Month: March 2021

John 9.39

The term Pharisee has become associated with a particular vocabulary. Legalism, intransigent, accusative, unbending, bitter, unforgiving are all words that many would recognize as applying to a Pharisee. They also exhibited spiritual blindness and self -righteousness and these traits prevent them from understanding spiritual truth even when presented with first hand evidence. This is despite deep scriptural knowledge and religious conviction. Jesus described the Pharisees as those who could see becoming blind.  How then can a seeker after God guard against becoming as the Pharisees or be saved from those attitudes once they are adopted?

Jonathan Edwards a 18^th Century revivalist wrote, “One under the influence of spiritual pride is more apt to instruct others, than to enquire for himself, and naturally puts on airs of a master. Whereas one that is full of humility, naturally has on the air of a disciple.” (Thoughts on the New England Revival, Vol 1)

It is unfair to tarnish all Pharisees with the same brush and beyond redemption. Nicodemus was a genuine enquirer and unafraid to defend Jesus. Saul who became Paul was transformed from the man who describes himself as the greatest of sinners, to the greatest New Testament evangelist and church planter.

The Pharisees in John 9 displayed attitudes that every mission minded Christian should be prepared to encounter and to be self- aware of lest they also find themselves reflecting them should they look in the mirror. James warned Christians to be, ‘doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in the mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he looks like.’ ^{James 1.22-24}

The Pharisees in John 9 were suspicious of Jesus and looking for ways to disprove and discredit Jesus’ act of mercy in healing the blind man. ^{v 9.15} They were looking for reasons to accuse and confirm their superiority. This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath’ ^v9.16 They leapt to conclusions and made preemptive decisions. The parents of the healed man were afraid of the Pharisees because, ‘the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue,’ ^{v 9.22} There were some who were more open minded, ‘others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs”?’  ^v16b However, they were either ignored or overridden. When faced with rational arguments they became intimidatory, ^vv22&24 abusive ^v28 and pronounced false reasons for superiority. ^v28 They finally took vindictive action in excommunicating the healed man with the intention of preventing others from becoming a disciple of Jesus.

In Saul of Tarsus we see an example of a proud zealous Pharisee being physically blinded to overcome his spiritual blindness. (Acts 9.3-9) Having been humbled, by the work of God within him, the Spirit continued to create a humble, faithful and highly loving example for ourselves.

If the Pharisees teach us that spiritual pride is a real danger, how can we guard against it?

Let Your Love Come Down – Noel and Tricia Richards

John 9.1-12

If we have experienced God touching our lives in a way that we could not explain in another way, how have we reacted? For some this may have been a dramatic healing where medical services were not involved. Other’s report a vision and this seems to particularly occur in the Islamic world. I cannot know your experience although I have listened to many personal accounts of various sorts. For a lot of people, they will not have personally experienced that form of God’s touch in their lives. They may have experienced God through a combination of other people ministering to them, from learning and reflection, from experience of life’s events and opportunities arising. Frequently God’s involvement in our lives takes us by surprise and may be initiated simply by what someone says to us unbidden.

The blind man in Chapter 9 probably started his day the same as all his others, preparing his begging bowl and finding his usual place at the road side. He may have heard rumours of Jesus but in this case, there is no record of him calling out. But his presence prompted a question from Jesus’ disciples that has often been asked and is still prevalent in common conversation. Many people casually attribute misfortune to previous sin by saying things like, ‘I must have been very bad some time before’. Somehow the disciples had gathered the man was born blind and asked Jesus if that was due to the man’s sin or his parents, falsely believing that God punishes people in this punitive way.

Jesus’ response was that the man had always been in God’s mind to be a sign. In his case not just a sign for him but for all. God was going to use him to testify to who Jesus was and what his mission in the world was. He was a living metaphor. ^{John 9.3}  The bigger picture would have not have been part of the man’s thinking even though it was in Jesus’ mind. We will return to the metaphor and sign on a later day, today we are thinking from the man’s perspective.

The next thing the man knew, Jesus was applying mud to his eyes made from saliva and earth. There was nothing supernatural about either, it was symbolic. Still blind he heard Jesus say go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. Jesus was using a play on words here, Siloam means sent and the man was being sent but Jesus was also sent by God the Father. At this point what the man did is crucial. He was obedient and went. He acted in faith, believing Jesus. He was the living definition of faith. Archaeologists identified this pool in 2004. The aqueduct leading to the pool was part of the major water system King Hezekiah developed in 2 Kings 20.20. (NIV Study Bible 2011)

He then had a journey home the like of which he would never have had before. I wonder how he found his way or whether he was accompanied by astonished people seeing everything for the first time. He must have been bubbling over with joy and thrilled by Jesus. He was first of all confronted by astonished neighbours scarcely believing he was the same man they knew as blind. ^{John 9.8-10} He responded simply and honestly and gave a straight forward account. He is an excellent example of how we should speak about our experiences of God in our lives. ^{John 9.11-12}

We then see his faith develop and his resolve strengthen as he is subject to firstly questioning, then abuse and finally expulsion from the temple. His responses showed physical sight had been followed by a depth of spiritual sight that was beyond the Jewish leaders. I am reminded of Paul’s words to the Corinthians, ‘Brothers and sisters, consider who you were when God called you to salvation. Not many of you were wise scholars by human standards, nor were many of you in positions of power. Not many of you were considered the elite when you answered God’s call.’ ^{1 Corinthians 1.26} This unnamed man is an amazing example to us all.

