”

The Pharisees brought this woman to Jesus to try to trap Him. If they could get Him to condemn her it would give evidence of a lack of grace and failure to act as a Savior, but if He did not condemn her He would fail to uphold the Law. If He failed to uphold the Law the Pharisees thought the people would reject Him and cling to Moses and they would have a pretext for bringing Him before the Sanhedrin (ruling council).

Jesus, as He often does as a teacher, rather than responding to their question makes a very convicting statement: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” We’re told that the Pharisees, beginning with the oldest, and wisest, all began to leave, realizing that they, too, were sinners. Jesus then reveals His grace by saying to the woman “Neither do I condemn you; go your way; from now on sin no more.”

Paul instructs in I Corinthians 11:28 that we should examine ourselves to assure we are in right relationship with the Lord. We all succumb to temptation frequently and when we do God provides forgiveness when we confess those sins (I John 1:9). We are to be concerned about the spiritual relationship of others, but should express that by sharing the message of salvation with them. It is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to bring them to the point where they will trust Jesus as their Savior. Our responsibility is to pray for them and relay the message.

Sent from God

John 7:14-37

Three times in this portion of Scripture (v. 16, 28, 29) Jesus mentions He is sent from God. Last time we looked at His statement that He was living His life according to the Father’s timing. Now we see that He also claims to be taught by the Father. Notice in v. 16 He says “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”

We also know that when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42) He acknowledged and accepted the Father’s will for His life. Notice in v. 36 He say “yet not what I will, but what Thou wilt.”

As we consider His teaching we find He speaks often of His relationship with His Father. He also makes the statement that if we know Him, we know the Father. He was sent from the Father, faithfully carried the Father’s message, fulfilled the Father’s will, and ultimately returned to the Father. He speaks of His return to the Father in v. 34.

It is good to often reflect on the Father’s love for us. We should thank Him often for being willing to send His Son to the earth and allow Him to die to pay the price for our sins so that we might have a personal relationship with Him and spend eternity with Him. We should also give praise to Jesus for His willingness to be faithful to the Father’s will even to the point of death. We should be grateful that He gave us the Holy Spirit to reside within us so that we might also live our lives in a way that pleases the Father. Finally, we should be careful to live according to His will in complete obedience to Him.

God’s Timing

John 7:1-13

Twice in this passage Jesus comments about God’s timing versus human timing. In both instances He was in a dialogue with His human brothers and they were encouraging Him to go to the feast. Apparently this was the feast of Tabernacles and was one of three great feasts the Jews celebrated, lasting for an entire week.

Interestingly, Jesus chooses to reveal to us here that His brothers did not believe in Him yet as their Savior. It is not too difficult to understand this as they grew up with Him as their oldest brother. We don’t know whether their parents had shared His miracle birth with them. I imagine though, they must have seen a difference in His demeanor because we know He never sinned and that certainly wasn’t true of the rest of them. Jesus responds to their urging with the comment “My time is not yet at hand; but your time is always opportune.” What do you think the last phrase means? Since He is addressing His brothers He is telling them that it is time for them to trust Him as their Savior.

It could mean to us today that we should recognize that we should continually be in a Spirit of worship of our God. Day by day, moment by moment we should rejoice in who He is and what He has done for us. Christianity is not a one day a week event, it is a moment by moment walk.

It may also mean that we should be continually alert to opportunities to share our faith in Christ with others. Often the Holy Spirit urges us to speak to others about our faith and we remain silent. A reason for that may be that we are not prepared. How might we prepare ourselves? First, we should develop an awareness of those around us who do not know our Savior and pray regularly for them. We might write out our testimony so that we can share it succinctly and clearly. Consider memorizing Scripture that applies to a personal relationship. A good example is a series of verses known as the Roman Road (Romans 3:23, 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10). Keep a gospel tract handy that you can share with others.

I pray that you will be sensitive to God’s leading to share your faith with others.

The Winnowing of Disciples

John 6:60-71

In this context I think we can describe disciples as followers. Many of them weren’t true believers but thought Jesus could take care of their every present need. They didn’t understand that Jesus was omniscient and knew their every thought. He knew and knows who really believes in Him and who does not. In v. 64 He made the statement that He knew who did not really believe in Him and those people began to leave because they could not make Him their political king.

This passage helps us understand each member of the Trinity a little better. Notice in v. 63 Jesus explains “it is the Spirit who gives life”. The Holy Spirit is effective in drawing us into a personal relationship with the Son.

Notice the statement He makes in v. 65 “no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him by the Father.” This comment speaks to God’s sovereignty. We are God’s children because He chose us.

The disciples aren’t yet mature in the faith, but they are learning. Jesus doesn’t ask the question of them “You do not want to go away also, do you?” because He did not know. He asked because He knew it was time for them to declare their faith. They were going to need to take public stands as His disciples and this is a step in that direction.

