The Gospel Series Part 8a

TEACHINGS AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES (BOOTHS)

Mixed reaction to Jesus' teaching and miracles (Jn 7:11-31)

Jn 7:11 Jesus (as a Jew) would be required to attend the feast. The rulers knew that and wondered where He was.

Jn 7:12 There are always many opinions of who Jesus is.

Jn 7:13 The people were afraid to speak openly because of the leadership. This is a bad thing.

The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe. (Proverbs 29:25)

Jn 7:15 "having never studied" - We put too much emphasis on seminary and formal training, just as they did then. The people were curious since Jesus hadn't attended a formal seminary. The Rabbi's came with credentials, Jesus didn't (at least from man). Jesus gives His credentials in verse 16, and His seminary plan in verse 17.

Jn 7:17 "If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority." Instead of formal training in a classroom, if you are devoted to God and seek His will, you will know right doctrine from wrong; the Spirit will teach you. Formal training is OK, but we must not let it be a hindrance to the work of the spirit, or place some people ahead of others just because they have a degree on the wall.

Jn 7:18 Think of TV preachers and their "ministry" - who gets the glory? Where do they speak from according to this verse? Enough said.

Jn 7:19-20 The Pharisees of course were plotting to kill him - Mt 12:14, 26:4, Mk 3:6, Jn 11:53. The world doesn't want to hear the truth, but it openly accepts deception. Mention Jesus and start a riot - mention Buddha and people call you enlightened.

Jn 7:21-24 Recall the early part of John 5; Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath. The Pharisees held no work could be done on the Sabbath, and medical help was considered work. You could do what was necessary to preserve life, but nothing more. Jesus points out they routinely break the Sabbath if they needed to in order to keep the law of circumcision. Isn't healing a man more important than the law? Religion verses a relationship. The law always leaves you empty.

Jn 7:27 A tradition had developed among the Jews the Messiah would just burst on the scene and deliver them, but of course that is not biblical, just a tradition.

Lesson: Your Hour

Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. (John 7:30)

This is a very comforting verse, for in it we have a key to victorious living. Previously in the Gospels, we have seen how the Pharisees sought to kill Him for what they perceived were violations of the law. In this verse, we see they actually tried to take Him, but were unable to. Why? His hour had not yet come. (John 2:4, 7:30, 8:20) There will be a time when his hour will come (John 12:23, 13:1, 17:1). But a question arises - could Jesus have been killed accidentally in a boating accident? No. His life was proceeding according to a plan.

Just as an example, let's look at the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. At the last supper, was Jesus caught off guard? No. He announces the fact someone will betray Him. Naturally, the disciples wanted to know exactly which one it was. I wonder what Judas was thinking of at this point? In any event, Jesus forces the hand of Judas by identifying him as the betrayer. The Pharisees didn't want to take Jesus during the feast; not only was it Passover, but with a large crowd on hand it could have started a riot. No, they wanted to deal with the Jesus issue quietly and privately. But Jesus forces the issue. Who is in control here?

Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it." And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly." (John 13:26-27)

The plan is out! Judas must have run to the leaders and told them Jesus knows our plan - what will we do now? They decide to move quickly, being afraid Jesus might reveal their plan. Later in John 18 (in the garden), the troops come to arrest Jesus and Jesus goes forward (verse 40) and confronts them! Who is in control here? After He identifies Himself as the I AM and the troops pick themselves off the ground (verse 6), He again challenges them with "Who do you seek?". When they say Jesus, He responds:

Jesus answered, "I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way," (John 18:8)

The word "let" doesn't give quite the right flavor. Let means to send away or dismiss[1]. But more importantly, it's in the aorist imperative active voice. That means it's a command given to the troops to let the disciples go. Who is in control here?

So we know Jesus is in control, what does this have to do with me? Exactly the same principle applies to your life as to Jesus. Your life is proceeding according to a plan. Nothing can happen to you except the Lord allows it; we know this from the book of Job.

So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? "Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. (Job 1:9-10)

Of course, Job didn't have the knowledge we have, the events of chapter one and two. And therein lies the root of our problem; we don't know what is going on. The difference between Jesus and us is we don't know the end from the beginning as He does. You may say, if I knew what was going to happen I could be calm, but I don't. Actually, that's not entirely true. Early on in my mathematical career I learned an interesting principle: the answers are in the back of the book. Not all the answers, but enough answers for me to figure out what I needed to know. The Bible is no different; the answers are in the back!

Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. hey went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:7-10)

Who is in control here?

Just as Jesus, there is a plan for our life, and our days are numbered. But a heresy can develop if we take this idea too far; if God will protect us, let's all go walk in front of a train (or some similar stupid idea). If you choose that path, you will quickly decide your days are shorter than you thought. We must never tempt God. The passage at the end of Mark leading to this error is greatly misunderstood.

"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mark 16:17-18)

I've heard of some groups who actually pass around poison and snakes during their services; I'm sure their fellowships remain small. It's not wise to tempt God; that's not what this verse means. Yes, you are under divine protection and this promise is true, but is it a blank check to act as you wish? Of course not. This comes just after Jesus tells the disciples to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel". It does NOT apply to just anything we want to do, it means as we do the Lord's work, we can be assured His work will be done. If you recall on one of Paul's shipwrecks, as they get to the island, a snake leaps out and attacks Paul (Acts 28:3). The natives expected Paul to fall over dead, but he just "shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm". Paul had a mission to complete, and nothing satan could throw at him was going to stop the Lord from having Paul complete his mission. We are assured of the same thing; nothing can stop us from completing what the Lord wants us to do. This doesn't mean we will have an easy life (Paul didn't); some people are called to extremely difficult areas to minister in. The promise of protection does not imply an easy life, only that we will accomplish what the Lord calls us to, in spite of the opposition.

But maybe I know this intellectually, but how do I apply this practically? As they tried to take Jesus, they were unable to because His hour had not yet come. No matter what trials we go through, nothing can happen until the Father decrees it. Jesus knew this. The hard part is having the faith to believe it. It's not what you know, it's who you know - so the question is, how big is your God? My God has the power to accomplish anything.

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? (Jeremiah 32:27)

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. (2 Chronicles 16:9)

We are called to one thing, trust in the Lord.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; (Proverbs 3:5)

That's the key. Our own understanding pales in comparison to God's.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

You can apply this to anything. Why did I lose my job? Why are my finances in such a mess? Why am I sick? It doesn't matter. We must trust in the Lord, that is what we are called to do. If we do our part, He promises to do His. We have a mistaken idea we should understand everything; it's an error we get from the sciences, where we strive to know all. But sometimes the answer is simply "I don't know"; it's not a dodge of the question, it's a real answer. If God is all powerful and has all knowledge, doesn't He know some things we can't?

Trust in the Lord - He is in control.

Jn 7:31 The people were convinced by the miracles.

Frustrated attempt to arrest Jesus (Jn 7:32-52)

Jn 7:32-34 Again, the Pharisees are frustrated in their attempt to take Jesus. But Jesus says where He is going they cannot go. Where is He going? To heaven. But the Pharisees will die in their legalism and religion. Jesus is the most anti-religious person ever to walk the face of the earth. Before Him was a group who (even by today's standards) were extremely religious. But in these verses, Jesus says they won't make it to heaven. Religion is man's attempt to fix himself up to God. Christianity is God reaching out to man. Big difference.

Jn 7:35-36 As they were blinded to just who was before them, they had no idea what He meant by His previous statement. If they had known, they would have been outraged.

Jn 7:37-38 This is the last day of the feast. Big deal. But let Jon Courson explain the significance of the timing.

To commemorate the miraculous provision of water [during the wilderness wanderings], a procession of priests would draw water from the pool of Siloam and pour it out on the floor of the Temple courtyard during each day of the Feast. On the eighth day, the last day, the great day of the Feast, however, the priests would return from the pool of Siloam with empty vessels, signifying that when the Israelites entered the Promised Land, water from the rock was no longer needed[2].

So as the priests were bringing their empty vessels to the Temple, Jesus was pointing out how to get the real water. The priest's ceremony commemorated the provision of the Lord during the wandering in the wilderness. You may recall two events where the Lord provides water from the rock for the people. The first time, Moses struck the rock and the water came forth. The second time he was to speak to the rock for the water to come forth. We know the rock that followed them was Christ (1 Cor 10:4). The first event pictures the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as he was smitten for our sins. But the second is the interesting picture. How do we get the living water? Just ask for it.

