John 15:22-25

John 15:22-25 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

Jesus performed so many miraculous deeds that when John finishes his account of Christ's life, he writes: Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. He raised the dead, healed the lame, opened blind eyes, delivered demon oppressed, cleansed lepers, fed thousands with a few loaves and fishes, and even controlled the environment; yet regardless of all of these marvelous deeds performed for all to see, the Jewish people in general would not believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Lamb of God. As Jesus declared early in his ministry after saying that 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, He observed: Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-19) Their final assessment of the One who came to offer himself as a sacrifice for sin resounds to this day: “Crucify him!” Pilate, desiring to find favor with the Jews, accommodated their hateful indictment, cleansed his hands of the matter, and allowed Jesus to die on a cross of shame. When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” (Matthew 27:23-25) How foolish to think that such a simple act could wash away such shame, such sorrow and pain.

Earlier in his ministry, Jesus told a story about a beggar Lazarus who lay covered with sores at the gate of a rich man, longing to eat the crumbs that fell from his table. When both men died, the rich man went to hell where he was in torment while the angels carried Lazarus to the comfort of Abraham. In this well-known story, the rich man first looks up and sees Lazarus far away by Abraham's side and begs Abraham to let Lazarus come and touch his tongue with cool water. When he learns a great chasm as has been fixed and he is facing the results of the life his lived on Earth, he says, Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment. Abraham replied, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them." The rich man continues to argue, saying no, that is not enough: "If someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent." Abraham's answer to the rich man in hell is the quintessential point Christ is making by telling this story: He [Abraham] said to him, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." (See Luke 16:21-31) Even if someone came from the dead to tell the rich man's five brothers of the terrible consequences of living a lavish, selfish lifestyle without any thought of others, his siblings would not listen to that resurrected man. They would think him a fool, a heretic, or a madman. In this tale, Jesus illustrated the mindset of a stiff-necked people, the hardness of heart of the unredeemed. He foretold the story of the Jewish people and their hatred of Jesus, the state of sinful man. Even though Christ was raised from the dead, the Jewish nation never turned towards Jesus as Lord and Savior. As Jesus quoted from their Law, "They hated me without reason."

Today, the hearts of unregenerate men and women remains much the same: They hated [Jesus] without reason. Our worldly conversations, the television programs, and the movies are full of curses and rants against the one who gave his all that all might live. The name above all names is disrespected, used in vain, and vilified so often that most people would not even notice anymore or think it strange. Jesus Christ as a curse comes out of the mouth so quickly, so easily: Satan must rejoice. The Father's heart must sorrow greatly. But our mission remains clearcut: Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. (Mark 16:15) Messiah has come. As the angels proclaimed: Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11) As awesome as miracles are, we do not need another miracle to believe or to have faith in God. Jesus is the Christ: He came from heaven to Earth to live as a human that He might be tempted in all ways, yet He lived a perfect life that He might offer himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. He willingly went to the cross and died a painful death. God sent the Holy Spirit to raise him victoriously from the grave in all power and authority to reign forevermore. He has won the victory for us now and for all eternity. We have a reason to live, a mission. Now hear this: Jesus lives. He lives in us and He wants to live in every man, woman, and child who will accept him into their lives. He alone has seen the Father. He alone knows the Father's heart of love towards us. He has the power through the Holy Spirit to change us into his perfect, holy children, by his sacrifice so that we might be present with him forevermore. Glory to God, Glory to God Forever!