Have you given thanks for the first time you encountered Jesus?

Do you ask God for the strength of mind to openly, boldly tell your story?

Do you pray that God will reveal himself to people you know, opening blind eyes?

Light a Candle in the Darkness – Garth Hewitt

John 8.39-59

They believed their ancestry set them apart and above others. They considered they had superior insight. They were a purer race. They had the right to forcibly impose their will on who they chose, up to and including killing whoever they thought opposed their will. They were confident that any behaviour was justified to ensure continued superiority and power. They rejected kindness as weakness and would truck no difference of opinion. Who could these people be and what type of state would they live in? Is it apartheid South Africa, Nazi Germany, North Korea, the Spanish Inquisition, Communist Rumania, European Colonial Powers? Is it possible that such attitudes could only have prevailed in the ancient past as humans have morally evolved and such attitudes are now universally abhorrent. Sadly, we know this is not true and that no society is immune from this type of influence because the human heart is inherently prone to what the Bible terms sin and this influences not just individuals but societies as a whole.

In fact, I am not meaning a contemporary group even though the listing could go on extensively.  I am speaking of the Jewish religious leaders who were the religious aristocracy and were more concerned with protecting their privileges and sense of entitlement than they were in discovering the fulfillment to their own historic prophecies. They claimed their ancestry set them apart and above others ^{John 8.33} as descendants of Abraham. Jesus challenged them over their behaviour and understanding if they claimed to be the offspring of Abraham, making a spiritual distinction to their genetic one. ‘If you were Abraham’s children you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.’ ^{John 8.29-41} Jesus was making the point that their conduct was the work of the devil not like Abraham who was the Father of faith and the promise of the Messiah. Jesus stood before them having been sent by God the Father, ^{John 8.40} having given them a multitude of signs that he was from God through healing and their response was seeking to kill him. They saw mercy as weakness and were threatened by superior insight into the Old Testament scriptures.

At that point they resorted to what many supremacists do, they made sexual smears as a form of demeaning their enemy. ‘We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father – even God.’ ^John8.41 The Jewish leaders were trapped in their own dogma and had become incapable of accepting the truth, not for intellectual reasons but because spiritual rejection had hardened their hearts. Jesus words were, ‘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.’ ^{John 8.46-47}

At this point they turned to three additional smears common to supremacists. Racial, spiritual and mental deficiencies. ‘The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon”?’ Jesus did not directly answer but countered with a crucial issue, whose glory does he seek. The Jewish leaders by implication were seeking their own, he was seeking the Fathers. By attacking him however they were attacking the Father. The bottom line is the true identity of Jesus, they were unable to recognize who Jesus was and is. Jesus could not deny his Father and now spoke plainly about his identity. Although the Jewish leaders claimed the Father as God they were unable to recognize his works. ‘It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, “He is our God”. But you have not known him. I know him.’ ^{John 8.54-55} Jesus then openly confessed his divinity by using for himself the holy name of God. ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ ^{John 8.58} 

Have we searched ourselves to see if there are any spiritual or other forms of arrogance within us?

Does our own seeking after glory obstruct our vision of God’s glory?

Do we actively oppose all forms of supremacy within our society?

John 8.31-38

Let me ask you a question, Who do you serve? I can hear an answer, “I don’t serve anybody, I am a free person.” Freedom is still a huge issue. Modern western culture teaches us to aspire to independence, freedom and self-determination, the internal dialogue is, as long as it doesn’t harm anybody else satisfying myself is good. This frequently carries with it a naïve perspective about what constitutes harming others.

For a great deal of the world even political or freedom of thought and expression may be an aspiration that has little relation to reality. Consider the countries where blasphemy laws carry a death penalty, political opposition attracts prison, torture and possibly death. Economic oppression inflicts slavery on vast numbers, India the largest democracy in the world has an estimated 14 to 18 million slaves. (Wikipedia 21.10.18) A great deal of slavery is driven by the desire for cheap products to satisfy western freedom to pursue materialism with little thought of the hidden harm it is causing.

Freedom then remains a massive current issue and at the heart of it lies the heart, or core values of individuals.