Each of us who have trusted the Lord Jesus as our personal Savior should be willing and excited to share our faith with those around us. We should not be ashamed of our identity as Christians. We need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading in talking to others about our faith.

God is going to give you a burden for those around you who do not know the Lord Jesus as their Savior. I pray you will be faithful in sharing your faith with them.

Jesus’ Conversation with the Jews

John 6:41-58

As Jesus was talking He discerned that some of the Jews who were listening were grumbling about His teaching. Specifically they were concerned about his statement that He was “bread that came down out of heaven”. He uses that phrase four times in the verses mentioned above. He uses another phrase twice that helps us understand the passage; “I will raise him up on the last day.”

Verse 51 is key to understanding what He means. Notice He speaks of “eating this bread”. That means to believe in Him as our Savior. He also describes the bread as His flesh which He will give for the life of the world. He is speaking there of His death on the cross. Christ knew in every detail how and when His death would take place.

We also think of bread as sustenance. We must eat in order to survive physically. We also need to eat spiritually so that we may grow spiritually. It is a good habit to study God’s Word daily. Real study is more than just reading; it is learning. Effectively studying God’s Word requires a three step process. First, we must observe what the text says. Next we must interpret what it means and finally we must apply it to our lives. Using that formula has been very effective for me and I encourage you to try it.

The other phrase Jesus repeats is “I will raise him up on the last day.” Notice the “him” is not capitalized (v. 44, 54). That helps us understand He is talking about those who “eat this bread” or who come to trust Him as their Savior. If we have done that we can be assured of spending eternity in heaven with Him. I Thessalonians 4:16-17 states it very clearly “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

I am gratefully for the confidence God has give me that I can look forward to eternity with Him.

Jesus Interaction With The People

John 6:26-40

There are several truths in this passage that Jesus shares with the people that are important. Notice in v. 27 He urges them to make a priority of concentrating on things that matter eternally. In America today there is a tremendous temptation to value the material more than the eternal. We tend to concentrate on gaining wealth, enjoying daily pleasures, and neglect our spiritual lives. Our priorities are reversed.

Secondly Jesus again tells the people that the most important thing we can do is to “believe in Him whom He has sent” (v. 29). The people mistakenly believed they could work their way to heaven, as so many do today. They mistakenly thought obedience to the law was required to gain eternal life.

He also shares in v. 37-39 that He and the Father are sovereign. Notice He says “all that the Father gives Me shall come to me”. He and the Father know who will trust Him as their Savior. That speaks to the irresistible work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that draws us to Himself. Notice He says in v. 39 “of all that He has given Me I lose nothing”. Later, in John 10:28, He says “no one shall snatch them out of My hand”. Once we have made the decision to accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior we are eternally secure in Him.

Finally, He assures all Christians that although we may die physically He will raise us up to spend eternity with Him. For that reason the Christian has a different perspective of death than the non-Christian. When we die we simply pass into a greater eternal relationship with our God. The psalmist says in Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.” I think that’s why Psalm 23:4 talks about death as a shadow. God looks at death very differently than we do. Although it is difficult to leave our loved ones here on earth, we look forward to that enhanced relationship with our heavenly Father.

These thoughts have been of great comfort to me as I’ve worked through the death of my parents and others I love. I pray that they may comfort you also.

Feeding of the Five Thousand

John 6:1-14

This miracle is one of the few that is recorded in all four gospels. There is much we can learn from it. First of all we are reminded of the need for rest. When Mark (6:32) records this miracle he explains that Jesus and His disciples went to a “lonely place” to rest. Our lives are so busy that often we don’t get adequate physical, mental, or spiritual rest. That causes us to be less than maximally effective in many areas of our life.

We also see that Jesus was sensitive to the needs around Him and was willing to change His plans to accommodate those needs. He saw a great multitude that needed to be taught and that needed to be fed. He also saw this as another opportunity to teach His disciples that He would provide for them. It is interesting to note in Mark 6:7-12 that when He sent the disciples out to witness He instructed them to “take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belt” because He wanted them to learn that as they exercised their faith He would provide for them. Now they would see Him provide abundantly for the needs of the crowd.

Why do you think the Bible records that there were twelve baskets of leftovers? Notice that He says “that nothing may be lost”. I think this is a caution about being wasteful or not using God’s provision to the fullest extent. We are to value the resources God provides for us and use them wisely. Secondly, I think these leftovers are also proof of God’s abundant provision. We can always trust Him to take care of our needs.

Notice that the people really did not understand; they tried to force Him to become their king so that He could always provide for them. As we read this account in the book of Mark, we see that the disciples even missed the miracle. Mark 6:51-52 explains that shortly after this miracle they were out on the sea of Galilee when the wind came up and He came to them and calmed the water the disciples were “greatly astonished” because “they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.” We need to be alert for the lessons God is teaching us as we go about our lives.