Jesus and the Woman Caught in Adultery: Have you ever been caught doing something seriously wrong? How do you think Jesus would react to you in that moment? With judgment or condemnation? That’s the way of the world, right? But when a woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus, he unexpectedly responded by giving her both grace and truth, revealing that in Christ, you are more than the sum of your mistakes. Recorded on Nov 5, 2023, on John 7:53-8:11 by Justun Hart.
Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Jesus, the Messiah: Have you ever wondered what Jesus was doing in your life? Messiah (Christ in Greek) is a title meaning anointed/chosen one. But if Jesus is the Messiah, what was he anointed/chosen to do? We must be careful not to shrink the purpose of Jesus. Instead, let us hear the invitation of the Messiah, who offers nothing less than his Spirit and real, everlasting life in his kingdom. Recorded on Oct 29, 2023, on John 7:25-52 by Pastor David Parks.
Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
So all year, we’re going through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And today, we’ll finish John chapter 7, considering what it means for Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah. I think a lot of people think that Christ is Jesus’ last name, like Mary and Joseph Christ and Jesus Christ. But I wonder how old I was when I learned that Christ is a title, not his last name. It’s a title that means anointed one or the chosen, Christ in Greek and Messiah in Hebrew. But anointed/chosen to do what, exactly? Well, that is very much John’s point in this passage. Just who was Jesus, and what was his mission? Why was he sent from heaven? What did he come to accomplish? Have you ever thought about that in your life today? What is he trying to accomplish in your life? What is Jesus trying to do? I’ve definitely had times of anger/pain/fear when I’ve cried out to the Lord to get some answers as to what was happening. “Jesus who are you and what are you doing here?” Have you ever felt that way? It was no different in Jesus’ day. People were divided over who he was and what he was supposed to accomplish as the Messiah. And yet Jesus knew who he was; he knew what he came to do as the Messiah, and he extends an open invitation to all, even today. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 7:25.
John 7:25–27 (NIV), “25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? 27 But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” Ok, let’s pause here for a little context. So last week, we saw Jesus, the great Teacher, who came to the Festival of Tabernacles in Jerusalem and was teaching in the Temple courts. His teaching was amazing because of its authority and power. It was helpful and encouraging, but it also offered a correction and sometimes even a rebuke. It was like nothing they’d ever heard. And they were baffled because Jesus hadn’t been formally trained. They just didn’t understand. So here, we’re still in the Temple courts with this mix of the crowd there for the Festival and the religious leadership who were plotting against Jesus. The crowd knows the leaders aren’t a fan of Jesus, it appears from this that they even knew they were trying to kill him. So they’re confused as to why the leaders seemed to be allowing him to teach publicly here. Had they changed their minds about Jesus? Did they now think he really was the Messiah? But they’re not sure because John says that they thought that when the Messiah came, no one would know where he was from. Why did they think this? Probably because of OT passages like Daniel 7:13–14 (NIV), “13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” No city or family is mentioned here to help identify the origin of this son of man whom God would appoint to be the king of the kingdom of God, a kingdom that would last forever. But at least some in the crowd in Jerusalem think they know where Jesus is from. Now, as we’ll be reminded in just a few months at Christmas, though Jesus indeed grew up in the town of Nazareth of Galilee, he actually was born in Bethlehem in Judea because of a Roman census that required everyone to go back to their ancestral homes. John ironically reveals that some people thought they knew more about Jesus than they really did. How would he respond?
John 7:28-36 (NIV), “28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, 29 but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.” 30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?” 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. 33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?” So this is kind of a chaotic scene. A busy temple court full of people, some of whom seem to want to seize Jesus. It’s not clear if they want to seize him to stop him from continuing to claim to be sent from heaven. Or if they want to seize him and make him their king. Or maybe both. But there are some in the crowd who believe in Jesus, having been convinced by the miraculous signs. We’ve already seen five of the seven signs in John’s gospel, not including the resurrection. They say, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?” Like, this has to be him, right? This is similar to what the Samaritan woman had said back in chapter 4 to the other people of her city after talking with Jesus. “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” (Jn 4:29) But when the Pharisees, the religious leaders, heard people talking like this, they knew they needed to act quickly and put an end to this kind of talk. They didn’t accept Jesus or believe in him, so the last thing they wanted was for the people to recognize a Messiah or King who might upset their own power/authority/political influence. So, they sent the temple guards to arrest Jesus. In the meantime, Jesus starts talking about his departure. He says there will come a time when you’ll look for me, but you won’t be able to find me. And the people struggle to understand what he means by this. Only after his death on the cross for the sins of the world will his disciples realize that his death and the grave were what Jesus was talking about here. But at this point, there’s faith, and there’s unbelief; there are people ready to follow Jesus the Christ/Messiah, and there are people trying to arrest/kill him. There are people who want to seize him for all sorts of reasons. If I were Jesus, I’d be pretty frustrated by all this chaos. I’m sure I’d be tempted to use my divine power and authority against the doubters and the critics and certainly against my enemies. But that’s not Jesus. Look and see what he does.
John 7:37-52 (NIV), 37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. 40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. 45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?” 46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied. 47 “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. 48 “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.” This is God’s word. So Nicodemus comes back into the story once again from chapter 3 there at the end. He seems to try and diffuse what the Pharisees want to do and encourage them to obey the law and give Jesus due process. But in response to all this swirling, divisive chaos around him, on the last and greatest day of the festival, which was the eighth day, Jesus stood up and shouted out an invitation to all people, to the crowd, to the Pharisees, to the temple guards, to the faithful, to the doubters, to everyone great and small, rich and poor: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John helps us out by telling us the meaning of the metaphor of the water is the giving of the Holy Spirit, which would happen on the Day of Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus. But for the Jewish people, this offer of living water would’ve instantly made them think of famous passages from the Hebrew Bible, such as the story of the Exodus when God made water flow from the rock in the desert wilderness to save/sustain the lives of his people. Or of the many promises of God related to water through the prophets such as Isaiah, Zechariah, and Ezekiel. Just one of these passages is Isaiah 44:3, where God says that one day, “…I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” So Jesus stands up and loudly proclaims that what God promised through Isaiah would be fulfilled by him. It’s all happening now. And anyone who comes to me and believes in me will have these streams of living water, water welling up to eternal life because that water is the very power and presence of God, the Holy Spirit. This is huge. In fact, when we better understand the context, that this is the final day of the Festival of the Tabernacles, this pronouncement is an even bigger deal than we might think. According to Lev 23, the Festival of Tabernacles (Feast of Booths) was to be celebrated every year after harvest time. The people were to take a week off of work and live in temporary tents/shelters/booths in order to remember when the Lord led them through the wilderness after freeing them from captivity in Egypt. For seven days, they were to bring palm branches, food offerings, water and wine, and rejoice before the Lord. According to commentator D.A. Carson, “On the seven days of the Feast, a golden flagon was filled with water from the pool of Siloam and was carried in a procession led by the High Priest back to the temple…The water was offered to God at the time of the morning sacrifice…these ceremonies of the Feast of Tabernacles were related in Jewish thought both to the Lord’s provision of water in the desert and to the Lord’s pouring out of the Spirit in the last days. Pouring at the Feast of Tabernacles refers symbolically to the messianic age in which a stream from the sacred rock would flow over the whole earth.” (Carson, PNTC, p. 321-322). So it was on the eighth day, during the final, sacred assembly of the people at the temple in Jerusalem, that Jesus stood and said in a loud voice…it’s me. I’m the one God promised to send. This Festival of Tabernacles that you’ve been celebrating for at least 1200 years, all of that was pointing to me and what I will do. And this was enough for some. “He is the Messiah,” they say, but others are confused, so they’re still divided. The crowd is divided. The Pharisees and the temple guards are divided. Nicodemus and the rest of the Jewish Ruling Council are divided. Of course, this is what we’ll continue to see in John’s gospel in the weeks ahead. Really, it’s a battle to understand and believe in who Jesus is and what he came to do. But if Jesus was and is the Christ/Messiah, the Chosen One sent by God the Father in heaven, what does that really mean for us today? How do we apply this teaching to our lives today? Well, for our remaining time, I’d like to leave you with one caution and one encouragement.
First, the caution. If you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, be careful you know for sure what he came to do. To be anointed or chosen by God always comes with a specific God-given task. Prophets were anointed to prophesy. Priests were anointed to do the work of the priesthood. Kings were anointed to reign and rule. So, in the same way, the Anointed One (Messiah) was anointed for a purpose. And confusion over the purpose of Jesus divided the people both then and now. In that day, some of the people wanted to seize Jesus and make him their king for political purposes. Remember that at the time, Israel was part of the Roman Empire. Many people at the time thought the purpose of the Messiah would be to lead a rebellion against Rome and set their people free. But as big as that would’ve seemed at the time, it’s too small of a vision of what God was actually doing. God was doing so much more than providing political freedom or power to his people in this broken world. Jesus wasn’t chosen to conquer the Romans — he was chosen to conquer Satan and provide freedom from sin and death itself. So, in the same way, we must be careful we don’t shrink the purpose of Jesus in our own hearts/imaginations/lives, too. You see, lots of people start following Jesus because they think he will help them have a better marriage/family/life. But that’s too small of a vision of what the Messiah came to do. If you believe in him, Jesus will take you from death to life, you’ll be born again, and he’ll come into your heart and life and will change/transform you in every way. Second, the encouragement. We must be careful we do not underestimate the purpose/work of Jesus, the Messiah. But also, remember what he did on the last day and greatest day of the Festival; during the sacred assembly, he stood up and cried out in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” This offer is open to all, whether you’ve always had a clear view of the person and work of Jesus or not. Whether you’ve always followed his way or you are just considering to start following Jesus today. Even in times of anger/pain/fear when you can’t understand what God is doing. Let anyone who is thirsty, let anyone who needs the life and light and love of God and his kingdom and his power and his glory come to Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, for he is the promised one, born in Bethlehem, who is the King of the kingdom of God. And only he provides springs of living water welling up to eternal life. Let us pray.
Jesus, the Teacher: Need direction, wisdom, or help? Do you want to know the truth about life and death, heaven and hell, or anything that truly matters? Learn from Jesus; he is a brilliant teacher. To be a disciple means to learn and apply the teachings of Jesus and help others do the same. Recorded on Oct 22, 2023, on John 7:1-24 by Pastor David Parks.
Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
Well, all year, we’re going through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And today, we’re in John chapter 7, considering the teaching ministry of Jesus. Jesus was simply a brilliant teacher. People were constantly amazed by his teaching. It had a surprising authority to it, as if he had the authority of God himself — even though, as we saw last week, it was sometimes hard to understand or even offensive. And how many teachers are there who have people trying to listen to them and learn from them 2,000 years later? But here’s what separates the fans of Jesus from the true followers of Jesus: the follower of Jesus seeks to learn from Jesus, our rabbi/teacher, about who he is and how to follow him, no matter their circumstances, no matter whether it’s easy or hard. A fan will only stick around, provided there’s some benefit for them. But a true follower/disciple will stick with Jesus even when his teaching corrects/rebukes our opinions/preferences/path. For, as Peter said last week, where else would we go? Only Jesus has the words of eternal life. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 7:1.
