The Gospel of John. Witness to Truth John 5:30-47

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1 The Gospel of John Witness to Truth John 5:30-47 H E WAS CLEAN-SHAVEN, LIKE A ROMAN or, it occurred to John, like one of the prophets mournful for the future, for they would shave their beards. Amber eyes! John recognized those golden corneas, polished, laconic, and nearly translucent. No one else had such a fathomless gaze. This must be the cousin John had not seen since the Passover when his father had died. Eighteen years ago! Eighteen years, and still those eyes had that lidded rich regard. This was the one of whom his mother had said once, He is my Lord. The man among the reeds lifted his hand in greeting. John nodded. Jesus, then! This was Jesus! Jesus began to wade downriver, to the deeper water where John was standing. When they stood face-to-face, John saw copper flecks in the iris of his cousin s eye. Jesus said, John, baptize me. For a moment John hesitated. John, said Jesus, baptize me. Without waiting for an assent, he closed his eyes, sank down and slipped under the water. His long hair lingered on the surface for a short while, then it, too, was pulled down into darkness and disappeared. These were swift, breathless events for John. So much raced through his mind: his family, his past, his fierce convictions, the future of his people, Israel. The day and the weather and all events now tightened down to one small focus: this air, this round patch of river, flat and calm in the sunlight, and this sudden, preternatural silence. Time seemed to collapse and when John came to himself he could not remember how long Jesus had been lying on the riverbed. In a quick panic he slapped the water with the flat of his hand and cried: Child of the light and the kingdom to come, rise up! There was a continued, shining silence then Jesus, like a great fish, heaved from the water, and immediately the heavens above them split asunder and there flew down a dove, a white dove, a blinding white dove which alighted on the shoulder of Jesus white fire beside his face and in that same instant a voice broke from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Immediately Jesus began to move from John toward the eastern shore of the river. His expression was intense but unreadable. His manner seemed so nearly wolfish like a predator following an invisible scent that the people on land backed away and made a path for him. Jesus was withdrawing from the public with some fierce purpose. And then John saw that the white dove was flying in spirals ahead of Jesus, leading the way. Oh, that was no common dove! That was none other than the Holy Spirit who had brooded over the wild waters of creation and then again the waters of the flood! John folded his huge hands at his throat and whispered: You, Jesus, greater than me your life shall be more terrible than mine. Wherever the Holy Spirit is driving you now, God help you there! God help you, cousin. 1 And so John becomes one of the testimonies for Christ. VII The Christ Revealed to Israel Chapter 2:1-12:50 H. Healing and Hostility 3. The Homily by Christ Verses Wangerin Jr., Walter; The Book of God, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 2010, p

2 c. Testimonies for the Messiah Verses Interlude The Death of John Mark 6:14 29 Introduction: This morning I want to finish up Jesus response to the religious leaders attack on Him for violating the Sabbath. We have seen Him clearly state He was God and had all authority. Also, He is to be the One who will have the authority to judge all mankind. As we come to this section, one of the witnesses that Jesus calls on is John the Immerser. Accordingly, this seems as good a place as any to go outside the Gospel of John and finish up the history of this individual. But first c. Testimonies for the Messiah: Jesus opens the next section of His homily by reiterating the most important truth. Although He is God, what He does is in direct response to the Father s will. He doesn t act independently. Whether intended or not, this could serve as a direct slap at the Pharisees who, while presuming to speak in defense of God s law, have come up with their own standards of righteousness which go well beyond God s intent. So Jesus now offers up the support of His claims. The first is, that while He testifies as to who He is (God), His unsupported testimony was deemed inadequate by the powers that be. And if He wasn t God, then this would be a valid concern. On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness (Deuteronomy 17:6 ESV). Keep in mind, Jesus had no expectation that any evidence would cause the religious leaders to change their perspective. It s as if Jesus is already on trial and so has to present witnesses to support His statements. He does this so they would be held accountable for their rejection of Him. The witness He presents are John the Immerser, Scripture, and God. Verses 33, 35: John the Immerser was a witness for Christ. He testified as he baptized Jesus and when he preached in the wilderness. Jesus reminds these men that they had sent representatives to John. John stated that he wasn t the Messiah, but that the Messiah was coming. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29 ESV). Jesus reminds the men that they had come to John and, at least for a short time, John was well received by them. He burned brightly for Jesus and for God. But in the end his burning led to his burning out through his death. But more on that in a moment. Verses 32, 34, 36-38: Jesus presents the testimony of God. God Himself testified that Jesus was His Son and by definition, if God said it, it must be true. behold, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17 ESV). ) 134 (