Here before the people was the rock that followed them in the wilderness. All they had to do was ask for water again. But they were too stubborn and hard-hearted.

Jn 7:40-42 Many opinions of Jesus.

Jn 7:42-44 The people did not understand the background of Jesus. Had they taken the time to check it out, they would have found out He fulfilled all the prophecies. We face the same situation today. When talking to people, many won't take the time to look at the evidence. I'm not asking people to take a blind leap of faith, just look at my evidence. If you reject Jesus, so be it. Not a wise choice, but it's yours to make. But the attitude is don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up (not very open-minded). And yet what will they believe? From the goo to the zoo to you. Strange.

Jn 7:49 The Pharisees thought very highly of themselves. They had pride, and pride comes before a fall.

Jn 7:52 Wrong! There are prophets from Galilee. Jonah and Nahum.

Jesus' forgiveness of an adulteress (Jn 7:53-8:11)

We now move into a great chapter in the book of John. In this chapter we see:

Now that your attention is (hopefully) peaked, let's dive in. It's a great chapter and a whole lot of fun. Stick with us, it's going to be like Mr. Toad's wild ride at Disneyland.

Jn 7:53-8:1 Everyone goes to their house but Jesus. He had nowhere to go.

And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Matt. 8:20 (NKJV)

Jn 8:2 This is after the feast was over. Some people were still around, listening to the teaching of Jesus. "Early" means very early in the morning, perhaps before sunrise!

Jn 8:3-4 This was obviously a setup. Where was the man involved? Was he involved in the scheme to trap Jesus?

Jn 8:5 They were partly right. The law required BOTH to be stoned. They only brought half the crime!

'The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death. (Lev. 20:10 NKJV)

"If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die--the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel. "If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbor's wife; so you shall put away the evil from among you. (Deut. 22:22-24 NKJV)

Jn 8:6 They had hoped to put Jesus in a no-win situation. If He said not to stone her, He would be nullifying the Law of Moses. But if He said to stone her, He would have conflict with the Romans, since the ability to perform capital punishment had been taken away from the Jews by the Roman government. By recommending stoning her, Jesus would be inciting an insurrection against Rome. Rome would take a dim view of that.

What did Jesus write on the ground? Volumes are written speculating, but among the possibilities are:

Jesus wrote "with His finger". Why would this statement be included? Does it really matter if He used a finger, stick, or a rock? Remember that John is a mystic; reading the book of Revelation it's clear. But his Gospel is no less mystical - we'll see it many times from here on out. It's possible he is referring to Exodus 31:8.

And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. (Ex. 31:18)

Here again in John's Gospel, we see the finger of God writing.

Jn 8:7 They kept pushing Him for an answer, so He provides one. As we have seen during the impeachment trial this is one of the most misused verses in the Bible; many people used this verse to dismiss the misconduct of our President. But many problems exist with that idea. Some Bibles have the subtitle "Jesus forgives and adulterous woman" or something equivalent. But that's not true; He upholds the law, if He hadn't the Pharisees would have had grounds to accuse Him. To use this as an excuse to dismiss the just penalty for immorality is pathetic - It ignores Jesus' last words to this woman ("go your way, and sin no more" - more on that later), and it shows a misunderstanding of the Greek here. The Greek word for 'without' does not imply completely without sin, rather it means only a particular kind of sin[3]. The point is made these men were guilty of the same sin they accused the woman of. Of course, in regards to our congress during the impeachment trial, many of them perhaps did have the same sin as the President and were afraid to stand up for fear their own misdeeds would be revealed. It shows how morally and ethically bankrupt our leaders are. Sigh.

Jn 8:8 The finger of God writes again. Big deal? John is a mystic. Twice God wrote the 10 commandments. (Exodus 34:1). Twice Jesus writes on the ground. It's no coincidence.

Jn 8:9 Whatever it was Jesus wrote, it made a BIG impact on these people. How big an impact do the words of God have in your life?

Jn 8:10 No witnesses were left. This is of critical importance to understand this story, and it's frequent misapplication.

Jn 8:11 She calls Jesus "Lord" - Could she have been saved? In any event, she escapes her just punishment for her sin on a legal technicality. Jesus couldn't have condemned her according to the law for two reasons. First, in Deuteronomy 19:15, two witnesses were required to convict a person; there were none left. Secondly, the witnesses were required to throw the first stones (Deuteronomy 17:7). Since neither requirement could be met, she escapes the just punishment for her sin.

