John 8:21-30. ‘Who are you?’

There is one subject that is seldom preached on today as it causes offence but Jesus wants people to hear his message that he says comes from his heavenly Father:

“I have much to say in judgment of you . . .” John 8:26

This passage comes in two halves, the first is very severe but in the second half Jesus says some striking things about himself.

Words of terrible severity

21 Once more Jesus said to them,“ I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” John 8:21-24

Many people, including the Pharisees, had been following Jesus around during the Feast of Tabernacles when Jesus had been teaching in the temple of Jerusalem. Jesus is saying that there will come a time when it will be too late for people to change direction. The people will search for him but he will not be found. These are terrifying words:

“You will look for me, and you will die in your sin.” John 8:21

The prophet Isaiah also emphasised the need for people to search out for answers to life before it is too late:

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him . . .” Isaiah 55:6-7

Three times Jesus warns his hearers, ‘you will die in your sin’, ‘you would die in your sins’, ‘You will indeed die in you sins’. Sin, an innate rebellion against God, is the root cause of all our problems. Sin results in a wide variety of symptomatic sins which are also repugnant to God.

These words of Jesus are truly shocking. You will never see them on a tombstone. Sometimes, especially on ancient tombstones, you will see words of hope,

“Died in the Faith’ or “Trusting in his Saviour”

but you will never see,

“He died in his sins.”

These words of Jesus are a solemn warning. What can be worse than to die unforgiven by God, making admission to God’s eternal kingdom impossible?

Thomas Paine was a great intellectual who was involved in the founding the United States of America. He persuaded many that belief in God, in Christ and in the Scriptures was unintellectual. On the day he died, in 1809, he said the following words to those at his bedside,

“I would give worlds, if I had them, that ‘The Age of Reason’ had not been written. Oh Lord help me. Christ help me. Oh God, what have I done to suffer so much. But there is no God, but if there is, what is going to become of me in the hereafter? Stay with me, for God’s sake. Send even a child to stay with me for it is hell to be alone and if ever the devil had an agent, I have been one.”

Contrast these final words with those of the Christian poet, Isaac Watts who wrote the hymn, ‘Oh God, our help in ages past.’ On the day he died he said,

“It is a great mercy that I have no manner of fear or dread of death. I could, if God please, lay my head back and die without a tear this afternoon.’

That is exactly what he did!

Significantly the Pharisees, like many people today, overlook this warning of Jesus about ‘dying in your sin’ and focus instead on,

“Where I go you cannot come.” John 8:21

They seem unwilling to see their own massive problem, preferring to concentrate on a minor issue about where Jesus was going that they cannot follow. For them this was a riddle. ‘Would Jesus kill himself?’ they jibed. Suicide was regarded as a heinous sin by the Pharisees and the worst places in hell were supposed to be reserved for them. The historian, Josephus wrote,

“If someone, by their own hands, does harm to their own soul they will reside in the darkest hades and they will bring judgment on the generations that follow them.”

The Pharisees were thinking, ‘We cannot follow him to hell!’ Little did they realise that their fate will be hell, whereas Jesus is going to a much better place, back to his Father’s side. They were confirming Jesus’ words that they are in a lost state as they cannot recognise him as their Saviour. This, Jesus says, will result in an eternal separation from God.

Jesus continues to explain the reason for this separation and shares with them the remedy.

“You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.” John 8:23

Jesus is saying that he is in a completely different dimension to them. They are of this world, he is the Lord of God’s kingdom. The Greek word ‘cosmos’ translated ‘world’ comes 186 times in the New Testament and each time it refers to an evil world system that is opposed to God. Just as oil and water do not mix, so God’s kingdom is of a different quality to this world. This is the reason people of this world will want Jesus but it will be too late and they will not be able to find him.

Some, like the Pharisees will come up with excuses. In C.S. Lewis’ book, ‘The Great Divorce’, a bus-load of people are brought up from hell to heaven. They are ghostlike beings from the underworld who feel most uncomfortable in the real world of heaven. A theologian in the bus from hell gets into a discussion with an old friend who had gone to heaven. The reason is clear, one lived for this world whereas the one in heaven had lived for God. No-one can follow Jesus to heaven unless they are living for his kingdom in this world.

The Danish Christian philosopher Kierkegaard broke off his engagement because he realised his fiancee was not living in God’s world. He told her,

“I cannot marry. You are an eternity too young!”

What is the answer? It is to become part of God’s kingdom and not to live for this world. The apostle Paul emphasised this difference when he wrote,

“And God raised us up with Christ, and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6

God’s kingdom becomes real through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. God becomes real and very important. Elsewhere Paul distinguishes these two modes of living,

“ . . . many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their God is their stomach, and they glory in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ . . .” Philippians 3:18-20

The next statement of Jesus is staggering. In the original Greek his meaning is very clear,

“I told you that you would die in your sins, if you do not believe that I AM [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins. John 8:24

The explanatory note in brackets is not is the original. When Moses met with God at the burning bush, he asked God his name. The Lord replied,

“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. That is what you are to say to the Israelites:’ ‘I AM has sent me.’” Exodus 3:14

Jesus, by using the name of the Lord God is saying that he is equal with God. In heaven, the Bible stresses that we will be worshipping both Jesus and his Father on equal terms. This is why the doctrines of sects such as Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are so wrong. Jesus said,

“If you do not believe that ‘I AM’ (the one I claim to be), you will indeed die in your sins.” John 8:24

The phrase, ‘the one I claim to be’ is not in the original Greek and I have therefore put it in italics; translators added this to make the meaning clear. The new NIV translation adds ‘he’ instead, but this is not in the original either.