John chapter 8 contains three huge statements by Jesus, they are so outspoken that as C.S Lewis said there can only be three alternatives, Jesus is either who he says he is – God, mad or bad. The statements are :

• ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ ^v12
• ‘If you abide in my word … you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ ^vv32,33
• ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. ^v58

When Jesus speaks of freedom he means freedom from the slavery of sin. All slavery arises in one way or another from people’s compulsion to sin, ‘everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.’ ^v34 No one is naturally free from that compulsion even if we do give in to the extremes of it. Denial of that is common even in the face of obvious evidence. The Jewish crowd said, ‘We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved.’ This is the nation that had been 400 years in slavery in Egypt, Northern Israel had been overrun by Assyria and the vast numbers deported as slaves throughout their empire and Judah had only relatively recently returned from enslavement in Babylon and they were currently living under the control of Rome. A feature of sin is to deny the truth of sin.

Jesus was promising liberation from the control of sin and the eternal consequences of sin. This is what he meant by, ‘If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed’ ^v36 Obedience to the word of God is the means by which we can live in his freedom. ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ ^vv31,32 God’s word, or scripture, is God’s means by which we are empowered to live as his disciples. The Spirit of God will use his word to guide us into his truth and that will bear fruit in our lives. ‘When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.’ ^{John 16.13}

Paul says, ‘For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.’ ^{Galatians 5.13} James says, ‘Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.’ ^{James 1.18}Have you experience the reality that knowing Jesus and obeying his teaching is what delivers true freedom?

Do you spend time reading, reflecting and praying about God’s word so he can work out his freedom in you?

Bob Dylan – Gotta Serve Somebody

John 8.13-30

Heartbreak for many Christians is when those around them just do not see or even want to see why they trust in Jesus. The first half of John Chapter 8 is a dialogue with the Pharisees where Jesus has that same experience. The setting continues to be the Feast of Booths. Jesus has just said he is the light of the world and following him will lead people out of darkness into the light of life. The Pharisees continue to challenge Jesus as to the truth of what he says and who he is. This passage seems set in its time and difficult to relate to circumstances now, but if we read it alongside 2 Corinthians Chapter 4, it can help us understand Paul faced similar issues and how we should approach the same things.

Paul says he speaks openly and straight forwardly about the gospel and in that way appeals to people’s conscience. ‘We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.’ ^{2 Corinthians 4.3} This does not mean we should endlessly quote the bible at people using language they do not understand, or shout at them from a distance. However, we should be clear about what the bible says and simply seek to explain it in terms that will be readily understood. Paul goes on to say those who do not grasp who Jesus is and understand the message have had their minds blinded by the god of this world. ^{2 Corinthians 4.4} Paul is being clear here, this is not just an intellectual acceptance or rejection, spiritual conflict is involved. This is the point at which there is a direct application for the contemporary Christian. Those who reject Jesus have had their minds blinded, ‘to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.’ ^{2 Corinthians 4.4}

Prayer and loving openness about our faith then becomes the most important things we can do if we are heartbroken for those around us. That raises the question, how persistent and serious are we? Paul was clear he was weak. He described himself as a jar of clay, broken and weak, sharing in the death of Jesus but within him was the life of Jesus and the surpassing power of God. ^{2 Corinthians 4.7-10} 

Jesus was challenged by the Pharisees that unless he could produce collaborating witnesses to who he said he was then he could not be believed. This was a distortion of the Mosaic law which was designed to protect people from false allegations of criminal activity. Jesus answered, ‘My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.’ ^{John 8.14-15} Jesus later said to the Pharisees, ‘You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.’ ^{John 8.23,24} Jesus was saying what Paul said, that the god of this world had blinded their minds to who he was.

In response to their accusations of collaborating witnesses as to his identity, Jesus had answered that only he and God the Father could and did testify to that because as he was from heaven only they were in a position to do so. ^{John 8.14 and John 8.19} Jesus then went on to say that he limited his words to those the Father gave him to say and should be trusted because God the Father was not a fickle god as people believed their local gods to be but completely good and truthful.

Did that mean there was no hope for the Pharisees and other people who do not recognize Jesus for who he is? It did not. Jesus then pointed forward to his death on the cross and said following his crucifixion people will recognize him and understand. ^{John 8.28-29} At this stage this message was in veiled terms but many Pharisees did finally recognize who Jesus was following his death, resurrection, ascension and Pentecost. Similarly, it is our role as a church to point people to Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection providing the evidence for its truth. Just as Jesus said, ‘And he who sent me is with me.’ ^{John 8.29} so He has given the Holy Spirit to be with us.

Are you praying that blinded minds will see Jesus?

Do you believe you are a clay jar, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God? ^{2 Corinthians 4.7}

At The Cross – Chris Tomlin