3 What is important to note here is that Jesus isn t defending Himself because He feels the need to self-justify. He is willing to have the discussion with these antagonists because He is concerned for their spiritual welfare. He is giving them the opportunity to be saved, whether or not they are willing to accept that opportunity. This is our model. We can t be reminded too often that we are to demonstrate this same compassion for those who come up against us. Yes, there are times when Jesus was very harsh with these individuals, especially when focusing on the damage they were doing to others. But at the same time He was still concerned for their well being. And this may have been a factor in the salvation of both Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. We never know how God may use our compassion in the life of an enemy. You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:43 48 ESV). So how does the Father testify of Jesus? By giving Him the miracles to perform. These are the credentials of the Messiah. They are proof that God has sent Him. The miracles, God s voice from heaven at the baptism, all validate Christ, at least for those who are open to hearing and seeing them. And the powers that be don t hear God or see Him in Christ. Which brings us to the third witness, the witness of Scripture. If there was any testimony these individuals should accept as a witness to who Christ is, it is the word. My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God (Proverbs 2:1 5 ESV). Jesus points out the confusion about where life comes from. The religious leaders looked to scripture as the source of eternal life while rejecting the fact it points to Christ. And so they refuse to turn to Him as the source of that life. For scripture by itself doesn t directly provide life. The purpose of scripture is to point to Jesus as Messiah. Jesus didn t need their approval, nor ours. The issue is, if we truly love God we will love Christ. And if we love Christ, we will obey Him. We will turn to Him. We will accept His gift of salvation. But in rejecting Jesus, these men proved that they did not love God, in spite of their claims to the contrary. These men were just like the men of our day. They ll follow anyone who catches their fancy, be it Buddha, Mohammed, Obama, Jim Jones, Joel Olsteen, Donald Trump, or whoever. Men ) 135 (

4 want someone to follow, as long as that someone isn t actually God or actually Christ. They would rather refuse eternal life than give up their pride. In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, There is no God. (Psalms 10:4 ESV). Don t you get it? Jesus asks. These men had scripture. In fact, in their pride these men especially claim to be followers of Moses. And yet it was Moses himself, in scripture, who points to Jesus as the promised One. So although they claim to follow Moses by rejecting Christ they also reject Moses words. In the same way rejecting Christ they reject God. The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers it is to him you shall listen (Deuteronomy 18:15 ESV). And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:27 ESV). Card notes The final section of chapter 5 has to do with a lengthy discussion of Jesus testimony about Himself and of others testimonies concerning Him. He will outline four different kinds of testimony that point to the truth and validity of His ministry and give the reasons for the Jews disregard of these testimonies. Self testimony: according to the Mishnah, none may be believed when he testifies of himself. The testimony of John the Baptist: valuable but insufficient because it is human testimony. God s work: they don t believe the testimony of God s work because it still requires faith to understand. Scripture: they have degraded the Scriptures with their oral law so that the testimony of Scripture is no longer understood. 2 The bottom line: there is more than enough evidence for anyone to recognize that Jesus is who He claims to be: God. This issue isn t evidence. The issue is the rebellious nature of the human heart that rejects whatever it doesn t want to accept. It is pride that says God should accept me on my terms. No one is going to tell me what to do, even God! The Death of John: Standing for God s truth and being a witness to it doesn t always end well. In this country it can mean losing one s business, one s job, or possibly even one s freedom. For John, it meant losing his life. King Herod heard of it, for Jesus name had become known. Some said, John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him. But others said, He is Elijah. And others said, He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old. But when Herod heard of it, he said, John, whom I beheaded, has been raised. For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip s wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, It is not lawful for you to 2 Card, Michael, John: The Gospel of Wisdom, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2014, p ) 136 (

