Eternity Daily Bible Study No. 283

THE PASSION SERIES – THE GOSPEL OF JOHN CHAPTERS 12-21
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John 12:44-50  But Jesus cried out and said, He who believes on Me does not believe on Me but on Him who sent Me.  (45)  And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.  (46)  I have come as a Light into the world, so that whoever believes on Me should not remain in darkness.  (47)  And if any one hears My Words and does not believe, I do not judge him, for I do not come to judge the world, but to save the world.  (48)  He who rejects Me and does not receive My Words has one who judges him; the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.  (49)  For I have not spoken of Myself, but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say, and what I should speak.  (50)  And I know that His command is life everlasting. Therefore whatever I speak, even as the Father said to Me, so I speak.

Jesus claims to be sent by God, (v44) that whoever sees Him sees God (v.45) that He hears from God (v 49,50) and speaks the very words God, (v49,50) and that His words will be the standard for eternal judgment (v48.)

Whoever makes these extraordinary claims is either - God, a lunatic, or the worst kind of calculating spiritual deceiver.  A mere prophet or a good pious man does not claim that his words shall judge people on the last day. Not even Moses would say “And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. “ or “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).

These are the sort of claims that would get you classified as a schizophrenic and locked away! “I hear voices, my words are important, God speaks to me, I am a prophet. “ But Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after three days! Jesus walked the talk! If He was a schizophrenic He was one that did large numbers of miracles! Jesus was not a madman – His teachings were wise, His actions were loving, and He was able to hold His own in society with the teachers and leaders of the day.  Thus He was utterly sane – but a sane Man that claimed to be God’s image and God’s spokesman. 

The same goes for saying He was just a manipulative cult leader – an evil deceiver who claimed divine revelation - sane but bad.  Such leaders consume their followers – but Jesus died for His followers and they all lived (except Judas) ! And then there were the miracles, the teaching, the defending of the weak and the acceptance of lepers and His simple lifestyle.

If Jesus was neither mad not bad, if indeed He was both sane and good – then how can He dare to claim such things? And if these claims are indeed true – what are the implications for us? 

“I have come as a Light into the world, so that whoever believes on Me should not remain in darkness.”  In other words the normal state of humanity is “in darkness” and that is where we remain unless we receive the Light – by believing in Jesus Christ. Even though the Jews had many religious teachers and Moses and the Prophets and the learning of the East and of Babylon – they were still ”in darkness”.  Darkness is not lack of knowledge – but lack of faith in God.

“And if any one hears My Words and does not believe, I do not judge him, for I do not come to judge the world, but to save the world. “ Jesus came to rescue us from that darkness and to bring us into the kingdom of light. He is not interested in judging us – only in saving us.  

. “He who rejects Me and does not receive My Words has one who judges him; the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. “ He wants us to believe – and thus to escape the judgment that is coming. For none of us have lived by Jesus’ words - such as the Sermon On The Mount. If those are the words that unbelievers are judged by on the last day – then unbelievers are doomed.

So somehow, by believing in Jesus, we escape judgment and enter into eternal life:
John 5:24  Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears My Word and believes on Him who sent Me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death to life.

This is because the words Jesus speaks are special words – words given by God, commandments that are eternal life. “For I have not spoken of Myself, but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say, and what I should speak.  (50)  And I know that His command is life everlasting. Therefore whatever I speak, even as the Father said to Me, so I speak.”

God spoke in Christ and when we believe the words of Christ we believe the words of God. Jesus even claimed as much: “But Jesus cried out and said, He who believes on Me does not believe on Me but on Him who sent Me. “ 

Therefore the revelation of Christ is the revelation of God and this revelation is so close and exact that Jesus can say: “And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. “ and later on in John 14:9  Jesus said to him, Have I been with you such a long time and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. And how do you say, Show us the Father?

This is born out in the rest of the New Testament:
Colossians 1:15  who is the image of the invisible God, the First-born of all creation.

Hebrews 1:1-3  God, who at many times and in many ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,  (2)  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds,  (3)  who being the shining splendor of His glory, and the express image of His essence, and upholding all things by the word of His power, through Himself cleansing of our sins, He sat down on the right of the Majesty on high,

Jesus is the exact image of God, who speaks the very words of God and who upholds Creation by the word of His power and who grants eternal life. In other words: For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.  (Colossians 2:9)

Jesus is God. He is not a mere man, or a good man, or a bad man, or a mad-man or even a prophet. No prophet upholds the Universe! Jesus is God –pure and simple and God come in human flesh so that we might be saved – therefore we must believe His words.

Blessings,

John Edmiston johned@aibi.ph

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