Articles

By Frank Tyler

Introduction

Written in conjunction with The Four Keys to Sharing Good News, this commentary is a companion to a ten-session course developed by The True Vine Fellowship to equip brothers and sisters in Christ to share their faith directly from the Bible using the Living Water Gospel of John. The True Vine Fellowship is not a church, but an evangelistic fellowship serving a multitude of churches with differing traditions and backgrounds in order to promote outreach on the Olympic Peninsula.

Historically, commentaries on the Gospel of John are anchored to various theological traditions. Some are highly technical emphasizing the original language Koine Greek and various exegetical methodologies while others are pastoral and devotional. Bible studies abound. As a compliment to The Four Keys course, this particular commentary is written from the perspective of an evangelist who equips brothers and sisters in Christ to share their faith… but what more could possibly be written that has not already been written about the Apostle John’s account?

God explicitly ordained the Apostle John’s account as an eyewitness to persuade individuals that Jesus is: 1) the crucified and resurrected Lamb of God who has successfully taken away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 19:30), 2) the Christ, the Son of God who to this very day gives eternal life or life in His Name to all those who believe in Him (John 20:30-31). [1] This commentary, written from an evangelist’s perspective, highlights the two-fold simplicity of this eyewitness and encourages pastors and their flocks to share their faith in Jesus directly from John’s account.

Author, Title, and Date

The Greek title Kata Ioannen (According to John) reveals an essential enigma; nowhere in John’s account is he named as the author. Scholars reason from a short list of disciples extrapolated from chapter 21 that the Apostle John wrote this account:

… he (the author) describes himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” and he “who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said. ‘Lord, who is the one who betrays You?’” (John 21:20.) Only Peter, James and John fit that description. However, the author is clearly not Peter as John 20:20-21 shows. Since Herod killed James in AD 44 (Acts 12:2), the beloved apostle John authored the Fourth Gospel. [2]

Like the synoptic accounts Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the word gospel was added to John later; hence, the title, “Gospel of John.” By the author’s own admission, the disciple whom Jesus loved, Kata τὸν μαθητὴν ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς (John 21:20), wrote Kata Ioannen or “According to John.” We might more accurately title this account, “According to the Disciple Whom Jesus Loved.” [3]

The prologue reveals the account John records as the eyewitness of the apostles : And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father’s Only-begotten, full of grace and truth (John 1:14; underlining added). Indeed, John’s fellow disciples attest to this eyewitness corporately: This is the disciple who testifies to these things and wrote them down; and we know that his testimony is true (John 21:24; underlining added). Furthermore, according to His prayer recorded in chapter 17, the words Jesus received from the Father, He in turn gave to His disciples that they might believe in Him as the sent one of the Father.

17:7 Now they have come to know that all things You have given to Me are from You.

17:8 For the words which You have given to Me, I have given to them; and they have received them and known for sure that I came forth from You. And they have believed that You sent Me .

(John 17:7-8; underlining added)

6:68 Then Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

6:69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” (John 6:68-69; underlining added)

The use of the third and first person plural confirms the corporate nature of the eyewitness John records; hence, “The Witness of the Disciples According to the Disciple Whom Jesus Loved.”

Relying on external witnesses, many conservative scholars have dated the account roughly fifty to sixty years after Jesus’ ascension (80-95AD):

Because the writings of some church fathers indicate that John was actively writing in his old age and that he was already aware of the synoptic Gospels, many date the Gospel sometime after their composition, but prior to John’s writing of 1, 2, and 3 John or Revelation. John wrote his Gospel c. A.D. 80-90, or about fifty years after he witnessed Jesus’ earthly ministry. [4]

However, nowhere in the Gospel of John is the 70AD destruction of the temple mentioned. Consider Jesus’ prophecy regarding the destruction of Jerusalem.

19:41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,

19:42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

19:43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,

19:44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44)

How could the disciple whom Jesus loved record Jesus’ witness to the temple authorities in His first cleansing of the temple (John 2:19-10) and fail to record the temple’s destruction in 70AD especially when the fulfillment of this prophecy (Luke 19:41-44) only further confirms His authority over the temple as the Christ, the Son of God? Ironically, Jesus prefaced the second cleansing of the temple (Luke 19:45) with this very same prophecy. If John could not have recorded his account after 70AD, then perhaps you and I should look elsewhere to date the book of John.

Indeed, the internal evidence against a late date for the Gospel of John grows stronger when those disciples present with Jesus in chapter 21 attest to the truth of the account recorded by John: This is the disciple who testifies to these things, and wrote them down; and we know that his testimony is true (John 21:24; underlining added). Within the immediate context, the we who know that his testimony is true are Simon Peter, Thomas (called Twin), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee’s sons (James and John), and two others of His disciples(John 21:2), then the account must have been attested to prior to James’ death in 44AD (Acts 12:2). [5] Should you and I decide to include Jesus within the wewho attest to the truthfulness of John’s account, then the account is attested to prior to our Lord’s ascension.

Following the rejection of His Messiahship, Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven in parables concluding with the parable of the scribe and householder.

13:51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”

13:52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

(Matthew 13:51-52; underlining added)

One of the responsibilities entrusted to the apostles was to act as a scribe and bring out of his treasure… new and old. Given His purpose in writing, 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), surely the account John records is an utterly priceless treasure—especially in light of the controlling kingdom parable, the Sower and His Seed. Moreover, the instruction to bring out treasure… new and old is not merely to record as a scribe, but to steward as a responsible householder who brings out the account of things understood.

Of the three candidates to record and steward this account (Peter, James and John), Peter, as the acknowledged leader of the disciples, would appear the most likely candidate, yet his repeated unwillingness to heed His Lord and Savior (John 13:36-38, Matthew 16:22-!7:5) cost him dearly. True, Jesus restores Peter to ministry (John 21:15-19), but He does not reward him with the honor of recording and stewarding an account so instrumental in fulfilling God’s kingdom parables. Might this contribute to the underlying tension between Peter and the Sons of Zebedee that surfaces Peter’s question:But Lord, what about him(John 21:21)? You and I may only speculate; on the other hand, this we know for sure— the disciple whom Jesus loved was entrusted to steward a priceless treasure, a testimony explicitly purposed by our Lord to bring forth life in His name. In light of Peter’s failure, would Jesus entrust this responsibility to an apostle who would wait fifty to sixty years to record and distribute it?

Paul writes a faithful saying revealing for Timothy the time the apostle believed on Jesus for everlasting life:

1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

1:16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

(1 Timothy 1:15-16; underlining added)

Paul was converted on the road to Damascus in 33-34AD and thereafter considered the longsuffering mercy of the Lord to those who are going to believe on Him for eternal life as a pattern. If this pattern were already established shortly after our Lord’s ascension, would the Apostle John wait fifty to sixty years to record a witness so instrumental in fulfilling this pattern?

When as a baby believer Nicodemus seeks out Jesus for understanding of his new found faith, Jesus immediately responds: Amen, amen, I tell you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Though highly esteemed as a teacher of Israel (John 3:10), Nicodemus struggles, like all believers do, to grasp the miracle of being born again—so much so that even as ateacher of Israel, he stumbles to find words (John 3:4). Jesus answers:

3:5 “Amen, amen, I tell you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

3:7 Don’t be amazed that I told you, ‘You all must be born again.’

3:8 The wind blows where it will, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it is coming from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

(John 3:5-8; underlining added)

Even a highly esteemed teacher of Israel must acknowledge the absolute necessity of being born again while at the same time humbling himself to a miracle far beyond his ability to understand, let alone put into words. This timeless and most elemental wonder lies at the very heart of discipleship—as followers of Christ, we must learn without exception to live a miracle we can neither fully grasp nor merit in any way. This miracle is life in the name of our Lord and Savior and remains to this day the very purpose of the testimony John records (John 20:30-31). If after a long tiring day of ministry in the temple, Jesus makes time into the dark hours of night to address a teacher of Israel and his disciples, and if, like Nicodemus, all born again believers continue to share this same elemental quandry, then are we to believe the disciple whom Jesus loved waited fifty to sixty years to record this vital discipleship truth?

You and I may not know the exact date of writing for the Gospel of John, but the internal witness rules out any date that fails to account for the destruction of the temple in 70AD. The disciples who attest to the account include James who died in 44AD. Dating John’s account late raises a myriad of challenging questions that leave you and I asking, what is gained by late dating a testimony designed to bring forth life in the name of our Lord and Savior? For purposes of this commentary the Gospel of John is a testimony authored by the disciple whom Jesus loved, was a part of a stewardship both to record and distribute entrusted to him prior to Jesus’ ascension, and was attested in written form by his fellow disciples prior to James’ death in 44AD. Though we will henceforth refer to John’s account as the Gospel of John, it would be more accurately titled: “The Witness of the Disciples According to the Disciple Whom Jesus Loved.”

A Two-Fold Audience That Authenticates

Jews of that Generation that Crucified Christ

In John, the Greek word Ιουδαῖοι is used roughly 70 times and frequently translated ethnically as theJews. This striking feature of John’s testimony causes many scholars to declare this gospel the most anti-Semitic account in the entire Bible. Jewish scholar Geza Vermes comments: “One of the most dismaying features of the Fourth Gospel is its determined claim that the Jews, or at least the inhabitants of Judea—the Greek Ioudaioi can designate either—were profoundly and universally inimical to Jesus.” [6] …“John’s hatred of the Jews was fierce. I often wonder whether he could possibly have been Jewish himself.” [7] Daniel Goldhagen writes:

The Christian Bible presents its Christian faithful with a relentless and withering assault on Jews and Judaism. The structure of the Gospels in particular is antisemitic. The Jews are presented as the ontological enemy of Jesus and therefore of goodness… The story’s narrative structure, its force, it many warning and inducements depend upon the castigation of the Jews as the essential and dramatic villains who oppose, reject, and assault Jesus and whom he must overcome but does so only through the tragedy of his end. [8]

“The Gospel According to Mark has approximately forty antisemitic verses,” [9] Luke sixty, Matthew eighty, while “the Gospel According to John contains approximately 130 antisemitic verses.” [10] … “Because the structure of the Gospels is to present Jews as the ontological enemy of God, the damaging individual statements about Jews qua Jews get subsumed into the nature and essence of Jews.” [11]

Vermes and Goldhagen paint a very troubling picture: How can an anti-Semitic account be a part of God’s word to both Jew and Gentile alike? From their perspective, the Gospel of John is most likely the work of the early first-century Gentile church as it struggles with prejudice against the Jewish people for their supposed murder of Jesus Christ. Nothing could be farther from the truth!

In John’s account, the central irony of Jews commenting on Jews authenticates the testimony of the disciples by addressing the elephant in the room for all Jews immediately following Jesus crucifixion and resurrection: 1) If Jesus is the crucified and resurrected Son of God, then how did the leadership of Israel (the Ioudaioi or Judean authorities) fail to identify Him as the long-awaited Christ? 2) How and why did these same authorities lead the people to demand His crucifixion? 3) And lastly, what does God call His people to do in the wake of Messiah’s crucifixion and resurrection? That the vast majority of John’s account records Jesus’ interactions with the Judean authorities or Ioudaioi in Jerusalem and the surrounding environs of Judea rightly reflects the larger Jewish audience’s (Judea, Galilee, and the Diaspora) pressing need to investigate a catastrophic failure in leadership within Judaism and an impending disaster for the nation of Israel.

The early witness of John the Baptist recorded by the Apostle John ought not surprise us; afterall, each of the four gospel accounts record John the Baptist’s ministry. Luke reveals the dialogue between John and a broad spectrum of individuals, the multitudes from tax collectors to soldiers (Luke 3:7-14), but only the Apostle John records the specific inquiry by the Judean authorities about the Baptist’s ministry as the forerunner of Messiah (John1:19-23). If an official inquiry of the Baptist was merited to discern whether or not he was Israel’s coming Messiah, then how much more so an investigation of the leadership that failed to recognize God’s Messiah who had come in the flesh and was crucified on a Roman cross. Indeed, the Judean authorities heard John the Baptist’s three-fold witness (the Father, the Holy Spirit, and John the Baptist) that Jesus is both the Lamb of God (John 1:29) and Son of God (John 1:34) and yet led the nation to reject their now crucified and resurrected Messiah.

As the heavy footsteps of Rome leading up to the 70AD destruction of the temple and Jerusalem grow louder, John’s witness becomes more and more urgent to those asking the question; where is Israel’s deliverer, God’s promised Messiah? [12] If the Ioudaioi or Judean authorities so badly misled God’s people, then in whom can the people place their faith? The Apostle John’s witness remains true to this day to both Jew and Gentile alike: Believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, the crucified and resurrected Lamb of God, who has taken away the sin of the world and now gifts eternal life to all who believe in Him and His promise of life.

Prior to his ascension, Jesus commands his apostles: But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). On Pentecost, the Apostle Peter preaches his first sermon:

2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “ Men of Judea (Ἄνδρες Ἰουδαῖοι,) and all who dwell in Jerusalem (οἱ κατοικοῦντες Ἱερουσαλὴμ) let this be known to you, and heed my words.

2:22 “ Men of Israel (Ἄνδρες Ἰσραηλῖται), hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—

2:29 “ Men and brethren (Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί), let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. (Acts 2:14. 22. 29; underlining added)

As the underlined vocatives and content of his sermon reveal, Peter targets a Jewish audience about their Jewish Messiah whom they as Jews crucified, that all the house of Israel (may) know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). The account John records is no more anti-Semitic than the sermon Peter first preached on Pentecost.

Again, consider the Apostle Peter’s words to his Jewish brethren inside the temple as he recounts their complicity.

3:17 “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

3:18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.

3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

3:20and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,

3:21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:17-21; underlining added)

In order for the nation of Israel to receive God’s promised Messianic kingdom, Peter, as a Jew, instructs fellow Jews complicit in the crucifixion of the Jewish Messiah to repent of their sin and be converted that: 1) their sins may be blotted out; 2) times of refreshing may come ; lastly 3) God may again send their Messiah, Jesus Christ. This is hardly the message of someone who hates his Jewish brethren. Addressing this same elephant in the room, the Apostle John records the apostles’ testimony to individual Jews of that generation that wrongly rejected Jesus as Messiah that even following His rejection, they, as individuals, may have life in the name of their Jewish Messiah. The testimony of the apostles recorded by John is in no way anti-Semitic… no, not hardly! Jewish disciples addressing the larger Jewish audience about their failure to receive Israel’s Jewish Messiah and the Judean authorities’ role in that failure remains an essential part of an indelible watermark of authenticity for all following generations both Jew and Gentile. [13]

The Apostle Paul, himself a former Pharisee, writes regarding his outreach to both Jew and Gentile:

1:22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;

1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,

1:24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:22-24)

Given this insight, should you and I be surprised that the witness of John is structured around eight signs? Truly, the Jews didrequest a sign:

2:18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “ What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”

2:19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:18-19)

12:38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

12:39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:38-40; Luke 11:29-30)

All the gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, knew it was vital for those hearing of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection to understand the cross as a sign that reveals Him as Israel’s long-awaited Messiah. If I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all peoples to Myself (John12:32) includes both Jews and Gentiles… beginning with the Jew first.

Far from being a harbinger of first-century anti-Semitism, the Apostle John’s introspective examination of those Jews who crucified Jesus—of those who failed to discern God’s Messiah and so badly misled their fellow Jews—remains the first half of the indelible watermark of authenticity . What then is the second half?

The World

First to Jews of that generation that crucified Christ and then to the world, the world forms the other half of this indelible watermark. Consider the Prophet Isaiah’s words: It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). Upon seeing the baby Jesus, Simeon praises the Lord:

2:30 …my eyes have seen Your salvation

2:31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,

2:32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,

And the glory of Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32)

According to Isaiah’s prophecy, Israel’s Messiah must also be a source of revelation and salvation to the Gentiles; Simeon rightly rejoices in the baby Jesus.

In the Gospel of John, the prophetic fulfillment of Jesus’ ministry to both Jews and Gentiles is revealed in His ministry to the world. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)! God loved the world in this manner that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16)… that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:17). After spending two days with Jesus, the men of Sychar conclude this really is the Savior of the world, the Christ(John 4:42)! Having witnessed Jesus miraculously feed 5,000 men and their families, the men conclude: This man really is the Prophet who was coming into the world (John 6:14)! Jesus is the bread of God… who gives life to the world (John 6:33). He is the living Bread who gives His flesh for the life of the world (John 6:51). Jesus came as a light into the world… not to judge the world but to save the world (John 12:46-47). Jesus spoke openly to the world (John 18:20). Jesus is a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice (John 18:37). Underlining of phrase the world has been added to each of these passages to underscore the vital importance of this audience to John’s account. Again, the world includes both Jew and Gentile.

Lastly, consider Jesus’ prayer for unity and evangelism in John Chapter Seventeen; the word worldis used nineteen times in twenty six verses:

17:20 I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message;

17:21 that they all may be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that in Us they also may be one, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

17:23 I in them and You in Me; so that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know the you sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me. (John 17:20-21, 23; underlining added)

The world, both Jew and Gentile, depends upon the authentic witness of the one and only Jewish Messiah through the message entrusted to Jewish apostles. In John, this message remains authoritatively “The Witness of the Disciples According to the Disciple Whom Jesus Loved” purposed first for those Jews of that generation that crucified Christ and secondly for all Jews and Gentiles to believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God and His promise of eternal life.

Some Definitive Features

The testimony left us by the Apostle John has several features not found in the Synoptics that help define Jesus’ person and ministry. Consider just these seven: 1) The Word of God, 2) The Lamb of God, 3) The Herald of Eternal Life, 4) The Eight Signs, 5) The Eight I Am Statements , 6) That You May Believe and Abide, 7) The Call to Repent.

The Word of God

Few truths are so guaranteed to shock the ears of God’s chosen people, yet few truths are as elemental to our Lord’s person and ministry:

1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

1:2 He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2; underlining added)

The translation, the Word was God, causes some in Christendom great consternation. Some go so far as to translate θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος as “the Word was a god.” [14] However, fascinating the argument between definite and indefinite predicate nominatives may be, it confuses the apostles’ witness. The NET Bible translates in a qualitative sense “and the Word was fully God” providing the footnote: “The translation ‘what God was the Word was’ is perhaps the most nuanced rendering, conveying that everything God was in essence, the Word was too.” [15] In other words, the apostles testify that the Word or Jesus was Divine in the qualitative sense without being the same person as His Father. This is a truth observed time and again throughout the apostles’ witness essential in confirming Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

The Lamb of God

All four gospel accounts record Jesus’ baptism, but only John reveals in explicit detail John the Baptist’s witness that comes forth from His baptism. Truly, nothing could be more elemental to the witness of the disciples than the testimony of John the Baptist: Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John1:29)!

Knowledge of John’s witness early in Jesus’ ministry is critical to understanding the Judean authorities’ culpability and failure as leaders of God’s people. Equally important, the Baptist’s witness is an authoritative three-fold testimony involving God the Father, the Holy Spirit and himself as Messiah’s forerunner. The priests and Levites sent to investigate John learn that he is not the Christ, but rather the forerunner announcing that among you stands Someone you do not know. He is the One coming after me, who ranks ahead of me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie (John 1:26-27; underlining added)! Clearly, those looking for the Christ would not have departed for Jerusalem when the Christ is so near; indeed, the very next day John boldly declares, Look! The Lamb of God (John 1:29)! John the Baptist’s witness forms the basis for the authorities to request a sign authenticating Jesus’ authority to cleanse the temple (John 2:18). Jesus cryptic answer (John 2:19) strikes at the very core of the work His Father entrusts to Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). That Jesus is the One anointed by God to take away the sin of the world is also crucial to persuading John’s larger Jewish audience that He is the Christ, the Son of God.

The Herald of Eternal Life

According to the Apostle Paul, the elects’ acknowledgment of the truth and call to godliness is in hope of eternal life(ζωῆς αἰωνίου) which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began (Titus 1:1-2). Though you and I do not have recorded the actual promise of eternal life God made before time began, we see its effects very early in the Old Testament.

During the patriarchal period (Genesis 11-12), Job in the midst of terrible suffering testifies with great certainty and boldness.

19:25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,

And He shall stand at last on the earth;

19:26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,

That in my flesh I shall see God,

19:27 Whom I shall see for myself,

And my eyes shall behold, and not another.

(Job 19:25-27)

As Job’s suffering rages like a swollen river, the unseen rock of God’s promise reveals itself forcing the currents of Job’s faith to rise up and boil. How certain was Job of God’s promise? Oh, that my words were written! … with an iron pen and lead, forever (John 19:23-24)! Though his flesh may die, he shall yet live and see God in a new (resurrection) body. How would Job understand this truth except God promised it to him.

The hope of eternal life based upon God’s promise profoundly influenced another very famous patriarch. Consider the commentary by the author of Hebrews:

11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

11:18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”

11:19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead , from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

(Hebrews 11:17-19; underlining added)

The promisesreceived refer to God’s covenantal promises to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:4-6). Abraham inferred eternal life and resurrection from these covenantal promises; and like Job, Abraham’s faith reflects God’s promise of eternal life from before time began. For Abraham not to conclude that God was able to raise Isaac up, even from the dead , in the larger sense would have been unbelief in the hope of eternal life .

Throughout the Old Testament, the hope of eternal life(Titus 1:2) remains so clearly implied that not to infer it is also unbelief in the very

promise of a coming Messiah and His kingdom. Consider the dry bones prophecy of Ezekiel:

37:5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.

37:6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ”

37:7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.

37:8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

37:9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live .” ’ ”

37:10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

37:11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. (Ezekiel 37:5-11; underlining added)

At the very core of Israel’s faith in Messiah remains the promise of His coming kingdom, but God’s promise proves vain unless the citizens of this coming kingdom are made alive eternally with resurrection bodies. Implied in Ezekiel’s prophecy, is the propositional content of His promise—to believe in God’s coming Messiah is to believe in His promise to breathe life into the dead bones of Israel. The believing remanent of God’s people are those who infer and believe that God promises them eternal life and resurrection bodies in order to serve in the coming kingdom. Thus, the whole house of Israel will be those made alive in resurrection bodies.

Although there are many likely candidates through whom God might have overtly spoken His promise of eternal life—Job, Abraham, Moses, King David, the Prophets—not once throughout the whole of the Old Testament is God’s promise of eternal life explicitly recorded. Not until our Lord, the Sent One of the Father, is the promise explicitly heralded in the New Testament Scriptures. Indeed, the testimony of the disciples recorded by John reveals Jesus as the exclusive herald of God’s promise of eternal life. Consider a few of these passages from John: [16]

3:14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, likewise the Son of Man must be lifted up,

3:15 so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life (ζωὴν αἰώνιον).

