It’s Only Through Jesus That You Can Have Eternal Life (John 7:1-52 & 8:12-59)

I grew up in an area where Christianity was taken as a given. Most people who grow up in the rural South are in this type of atmosphere. I had heard things about Jesus. I don’t think that I had any thoughts about him other than that he was to be revered and that he died on a cross. I didn’t know why he died on a cross. I also knew that Christmas was about him and that Easter was too. But I did not really think much about who Jesus was. I was in 9^th grade before I heard about who Jesus was and what He accomplished for me through His life, death, and resurrection.

Sadly, I think that this is a situation that is all too common in our context. Every person’s eternity hinges upon who they believe Jesus is. Jesus made grand claims, and you will see that in this passage. You are going to see people making a lot of different decisions about Him in this text. Some thought that he was a lunatic, maybe demon possessed. The Jewish leaders, at least some of them, thought that Jesus was a liar and wanted him arrested. And some of these people heard what Jesus said here and trusted Him, believing that He was Lord.

The Festival

Much of the Gospel of John follows Jewish festivals actually proving that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of these Jewish Festivals. John 7-9 take place at the Feast of Booths. This is a raucous celebration that lasted for 8 days. By Jesus’ day, this was by far the most famous and best attended of the yearly Feasts.

By October, the harvest had ended. Israelites had just gathered their grapes, olives, pomegranates, figs, and dates. Now it was time to begin the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths. The last day was called “the great day” of Tabernacles where the biggest part of the celebration occurred.

They would live in outdoor shelters made from wild branches made from olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees. These shelters were built in Jerusalem during the feast. If you owned a home in Jerusalem then you would build this shelter on your house. If you were from out of town then you would build your shelter just outside the city wall.

There were two reasons for these temporary dwellings. You could think of this as a time of immense thankfulness. First, these temporary dwellings were made and used to protect expensive crops. In other words, around harvest time they would sleep near the crop to keep people from stealing them. And now they were remembering the bounty that God had given them since this was the end of the harvest year. The second purpose for this feast was to remember how God had graciously and miraculously preserved them through the wilderness wanderings. God’s temple, or tabernacle, moved with them in the wilderness. They also lived in temporary dwellings throughout this time period. Leviticus 23:42-43 makes this connection explicitly.We go to see fireworks for 30 minutes today or celebrate Thanksgiving,

We go to see fireworks for 30 minutes today or celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter for ½ or a full day with family. We have no idea what this would have been like. There were parades that people joined in, they sang psalms together, waved palms together, danced together, made music together with harps, lyres, cymbals, and trumpets and offered many sacrifices for the sin of God’s people and worship to the Lord.

A Short Note Concerning The Text of John 7:53-8:11 And Why I’m Skipping It

You will notice that we are skipping John 7:53-8:11. It is on purpose. You will notice in your Bibles that there are brackets around these verses and that it says [The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53-8:11]. When the earlier translations were created, the manuscripts that they used included this story of the woman caught in adultery. But since then older manuscripts have been dug up and the older manuscripts do not include this story. Christians have been totally open and honest about this and so you can find this note in your Bibles. If this is true, and I believe that it is, then this story thought compelling and totally within the characteristics of Jesus’ life was a later addition to the inspired Scriptures. There is also other evidence for this and that is that this is during a ceremony on the last day of the Feast of Booths. It doesn’t really make sense for this to break up the story. All around it just seems like a later addition. With all evidence pointing in that direction, we will skip John 7:53-8:11.

We are going to cover events that took about a week to unfold. However, it is all told as one story with one main point.

Through Jesus and Only Jesus Can You Have Eternal Life

Jesus Reveals The Sin of All People (John 7:1-36)

Last time Jesus was in town he healed a man on the Sabbath and then defended His action by claiming to be God. It is no surprise that when He comes back “the Jews were seeking to kill Him” (John 7:1 ESV). It just makes sense. Jesus was likely traveling with His family like he had done many times before. And, his brothers began mocking him, telling Him to show the world what He could really do them (John 7:3-5 ESV). Jesus’ answer was simply that His time had not yet come, but what He continued to say reveals something about the ministry of Jesus.

