Trust Right

John 10:8-10 – All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Some people and some things we tend to trust cannot be trusted. Have you ever had your heart broken? Have you been let down by others? If so, you are not alone. We have all been hurt by something or someone we trusted. The question is, what do we do in response?

 

Once hurt, some turn away and never trust again. They live bitter lives because they crave relationship and need others but don’t dare risk trusting again. Others blindly turn from one to another and throw their trust in a desperate effort to get their needs met. Far too often, they are hurt again. We need to trust, but it is hard to find one worthy of trust.

 

This is what Jesus affirms in John 10. He uses several images throughout the chapter to differentiate himself from all others we might trust. Whether intentionally or carelessly, other people and things can become thieves and robbers when we put our lives in their hands. There is only one who can be fully trusted. This is Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the Door, the Son of God, One with the Father. When we trust him first, we can be solidly anchored to love others, not from a place of dependence, but from the abundant life that only comes from him.

It is Finished

John 19:30 – When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

In John’s Gospel, the last word Jesus spoke on the cross before dying comes to us in English in three words: “It is finished.” This says a lot to us as it is, but in the Greek New Testament, it is just one word: tetelestai. Greek is such a precisely nuanced language, that every verb can be conjugated hundreds of ways to provide the exact meaning needed, and tetelestai does that.

Its perfect tense means an action was completed one time. Greek has a separate tense for ongoing actions in the past (imperfect) and another for unspecific timing and duration of past actions (aorist). Jesus’ death was a onetime event, and it was the only sacrifice necessary and required to pay the price for the sins of all mankind.

The core of tetelestai is the root telos. This gets translated as finished, complete, mature, or perfect in its adjective and noun forms. What Jesus did through his death was perfect. It was sufficient for all of us, and it was the end of sin for all who believe in him.

Tetelestai is in the indicative mood. That means it tells us what happened. There is no speculative uncertainty there would have been with the subjunctive mood. We can know the price was paid.

Another aspect of Greek verb conjugation is voice. With active voiced verbs the subject does the action. This is passive. The “it” that was finished was finished by another: Jesus.

What is that “it”? We find hints in the two remaining aspects of the verb telestai. It is third person singular. That means it is not “I” or “you” or even “we.” It was something else. That it that was finished the first Good Friday is the consequences of the wrong each of us has done. It is the eternal price that Jesus paid, so that whoever would believe in him would have eternal life. If you have not yet believed, there is no better time than today to do so.

In one word, it is finished.

You Only Think You See

John 9:39-42 – And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.”

Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?”

Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Don’t you hate it when someone tries to correct you? As humans, we like to believe we have things figured out. We believe we know what we are doing and that we are doing the right things the right way. When someone else comes along and tries to show us a “better” way, resentment builds. We think (or say), “Who are you to tell me what I should do and how I should do it?”

The problem with such an attitude on our part is that we can never improve, we can never learn, we can never grow, and we can never become the people we were designed to be unless we are teachable.

These verses at the end of John 9 wrap up an interesting story of four different individuals or groups. Of course, Jesus is at the center. We saw a man born blind regain his sight and willingly sacrifice his social acceptance to serve that Jesus who gave him sight. We also saw his parents not willing to trade acceptance to admit the work of the One who changed their son’s life. The fourth group unfortunately represents most of us too much of the time.

The Pharisees had influence, power, and positions of respect in the Jewish community. They were the role models and decision makers for everyone else. They seemed to everyone – and themselves – to have it together. The problem was that Jesus did not fit into their scheme. He did not do things their way, so they assumed he could not have been from God. Even when an undeniable miracle of a man born blind receiving his sight happened at Jesus’ hands they refused to acknowledge Jesus.

When the man who was healed was kicked out by these leaders, he turned and worshipped Jesus. Jesus’ words in response provoked the Pharisees to once again be arrogantly unteachable. Jesus’ final words to them are words we all need to take to heart, “Since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

The practical truth of these words is that until we acknowledge we do not know everything and that we may not be doing the right things in the right way, we can never improve. Sometimes the most unlikely people can be the best teachers. Are you willing to listen to others? 