3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (ζωὴν αἰώνιον).

3:17 For God Did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

(John 3:14-17)

4:10 …“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water!”

4:13 … “Everyone who drinks from this water will be thirsty again.

4:14 But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never thirst again—forever! On the contrary, the water that I will give him will become within him a spring of water gushing up to eternal life (ζωὴν αἰώνιον).” (John 4:10, 13-14)

5:24 “Amen, amen, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life (ζωὴν αἰώνιον), and will not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24)

6:47 “Amen, amen, I tell you, whoever believes in Me has eternal life (ζωὴν αἰώνιον·).

6:48 I am the Bread of Life. (John 6:47-48)

11:25 …”I am the Resurrection and the Life (ζωή·). He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live.

11:26 And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

11:27 “Yes Lord,” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” (John 11:25-27)

In each of these passages Jesus overtly heralds the promise of eternal life. Lastly, in his first epistle the Apostle John declares:

2:25And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life (τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον). (1 John 2:25)

5:11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life (ζωὴν αἰώνιον), and this life (ζωὴ) is in His Son. (1 John 5:11)

Who could this One possibly be—the One who so boldly heralds, with the perfect power and authority of the One True God, the promise of eternal life that echoes forth from before time began (Titus 1:1-2)? The promise of eternal life or life in His name defines Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God as definitively as His crucifixion and resurrection.

The Eight Signs

Most commentors of John consider only seven signs, yet ironically the eighth sign is the greatest sign of all. Though chronologically not first, it is first in that it culminates and defines His person and ministry from its inception: [17]

2:18 So in reply the Jews said to Him, “ What miraculous sign do You show, since You do these things?”

2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this sanctuary and I will raise it up in three days!”

2:20 Therefore the Jews said, “This sanctuary took 46 years to build, and will You raise it up in three days?”

2:21 But He was talking about the sanctuary of His body .

(John 2:18-21; underlining added)

And it is the last and culminating sign:

2:22 So when He was raised from the dead His disciples remembered that He had said this. And they believed the Scripture and the statement that Jesus had made. … (John 2:22)

19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “it is finished!” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.

(John 19:30)

20:27 Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and observe My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. And don’t be unbelieving but believing!”

20:28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

20:30 Jesus actually performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book,

(John 20:27-28, 30; underlining added)

In John’s account of Jesus’ ministry, the sign of the cross, forms an inclusio that defines the significance of the other seven signs recorded in the Gospel of John: But these are written so 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 20:31; underlining added).

Throughout John’s account, seven other signs continually foreshadow the greatest sign of all, the cross. In chronological order:

First Sign—Turning Water into Wine (John 2:6-11): First chronologically, this sign foreshadows the beginning of His ministry and the soon passing of the old covenant (ceremonial water) and the coming of the new covenant (the finest wine) which only the Christ, the Son of God can bring about.

Second Sign—Healing a Royal Official’s Son (John 4:47-54): By His word, the boy and by extension all men are healed.

Third Sign—Healing a Paralytic (John 5:2-9):Following in His Father’s footsteps, Jesus has authority to heal by His word on the Sabbath day.

Fourth Sign—Feeding 5000 Men and Their Families (John 6:5-14): Jesus is the prophet like Moses and greater still who by His blessing miraculously transforms five barley loaves and two fish into a meal of overabundance.

Fifth Sign: Walking on Water and Instantaneously Delivering His Disciples to Shore (John 6:18-21): Jesus commands not only nature, but time and space itself.

Sixth Sign—Healing of a Man Born Blind (John 9:1-12): Jesus performs a miracle only Messiah can do by giving sight to a man who had never before possessed it.

Seventh Sign—Bringing to Life a Man Dead for Four Days (John 11:38-44): Jesus performs a miracle only Messiah can do, raising from the tomb a man dead for four days.

Eighth Sign—Crucified unto Death and Three Days Later Resurrected unto Life (John 19:16 thru 20:31): Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who by His death as the Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world and who, by His resurrection in fulfillment of His Father’s will, guarantees the promise of eternal life which God who cannot lie promised before time began (Titus 1:2).

All of Jesus’ signs attest to who He is, but John selected only eight signs in order to convince his audience that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who gives eternal life to those who believe Him and His promise of eternal life.

Following the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter returns to this same witness in the midst of the temple:

2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—

2:23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;

2:24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

(Acts 2:22-24; underlining added)

A Man attested by God… by miracles, wonders, and signs clearly reflects the purpose of John’s witness:

20:30 Jesus actually performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.

20:31 But these are written so 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)

Peter’s emphasis on the greatest sign of all, the cross, is John’s emphasis… as well as the Apostle Paul’s emphasis. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; underlining added).

The Eight I Am Statements

The witness of the apostles is also structured around eight I Am statements, each an affirmation and apologetic expression of Jesus’ deity.

3:14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” (אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה). And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM (אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה) has sent me to you.’ ”

(Exodus 3:14; underlining added)

Just as God sent Moses to the children of Israel to liberate them from Egyptian bondage, so too God the Father sent His Son to the children of Israel to liberate mankind from the bondage of sin and death. Indeed this One is the Prophet like Moses…

18:15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,

18:18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.

18:19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.

(Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19)

…Who is yet greater than Moses.

“I am the Bread of Life.” (John 6:35, 48, 51)

“I am the Light of the world.” (John 8:12; 9:5)

“I AM” (John 8:58)

“I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:8, 9)

“I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11, 14)

“I am the Resurrection and the Life.” (John 11:25)

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6)

“I am the true vine.” (John 15:1, 5)

The Christ, the Son of God, Jesus is I AM Who I AM who has the power and authority to make Himself the Bread of Life, the light of the world, the door of the sheep, the good shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and the true vine , because He is indeed I AM.

That You May Believe and Abide

Many have called John the Gospel of belief. The Greek word for believe, πιστεύω, occurs 99 times in John’s Gospel and 10 times in 1 John. With the singular exception of John 2:24, it is translated in the New King James Version (NKJV) as “believe.” (But Jesus did not commit(ἐπίστευεν)Himself to them, because He knew all men(John 2:24, NKJV). The Logos 21 Version reads: Jesus, however, would not trust(ἐπίστευεν) Himself to them, since He knew all men .) The unbeliever is challenged to believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God who gives eternal life to those who believe in Him and His promise of eternal life. The one who believes is challenged to abide.

The Greek word μένω, frequently translated “abide,” is used 41 times in John’s gospel and 25 times in his epistles for a total of 66 uses. Consider the following chart developed from the New King James Version.

Uses of μένω in John’s Gospel and Epistles

Translation	Gospel	Epistles	Total
abide	18	23	41
be present	1		1
continue		1	1
dwell	2		2
endure	1		1
remain	15	1	16
stay	4		4

Clearly, the word μένω is used often by the Apostle John. The translators of the NKJV most frequently render it as “abide.” The second most common rendering, “remain,” is similar in nuance to “abide.” The Complete Word Study Dictionary offers the following definition: “Of the relationship in which one person or thing stands with another, chiefly in John’s writings; thus to remain in or with someone, i.e., to be and remain united with him, one with him in heart, mind, and will.” [18] Abiding is a work Jesus commands His disciples.

The Greek verb μένω means to abide, remain, stay, dwell, endure, continue, or be present. The believer who abides is a productive branch or disciple bearing fruit for Jesus.

15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

15:2 Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He props up, and every one producing fruit He prunes so that it will produce more fruit.

15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch is unable to produce fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, is the one who produces much fruit, since you can do nothing apart from Me

15:6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown aside like a withered branch and withers. Then they gather such branches, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you wish, and it shall be done for you.

15:8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit. So you will be My disciples.

15:9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you. Abide in My love.

15:10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

15:11 “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may abide in you, and your joy may be complete.

(John 15:1-11; underlining added)

In this key passage, the word abide is used 10 times in 11 verses; 3 times in verse 15:4 alone; therefore, the importance of abiding in evangelism should come as no surprise. Two questions arise: 1) How can you and I effectively share the gift of eternal life, if we do not know for sure we have eternal life? and 2) How can we share our relationship with our Lord and Savior, if you and I do not know for sure we have that relationship? An individual first believes the promise of eternal life, then as a disciple, continues believing the promise in order to abide and share the good news of eternal life.

The Absence of Repentance

Although the call to repent is recorded in the Synoptic gospels, in John, the one book explicitly designed for a person to believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God and to have life in His name, neither repentance nor repent are mentioned... no, not once.

John choses eight specific signs to structure a testimony sufficient for a person to believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God and to have life in His name (John 20:30-31). If anything required for sufficiency has been left out, then John badly misleads his audience and fails his stewardship to the Lord. For this reason, many commentators desire to read at least the concept of repentance into John’s account. Thankfully, neither the apostle, nor the truth of God’s Word has failed.

Repentance is not a requirement for a person to receive eternal life. This truth is not a theological imposition, but an essential part of the disciples’ witness. The argument is not from silence, but about silence… a wholly deafening silence. Ironically, the Apostle John understands the role of repentance in coming to believe in Jesus, but has purposefully left out repentance as a requirement to receive life in His name or eternal life. [19] That repentance is not a requirement for receiving the gift of eternal life is a non-negotiable part of John’s testimony.

In calling the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord commissions his ministry and commands him:

6:9 “Go, and tell this people:

‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;

Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

6:10 “Make the heart of this people dull,

And their ears heavy,

And shut their eyes;

Lest they see with their eyes,

And hear with their ears,

And understand with their heart,

And return and be healed.”

(Isaiah 6:9-10; underlining added)

The idea of returning in verse nine implies repentance or turning away from the sin that deafens and blinds the people to the One True God and His Word. If they turn or repent, God heals their ability to hear and see. Turning away from sin and turning to God and His Word does not guarantee a Godly transformation in behavior; nonetheless, to those who turn to God and His Word, He heals their ability to perceive, to hear and see.

Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 following His rejection as Messiah in Matthew chapter 13 and at the close of His public ministry in John chapter 12:

13:14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

“Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,

And seeing you will see and not perceive;

13:15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

Their ears are hard of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed,

Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn (ἐπιστρέψωσιν) , So that I should heal them.’

(Matthew 13:14-15; underlining added)

Again, if the leadership of Israel turns away from the sin which blinds and deafens them to Messiah and turns to God and His Word, then God would heal their ability to perceive Him and His Word. Jesus reminds His disciples:

13:16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;

13:17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Even among prophets and righteous men who possessed the ability to perceive God and His Word… many did not see or hear the things Jesus shares with His disciples. Although God heals those who repent or turn from sin, this restoration of the ability to perceive God and His Word does not necessarily mean they will perceive and/or believe.

Summarizing the response of the Judean authorities to Jesus’ person and ministry, John writes:

12:39 The reason they were unable to believe is because Isaiah said again:

12:40 “He has blinded their eyes

And hardened their hearts,

So that they would not see with their eyes,

Nor understand with their hearts

And be converted(ἐπιστραφῶσιν,) ,

So that I should heal them.”

(John 12:39-40;underlining added)

The Greek verb for turnin Matthew 13:15 is ἐπιστρέψωσιν, an aorist, active, subjunctive while the same verb translated be converted (Logos 21) in John 12:40 is ἐπιστραφῶσιν, an aorist, passive, subjunctive. The NKJV renders this verb in John 12:40 in an active sense as turn . For purposes of comparison between the two passages, the translation in 12:40 might be better rendered “be turned.” [20]

Roughly one hundred times the Greek word for believe appears in John’s account, yet the word for repent surfaces nowhere… even in a passage that reveals the reason for the Judean authorities’ unbelief (John 12:39). Lest you and I mistakenly think John prefers ἐπιστραφῶσιν (to turn) instead of μετανοέω (to repent), consider that he uses the Greek word ἐπιστραφῶσιν only four times (John 12:40, 21:20; Revelation 1:12) but uses μετανοέω the most of any New Testament writer outside of Luke, twelve times in the book of Revelation.

As verses 39-40 reveal, the apostles understand the importance of repentance or turning from sin to God and His word. Throughout John’s account, Jesus confronts both corporately and individually the Judean authorities who suffer grievously from spiritual deafness and blindness: He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God (John 8:47). Sin is like a deafening wax in the ears or dark sunglasses at midnight. Only God can drain the wax and remove the sunglasses from the one who repents or turns from sin. In turn, the ability to hear and see affords the opportunity to believe, but is not itself the conviction of faith. Indeed, throughout John’s account, individuals repeatedly believe in Jesus without the necessity of repenting or turning from sin. Although repentance may well be necessary for a person to perceive, it is emphatically never a requirement to receive eternal life.

A Divinely Ordained Corporate Testimony

In the Synoptics, Matthew, Mark, and Luke use the Greek noun for gospel, εὐαγγέλιον, and/or the verb to proclaim good news, εὐαγγελίζω, frequently but not once in his account does the beloved apostle use these words. [21] When referring to his account John uses the Greek verb for testifies , μαρτυρῶν, and noun for testimony, μαρτυρία: This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true (John 21:24; underlining added; see 19:35). Understanding John’s account as Divinely ordained corporate testimony opens our understanding to John’s larger purpose and the book’s unique place in the New Testament.

The Apostle John introduces the idea of a Divinely ordained corporate testimony very early: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14; underlining added). As previously noted, the use of the first person plural, us and we, reveals that what you and I commonly refer to as a gospel account is actually a testimony or witness of the eleven (less Judas) disciples as recorded by the beloved disciple. The expression only begotten is better understood as “one of a kind;” The disciples testify that Jesus is the one of a kind Word become flesh, full of grace and truth, who dwelt or tabernacled among them.

In his first epistle, John reveals the intimacy of the three and a half year-long relationship with the Word of life that he and his fellow disciples bear witness to:

1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—

1:2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— (1 John 1:1-2; underlining added)

Note that the Greek verb (μαρτυροῦμεν) translated bear witness comes from the same root as the noun (μαρτυρία) translated testimony (John 1:14); again, even in his first epistle, John uses the first person plural extensively (we, us, and our) to emphatically reveal the corporate nature of the testimony to which the disciples bear witness.

According to the biblical standard established in both Old and New Testaments, the witness of two or three establishes truth.

18:16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that “by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’

(Matthew 18:16)

19:15 “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. (Deuteronomy 19:15)

Indeed, the account recorded by the beloved disciple is good news, but more particularly it is the authoritative intimate eyewitness witness or testimony of Jesus’ disciples by which the truth shallor may be established .

Truth is everything in a testimony or witness… the truth is everything in evangelism. Consider what most scholars consider the purpose statement for John’s account:

20: Jesus actually performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.

20:31 But these are written so 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)

Of all the many signs performed by Jesus that the disciples witnessed, only eight are included in the testimony recorded by John. The last and greatest sign is the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, but according to their testimony any one of these miraculous signs are sufficient for a person to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Indeed, if anything has been left out of the apostles’ witness of Jesus’ person or ministry deemed necessary for an individual to believe in Him as the Christ, the Son of God, then their testimony is not sufficient and their witness recorded by John is not true.

In his first epistle, the Apostle John affirms the power and authority of God’s witness to bring forth life in the name of His Son or eternal life.

5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.

5:10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.

5:11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

5:12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

(1 John 5:9-13; underlining added)

Though the corporate testimony of men is worth receiving, the witness of God is greater : And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life . This is the truth that underlies all of evangelism; it is the very purpose of the beloved apostle’s testimony; it is the truth that Jesus’ disciples corporately affirm according to their eyewitness of Jesus’ person and ministry.

Just prior to the last supper and His final preparations for the cross, Jesus explains the nature of His witness:

12:48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words , has that which judges him— the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.

12:49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.

12:50 And I know that His command is everlasting life . Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak .”

(John 12:48-50; underlining added)

Just as God the Father speaks with perfect power and authority, so the Son speaks the very word of God that will judge in the last daythe one who rejects Him and does not receive His words. The truth to which Jesus testifies according to His Father’s command is the promise of eternal life confirmed by the crucified and resurrected Lamb of God and His apostles.

English Translations

This commentary relies on two translations: The New King James Version of the Holy Bible (NKJV) and The Logos 21 Version of the Gospel of John (Logos 21).

The vast majority of differences between the three Greek Texts, Textus Receptus (TR), Critical (NU), and Majority (M), have little impact on the meaning of the New Testament. True, the NKJV translates the Textus Receptus, a manuscript no longer considered for scholarly work. [22] In this light, those responsible for updating The King James Version (KJV) provide translation notes which indicate textual differences between the NU and M texts and the TR. This feature alone makes the NKJV a valuable resource. Likewise the lyrical qualities of the original KJV and its literal yet very readable updated English translation make the NKJV a preferred translation. With the sole exception of the Gospel of John (Logos 21), this commentary, unless otherwise indicated, uses the NKJV.

The Gospel of John, Logos 21 Version, translates The Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text: Second Edition edited by Zane C. Hodges and Arthur L Farstad (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1985). Farstad acted as the Executive Editor for the NKJV published in 1982 and then with the support of a team of Greek scholars translated and copyrighted the Logos 21 in 1996. Absolutely Free Incorporated currently publishes the Living Water Gospel of John using the Logos 21 translation. Like the NKJV, the Logos 21 translation is a literal and very readable contemporary translation.

The apostles were charged with the responsibility to record and steward the distribution of the New Testament (Matthew 13:51-52). The relatively small number of manuscripts on which the Critical Text is based reveals a surprising lack of distribution in an area of the world (Egypt) otherwise conducive to the preservation of manuscripts, whereas the Byzantine area (Greece and Turkey), though wet and far less conducive to the preservation of manuscripts, hosts large families of representative manuscripts, hence the Majority Text. Noted NU scholar Bruce M. Metzger acknowledges “… the Byzantine form of text was generally regarded as the authoritative form of text and was the one most widely circulated and accepted.” [23] Of the NU manuscripts, Hodges and Farstad note,

…the most important papyrus witnesses in this group of texts are the Chester Beatty papyri (P ^{45 46 47}) the Bodmer papyri (P ^{66 75} ). The text which results from dependence on such manuscripts as these may fairly be described as Egyptian. Its existence in early times outside of Egypt is unproved. [24]

Hodges and Farstad go on to argue that

the Egyptian type… is probably a local text which never had any significant currency except in that part of the ancient world. By contrast the majority of manuscripts were widely diffused and their ancestral roots must reach back to the autographs themselves. [25]

The small number of poorly distributed manuscripts on which it is based leaves the Critical Text uniquely vulnerable at times to outliers.

In particular, two omissions in the Critical Text reveal the depth of this problem in John:

5:3 …waiting for the moving of the water,

5:4 because an angel would go down into the pool from time to time and stir up the water. Then the first one who went in after the water was stirred up recovered from whatever ailment he had.

(John 5:3-4)

7:53 So each one went to his house.

8:1 And Jesus went to the Mount of Olives

8:2 But at the break of dawn Jesus went to the temple courts again, and all the people were coming to Him. And He sat down and began to teach them.

8:3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand in the center

8:4 and said to Him, “Teacher, we found this woman in the very act of adultery.

8:5 Now in our law Moses command us to stone such women. So what do You say about her?”

8:6 They said this to test Him, so that they might have an accusation against Him. But Jesus stooped down and started to write on the ground with His finger.

8:7 So when they persisted in asking Him, He looked up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her!”

8:8 Then H stooped down again and wrote on the ground.

8:9 But when they heard this they went out one by one, starting with the older men down to the very last. Only Jesus was left, with the woman in the center.

8:10 So when Jesus had straightened up, He saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?”

8:11 “No one, Lord,” she said. “Neither do I condemn you,” Jesus told her, Go, and don’t sin any more.” (John 7:53 thru 8:11)

The great irony is that most English translations of the Critical Text translate both of these passages, while bracketing and/or footnoting them as not in in the original text. [26]

Not only does the Living Waterprovide a Majority Text translation of John, but Absolutely Free Incorporated makes these Gospels of John available for evangelism by publishing and distributing them for free. Nothing could be truer to the stewardship originally entrusted to our Lord’s disciples; nothing could be more helpful in promoting evangelism in the local church than access to the only book of the Bible explicitly purposed for the unbeliever to be saved, especially when the translation is both literal, highly readable, and free.

Conclusion: An Evangelist’s Commentary

Many famous scholars have authored commentaries on John—why countenance an evangelist’s commentary? Pastors and their flocks need to understand and have confidence in the Gospel of John as a vital eyewitness ordained by God explicitly for the work of evangelism. In very broad strokes, the good news recorded by John and testified to by the apostles is the two-fold message of the cross: 1) The crucified and resurrected Lamb of God has taken away the sin of the world (John 1:29) successfully completing the work entrusted to Him by the Father and declaring, It is finished (John 19:30). 2) To this day, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, offers the gift of eternal life or life in His name absolutely free to all those who believe in Him and His promise of eternal life. This simple two-fold message of the cross testified to by His disciples and recorded by the disciple whom Jesus loved is all too often obscured in the commentaries on John. The Gospel of John remains essential to the work of the evangelist and evangelism within the local church.

Appendix A: Nouns and Verbs—Gospel Verses Witness

Word	Matt.	Mark	Luke	Acts	John
The noun εὐαγγέλιον (gospel)	4	8	0	2	0
The noun μαρτύριον (testimony or witness)	3	3	3	2	0
The noun μαρτυρία (testimony or witness)	0	3	1	1	14
The noun μάρτυς (witness)	2	1	1	13	0
The verb εὐαγγελίζω (to preach good news)	1	0	11	15	0
The verb μαρτύρομαι (to bear witness, testify)	0	0	0	2	0
The verbμαρτυρέω (to bear witness, testify)	1	0	2	11	33
The verb ψευδομαρτυρέω (to bear false witness)	1	3	1	0	0
The verb καταμαρτυρέω (to testify against)	2	2	0	0	0
TOTAL	14	20	19	46	47

John uses the noun μαρτυρία (testimony or witness) and the verb μαρτυρέω (to bear witness, testify) 47 times. Total word usages show a greater preponderance in Acts (46 times) and John. In Acts, Luke uses the noun εὐαγγέλιον (gospel) and the verb εὐαγγελίζω (to preach good news) 17 times; the three synoptic gospel accounts, 24 times. In marked contrast, the noun εὐαγγέλιον (gospel) and the verb εὐαγγελίζω (to preach good news) are not found in John’s account. While Luke uses verbs and nouns associated with witness or testimony 29 times, he only uses these words 8 times in his gospel account. Matthew uses words associated with witness or testimony 9 times and Mark 12 times.