John 7:1–5 (NIV), “1 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. 2 But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.” Ok, let’s pause here. So, it was sometime after the famous/infamous sermon at Capernaum where Jesus told people they needed to eat his flesh and drink his blood, and many of those who had been following him misunderstood him, were offended by him, and decided to walk away from Jesus. And I would imagine it would be tempting for Jesus to become discouraged at this point. John points out that he knew if he went to the southern region of Judea, where the city of Jerusalem is, the Jewish leaders there wanted to kill him. But here in the northern region of Galilee, he had just experienced a mass rejection. This is the context of our scene. So when Jesus’ brothers (or actually his half brothers) urge him to go to Judea, to attend the Festival of Tabernacles and go public with his ministry, Jesus has a tough choice: Do I stay in a place where I was largely rejected, or go to a place where people want me dead? John also adds this note that even his own brothers did not believe in him. And clearly, they don’t understand what Jesus is doing or how he would accomplish his mission. Now later, after the resurrection, they would come to believe in him, including his brother James, who wrote the letter of James in the Bible and served as a leader of the early church in Jerusalem, but not yet here. And I’m sure this must have been another potential source of discouragement for him. But what will Jesus do?
John 7:6-13 (NIV), “6 Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. 8 You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee. 10 However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?” 12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.” So, Jesus’ response to his brothers’ urging is that he would not follow their timeline for his ministry. Jesus never allowed anyone other than his Father in heaven to dictate who he was or what he was about, including the timing of his ministry. So later, according to God’s wisdom/timing, Jesus went up to Jerusalem, where it seemed that all the people at the Festival were talking about him. John says there was widespread whispering about him. Last week, I said if Jesus had a PR team, they would’ve quit after Capernaum. But they might’ve signed back onto the team with this level of buzz. Jerusalem was packed with people for the festival, and everyone was talking about Jesus. But we see the division of the crowd. Some people thought Jesus was a good man, while others thought he was a deceiver, but everyone knew what the religious and political leaders thought about him. And there was tremendous social pressure not to take a public stance on the matter. Doesn’t that kind of sound like our culture today? Some people believe in Jesus, while others reject him, but everyone’s kind of fine unless you want to take a public stance or make a public statement about it. But again, Jesus isn’t intimidated by any of this.
John 7:14-18 (NIV), “14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?” 16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” Let’s pause one more time. Instead of being intimidated by the attention and the opposition, when the set time had fully come, “…suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple;” (Mal 3:1). And what does Jesus do there? Does he do what his brothers suggest? And perform some great miracle to maybe win back some of those who abandoned him in Capernaum? No. Jesus has come to be the Rabbi/teacher of Israel and to teach his people. And see how the people responded to his teaching! They were amazed! In our passage next week, the temple guards sent to arrest Jesus were so stunned by his teaching they forgot to arrest him. They say, “No one ever spoke the way this man does” (Jn 7:46). In fact, people were confused as to how Jesus could be such a good teacher when he didn’t have formal training. Unlike the Apostle Paul, who was trained by one of the most famous Rabbis of their day, a man named Gamaliel, Jesus wasn’t formally trained as a Pharisee, Scribe, or Teacher of the Law. He wasn’t officially a priest or a member of the Jewish Ruling Council. Most probably knew that Jesus had learned the family business of carpentry in Nazareth. And maybe he could have been expected to be an expert at that, but at what point could he have learned to teach from the Hebrew scriptures with such power and authority — even more than the so-called experts?!? Jesus responds by saying, listen, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.” In other words, I was taught by my Father in heaven, so what I am teaching you is absolutely true and will result in the glory of God. This is perfectly in line with how Jesus saw all of his life/ministry. Back in chapter 5, Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (Jn 5:19). Later, in chapter 12, Jesus will say, “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.” (Jn 12:49). If Jesus is telling the truth, as we believe that he is, then when Jesus speaks, it is God himself who is teaching us. And anyone who chooses to do the will of God will see whether the teaching of Jesus is true or not. But Jesus knows people. And he knows that there are some listening who have not only rejected him and his teaching but are actively looking for ways to silence him. So his teaching is encouraging and empowering, freeing us from the weight of sin and death and training us in the way of righteousness. But also, his teaching can offer correction or even a rebuke if you are going the wrong way. We’ll finish this passage with a correction but also an opportunity to come back to the right path.
John 7:19-24 (NIV), “19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” 20 “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?” 21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” This is God’s word. So Jesus says the quiet part out loud and just exposes the hypocrisy of those who are trying to kill him. You don’t perfectly keep the law, so why are you trying to kill me? The crowd doesn’t fully understand. “Who is trying to kill you?” Perhaps they’ve been intimidated by the Jewish leaders but haven’t realized the extent of their plans to get rid of Jesus once and for all. At any rate, Jesus alludes to the miracle he performed at Bethesda and healing the man who couldn’t walk. The problem with that miracle was not that Jesus healed the guy but that he did so on the Sabbath. The Sabbath day went from Friday evening to Saturday evening and was supposed to be a full 24-hour period to cease, to stop working, to worship God, and to enjoy all the blessings of God together as a people. Jesus’s work of healing and restoring this man back to health and purpose and community, and even the fact that the man was carrying the mat that he had laid on for so many years, was seen as work and, therefore, was a violation of the Sabbath commandment. Jesus argues that their understanding of the Sabbath is totally backward. They are using the Sabbath as a means to show off their own self-righteousness, but they don’t even practice it consistently or in a way that reflects God’s intention behind the law. Jesus says, you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath (because at that time, it was supposed to be on the eighth day after they were born), so why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? It makes no sense! But their narrow understanding of this law resulted in their lack of love toward the man who was lame and needed healing. And their lack of glory given to the God who healed. Of course, this wasn’t the only thing that Jesus had said/done that had made people upset. We already mentioned the Capernaum sermon about eating the bread of life. And earlier, Jesus had clearly taught that God was his own Father, which they rightly perceived as Jesus making himself equal with God. But to all this, Jesus offers this correction, “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” I believe this refers to his earlier statement that those who seek to do the will of God will judge that what he is saying, hard as it might be to understand or believe, is actually true. But this is always the challenge with Jesus. As we saw last week, there are some seriously hard sayings of Jesus and teachings in the Bible. This was as true for the crowd in Jerusalem that day as it is for us today. But listening to and learning obedience to the teaching of Jesus is one of the core commitments of a follower of Jesus today. Jesus will later say in John’s gospel, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.“ (Jn 14:23-24). Or even later, after the resurrection, when Jesus sends out his disciples in Matthew 28, he says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Mt 28:18-20). How can we, as followers of Jesus, do this? How can we learn from Jesus, our great teacher, today? I’ll give you two thoughts on this. First, our ministry doesn’t end with conversion. It really matters that people have the opportunity to hear the gospel and respond in repentance and faith. It really matters that people come to faith in Jesus and become Christians and get baptized as a sign of this new life/relationship with God. But that’s not where our work in making disciples ends. That’s only the beginning! Becoming a Christian is the starting line, not the finish line. The whole of the Christian life, the whole of the race, is about learning to obey the commands/teaching of Jesus and then joining this redemptive work of helping other people come to faith and grow in their faith, as well. Second, maturity as a follower/learner of Jesus comes first from both meditating on God’s word and from putting into practice what you learn. In other words, it doesn’t matter what you know in terms of theological information; maturity comes from knowing and being able to do what God says to do. The Apostle Paul wrote on the importance of this in 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NIV), “16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Or listen to James, the brother of Jesus, who later would write, “James 1:22 (NIV): Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Now, this is not complicated, but as the people in Capernaum or in Jerusalem that day found out, it’s certainly not always easy. Sometimes, the teaching of Jesus is hard to understand. Sometimes, it goes directly against our will/way. Sometimes, we need a correction/rebuke. But if Jesus is who he claims to be, if he is the eternal Son, sent from heaven, if he is the only one who has ever seen the Father, and therefore, the only one who can reveal to us the true nature of reality and the intention of our creator for us, the people of his creation. So we must listen to him. We must learn from him and seek to put his teaching into practice in our actual lives. It must have authority over our will/way. He is our Rabbi/master/teacher. But just remember who it is that we are learning from. Listen to the calling of Jesus, our great teacher from Mt 11, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Let us pray.
The Hard Sayings of Jesus: There are some seriously hard sayings in the Bible, either because they’re hard to understand or because they’re so counter-cultural. These teachings might even make us question the truth or goodness of God’s word. It’s helpful to see that God’s word has always been challenging or even downright offensive to some. But if the gospel is true, the words and way of Jesus are the only way that leads to life. Recorded on Oct 15, 2023, on John 6:41-71 by Pastor David Parks.
Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
So, all year, we’re going through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And today, we’re finishing up John 6 with what I think is a very relatable teaching on dealing with the hard sayings of Jesus. Have you ever wondered about that? There are some seriously hard teachings in the Bible, either because they are hard to understand or because they are so counter-cultural that if we live them out, we will stick out (not in a good way). Sometimes, as Christians, some of these hard sayings might be thrown in our faces as evidence of the absurdity of our faith. Other times, the hard sayings of Jesus might make us question the truth/goodness of God’s word/way. I think sometimes Christians are hesitant to even admit they wrestle with certain texts or concepts from the Bible, but we need to be honest about this. Usually, when things are kept in the dark, they have way more power over us than if we bring them out into the light. So let me bring this out into the light here for myself. I question the Bible all the time. If it’s true, if it’s truly God’s word, then it’ll hold up under our questioning, right? Well, there came a time in the ministry of Jesus when many people who had been following him started grumbling about some of the things he was saying. And it got so bad that many people stopped following him because they were offended by his teaching. Can you imagine that? Walking away from Jesus in the flesh? But in this controversy, we learn so much about what to do with the hard sayings of Jesus and the offense of the gospel. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 6:41.
John 6:41-42 (NIV), “41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” Let’s pause here and get some context before we continue on. Jesus had just had the biggest, most impressive day of ministry the day before. He had fed the five thousand, and then that night, he walked on the water and calmed the storm, revealing both a sign of provision and a sign of power over his creation. Then the next day, after all that, they were in Capernaum, a small town at the north end of the Sea of Galilee, basically home base for Jesus during the first few years of his public ministry, where the Apostle Peter had a house. And Jesus was teaching in the synagogue where, as we saw last week, he made the claim, “I am the bread of life.” This was the first of the seven “I AM” statements of Jesus in John’s gospel. But in this teaching, Jesus claimed to have come down from heaven so that “…everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” It was at these claims that the Jews there in Capernaum began to grumble about him. Now, to a Jewish person in John’s day or to anyone familiar with the OT, the word grumble would immediately remind you of the story of the Exodus of Israel from captivity in Egypt. Several times during the Exodus, ancient Israel started grumbling against Moses and even against God. And I don’t think it’s an accident that John uses this language. In the book of Exodus, chapter 16, after God had miraculously provided manna from heaven, the people begin grumbling that they had bread but no meat. Now here, Jesus had just performed a miracle of feeding people with bread from heaven, and the next day, the people grumbled against him. But with Jesus, the people don’t understand how Jesus could say that he had come down from heaven. They were like, “But we know his family, we know where he grew up, how can he make this claim to be something special, much less equal with God?” Not a very warm welcome there for Jesus, but also this is evidence that Jesus himself was making the claim to be God. This wasn’t something his followers made up hundreds of years later. But I’m sure it was tense in the synagogue that day. As Jesus kept talking, people kept getting more and more upset. But would Jesus walk back this claim as he felt the room shift against him?