This verse illustrates how misused this story is. Jesus did not just ignore her sin, He tells her to "go your way and sin no more". This idea was lost during our recent impeachment charade. How often did we hear "he who is without sin, cast the first stone"? - as if we should pretend the sin didn't exist, or shouldn't be dealt with. But Jesus NEVER invalidated the Law of Moses - it still stands. She was commanded to sin no more; this is the main point for this story. Again, this fails for our President. If he had truly followed the words of Jesus we wouldn't have even had an impeachment trial, for he would have had no more affairs. Remember the campaign of 1992? 1996? How many stories emerged about affairs involving our current President? Clearly, the words of Jesus have not been followed, all while giving lip service to them (but only if the polls say to).

This story illustrates how people see in the Bible what they want to see. The people in this country have seen an excuse for repetitive immoral conduct, and completely missed the teaching. Go your way and sin no more. The issue is genuine, sincere repentance - not repentance for the sake of the polls. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - that's never the issue. Repentance is. Changing the lifestyle is. Morality is. But we must remember the corruption and immorality of Washington is NOT the problem - it's a mirror of the state of the country, and its casual attitude about responsibility, morality and accountability. This is not just a democratic or republican issue, the immoral conduct is on both sides of the isle. We are all guilty for the lack of morality in this country, as it slips farther and farther away from "one nation, under God". But God provides a way for our country to get back on track.

if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

What we need is for the church in America to take a stand.

Conflict over Jesus' claim to be the light of the world (Jn 8:12-20)

Jn 8:12 This is the second "I AM" statement in John. To understand its significance, some groundwork in the Old Testament is required.

So at the time Jesus walked in Jerusalem, the Jews were living in darkness. But the light was prophesied to return.

"The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended." (Isa. 60:19-20)

If that sounds familiar, it should - it's similar to Revelation 21:23-24. The Jews were expecting the glory of God to return, and Jesus stands and says I AM the light of the world. The glory of God had returned to the temple, and the people didn't recognize it.

The word for "light" is phos, which means a light never kindled and never extinguished[4]. It's the same word used in 1 John 1:5,7 (God is light), 1 John 2:8-10, Rev 18:23, 21:24, 22:5 and elsewhere.

Lesson: There are NO errors in the Bible

As we journey through the book of John, we come to chapter eight. This is a fun chapter for lots of reasons, but we also have a problem. When we get to verse 13, the Pharisees don't like what Jesus is saying; they refer back to John 5:31, where Jesus says testimony on His own is invalid; two witnesses are required for testimony to be valid. But Jesus says His testimony is valid. Putting these two verses next to each other yields something interesting that could be easily missed.

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. (John 5:31)

Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. (John 8:14)

We have a contradiction! Both statements can't be true can they, since they are opposites? So what do we do? First, we don't panic - we know the Bible has no errors. So if we find an "error", we know it's our understanding that's the problem, not the Bible. So rejoice! We are about to expand our understanding as we journey along, as well as learn a valuable lesson about other groups who claim to be Christians who don't quite believe the same theology as the traditional Christian does. This opportunity to deepen our understanding is a good thing. Take a deep breath and enjoy!

The Bible has no errors; if the Bible is true, both statements MUST be true. How can we explain this? Simple. They both are true. Naturally, skeptics will pounce on this as illogical rhetoric in order to claim the Bible is without errors. How can such apparently opposite statements be true?

In John 5:31, Jesus says His own testimony by itself is not valid. This is what the law said - by two or more witnesses is a thing confirmed. The Pharisees are bringing up this point as Jesus speaks; they know what He said a few chapters earlier. So when Jesus speaks on His own authority, they pounce on Him as any good skeptic would; He is contradicting Himself. The modern day skeptics still jump on this issue, in fact, they say it's one of the most glaring, obvious proofs Jesus is not God, and the Bible is not written by God, only man who makes mistakes.

We must remember the whole counsel of God; it explains this apparent problem. The Bible is the best commentary you have. If Jesus speaks on His own, His testimony is not valid, as John 5:31 says. How then can His testimony be valid, as He says in chapter eight? Easy. He doesn't speak on His own, since Jesus and the Father are one.