[1] All Scripture quoted from the Gospel of John is from The Gospel of John—Logos 21 Version (Glide, OR: Absolutely Free Inc., 1996). All other Scripture is quoted from The New King James Version of the Holy Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).

[2] Robert N. Wilkin, “John,” The Grace New Testament Commentary: Revised Edition , ed. Robert N. Wilkin (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2010.2019), 177

[3] The term synoptic expresses the commonality of narrative or perspective found in these three accounts as opposed to John which is frequently noted as a spiritual gospel. The relationships between the synoptic accounts remains a source of much debate and conjecture. Merriam-Webster’s defines gospel in broad terms as “the message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation.” Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary: Eleventh Edition (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., 2014), 540.

[4] John MacArthur, “John,” The MacArthur Bible Commentary, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 1339.

[5] Except for the external evidence and the necessity of dating the Johannine epistles prior to 44AD, there remains the possibility that James was the disciple whom Jesus loved.

[6] Geza Vermes, The Changing Faces of Jesus (New York: Penguin Books, 2000), 20.

[7] Ibid., 21.

[8] Ibid., 262.

[9] Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, A Moral Reckoning: The Role of the Catholic Church in the Holocaust and Its Unfulfilled Duty of Repair (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002), 263.

[10] Ibid., 265.

[11] Ibid., 266.

[12] Even to this day, a Jewish scholar reflects on the events leading up to 70AD. Frederic Raphael writes: “In Josephus’s eyes, God was a moral enforcer, not a celestial croupier. It followed that Jerusalem would never have fallen, on any occasion, if He had not had reason to withdraw His sympathy. Why would the God of the Hebrews turn His face from His chosen people? The answer had to be that they had sinned.” Frederic Raphael, A Jew Among Romans: The Life and Legacy of Flavius Josephus (New York: Pantheon Books, 2013), xx-xxi. How then should the Jewish people, in the immediate wake of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, not investigate the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion in light of the testimony of his disciples?

[13] Just as the Father knows Me, I also know the Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, which do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd . For this reason the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life in order to take it up again (John 10:15-17; underlining added).

[14] New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Brooklyn, NY: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 2006), 1327.

[15] NET Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1996, 2019), 1991. Underlining added.

[16] In the popular magazine Grace in Focus, Bob Wilkin makes an insightful observation, “The promise of everlasting/eternal life doesn’t occur just seventeen times in John’s Gospel. It occurs over thirty times when we count in places where life by itself has that significance.” Bob Wilkin, “Life in John’s Gospel,” Grace in Focus September/October 2024, Vol 39. No. 5 (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2024), 7.

[17] Although He performed His first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana, Jesus reminds His mother that the hour of His ministry had not yet come (John 2:4).

[18] The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament , Ed. Spiros Zodiates (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1992), 960.

[19] Luke uses the words repentance and repent, combined, the most of any New Testament writer: the verb to repent—4 times in the Gospel of Luke and 5 times in Acts for a total of 9 times; the noun repentance—5 times in Luke and 7 times in Acts for a total of 12 times. Ironically John uses not at all the noun, but 12 times the verb to repent, all in the book of Revelation… Luke uses the verb only 9 times.

[20] BDAG offers the rendering “be converted.” Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third Edition (BDAG), Revised and Edited Fredrick William Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1957, 1979, 2000), 382, (4)b. According to BDAG the normative meanings are: “(1) to return to a point where one has been… (2) to change direction… (3) to cause a pers. to change belief or course of conduct, with a focus on the thing to which one turns… (4) to change one’s mind or course of action, for better or worse.” In each instance a person turns away from something to something.

[21] In Acts, Luke uses εὐαγγέλιον 2 times and εὐαγγελίζω 15 times. See Chapter Appendix A.

[22] The Textus Receptus is a manuscript from the Majority or Byzantine family of Greek manuscripts.

[23] Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament: A Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament , Third Edition (London: United Bible Societies, 1971), xx.

[24] The Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text: Second Edition edited by Zane C. Hodges and Arthur L Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1985), ix. Underlining added.

[25] The Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text , x.

[26] Some go so far as to only include the text of John 5:3b-4 in the footnotes, “Few textual scholars today would accept the authenticity of any portion of vv. 3b-4, for they are not found in the earliest and best witnesses… The present translation follows NA ²⁸ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.” NET Bible, Footnote C., 2009.

by Frank Tyler

(Though this article pains me greatly to write, the upcoming election threatens to sow rifts and sorrow within the body of Christ sure to impede the work of evangelism. Regardless of how brothers and sisters vote in the upcoming 2024 election, we remain a part of a far greater kingdom, and calling; we serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He alone is our hope.)

Introduction: Will You Join Me?

The upcoming 2024 Presidential Election looms larger every day. A vote not cast for Trump is a vote lost to Trump. Am I inadvertently supporting Harris? No, not hardly! Though registered as a Republican, I am neither a Democrat nor Republican, but a Christian deeply saddened by the current choices for the 2024 Presidential Election. As Christians, will we extend grace to those of us who vote differently in this election? Will you and I join together as brothers and sisters in prayer for the Lord’s mercy in the 2024 and 2028 elections?

The Wisdom of God

The wisdom of God stands immutable: Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 14:34). [1] How a President of the United States exercises his or her office can exalt our nation. Righteousness affords not only leadership on the world stage, but most importantly God’s blessing. Sin is a reproach to any people; Godly leadership never institutionalizes sin, but seeks instead to move all people away from its deadly consequences.

Righteousness exalts a nation .

“Donald Trump is the first former president in American history to be charged with either state or federal crimes, with four separate indictments issued between March and August of 2023.” [2] On May 30 ^th of 2024, twelve jurors in New York unanimously found him guilty on 34 criminal counts. As a felon, he now faces another 54 counts from the remaining three inditements. [3] An American President of many firsts, Trump has also been held liable for tens of millions in a civil trial involving a woman a jury believed was sexually assaulted by him in a department store. [4] And, he and his company have been convicted of defrauding the State of New York of hundreds of millions of dollars. [5] In all of his convictions, he would have us believe that the jury and the judge got it all wrong by convicting an innocent man and, more importantly, that America’s judicial system has been corrupted by the left-wing Biden administration.

Trump and his political cronies instigated the violent assault on the United States Congress in order to stimy the peaceful transfer of power to the rightful winner of the 2020 Presidential Election. [6] In all 62 suits filed by Trump and his legal team to force a recount of the 2020 vote, only one succeeded and even it was eventually overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. [7] In Georgia, Trump was caught on tape begging and bullying Brad Raffensperger for just 11,780 more votes to turn the election in his favor. [8] He and his lawyers are also accused of promoting an illegal scheme to alter the electoral college with false slates of electors from multiple states. [9] To date, Trump and his supporters refuse to acknowledge the obvious and instead continue to aggressively promote the notion that the 2020 election was stolen; the January 6 ^th coup attempt was actually a peaceful assembly that got out of hand at the instigation of leftists and covert FBI agents; and lastly, those who participated are patriots wrongfully convicted by the DOJ. No American President, former or sitting, has so acted to mislead our nation and people while undermining democracy and the rule of law. What began as a very promising, heartfelt movement within the Republican Party to Make America Great A gain (MAGA), has tragically become a Mad Hatters Society brimming with denial, out and out lies, and back-room power plays.

What possible value are top-secret United States documents to a former president? To Trump, they were valuable enough to hide from the Federal government, thereby forcing the FBI to raid his Florida property. [10] The documents retrieved could have cost many men and women their lives, but according to Trump, he merely has to say the word in order to declassify these documents [11] …even after he was forced to retire from the presidency? Really! How can this felon be entrusted with the hard earned money and aspirations of the American people? Perhaps, President Trump will appraise our nation of the actual value of these top-secret documents in his coming trial in Florida.

True, I voted for Trump in 2020, but a loser is only a bigger loser who fails to acknowledge his loss and make amends for his wrong doing. An adjudicated criminal cannot lead our nation on the paths of righteousness. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh (James 3:11-12). Which of the six, yea seven abominations (Proverbs 6:16-19), has Trump not committed? Though supporters continue believing and promoting Trump’s lies—“I’ve done nothing wrong… I’m an innocent man”—juries of his peers and judges have found him either guilty, or worthy of indictments on a myriad of criminal charges. How many more trials and convictions must this Mad Hatter endure before taking off the hat? If Trump is incapable of the righteousness our nation so badly needs, then surely Vice-President Kamala Harris, is the logical alternative. Right? Not hardly.

Sin is a reproach for any people.

Recently my wife and I watched an interview between Nora O’Donnell and Pope Francis in which he declared that man is basically good. Really! The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it (Jeremiah 17:9)? Likewise, the Apostle Paul describes his personal struggle: For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me (Romans 7:19-20). Sin is a horrific burden personally and a reproach to any people.

Abortion and alternative sexuality continue providing Trump, himself a man with deep moral flaws, the highly visceral moral fulcrum needed to secure the Christian vote and pry open the door to the White House in 2024. The struggle with these issues is certainly not confined to modernity. (Evidence of abortion dates to roughly 1500 BC Egypt. An Egyptian tomb may well document alternative sexuality to as early as 2400 BC.) What is unique is the modern embrace of abortion and alternative sexuality as normal lifestyles that should not only be protected, but promoted through our nation’s laws.

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the Biden administration immediately embraced protecting a woman’s right to abortion as an urgent priority. “Protecting access to reproductive health care has been a priority since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration, made even more urgent by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.” [12] Vice-President Harris has hit the campaign trail to make reproductive rights for women a byword for the 2024 Harris-Waltz campaign.

President Biden and his administration aggressively promoted LGTBQI+ rights even within our schools: “The President’s Executive Order directs the Department of Education to establish a new Working Group on LGBTQI+ Students and Families, which will advance policies for states, school districts, and other educational institutions to promote safe and inclusive learning environments in which all students can thrive.” [13] Likewise, Biden’s administration appointed more LGTBQI+ officials than any other administration in the history of the United States. [14]

From the biblical perspective, life begins at conception when God breathes life into the womb. Miscarriage, induced or not, should always be viewed as a tragic loss of life regardless of the age of the child in the womb. [15] Likewise, Leviticus chapter 18 identifies any form of sexual immorality as sin. Indeed, God’s wrath against sexual immorality, both homo and hetero, fell heavily on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-13). Therefore, with acute anticipation, the Christian community rightfully feels the weight of our nation’s sin, along with the impending reproach and judgment of God.

Advancing policies to protect reproductive health care and enhance LGBTQI+ rights at the Federal level promotes rampant unchecked abortion and rapidly expanding alternative sexuality, especially among our children. Once again, the MAGA Kool-Aid will seem like sweet relief from the sweltering heat of God’s judgment. Not unlike the issues of slavery and abolition, should Harris be elected and these issues remain unresolved, the embers of dissent will be stoked in a nation bitterly divided and at odds with itself. Once again, our nation may well bear the reproach of sin and, as in Lincoln’s time, tragically pit brother against brother.

Judgment and the 2024 Election

Trump and his cronies lack the righteousness necessary to lead our nation. He openly promises to do away with our constitution [16] and act as a dictator on day one of his future presidency[17]… and the Republican Party embraces him. To date, the Biden administration’s promotion of abortion and alternative sexuality has surely led our people into the greater and greater reproach of sin.

Both Biden and Trump are tired old men seeking to preserve the last gasp of their legacies; they are rutted in their ways and unable to think outside the confines of their political moorings. Witness the border security crisis: Trump spent 15 billion dollars on a border wall that $100.00 or less worth of tools from Home Depot can defeat. [18] Biden has just now taken executive action to restrict immigration at the border; [19] what has he done recently that could not and should not have been done four years ago? Incompetence… perhaps, but neither man forestalls the judgment of God.

Alas, the first Presidential debate between them only confirmed what most Americans knew—their golf games notwithstanding—both candidates are unfit for the office of President. Trump filled the stage with falsehoods and half-truths while Biden babbled incoherently. Never again Trump—Never again Biden. Thankfully and to his great credit, Biden stepped down from his bid for re-election, and Vice-President Kamala Harris was designated the candidate for the Democratic party. But, what of the 2024 Election?

If the Democratic Convention confirmed any one thing, it was Harris’ mental acuity. She is well supported within the party rank and file as well as leadership. Her acceptance speech revealed a brilliant, articulate and strong woman concerned for her nation, surprisingly well prepared, and poised for her party’s nomination and the office of President. But, if elected, will she have the political and moral courage to resolve America’s precipitous slide into sin? Will she promote LBGTQI+ among our youth? Will she promote a Mother’s right to reproductive healthcare to the exclusion of a child’s right to life? Will joy and inclusion remain merely campaign slogans or an olive branch to Christians that brings healing to the visceral issues dividing this nation? That she is capable is clear, but if the second presidential debate reveals anything, you and I must assume she will aggressively and with great acuity promote woman’s reproductive rights to the exclusion of a child’s right to life. Our nation’s slide into sin will very likely accelerate with devastating consequences.

Even though Harris has replaced Biden as the Democratic candidate, the dilemma remains—Trump and Harris are now the heads and tails of an impending judgment.

Two Paths: Cursing and Blessing

In the midst of the prophetic darkness and doom of an impending judgment, the Lord, through the Prophet Jeremiah, revealed two paths. One that leads to cursing and one that leads to blessing.

17:5 Thus says the LORD:

“ Cursed is the man who trusts in man

And makes flesh his strength,

Whose heart departs from the LORD.

17:6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,

And shall not see when good comes,

But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,

In a salt land which is not inhabited.

(Jeremiah 17:5-6; underlining added)

The coming judgment, stark and barren like the wilderness, awaits those whose trust is in the arm of flesh. In marked contrast, in the midst of this same horrific judgment, hope and life, like a tree planted by the waters, awaits those whose trust is in the Lord and His word.

17:7 “ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

And whose hope is the LORD.

17:8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not fear when heat comes;

But its leaf will be green,

And will not be anxious in the year of drought,

Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

(Jeremiah 17:7-8)

When facing judgment, how you and I fare as individuals and corporately as the body of Christ depends upon the One in whom we place our trust. Are you and I shrubs in a parched wilderness or trees planted by the waters? Where we place our hope and in whom we trust determines the outcome of God’s judgment—cursing and blessing.

A Godly King’s Example

King David experienced a dilemma having to choose between different Divine judgments on the nation of Israel: I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man (2 Samuel 24:14). You and I now face a similar distress choosing between Trump and Harris; at this time, discerning the lesser judgment for our nation seems far beyond our grasp and voting for either candidate may well violate our conscience as Christians. Thankfully, there is no biblical command to vote in the upcoming election; instead, there is an example of a Godly king who knowing God’s great love or “chesed” seeks the lesser judgment that he and his people may fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great (2 Samuel 24:14). Like David, you and I can and must cry out to God for His mercy on our nation and then trust that whoever is elected is the lesser of the two judgments: Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). Whether we vote for Trump, Harris or vote not at all, we know our Lord is good and His mercies never fail.

As Christians, you and I are called to pray for our nation’s leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-3). As Americans, we earnestly desire to cast our votes wisely for the best candidates to lead our nation. Struggle as we must in 2024, let us also long for a fresh start in 2028: Is it too much to ask the Lord for leaders to guide our nation out of a moral quagmire to moral clarity? Is it too much to ask for leaders to quiet the political upheaval and restore national greatness?

Hope for a Lesser Judgment and a Promising 2028

Regardless of whether Harris or Trump wins the 2024 Election, unless the Lord intercedes, the next four years may not bode well for our nation or people; however, the 2028 Presidential Election could be a high water mark for greatness or the shoals of a continued disaster for our nation and people. Are you and I shrubs in a parched wilderness or trees planted by the waters? Where is our hope and in whom are we trusting?

The moral issues surrounding abortion can and must be resolved successfully to protect both mother and child. The rights of all peoples, including those engaging in alternative sexuality, can and must be preserved without promoting sinful lifestyles, especially among our youth. Righteousness should exalt the United States; our people must be freed from the reproach of sin. But, it requires Divine intervention and leaders of great strength and moral clarity. Is it possible to confront these two great moral issues while at the same time working to bring a diverse nation together through the Godly exercise of grace and truth? Absolutely. So I believe and so I pray.

The political quagmire, which renders the current Congress incapable of governing, can and must be overcome. The democratic process can and must be re-energized in the wake of January 6^th. Issues like border security, election integrity, Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, climate change, crime, the national debt, human rights and inflation are the very challenges needed to bring our nation together. With the help of God, is it possible to raise up the leadership required to meet these challenges? Absolutely. So I believe and so I pray.

Conclusion: Prayer for Our Lord’s Mercy

In 2024, the worst election outcome is neither Trump nor Harris, but rather division within the body of Christ. Regardless of how you and I vote or do not vote, as brothers and sisters united in prayer, let us be gracious toward one another and seek the Lord’s mercy—a lesser judgment in 2024 and a more promising election in 2028. At this difficult moment, we must seize the opportunity to trust in the Lord and be likened to trees planted by His waters. Together we serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16) knowing that His great love and righteousness never fail!

The wisdom of God stands immutable: Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 14:34). May our great nation and people fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great (2 Samuel 24:14) and His will perfect both on earth and in heaven. Amen!

[1] All Scripture is quoted from The New King James Version of the Holy Bible(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).

[2] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-indictments-details-guide-charges-trial-dates-people-case/

[3] Ibid.

[4] https://apnews.com/article/e-jean-carroll-trump-defamation-appeal-298114f9b8c402643ec4747671fc75de

[5] https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-civil-fraud-trial-feb0593a5bbd3837edc0db195554eda1

[6] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-lit-that-fire-of-capitol-insurrection-jan-6-committee-report-says

[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-election_lawsuits_related_to_the_2020_U.S._presidential_election

[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump%E2%80%93Raffensperger_phone_call

[9] https://apnews.com/article/fake-electors-trump-2020-arizona-indictments-059a719514b0c6cb56f7d7339e87d0d5

[10] https://apnews.com/article/trump-justice-department-indictment-classified-documents-miami-8315a5b23c18f27083ed64eef21efff3

[11] https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2022/10/fact-check-presidential-authority/

[12] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/04/12/factsheet-the-biden-harris-administrations-record-on-protecting-access-to-medication-abortion/

[13] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/06/15/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-sign-historic-executive-order-advancing-lgbtqi-equality-during-pride-month/

[14] https://amview.japan.usembassy.gov/en/biden-administration-appoints-record-number-of-lgbtqi-officials/

[15] Abortion promotes the false idea that life in the womb can be aborted prior to viability and hence there is no actual loss of life just the potential for life. Miscarriage acknowledges life at the moment of conception; hence, the actual loss of life, induced or not, can take place throughout the entirety of a woman’s pregnancy. The idea of abortion continues to provide a moral loophole for the catastrophic loss of life worldwide.

[16] https://apnews.com/article/social-media-donald-trump-8e6e2f0a092135428c82c0cfa6598444

[17] https://apnews.com/article/trump-hannity-dictator-authoritarian-presidential-election-f27e7e9d7c13fabbe3ae7dd7f1235c72

[18] https://thehill.com/changing-america/resilience/refugees/549758-trumps-15-billion-border-wall-is-being-easily-defeated/

[19] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/06/18/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-new-actions-to-keep-families-together/

By Frank Tyler

Introduction

Few passages of Scripture are used as often as Hebrews 10:26-31 to undermine the certainty of Jesus’ promise of eternal life. As His children we know the certainty of eternal life, because Jesus promises in His Word that those who believe in Him as the Christ, the Son of God have everlasting life or life in His name (John 5:24; 6:47; 10:28-29; 11:25-27; 20:30-31). [1] Those who take Jesus at His Word have exactly what He promises—everlasting life! Unfortunately, some think—surely this is too good to believe… afterall how about the believer who renounces his faith in Christ publicly? Therefore, we must ask, does Hebrews 10:26-31 teach that a believer can engage in apostasy and lose the gift of everlasting life? Or, does this passage teach that born-again, eternally secure, believers may forsake Christian fellowship and endure the extreme temporal consequences God reserves for His adversaries?

Audience, Place and Time

The author of Hebrews addresses born-again Jewish believers living in the Israel just prior to the 70 AD judgment. The believers may well live in Judea or even in the immediate environs of Jerusalem. Clearly, their circumstances tempt them to return to the sacrificial practices of the temple and fellowship with unbelieving friends and family to the detriment of their fellowship in Christ.

Immediate Context

Hebrews 10:26 begins with a For, in effect saying, “because of the things I have just written you in verses 18-25,” Now, where there is remission of thes e… washed with pure water. The immediate context, Hebrews 10:18-25, defines concepts and terms with in the passage in question, Hebrews 10:26-31.

Verse 10:18

Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin .

There is a remission of these refers back to Jesus’ High Priestly sacrifice on the cross: But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:12). For this reason there is no longer an offering for sin . Jesus has once for all paid for the sins of the entire world (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12; 10:10 and Romans 6:10). The sacrificial system of the Mosaic Covenant is no more. This is good news both in 10:18 and eight verses later in 10:26.

Verses 10:19-21

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God,

The writer of Hebrews views himself and his audience, us, as born-again brethren, who do not offer sacrifices according to the Mosaic Law in order to draw near to God, but who, instead enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way . Having offered Himself on the cross once for all (Again, Hebrews 7:27; 9:12; 10:10), Jesus remains our High Priest over the house of God . By way of contrast, the temple high priest, who continues offering animal sacrifices according to the Mosaic Law, overtly denies the efficacy of Jesus’ priesthood and sacrifice.

Verses 10:22-25

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Based upon Jesus’ High Priestly service the author exhorts his audience: 1) let us draw near… 2) Let us hold fast… and 3) let us consider . Through the use of the 1 ^st person plural pronoun, us, the author sees himself as a shepherd leading his flock. These three exhortations state positively what the author summarizes negatively: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. The Day approaching is the day of temporal judgment against that generation of Israel guilty of rejecting and crucifying Jesus. Fellowship in Christ ought to mirror the three positive exhortations to draw near , hold fast and consider one another. [2]

Willfully Forsaking Fellowship

Instead of drawing near, holding fast and considering one another, these Jewish believers foolishly risk forsaking fellowship in Christ.

Verse 10:26

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

Within the immediate context to sin willfully is to forsake Christian fellowship for temple fellowship after the readers have received the knowledge of the truth (verses 18-21) now restated in verse 26, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. The truth was good news in verses 18-21 and remains so in verse 26; however, denying this truth through willful sin reaps consequences—even for born again believers.