John 6:43-52 (NIV), “43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” 52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Not only does Jesus not walk back the claim to have been sent down from heaven, but he doubles down. Saying, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven [which anyone may eat and not die].” Then he extends the metaphor by saying the “bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” and “Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Now, this is clearly a metaphor. But the people go from grumbling to arguing sharply among themselves because they take him literally. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus actually explains the metaphor by saying, “Whoever believes in me has eternal life.” Jesus obviously isn’t advocating for cannibalism; he’s using this picture of eating the bread of life as an analogy for faith. But he seems to have lost the room. Will he now try and walk back this claim? Or will he only double down again?
John 6:53-59 (NIV), “53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.” Ok! So Jesus just doubles down again, adding drinking his blood to the metaphor. If Jesus had a PR firm, they would’ve quit that day. If the people didn’t understand the meaning of eating his flesh, they certainly weren’t going to understand the meaning of drinking his blood. But, again, there’s no way that Jesus meant people to take this saying literally. It’s clearly against the OT law to drink blood. So what is Jesus trying to say here? He’s teaching that just as food and drink are necessary for us to have physical life, so in the same way, we need God to provide us with spiritual nourishment through the person and work of Jesus that will lead to real/spiritual/eternal life. Now, if you’ve been a Christian for a while, this language of the flesh and blood of Jesus might remind you of the institution of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, where the bread and the cup represent the body and blood of Jesus. Jesus won’t institute this practice until the night before his death on the cross, but here, perhaps a year before the cross, he is teaching the meaning behind the institution of the bread and the cup. That even today, we look to the Son and believe in him, and therefore, we have eternal life and trust the promise of Jesus to raise us up on the last day. But the point of this passage isn’t to start the practice of Communion but to help us to understand what Communion remembers and celebrates, that Jesus is the bread of life, sent from heaven, to nourish and to give life by faith in his powerful name. So there. All the cards are on the table. How will the people respond?
John 6:60-71 (NIV), “60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” 61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)” This is God’s word. Wow. On hearing this hard teaching, rather than humbly asking Jesus for more information, for more of an explanation of what he means, many of the people who had been following Jesus “turned back and no longer followed him.” These were people who had seen the power of God through the ministry of Jesus, who had heard him teach, and maybe even knew him from when he grew up in the nearby town of Nazareth. But despite all that, when his teaching was hard for them to accept, they walked away from him. This must have been so hard for Jesus to experience. What do you think he felt when he saw all of them walk away from him? If I were Jesus, I probably would’ve quit. After two major miracles the day before and with so many thousands of people following him, I’m sure it would’ve been tempting for him to look at all that ministry fruit as a measure of his own value and worth. But then, Jesus preaches one sermon that manages to offend almost everyone, and many people decide to stop following him (unfollowed, blocked, done). Does that mean his ministry failed? But none of this surprises Jesus one bit. John says he knew from the beginning which of them would believe and truly follow him, who would walk away from him, and even who would betray him in the end, his friend, Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. He knew that no one could come to him unless the Father had enabled them to come, and Jesus fully and implicitly trusted his Father. He knew the fruit of his ministry wasn’t about the numbers that day in Capernaum or the next week when barely anyone was left. But it still must’ve been tough for him. Jesus had compassion on the crowds because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus really loved people, so to see them walking away from him was to see people that he loved walk away from the only ultimate source of life and love and joy and peace. And in this moment, Jesus turns to the Twelve, his closest followers, and asks them if they want to leave him, too. And as usual, Simon Peter speaks his mind. But his confession is good. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” Peter is saying, “Lord, where else can we go to find the hope and the truth and the life that offer? Only you, Lord, only you have the words of eternal life. Only you have the gospel, the good news of who God is and what he has done. Only you are the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Only you are the source of living water and the bread of life. Only you are the Lord and the Savior. Only you are the Holy One of God.” Peter isn’t always pointed in the right direction, but he nails it here. And I think his confession, even though Peter certainly didn’t have as full of an understanding as he would have after the cross and the resurrection, I think it still would’ve been helpful/encouraging to Jesus. Now, next week, we’ll continue to consider the unique theme and authority of the teaching ministry of Jesus.
But for today, I’d like to end our time by thinking about how we can deal with the hard sayings and the potentially offensive teachings of Jesus. I’ll give you two thoughts. First, this isn’t a new problem for modern people. God’s word has always been challenging or even downright offensive to some. Just as people grumbled against God in the OT and against the teaching of Jesus that day in Capernaum, God’s word has always been challenging or even downright offensive to some people. But the uncomfortable truth is that the message of the gospel is offensive. The gospel says we needed Jesus to die for us because we were hopelessly lost on our own, and we couldn’t do a single thing to save ourselves. That’s a humbling message. Everyone kind of believes that they can do more good than evil and that God should give us credit for that, that that should be enough. But the gospel says, no, that’s not how it works. The standard is perfection, and all have fallen short of the glory of God. But even if you believe that you might need a savior, there’s the ethical teaching of the Bible, and what God says is right and wrong. Whether it’s the ethical teaching on human gender or sexuality, or the requirement of forgiveness and love, even for our enemies, or the calling to care for the poor and those in need, there are many hard sayings in the Bible. Sadly, just as it happened that day, many people today walk away from the faith because of these hard sayings. I’ve had dear friends who have rejected Jesus (at least for now) because they’re unwilling to accept his way. Maybe you’ve had friends or family who have done this, too. They were unwilling to submit to his word/way when it conflicted with their word/way. The way of Jesus is a hard way. It’s a way of suffering. It’s a way of dying. It’s the way of the cross. The way of Jesus demands that you lose your life in order to find it. And we stand under the authority of God and his word; we do not stand over it. But here’s the second thought: The way of Jesus is the only way that leads to life. John’s gospel is all about finding life, real/eternal/abundant life by faith in Jesus’ name. When our circumstances or a particular teaching of the Bible are hard to understand or to deal with, the Christian must say, as Peter said, “Lord, where else would we go? Only you have the words of life.” There is no viable plan b. There is no other religion or philosophy, there is no other way that leads to life/love/joy/peace. So today, when we wrestle with the truth/goodness of an aspect of God’s word, let us bring our questions and our doubts to Jesus. If he’s real, as I believe he is, and if his way is the only way that leads to life, then he can handle our questions; he can handle our doubts. And in his timing and according to his perfect wisdom, he will reveal to us the truth and the goodness of his words/way. Let us pray.
Jesus, the Bread of Life: Far too many people spend their lives chasing after things they think will give them a deep and meaningful life, only to find that years later, they are sadly disappointed. Only Jesus, the bread of life, provides the life we long for. All else will fall short. Only the life found by faith in him will finally and eternally satisfy. He is sufficient; he is enough. Recorded on Oct 8, 2023, on John 6:25-40 by Pastor David Parks.
Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re going through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And today, we’re continuing in John 6 with the first of the famous “I AM” statements of Jesus. As I said last week, the gospel according to John, is like an art gallery, with every piece curated to teach us something about the person and work of Jesus. And there are different wings of the gallery organized by unique themes, such as the seven miraculous signs like turning water into wine or walking on the water (like we saw last week). But, like the seven signs, the seven “I AM” statements teach us much about who Jesus is and what he came to do all those years ago. Our statement for today is his claim, “I am the bread of life.” This is a statement about the purpose or the mission of Jesus — what Jesus came to accomplish. And what did Jesus come to accomplish? Well, surely the main work relates to offering the forgiveness of sins through his death and the cross and his resurrection from the dead, right? And the answer is yes to that. But forgiveness of sin is not the only thing Jesus came to do. The good news is that Jesus came to do many good things, including the offer of life — real/abundant/eternal life, the life that God our Creator always intended for us to have/enjoy. Here’s the problem: far too many people (including many Christians) spend their lives chasing things they think will result in a deep and meaningful life, only to find that years later, or decades later, they are sadly disappointed. Far too many people chase things like relationships/career/beauty/power/wealth/family/fame, thinking that their thing will give them the good life, the life they long for. But as we’ll see today, only Jesus, the bread of life, provides the life that we long for. If you’ve ever been unsatisfied with life in this broken world, this message is for you. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 6:25.
John 6:25–27 (NIV), “25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Ok, let’s pause here. So, we’re just jumping right back into where we left off last week. Remember that the previous day was the biggest ministry day, yet. Jesus had miraculously fed the five thousand by multiplying the five loaves and two fish. Then, the previous night, Jesus had sent his disciples back across the Sea of Galilee right into a storm. But eventually, he came to them, walking on the water, and calmed the storm when he got into their boat. So here, the crowd of many thousands realized that Jesus sent his disciples away, but then he was gone the next morning, and they didn’t understand what had happened. Which is why, when they found Jesus at Capernaum, they asked him, “When did you get here?” But instead of saying, “Tada!” or something like that (as I would have said), he has a serious response. “Very truly I tell you…” Which means pay attention; what I’m about to say is important. “… you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” John tells us that the miraculous signs of Jesus weren’t meant only to impress people or win influence over them. They were meant to be seen and believed by his disciples in a way that reveals his glory. Now, some of the crowd became disciples of Jesus, but not everyone in the crowd was a disciple. As we’ll see in John’s gospel, many people in the crowd will leave Jesus when things get hard. They are looking for Jesus; they are there because of what they can get from Jesus, not because they believe in him and trust in him for who he truly is. So Jesus offers a gentle correction, saying, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures [remain, Jn 15] to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” Now, two things about this statement. First, the Son of Man is the title that Jesus most often uses for himself, according to the gospel accounts. It comes from Daniel 7 in the Hebrew Bible, where “one like a son of man” came into the presence of the Ancient of Days and was given a kingdom that would never end. So, Jesus is making a big claim here by using that title. But, second, what does Jesus say that he, the Son of Man, will do? He says that he will give “food that endures to eternal life.” The word translated “endures” is an interesting word in John’s gospel. Later on in chapter 15, Jesus says, John 15:4 (NIV), “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. [remain here is the same word as endures] No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain [endure] in me.” And this is a thread that runs through John’s gospel, which speaks about our union/endurance/remaining with Christ. Don’t work for food that spoils. Listen, as good as the bread was that Jesus multiplied to feed the five thousand, it wasn’t going to be as fresh the next day. This is bread that, though it was nourishing for the people, will spoil/perish. Work for food that will nourish you and will provide life to you forever. Doesn’t that sound great? Ok, Jesus, how do we get that bread? What do we have to do?