5 have your brother s wife. And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you. And he vowed to her, Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom. And she went out and said to her mother, For what should I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter. And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb (Mark 6:14 29 ESV). The problem here is that John went before the king and stood for the sanctity of marriage. He challenged Herod with rejecting God s word. Not surprisingly, this didn t go over all that well because the King wanted to do what he wanted to do without any consequences. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother s wife; it is your brother s nakedness. If a man takes his brother s wife, it is impurity. He has uncovered his brother s nakedness; they shall be childless (Leviticus 18:16; 20:21 ESV). People hate being told the truth. They hate having a mirror put in front of them. And this was especially true of Herodias. As the ESV Study Bible notes Verses 3 12 are a historical flashback. Herod Antipas had fallen in love with Herodias, the wife of his half brother Herod Philip I (not the tetrarch Philip mentioned in Luke 3:1), even though both were married at the time. Herodias divorced Herod Philip I and Herod Antipas divorced his wife (the daughter of the Nabatean king, Aretas IV), and they were married. 3 People will do anything to shut up those who don t condone their sinful ways. It isn t enough to live any way they want. They don t want anyone even to challenge the way they live. Anyone who does so needs to be shut up, even if it means killing them. And so Herodias plotted the death of John and dragged her daughter into it. Keep in mind, she used her own daughter s sexuality to entrap her husband into doing something he didn t actually want to do. There was nothing too degrading that she wasn t willing to do to shut John up. I should note here the issue wasn t just Herodias pride. According to Josephus Jewish Antiquities, John s indictments were a threat to Herod s reign. How could he rule if he rejected 3 Dennis, Lane T, and Wayne Grundem, eds. English Standard Version Study Bible, Crossway Bibles, Wheaton, IL, ) 137 (

6 the law of God? For the one who is in power, staying in power is more important than something as trivial as one s morality and ethics. Therefore, to question the King is to be a traitor. Now, some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod s army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist (Josephus, ANTIQ. 18:116). 4 And so, John is dead. As for today? It seems nothing ever changes Conclusion: because just as in Israel s day, the powers that be no longer believe they are accountable to God. And that kind of arrogance can lead to God s judgment. Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord GOD be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For behold, the LORD is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will split open, like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place. All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel (Micah 1:2 5 ESV). And what is the response to the warning of coming judgment? Do not preach thus they preach one should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us (Micah 2:6 ESV). So yes, we are to stand for truth. And in doing so, the consequences may be ugly. But, since we aren t called to be prophets like John or Elijah, we must call people to repentance out of love, not anger. We are to be reflections of God s love. Yes, we must warn of the coming judgment, but in doing so our motivation is the desire to see people escape it. Our calling isn t national, it is individual. While we can warn of national judgment, our calling is to love the individual and show him/her the way to escape eternal judgment. Which leads to the second point. Jesus made it clear that He lived not for His own will but for the will of the Father. And this is the way we too are to live. Our primary focus is to be conduits of God s truth in love. We must depend on the Spirit to have true compassion for those in rebellion against Him. It should not be our desire to see the unsaved spend their eternity condemned to suffer because they rejected Him. And while we can t bring anyone into the kingdom, our walk and are words are used by the Spirit to demonstrate God s love and to soften hearts. We are greatly blessed. Let us be a blessing to others. The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV). Great Is Thy Faithfulness Lamentations 3: Josephus, Flavius, William Whiston, A.M., translator, The Works of Flavius Josephus, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, MS, ) 138 (

7 Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with thee; Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; As thou hast been thou forever wilt be. Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above Join with all nature in manifold witness To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! Chorus: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed thy hand hath provided; Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! ~ Thomas O. Chisholm ) 139 (

8 The Gospel of John Witness to Truth John 5:30-47 VII The Christ Revealed to Israel Chapter 2:1-12:50 H. Healing and Hostility 3. The Homily by Christ Verses c. Testimonies for the Messiah Verses Interlude The Death of John Mark 6:14 29 Introduction: c. Testimonies for the Messiah: (Deuteronomy 17:6) Verses 33, 35: (John 1:29) Verses 32, 34, 36-38: (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 5:43 48; Proverbs 2:1 5; Psalms 10:4; Deuteronomy 18:15; Luke 24:27)

9 The Death of John: (Mark 6:14 29; Leviticus 18:16; 20:21) Conclusion: (Micah 1:2 5; Micah 2:6; Lamentations 3:22-23) Personal Application: This week meditate on Christ s example of love. How can you, in dependency on the Spirit, demonstrate this same love in your week. Prayer for the Week: Lord may we experience the joy that comes with being loved by You and share that love with others. In Jesus name, amen.

The Man of Distinction

DATE May 16, 2010 SERMON BY Pastor Jim Dunn The Man of Distinction CHURCH OFFICE 4205 Tracy Avenue Kansas City, Missouri 64110 PHONE (816) 561-0561 EMAIL ilckcmo@kcnet.com WEB www.immanuellcms.com TEXT