Verses 10:27-31

but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

A certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignationwill soon devour Israel as Rome utterly destroys Jerusalem in 70 AD. Again, Jesus prophesied this coming destruction (Matthew 23:34-24:2 Luke 13:34-35; 19:41-44; Mark 13:1-2). The author of Hebrews desires his audience to understand the severity of this coming judgment: If willful sin required death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses, how much worse punishment awaits those Jews of that generation who persist in their unbelief and rejection of Jesus? Many years before on the day of Pentecost the Apostle Peter preached: let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ… Be saved from this perverse generation (Acts 2:36 and 40). If early in his apostolic ministry Peter acknowledged the ignorance of the people and leadership of Israel in persecuting Jesus (Acts 3:17), surely several decades later no apostle would consider the people and leadership of the nation ignorant. Indeed, 70 AD looms large for the adversaries. Temple worship will not save them, nor will the sacrificial system of Moses sanctify them in the coming day of judgment.

Three things identify these particularadversaries: 1) From the early days of Jesus’ ministry, to His crucifixion, to the continued persecution of the body of Christ (Acts), unbelieving Jews trampled the Son of God underfoot ;2) The sacrifices of the Mosaic Covenant specifically point to Jesus’ once for all sacrifice on the cross, but sadly these adversaries had long since counted the blood of the covenant(Mosaic) by which he (the Jew)was sanctified a common thing; [3] and3) For 30 to 40 years after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection believers shared the good news, while the Holy Spirit brought conviction of the truth, but the Jews of this particular generation insulted the Spirit of grace by rejecting the offer of personal salvation to the Jew first and also denying the days of refreshing offered by the Lord (Acts 3:19). Against these particular adversaries Jesus had prophesied a specific judgment (Again, Matthew 23:34-24:2 Luke 13:34-35; 19:41-44; Mark 13:1-2) now taking shape as Rome gathered to destroy Israel in 70 AD: Vengeance is Mine, I will repay… The Lord will judge His people !

Recalling Former Days

As we noted earlier, the writer of Hebrews uses the 1 ^st person plural pronoun we in verse 26 to include himself among his flock as opposed to “them guys over there,” the adversaries (verse 10:27). [4] While God judges Christians at the Bema Seat (1 Corinthians 3:1-15; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11) and unbelievers at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-15), the particular judgment here is an utterly devastating temporal judgment in fulfillment of Jesus’ prophesy against Israel and more specifically the Jewish leadership and people of that generation who crucified the Son of God. Of this judgment Josephus writes: “…in my opinion, the misfortunes of all nations since the world began fall short of those of the Jews” ( J.W. 1.1.1,4). In marked contrast, death by stoning (for willful sin according to the Mosaic Covenant) would seem a welcome relief.

If the devastation reserved for the adversaries remains certain, equally certain the author of Hebrews does not threaten his flock, but instead encourages them by recalling the former days… for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods . Again, you and me equals “us,” the writer of Hebrews and his flock—not “them other guys,” the adversaries. Judgment came; the prophecy was fulfilled; and the adversaries perished under the brutal heel of Rome: The author of Hebrews envisions neither his flock, nor future generations of born-again believers as the adversaries. [5]

Verses 10:32-34

But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.

Few thoughts encourage Christians as much as reflecting on their better and enduring possession … in heaven. Moreover, the reminder of the former days, in which they sacrificed through their fellowship with the author by sharing in his reproaches and tribulations(of the adversaries ), suggests the overarching theme of Hebrews not to drift away (Hebrews 2:1).

Confidence with Great Reward

In light of the coming judgment of 70 AD, why forsake their fellowship in Christ, which so pleases the Lord and garners such great reward, for the empty sacrifices of temple worship and fellowship with the adversaries ? Should they endure in their fellowship in Christ unto eternal reward or join themselves to the adversaries and experience firsthand the horrific temporal judgment of 70 AD? The author of Hebrews exhorts his flock to cling to fellowship in the body of Christ and endure unto eternal reward.

Verses 10:35-39

Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.

For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:

“For yet a little while,

And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.

Now the just shall live by faith;

But if anyone draws back,

My soul has no pleasure in him.”

But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

Once again casting away your confidence and drawing back to perdition recalls the grand overarching theme of Hebrews:

Verses 2:1-4

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? (Underlining added)

The author answers this initial thematic question in chapter 12.

Verses 12:25-26

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven .” (Underlining added)

Drawing back, casting away, drifting way, turning way, and lastly refusing Him, all of these pose a profound question relevant only to the born-again believer. (You and I cannot draw back from where we have never been; we cannot cast away what we have never had; we cannot drift or turn away from where we have never been; and we cannot refuse Him whom we have never known.) How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? The author’s emphatic answer is that if we neglect Our Lord’s so great salvation, we cannot escape.

The author of Hebrews intends his flock to escape the devastating temporal judgment of 70 AD by enduring in their fellowship in Christ; we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul . The Greek word translated soul, yuchvß, could refer to a person (Acts 2:43; Romans 13:1) as well “the immaterial part of man held in common with animals (Matt. 10:28; Romans 2:9)”. [6] To draw back to perdition (by returning to temple worship and fellowship with unbelieving Jewish friends and family) subjects these 1 ^st century Jewish believers to the temporal judgment of 70 AD; instead, as believers, they must continue believing in Christ for the deliverance of their person and psychological or “immaterial” being through Jesus’ provision of fellowship in the body.

Conclusion and Application

Hebrews 10:26-31 never teaches that believers lose their eternal salvation by committing willful sin (apostasy). You and I draw a threefold conclusion:

1) The message of Hebrews 10:26-31 specifically addresses Jewish believers tempted to forsake fellowship in Christ in favor of temple sacrifice and fellowship with unbelieving Jews.

2) The temporal judgment of 70 AD fulfils Christ’s prophecy (Luke 19:42-44) against the leaders and people of that generation of Israel who crucified the Son of God.

3) The good news of Hebrews 10:18-25 remains good news in verse 10:26 also:there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.Moreover, this shared truth ought to inform both the author of Hebrews and his flock not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, but to endure in Christ, lest they too enter into the temporal judgment God reserves for His adversaries.

This seemingly troublesome passage fits perfectly within the grand overarching theme of the book of Hebrews.

The author and his flock must not drift away. For… how shall we escape (the temporal judgment of 70 AD) if we neglect so great a salvation (fellowship in Christ). Roughly 2000 years after the fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy in 70 AD, this passage remains applicable: As God’s children, we must not forsake fellowship in the body of Christ, both with God and our fellow brothers and sisters, lest we needlessly and foolishly come under the temporal judgments of God—even unto physical death.

[1] All Scripture is quoted from The New King James Version of the Holy Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).

[2] The kind of fellowship envisioned by the author of Hebrews reminds us of the Apostle John’s words: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full . Compare this with Hebrews 2:1-4. The author of Hebrews is clearly not an apostle, but his purpose in writing is very similar to John’s.

[3] If under the New Covenant the author of Hebrews and his audience have been sanctified …once for all (Hebrews 10:10) and by one offering(Jesus) has perfected forever those who are being sanctified,(Hebrews 10:14) then on what basis should the author’s audience now conclude that the author hypothesizes they are in danger of counting impermanent the blood of the covenant (New) by which he (audience) was sanctified a common thing ? The author of Hebrews never contradicts himself, but clearly says: For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect (Hebrew 10:1).

[4] The author of Hebrews also uses the 3 ^rd person singular, he, to refer to the adversaries who individually deserve the greater judgment of 70AD.

[5] Sadly many Christians search for Judas(s) and adversaries in the local church. Few things could so encourage a servant to bury his talent in the ground and accuse his Lord of being a hard man (Matthew 25:24).

[6] The Complete Word Study New Testament: King James Version , edited Spiros Zodhiates (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1991), 968.

By Frank Tyler

John 7:53-8:12

Introduction

Jeremiah 9:24: A Three Part Series

This article is the first in a three part series documenting a long and grueling day in the ministry of Yeshua [1] (John 7:53 through John 10:21) in which He demonstrates perfectly, both in word and deed, those things which delight His Father. Consider the words of the Prophet Jeremiah:

9:24 But let him who glories glory in this,

That he understands and knows Me,

That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.

For in these I delight,” says the LORD.

(Jeremiah 9:24; underlining added) [2]

Yeshua glories in, understands, and knows His Father. Under the worst and most trying of circumstances, the Son delights perfectly in the very things the Father delights in—lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness.

As God’s children, you and I desire to walk in a manner pleasing to Him and experience Yeshua’s life in us both now and into eternity with greater and greater abundance. We desire to glorify Him! Thankfully, the qualities that please and glorify God are not new or unique to our own personal experience, but are definitively revealed in our Lord and Savior and His witness in the Gospel of John.

John 7:53-8:12: Day Break

Throughout the whole of the Scriptures, Yeshua exercises all three qualities, lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, but, as you and I begin our series, we will discover, in the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53-8:12)[3], He displays these qualities in perfect harmony as a definitive witness and apologia that He is: [4]

1)The One who gave the Law (Ten Commandments and Mosaic law) with perfect power and authority (Exodus 31:18) [5] and

2)The long-awaited, Spirit-filled Messiah who alone fulfills the Law perfectly (Isaiah 11:1-2).

As the sun rises in the early morning sky and drama unfolds, this One who so delights His Fatherwill rescue the life of a woman and leave us with a precious promise, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life (John 8:12; underlining added) that we might follow His example and honor God with our witness of Yeshua and the life He has gifted us—even under seemingly impossible circumstances.

An Impossible Circumstance

After spending the night on the Mount of Olives, Yeshua comes into the temple early in the morning (John 7:53 through 8:2). While He teaches a crowd, the scribes and Pharisees interrupt with a seemingly intractable legal problem:

8:4 “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.

8:5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” (John 8:4-5; underlining added)

Parenthetically, the Apostle John reminds his audience that the woman’s accusers sought to make an accusation against Yeshua (John 8:6). If He does not condemn the woman to death, then He violates the Law (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 20:10); if He commands her death, then He violates Roman law forbidding capital punishment by the Jews... what do you say?

This incident recalls another attempt to test Yeshua and undermine His authority: Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not (Mark 12:14)? But, in John 8, the Judean authorities do not ask Yeshua to simply interpret the Law within a contemporary setting, but to judge a woman accused of a very serious offense, adultery. Perhaps, another incident comes to mind:

12:13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

12:14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” (Luke 12:13-14)

True, Yeshua might easily reply, “Who has made me judge over this woman?” However, the accusation against the woman threatens her life with capital punishment; therefore, righteousness demands He act on her behalf and not simply excuse Himself.

Before reaching judgment, earthly judges should carefully weigh the accusations before them (Deuteronomy 19:15-20)… but how can Yeshua do this under such impossibly trying circumstances before a large and potentially volatile crowd of onlookers? His response might initially surprise us: Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear (John 8:6), [6] but ironically this is the key to understanding His response to both the woman and her accusers. The very finger of God writing on the ground—hearing, He does not hear; seeing, He does not see—is both the Giver of the Law and the Spirit-filled Messiah fulfilling His commandments and law perfectly by exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness … For in these He delights. (Jeremiah 9:24).

The Definitive Witness of the Finger of God

Though commentators frequently speculate on what Yeshua wrote on the ground, the key may not be what He wrote, but that He wrote with the finger of God. There are many biblical examples of the finger of God that demonstrate His perfect power and authority.

Creation

The Psalmist writes: When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained (Psalm 8:3; underlining added). The Psalmist then asks: What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him (Psalm 8:4)? The power and authority of God in creation (the finger(s) of God) dwarfs the significance of man, and yet God reveals His great love: You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet (Psalm 8:6).

Afflicting With a Plague of Lice

God commands Moses: Say to Aaron, Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt (Exodus 8:16). As the land teams with lice, try as they might to duplicate the miracle of God, the magicians of Pharaoh’s court could not. Instead, they acknowledge to their master, This is the finger of God (Exodus 8:19; underlining added). The Word of God spoken through Moses and Aaron, let My people go (Exodus 5:1; 7:16; 8:1, 20, 21; 9:1, 13; 10:3, 4), comes with perfect power and authority, and in the third plague, even the court of Pharaoh recognize the finger of God .

Giving the Ten Commandments and Law of Moses

The Law is not a code of law enacted by man, but the very Word of God written with perfect power and authority by the finger of God. And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God (Exodus 31:18; underlining added). That which is right is right and that which is wrong is wrong according, not to man, but to the One who gives the Law to Moses. Later, Moses reminds the children of God: Then the LORD delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God , and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly (Deuteronomy 9:10; underlining added).

When Aaron leads God’s chosen people to worship a golden calf, God threatens judgment: Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation (Exodus 32:10). At the pleas of Moses, God relents and shows His chesed or lovingkindness as mercy to His people. The One who gives the Ten Commandments and Mosaic law exercises the perfect balance of lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness and though disciplined, God’s children not only survive, but in time flourish.

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN

Belshazzar and his court brazenly blaspheme the God of Israel, and then witness the finger of God writing on the wall, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN (Daniel 5:5, 25). When called upon to interpret the inscription, Daniel rebukes the king (Daniel 5:23), reveals its meaning, and then pronounces judgment.

5:26 …God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it;

5:27 …You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting;

5:28 …Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” (Daniel 5:26-28)

Belshazzar learns that the finger of God comes with perfect power and authority: Babylon is no more.

Casting Out Demons

When the Judean authorities accuse Yeshua of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons, He responds by revealing the flaw in their logic:

3:26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.

3:27 No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.

(Mark 3:26-27)

Luke records another small but vital part of the dialogue: But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you (Luke 11:20; underlining added). In other words, the Judean authorities witness demons cast out, not by the power of Satan, but by the perfect power and authority of God, the very finger of God… surely the kingdom of God has come upon you . Curiously, Yeshua ends with a dire warning:

3:28 Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;

3:29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation—

(Mark 3:28-29)

To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is to mistake the finger of God for the power of Satan. If they cannot discern the difference between the two, how can they possibly believe in Yeshua as Israel’s Messiah? How can they receive His kingdom? Mark concludes, because they (Judean authorities) say He has an unclean spirit (Mark 3:30); indeed, when the Judean authorities mistake the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in Yeshua for Beelzebub, an unclean spirit, they blaspheme against the Spirit.

A Woman Caught in Adultery

In John chapter 8, by using His finger to write on the ground, Yeshua dramatically quickens the woman, her accusers, and His larger audience to the power and authority of His person. He is the One who created the heavens and thenput all things underman’sfeet, who plagued Egypt with lice, who rendered judgment on Babylon, who cast out demons in preparation for His kingdom, and most importantly, given the woman before Him, who gave the Ten Commandments and the law of Moses: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage… You shall not commit adultery (Exodus 20:2, 14).

God purposed His Law as a blessing to keep Israel from the bondage of sin. The whole of Psalm 119 rejoices in the beauty and power of God’s word to bless His children with instruction: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105). Solomon instructs a son: For the commandment is a lamp, a nd the law a light (Proverbs 6:23). God purposed the Law for light not darkness, yet the Apostle John reveals that the woman’s accusers have a dark malevolent motive behind their accusation: this they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him (John 8:6).

By writing on the ground with His finger, Yeshua offers a visual and highly dramatic rebuke to the accusers—in effect saying, who do you think I am? The One they seek to test at the woman’s expense gave them the commandments and law to free them from the bondage of sin. Paul writes Timothy:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; underlining added)

God gave all Scripture, including the commandments and law, to equip the man of God… for every good work. Are the accusers, themselves, men of God willing to accept His reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness? No, not hardly! Sadly, everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed (John 3:20).

8:7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”

8:8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

8:9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last ...

(John 8:7-9; underlining added)

In the midst of darkness, the light of God’s word shines brightly—Yeshua speaks with perfect power and authority the Word of God, but the accusers, convicted of their sin, do not come to the light that their deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God (John 3:20-21). Instead they scatter.

Their actions reveal the hardness of their hearts. The authorities have fallen into the dark pit of legalism, and with evil intent, have twisted the law into a curse at the expense of a woman caught in adultery, all in order to test and undermine the authority of the One who gave them the Law as a blessing. Our Lord’s judgment falls on deaf ears (John 8:34-47); they fail to receive God’s correction.

In stunning contrast, the crowd witnesses this Rabbi from the backwaters of Galilee (John 7:52) publicly judge and correct the authorities, the same authorities who, just the day before, had ordered the temple guard to arrest Him (John 7:32-46), the same authorities who now flee His presence lest their wickedness be revealed further. Oh, that they had listened to their guards; for indeed, No man ever spoke like this man (John 7:46)! Indeed, Yeshua is God speaking with perfect power and authority the Word of God!

Thankfully, the crowd continues listening to Him… and later that same morning many of them will believe in Him:

8:30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.

8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “ If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free .”

(John 8:30-32; underlining added)

What are the words spoken (John 8:30)? and, what is the word Yeshua instructs these baby believers to abide in (John 8:31)?… but the very Word of God brought forth by the finger of God that shall make you free from the bondage of sin… the sin so well exemplified by the scribes and Pharisees earlier that morning. [7]

The Definitive Witness of the Spirit-Filled Messiah

One of the keys to understanding the story of the woman caught in adultery is what Yeshua did—writing with the finger of God and commanding the woman’s accusers:He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. Amazingly, the second key may well be what Yeshua did not do as He diverted His attention away from the woman and her accusers. He refused to judge by the sight of His eyes… ordecide by the hearing of His ears(Isaiah 11:3).

Isaiah 11:2-5

Earthly judges must make inquiries of all the parties involved in order to discern truth. Not so for Israel’s Spirit-filled Messiah.

11:2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The Spirit of counsel and might,

The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

11:3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD,

And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,

Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;

11:4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,

And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,

And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

11:5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,

And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

(Isaiah 11:2-5; underlining added)

At His baptism, Yeshua received the sevenfold gifting of the Holy Spirit without measure (John 3:34), symbolically represented by the seven lights of the Menorah. [8]

As Israel’s Spirit-filled Messiah, He is uniquely qualified to judge and fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law. His delight is in the fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:3). He will most certainly avoid the pitfalls of legalism by exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in perfect harmony for in these I delight, says the LORD (Jeremiah 9:24)… all while judging not by the sight of His eyes or the hearing of His ears (Isaiah 11:3; John 8:6). [9]

Hearing He Does Not Hear; Seeing He Does Not See

Committing adultery requires two parties: 1) Where is the second party? 2) How did the woman’s accusers catch the woman in adultery, in the very act (John 8:4) and not the man? 3) Why do the woman’s accusers demand Yeshua judge only the woman? Lastly, 4) on whose authority—Rome’s or God’s—should judgment be rendered? All these questions and more would beg inquiry by an earthly judge.

Yeshua makes inquiry of neither the woman, nor her accusers. Instead, as the Spirit-filled Messiah, He strikesthe earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips…metaphorically slays the wicked (Isaiah 11:4) with a simple command: He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first (John 8:7).

In testing Yeshua, the woman’s accusers foolishly glory in their own wisdom, might, and riches (Jeremiah 9:23). Consider Proverbs 6:16-19:

6:16 These six things the LORD hates,

Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

6:17 A proud look,

A lying tongue,

Hands that shed innocent blood,

6:18 A heart that devises wicked plans,

Feet that are swift in running to evil,

6:19 A false witness who speaks lies,

And one who sows discord among brethren.

In their arrogance, which of these seven abominations do they fail to commit? Though they might retract their accusation, the reality of their sin already impugns not only their word, but their person as well.

23:1 You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness .

23:2 You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice .

(Exodus 23:1-2; underlining added)

They have sinned grievously against both God and the woman and made themselves an altogether loathsome spectacle in the eyes of the crowd. [10] Why should Yeshua follow their lead? May it never be!

Having executed perfect judgment and righteousness, Yeshua tempers it with lovingkindness and does not slay the wicked (Isaiah 11:4), but instead seeing He does not see and hearing He does not hear, He diverts His attention away from the woman and her accusers by writing on the ground. [11] In so doing, Yeshua fulfills the commandments and law perfectly, avoids the sin of legalism, and demonstrates the very thing the authorities lack… mercy. His delight is in the fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:3).

Deciding with Equity for the Meek

Though He does not judge by the hearing of His ears nor by the sight of His eyes, Yeshua knows the reality of the woman’s sin. How shall He render righteous judgment? The law of Moses requires two or three witnesses to render judgment (Deuteronomy 17:5-7, 19:15-20). In the absence of witnesses, an accusation cannot be brought… Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you (John 8:10)? According to the Prophet Isaiah, the Spirit-filled Messiah, with righteousness, …shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth (Isaiah 11:4): When the woman answers, No one, Lord, Yeshua then turns to her, Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more (John 8:11). Under the most trying of circumstances, lovingkindness , judgment, and righteousness, not legalism rule the day. The Son glories in, understands, and knows His Father (Jeremiah 9:24).

Summary: A Compelling Witness

Imagine the wonder of the crowd observing the Spirit-filled Messiah, the One who writes with the finger of God. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears (Isaiah 11:3). Truly, the presence of God illuminates the temple; Yeshua is both the Giver of the Law and the Spirit-filled Messiah who fulfills it perfectly… He is the light of the world (John 8:12)!

Fulfilling an Eschatological Expectation

The scribes and Pharisees desire to find an accusation against Him; however, their interruption sets a stage that dramatically demonstrates who Yeshua is as the Messiah. How can such trying circumstances prove an opportunity to engage a large, diverse, and highly volatile crowd?

According to Cristian S. Ile, Yeshua’s audience has a particular eschatological expectation:

An important aspect of ancient Jewish eschatology is the coming of the Spirit-filled Messiah (Isa 11:1-2; 42:1; 61:1-2)… Unlike Saul, from whom the Spirit departed (1 Sam 16:14), and David, who asked God not to take the Spirit from him (Ps 51:13), Jesus enjoys the abounding and abiding presence of the Spirit (Jn 1:32), even “without measure” (Jn 3:34-35) . This is a possible allusion to Isa 11:2 (see also Lev. Rab. 15.2), where the Messiah is described as endowed with the Spirit in unprecedent ways. [12]

What Ile considers in John 1:32 and John 3:34-35 only, “a possible allusion to Isa 11:2,” finds concrete expression in the rapidly unfolding drama between Yeshua and the Judean authorities in John 8:1-12. Indeed, as His actions and words reveal, Israel’s Messiah “enjoys the abounding and abiding presence of the Spirit (Jn 1:32) ‘without measure’ (Jn 3:34-35),” with the result that under otherwise impossible circumstances, He leaves open the door to further witness to His audience, the Judean authorities included, and bring forth much fruit to the glory of His Father. [13]

Fulfilling His Word to Nicodemus and His Disciples

When previously Nicodemus and his disciples sought out Yeshua at night, they literally came out of the darkness to the light of God’s revelation in Messiah and were commended as those who do the truth (John 3:21). [14]

3:19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

3:20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

(John 3:19-20; underlining added)

Imagine Nicodemus and his disciples as they observe or would later hear of the perpetrators who exemplify men who love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil . [15] Yeshua’s words to Nicodemus and his disciples regarding light and darkness, spoken in the dark of the night, now find fulfillment as the sun rises in the early morning skies over the temple.