“The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” (John 7:6 ESV)

Why is it that the Jews hated Jesus? It is because He revealed to them their sinfulness.

If you were to watch the news for any significant amount of time, you would see just how much the world still hates Jesus. The current place that this is most easily seen is in the discussion concerning homosexuality. Christians sometimes say mean things and do mean things, sometimes they just don’t act very kind toward homosexuals, but the Christian perspective on this is very often despised. Christians are labeled as bigots for what they believe on this topic. Christians are oftentimes despised for their stand against abortion and many other social topics. And here’s another one. Christians are oftentimes despised for believing that Jesus is the only way to God. Why is there hatred growing toward Christians in our day? I believe it is the same reason that people hated Jesus. We testify that the world’s works are evil.

I have had my fair share of awkward family moments. There are times when you just have to get away from your family and it seems that this is what Jesus does here. He stayed in Galilee while they went on. He attended the first few days of the feast privately. As He attended the feast privately apparently people were looking for Him and talking about Him. No one openly followed Him. Many thought He was a good man, many thought He was leading people astray, but no one openly followed Him.

In the middle of the 8-day feast, it seems that Jesus came out into the open. He began teaching in the Temple. This man of no learning…no formal learning that is… was speaking magnificently to the Jews. He was obviously learned, without having gone through the normal process to become learned. How could this be?

Jesus Was A Prophet Sent of God

How is it that Jesus could, with such authority, reveal the sin of the world to people? The same way Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and the other prophets in Israel’s history had done. He was speaking a message from God. Jesus is not just speaking what He things. He is speaking God’s message to the people of Israel. And because of this, the people want Him dead. He argues that they don’t even keep the Law of Moses but they want Him dead because He healed someone on the Sabbath. He is scolding them for upholding one part of the Law of Moses in a nonsensical way while ignoring the rest. He made a person well while they ignored the rest of the Law of Moses.

Now Jesus is openly rebuking the people of Israel for their lack of adherence to the Law of Moses while seeking His death for making a person able to walk on the Sabbath. This level of openness from a person that the authorities wanted to kill was enough to make some people question whether or not what Jesus said was true. People began to talk. Some believed Jesus was possibly the Christ and that there was a cover-up from authorities while others just thought He was dragging people away. Others likely didn’t want to say anything for fear that they would get into trouble too.

There was a group who believed that the Messiah would just appear on the Earth when He came. To that Jesus responded by saying that even though they knew where He came from, it didn’t mean that He came on His own. In other words, He is again saying that He is from God. “I know Him, for I come from Him, and He sent me.” (John 7:28 ESV)

Then, the most wonderful and miraculous thing happens. They try to arrest Him and simply can’t because it wasn’t time for Christ to die. It actually causes some of the people to believe in Him (John 7:31). Jesus leaves them with a little bit of information. When He decides to leave they will not find Him because He will go back to the One who sent Him. Though they do not understand it, He is going to be with the Father.

All of this points to one thing very clearly. Jesus was sent from God declaring God’s thoughts about the people in Jerusalem. Jesus and His message reveal the wickedness of any age and so people hate Him. He reveals to us our sinfulness, but this is not a bad thing. This is a good thing. We are sinners in need of a Savior. We are rebels against God who have God’s punishment hanging over our heads. How would we ever come to Christ if our condition were not first revealed to us?

I would never have thought these things about myself had it not been revealed to me through God’s Word. In my eyes, I was a good kid. I was a bully. I was foul mouthed. I was mean. But, when I compared myself to everyone else I could justify myself in my eyes. But Jesus’ judgment is God’s judgment.

Jesus is the only one who gives eternal life. We need to know that we need this eternal life before we will flee to Him for eternal life. And Jesus reveals our condition to us. We are sinners in need of a Savior.