John 6:28-31 (NIV), “28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus’ answer is profoundly unexpected. No other religion or philosophy ever conceived of anything like this. Jesus says, you don’t have to do anything, you don’t have to sacrifice anything, you don’t have to stop anything, you don’t have to achieve anything — the only thing you have to do is believe in the one God has sent. in other words, Jesus is saying the only thing you need in order to have the life you long for and are killing yourself by working for is to believe in me. All you need is faith in Jesus. But doesn’t that sound too good to be true? Doesn’t that sound like there’s some hidden catch? What about someone with a bad reputation? What about the sinner? What about the convicted felon? What about our enemies? All they need to do is trust in Jesus, and they will find this real/abundant life, too? This is salvation by the grace of God, and grace isn’t ever fair. Karma is fair, where everyone basically gets what they deserve. But the way of Jesus is totally different. The way of Jesus is that we do not get what we deserve. Why? Because Jesus lived the perfect life, the life we were supposed to live, a life without sin. But on the cross, Jesus got the penalty we deserved in order that when we trust in him, we get what he deserved, which is eternal life. Now, before the cross, the crowd, just as all the other people in the OT before the cross, needed to trust in God’s goodness and willingness to save without understanding all the details of how God was going to do it. Now, we who live after the cross of Christ have the blessing of being able to see how God accomplished all this through his Son. But again, this is a staggeringly unique claim. So, I can sympathize with the crowd asking Jesus for proof of this claim. “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?” Now, on the one hand, this seems like a dumb question after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. But on further reflection, it’s not such a bad question if you know the history of Israel. They bring up the story of the Exodus, where God provided manna or bread from heaven, not just for thousands, but for the whole nation, and not just for dinner, but God sustained his people for years in the wilderness. If all that happened through Moses, what are you going to do, Jesus? How are you going to top that?
John 6:32-35 (NIV), “32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Let’s pause one more time. And I love this so much. Jesus is like, wait; you’re looking for me to be more (what?) impressive than Moses? The manna from heaven didn’t come from Moses; it came from God. You’re looking at this completely backward. Don’t look at what you can get from me or how impressive that makes you think that I am. See that it is God the Father in heaven who provided the manna then and is providing something far greater today. Me, the “I AM,” God is providing me, and I am the bread of life. The manna from heaven during the Exodus was only a foreshadowing of what was to come, a sign pointing forward to Jesus, who is, we discover, both the author and the savior of life. And then, Jesus makes this incredible claim: “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” In other words, when you come to Jesus and believe in him, just as God provided manna to physically sustain his people in the wilderness, and just as God provided bread to feed the five thousand again as physical sustenance, so now, God will provide everything you need to sustain you forever. You will be satisfied forever. You can lay down all the burdens that you carry to try and save yourself. You can stop trying to earn the blessing/favor/love/forgiveness of God. In Jesus and because of Jesus, it’s all a gift of God’s grace: salvation, forgiveness, love, and life everlasting. But what about the people who do not believe? What about the people in the crowd who are not disciples of Jesus, people who are there for what they might get from him and not for him and him alone?
John 6:36-40 (NIV), “36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” Our passage ends with a statement full of grace and truth. First, the truth. The crowd has seen Jesus physically, and they even experienced at least one of his major miracles in the feeding of the five thousand, although they probably saw other healings and the like, or at least heard about those things if they followed Jesus for any amount of time. But here’s the reality, here’s the truth: they still do not all believe in him. D. A. Carson comments, “…they have seen only bread and power, not what they signify. This crowd has witnessed the divine revealer at work, but only their curiosity, appetites and political ambitions have been aroused, not their faith.” (Carson, PNTC, p. 290). But second, and this is so very good, here’s grace and truth. Jesus says, “All those the Father gives me [every single one] will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” In other words, for anyone who comes to him, Jesus will protect you. Jesus will not let you go; he will not let you slip. Here’s the gospel: God provides his Son, the bread of life; we respond in faith, and the Son nourishes, protects, and sustains us until the age to come and beyond.
Well, how do we apply this teaching to our lives? What does this mean for us today? This is one of those concepts — that Jesus is the bread of life — that is so powerful. Because we all have this internal longing for life, but we all have the common experience that this life we’re all living now is just not it. It’s just not enough. Even when things are going well, there’s always this sense that there must be something more, something better, something more satisfying. As a result, far too many people (including many, many Christians) fall into the trap of spending their lives chasing things they think will result in a deep and meaningful life, only to find that years later, perhaps decades later, they still haven’t found the life they long for. So what about you? Have you spent your life chasing things like relationships/career/beauty/power/wealth/family/fame, thinking that those good things will give you this life you long for? The answer of John’s gospel, and the answer of the whole of the Bible is this: Only Jesus, the bread of life, provides the life that we long for. Only he truly satisfies. All else will fall short. If you chase your career, thinking that it will be enough, what will you do when you retire or can’t work for some reason or your career doesn’t work out how you wanted? If you chase your looks, thinking that other’s love or attention will be enough, what will you do when beauty fades? It’s only Jesus. Only Jesus is enough. Only the life that is found by faith and results in our enduring/remaining in him will finally and eternally satisfy. I’d like to close with an invitation from the Lord from Isaiah 55:1–3 (NIV), “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.” Amen. Let us pray.
Walking on the Water (A Sign of Power): How should Christians deal with fear, anxiety, and worry? When Jesus walked on the water and calmed the storm, it was a sign of Jesus’ power over creation. In this broken world, there are many real reasons for fear — but if Jesus is our creator, his power should calm our fears. Why? Because he is God and he is good, and we, too, can put our hope and trust in his unfailing love. Recorded on Oct 1, 2023, on John 6:16-24 by Pastor David Parks.
Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re going through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And today, we’re continuing in John 6 and another one of the most famous signs/miracles of Jesus’ ministry, that is, Jesus walking on the water. If you missed any of the sermons from this series so far, you can always go back and watch or listen online. But today, in the fifth of the seven miraculous signs in John’s gospel, we have a sign of power. We have a sign of the sovereign power of Jesus, the Creator, and the Lord over of all creation. This is a huge teaching. But of all the implications of this, in our story, this sign of the power of Jesus is directly connected to fear. Now, I know that some of us really struggle with fear, but everyone has fears/anxieties/worries. Maybe you have fear that comes up when you think about your kids/health/career/future. In this broken world, there are many real reasons for fear; there are many things to be afraid of. But as followers of Jesus, how do we face our fears? If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 6:16. Let’s consider the incredible story of Jesus walking on the water.
John 6:16-18 (NIV), “16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.” Let’s pause here. So, last week, we considered the sign of provision in the feeding of the five thousand. And in three of the four gospels, the authors place the story of Jesus walking on the water the night of the miracle of feeding the five thousand. And what a day! So that same day, when evening came, Jesus put his disciples in a boat and had them set off ahead of him. Matthew and Mark both say that Jesus “went up on a mountainside to pray.” After such an incredibly fruitful but exhausting day of ministry, Jesus needed some alone time with his Father in prayer. That’s what recharged him. Now, John doesn’t mention this detail here, but the intimacy of Jesus’ relationship with his Father is certainly a theme that runs throughout John’s gospel. So late in the day, the disciples started rowing the few miles to the town of Capernaum at the north end of the Sea of Galilee. Basically, they were headed back to their home base. Capernaum was where Peter and his wife had a house and where Jesus spent a lot of his time during his public ministry. In fact, you can see the ruins of Peter’s house to this day. Anyways, as they were going home after a very long day of ministry, things were not going well. A strong wind was blowing, and the waters grew rough, and now it was dark. The fact that John mentions the darkness and that the disciples weren’t with Jesus is probably not an accident. Darkness is often a metaphor for a lack of faith. But even for seasoned fishermen, this was a potentially deadly situation. If their boat went down, there was no emergency beacon, no GPS locator, no Coast Guard or Navy coming to their aid. Depending on how far they are from shore, they very easily might drown. There are many situations we might face in life we’d call storms metaphorically, but they were in a literal storm. What would they do?
John 6:19–21 (NIV), “19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” Let’s pause one more time. So the disciples went into this situation tired. They’d been up all day, helping Jesus minister to thousands of people. And now, they’d been rowing for hours in the dark and through the storm, and they had only traveled three or four miles. They were sent out on a mission by Jesus, but they couldn’t seem to accomplish it on their own. Later, Jesus will say, apart from me, you can do nothing. But in his timing, Jesus came to them, and they saw him approaching the boat, walking on the water. John (in a kind of understated way) says they were frightened. I bet! Can you imagine seeing a man approaching in the dark, in the blowing wind and the raging sea? Mark is a little more descriptive of their emotional state, saying, “When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out because they all saw him and were terrified.” (Mk 6:49-50a). These are grown men, blue-collar men (fishermen), who are terrified, and rightly so! You and I would’ve been afraid, too. But Jesus comes to them in their struggle against the wind and the waves. He is not afraid. He comes to them in their fear and he speaks, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Literally, he says, “I am; don’t be afraid.” Now, it’s not a bad translation in the NIV, saying “It is I;” as that is what the Greek can mean. But I believe there’s more going on here. Back when we started working through John’s gospel, I said that this book is like an art gallery with various wings organized under certain themes that all reveal different aspects of the person and work of Jesus. And one of the wings would be the seven signs of Jesus, which we’ve seen five so far. Another one of the wings of the gallery would be the “I am” statements of Jesus. And just like the signs, there are seven metaphorical “I am” statements, as well. “I am the bread of life” (which we’ll consider next week) or “I am the Good Shepherd.” Each of these “I am” statements teaches us something about Jesus. But there are a few other non-metaphorical “I am” statements in John, including our passage for today. Well, why is it significant for Jesus to say, “I am”? The reason is rooted in the Hebrew Bible or the OT of our Bibles. 1,500 years before the time of Jesus, during the calling of Moses by God from within the burning bush, Moses asked God what his name was and what he should call him. God responds in Exodus 3:14–15, saying, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.” So, the personal name of God, which is Yahweh, comes from the phrase “I am” in Hebrew. So, it has to be on purpose that John has this thread running through his gospel where Jesus identifies himself using a series of “I am” statements. For Jewish men and women steeped in the stories of the Exodus, this was a clear but radical statement that Jesus was not just a good teacher or prophet; he is so much more than this. John is saying that Jesus claimed to be the I AM, he was Yahweh, he was the one who called to Moses from the burning bush, he was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And he had come in the flesh. He was God-with-us. “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God…[but] the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (Jn 1:1, 14). We’ll consider more of this “I am” thread next week with Jesus’ statement, “I am the bread of life.” But today, as if we needed more evidence that Jesus claimed to be God, there’s also an OT theme of the Lord being the master or ultimate authority over the sea. Job says that “[God] alone stretches out the heavens and [listen to this] treads on the waves of the sea…He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.” (Job 9:8-10). This is what Yahweh God does. Or listen to the Psalmist in Psalm 107. Psalm 107 emphasizes God’s sovereign power over creation and his ability to save people because of his unfailing love. Let’s read just a section of it today. Psalm 107:23–30 (NIV), “23 Some [people] went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. 24 They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. 25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. 26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. 27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end. 28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. 29 He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” I believe John had this psalm in mind when, many years later, as an old man, he thought back to that scary, stormy night. When the disciples realized it was Jesus, their friend, “they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” Jesus had treaded on the waves of the sea; he had stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. And the disciples were glad as Jesus guided them home. What a difference it is to have Jesus in your boat. He brings them calm, peace, joy, life, and gladness. He brings them home. But how does he do this? He does this by being the divine Word made flesh; he does this by being the eternal Son of the Father; he does this by being the great I AM; he does this by being God.
John 6:22–24 (NIV), “22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.” This is God’s word. So this final section flows right into our passage for next week as the people question how Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake without a boat. Good question! But the end of our passage today emphasizes that this wasn’t a parable about Jesus being able to calm our fears in the midst of a metaphorical storm. Jesus really did walk on the water; he really did calm the storm. There were twelve eyewitnesses to what he did, and then many more who saw him first on the one side of the lake and then again in Capernaum without another explanation for how he got there.