By exercising the finger of God and commanding the woman’s accusers He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first (John 8:7), Yeshua is the light of the world, precipitating with perfect power and authority, the rulers departure. Nicodemus’s disciples witnessed their teacher receive Yeshua’s correction and rebuke with this very same power and authority (John 3:3-10). Who could Yeshua possibly be… but Messiah!

If only the Judean authorities had heeded the previous day’s stern rebuke from one of their own, Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing (John 7:51), then they might have avoided falling into egregious sin. Rabbi from the backwaters of Galilee, indeed! If only the woman’s accusers would esteem their Messiah as Nicodemus did and receive the reproof and correction of His word! [16]

The Light of the World

How subtle, yet utterly profound that Yeshua should exercise a perfect balance of lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness while purposefully writing with His finger on the ground and diverting His attention away from the evidence. In the midst of a dark tragedy, perpetrated by the Judean authorities in the house of God, how wonderfully God’s Menorah lit the temple on the heels of the Feast of Tabernacles. [17] How wonderfully the light of the world, God’s Spirit-filled Messiah, dispels darkness with the finger of God.

A Promise to Those Who Follow the Light of the World

As born again believers, you and I are beneficiaries of Yeshua’s example and promise:He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light oflife—eternal life (John 8:12). Dr. Bob Wilkin writes:

This verse concerns discipleship (“He who follows Me”), not receiving eternal life (conditioned on believing in Jesus). Those who follow Christ (i.e., His disciples) “shall not walk in darkness” in their experience. Rather they will “have the light of life” meaning they will walk in the light that Jesus gives His followers (cf. 1 John 1:5-10). [18]

If you and I abide in His word, we are His disciples both in word and deed; and we shall know the truth, and the truth shall make us free from the bondage of sin (John 8:31-32).

Glorying in Lovingkindness, Judgment, and Righteousness

The Prophet Jeremiah exhorts his hearers to glory in the lovingkindness or loyal covenantal love of God (chesed). This great love—shown initially to Adam and Eve in promising Messiah, And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. (Genesis 3:15); revealed throughout the Old Testament in His enduring covenantal love for Israel, Through the LORD’S mercies (chesed) we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23); displayed before the whole world in offering His Son on the cross, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16); and ultimately, magnified throughout eternity, But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-7)—this lovingkindnessor loyal covenantal love (chesed) never fails. It endures forever (Psalm 136)!

If this were not daunting enough, Jeremiah reminds us to glory, not only in the knowledge of God’s great love, but also in His judgment and righteousness . Indeed! What mortal can do these things with perfect humility and please a perfect and holy God? How can you and I follow Yeshua and not walk in darkness, but have the light of life —eternal life? As the Prophet Jeremiah instructs: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches (Jeremiah 9:23), or, as the Judean authorities so graphically demonstrate—not in the power of our flesh!

The Power of the Indwelling Holy Spirit

True, we are not indwelled with the seven fold, measureless fullness of the Holy Spirit (John 3:34); and, you and I may never encounter the intractable legal challenges our Lord confronts in His interactions with the Judean authorities. Nonetheless, Yeshua warns us, A servant is not greater than his master. “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). How shall you and I face this persecution? How will we delight our LORD under seemingly impossible circumstances?

Yeshua’s actions on that morning provide an all-important clue. If our Lord both saw and heard, yet diverted His attention away from the immediate circumstances (hearing He did not hear; seeing He did not see) and allowed the Holy Spirit to empower Him to act and speak in a manner pleasing to His Father, how much more, as born again believers, ought you and I to divert our attention away from the ungodliness of this world and allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us through God’s word to act and speak in a manner that glorifies Him. [19]

Our challenge could not be more real. Consider Yeshua’s repeated warnings to His disciples.

12:11 “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.

12:12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:11-12; underlining added)

Yeshua does not say “if persecution comes,” but when it comes…the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.

21:13 But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony .

21:14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer;

21:15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.

(Luke 21:13-15; underlining added)

Yeshua, Himself, promises, I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist . Moreover, persecution will be an occasion for testimony. Our Lord does not say “if these things should happen,” but rather they will lay their hands on you and persecute you (Luke 21:12). Mark also records Yeshua’s instruction to His disciples:

13:9 “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.

13:10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

13:11 But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. (Mark 13:9-11; underlining added)

Again, when they arrest you and deliver you up reflects certainty—not possibility—and likewise, it is an opportunity for a testimony to them . In each instance, Yeshua taught His disciples not to panic or worry regarding how to respond, but to trust Him and the indwelling Holy Spirit for their actions and words as a testimony to Him.

The story of the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53-8:12) not only definitively reveals Yeshua as the Giver of the Law and the Spirit-filled Messiah; it also provides an example to His disciples to rely on the Holy Spirit to glorify God through their witness of Yeshua. According to our Savior’s promise, you and I possess this witness within us; we have the light of life… we have eternal life and the opportunity to live it and share it as a testimony to Him. He is the light of the world!

The Apostle Paul’s Not-So-Secret Secret

The beloved Apostle Paul, once a Pharisee who bitterly persecuted the church, learned to avoid the sin of legalism and trust the Holy Spirit for the testimony of his actions and words. Consider his epistle to the Philippians. Chained to Caesar’s elite guard while awaiting trial, the Apostle Paul reaches out with the love of Christ through the gospel and becomes an encouragement to brothers and sisters to share their faith.

Imagine that dark hour in Paul’s life and the light of the world , Christ, shining out through him with all boldness. Love looks like something; love looks like the gospel shared with Roman guards who would just as soon as not take Paul’s life!

1:19 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance (σωτηρίαν) through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

1:20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

(Philippians 1:19-20; underlining added)

The not-so-secret secret to the Apostle Paul’s deliverance from darkness and timidity to find words to evangelize the Roman guards did not come from a quirk of personality or special gifting, but just as Yeshua instructed, from the Holy Spirit’s ministry to him in his time of need. [20] For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:19).

Deliverance for Today

The exact same Greek word, σωτηρίαν, translated deliverance in Philippians 1:19, is translated salvation in Philippians 2:12.

2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation (σωτηρίαν) with fear and trembling;

2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13; underlining added)

God’s will and good pleasure in Paul is to love the Roman guards and boldly share the good news of Yeshua… for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). Similarly, the great apostle to the Gentiles wants his beloved Philippians to know this same salvation or deliverance in their own lives that they, too, may boldly share the good news of Yeshua. Likewise, God’s will for us remains the same as it was for the Apostle Paul and the Philippians, namely to pray, trust the indwelling Holy Spirit, and share good news boldly under seemingly impossible circumstances as a testimony to Yeshua, the light of the world .

The darkness that surrounds Yeshua, when confronted with the woman caught in adultery, sets a stage for the light of the world to be seen clearly with the result that many believe in Him (John 8:30). When confronted with the darkness of this world, should you and I condescend to the legalism exemplified by the Judean authorities, or pray and trust the Holy Spirit, to exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness while boldly sharing good news? Our challenge is not far, but near; do we condemn the LBGTQ community only to ostracize them, or do you and I pray, trust the Holy Spirit, and share the good news of our Messiah in order to save them? And, should they not have ears to hear, do we have the strength to endure persecution and, with kindness and grace, call them to repent in order to hear Yeshua? In the flesh, no; in the Spirit, yes. The challenges are real and the victory that much greater for the one who follows the light of the world.

Are we willing to heed our brother Paul and follow his example? My earnest expectation and hope (is) that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1:20). As brothers and sisters in Christ, what is our earnest expectation and hope if not boldness to magnify or glorify our Savior and share the good news of eternal life?

Conclusion

John 7:53-8:12: Day Break

The significance and beauty of the story of the woman caught in adultery shines indelibly throughout the Old and New Testaments:

1)Yeshua is the Lord who, with the finger of God , gave the Ten Commandments and law of Moses (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10). He speaks and acts with perfect power and authority under the most impossible of circumstances. Furthermore, He is the long-awaited, Spirit-filled Messiah (Isaiah 11:1-5) who fulfills both His commandments and law with perfect understanding and knowledge of His Father.

2)The drama which transpires between Yeshua and the Judean authorities becomes a very graphic testimony to the temple crowd and more specifically to Nicodemus and his disciples—as a result, many believe in Yeshua as the light of the world. [21]

3)Yeshua both models and promises, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life—eternal life (John 8:12). He delights in the fear of the Lord and exercises lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness. Born again believers, who follow Him by relying on His word and the power of the Holy Spirit, have the light of life—eternal life or life in His name—radiating out from within them both in word and in deed as a testimony to those who are lost in the darkness of this world.

For our Lord and Savior Yeshua, the seemingly impossible circumstances of the woman caught in adultery are only the beginning of an extraordinary day of ministry and the perfect setting for one of His greatest apologias, I am the light of the world.

Application

Unlike Yeshua, you and I are not gifted with the seven-fold fullness of the Spirit; nonetheless, we believe His promise of eternal life, possess the light of this life within us, and are miraculously indwelled by the Holy Spirit. What is pleasing to our LORD is not new, but revealed throughout the whole of His word: I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD (Jeremiah 9:24). If according to the Apostle Paul, It is God who works in (us) both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13), then what might this look like?

When confronted with impossible circumstances, we ought not allow darkness to overwhelm us, but as overcomers we should pray and follow our Lord’s example:

1)Divert our attention away from the darkness of our circumstances (hearing we do not hear; seeing we do not see) and rivet it, through prayer, upon the Word of God and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

2)Pray and trust the Spirit to radiate the light of life (eternal life) within us by empowering us to exercise lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in direct contrast to the darkness of our circumstances.

3)Share the light of life (eternal life) within us by sharing the promise of eternal life (John 3:16, 4:10-13, 5:24, 6:47-48, 8:12, 11:25-27, 20:30-31).

When we pray and trust the Holy Spirit and the Word of God for our actions and boldness to speak, you and I lay hold of the opportunity God blesses us with to glorify our Him. In the midst of the darkest hours of our lives, we let the light of the world shine through us, both in word and deed. Truly, there is no more perfect expression of lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:24) and no more sure way to glorify Yeshua, than to share the good news of the light within us, eternal life.

Appendix A: Jeremiah 9:23-24 as Paradigm

How would a Jew prior to the cross come to believe in Yeshua as the Christ, the Son of God outside the Scriptural framework provided by the Old Testament Scriptures? Within John’s account, Yeshua’s pre-cross audiences are composed of Jews in particular Judean authorities drawn by the Father through His Word. Consider our Lord’s explanation:

6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

6:45 It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

(John 6:44-45)

Also, consider the following editorial remarks from the Apostle John:

2:21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

2:22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

(John 2:21-22; underlining added)

12:15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;

Behold, your King is coming,

Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

12:16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

(John 12:15-16; underlining added)

The Word of God provides paradigms or patterns for Jews to identify their Messiah. God through Jeremiah, distinguished Himself from the ruling elite of the prophet’s day.

9:23 Thus says the LORD:

“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,

Let not the mighty man glory in his might,

Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

9:24 But let him who glories glory in this,

That he understands and knows Me,

That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.

(Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Likewise, centuries later Yahweh’s self-revelation provides a pre-cross paradigm distinguishing His Son from the Judean authorities. [22]

Verses 9:23-24 form a discreet unit within a larger cycle of laments, Jeremiah 8:4-9:26. “read in synagogues to commemorate the destruction of the temple in 587 BCE and much later, in 70 CE.” [23] Those listening to Yeshua would have been intimately familiar with this particular passage and its meaning as it related to God’s 587 BC judgment of the nation. The behavior manifest by the leadership of Israel during the time of Yeshua’s ministry mirrors the leadership during the time of the Prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 9:23). Yeshua’s behavior as the Son of God mirrors His Father (Jeremiah 9:24); He both understands and knows His Father and like His Father delights in lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness . The contrast between the leadership described in verse 9:23 and Yahweh in verse 9:24 becomes the contrast between the Judean authorities and Yeshua allowing many to see the light of the world (John 8:12) and believe in Him as the Christ, the Son of God.

Appendix B: The Canonicity of John 7:53-8:11

Critical Text scholars face a conundrum: While Bible translations often include the story of the woman caught in adultery, they bracket it and offer a disclaimer as to its canonicity. According to the NET Bible “This entire section 7:53-8:11, traditionally known as the pericope adulterae , is not contained in the earliest and best MMS and was almost certainly not an original part of the Gospel of John.” [24] The Life Application Bible (NLT) includes a simple parenthetical comment, “(The most ancient Greek manuscripts do not include John 7:53-8:11),” while, nonetheless, offering commentary on the passage. [25] Charles Ryrie in his NASB Study Bible writes, “This story, though probably authentic, is omitted in many mss. and may not have been originally a part of this gospel”—again, offering footnotes clarifying the meaning of the passage. [26] Translated from the Textus Receptus, the NKJV does not bracket the story, but does offer a footnote: “ 7:53 The words And everyone through sin no more (8:11) are bracketed by NU-Text as not original. They are present in over 900 manuscripts.”

Among commentators, the pericope is frequently noted as not being a part of the Gospel of John and then given a brief explanation of what it might mean. D.A. Carson offers a brief excursus: “There is little reason for doubting that the event here described occurred, even if in its written form it did not in the beginning belong to the canonical books.” [27] Craig Keener writes: “It probably bears no other direct relationship with the rest of the Fourth Gospel. Nevertheless, those wishing to study this passage will naturally turn to commentaries on the Fourth Gospel, so it is important to make some brief comments on the passage.” [28] Whether an abbreviated diminutive approach to this pericope is better than none at all is debatable. Andreas Köstenberger refrains from any commentary: “Though it may be possible to derive a certain degree of edification from the study of this pericope, proper conservatism and caution suggest that the passage be omitted from preaching in the churches (not to mention inclusion in the main body of translations, even within square brackets [Köstenberger 2003]).” [29] Blustery words indeed, but seemingly not an unreasonable conclusion. Lastly, Bruce M. Metzger, one of the text critics responsible for the Critical Text (United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament or UBSGNT) offers the following commentary: “Although the Committee was unanimous that the pericope was original to no part of the Fourth Gospel, in deference to the evident antiquity of the passage a majority decided to print it, enclosed within double square brackets, at its traditional place following Jn. 7:52.” [30] Clearly, the conundrum originates with the text critics in the very formation of the Critical Text (UBSGNT) itself.

The question arises: Why study and write on a passage that is so clearly contested by many scholars? Perhaps for the same reason, that despite disclaimers, Bible translations based upon the Critical Text and the UBSGNT still include the story—alas in brackets. More importantly, for this author it rings irrepressibly consistent and true within the context of John’s witness that Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of God who gifts eternal life to those who believe in Him and His promise of eternal life. Briefly, let us summarize the position of Critical Text scholars and then examine evidence from a proponent of the Majority Text and a highly acclaimed textual critic, Zane Hodges, why this pericope is a part of John’s account.

Critical Text scholars often cite B.M. Metzger: “the evidence for the non-Johannine origin of the pericope of the adulteress is overwhelming.” [31] As previously noted, the pericope adulterea is not included in what proponents of the Critical Text consider the “earliest and best manuscripts.” According to the NET Bible of those manuscripts with the pericope, it is a “’floating’ text” included after John 3:36, 21:25, 8:12 and after Luke 21:38 and 24:53. [32]

In terms of internal factors like vocabulary and style, the pericope does not stand up well. The question may be asked whether this incident, although not an original part of the Gospel of John, should be regarded as an authentic tradition about Jesus. It could well be that it is ancient and may indeed represent an unusual instance where such a tradition survived outside of the bounds of the canonical literature. However even that needs to be nuanced. [33]

Daniel M. Gurtner writes that in “many of these (manuscripts containing the pericope), the scribes mark the texts with indications that they question the veracity of the reading.” [34]

Contrary to prevailing scholarship, basing the argument for exclusion of this pericope on the evidence of the “earliest and best manuscripts” risks the distinct possibility of an outlier. According to Zane Hodges:

(T)he evidence for the existence of this story seems very early and the passage is actually found in a very large majority of the surviving Greek manuscripts while there are also ancient attestations from both versions and (early church) fathers… No other extended section dealing with a non-canonical, but true event in the life of Jesus, has ever attained this kind of canonical circulation… Perhaps after all it might be easier to suggest that the narrative suffered deletion from some very early Greek exemplar of John’s Gospel, was perpetuated by this exemplar’s many descendants, and that the excision has thus exercised much influence on later copyists, translators, and commentators. [35]

The crux of Hodges’ insight is that within modern textual criticism “the surviving Greek manuscript evidence is sometimes treated as if it were truly representative of what did—or—did not exist among the nonsurviving texts which have long since perished.” [36] Considering the oldest manuscripts, “between A.D. 200 and 400—the data consists of four texts (P66, P75, B, and א) all Egyptian.” This is hardly an “adequate ‘random sample.’” Moreover, “in regard to all four of these oldest Greek witnesses, there is a serious question whether or not they have any significant textual independence… all four may ultimately be derived from a single parent exemplar which lies far back in the stream of transmission ”[37]… therefore “the ultimate parental source of the four manuscripts… might have also been the source which originally omitted the passage.” [38] In other words, the omission of the pericope adulterae from the Critical Text may be the result of a single outlier; therefore, “the concurrence of four early Egyptian manuscripts in deleting the pericope has no decisive weight whatsoever, so long as their textual independence cannot be demonstrated.” [39]

On the other hand, the evidence for inclusion is far more extensive than most Critical Text critics acknowledge. According to von Soden, the pericope is included in over 450 manuscripts; moreover, “Von Soden, whose investigations of the textual history of the pericope were far more extensive than those of any researcher before or since, has made it clear that the real location of the pericope de adultera in the manuscript tradition is exactly where it is found today in the English Authorized Version.” [40] Only a couple of dozen manuscripts place the pericope “in some other location in the biblical text than after John 7:52.” [41] Among the early church fathers, Jerome (ca. 420) states that the pericope is found in both Latin and Greek manuscripts. Furthermore both Ambrose (ca. 397) and Augustine (ca. 430) acknowledge its inclusion and hint at a possible motive for a copyist to exclude the pericope—the prospect, offensive to many, that Christ did not condemn the woman for committing adultery. [42]

“In terms of internal factors like vocabulary and style,” [43] Hodges offers two instances that reveal the Apostle John’s authorship.

1) The Unique Background for the Pericope

In the material which precedes it (the pericope), the incidents are clearly set at the Jewish feast of Tabernacles and in fact on the last “great day” of that feast (John 7:2, 37). If, as seems likely, this last “great day” was after all the eighth day referred to in Leviticus 23:39, there is an almost unique appropriateness to the mention of each person going to his “house.” For on the previous seven days observant Jewish worshipers would have followed Old Testament prescription and would have lived in “booths.” But with the feast now over everyone returned home! This delicate point, so sensitive to the festal setting of the preceding material, is an obviously authentic touch. [44]

2) A Phrase Common Only to John

(I)n the words “this they said tempting Him,” the careful student of the Fourth Gospel will recognize a turn of phrase common to John but found nowhere else in the New Testament. Indeed the Greek clause Τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγον πειράζοντες αὐτόν (8:6) is a virtual replica of the similar expression in 6:6, Τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγεν πειράζων αὐτόν·. [45]

This later instance, alone, should suffice to remove doubt about the pericope’s vocabulary and style evidencing Johannine authorship.

Unlike Metzger, I find “the evidence for the non-Johannine origin of the pericope of the adulteress” at the least overstated and at the worst potentially deceptive. Afterall, how should you and I conclude that the “earliest” manuscripts are the “best”? The bracketing of John 7:53-8:11 in the Critical Text might well be an example of what is possible when a text critic’s methodology struggles to account for potential outliers. [46] As a text critic and proponent of the Majority Text, Hodges remains utterly convincing.

Yeshua’s long and grueling day of ministry begins with the curse of darkness and legalism inside the temple at sunrise, but ends with the blessing of light and healing outside the temple at sunset. Thankfully, though this passage is wrongly bracketed as not a part of the original text by the text critics responsible of the Critical Text (UBSGNT), translators of the Critical Text routinely include the passage. Sadly, the origin of our Lord’s apologia, I am the light of the world (John 8:12-9:5) may be hidden from those refusing to acknowledge the pericope’s canonicity, however the overall meaning of that day and the Bible is not changed. Yeshua is the Giver of the Law and the Spirit-filled Messiah who fulfills that Law perfectly with lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:24). The Lord is indeed the light of the world… He is good!

[1] And, what is in a name? Yeshua is “from the same Hebrew root, meaning ‘to save.’ The name Yeshua emphasizes not only His humanity, it also emphasizes the work He came to do: the work of salvation.” Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Messiah Yeshua, Divine Redeemer: Christology from a Messianic Jewish Perspective , Come and See Series vol. 3 (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2015, 2019), 59.

[2] Unless otherwise indicated all Scripture is quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1982). The Apostle John recorded Yeshua’s ministry and witness prior to the cross. This article uses Jeremiah 9:24 as a pre-cross paradigm understandable to Yeshua’s pre-cross audiences, contrasting the ungodliness of the Judean authorities with the Son who understands and knows the Father and who delights in the things of His Father. See Appendix A. Lovingkindness is a translation of the Hebrew word חֶ֛סֶד transliterated “chesed.”

[3] The scholarly name is “Pericope Adulterae;” nominally considered John 7:53-8:11, this article purposefully references it as “John 7:53-8:12.” See Appendix B.

[4] Merriam-Webster’s defines apologia as “a defense esp. of one’s opinions, position, or actions… APOLOGIA implies not admission of guilt or regret but a desire to make clear the grounds for some course, belief or position.” Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary: Eleventh Edition (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.,2014), 58. Yeshua relentlessly pursues unbelievers with His words and deeds in order to persuade that He is the Christ, the Son of God who gives life in His name to whoever believes Him. His words and deeds frequently form discrete apologias identified by His I am statements.