Through Jesus and Jesus only can you have eternal life

Jesus Truly Satisfies, Giving the Holy Spirit in Abundance (John 7:37-52)

Now, we fast-forward a few days to the last day of the Feast. This was known as the “Great Day”. This was the most exciting portion of the week. Today there would be two massively attended ceremonies. One was The Water Ceremony, which occurred every day, and the other was the Light Ceremony. As much as possible I want to transport you there. I want you to see the images of the day and think of the prayers that occurred. But what I want most is for you to understand how Jesus fulfills it all.

This entire festival occurred during a drought in Israel. By this time in the year, there was simply not much water. The spring rains are long gone, the cisterns were low, and the springs that carried fresh water were running with little water in them. Without water soon there would be major problems. The Water Ceremony, therefore, acted as two things. One, it was a prayer for water from God. Sometimes rainfall actually began during Tabernacles and in these years they generally had very strong crops. It was an answered prayer from God as well as a sign that God was going to bless the following year. The second was that it was a prayer for water that could replenish the land spiritually.

Each day there would be a procession of priests that would go to the south border of the city to Gihon Spring. A priest would fill up a golden pitcher and there would be a choir chanting the words of Isaiah 12:3.

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”—Isaiah 12:3 ESV

Then the water was taken up the hill while the crowd followed the priests with a lulav, which is a palm, myrtle, and willow branch together that was waved and in their other hand they carried an Etrog, which is a citrus fruit. Waving the lulav they sang the Hallel Psalms as they went. The Hallel Psalms were Psalms 113-118. Once they arrived at the Temple the priest would go up the steps of the altar and pour water on the altar while the people were crowding around him still singing the Hallel Psalms. There were two silver bowls that had a spout in them. A priest would pour water in one and another priest would pour wine into the other. They would both drain pouring water and wine down upon the altar. It was intended to remind people of God supplying the people of Israel with water from the rock during their wandering in the wilderness.

“Judaism saw this water ceremony on multiple levels. On the one hand, it was a plea to God for rain. But on the other hand, it was a source of rich symbolism. In the wilderness, God brought water from rock (Num. 20:8,10), and here water was flowing from the sacrificial rock altar of the temple. Ezekiel and Zechariah had visions of rivers flowing from the temple in a miraculous display of God’s blessing (Ezek. 47:1; Zech. 14:8). In a drought-stricken land, it was a spectacular vision of water—life-giving water flowing from God’s life giving temple.”—Jesus and the Jewish Festivals, Gary M. Burge pp. 75-76

Now, imagine this with me. This ceremony has already occurred 7 times during the Feast and Jesus stands up and says to people who are in the middle of a drought,

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37b-38 ESV)

This is the day when the water was poured into the Altar seven times, because it was the Great Day. Can you imagine the effect on the people? As water is lacking in the land and they’ve been praying for physical water and spiritual restoration Jesus stands up and says that if they believe in Him then “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

 This world is filled with things that promise satisfaction, but only Christ gives the water that satisfies. Before I was married there was a period of a few years that I ran quite a bit. I would run about 4 miles 3-5 days a week. On days when I did not take in much water before running I would be so parched. And nothing tasted better than having a big glass of water. If offered soda I would snarl. If offered milk I would be disgusted. I wanted water. The same is true for us spiritually. Some things sound really good but they just don’t satisfy. Dating is no substitute for a spiritual life. Your friendships and other relationships can’t satisfy like Christ can. Good grades cannot satisfy like Christ can.

We have rebelled against God and His wrath abides upon us. We are not in God’s family. We are not in a good relationship with God. Christ came to Earth and died, paying the full punishment for our sins. He came and made a way for us to be made right with God and be adopted as His sons and daughters. It is through Christ that we also receive the long promised Holy Spirit.

In a time when Israel was gathered together praying for spiritual renewal, Jesus claims to be the source of the long promised Holy Spirit. Zechariah 14 was read and the people thought about and longed for the ultimate blessing of the giving of God’s Spirit in abundance and Jesus claims that it is through Him that these things come. 

“Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believe in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:39 ESV)

They understood what Jesus said. Some people believed that Jesus was the prophet foretold that was like Moses. Some believed that He was the Messiah. Others argued that he was not the Messiah and wanted Him arrested. And, the Pharisees were angry that no one grabbed Jesus and had Him arrested. Nicodemus suggested that he have a trial because that is how the Law reads and Nicodemus was met with a scolding.

You find at the end of this passage that some people are trusting in Christ while others are not. Jesus has come to Earth and gives eternal life. What is eternal life? It is being united with God (John 17:3). Jesus says that knowing God is eternal life. Being united with God through the death of Christ certainly means that you will have perpetual life, having been saved from God’s wrath. But it is also being united with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. When Christ gives us eternal life our sins are forgiven through His death and we are given the Holy Spirit as our comforter and guide. We are united with God and there is nothing more satisfying than that.

And it is through Jesus and only Jesus that you can have eternal life. It is He and He alone that can rescue us from darkness.

Jesus Banishes the Darkness (John 8:12-30)

As if this weren’t enough, there was also a light ceremony that occurred on the last day. This was considered to be the wonder of many people’s lives. It was quite a spectacle. In the ancient world there was simply nothing like it. Four large stands held golden bowls. Sixteen golden bows on these stands were filled with oil and worn undergarments of the priests were within each bowl. They would be lit and all of Jerusalem would be lit. The yellow limestone walls glowed with light in an ancient world where there was no electricity. Choirs sang. People danced and celebrated in the glow of this bright light. At the close of the evening there would be a procession up the steps as trumpets blasted. Then they would walk down to the Eastern Gate and face the west. They would recite these words.

“Our Fathers when they were in this place turned their backs toward the Temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they worshipped the sun toward the east; but as for us, our eyes are turned toward the Lord.”—Mishnah, Sukkah 5:4

In the midst of all of this Jesus says,

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”—John 8:12 ESV

Darkness has just been cast away by the light. Have you ever driven up to a Football Stadium with a game in process after it is dark outside. In that place there is no darkness. At this time, in Jerusalem the darkness has been cast away by the Light. The picture couldn’t be any clearer. In the same way that the water ceremony pictured Jesus’ giving ultimate satisfaction and the gift of the Holy Spirit, this ceremony revealed that Jesus was the Light of the World. It must have been completely shocking.

Jesus is the one who banishes darkness. He has defeated darkness through His perfect life, His death, and His resurrection. He is the Light that has conquered the Darkness. And those who follow Christ have had the darkness defeated on their behalf. Now, as the Holy Spirit works in their lives they will be people who live in the light and not the darkness. Jesus, the Light of the World has defeated darkness and given the Holy Spirit. Now, His people will live in the light.

The Pharisees confront Jesus saying that He is testifying about Himself. This is not what people are supposed to do. Jesus again, like earlier in the message informs the Pharisees that He is not testifying about Himself. He has come because the Father has sent Him. The Father has borne witness about Him with every miracle that has been performed. Then, when they try to confront Him about who His Father is Jesus responds rather harshly.

“You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” (John 8:19 ESV)

They are from below, He is from above. They are of the world, Jesus is not. Jesus is here to rescue people from their sins and if they do not trust in Him then they will die in their sins. They did not understand and they did not trust in Jesus.

Just as Jesus said about people in the beginning of this message, we are wicked. We are sinful. We are rebels against God. He is revealing the sin of the Pharisees here, but His message goes further. He says that they will die in this state if they do not trust Him.

Darkness surrounds us and is a part of who we are by nature. Christ has come and conquered the darkness through His life, death, and resurrection. And it is only through Christ that we can find life. He is God who has come and conquered death. He actually said it this way,

“When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” (John 8:28-30 ESV)

They will know, or understand in greater and greater ways just exactly what He means when He says these things later. They will understand them when He is “lifted up”, or when He dies on the cross. At that point it is obvious that He is not coming of His own accord. And it is there that He conquers darkness.