But what does this mean for us today? How do we apply this teaching to our lives? Well, do you ever struggle with fear, anxiety, or worry? Join the club. Fear is a universal condition in a world full of sin and death. But nevertheless, there are many things that might help us to have courage in the face of our fears or to find peace in the storm. Having other friends in the boat certainly helps. The disciples weren’t rowing alone. The more isolated you are, the more power fear tends to have. Having the wisdom of experience certainly helps. These men weren’t rookies out on the water. At least 4-5 of them were experienced fishermen who ran their own fishing business. I’m sure they knew a few things about navigating a boat in the middle of a storm. That wisdom and their perspective would’ve been very helpful. If we’re talking about a metaphorical storm, not the storm the disciples faced that day, then talking with a counselor certainly helps. The disciples weren’t really at liberty to take advantage of this point. But talking through your fears in order to examine the thoughts behind your feelings is a vital practice because not everything you feel is true! Fear can be made so much worse by thinking or believing something that is false. In certain situations, medication can help, exercise can help, and other practices can help. But just as the disciples did that night, today, we have two choices to make when it comes to Jesus. And the result of these choices will have a direct (and I believe the biggest) impact on calming our fears. The first choice is this: are you willing to accept Jesus into your boat? When the disciples didn’t realize it was Jesus, they were afraid of him in addition to the fear of the storm. They thought he was a ghost. But then they realized it was him. That’s when Peter asks Jesus to walk on the water, too, as Matthew’s gospel records. It worked for about 5 seconds until Peter took his eyes off Jesus, but either way, when they recognized him, they invited him in. Will you do that? When you’re in the storm when your fight-or-flight system is activated, will you invite him in? Will you pray to him? Will you trust in him? Will you bring his light and his truth into your darkness? Or not? He doesn’t force himself on us. He stands at the door and knocks. All you have to do is let him in. The second choice is this: do you believe what John is saying and what the signs of Jesus are showing, that Jesus is the Creator God, who has come into his creation? Do you believe these things really happened? That he turned water into wine and healed the official’s son, and he restored the man at Bethesda, and he fed the five thousand, and that he walked on water? Eventually, we will see that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world, and he was buried, but on the third day, he rose again from the dead and is alive today as the King, the Lord of all creation. If you do believe these signs to be true, then this has everything to do with our fear. Of course, we won’t experience the exact same situation the disciples faced all those years ago. Our circumstances will be different. But, perhaps we might experience similar fears to how they felt that night. Fears made worse by exhaustion, lack of progress, and the darkness. Fears made worse by difficult/hopeless circumstances. Fears for our safety/future/loved ones. Fear of death. The truth is this: in this broken world, there are many real reasons for fear; there are many things to be afraid of. As followers of Jesus, how do we face our fears? Well, if Jesus is our creator, then he has power/authority over every inch of the whole of the universe. And his power should calm our fears, for he is God, and he is good, and we, too, can put our hope and trust in his unfailing love. He will calm the storm, he will bring us home, and we will be glad. Let me close with this, from Psalm 89:8–9 (NIV), “8 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. 9 You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.” And, friends, if he did it then, he can do it again. Let us pray.
Feeding the Five Thousand: Have you ever needed God to provide? We’re all needy in certain ways. In the well-known miracle of feeding the five thousand, Jesus proves he can provide immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine. But this only foreshadowed how God would provide for our greatest need in Jesus. Recorded on Sep 24, 2023, on John 6:1-15 by Pastor David Parks.
Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re going through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And today, we’re moving on to John 6 and one of the most famous signs/miracles of Jesus’ ministry: the feeding of the five thousand. If you missed any of the sermons from this series so far, you can always go back and watch or listen online. You can watch on YouTube or on the church app or listen to the audio podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. But today, in the fourth of the seven miraculous signs in John’s gospel, we have a sign of provision — to show that Jesus knows what we need and loves to provide above and beyond anything we could ask or imagine. Have you ever needed God to provide? Have you ever prayed and prayed for something that only God could do? I have. Does anyone remember 2020? What a year. Well, some of you might remember that we had finished most of our remodeling of this place and were finally able to move in fully in Feb of 2020, one month before the Covid shutdown. Going into the pandemic, we still had $20,000 of bills we needed to pay, but with the shutdown, some were not able to give what they had pledged for the building project. We had enough money to keep operating as we scrambled to figure out how to stay connected with everyone in isolation, but we didn’t have enough to pay off those bills. Our vendors were very gracious, as we were far from the only ones in that situation. But for almost a full year, I prayed and prayed and prayed for God to provide. But it wasn’t until the end of 2020, at Christmas, when we had an incredible outpouring of generosity by our members, that we not only had enough to completely pay off our debt, but we had enough to start building back our savings, as well. It was a miracle of God’s provision. On top of everything else happening that year, the financial pressure I felt was so heavy. That year, I prayed almost every day that God would provide the money we needed. But also that he would help me trust in his provision. Have you ever needed God to provide? Maybe you have a need today? Well, if you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 6:1. Let’s consider together the feeding of the 5,000.
John 6:1–6 (NIV), “1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” Let’s pause here. So, the feeding of the five thousand is a very famous story, in fact, it’s the only miracle (besides the resurrection, of course) repeated in all four gospel accounts. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all reference the death of John the Baptist right before this story. John the Baptist, who featured so prominently earlier in John the Apostle’s gospel, had the courage to speak out against an immoral marriage between Herod the Tetrarch, a powerful political leader in Galilee, and his sister-in-law, Herodias. John rightly said that it wasn’t lawful for Herod to marry his sister-in-law, so Herod had him thrown in prison and later was pressured into having John executed. So it was in this highly charged and even violent political/religious culture that Jesus was gaining popularity from the crowds, but also opposition from the Jewish leadership. So sometime after the healing of the man at Bethesda in Jerusalem, and after John the Baptist had been killed, John the author says that Jesus and the disciples were again in the northern region of Galilee. And it was by the Sea of Galilee (about the same size and shape as Lake Winnebago), that a great crowd of people followed Jesus. John says they followed him because of the signs Jesus had performed by healing the sick. This will become more of a theme as we go. Will the people follow Jesus because they believe in him, or do they merely follow him for what they think he will do for them and the benefits they think they will get from him? This is a discipleship theme that John will develop. But for now, Jesus was probably at the height of his popularity. Later, we will learn that there were about 5,000 men in the crowd. Counting the women and children, there could’ve been 10,000-15,000 people who had traveled to see/hear/experience the ministry of Jesus that day. Other gospel accounts mention that Jesus had compassion on this great crowd when he saw them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. So Jesus spent the day with them, teaching them, healing them, and ministering to them. It would’ve been amazing to have been there, but it would also have been a long and tiring day, as well. At some point, Jesus asked Philip, one of the twelve, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” And I love this little aside statement from John: “He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” Again, Jesus never asks questions to gain information. This is a discipleship question for one of his apprentices. This is a leadership development question. “Philip, you’ve been with me for some time now, we have a crowd of thousands who are hungry. Uber Eats won’t be invented for a long time. How should we feed them?” Jesus already knew what he was going to do, but let’s hear what Philip had to say first.
John 6:7-9 (NIV), “7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Ok! So Philip could accurately assess the need. It would take more than a half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” (much less a satisfying meal). This was probably true, but doesn’t move us any closer to the goal. Any other ideas, team? Andrew, who was Simon Peter’s brother, speaks up. We’re brainstorming, we’re troubleshooting. Andrew starts looking around and sees a boy who has a bag lunch: five small barley loaves and two small fish. We’ve got a crowd of 15,000 and one kid’s lunch. It’s comical just how little the disciples had compared to the greatness of their needs. Also, how do you think the kid felt when Andrew offered up his lunch? Let’s see what Jesus had in mind.
John 6:10-13 (NIV), “10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” Ok, so this is what Jesus had in mind. Hey Philip, how should we feed all these people? What he should’ve said was this: “Lord, if you wanted to feed all these people, you could call down manna from heaven, or you could turn these rocks into bread, or you could multiply a little boy’s lunch, or maybe a million other things to provide more than enough for all of us to eat and be satisfied.” That would be the right answer. That would be an answer of faith rooted in what Philip had already seen of the miraculous power of Jesus, the beloved Son of God, filled with the Holy Spirit. When God asked the prophet Ezekiel in the Valley of the Dry Bones if the bones could live, what did Ezekiel say? He said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” What would be impossible for human beings is possible with God. Can these dry bones live? Only you know, Lord. How can we feed all these people, Philip? Sovereign Lord, you alone know. It’s not possible for me, but it’s possible for you, Lord Jesus. Do you see? This was a test of faith for Philip. But this was also a sign which would reveal the glory of Jesus to his disciples. So Jesus had everyone sit down, he took the food, gave thanks for what God the Father would provide through the Son by the power of the Spirit, and he made sure everyone had enough to eat and be satisfied. Now how do you think that little boy felt about offering his little lunch to Jesus? If I were Jesus, I’d have that little boy sitting at my right hand, in the place of honor. God used his small sacrifice, all he was able to give, in order to do great things for his glory and the good of all people. How would the people respond? This is the biggest sign so far of the power of Jesus.
John 6:14-15 (NIV), “14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” This is God’s word. So here, we seem to have kind of an unsatisfying ending. The crowd seems to be convinced of something by this miracle, and it’s not altogether a bad thing. They think Jesus is the Prophet described in Dt 18. God promised to send a Prophet to his people who would speak God’s word to them, and they were to listen to him. Jesus is, of course, a prophet, but he is so much more than that. He doesn’t just speak God’s word; he is the Word of God made flesh. He is the Son of God sent from heaven to reveal the fullness of the glory of God. He is Emmanuel, meaning God with us. But the crowd didn’t see all that or believe that yet. How could they? For Jesus had not yet died and rose again from the dead. So before the empty tomb, the only thing that people thought the great Prophet or the Messiah would do was be a political leader, a regular king over a regular kingdom. It would be a kingdom that honored the one true and living God, but it would be a kingdom just like the Greek or Roman Empire or the Babylonian or Persian or other empires before them. Jesus rightly perceived that the crowd intended to make him a king by force, to rebel against the Romans with Jesus at their head. But this is not the mission of Jesus. And a regular kingdom was not the type of kingdom that Jesus was establishing. At the end of John’s gospel, while on trial for his life before Pontius Pilate, Pilate asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews. “Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” (John 18:36). Jesus wasn’t a political leader who needed to fight the existing human powers to establish himself or his kingdom. He was and is the King of all creation, who invaded this kingdom of darkness and by his blood and the power of his Spirit is rescuing men and women from sin and death and is delivering them into his kingdom, a kingdom that is spiritual in nature and will last forever, even beyond death. And it’s this kingdom that is breaking into the kingdom of this world and will one day consume it all. And in that great and glorious day, then finally, will God’s kingdom have come, and his will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. But for now, at this time, after the feeding of the thousands, Jesus has not yet died; he has not yet risen again, so he is not ready to be recognized as the King, so he wisely withdrew. But what does all this mean for us? How do we apply this teaching to our lives today? I think there are two things going on here. First, we see that God is a God who is more than able to provide what we need. This is a sign of provision. And Jesus taught on this many times. God is our Father in heaven, who loves his children, and just like any good dad, he loves to provide good gifts to his children. Our Father loves us, but he is also near to us, so he knows what we need. Jesus teaches us to ask, seek, and knock. He says we do not have because we do not ask. He says we are to pray and keep on praying for justice and to expect that God will answer our prayers in his timing. In the Lord’s Prayer, he teaches us to pray daily and ask for what we need, such as our daily bread. Have you ever needed God to provide? Then make sure you take that need to him. Just like Jesus in this miraculous sign, he is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Eph 3:20). If you need a meal, he can take a meager little offering and give you enough to satisfy with twelve basketfuls left over. Amen. Let us put our faith and our trust in him. Let us pray and watch what God will do.