The choice is ours, just as it was the choice for those living in Jesus’ day. Recognising Jesus and therefore following him is the key to entering the real Kingdom of God.

Too often people are flippant about eternal life. They put on an act suggesting that they are not concerned. But they will be when it is too late. People joke about meeting Peter at the pearly gates but even this portrays the deep unease people have about what happens after death. But Jesus is not joking – it is no joke to die in our sins, to die without being forgiven.

This is one of the big differences between us and animals. No animal fears death as we do. We fear death because in it we face the unknown. It is our sin, our wilful rebellion against God’s rule that makes the prospect of death so worrying. Paul recognised that,

“The sting of death is sin.” I Corinthians 15:56

What a disaster it is to hear modern preachers say to congregations, especially at funerals,

“Don’t worry. You have nothing to fear, because God is a God of love.”

God is indeed merciful but it is from the lips of Jesus that this warning comes loud and clear,

“If you do not believe that I AM (the one I claim to be), you will indeed die in your sins.” John 8:24

Words about himself

Any modern preacher who speaks in such terms will inevitably face an adverse reaction,

“Who are you to speak like this?”

This is exactly the reaction Jesus faced from the religious of his day.

25 “Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied.

26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”

27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.

28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM (the one I claim to be) and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.

29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”

30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

It is impossible to go through the following chapters of John’s gospel without confronting Jesus’ astonishing claims. He has been identifying himself clearly throughout this book. It is only because he is our creator and Lord that he can be so judgemental. He was warning his hearers then, just as he warns all people of all nationalities today, that without the salvation he alone can give us we have no hope.

An infallible teacher

Jesus claims to be passing on to us the very words of his Father.

“But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him, I tell the world.” John 8:26

This message is not just for the Jews of Jesus’ day but for all of us. The prime purpose of a church is to pass on what God has revealed to us through his prophets and apostles. Bible teaching is the main function of a church. All preachers should be able to say,

“What I have heard from him, I tell to the world.” John 8:26

The reaction then, to what Jesus said, was the reaction of many today.

“They did not understand.” John 8:27

Unfortunately we are all too human and inevitably preachers mix up their opinions and prejudices with those of the Word of God. Our job as hearers is to disentangle a teacher’s ideas from those of God. We do this by getting ourselves attuned to how God speaks through repeated exposure to the Bible.

These repeated words of Jesus are remarkable,

“What I have heard from him, I tell the world.” John 8:26

“I . . . speak just what the Father has taught me.” John 8:28

Jesus is saying that he is ‘telling the truth and nothing but the truth’. He is the infallible teacher of God’s message to the world.

An infallible life

Jesus substantiates his claim about the authority of his teaching by the quality of his life.

“For I always do what pleases him.” John 8:29

Hopefully all Christians can say that we do what pleases God, but no-one other than God can say that we ‘always do what pleases him’. If anyone thinks differently they should remember what the apostle John says in his first letter,

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8

Jesus is saying that what he says is the infallible word of his Father and what he does is all at God’s direction. He claims that he always does what pleases his heavenly Father. It is remarkable that no-one presented evidence to suggest that he was lying!

Jesus’ effect on people

It would seem that it was what Jesus said that had most impact on the crowds. The effect of his teaching was striking. He had said some hard words and pulled no punches and yet many now recognised in him the answer to the judgment they knew deep down that they faced.

“Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.” John 8:30

This is so encouraging. Jesus gives us both an answer to the big questions of life and then gives us hope. Note that it was not just a few who believed but many. John loves to tell us what causes people to believe and scattered through his gospel are marvellous moments when people began a new life by trusting Jesus. John emphasises that following Jesus is the only way to escape from the consequences of our sin. Jesus said,

“If you do not believe that I am (the one I claim to be), you will indeed die in your sins.” John 8:24

A generation ago it needed to be said that holding to an orthodox doctrinal faith was no use if it was not combined with a personal trust in and commitment to the Lord Jesus. Today it needs to be said that commitment is no substitute for convictions about who Jesus is. Faith doesn’t save us, it is Jesus Christ who is our Saviour because he is God in the flesh who died as our substitute.

The Bible stresses that only “by faith” are we saved. But what does this mean? There are many kinds of faith. A glue sniffer had faith he could fly and as a result jumped out of a fourth floor window. He died.

I remember, when I was about eight years old, being taken with others down by our headmaster to a lake in the school grounds. It was mid winter, snow covered the ground and ice covered the lake. It was very cold. The headmaster, a large man, gingerly stepped onto the ice. It bore his weight. Then he invited some of the older boys to join him. Again all was well. Finally we were all invited out onto the lake. Those who were more confident went out first, but ultimately we all stepped onto the ice. We all had faith. But faith has to have an object. Clearly in this case the object was the strength of the ice. This faith was reinforced by seeing others supported by the ice.

Jesus’ death is only effective for us if he really is who he claims to be. Saving faith is a living daily relationship Jesus, the Messiah, the only Son of God.

This passage is depressing. Why are these Jewish leaders so hostile to Jesus? Why won’t they wake up? But then there is good news,

“Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.” John 8:30

How we all need to hear this message and pass it on to others.

BVP