If you are here and not a believer, then you need to know that Christ has come and conquered darkness. He calls on you to trust in Him. You must repent and trust in Christ or you will die in your sins.

If you are a believer here today then you must know that Christ has come and conquered darkness. You are to live in that reality. Christ has saved you from the realm of darkness. He has given you the Holy Spirit. He has given you the light of life, now live in it.

Jesus Sets You Free From  Bondage To Sin And Death (John 8:31-50)

Now, apparently, Jesus begins talking with those people who believed Him. I’m not sure if they were just there, so He turned and began talking with them. But even this discussion causes confusion. Again, Jesus is informing them of their bondage, but in doing so He tells them that He can rescue them.

“If you abide in my word, you are truly disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32 ESV)

The problem is that they are children of Abraham and consider themselves to be free people. His answer is that “everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34 ESV)

We are born enslaved to sin. It’s not that we always and only choose to sin, but we are enslaved to it. We desire rebellion against God. We are rebels against God. But true freedom can be found in Christ. “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36 ESV)

They argued with Jesus a bit. They believed that because they were born a Hebrew they avoided this, but Jesus revealed to them their wickedness…yet again. If they actually loved God then they would love Jesus and trust in Him. Remember, Jesus has repeatedly stated that His message is God’s message. He is revealing to them God’s declaration about them. They are enslaved to sin and it is only through Him that they can be saved. It is only through Him that they can be free indeed.

Christ frees us from that bondage. He frees us from sin. He gives us eternal life. He cleanses from sin. He gives us the Holy Spirit. He frees us from bondage to sin. This is eternal life. And only Christ can give it.

I remember being in rebellion against God after graduating High School. Those years were marked utter rebellion. I’m still not sure how the spiral downhill began but it definitely happened. One day I was at a party and almost incoherent and I felt deep conviction of the Holy Spirit. God would not let me stay in my sin. He ripped me out of that life and back into the light. God will not allow His people to live in darkness. He has freed us from bondage to sin.

The response of the people is sheer anger. Why is it anger? It is anger because Jesus testifies against the world. And it seems that the closer we get to the end of this passage, the more likely it is that someone is about to kill Jesus. And even so, He gives the most angering statement yet given.

Jesus is God, Who Came to Give Eternal Life (John 8:51-59)

The situation is quite dicey. And Jesus remarks “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” (John 8:51 ESV) This is confusing and now they are angry. And, they can’t get their minds out of this physical world. They never could understand that Jesus was from God, bringing God’s message, bringing life eternal. They couldn’t get there. They asked if Jesus was greater than Abraham. Abraham died physically. But, Abraham was one of God’s people. Jesus answered

“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.” (John 8:58 ESV)

It’s not about who your family is. It is not about who you know on this Earth. It’s not about how often you attend church. It’s about whether or not you are Christ’s. Do you have eternal life? The people were angry and unable to understand and Jesus said that Abraham looked forward to the day when all was fulfilled. They ask if Jesus saw Abraham.

Jesus could have said, “Your own Scriptures testify to my coming in the promise give to Abraham.”…but that’s not at all what Jesus said. Jesus responded by saying that He was Yahweh. I am is the personal name of God that was spoken to Moses at Mt. Sinai. It is Yahweh. Jesus is saying that He has always existed, was there before Abraham, and was the Creator of the Universe.

How is it that one person can bring you into a right relationship with God, cleanse you of your sin, make you righteous, give you the Holy Spirit, and cause you to walk in the Light? It can happen because it is God who gives eternal life and God who achieves eternal life.

But the people, they rejected Him. They picked up stones to try to kill Him. Jesus’ brothers rejected Him. Some people thought He was a goodman. Others just thought He was leading people astray. Some wanted Him arrested and these people wanted Him killed. On the other hand, some people thought He was the Christ. How will you respond?