And this would seem to me to be enough. This is a lesson we all must learn as children of God and as disciples of Jesus. I needed this lesson back in 2020 and in a number of other times and seasons of my life. But there are a few clues scattered through this text, which suggest that there is something deeper going on here. It is a sign of provision, but this miracle foreshadows something far greater. What do I mean? Well, there are actually four clues in this story that suggest that there’s more to the story. First, the number twelve shows up. For whatever reason, the number twelve is one of those numbers that keeps coming up in the Bible. There are twelve tribes of Israel, there are Twelve Apostles, and here, for some reason, there are twelve baskets full of leftovers after this miraculous feast. Does that mean something? Or is it just a coincidence? Well, second, there’s the language of Jesus giving thanks as he broke the bread and then passed out the pieces. If you’ve been a Christian for a while, that should automatically remind you of what? Of communion, or the Lord’s Supper. On the night before his death on the cross, Jesus, as Matthew says, “took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” (Mt 26:26). John intentionally uses the same language to describe this miracle. Now, this can’t be another coincidence, right? Third, and this one is a little harder to see in the English. But when Jesus says, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” the word for wasted is the same word translated as perish in John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” So we have three clues: a reference to the Lord’s Supper, a miraculous provision from God that results in twelve baskets, and a call to gather in every piece so that none may perish. I believe the key to understanding this story is the fourth and final clue: John’s reference to the Passover Festival. Remember that John said that the Jewish Passover Festival was near. And the Passover was one of the national festivals which celebrated another time when God had miraculously provided for his people. At the first Passover, in the book of Exodus, God provided protection from judgment and wrath under the blood of a sacrificial lamb. This took place when God’s people were slaves in Egypt. The truth is, as good and important as it is for God to meet our physical needs, the ultimate thing we need God to provide for us isn’t bread here or money for bills. Ancient Israel needed God to provide a way of salvation for them from sin, and so do we. But instead of killing a lamb and smearing the blood on the doorposts of our houses, God himself came as the man, Jesus Christ. Remember what John the Baptist had said about Jesus? That he was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. For 1,500 years, the Passover was a big sign pointing forward to Jesus. So when Jesus died on the cross, he was the perfect atoning sacrifice; he was the lamb. And so, regardless of who you are or what you have done, you too can receive what God loved to provide. You, too, can be covered/protected/saved by the blood of Jesus, which is received by faith. You, too, can be saved. Why? Because of Jesus. Because of his sacrifice. Because our God is generous and good. Because our God provides what we need. So today, have you ever needed God to provide? Go to him. Ask him. But let your needs remind you of your greatest need, which God has already provided through his beloved Son. Let us pray.
The Authority of Jesus: Many modern people object to the ethical teachings of Christianity, whether it be about sexuality, gender, money, forgiveness, or something else. However, if Jesus is who he claimed to be, he has authority over every aspect of life. The most important question is not “Do you agree with his teaching?” but “Who do you think Jesus is?” Recorded on Sep 17, 2023, on John 5:16-47 by Pastor David Parks. (Apologies for the audio issues!)
Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
We’re going through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And today, we’re picking back up in John 5. If you missed any of the messages so far, you can always go back and watch or listen online. You can watch on YouTube or on the church app or listen to the audio podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. But today, Jesus addresses a big elephant in the room (and maybe this is something you’ve wondered about, too): where does Jesus get the authority to say/do everything that he says/does? Or, to put a finer point on it, what gives him the right to tell us what to do? That’s usually the problem, isn’t it? We don’t mind other people saying or doing things unless it affects us or makes demands of us. Very often, when I talk with people in the world about the Christian faith, the objections to Christianity have nothing to do with the person/work of Jesus. There seems to be a general acceptance today or even appreciation of Jesus, even among people who would never set foot in a church. However, the objections often center on the morals/ethics of Christianity, of what is taught to be right or wrong according to the Bible. Whether it’s the sexual ethic of Christianity or its teaching on gender or money or forgiveness or something else. Many people hear parts of these teachings and think, I could never be part of that. But here’s the deal: if Jesus is who he claims to be, then he has the authority, he has every right, to tell us how we ought to live. But if he isn’t who he claims to be, then nothing he says matters. But this isn’t a modern thing. It was no different in Jesus’ own day. When people met him or heard his teaching, or saw his ministry, he was constantly asked, “Where do you get the authority to be saying/doing these things?” How do you think Jesus responded? If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 5:16. This is a longer passage, but we’ll unpack it as we go.
John 5:16-18 (NIV), “16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” Let’s pause here. So, our passage picks up right where we left off last week with the healing of the man at Bethesda. Jesus was in Jerusalem during a busy festival time when he healed a man who couldn’t walk for thirty-eight years. This was the third of seven miraculous signs in John’s gospel, and it was a sign of the power of Jesus not only to heal but also to restore what had been lost. He restored this man’s mobility and so much more. Amazing, right? But there’s a problem. Jesus had healed this man on the Sabbath, which was supposed to be a day to rest and enjoy the blessings of God. What could be wrong with this? Well, as we said last week, by this time in history, the Sabbath had become a religious box to check. It wasn’t so much about resting and worshiping God, it was a way to demonstrate your own righteousness by following all the extra man-made rules about what constituted work on the Sabbath. John says that the Jewish leaders began to persecute Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. They might say something like, “Who or what gives you the authority to go against what we teach about the Sabbath?” In his defense, Jesus gave an answer, but his answer only gets him in more trouble. He says, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” And this is really significant. Jesus here is claiming that God the Father in heaven, the creator of the heavens and the earth, the only true and living God, is his Father. In the OT, at certain times and places, God might be referred to as the Father of Israel. But no one before Jesus ever envisioned God as their personal Father in this way. This is really unique. And the proof of this is the response of the Jewish leaders. They went from persecution to wanting to kill him. Because they rightly understood that Jesus was “not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” Now. If Jesus is telling the truth, and he is in fact equal to God, then he would have every right to do whatever he wanted to do on the Sabbath, right? Where did the original command to keep the Sabbath day holy come from? If Jesus is telling the truth, then it came from him, and he would not only have authority over the Jewish leaders’ interpretation of the Sabbath, but over the Sabbath itself. He would be the Lord of the Sabbath. Of course, if he was lying, then he’d be guilty of blasphemy and deserving of death under their law. Maybe Jesus would walk back this claim? Let’s see as we continue.
John 5:19-23 (NIV), “19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” Ok, let’s pause here. So this is one of the clearest and most amazing Christological passages, meaning a teaching on the person or work of Christ. And Jesus just pulls back the veil between heaven and earth to reveal his supremely unique relationship with his Father. He says, “Very truly I tell you…” (Amen, amen, I tell you) — this means what is about to follow is very important: I, the Son, can do nothing on my own. I only do what I see my Father doing. And then, Jesus gives a series of because statements. Why does Jesus only do what he sees his Father doing? Because, first, whatever the Father does, the Son also does. Why? For/because, second, the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Incredible. The relationship at the heart of the Godhead is one of love. We could contemplate this for the rest of our lives and never get over it. The ultimate reality under everything is a perfect loving relationship. “Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.” Why? For/because, third, just as the Father has authority over life and death and judgment, so the son has been given the same authority in order that he might be honored, just as the Father had been honored. What Jesus is teaching about himself here is totally unique. No one ever made these claims before or since. Every other major religion in history had prophets who made claims about how people might be able to gain the blessings or favor of God or at least to find peace or the good life in this broken world. But only Jesus came claiming to be God, claiming to be the one and only divine Son of the Father who was loved from before the creation of the world. But he didn’t use this divine identity to his own advantage; he came into the world to save the world from itself. He came, as he told Nicodemus so that we might be born again, born of the Spirit, and become children of God in the family of God. He came, as he told the woman at the well, as the Messiah, the chosen one sent from heaven to provide living water, welling up to eternal life. He came to heal and restore and set people free, as he demonstrated with the official’s son or the man at Bethesda. Jesus doesn’t walk back the claim of equality with God; he doubles down, saying that it is this absolutely unique identity that explains/authorizes his words and deeds. It’s like Jesus is saying, “You want to know what gives me the authority to do these things on the Sabbath? I’m the one and only Son of the Father. He loves me and has sent me to do these very things.” But then, as now, when we are presented with the actual Christological claims of Jesus himself, we have a choice. How will we respond to him? We see the consequences of this choice next.
John 5:24-30 (NIV), “24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” The theme of John’s gospel is all about finding life in Jesus’ name. This is why he wrote these words. This is what we need to find today. Here, Jesus is again very clear: Very truly I tell you, if you want to find real/eternal life, then whoever hears the word of Jesus and accepts it by faith has eternal life. They have nothing to fear on judgment day. They have already crossed over from death to life. This is what it means to be born again. You might be physically alive but spiritually dead. But by faith in Jesus’ name, you can be made spiritually alive. And it is this spiritual life that will sustain you even beyond physical death. Very truly I tell you (this passage is full of these important statements of Jesus): a time is coming when this age will come to an end. And the dead will be raised, and everyone will give an account to our creator. This shouldn’t be surprising. Don’t be amazed at this. A number of OT passages describe this, as well. God has spoken to us. He has told us what he will do. And those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. However, and here is the heart of the good news of the gospel: Jesus was not sent this first time to condemn the world (as John wrote in chapter 3), but to save people from a world that is already condemned. What good news is this!! However, all this teaching is still based only on Jesus’ word. The Jewish leaders might respond, “Well, this is all a very interesting story. But still, how can we know that what you claim about yourself is true? Is there any evidence you can provide to back up this wild claim?”
John 5:31-40 (NIV), “31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true. 33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. 36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” Ok, one more pause before we finish this passage. This part is just awesome. Jesus makes these wild claims about his identity as the divine Son, equal with God the Father, sent from heaven to seek and to save the lost as the promised Messiah. And he says, you want proof? You want some sort of validation for who I am? I’ll give you three things: First, didn’t you at least respect the ministry of John the Baptist? For a time you enjoyed his light? But remember what he said about me? (Behold! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”) John said that his whole ministry was to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. And then he testified that I was the one who was to come. But then, second, Jesus says that he has an even better reason to believe his claims. “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me.” Look at what I have been doing. I’ve been healing the sick and freeing those in spiritual bondage; I have been performing signs and wonders…how could I possibly be doing these things unless I had the power of the Spirit of the living God? Finally, third, Jesus says aren’t you supposed to be experts in the Scriptures? You study the Scriptures because you think they contain the path to eternal life. But those Scriptures are really about me. The whole OT is all about Jesus, both in pointing to our need for him and to what God promises to do in and through him. Jesus wouldn’t have had to do this, but he gives this threefold testimony to validate his identity as the beloved Son of the Father. You don’t know if you can believe me? Listen to John. Or listen to my works, which are works of God. Or listen to the Scriptures. But if you do not listen, if you do not believe, then you are still on the same sinking ship of this broken world, and your man-made rules around the Sabbath will not save you. Jesus is the lifeboat, and it doesn’t matter how religious or good you think you are or how other people think you are; if you fail to get on the lifeboat, you will go down with the ship.