[5] The Law comprises both the Ten Commandments and law of Moses. For an outstanding exposition of Yeshua as the Giver of the Law, see Zane C. Hodges, “Problem Passages in the Gospel of John Part 9: The Woman Taken in Adultery (John 7:53-8:11): Exposition, Bibliotheca Sacra, Vol. BSAC 137:545 (Jan 1980), 46. “For that matter, in John’s view the manifestations of God Himself in the Old Testament were nothing less than the manifestations of the preincarnate Son (cf. 8:56-58; 12:39-41). It followed from this, therefore, that Jesus could not be adequately conceived of as simply a teacher of the Law. He was, in fact, its Giver!”

[6] Both the Majority and Critical Texts omit as though He did not hear, but clearly Yeshua’s actions imply He was purposefully diverting His attention away from accusers and accused.

[7] Ironically, even unbelievers quote Yeshua’s famous command to the Judean authorities. To this day, it remains the Word of God spoken with perfect power and authority to free us from the bondage of legalism.

[8] According to Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ruach Hakodesh—God the Holy Spirit: Messianic Jewish Perspectives on Pneumatology , Come and See Series vol. 4, (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries), 64: “No one ever has all of the gifts (of the Holy Spirit) because God has ordained that the members of the church be mutually dependent. Yeshua, however, was given the Spirit without measure (Jn. 3:34). The seven fold nature of the Spirit in Isaiah 11:2 is therefore synonymous with the measureless fullness in John 3:34.” Fruchtenbaum illustrates with a traditional picture of the Menorah: “The Sevenfold Spirit—The Spirit of: (1) The Knowledge of the Lord, (2) Counsel, (3) Wisdom, (4) The Lord, (5) Understanding, (6) Power, and (7) The Fear of the Lord,” each represented by a candle on the Menorah.

[9] The New English Translation [NET Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2019), 1272.] offers the following translation of Isaiah 9:1-2 with notes:

The LORD’S Spirit will rest on him^E—

a Spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom ,^F

a Spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, ^G

a Spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord.^H

“ E Like David (1 Sam 16:13), this king will be energized by the Lord’s Spirit; F ‘a spirit of wisdom and understanding.’ The synonyms are joined here to emphasis the degree of wisdom he will possess. His wisdom will enable him to make just legal decisions (v.3); G ‘a spirit of counsel [or ‘strategy’] and strength.’ The construction is a hendiadys; the point is that he will have the strength/ability to execute the plans/strategies he devises. This ability will enable him to suppress oppressors and implement just policies (v.4); H ‘a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.’ ‘Knowledge’ is used here in its covenantal sense and refers to a recognition of God’s authority and willingness to submit to it. See Jer 22:16. ‘Fear’ here refers to a healthy respect for God’s authority which produces obedience. Taken together the two terms emphasize the single quality of loyalty to the Lord. This loyalty guarantees that he will make just legal decisions and implement just policies (v.v. 4-5).” Though you and I might disagree with the NET translation, the notes are well written and relevant to the challenge thrust upon Messiah!

[10] Imagine the pride these men had among their peers when they came up with such an intractable legal problem and a way to test Yeshua. Testing God is never wise.

[11] Just as God showed mercy and relented from destroying Israel for worshipping the golden calf, so too Yeshua shows mercy and relents from slaying the woman and her accusers.

[12] Cristian S. Ile, “The Triune God in the Gospels,” A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Gospels, ed. Craig A. Evans and David Mishkin (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2021), 212; underlining added. “Lev. Rab. 15.2” is a part of Leviticus Rabbah, “a homiletical Midrash; it is composed of separate homilies, 37 in number.” [https://www.encyclopedia. com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/Leviticus-rabbah] That Isaiah 11;1-2 speaks of the first coming of Messiah and 11:3-5 speaks of the second coming is widely accepted. The character and indwelling of the Spirit-filled Messiah remain consistent. The Lamb of God and the Lion of Judea are one Messiah; what might have been fulfilled in His first coming well be fulfilled perfectly in His second coming.

[13] See John 8:30; 9:38; 10:42.

[14] See Frank Tyler, “John 3:16: An Evangelist’s Dilemma,” The True Vine Fellowship Journal 2022 (Sequim, WA: TTVF, 2022), 65-66.

[15] Nicodemus’ disciples likely saw and heard their teacher engage the Pharisees the previous day (John 7:52-53); that they were a part of the larger crowd witnessing the interaction between Yeshua and the Judean authorities seems reasonable. Moreover, if they had missed the interaction, surely others would have been highly motivated to report it to them.

[16] Luke records the disciples James and John asking to command fire to destroy a Samaritan village which refuses to receive Yeshua (Luke 9:53-54). The Lord responds: You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them. (Luke 9:55-56). Just as the Lord desired to save the Samarians and His disciples, He also desires to save the woman and her accusers.

[17] “Later additions to the ritual included a libation of water drawn from the pool of Siloam (the probable background for Jesus’ comments on ‘living water,’ John 7:37-39) and the lighting of huge Menorahs (candelabra) at the Court of the Women (the probable background for Jesus’ statement, ‘I am the light of the world,’ John 8:12).” Holman Bible Dictionary , ed. Trent C. Butler (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers,1991), 489.

[18] Robert N. Wilkin, “John,” The New Testament Commentary Revised Edition , ed. Robert N. Wilkin (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2019), 200.

[19] The day before in the temple, Yeshua’s promised the empowering Holy Spirit: He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:38-39; underlining added). The rivers of living water is the promise of life in His name empowered by the Holy Spirit that will, in the future, flow freely out of the believer’s life in both word and deed. In a previous visit to Samaria, our Lord promises: but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:14; underlining added). The fountain that springs up into everlasting life is the born again believer empowered in both word and deed by the yet-future indwelling Holy Spirit to share living water, the promise of eternal life. As the good shepherd, He explains: I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Again, the abundant life is everlasting life empowered by the Holy Spirit that flows out from the believer’s life into the world as a witness. What does this empowered life look like? “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5). The life of the born again believer empowered by the Holy Spirit in both word and deed abides in Messiah and produces much fruit or life in His name. For this reason, Yeshua explains to His disciples: It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you (John 16:7). On Pentecost, Yeshua sends the Holy Spirit to empower His apostles’ witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).

[20]See Grant Christensen, “Prayer and Evangelism” The True Vine Fellowship Journal 2019 (Sequim, WA: TTVF, 2019), 2-23: “I suspect in our time, we have become so accustomed to relying on what I call ‘ministry technology,’ that we have neglected the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to supernaturalize our witness. If I couple this with the how much more willingness of the heavenly Father to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask, I find that the Father longs to empower our witness—longing to send us power from on high so that we too might witness in the power and might of the Holy Spirit” (15). Clearly, the Apostle Paul did not suffer today’s “ministry technology,” but relied on prayer and “the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.”

[21] Among the Judean authorities, Nicodemus is one of those who believed in the name of Yeshua (John 2:23-3:1); we can only hope his disciples believed our Lord’s apologia (John 3:14-16) that night, or following our Lord’s dramatic encounter with the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53-8:59).

[22] See Numbers 14:18 also.

[23] Wilhelm J. Wessels, “Social Implication of Knowing Yahweh: A Study of Jeremiah 9:22-23” Verbum et Ecclesia 30(2) Art. # 83, 77 and 79 [www.scielo.org.za/pdf/vcc/v30n2/13.pdf]. See also Louis Stulman, Jeremiah, Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005), 89.

[24] NET Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996, 2019), 2020.

[25] Life Application Study Bible (Carol Stream, IL, 2007), 2309.

[26] Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition (Chicago: Moody Institute, 1986, 1995), 1695.

[27] D.A. Carson, The Gospel According To John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991), 333.

[28] Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of John A Commentary Vol. 1 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003), 736.

[29] Andreas J. Köstenberger, John, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MA: Baker Academic, 2004), 248.

[30] Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (New York: United Bible Society, 1971), 221.

[31] Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 219.

[32] NET, 2020.

[33] Ibid., 2021; underlining added.

[34] Daniel M. Gurtner, “1.1 The Manuscript Traditions of the New Testament Gospels,” A Handbook of the Jewish Roots of the Gospels ed. Craig A. Evans and David Mishkin (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2021), 17.

[35] Zane C. Hodges, “Problem Passages in the Gospel of John Part 8 The Woman Taken in Adultery (John 7:53-8:11): The Text,” Bibliotheca Sacra Vol. BSAC 136:544 (Oct. 1979), 320; underlining added.

[36] Ibid., 323.

[37] Ibid., 323; underlining added.

[38] Ibid., 324.

[39] Ibid., 324.

[40] Ibid., 325.

[41] Ibid., 325.

[42] Ibid., 330-31.

[43] NET Bible, 2021.

[44] Zane C. Hodges, “Problem Passages in the Gospel of John Part 9: The Woman Taken in Adultery (John 7:53-8:11): Exposition, Bibliotheca Sacra, Vol. BSAC 137:545 (Jan 1980), 42.

[45] Ibid., 44.

[46] Ironically, given the title of his two part presentation, “Problem Passages in the Gospel of John Part 8 and 9…,” the excellence of Hodges’ work reveals that the problem lies with the text critics, not the passage. For a less gracious assessment see John Tors, “A Case For Serious Evangelical Apologetics: The Authenticity of John 7:52-8:11 as a Case Study” [https://truthinmydays.com/a-call-for-serious-evangelical-apologetics-the-authenticity-of-john-753-811-as-a-case-study/].

By Frank Tyler

John 8:12-9:5

Introduction

John 8:12-9:5: Late Morning—Mid Day

In part one of this study, we discovered that Yeshua is both the Giver of the Law and the Spirit-filled Messiah who fulfills the Law with perfect lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:24). [1] In stark contrast, the Judean authorities engage in the sin of legalism by manipulating the Law and putting a woman at jeopardy, all to undermine Yeshua’s ministry before a large crowd in the court of the women. Far from accepting the rebuke and correction of God’s Son, the Judean authorities will continue to resort to legalism and incessant provocations. Though openly acknowledging the hand of Satan working through the Judean authorities, with apologia after apologia, Yeshua never ceases reaching out to these rulers with the good news of who He is and the gift of life in His name. Darkness descends into a gathering storm, but the light of God’s Menorah shines tirelessly as a beacon of salvation evermore brightly and with sharper and sharper contrast. Yeshua will develop, both in word and in deed, the theme of His latest apologia, I am the light of the world (John 8:12); as a result, many more will believe in Yeshua, the One who delights in lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:24).

The Larger Historic Context

Finding themselves in the presence of a large crowd of observers, how will the rulers react to the One whose actions so graphically reveal that He is both the Giver of the Law and Israel’s Spirit-filled Messiah who fulfills the Law perfectly (John 7:53-8:11), the One who openly proclaims I am the light of the world (John 8:12)? Although the story of the woman caught in adultery forms the immediate and crucial backdrop defining the composition of Yeshua’s audience and the motivation driving the Judean authorities’ relentless attack on Him, [2] there exists a larger historic context that helps you and I better understand the interactions between Yeshua and the Judean authorities.

The Sin of Legalism

Like an invisible Black Hole drawing matter into its deadly vortex, historically, legalism has a long destructive history that remains relevant to understanding the context underlying the present conflict between Yeshua and the Judean authorities. Though nowhere defined in Scripture, for our purpose this simple definition suffices: Legalism is the sin or act of turning from the grace of God to the law and in so doing denying God and His Son Yeshua. [3]

In the Garden of Eden, Satan is both brilliant… and persuasive: Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made (Genesis 3:1).

God’s command: Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat…

(Genesis 2:16; underlining added).

Satan’s interpretation: Has God indeed said, “ You shall not eat of every tree of the garden ”? (Genesis 3:1; underlining added)

Satan asks a misleading question purposefully rephrased from God’s positive affirmation, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, to express a negative summation, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden . The sole exclusion to God’s positive affirmation and gracious provision becomes the source of Satan’s negative and twisted summation.

Eve fails to discern the distinction and makes the forbidden tree the focal point of her understanding of God’s provision: We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die” (Genesis 3:2-3). God plainly states the consequence for eating of the tree of knowledge: in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Genesis 2:17). Eve’s embellishment, nor shall you touch it is a logical inference; if she and Adam cannot touch the fruit, they certainly cannot eat the fruit… but is her inference a part of God’s command? No, she has inadvertently stepped away from God’s gracious provision and simple obedience to His command onto the thin ice of legalism. [4]

Might she and Adam touch the fruit and not die? Absolutely, her self-imposed rule is without consequence. Seizing the opportunity, Satan boldly contradicts God’s command by denying the consequence for disobedience, You will surely not die (Genesis 3:4), and reasons—if you eat of the tree and know good and evil you become like God (Genesis 3:4-5). Logical inferences and legalism prove an attractive invitation to sin. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate (Genesis 3:6).

Satan is brilliant. He successfully manipulates God’s commandment to Adam and Eve and turns them from the goodness of God’s grace (partaking of the fruit of the garden) to sin (partaking of the tree of knowledge). But, how does this bit of legal brilliance play out with God, the One who created Adam and Eve and gave them the commandment?

3:14 So the LORD God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this,

You are cursed more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you shall go,

And you shall eat dust

All the days of your life.

3:15 And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her Seed;

He shall bruise your head,

And you shall bruise His heel.”

The sin of legalism brought forth Man’s fall and God’s judgment:Satan is brilliant… utterly brilliant, and resolutely condemned.

Succumbing to Satan’s legalistic ploy and disobeying God’s command, Adam and Eve now exit the Garden of Eden and enter a foreign world under condemnation of sin and death.

3:22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

3:23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.

3:24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:22-24)

The One who gave the command now fulfills that command with perfect power and authority, but not without lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:24). God not only provides clothing for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21), but He also promises Messiah, the Seed that comes forth from the woman who crushes the head of Satan (Genesis 3:15).

Just as Satan sought to manipulate the positive blessing of God’s gracious provision and commandment to Adam and Eve, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat (Genesis 2:16), in order to bring condemnation upon God’s creation, so too in the pericope adulterea (John 7:53-8:12), the great scholars of Judaism, the scribes and Pharisees, sought to manipulate the blessing of His Law, in order to bring condemnation upon the woman and God’s Chosen One. [5] Thankfully, the difference between the first Adam and the second Adam could not be more apparent. Adam and Eve succumbed to Satan’s ploy and fell under condemnation of sin and death. Yeshua boldly and very graphically exposes the Judean authorities’ plot by issuing a simple command: He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first (John 8:7). Despite their brilliance, neither Satan nor the woman’s accusers are a match for Yeshua, the Giver of the Law and Spirit-filled Messiah who fulfills God’s Law perfectly.

Just as God showed lovingkindness to Adam and Eve, so too Messiah shows lovingkindness to the woman caught in adultery and her accusers. Yeshua demonstrates righteous judgment by correcting both; yet mercifully, neither bear the full consequence of their sin. Truly, Yeshua is the Lord exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these He delights (Jeremiah 9:24). Like His commandment to Adam and Eve, His Law to His chosen people was meant for blessing… it takes pride, intellect, and a depraved heart to turn them into the curse of legalism.

The Promise of Eternal Life

Within the immediate history of John’s account, chapters 3 and 5 record apologias designed to persuade the Judean authorities of Yeshua’s promise of eternal life. [6] These apologias shape the ongoing dialogue between Yeshua and the Judean authorities in chapter 7 and 8.

In His apologia to Nicodemus and his disciples (John 3:14-18), we find Yeshua’s promise of everlasting life.

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

John 3:15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

(John 3:14-18; underlining added)

That Yeshua declares the promise of everlasting life twice in verses 15 and 16 and then restates it in verse 17, that the world through Him might be saved , makes the promise emphatic. The Son is the Father’s herald speaking the promise of eternal life. Furthermore, He links this promise directly to the cross and God’s great love for the world in giving His Son. The meaning of God’s love and our Lord’s sacrifice is inextricably linked to His promise: whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. How do you and I know God loves us? He gave us His Son, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), in order that we might believe in His Him and have eternal life. This is the apologia Yeshua speaks to both Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel (John 3:10), and his disciples.

In John chapter 5, healing a paralytic on the Sabbath draws the Judean authorities to Yeshua and gives Him an opportunity to reach out to them with yet another apologia.

5:21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

5:22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,

5:23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

5:24 “ Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

5:25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.

5:26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, (John 5:21-26; underlining added)

Verses 21 and 26 form an inclusio: [7] Just as the Father raises the dead, gives life, and has life in Himself, so too the Son (John 5:21 and 26). To the one who hears His word and believes His Father’s testimony, Yeshua promises everlasting life, freedom from final judgment, and immediate and final passage from death into life (John 5:24). Indeed, the hour is both coming and now is when the spiritually dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and have everlasting life (John 5:25). Not only is Yeshua’s eternality revealed, but even as the Son of God speaks with the Judean authorities, He continues with perfect power and authority to both promise and fulfill His promise of eternal life—according to His word many have been saved, and moreover, will continue to be eternally saved.

With the particular events of John 5 still fresh (John 7:21-24) and just days before the events of the pericope adulterea, the Judean authorities are well aware of Yeshua’s promise: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life (John 5:24). It is His word to them. And, if that were not enough, these same rulers likely heard (perhaps through one of Nicodemus’ disciples) the earlier promise given to Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel (John 3:10), and his disciples: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). In both chapters, the apologias focus on Yeshua’s promise of eternal life to the world or whoever believes. The world includes whoevers like the Judean authorities.

Yeshua is the Word of God

The Apostle John introduces the witness of the apostles with a very radical revelation: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-2). For this reason, you and I rightly expect the boldness of Yeshua’s words throughout John’s account, but for those without the benefit of the apostle’s introduction, namely the Judean authorities, His boldness becomes a stumbling block.

From the Giver of the Law to the Giver of God’s Word

The incident with the woman caught in adultery dramatically revealed Yeshua as the Giver of the Law. In His continuing interactions with the Judean authorities, Yeshua purposefully expands this apologia: [8] He is the Giver of—not just the Law—but the very word of God. The heart of Yeshua’s apologia to the Judean authorities in John chapter 8—I am the light of the world—challenges them to hear His word as the Word of God spoken like rays of light to illuminate the truth and save them. Will they hear and believe His promise of eternal life to them?

Lighting the Temple with the Word of God

Scripture in John(underlining added)	Speaker	Primary Audience
8:20 These words (Ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα) Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.	Yeshua, the Giver of the Law	Judean authorities and the people
Scripture in John(underlining added)	Speaker	Primary Audience
John 8:26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him (ἃ ἤκουσα παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ, ταῦτα λέγω εἰς τὸν κόσμον.).	Yeshua, the Giver of His Father’s word	Judean authorities, the people, and the world
8:28When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things (καθὼς ἐδίδαξέν με ὁ πατήρ μου, ταῦτα λαλω).	Yeshua, the Giver of His Father’s word	Judean authorities and the people
8:30 As He spoke these words (Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος), many believed in Him.	Yeshua, the Giver of His and the Father’s word	Judean authorities and the people
8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, (τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῳ) you are My disciples indeed.	Yeshua, the Giver of His word	Those who believe in Yeshua
8:37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word (ὁ λόγος ὁ ἐμὸς) has no place in you.	Yeshua, the Giver of His word	Judean Authorities
8:40But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God (ἄνθρωπον ὃς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑμῖν λελάληκα, ἣν ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ·). Abraham did not do this.	Yeshua, the Giver of His Father’s word	Judean Authorities
8:43 Why do you not understand My speech (τὴν λαλιὰν τὴν ἐμὴν)? Because you are not able to listen to My word (τὸν λόγον τὸν ἐμόν).	Yeshua, the Giver of His word	Judean Authorities
8:47 He who is of God hears God’s words (ὰ ῥήματα τοῦ θεοῦ); therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”	God, the Giver of His word	Judean Authorities
8:51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word (τὸν λόγον τὸν ἐμὸν) he shall never see death.”	Yeshua, the Giver of His word	Judean authorities and the people
8:52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word (τὸν λόγον μου) he shall never taste death.’	Judean Authorities	Yeshua

If the pericope adulterae is omitted from John’s account, then seeing the progression from Giver of the Law to Giver of God’s Word (interchangeably the Father’s or His Word) might easily be missed; likewise, the ensuing interactions between Yeshua and the authorities might be misinterpreted as little more than a heated argument over His statement, I am the light of the world (John 8:12). Emphatically this apologia to the Judean authorities is designed to bring them to faith in their Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. And, it begins with the dramatic revelation of who Yeshua is as the Giver of the Law and the Spirit filled Messiah who fulfills the Law perfectly (John 7:53-8:12).

If the rulers revere the Law and have witnessed Yeshua openly identifying Himself as the Giver of that Law, then how will they respond to Yeshua when He continues speaking as the light of the world with power and authority the Word of God designed to save them? Again, Yeshua neither argues, nor debates with the Judean authorities, but instead speaks to these rulers with the perfect power and authority of the One True God in order to persuade them of who He is as the light of the world (John 8:12). Will they recognize His power and authority and embrace Him as the light of the world? His word is the light of God’s Word; will they believe in Him for eternal life?

Future Fulfillment of the Divine Profile

In itself, the significance of being both the Giver of the Law and Spirit-filled Messiah who fulfills the Law dovetails into John’s and his fellow apostles’ larger purpose in recording their gospel account (John 20:30-31, 21:24). However, with the progression from the Law to the whole of God’s Word, the Giver of the God’s Word and Spirit-filled Messiah, Yeshua, is uniquely qualified—not just to fulfill the Law—but the whole of God’s word profiling Messiah in both the Old Testament [Law (Torah); Prophets (Nevi’im); and Writings (K’tuvim)] [9] and the New Testament [Gospels, Epistles, and Apocalypse]. This Divine profile fits Israel’s Spirit-filled Messiah exclusively.

Scriptures in John Fulfilled in Messiah

Scripture in John(underlining added)

Old/New Testament

12:13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

“Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD !’ The King of Israel!”

Psalm 118:26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!

12:14-15 …as it is written: “Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey,

a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Scripture in John(underlining added)

Old/New Testament

12:38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled , which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”

Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

12:40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.”

Isaiah 6:10 “Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed.”

13:18 “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled , ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’

Psalm 41:9 Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

15:25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, “They hated Me without a cause.’

Psalm 69:4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; they are mighty who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully;

18:9 that the saying (λόγος)might be fulfilledwhich He spoke, “Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none.”

John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

18:32 that the saying (λόγος)of Jesus might be fulfilledwhich He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.

Matthew 20:18-19 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”

19:24 …“Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be, ”that the Scripture might be fulfilledwhich says: “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.

Psalm 22:18 They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.

19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled , said, “I thirst!”

Psalm 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.

19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Zechariah 11:10-11 And I took my staff, Beauty, and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples. So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the LORD.

Scripture in John(underlining added)

Old/New Testament

19:36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled , “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”

Psalm 34:20 He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken.

Exodus 12:46 In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones.

Numbers 9:12 They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break one of its bones. According to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.

19:37 And again another Scripture says , “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

Zechariah 12:10And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

Note that hina (that) clauses are woven throughout these passages to demonstrate a purposeful fulfillment in Yeshua’s ministry. Verses 12:14-15 use a similar expression, as it is written, and verse 19:37 attaches to the previous hina clause in verse 19:36, And again another Scripture says. Only the Spirit-filled Messiah fulfills this Scriptural profile.

Eventually these fulfillments of the Old Testament law, prophets and writings along with the New Testament gospel accounts become a part of a still larger developing apologia to Israel’s ruling authorities culminating in the greatest sign of all, His crucifixion and resurrection (John 2:18-22, 3:14-18, 8:28, 12:32-34, 19:1-20:30-31).

Despite all their efforts to dismiss Him as a backwater preacher from the sticks of Galilee, Yeshua both speaks and fulfills Scripture (not just the Law), and with every word spoken and fulfilled, He alone fits the Divine profile; will the rulers believe in Him and His promise of eternal life?

Summary: Shocking Truths

Surely, you and I are not shocked by these truths. Afterall, the Apostle John forewarns of us of the radical nature of Yeshua’s deity: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-2). Nevertheless, following Yeshua’s crucifixion, even the Apostle Thomas struggles. [10] Unless he sees for himself the imprint of the nails on Yeshua’s hands and the wound in His side, he will not believe Yeshua’s resurrection (John 20:25). Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (John 20:27). The Divine profile fits perfectly and brings the unbelieving apostle to his knees, My Lord and my God (John 20:28)!

20:30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;

20:31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name .

(John 20:30-31; underlining added)

The many other signs in the presence of His disciples implies the significance of our Lord’s greatest of all signs, His crucifixion and resurrection, and confirms the power of His Word to bring forth life in His name . The Word of God is perfectly fulfilled in Yeshua’s person and ministry. The Judean authorities are not forewarned by the Apostle John, but must struggle prior to the cross with the radical truth that Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of God..

Yeshua, Himself, repeatedly foreshadows the apologetic impact His crucifixion and resurrection will have upon the Judean authorities (John 2:18-22, 3:14-18, 8:28, 12:32-34). Likewise, He continues to boldly proclaim His promise of eternal life and fulfill the Divine profile, so how will the Judean authorities react? Will they believe in Yeshua? Will they see the light? Will they perceive in His word the very Word of God spoken to deliver them from eternal condemnation? Or, when faced with the truth of who Yeshua is, will they remain in the darkness of unbelief and continue in their efforts to undermine Him and the ministry entrusted to Him by the Father? These are vital questions the Apostle John must answer also in order to persuade his own audience that Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of God, the One who promises life in His name to those who believe in Him (John 20:30-31).

Sons of Satan

The plot to force Yeshua to judge the woman caught in adultery, brilliantly conceived by the scribes and Pharisees seeking to undermine the Messiah, is a dramatic opening engagement in a battle, itself, a part of a much larger ongoing war stretching all the way back to the Garden of Eden (and perhaps beyond). The accusers of the woman in chapter 8 represent a subgroup within a larger group of Judean authorities. Though our Lord eventually identifies the larger group as sons of Satan (John 8:44), [11] He never ceases reaching out to them with the good news of who He is. Indeed, His word reaches out with perfect power, authority, and love. As His Divine profile becomes clearer for all to see, many believe in their Messiah. As darkness descends in the temple, God’s Menorah shines evermore brightly sharply contrasting with the Judean authorities’ accusations and inquiries. [12]

You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true (John 8:13).

If Satan is a master at manipulating God’s Law, should you and I expect anything less from brilliant, yet unwitting proteges? The laws governing witnesses read:

17:6 Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. (Deuteronomy 17:6)

19:15 One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. (Deuteronomy 19:15)

If Yeshua were an ordinary man, then His lone witness might be dismissed easily, but as the Giver of the Word of God (not merely the Law) and Israel’s Spirit-filled Messiah, He is anything but ordinary. Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going (John 8:14). For those with ears to hear, this revelation clearly reveals Yeshua’s deity. As God, He needs no witness to affirm the truth of His word; God speaks and it is; His Word always affirms itself as truth.

To be the Spirit-filled Messiah is to be the Sent One of the Father. Yeshua carefully abstained from judging both the woman and her accusers, and in so doing exercised perfect understanding and knowledge of His Father(Jeremiah 9:24; John 8:15). However, should He judge both the woman and her accusers, His judgment would have been true for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me . (John 8:16). Regarding the law governing witnesses, even if it were applicable to Him, they already have two witnesses—both He and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me (John 8:18). The words Yeshua speaks are the very words of God revealing the Father’s intimate relationship with His Son. Yeshua is the light of the world worthy of their belief!

Where is your Father(John 8:19)?

True, Yeshua has an earthly Father in Joseph, a lowly carpenter. If the authorities do not know him personally, at least they know about him. However, the Lord’s reference is not to His earthly Father, but to His heavenly Father: You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also (John 8:20; 14:7). Consider the great Shema, Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). [13] Yeshua and His Father are One; far from loving the LORD, these authorities know neither the Father nor His Son. How can they love God with all their heart, soul and strength?

Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come” (John 8:21). Clearly, the Judean authorities can go to Yeshua’s earthly home, but as unbelievers, they cannot go to His heavenly home. Juxtapose this warning to the comfort He gives His disciples: I go and prepare a place for you… that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:1-4). Ironically, the rulers will die in their sin for in their brilliance they foolishly war against the One giving them the Word of God and the One sent to fulfill it... the One promising them eternal life.

Will He kill Himself, because He says, “Where I go you cannot come” (John 8:22)?

Casting aspersions on key witnesses remains one of the most common tactics employed by lawyers and other adversaries.

8:23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

8:24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:23-24)

The authorities slander Yeshua by questioning whether He intends to commit suicide. Truly, they are from beneath; nevertheless, Our Lord responds with lovingkindness, believe that I am He… the Giver of the God’s Word and Israel’s Spirit-filled Messiah who fulfills the Scripture… the One who has come to keep you from dying in your sins … the One who promises eternal life.

Who are you(John 8:25)?

By asking Him who He is, the Judean authorities imply that Yeshua’s words reveal cognitive dissonance; surely You do not think You are who You say You are, so who are You really? Do You even know who You are? [14]

Yeshua does not suffer cognitive dissonance. Though He has articulated clearly who He is from the very beginning (John 8:25), has many thing to say and to judge concerning them, and speaks to the world those things whichHe heard from His Father (John 8:26), His persecutors simply do not know Him.

Again, Yeshua clarifies who He is for both the Judean authorities and crowd by returning to familiar themes.

8:28 “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He , and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.

8:29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”

8:30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.

(John 8:28-30; underlining added)

Imagine the effect on Nicodemus and his disciples, themselves Judean authorities, as they reflect back on Yeshua’s authoritative yet gracious correction of their teacher and His apologia designed to persuade them of His promise of eternal life. Just as He showed lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:24) towards them, so too He shows His Father’s delight in His words to the Judean authorities. Despite their dark malevolent behavior, the Father has not left Yeshua alone, for He always does those things that please Him (John 8:29); afterall, He is the Son who glories in the perfect understanding and knowledge of His Father (Jeremiah 9:24). Truly, Yeshua is the sent One of God, the Son of Man who, when lifted up, takes away the sin of the world including the sin of the Judean authorities who disparage Him.

The Judean authorities’ actions and words fail to dim the light of God’s Menorah; far from suffering from cognitive dissonance, the light of the world (John 8:12) speaks God’s Word with perfect power and authority in the midst of a dark temple, and many believe in Him (John 8:30). Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:31-32). Those who believe in Yeshua have life in His name and need not walk in darkness with the Judean authorities; they have the light of life , eternal life, within them; they need only abide in His Word. Indeed, Yeshua is the light of the world who promises thatHe who followsHimshall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life—eternal life (John 8:12)!

We are Abraham’s Descendants(John 8:33); Abraham is our Father (John 8:39); We were not born of fornication (John 8:41).

By asserting who they are as Abraham’s children, the authorities seek to impress upon the crowd their authority and the righteousness of their inquiry while questioning the legitimacy of Yeshua’s promise to those who believe in Him. We are Abraham’s descendants , and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, “You will be made free” (John 8:33; underlining added)?This defensive strategy cannot hide the sinfulness of the authorities’ words and deeds and their need for a Savior.

The beginning of John 8:33, They answered Him, troubles many commentators especially if the they refers to those who just three verses earlier believed in Yeshua (John 8:30, 31). Indeed, the voice of those answering back in verse 8:33 clearly remains that of the unbelieving Judean authorities. Have these authorities or rulers suddenly believed in Yeshua, but in a spurious and untrustworthy manner? Or, are those who believe in Yeshua (John 8:30, 31) an audience distinct from the unbelieving Judean authorities?

One of the clues resides in John 8:30, As He spoke these words,many (πολλοὶ) believed in Him (underling added). The Apostle John uses the expression many believed in Him several times in His gospel account (John 4:39, 7:31, 8:30, 10:42, 11:47 and 12:42), but not until John 11:47 and 12:42 does the text explicitly state, even among the rulers many believed (John 12:42). In light of the earlier strong opposition to Yeshua, Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? (John 7:48), why should you and I imagine that one day later the many referred to in John 8:30 are rulers or Judean authorities? If many rulers believe, then what is the size of the group remaining in opposition to Yeshua? Are you and I to imagine the they in John 8:33 represents a highly vocal minority within the rulers? If many of the rulers already believe in Yeshua (John 8:30), then why would the Apostle John wait until after Lazarus’ resurrection to reveal such an important state of affairs? Nevertheless, scholars often insist that the many are Judean authorities or rulers. How so?

In John 2:23, the expression many believed in His name is frequently linked to an untrustworthy spurious faith. According to this kind of thinking, if Nicodemus exemplifies untrustworthy faith (John 2:24-3:2), then those authorities believing in John 8:30 reveal this same kind of untrustworthy faith(John 8:33). [15]

Ironically, the response to Yeshua differs greatly between Nicodemus and his fellow Judean authorities. Nicodemus sought clarification as a newly born again believer— who, as the teacher of Israel, desired his disciples to hear directly from Yeshua. In marked contrast, the Judean authorities relentlessly seek clarification as unbelievers determined to undermine Yeshua and His ministry before the people (λαὸς).

As noted in a previous article, believing in His name expresses genuine, not spurious faith. [16] Yeshua does not entrust Himself to newly born again believers, but instead invites them to abide in His word in order to mature and experience freedom from sin. Correctly understood, the expression many believed in His name makes unlikely the idea that the many in John 8:30 are Judean authorities and more likely, the many are composed of newly born again believers mostly among the crowd—and if among the rulers, then perhaps smaller groups like Nicodemus and his disciples.

The referent or antecedent defining many in verses 8:30-31 is not the nearer one in John 8:33, but the clearer one logically inferred and directly referred to in John 7:31-32, 40-41, 49, and 8:2, the people (λαὸς) or crowd (ὄχλου). Likewise, regarding the referent for they in verse 8:33, Bob Wilkin writes:

The third person plural pronoun in They answered Him looks to the far antecedent in vv 13, 19, 22, 25, and 27. Basically the whole chapter—except for the excursus of vv 30-32—deals with Judeans opposed to Jesus and seeking to kill Him. [17]

Again as Wilkin rightly notes, the clearer referent or antecedent takes precedent over the nearer one.

When Yeshua responds to those declaring themselves descendants of Abraham (John 8:33), He addresses a separate group from those He encourages to abide in His word (John 8:31-32). The former group has yet to believe, while the latter group has just believed. Likewise, the freedom Yeshua promises is the believer’s freedom from sin and carnality. If whoever commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34) and a slave does not abide in the house forever(John 8:35), how does He make those who believe in Him free?

The Son makes you free from sin through His Word. As the Giver of God’s Word and Israel’s Spirit-filled Messiah, Yeshua speaks with perfect power and authority: He has perfect power and authority to promise eternal life to the unbeliever; He has perfect power and authority to deliver the believer who abides in His word. Instead of believing in Yeshua, the Judean authorities seek His life because His word has no place in them (John 8:37). Unless unbelievers become persuaded of the truth of Yeshua’s Word or promise to them, they remain dead in their sins and eternally condemned. Unless the believers abide in His Word—though born again and not subject to eternal condemnation—they experience the death-like consequences of sin. Yeshua is the Son of God, the Giver of His Word and Israel’s Spirit-filled Messiah, who delivers both unbelievers and believers according to His Word. He speaks what He has seen with His Father; sadly, the rulers do what they have seen with their father (John 8:38).

Though Judean authorities assert that Abraham is their father (John 8:39), Yeshua warns them of their hypocrisy:

8:39 If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.

8:40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.

8:41 You do the deeds of your father. (John 8:39-41; underlining added)

Casting aspersions now turns into outright character assassination as they respond: We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God (John 8:41). Unlike Yeshua, they were not born of fornication, is a clear reference to Mary’s conception prior to being married to Joseph.

True, the Judean authorities have one father, but the God of Abraham is not their father.

8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.

8:43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. (John 8:42-43; underlining added)

Imagine the crowd listening to the harsh demeaning words of the Judean authorities directed to Yeshua, and yet as the Sent One of the Father, He remains unflappable and restrained in His response, demonstrating lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness , all while speaking the Word of God with perfect power and authority, all to the delight of His Father (Jeremiah 9:24).

Nonetheless, the legalism and lies the Judean authorities believe about themselves, along with Satan’s deception, must be exposed. If there is any hope of reaching them with the good news, then grace and truth must come together.

8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

(John 8:44; underlining added)

Perhaps, you and I may recall our Lord’s poignant rebuke of Peter: Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men (Matthew 16:23). Even a born again believer and one entrusted with the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:16-19) can—as a lowly disciple—become a pawn of Satan, especially when mindful of the things of men and not God. How much more so the Judean authorities, who ruling over Israel, are daily consumed by the concerns of men.

Surely, Yeshua’s words call to mind the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and how Eve was deceived by the serpent. Imagine, what a fateful day for the crowd and the Judean authorities; beginning in the early morning with the accusation against the woman caught in adultery and then with the resumption of their attack on Yeshua, the Judean authorities reveal who their real father is. Alas, despite their brilliance, like Adam and Eve, the rulers of Israel have been caught up in legalism… Satan has deafened and blinded them to the words of their Messiah.

If only the authorities had listened to their temple guards: No man ever spoke like this Man (John 7:46)!If only they had listened to one of their own, Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing (John 7:51)?

8:45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.

8:46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth , why do you not believe Me? (John 8:45-46; underlining added)

Though they demean the crowd that does not know the law as accursed (John 7:49), the Judean authorities remain blind to the One who has given them the very Scripture they so greatly extol, the One who tells them the truth with perfect power and authority tempered with the perfect balance of lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness . He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God (John 8:47; underlining added). Yeshua speaks the very Word of God, yet those leading the nation of Israel cannot hear Him. They are most certainly not the children of the God of Abraham. Satan has their ear.

Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon (John 8:48, 52)?

The authorities confuse the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit with demon possession and accuse Yeshua with having the biblical literacy of a Samaritan (John 8:48).

8:49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.

8:50 And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.

8:51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” (John 8:49-51; underlining added)

And how does Yeshua honor His Father and not seek His own glory? By manifesting a perfect harmony of lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness for in these things His Father delights (Jeremiah 9:24). In the face of persecution, He speaks the Word of God and promises with perfect assurance, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death. [18] Anyone includes the Judean authorities who seek Yeshua’s life. Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death . (John 8:52). In their cleverness and haste to call Him demon-possessed, they deny the very Word of God—Messiah’s promise to them of eternal life.

Are You greater than our Father Abraham? Who do You make Yourself out to be (John 8:53)?

The Judeans now return to the familiar theme of cognitive dissonance. Logically, Yeshua claims to be greater than Abraham; surely He does not think He is who He says He is, Who do You make Yourself out to be(John 8:53)?

8:54 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.

8:55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, “I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.

8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” (John 8:54-56; underlining added)

Deaf to Yeshua’s words, the authorities fail to pick up on His eternality: You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham(John 8:57)? Yeshua now confirms what was so obvious the day before to the temple guards; No man ever spoke like this Man (John 7:46); the One who speaks to the rulers is the One True And Eternal God, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM(John 8:58; Exodus 3:14).

Throughout a long morning into mid-day, before a large crowd composed of the Judean authorities and ordinary people, Yeshua has now spoken the Word of God with perfect power and authority tempered with lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness . During this time many of the people and possibly even some of the Judean authorities believed in Him (John 8:30-31), but what is the response of the majority of rulers who continue warring with Yeshua? Despite all His efforts as the Giver of the Scriptures and Israel’s Spirit-filled Messiah to persuade them of good news,they took up stones to throw at Him(John 8:59). As if to confirm all that He previously said, miraculously Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by (John 8:59). His time had not yet come.

I Am the Light of the World

Although He leaves the temple under threat for His life, Yeshua continues to reach out to the leaders of Israel with yet another sign, one that only Messiah can perform, healing a man born blind (John 9:32-33). [19]

9:1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.

9:2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1-2)

The disciples consider blindness a curse brought on by the sin of either the man or his parents, but Yeshua reveals: Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him (John 9:3).

This man born blind will soon be Yeshua’s seeing ambassador to the Judean authorities, who—themselves, brought forth from their mother’s wombs seeing—remain blind to the Christ, the Son of God. Although untrained in the Law, this man will stand before Israel’s greatest legal minds and under intense scrutiny represent Yeshua. This man born into darkness will witness to the light of the world (John 9:15, 25) without a scintilla of partiality... without formally knowing Yeshua as the Son of God (John 9:35-38).

9:4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world .”

(John 9:4-5; underlining added)

And, how does Yeshua do the works of Him who sent Him, but by continuing to pursue and draw the Judean authorities with the utterly miraculous good news of a man born blind gaining his sight… again, a sign only Messiah can perform.

Conclusion

Previously, Yeshua concluded His time with the woman caught in adultery by admonishing her without judgment, declaring, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life (John 8:12) . Now in the person of a lowly blind man, our Lord concludes his apologia to the Judean authorities by sending forth a willing ambassador to present good news and a definitive Messianic calling card. How will the man fare? Will the Pharisees exercise lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness ? Do they understand and know the Father and His Son? The love of God looks like something; it looks like compassion for a woman entrapped in an ungodly scheme and a man born blind seeing for the first time; it looks like Yeshua, the light of the world continuing to pursue the unbelieving Judean authorities with the good news.

Yeshua’s love for the Judean authorities, who seek His life, remains one of the greatest examples of God’s lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:24) and an essential part of His larger apologia as the One who speaks the Word of God and fulfills it perfectly in His promise of eternal life. Whoever believes in Yeshua and His promise of eternal life has what He promises, eternal life. Despite their malevolent intentions, “whoever” includes the Judean authorities.

1)Israel’s most brilliant and noted scholars continue their legalistic attack upon Yeshua, even after He definitively demonstrates who He is as both the Giver of God’s Word and Israel’s Spirit-filled Messiah (John 7:53-8:12), This only confirms further the bankruptcy of that generation of Israel’s leadership.

2)The Judean authorities or rulers mimic the same legalism Satan used to separate Adam and Eve from God. Their efforts to undermine Israel’s Messiah reflect Satan’s larger design and provide the dark contrast necessary for many to weigh Yeshua’s apologia, I am the light of the world , and believe on Him and His promise of eternal life.

3)Accounting for the Judean authorities’ failure to discern Israel’s Messiah remains an essential element and watermark of authenticity in the apostles’ witness to early first century Jews and Gentiles.

As Yeshua demonstrates, glorifying God oftentimes requires being a determined and persistent light in the midst of darkness. Thankfully, He promises, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life —eternal life (John 8:12).

Application

Yeshua is the perfect God/Man, Israel’s Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God who speaks the very Word of God with perfect power and authority. He is the giver of His Word and that Word is the Word of His Father that you and I know as the Scriptures. When we share the Gospel of John, we share the very Word He has given us to bring forth eternal life in others. We share a perfect witness that can never return void!

1)In His person and ministry, He is both the Giver of His Word and the Spirit-filled Messiah who fulfills His Word with perfect lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness . He promises life in His name to whoever believes in Him, including the Judean authorities who seek His life. We should share His promise with the “whoevers” He brings into our lives.

2)Those we share with do not always respond positively to the light of the world and the light of life within us (John 8:12). If Yeshua experienced outright rejection for His witness to the Judean authorities, then might you and I expect rejection when witnessing to those caught up in spiritual darkness? Absolutely, the challenge of following Yeshua’s example is how to witness effectively and glory in the lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness of our Lord (Jeremiah 9:24).

3)While imprisoned in Rome, the Apostle Paul writes: For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me (Philippians 1:29-30). Clearly, neither Yeshua nor Paul held themselves hostage to a positive response to the good news. Likewise, when suffering comes into our lives, you and I must not lose hope in the power and authority of God’s promise to bring forth life in our Savior’s name... even under the most impossible of circumstances conviction of His grace and truth will rule the day. Truly, His Word never returns to Him void (Isaiah 55:11).

The Giver of His Word, our Spirit-filled Messiah is good. The promise of eternal life comes from the same One who with the finger of God gave us not merely the Law, but the whole of God’s Word. Yeshua never fails His promise!

Appendix A: Turning From the Grace of God to the Law

Ironically, though the Bible has much to say about “legalism,” the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures never once use the word “legalism”. Merriam Webster’s defines legalism as “strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code.” [20] Biblically, what constitutes “strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law?”

You and I might summarize Psalm One in this manner: The one who is blessed does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the path of sinners , or sit in the seat of the of scornful, but instead delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night (Psalm 1:1-2). As a result, he prospers like a tree planted by the rivers of water (Psalm 1:3). In contrast to the man God blesses, the ungodly do not do the aforementioned things and are like the chaff which the wind drives away standing neither in the judgment nor the congregation of the righteous (Psalm 1:4-5 ). For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish (Psalm 1:6). This psalm is properly considered a wisdom psalm. Lest the Godly man described in this psalm be considered a legalist, what is subjectively considered “strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law” cannot in itself define legalism.