The deeper spiritual truth of these words is that we need to acknowledge we can never fully solve our biggest problems – our sin. We need a savior. Jesus is the only one who can take care of it and he did that on the cross. Until we respond in worship of him like the man born blind did, we will never truly see.

Winning by Losing

John 9:35-38 – Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Quite often we have to give up something of value to get something of more value. It costs to invest. We usually have to sacrifice near term pleasure to gain much more in the long term.

Earlier in John 9 the parents of the man who been born blind but miraculously regained his sight at the hands of Jesus were not willing to even admit what Jesus had done because they were afraid to lose the social acceptance they had as members of the synagogue. The man himself, though, was another story altogether.

The spiritual journey of this man through the chapter is fascinating. He started the chapter as a blind beggar with no hope for any better future. Then Jesus came, and because of his touch, the man born blind was able to see for the first time through his physical eyes. However, repeated interrogation by the Jewish leaders forced him to describe what had happened, and he began to see intellectually, as well. He recognized there was something different about this Jesus. In response, he made a bold refutation to those leaders, “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” (vv 32-33) Those leaders did not want anyone to talk back to them, and they kicked him out. The very price his parents were not willing to pay, this man paid.

Yet in his getting kicked out, he got something more. Verse 35 above says when Jesus heard about the man’s loss he came to him. The rejection by a group of self-centered, uncaring men was replaced by the sincere love of an all-powerful savior who took the effort to meet him at his point of greatest need and offer him a gift worth far more than what the man gave up: himself.

The once blind man’s response shows he made the complete journey to not only seeing physically but also spiritually. In his act of worship he understood Jesus was the divine Son of Man who fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel 7:13. Whatever little he had given up in the acceptance of an uncaring club was replaced by eternal life granted by a truly loving savior. If you have not yet made a similar response in faith to Jesus, do not hesitate. It is the greatest trade off of all time.

The Price of Acceptance

John 9:20-21 – His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.”

Imagine you and your spouse are getting ready for the birth of your first child. The joy and excitement for the day delivery far outweighs the pain and discomfort of carrying a baby for nine months. You know you will love this child with all of your heart. You dream together of what kind of person your child will be. You envision great opportunities for a wonderful life. Then the birth occurs, and something seems different about the baby. You love him anyway, but as he grows you realize he cannot see. The dreams of great career success in your culture are now replaced with the awareness his life will be one of dependence on others.

There is always a hope something will change. You love your child, so you do everything you can. You pray. You see doctors. You ask others to pray, but nothing changes. You try to find a way for him to provide for himself, but in your society there is only one way, to beg. As he becomes a young man, begging is what he does. You still love him. You would love to see his life different, but life goes on.

Then one day you get word that your son is now seeing. The most popular and powerful people in your community call you to a special meeting, and there he is. It is your son, and he is looking you in the eye for the first time in his life. You are filled with overflowing joy. All of your dreams for him that were dashed when you discovered he was born blind come rushing back. You go to him, hug him, and ask him what happened, and he says to you, “The one called Jesus made mud, put it on my eyes, told me to wash, and now I see.” Suddenly that joy is turned to fear.

You know you must choose between celebrating an incredible life change in your son and losing acceptance by the powerful and popular in your community. You know they have said, “Anyone who confesses this Jesus as the Christ will be put out of the synagogue.” (John 9:22) That would make you cultural rejects.

You ask yourself, “Is it worth losing acceptance by the popular people who don’t really love us to celebrate the change in the one we truly love by recognizing the one who did it?” What would you say? The parents chose the acceptance of people over giving credit to Jesus. 