I and My Father are one. (John 10:30)

It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me." John 8:17-18

It's the trinity that explains how both statements are true. Yes, according to the law it takes two witnesses to establish the facts; that's the point of John 5:31. But since Jesus and the Father are one, we have two witnesses - separate yet one God. To firmly establish the idea of the trinity, remember the events during the baptism of Jesus.

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matt. 3:16 through Matt. 3:17 (NKJV)

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Three distinct persons, yet one God.

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! (Deut. 6:4)

In conclusion, If Jesus speaks on his own, His testimony is not valid (John 5:31). But He doesn't speak alone (John 10:30, 8:17-18), therefore His testimony is valid. (John 8:14).

So, no problem exists here. But what does this have to do with other religious groups using the Bible? If you reject the idea of the trinity, you do have a contradiction in the Bible. There is no way out. Groups denying the deity of Jesus Christ make many mistakes, but among them are they can't explain these two verses from John.

Jn 8:19 It's getting ugly, they call Jesus an illegitimate son. Jesus will explain about their parentage later in the chapter.

Jn 8:20 The phrase "His hour not yet come" pops up again. Things are proceeding according to plan.

Jn 8:21 The Pharisees are NOT saved. Jesus goes to heaven, they cannot come - religion and works can't cut it. If they did, the Pharisees would be saved, since they were the most religious people alive (even by today's standards). So when Jesus says to be saved, your righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees, what does He mean? Are we to be better at following the law? Of course not. Works can not save you - Jesus makes that point clear. Yet we MUST have a righteousness exceeding that of the Pharisees to be saved. TILT! How do we do that? By having God's righteousness accounted to us by faith in Jesus Christ. That's Paul's argument in Romans, using the example of Abraham, who lived BEFORE the law existed, so Abraham's righteousness can not be from the law.

Jn 8:22 They only think of the physical, not the spiritual.

Jn 8:23 Jesus clears up their misunderstanding.

Jn 8:24 The word "He" doesn't really appear - it has been added by the translators. It should read "if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins." Who is Jesus? Is He

All of those are true, but if you miss Jesus is the "I AM" - God Himself who visited us (John 1:14) - you are off enough in your theology to spend eternity in hell.

Jon Courson provides a story that illustrates how critical this issue is. Suppose during our meeting a stranger walks into our room, takes out a grenade and throws it on the ground. Everyone is frozen in the room, but not me - I leap into action. Faster than you can imagine, I rush into my daughter's room, grab her and throw her on top of the grenade lying on the floor. Boom - everyone is saved. What would you think? Kind of a mean thing, isn't it? Why would I sacrifice someone else for something I wouldn't do myself? Exactly!

If Jesus is just a created being, not God Himself, it makes God a mean person doesn't it?

Recall in Genesis chapter 22 (during Abraham's test), as Isaac and Abraham walk up the mountain to sacrifice to the Lord, Isaac brings up a good question: We have the wood, but where is the sacrifice? And remember Abraham's response: "My son, God will provide himself a lamb". And two thousand years later on that very spot, God did provide himself as a sacrifice for sin. You may think this is splitting hairs, but Abraham knew he was acting out some future event, "Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah jireh: as it is said this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen." (Genesis 22:14)

Jn 8:25 The Pharisees still don't understand who Jesus is. In response to their query, Jesus responds He is who He has been saying all along. Nothing is different. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). As the remainder of this chapter progresses, they will show their misunderstanding again.

Jn 8:28 "lift up" refers to crucifixion. When they do that, they will know Jesus is the "I AM" - again, the word 'He' has been inserted by the translators.

Jn 8:29 Jesus always does things which please the Father. As we strive to become more like Jesus, more of our life should be pleasing to the Father also.

Relationship to Abraham, and attempted stoning (Jn 8:31-59)

Jn 8:31-32 Another one of those famous misquoted verses. All we hear is "you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free". I've even seen some high schools use it as a graduation theme. That is, of course, a tragic mistake; they miss the first word in the verse - And. 'And' is a conjunction that ties two thoughts together, in this case, verse 31 and 32. In verse 31 Jesus is speaking of two things: abiding in my word and being my disciples. Only then does He say "you shall know the truth...". This promise is NOT about college or any other higher education. It's about studying the Word, and how the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.