John 5:41-47 (NIV), “41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” How do we know that Jesus has the authority to say/do the (seemingly crazy, perhaps offensive) things he says/does? How can we be sure? Jesus points to his unique relationship with God the Father in heaven and then to the threefold testimony validating his identity. But what does this have to do with us today? I believe this teaching confronts us in two ways: first, we, too, need to consider and come to a decision on who Jesus is. Do we believe his claims to be the Son of God? Do we believe that he was sent into the world to be the savior of all? This really is the most important question. But second, how we answer that question will have major implications as to what we do with the word/teaching of Jesus, whether we’re talking about sexuality, gender, money, forgiveness, the Sabbath, or anything else. Don’t reject Christianity because of the ethical claims of Christianity without deciding what you believe about Christ first. Because if Jesus is who he claimed to be, then he has every right; he would have all the authority of heaven and earth. He would be the Lord of all of life, not just this part or that part. But if he is not who he claimed to be, then he would have no more authority than you or me. So what about you? Who do you say that he is? Do you find him compelling? Do you think his arguments are plausible? Then I would encourage you to keep going, keep listening, keep thinking about this until you can answer for yourself. Is this Jesus really the Son of God? Is he the way to find real/eternal life? If so, then this changes everything. Let’s pray.
Healing at Bethesda – A Sign of Restoration: Is Jesus able to restore what we have lost? Back in Jerusalem, Jesus encounters a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. Jesus responds by healing him, restoring his mobility, and so much more. This is the third of seven miraculous signs in John’s gospel, a sign of restoration. Recorded on Sep 10, 2023, on John 5:1-15 by Pastor David Parks.
Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
So all year, we’re going through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And if you missed any of the messages so far, you can always go back and watch or listen online. But this morning, we’ll start John, chapter 5. For the last several weeks, we considered several one-on-one conversations between Jesus and individual people. Today, as we head back south to Jerusalem and the healing of the man at Bethesda, the Apostle John gives us the third of seven miraculous signs. As we’ve said, Jesus did many more than seven signs in his ministry. So, the seven signs John records here are designed to be just a sample of the miraculous part of his ministry, but each sign has been chosen to teach us something unique about Jesus and the kingdom where he is the King. So far, we’ve had the sign of celebration of turning water into wine, then last week, we considered a sign of healing in the healing of the official’s son. Today, we have a sign of restoration in the healing of the man at Bethesda. Have you ever lost something that was valuable to you? Maybe you feel you lost out on an opportunity you could’ve had or that you lost your money/time/health/or something else. I have, and one thing I’ve noticed is that sometimes these losses are our own fault, and then there are feelings of guilt/shame/regret that flood our minds when we think of what we’ve lost. Other times, these losses are completely out of our control, and then there are feelings of bitterness/resentment at what we rightly see as being stolen from us. Some of you are too young to remember the 1980s and earlier when seatbelts were optional, and the kids could sit in the backseat of a car (especially a station wagon!) and look out the back window while their parents drove. As a kid without an iPhone or even a DVD player, back in the dark ages, it was considered fun to drive forward while looking backward. But some of us today are stuck that way — looking out the back window of our lives, stuck looking back at our past and all we have lost or all we’d want to see restored, when we should be looking forward as we move forward into our future. But what can we do? What do you think Jesus would have to say about what you see through that back window? Would he care? What do you think he would do? Could he restore what you’ve lost? If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 5:1.
John 5:1-5 (NIV), “1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.” Ok, let’s pause here. So let’s recall that it’s the Apostle John who is our author, a young man with a temper who earned the nickname Son of Thunder when he started following Jesus. But over the course of time, John not only became one of the closest friends of Jesus, but he was so changed/transformed by the gospel that by the end of his long life, he would become known as the Apostle of love. Do you think John would’ve had some regrets when he thought back on his younger self? Maybe some things he wished he could’ve restored? I’m sure he did. But it was this John who tells us that sometime after the healing of the official’s son, later on, Jesus went up in elevation to the city of Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now, we don’t know which festival it was, but we know from passages like Leviticus 23 that the Jewish people had been commanded to hold certain feasts and festivals together as a people to celebrate different things that God had done for them over the generations. And that’s pretty cool, right? God was like, I command you to stop working constantly and rest and enjoy and celebrate all the blessings in your life. Some of us need to bring that practice back into our lives today. But as many people as were able would’ve made the journey to Jerusalem, so it would’ve been packed with people. And near the Sheep Gate, called Bethesda in Aramaic, the language that Jesus and the disciples would’ve spoken at the time, John says, “Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.” Now, I’m not sure if you noticed, but v.4 has become a footnote in the NIV translation because only some manuscripts include it. But it provides a possible reason why these disabled people were there. It says that these people waited for the moving of the waters because, “From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.” This might also help explain v. 7, which mentions a stirring of the water. But this was why a great number of people with a great deal of losses, losses of ability or mobility; I’m sure the losses of career or family in some cases; the loss of independence/autonomy in life. But John tells us that among all these people, there was one man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. Now, we don’t know what happened to the man. Other passages talk about someone with a certain condition from birth, but John doesn’t say that here. Perhaps he had an illness when he was little or perhaps he had a work accident when he was a young man and never fully recovered. We don’t know. But for thirty-eight years, this was his life. How would Jesus respond to him?
John 5:6-9a (NIV), “6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.” Let’s pause and unpack this. So when Jesus sees this man and learns about his condition, he doesn’t immediately heal him. He does something a little unexpected. He asks him, “Do you want to get well?” And wouldn’t the answer be, “Of course I do, Jesus! Do you think I want to be here?” So why does Jesus ask him this seemingly obvious questions? I think the answer is it’s not always true that people want what is best for them. Some people would rather stay in the mess or the brokenness of their lives than do the hard work that leads to change/growth. Some would rather stay stuck than ask for help. Some who struggle don’t really want to get well. Jesus knows this because he knows people. True healing that brings about true and godly change/growth/transformation must start with a change of heart that includes a desire to get well. The biblical term for this is repentance. To repent means to change your mind in a way that results in a change in the direction of your life. To repent means to turn around and go in the other direction. So what an insightful question of Jesus. “Do you want to get well? Do you want to change? Do you want to get help?” “Sir,” (lit., he says “Lord,” which is the same respectful title that the father from our passage last week used for Jesus) “Lord, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” And this is heartbreaking to me. Not only did this man lose his mobility and probably whatever career he would’ve had, but he didn’t even have a friend to help him into the pool for whatever natural or supernatural healing properties it had. Whether this was his fault or not, John doesn’t say. But Jesus immediately responds, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” And what happens? “At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.” Thirty-eight years is nothing to Jesus. And he doesn’t need to get in the pool when it has been stirred in a certain way. He doesn’t need other people’s help. He can heal; he can restore what has been lost in an instant. And here, right in the middle of a busy gate in the packed city of Jerusalem, Jesus again does what only God can do. He performs yet another sign that reveals his glory. So, how would the people respond?
John 5:9b-15 (NIV), “The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” 11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” 12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.” This is God’s word. So there’s a problem with this sign. Jesus had the audacity to perform this miracle on a Saturday, which was the Sabbath, or the Jewish day of rest. The fifth of the Ten Commandments is to keep the Sabbath holy, to work for six days, but on the seventh, to stop/cease and rest and enjoy the blessings of God and to worship him. But by the time of Jesus, the command to keep the Sabbath day holy to the Lord was taken far beyond a day of rest and worship and became a long list of added commands of men that carefully defined just what exactly constituted work and what was allowed on the Sabbath. The religious leaders had completely missed the point of rest and worship and had made it a purely legalistic religious box to check. So what do they find here, but a man who was carrying his mat, which violated their Sabbath rules. So they confront him, but he replies, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” Like, listen, I was healed, and the guy who healed me told me to carry this thing, so I’m gonna go ahead and carry my mat. Of course, the religious leaders aren’t satisfied by this, so they ask him who healed him, and he doesn’t know! No idea! Just some guy who came in and noticed me when so many others passed me by; just some guy who saw me when I was invisible to so many others; just some guy who gave me the dignity of talking with me and listening to me and then healing me after thirty-eight years. I was so surprised that when I turned around again, he was gone. I don’t even know who he was. This must have infuriated the religious leaders because legalistic people hate the idea that there might be exceptions to their man-made rules. And next week, we’ll see the investigation that is sparked as a result of this so-called Sabbath-breaking and the authority of Jesus, but for today, our passage ends with Jesus later finding this man again and introducing himself to him. And I think it’s very telling that Jesus found the man in the temple. He was healed; his mobility, and maybe his very life, had been restored! What was the first thing he did? He walked, or maybe he ran or went skipping or dancing, all the way to the temple to give thanks and praise to God. How many prayers did the man pray over thirty-eight years asking God to provide help/healing, but now, in God’s timing and according to God’s wisdom and his will, he was well. When Jesus found him in the temple he said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Now, this doesn’t mean that it was because of sin that had been an invalid. Later in John 9, Jesus is clear that not every illness or affliction has a moral/spiritual cause. Sometimes, these conditions are simply the result of life in a broken world. But sometimes, hardship or suffering is caused by sin. Either way, after serving his physical needs (and most likely helping his emotional and financial needs as well), Jesus seeks to help him with his spiritual needs. Turn from your sin, turn from your way, and turn to my way. It doesn’t matter if it’s been thirty-eight years or forty-eight years or longer. Anyone at any time can repent and be forgiven and turn and find new life and healing and restoration. But how? How can we do this? How can we deal with all that junk we see out the back window? How can we deal with the losses of our past? How might we find restoration? This man serves as a great example to us. The day he met Jesus, the day he heard the word of Jesus, for whatever reason, he decided to listen to Jesus and do what he said to do. In a very similar way to the father in our story last week, he took Jesus at his word, he believed him, and so he got up, he picked up his mat, and he walked. There’s a blessing in obedience, in doing what Jesus says. It’s a common trap for Christians to fall into, to think that learning more and more about God is the goal of the Christian life. Now, don’t get me wrong, bible study, learning theology, and growing in our understanding of right doctrine is a good thing! But knowledge, even theological knowledge, is not an end in itself. The Apostle Paul says that knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Or listen to James, the brother of Jesus. James 1:22–25 (NIV), “22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” Now, to be clear, obedience to God’s word isn’t the way of salvation. We are not saved by our own obedience or our ability to avoid sin but by faith alone in Christ alone. However, saving faith, as we have seen in John’s gospel, includes being born again and receiving a new heart with new desires, which includes listening to and obeying the teachings of Jesus. So obedience to God’s word isn’t the way of salvation, but it is the way of the Christian life. So today, if you feel stuck looking out the back window of your life, stuck looking back at your past and everything you lost, or you’d want to see restored, turn today. Turn around and go in a new direction. Repent and be forgiven, and rise and pick up your mat and walk! Listen to Jesus and do what he says. His power/authority to bring new life and healing and restoration is no different today than it was all those years ago. Is it too hard a thing for Jesus to restore lost health or relationships or years? But imagine if our lives and our church became known as a place of restoration. Would it not bring glory to Jesus today, even as it served as a sign of his glory all those years ago? I think it would. May we become known as people who love and work for and pray for restoration in Jesus name. Let us pray.
Healing the Official’s Son – A Sign of Healing: When returning to Galilee, Jesus encounters a father experiencing a parent’s worst nightmare: a young son so sick he was near death. When Jesus comments about signs and wonders of faith, the man responds in faith and heads home to find his son miraculously healed. Go to Jesus for healing. Recorded on Sep 3, 2023, on John 4:43-54 by Pastor David Parks.
Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
So all year, we’re going through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And if you missed any of the messages so far, you can always go back and watch or listen online. But this morning, we’re at the end of John, chapter 4. For the last several weeks, we considered several one-on-one conversations between Jesus and individual people. Today, as we come back north into the region of Galilee, in the healing of the official’s son, the Apostle John gives us the second out of seven miraculous signs. Of course, Jesus did many more than seven signs in his ministry. All the gospels present the miracles of Jesus as something that seemed to happen constantly as they followed him. So the seven signs John records here are designed to be just a sample of the miraculous part of his ministry, but each sign has been chosen to teach us something unique about Jesus and the kingdom where he is the King — and today, we have a sign of healing. Now, I don’t get sick very often, but I’ve been really sick a few times in my life, and it’s a miserable thing. I won’t go through my medical history with you, but I do know what it’s like to lay in bed and not have the strength to even sit up and to long for energy/relief/health. I know what it’s like to pray desperate prayers that God would intervene/heal. But I also know that what I’ve experienced is nothing compared to the illness and affliction that some of you have experienced, either personally or with someone close to you. These experiences can be heartbreaking and are so costly. So, as followers of Jesus, how do we face this type of suffering? As a dad, the worst thing I could imagine is one of my kids becoming so sick that we had to start making funeral plans. Could the way of Jesus possibly prepare someone for something so heart-wrenching as that? If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 4:43. Let’s jump right in.
John 4:43-47 (NIV), “43 After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there. 46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.” Ok, let’s pause here. So, our passage picks up right where we left off last week with Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well in the region of Samaria. John tells us that after staying in Samaria for a few days and seeing an incredible harvest of faith from the most unlikely place, Jesus makes his way to Galilee. Looking at a map, we see that in John 3-4, Jesus travels from Jerusalem/Judea in the south, north through Shechem in Samaria, and then further north to the town of Cana. John reminds us that this was where Jesus had previously turned water into wine at a wedding feast. While in Cana, John says that a certain royal official came to Jesus. And this man was facing every parent’s worst nightmare: his son was sick and was close to death. We don’t know anything else about the situation, how old the boy was, or what exactly he was suffering from, but it’s deadly serious. The way the father describes his son in the next passage tells us that he was but a young child. Now, imagine you were this boy’s mom or dad, and you were praying as hard as you could that God would heal your son, and you were doing everything you knew how to do to help him heal…and then you heard that this Jesus of Nazareth, a powerful prophet who had performed other miracles was just a day or two’s journey down the road. Would you go? I’m sure it would’ve been a desperate decision. If I was the father, I’d be asking, “Do I leave my son and possibly miss his final days or hours and to try to convince this Jesus to help us? What if he refuses to come? Or what if I’m already too late?” But the father decides to try. He leaves his son and goes to Jesus to beg him to help. What do you think Jesus will do? How would he respond? Does Jesus have the power to heal?
John 4:48-50 (NIV), “48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” 49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed.” Now, this is such an interesting interaction. At first reading, Jesus seems annoyed, doesn’t he? I picture him rolling his eyes while saying this for some reason. (“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” like, you stupid idiots!) At least that’s how I would’ve felt saying this if I were Jesus (fortunately, I am not!). But John doesn’t say Jesus was upset. This statement of Jesus about the Jews’ desire for signs and wonders before they would believe in the person/work/authority of Jesus could simply have been a true statement. After all, Jesus was just in Samaria, which we said last week was entirely the wrong place to respond to the ministry of the Jewish Messiah. For Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along. They had ethnic, political, and religious differences and about 700 years of bad blood between them. But there, in Samaria (of all places), and starting with the woman at the well (of all people), there was a great outpouring of faith in Jesus just as a result of his word. They didn’t need signs and wonders and yet many people believed in Jesus. But back in his own country, faith was harder to come by. The Jewish people, and especially the religious leaders, refused to believe in Jesus unless they saw signs from Jesus to authenticate his words. But then, they seemed to reject Jesus more often than not, even when he continuously performed miraculous signs before them. This is all part of what John said in the prologue: “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (Jn 1:11). And yet here, again, we have a desperate father who isn’t trying to put Jesus to some theological test or make him prove himself to him, but he’s out of options and is just looking for a miracle. “Sir [Lord], come down before my child dies.” I can imagine the father’s confusion about Jesus’ statement about signs and wonders. I can imagine him pushing through his confusion to just present his need to Jesus. Jesus, I don’t know about all that, but would you help me? Would you heal my young child before he’s gone?! Would Jesus lecture this man on the dynamics of faith in Israel? No. He sees that this man is a man of faith. And Jesus responds with healing. “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” But Jesus, how do I know he will live?? But here is where we see the true faith of the father. John says, “The man took Jesus at his word and departed.” This is exactly what faith looks like. Faith in Jesus means that you believe what Jesus says, you take him at his word, you believe that he will do what he says he will do, and you obey his word. The father believed that Jesus would somehow heal his son, just as he said, and that he could obey his word to go back home. So the man headed back to Capernaum from Cana. What do you think he would find when he got there? Had he been a fool to believe?
John 4:51-54 (NIV), “51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” 53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed. 54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.”” So, in desperation, a father goes to Jesus to beg for him to heal his young son. And when Jesus promises healing, the father responds to him in faith, believing Jesus and his promise for his son. In this story, we see that Jesus doesn’t need to be near/touching someone to heal them. He doesn’t need to recite certain magic words or apply a certain medication. Jesus proves that he is able to heal simply by an act of his will. There’s no way the father would’ve known at the time, but when he met and talked with his servants on the way home, he realized later that it was at the exact time of his conversation with Jesus that his son was healed. Now, there are some parallels here to the story of the woman at the well. There is a one-on-one encounter with Jesus and then the person — in the previous passage, it was the woman at the well; now here, it is the father — the person goes back home, and the result is that many other people believe in Jesus. Now, this is a normal dynamic of following Jesus even today: one person’s faith can lead to the faith of many others. One person is changed in some way by the good news or the power of Jesus, and they want others to experience the same thing. You don’t have to be Billy Graham to have an impact on the world for Jesus. All you need is a testimony and the courage to share it. So, with the testimony of our dear sister in Christ, many in Samaria believed in Jesus. And so, with the testimony of the father and the healing of the son, their whole household put their faith and trust in Jesus. So, this story is similar to other interactions with Jesus. In fact, there are other stories of healing in the gospel accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus. So why does John share this particular story with us? And the answer is rooted in his reason for writing: that we would find life in the name of Jesus. Well, how do we do this in the face of the many illnesses and afflictions that we, or those we love, might suffer in this broken world? How can we find the life that God wants for us, his children, when we are still in need of healing? I’ll close today with two lessons from this passage and a third point of pastoral advice. First, we must go to Jesus for healing; second, we’ll see how we can trust Jesus for healing; and third, what to do if healing doesn’t come.
Go to Jesus for healing. Now, clearly, the father knew his son needed healing; there was no denying his need. Compared to some of the other needs that people have in a broken world, typically, the need for healing isn’t hard to see. But this isn’t always true. There are some addictions and various mental health disorders that can be very difficult for people to see and accept that they need help/healing. But most of the time, if you’re sick, you know it. But even during the time of Jesus, I’m sure there were parents with sick kids who hesitated or even refused, to bring their need for healing to Jesus. One lesson from this passage is that we can go to Jesus in our time of need. And not just for spiritual matters/healing but also for mental/emotional/physical healing. Jesus doesn’t rebuke this man for bothering him. He is willing and able to heal his son. And this serves as an invitation to us today. If you need healing, you can go to Jesus for healing. No matter where you are in the world, you can pray to him and ask for healing, and he will hear you. You will not be rebuked for bothering him. Cast all your anxieties on him. Why? Because he cares for you. James, the brother of Jesus, writes, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” Therefore, every time our elder board meets, we spend time praying for you and especially for healing for those who are ill. If you are too sick to come, we will go to you and pray with you. All you have to do is let us know you’d like us to come and pray. Now, we modern people are so influenced by a naturalistic/materialistic view of the world (that the physical world is all there is) that we might feel it’s antiquated to pray to God for healing. But if God created the world and everything in it, then the context for all of creation is a miracle. Would it be that great a difficulty for our Creator to do a much smaller miracle of healing? I don’t think so. But whether Jesus decides to heal through the normal means he has given us in creation, including seeking the medical care of doctors/nurses and medication and surgery and so forth, or whether Jesus decides to heal through a more direct means, as he did in that day, we can pray for healing and seek healing and thank God when healing comes, whatever the means of healing are used. Just as the father did in this story, we can go to Jesus for healing.
How can we trust Jesus for healing? The father heard the promise of Jesus that his son would live. And he believed him, he trusted him, he took him at his word. Now, this is the main theme of John’s gospel that we can find real and eternal life only by faith in Jesus’ name. But how can we live like this? How can we be people of faith and trust Jesus for healing? It can be so heart-wrenching to watch a loved one suffer. Watching someone endure pain and hardship can test our faith in God and sometimes it feels like it will be stretched to the breaking point. Well, first, it’s stories like this one that show that Jesus has the power to heal. To say the obvious, this is something that only God could do, which is why John includes it as one of the seven signs that reveal the glory of Jesus. But there are so many stories of healing in the Bible. We can trust Jesus for healing because we see/hear again and again his heart for his people so that we might have life and have it to the full. He did it then, and he can do it again. And that should be enough to trust him, but even after the power and faithfulness of God that we see in the Scriptures, we can also listen to stories of healing of other Christians today. In our last membership class, we heard the testimonies of two different people who were miraculously healed by God. These testimonies help us trust Jesus for healing. Ultimately, we can trust Jesus for healing because in his resurrection from the dead, Jesus demonstrated that he has power over even death.
What do we do if healing doesn’t come? Third and finally, I’d like to close with some pastoral advice. What do we do if healing doesn’t come? What do we do if we pray and pray and pray, and nothing seems to happen? I’ve walked with several of you through times such as these. Where we prayed for weeks or months for healing, for freedom from addiction, for deliverance from bondage, but in the end, the answer from God seemed to be, “No.” Well, for the Christian, the answer to a prayer for healing is never finally, “No,” but rather, “Not yet.” For after the death on the cross, for the sins of the world, and his resurrection from the dead, our Lord promised one day to return. And when he returns, the dead will be raised, and all will give an account to the Lord for our lives. The ones without faith will be forever separated from the life and light and love of God. But the ones of faith, those who trust in him today, will be made new and will live in a world where there will be no more mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. The answer if healing doesn’t come is the same as if it does: put your faith and trust in Jesus, and he bring healing in his time according to his glory and his power. May we respond to him in thanks and in praise forever and ever. Let us pray.