So many of us today are like the formerly blind man’s parents. We have experienced dramatic life change at the hands of Jesus. We have received from him what so much of the rest of the world truly desires and Jesus willingly gives to those who ask, but fear of the rejection of others keeps us silent. We would rather have the acceptance of others than share the story of what Jesus has done for us and risk their rejection. When we stay silent we may keep their approval but we lose Christ’s. We also lose the opportunity to see some of their lives changed if they respond to what we share. How much is acceptance really worth?

From Blame to Opportunity

John 9:2-3 – “And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

When things are not going well, do you look for someone to blame? Some people are perpetually bitter about their circumstances and the people they believe are responsible.

John 9 tells the story of a blind man. Living without sight would be a horrible circumstance to spend your life in. Jesus’ disciples understood that. They immediately looked someone to blame. “Whose fault is it?”

Notice Jesus’ response. Instead of seeking blame, Jesus pointed out the opportunity. What was a horribly difficult life for that young man was completely turned around when he met Jesus. He was then able to see. He was able to go from being a beggar to providing for himself. He had a complete turnaround that could not be explained except for the work of God.

Jesus said the man’s blindness gave an opportunity for the works of God to be shown in him. If we never go through anything negative, we never experience the miracle working power of God. It is in life transformation, whether from physical blindness to seeing, release from addiction, from depression to joy, or from purposelessness to clear purpose, that we truly know and appreciate who God is and what he can do. It is also the way others can see, know, and believe him.

Who have you been blaming lately? What are the situations you are blaming them for? Instead of a life of bitterness, instead allow God to display his work through your circumstances. 

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Tense Matters

John 8:56-59 – “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Most of us want peace. It can seem that mutual acceptance of one another’s views is the best way to get there. A big debate is raging on whether or not people of other faiths worship the same God, just in different ways. It is tempting to say, “Yes,” to find harmony. Yet, depending on what we mean when we say, “We worship the same God,” we may find some real challenges that cannot stand in reality.

It usually works best to build relationships from points of agreement, and there is much in common with humanity’s search for meaning through seeking the true Source of life. There are also several components, such as some standards of morality, which are common among different religions. However, at their cores, do they have the same definitions of God?

John 8 describes the culmination of Jesus’ debate with the Jewish leaders, and it reached its climax with who Jesus is. The Jews kept falling back on their status as descendants of Abraham, but Jesus put himself in a position of superiority. We get to see this clearly in the original language.

Greek has a very specific and detailed verb structure that can be used to communicate nuances of meaning, and that happens here. Both the Jewish leaders and Jesus started referring to Abraham in the aorist (simple past) tense. That makes sense, because he walked on the planet 1,800 years before John 8 was written. Yet, Jesus turned the tables when he said, “Abraham saw my day.” In the context of the passage, Jesus disputed the Jews’ understanding that Abraham was dead (vs 53) with the claim he lives eternally because he was observing Jesus’ ministry at that time.

That statement spurred another attack from the Jews to which Jesus gave the strongest claim of his divinity he could have, “Before Abraham was, I am.” These verb tenses do not make sense in English. They do not make sense in Greek, but they are intentional because they communicate something far beyond the normal sense of things.

“Before Abraham was” is driven by the past (aorist) tense was and indicates Abraham was born as a natural individual. The next phrase, “I am,” is loaded with the present tense verb am. How can something be in present tense when it is referring to a past tense event? The only way to make this connection is to go to a third language – Hebrew – the language of the Old Testament. In Exodus 3, God revealed himself to Moses with the name “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). This verbal phrase became embedded in the personal name of God – YHWH – often said in English as Yahweh or Jehovah but not pronounced by many devout Jews for fear of breaking the Third Commandment.

There is no way to overplay the significance of Jesus’ statement, “Before Abraham was I am.” He was unmistakably identifying himself as God. Much of the mystery of the Trinity is revealed in this chapter as some distinction between Father and Son is described along with clear unity. The Triune God of Christianity is distinctive; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; One God; three persons. The divinity of Christ in central to the Christian faith and incompatible with nearly every other belief system.

We can and should seek peace. We are best to start our conversations from points of agreement, but we must ensure we never compromise what matters most