Jn 8:33 The Pharisees are confused. They say they have never been in bondage to anyone. Oh really? As they speak this, who is in control of Israel? Rome. And they must have forgotten about Babylon and others who conquered Israel in the past. But don't let a small thing like the facts interfere with what you believe.

Jn 8:34-36 "whoever commits sin is a slave to sin". One of the big lies about sin is you can quit anytime you want. As a person takes the next drink they say "I can quit anytime I want to, I just don't want to". Wrong. If you're in sin, you're a slave to it. And a slave has no choice in the matter. The only way out is through the blood of Jesus who frees us from sin. Paul gives us a commentary on this in Romans.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. (Romans 7:14-19)

Notice the term of slavery Paul uses: sold. If you sin, you are a slave to it; it has become your master. This was Paul's situation. He wanted to do good, but he couldn't because he was a slave to sin. He concludes that in his body nothing good is found. This is in direct contradiction to the psychologists who say man is basically good, and has been corrupted by his environment. Put a person in a perfect environment and we would have a world filled with peace and happiness. They'll get their way during the millennium when Jesus reigns, and will find out to their surprise exactly what Paul says here: man is not good, there is nothing good in us. But getting back to Paul, at this point he realizes his situation and is filled with despair because sin leads to death (Romans 3:23).

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24)

And then immediately answers the question he posed.

I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:25)

We are all slaves to sin, and the only way out is through Jesus Christ. Self-help books don't cut it.

Jn 8:37 As we proceed through the next few verses, we must make several distinctions to avoid confusion. The first is between descendant and child; in this passage they are not the same. The Pharisees were Abraham's descendants but not his children. How is this? Descendant refers to the genetic line. In that case, the Pharisees were genetically linked to Abraham. But Abraham's children refer to a spiritual connection; this the Pharisees lacked. Paul makes this point in Galatians also.

just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. (Gal 3:6-9)

The Pharisees were confused about which is which - they speak of the physical, Jesus speaks of the spiritual.

Jn 8:38 Jesus hints that He doesn't consider the Pharisees to be Abraham's children. He points to their being a product of another father.

Jn 8:39-41 The Pharisees see Abraham as their father. That's true physically, but not spiritually. Jesus will enlighten them to their spiritual father shortly. It's their spiritual father whose work they seek to do. Then it gets ugly; if you missed the allusion to Jesus' questionably parentage earlier in the chapter, you won't miss this one: they call Him an illegitimate child ("we were not born of fornication"). To stand toe to toe with the creator of the universe and call Him a bastard is not a good idea. Notice their pride come out "we have one father, God". Yet they were deceived. Jesus corrects their deception in a few verses.

"if you were Abraham's children" - They aren't even though they are Abraham's descendants. Another clue that children and descendant are two different things.

Jn 8:42-43 They are not able to understand, they have been blinded.

Jn 8:44 The gloves are off! Jesus tells them point blank - they are of their father the devil.

Jn 8:45 They refused to hear the truth, since satan is the father of lies. We see much of that today; don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up. People don't want to hear the truth. "Freethinking" is a term thrown about frequently, but it really is just a synonym for atheist. The alleged "freethinkers" are some of the most closed-minded people I've ever come across.

Jn 8:46 "Which of you convicts Me of sin?" - In other words, Jesus asks them to show Him where He is in error. And if they can't, why don't they believe Him?

Jn 8:47 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor 2:14)

Jn 8:51 A wild claim. Jesus speaks spiritually, they understand physically.

Jn 8:53 Who do you make yourself out to be? They specifically ask Jesus who He is. This is important for anyone who believes Jesus didn't claim to be God. His claim comes in a few verses in response to this question.

Jn 8:58 Jesus is the "I AM" - they one who spoke from the burning bush. In the previous verses Jesus has mentioned His pre-existence, how Abraham rejoiced to see Him. Is this unclear? The Pharisees understood it, because in the next verse they pick up stones to stone Him. They understood at least what Jesus is claiming - there is no doubt Jesus claimed to be God. In spite of all their problems, at least the Pharisees understood what Jesus claimed to be. The freethinkers today haven't made it that far yet.

[1] Zodhiates page 889

[2] Courson, Jon John Volume III page 18

[3] Zodhiates page 882

[4] Zodhiates page 945

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The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 KJV)