The Taste of Death and The Taste of Life

The Taste of Death and the Taste of Life

John 8:46-59 T Lent 5

INI

The Lenten theme of “battles” now turns towards a different sort of battle. The direct combat between Satan and Jesus turns more now into a battle against false doctrine. And the battle is over one important question: “who exactly is Jesus?” In that way, the battle is theological in nature. Specifically, it’s also a battle over the Bible in answering another related question: “what does the Bible say about Jesus?”

Let’s start with the first question: Who is Jesus?

The Jewish people of the time believed Jesus was from Satan. Or at the very least, He was a false teacher and prophet. He was a threat to them, and they didn’t like the ministry of forgiveness that came with His person and work. They believed Jesus was a liar, because they couldn’t see Jesus for who He really was as the eternal Son of the Father. They insulted Him. They called Him a Samaritan. They called Him demonic. But to be honest, they really had no clue who Jesus was, or what He came to bring. They just knew that they didn’t like Him. He was a threat to their influence and dominion.

Now let’s turn to Jesus: who did Jesus say He was? First, He claimed to be the Son of His Heavenly Father. He wasn’t a disobedient Son, not unlike Israel. Rather, Jesus was a Son who brought honor, not shame. He brought glory to the Father, not disgrace. He guarded His Father’s word with His life, never forsaking the smallest part of it. He heard His Father’s word, and trusted it. He kept His Father’s word, and lived it.

Second, Jesus claimed to be a messenger of God’s Word – a true prophet to deliver correct God’s will amongst the sinful people of Israel. But He’s no ordinary messenger. He’s not a prophet like Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel. Jesus is different. Because He carried the authority and nature of God Himself. That is to say, He is of God. From the text, Jesus says, “Whoever is of God hears the words of God.  The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Finally, Jesus claimed to be God, which almost got Him killed. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” After Jesus said this, the Jewish folks picked up stones and tried to stone Him. To claim divinity was blasphemy, and the penalty for such a sacrilegious claim was death! But Jesus was able to leave the temple before anything happened.

Jesus claimed to be the “I am”. To make that claim is to claim eternity – that the source of His own nature was God Himself. To claim to be the “I am” is to claim to be the one who led the Israelites out of Egypt. Because that’s what God called Himself at the burning bush to Moses. Moses asked God, “if your people asked who sent me, who should I say?” God told Moses – “Tell the people I AM sent you.” And so you see that Jesus claiming to be the “I am” left the Jews with one of two options: kill Jesus for blasphemy, or believe Him.

But if the Jews were to accept Jesus and believe His sayings, what is that Jesus says? What does their belief attach them to?

The Jews didn’t understand what Jesus meant when he said, “If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The death Jesus speaks of is certainly not any kind of earthly death. Otherwise, Jesus couldn’t even keep His own word – because, of course, Jesus did die on the cross. Rather, the death He speaks of is eternal death – the Greek translation makes that clear. Nonetheless, the Jewish people didn’t get that.

They really just wanted to get rid of Him. So, they sought a way to trap Jesus into saying something He didn’t say. They brought up Abraham, saying, “well, Abraham died, the prophets died. Are you greater than they?”

Jesus responded by saying that Abraham saw Jesus’ day, His coming, and was glad. But the Jews were confused because Jesus wasn’t even 50 years old yet! And Abraham had been dead for a few thousand years. How could Abraham know a person, who would like 2,000 years after He died? HOW did Abraham see Jesus’ day?

Look at the Old Testament lesson. Abraham took His only Son Isaac up a mountain for a sacrifice. His only son Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice. Isaac recognized that there’s no ram or goat for the sacrifice as He walks up this mountain.

Isaac, not being completely clueless, probably realized that He was the sacrifice. But Isaac didn’t rebel the word of His Father. He listened to and obeyed Abraham. And Abraham obeyed the words of His heavenly Father, who told him to sacrifice His only son.

Does this story sound similar? It foreshadows Jesus on the cross. Abraham saw this moment of substitution for sin when a ram was caught in the thicket. And the ram was sacrificed! The life of the ram was substituted for the life of Isaac. Abraham saw this day. He rejoiced. He understood the depths of God’s love and mercy. He understood how all nations would be blessed through His seed. He had faith in this coming Messiah, and it was counted to him as righteousness.

The Jewish people certainly heard Jesus words about Abraham, but they lacked understanding. As a result, these Jewish people weren’t from God. Because they didn’t understand God, who came in flesh to be this substitute and sacrifice in THEIR stead! That’s why Jesus says “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

This lack of understanding the Words of God is something we see often. Because only the Holy Spirit can bring the peace which surpasses understanding. Only He can bring the knowledge that transcends our reason and strength! It’s much like a family member, a friend, co-worker, or whoever, who isn’t Christian. They don’t understand your belief about Jesus – about His sacrificial death, His resurrection from the grave, His forgiveness of sins given in Word and Sacrament, and the gathering of His children here at church to distribute the Word and the gift of LIFE that you may never taste death.

But you can’t beat the Gospel into someone. You can’t force someone to believe. The Gospel doesn’t work by force. The truth about Christ is given through His life and Word, and we pray for the Holy Spirit to do its work, to bring understanding, peace, repentance, forgiveness, and love. We pray that unbelievers would come to know who Jesus is and what Jesus says. Because through His life and word, God gives life, not death.

This theological debate so to speak, becomes clear at the cross. At the cross and the grave is when folks start to see that they may have been wrong about Jesus. Maybe Jesus is who He said He was!

On that holy Friday, when Earthquakes came, people rose from their graves. The sky turned dark, and it was apparent that something supernatural was happening. Even the centurion at the foot of the cross saw this and believed the word of Jesus. He said, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” And then, at the grave three days later, it became clear – this was no ordinary man. Because ordinary men don’t rise from the dead. Because you can’t kill what’s eternal. Because you can’t kill God.

And though sinful humanity has been wrong about who He is, He still prays from the cross,“Father, forgive them for they know not what they’re doing.”

And though sinful flesh wishes to ignore what Jesus’ says, so that we could be gods of our own dark selfish hearts, Jesus demands repentance. Believe the Word of God – not just believe it, but live it! And the rightouensess of the Lamb of God will be reckoned unto you. Not because of your merit, but because of His mercy. This is who Jesus has come to be FOR YOU.

Jesus commands us to listen to and follow His Word.

Because if you cherish God’s Word, believing that Jesus is the great I am, who died for you to forgive all your sins – then your death is merely your last breath before eternal life. But for those who don’t cherish God’s Word, the eternal death Jesus speaks of is for them – that’s the punishment of sins.

But Christ bore all your sins on the cross. If you hear and believe Christ’s forgiving word, than you’ve got no sin to worry about. You’ll never taste eternal death.

Rather, you’ll have eternal life with your Savior.

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston