John 8:49-59

John 8:49-59 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” At this the Jews exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” “You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. God glorified Jesus, the Christ, by announcing his birth with the presence of angels, and setting a brilliant star in the sky to guide wise men to bring him gifts. God the Holy Spirt affirmed Jesus by coming in the form of a dove to Christ's baptism where the people heard, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17) Yet Christ emptied himself and came in human form, always pointing to the Father, giving him the glory for all He did, constantly saying words such as those we read today, I am not seeking glory for myself. He called himself the son of man, a phrase that appears 88 times in the New Testament and refers directly to Daniel's prophecy of the Messiah: 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. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men 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. When Jesus called himself son of man, He knew every Jew within the sound of his voice would attach prophetic meaning these words; they would have been aware that Jesus was calling himself Messiah.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Father gave the Son dominion and power to give sight to the blind, to make the lame walk, to release the suffering, to calm stormy seas, to raise the dead, and to perform many other miraculous works. John states at the end of his gospel that Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31) By doing works that no man since the beginning of time could perform, the Holy Spirit confirmed Jesus' special position with God. Therefore, Jesus could say boldly, I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. His audience thought him both audacious and insane. How could this man Jesus, even with his purported good works, be greater than Abraham, the father of their nation? How dare Jesus claim that his followers would never die when even their father Abraham, a great man of God, and all the prophets had died? Jesus' claim of divine existence incensed them as did his audacious words, before Abraham was born, I am! They hated Jesus so much they sought to stone him, but He slipped away.

Jesus, Son of God, born of a woman in the image of a man, fulfilled all the prophecies, such as these from Isaiah: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (7:14, 9:2, &6) Prophets foretold his arrival, angels heralded his birth, and the Holy Spirit put God's seal of approval on Christ through miraculous signs. Jesus spoke truth, and his voice echoes through the ages to this very day: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) God glorified the Son as He walked this earth and proclaimed a new covenant based on the amazing plan that the Father would lavish us with his mercy and grace. Redemption came as a free gift we did not deserve and cannot earn. Good deeds, great works, and clean living will not gain entry into God's presence. Jesus alone suffered pain and agony, including separation from the godhead; then He was willingly crucified, buried in the grave, and dependent upon the Father to send the Spirit to lift him up and to glorify him. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) His righteousness became our righteousness. His peace is our peace. His strength and power are ours. Seek him this day while He can be found. Trust in him and you will not be ashamed.