Knowing what legalism cannot be helps us discover a serviceable definition. For the moment, let us assume the ungodly man described in Psalm One is licentious in his behavior. In the New Testament, verse 4 of Jude warns of, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ . The Greek word (ἀσέλγειαν) translated lewdness is a synonym for licentiousness.

Licentiousness: Ungodly men turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Legalism: Ungodly men turn the grace of our God into legalism and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Licentiousness and legalism are polar opposites of the fleshly response to sin composed of two key elements. Ungodly men do two things: 1) they turn the grace of our God into either lewdness or legalism and 2) they deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, a serviceable definition: Legalism is the act or sin of turning from the grace of God to the law and denying God and His Son Yeshua .

In marked contrast to Old Testament saints, Christians are permanently indwelled with the Holy Spirit. When confronting licentiousness or legalism, the Holy Spirit lifts us out of the mire of our flesh and secures our victory through His ongoing ministry of conviction and filling. Our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin (Romans 6:5-6). Like our brother Paul, we must reckon ourselves dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord(Romans 6:11). Like our brother John, we must confess our sins and know that He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-10). Our victory is in Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit’s ministry to us.

Appendix B: The Promise of Eternal Life

Few things reveal Israel’s Messiah as definitively as Yeshua’s promise of life in His name or eternal life. Throughout the Old Testament, eternal life underpins God’s promise of a Messianic kingdom. Simply put, without life, no Old Testament saint participates in this coming kingdom; God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. So clearly implied throughout the Scripture is this promise, not to infer and believe it personally is tantamount to unbelief. Let us consider the faith of three Old Testament saints, Job, Abraham, and David in God for eternal life.

Beginning with Job, even prior to the Abrahamic covenant, you and I find a personal belief in everlasting life the foundation of Job’s comfort.

19:23 “Oh, that my words were written!

Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!

19:24 That they were engraved on a rock

With an iron pen and lead, forever!

19:25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,

And He shall stand at last on the earth;

19:26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,

That in my flesh I shall see God,

19:27 Whom I shall see for myself,

And my eyes shall behold, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:23-27)

In the midst of all his suffering, Job finds comfort not in his family, friends or even himself, but in the sure personal knowledge that his Redeemer lives . Clearly, Job believes he possesses life beyond his physical death and that he will live that life in the very presence of God Himself: How my heart yearns within me!

Considered the father of the Jewish people, Abraham needed an heir in order to secure the promises God had made to him. Imagine, the deep spiritual challenge he faces when God commands: Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you (Genesis 22:2). When Isaac asks where the offering is Abraham replies : My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering (Genesis 22:8). Only after the Angel of the Lord commands Abraham to stop does the father of the Jewish people cease from offering the life of his only son and heir, Isaac. The author of Hebrews reveals the source of Abraham’s confidence:

11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

11:18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”

11:19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. (Hebrews 11:17-19)

Clearly, Abraham believed God would resurrect His son Isaac. And if resurrection, then eternal life in the kingdom God promised Abraham… for God is not the God of the dead, but of the living… Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Known as a man after God’s own heart, death chased King David as he penned this very famous Psalm:

23:1 The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

23:2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

23:3 He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever. (Psalm 23:1-6)

King David wants for nothing because the Lord is his shepherd who tends to his every need… ultimately leading the King in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake . Likened to a shadow, death is an ever-present companion to the King; however, walking through the valley of the shadow of death he fears no evil for David knows the presence of His shepherd through the comfort of His rod and staff. Even in the presence of the King’s enemies who long for his death, David is comforted and blessed: You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over . And, where is King David’s astounding confidence anchored, but in the LORD Himself. Goodness and mercy(the Hebrew word חֶ֣סֶד transliterated chesed) shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever . Clearly, King David personally believed he would live eternally in the presence of his LORD.

Despite these examples of faith from key biblical figures, who so assiduously infer and believe in the promise of everlasting life, the Father entrusts His Son Yeshua with the power and authority to overtly declare or herald His promise of eternal life. That He promises life in His name reveals Yeshua as the Christ, the Son of God as surely as His crucifixion and resurrection (John 12:44-50). In this sense, Yeshua’s promise of eternal life is the fulfillment of the faith expectations of all the Old Testament saints like Job, Abraham, and David, just as the crucifixion and resurrection is the fulfillment of Israel’s sacrificial system. Both decisively reveal Yeshua as the Christ, the Son of God.

[1] The word l ovingkindness is a translation of the Hebrew word transliterated “chesed.” Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1982).

2 Taking seriously, John 8:2, Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him… , reveals the presence of the crowd. The Judean authorities were an audience within a larger audience and desperate to sway the crowds away from Yeshua.

[3] See Appendix A.

[4] The Apostle Paul summarizes the foolishness of legalism: “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men. These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh (Colossian 2:21-23).

[5] In marked contrast, upon discovering his future bride was with child, Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly (Matthew 1:19).

[6] Though not explicitly promised, eternal life and resurrection remain at the core of what Old Testament saints believed regarding Messiah and His kingdom. See Appendix B.

[7] https://enwikipeidia.org/wiki/Inclusio . “In biblical studies, inclusio is a literary device based on a concentric principle, also known as bracketing or an envelope structure, which consists of creating a frame by placing similar material at the beginning and end of a section…”

[8] Merriam Webster’s defines apologia as “a defense esp. of one’s opinions, position or actions.” Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Eleventh Edition (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003), 58.

[9] For an outstanding exposition, see Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ha-Mashiahch: The Messiah of the Hebrew Scriptures (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 1998, 2019).

[10] Mark 16:16-18 reveals that all of Yeshua’s disciples struggle to believe in His resurrection.

[11]When Peter rebukes the Lord for revealing the necessity of the cross, Yeshua corrects him in like fashion: Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men (Matthew 16:23). Even His disciples could be deceived by Satan. If Peter struggled to receive Yeshua’s correction, then how will the rulers fare?

[12] Ironically the very thing that Yeshua does in diverting His attention away from the woman and her accusers to the Holy Spirit (hearing He does not hear and seeing He does not see) becomes a source of stumbling for the majority of the Judean authorities as they divert their attention away from Yeshua to Satan and their fellow Pharisees.

[13] Contrary to the understanding of the Judean authorities, the Great Shema reveals the essential plurality and compound unity of the Godhead. Fruchtenbaum reveals that the Hebrew word for God “Elohim” is plural. “The main argument… lies in the word ‘one,’ which is the Hebrew word ‘echad.’ A quick glance through the verses in the Hebrew text where this word is used will show that the word ‘echad’ does not mean an ‘absolute one,’ but a ‘compound one.’ For example, in Genesis 1:5, the combination of evening and morning comprise one [echad] day. In Genesis 2:24, a man and a woman come together in marriage, ‘and the two shall become one [echad] flesh.’ In Ezra 2:64, we are told that the whole assembly was one [echad], though of course, it was composed of numerous people. Ezekiel 37:17 provides a rather striking example where two sticks are combined to become one [echad].” Hebrew has a word “yachid” which means absolute oneness. “If Moses had intended to teach God’s absolute oneness, this would have been a far more appropriate word to have used.” Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ha-Mashiach: The Messiah of the Hebrew Scriptures , 5 ^th edition (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 1998, 2019), 118.

[14] First developed by psychologist Leon Festinger in the 1950s, “Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort a person feels when their behavior does not align with their values or beliefs” [http://www.medicalnewtoday.com/articles/326738].

[15] For example, according to D.A. Carson: “It seems wiser to observe that John has already introduced the theme of fickle faith. In 2:23, the many people who believed in His name when they saw the miraculous signs Jesus was doing turn out to have untrustworthy faith (2:24-25).” D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991), 347. J. Ramsey Michaels writes: “Their response is quite unexpected: ‘As he was speaking these things many believed in him’ (v. 30). We have heard this expression before, when Jesus first came to Jerusalem and ‘many believed in his name,’ and Jesus ‘would not entrust himself to them’ (2:23-24), and again at the Tent festival, when ‘many from the crowd believed in him’ (7:31), yet nothing much came of it, as their faith was dismissed as mere ‘murmuring’ (7:32).” J. Ramsey Michaels, The Gospel of John , The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 503.

[16] Frank Tyler, “John 3:16: An Evangelist’s Dilemma,” The True Vine Fellowship Journal 2022 (Carlsborg, WA: The True Vine Fellowship, 2022), 43-76. Both of the following verses use the expression: πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς:

2:23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name (πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ) when they saw the signs which He did. (John 2:23; underlining added)

8:30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him (πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν). (John 8:30; underlining added)

Now, consider John 1:12-13: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name (τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ) : who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Contrary to so many scholars, there is absolutely no difference between believing in Him (εἰς αὐτόν) and believing in His name (εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ).

[17] Bob N. Wilkin, “John,” The Grace New Testament Commentary, Revised Edition , ed. Robert N. Wilkin (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2010, 2019), 201.

[18] The Greek word translated keeps is τηρήσῃ. According to Bob Wilkin, “The verb keep… means to observe or in this context to accept.” Bob N. Wilkin, “John,” The Grace New Testament Commentary Revised Edition , 203. According to BDAG “ 3 to persist in obedience, keep, observe, fulfill, pay attention to.” Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Church Literature (BDAG), edited by Fredrick William Danker, 3 ^rd edition (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1002. To “keep” or “observe” His word is to believe His word and do what He prescribes in His word. Regarding Yeshua’s promise of eternal life, He has already offered the gift of eternal life freely without prescription (John 3:16, 4:10, 5:24, 6:47-48). In this sense to “pay attention to” is simply to “pay attention to” Yeshua’s promise of eternal life or believe the promise of eternal life.

[19] The Greek text reads: καὶ παρῆγεν οὕτως (John 8:59) καὶ παράγων (John 9:1) translated literally “and so passed by and passing by” A seamless temporal transition indicating the continuation of a long and grueling day. Please see Part Three in this series Appendix A for a discussion.

[20] Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Eleventh Edition (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003), 710.

By Frank Tyler

John 9:5-10:42

Introduction

John 9:5-10:21: Mid-Day—Evening

As you and I shall see in this third and last article in our series, As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world (John 9:5) sums up for Yeshua’s disciples both His previous ministry in the temple and His continuing ministry in an unnamed synagogue local to the environs of Jerusalem. The light of the world, God’s Menorah, loves the very ones who seek His life, the hardened unbelieving Judean authorities. He has sought them diligently with His Word (John 8:12-8:59), but now in the face of all the ongoing threats against His life, with a sign only Messiah could perform, Yeshua continues to reach out to the Judean authorities by healing a man born blind. [1]

Once healed, the man born blind becomes an ambassador of light and life—eternal life—reflecting Yeshua’s lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:24) to the Pharisees and rulers. How will they respond to their Messiah through the words of this most unlikely of ambassadors? Will their eyes and ears be opened to Messiah? Will the light of world penetrate the darkness of hardened unbelief?

John 10:22-42: Sixty-Two Days Later

Beginning in the early morning with the woman caught in adultery, the long and grueling day eventually draws to a close with the Judean authorities once again divided.

10:20 And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?”

10:21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” (John 10:20-21)

Nevertheless, the apologias and signs given by Yeshua on that long and grueling day, continue to percolate in minds and hearts of the Judean authorities 62 days later on the day of Dedication. If He so leads, are you and I willing to be shunned and cast out for sharing good news? If so, we may find our Lord’s witness continuing to fulfill its purpose days, weeks and even months later in those with whom we have shared.

A Miracle and Witness Reserved for Messiah

The Cruelty of Sin and Death

The time may be mid-day, but the cruelties of sin and death abound timelessly in a fallen world, no more transparently so, than in a child born with a serious birth defect.

9:1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.

9:2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1-2)

The disciples’ question reflects a common theological understanding: 1) the parent’s sin might be visited upon their child through a birth defect (Exodus 34:6-7), or 2) the fetus might have sinned while in the womb.

According to Pharisaic Judaism, at the point of conception, the fetus has two inclinations. In Hebrew, they are called yetzer hara, which means “the evil inclination,” and the yetzer hatov, “the good inclination.”… During that nine-month development within the womb of the mother, there is a struggle going on for control between the two inclinations. (If) at one point, the evil inclination got the better of the fetus; and, in a state of animosity or anger toward his mother, he kicked his mother in the womb. For this act of sin, this act of animosity, he was born blind. [2]

Yeshua corrects both of these misunderstandings and relates the man’s infirmity to His continuing work as the light of the world:

9:3 …“Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

9:4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world .”

(John 9:3-5; underlining added)

Not only will the man born without sight miraculously receive his sight, but he will also serve as Yeshua’s ambassador to the Pharisees and rulers of a local synagoguethat the works of God should be revealed in him.

The Wonder of Healing

No one had ever received sight after being born blind; healing this man is a Messianic miracle, a special and utterly definitive calling card. [3] The initial stir of the crowd rightly reveals their wonder.

9:8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”

9:9 Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.”

9:10 Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”

9:11 He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”

9:12 Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.”

Imagine this exchange among those witnessing the miracle. If fishermen from Galilee can know the theology of the Pharisees regarding birth defects, then might those witnessing this miracle know the teaching of the Pharisees regarding miracles only Messiah could perform? Indeed! Imagine the anticipation and excitement when witnessing the wonder of a man born-blind seeing for the first time. That a great act of compassion and healing has taken place among them stirs the crowd to seek authentication from those whose leadership they rely on: They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees (John 9:13). Could the One who healed the formerly blind man be their long-awaited Messiah?

An Interrogation—not a Celebration

The healing of the man born blind should be a source of celebration and praise for God’s mercy and more importantly an authentication of Yeshua as Messiah. Glory to God! A man born blind has been healed? Hallelujah! Messiah is here!!! How will the authorities respond?

Perhaps a few of these Pharisees had failed to witness some of Yeshua’s many signs, yet surely they heard reports from their colleagues; perhaps, some of these Pharisees had not heard Him preach the message of eternal life, yet surely they had heard His words through colleagues like Nicodemus and if not this teacher of Israel himself, then his disciples.

9:14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.

9:15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”

9:16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God,

because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “ How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them .

(John 9:14-16; underlining added)

So powerful and definitive is this Messianic miracle that it causes an immediate division among them: How can a man who is a sinner do such signs ?” What will it take to open the eyes of the leadership to the One True God and His Messiah?

The inquiry continues filled with innuendos and doubt, all without a scintilla of rejoicing for a man who had lived his life, up until Yeshua’s intercession, living in darkness while begging on the streets.

9:17 They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

9:18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. (John 9:17-18; underlining added)

Imagine the humiliation of this man witnessing to the truth of his miraculous healing only to have His parents called forth by the leadership of Israel in hopes of contradicting his testimony. Imagine parents so fearful of being cast out of the synagogue that when verifying that the man is indeed their son, they fail to openly rejoice in his healing (John 9:19-21). Imagine leaders so prejudiced against Yeshua that they remain set upon condemnation regardless of the evidence, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue (John 9:22; underlining added). The blind man may see, but darkness—not joy—abounds.

In the healing of the man born blind, the Pharisees have ample reason to glorify God, but instead they command the absurd: Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner (John 9:24). Arnold Fruchtenbaum rightly notes, “This is not something to praise God for. It is a sad thing when people commit specific acts of sin.” [4] So prejudiced is the leadership that even the formerly blind man, acting as an ambassador for Yeshua, is forced to correct the Judean authorities.

9:25 He answered and said, “ Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

9:26 Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”

9:27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” (John 9:25-27; underlining added)

Once again, the Pharisees fail to judge righteously (John 7:21-24) and remain deaf even to the words of this ambassador.

What ought to have been a time of rejoicing in the goodness and mercy of God in healing the man born blind and in confirming Yeshua as Messiah is now mired in senseless legalism: 1) Yeshua performed this definitive Messianic miracle on the Sabbath; 2) Only sinners perform work on the Sabbath; therefore, 3) Messiah is a sinner.

9:28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples.

9:29 We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.” (John 9:28-29; underlining added)

The man born blind becomes righteously indignant and openly rebukes the Pharisees for their calloused behavior and astonishing blindness.

9:30 … “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!

9:31 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.

9:32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.

9:33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

Unfettered by legalism, the man born blind knows his healing is a miraculous sign only Israel’s Messiah can perform: Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind (John 9:32). Though he has yet to set eyes on Yeshua personally, he already believes in Him as Messiah.

The Curse of Cherem

Yeshua’s ambassador presents his healing as a definitive calling card; How will the Judean authorities conclude their interrogation? They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out (John 9:34; underlining added).

Dr. Fruchtenbaum describes the meaning of being cast out as excommunication. At the least, it means “hezipah… a rebuke that lasted anywhere from seven to thirty days;” for a more serious judgment, a niddui is issued for a minimum of thirty days. [5] For the most serious offense, a cherem is executed:

The third and worst type of excommunication is called the cherem, which means to be “un-synagogued.” To “be put out of the synagogue and to be separated from the Jewish community.” The rest of the Jews considered someone under the cherem curse to be dead, and no communication or any kind of relationship whatsoever could be carried on with the person. [6]

According to Fruchtenbaum, the expression be put out of the synagogue (John 9:22) reveals that the rulers placed this man under the curse of cherem for confessing Yeshua as Christ.

From the darkness and isolation of being born blind—to the briefest of public celebrations for his miraculous healing and discovery of Messiah—to being an ambassador and faithful witness to the truth of Yeshua’s Messiahship… he must now face the wrath of his interrogators who, rather than celebrate God’s goodness and mercy, condemn him to the darkness and isolation of cherem.

The Judean authorities’ reign of terror over God’s flock contrasts starkly with God’s Menorah, the light of the world (John 8:12, 9:5) the One who delights in lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:24).

9:35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

9:36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”

9:37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.”

9:38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.

(John 9:35-38; underlining added)

Cast out of the synagogue into the waiting arms of His Lord and Savior, the man born blind sees, believes in, and openly worships the Son of God.

An Open and Necessary Rebuke

Judgment and Righteousness

Though His lovingkindness or chesed seemingly knows no bounds, as God, Yeshua must also exercise judgment and righteousness; He must correct the Pharisees for their calloused and arrogant treatment of the man, his parents and those who witnessed the man’s interrogation. Afterall, God has entrusted these leaders to shepherd His flock.

9:39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”

9:40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?”

9:41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

(John 9:39-41)

The man born blind now sees; the Pharisees and rulers, who see, have been made blind by their own spiritual intransigency… and knowingly so; therefore He reminds them that they see and their sin remains.

The Cost of Legalism

You and I might expect Yeshua to render a very harsh judgment against these rulers. From their false teaching regarding those with birth defects, to their calloused and harsh treatment of the man and his parents, to their refusal to acknowledge Him as Messiah, to their decision to excommunicate anyone who identifies with Yeshua—their penchant for legalism has cost them and those entrusted to their care dearly. They have failed miserably in their opportunity to serve as shepherds of God’s flock. Thankfully, Yeshua’s righteousness exceeds all expectations as He continues to reach out in love to Israel’s leadership.

First things first. The Pharisees must understand their failure in light of their treatment of the man born blind.

10:1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber (Satan).

10:2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep (Yeshua).

10:3 To him the doorkeeper (the Father) opens, and the sheep (the man born blind) hear his voice (Yeshua, the shepherd of the sheep); and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

10:4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

10:5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger (Pharisees), but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers (Pharisees).”

10:6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. (John 10:1-6; underlining added)

Satan is a thief and robber; God the Father is the doorkeeper ; Yeshua is the shepherd of the sheep; the man born blind represents the sheep who hear Yeshua’s voice and follow Him; the Pharisees are strangers whose voice the sheep do not know. Yeshua’s illustration summarizes the events and characters involved in the Pharisee’s interrogation of the man born blind.

Sadly, their entrenched legalism proves so costly they did not understand the things which He spoke to them (John 10:6).

Another Explanation and Invitation for Anyone to Enter

After a long and grueling day beginning at the crack of dawn with the Judean authorities’ senseless endangerment of the woman caught in adultery, you and I might all too reasonably kick the dust off our feet in exasperation and move on. Not so Yeshua. The deep abiding love or lovingkindness (chesed) of God looks like something as He once again pursues the Pharisees.

10:7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep (Yeshua).

10:8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers (Satan and his minions), but the sheep (God’s flock) did not hear them.

10:9 I am the door (Yeshua). If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

10:10 The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

10:11 “ I am the good shepherd (Yeshua). The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

10:12 But a hireling (Pharisees), he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf (the enemy of the sheep, Satan/Rome) coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

10:13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.

10:14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. (John 10:7-14; underlining added)

The Father remains the doorkeeper, but now Yeshua casts Himself as the door of the sheep. Satan and his minions remain thieves and robbers . The sheep are God’s flock represented by the woman caught in adultery, the man born blind, his parents and the crowds. Satan is the thief; Yeshua, the good shepherd; the Pharisees, hirelings ; lastly, the wolf , the enemy of the sheep in particular Rome. Can the rich history of shepherding in Israel and its metaphorical use within the Bible, bring these Pharisees to understand their failure?

Surely, Yeshua’s words evoke the woes pronounced upon Israel’s shepherds by the Prophet Ezekiel: The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them (Ezekiel 34:4; underlining added). The Pharisees and other Judean authorities rule over Israel not as shepherds, but as hirelings dependent on and in fear of Rome. They do not rejoice in the healing of the paralytic (John 5:1-9), show compassion on the woman caught in adultery, or glorify God for the man born blind (John 9:1-7), but instead, as hirelings, with force and cruelty they ruleover God’s flock. Afterall, the woman was caught in adultery, both of the miraculous healings were performed in violation of their Sabbath laws, and worse yet, the man born blind openly acknowledges and defends Yeshua, the One they condemn as a sinner.Small wonder that in the face of such legalism and cruelty, God’s flock scatters and flees into the diaspora… So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered (Ezekiel 34:5).

Astoundingly, Yeshua continues to invite the Judean authorities to enter in by Him: If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture (John10:9; underlining added). Anyone includes those who have just cast out the man born blind from the synagogue… that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Emphatically, as Yeshua’s continued pursuit of them reveals, the Judean authorities, Pharisees, and rulers, who fail so miserably in shepherding God’s flock… who flee in the face of Rome and instead seek to kill the good shepherd (John 11:45-50), can both know and be known by their Messiah (John 10:14). Oh, the bottomless depths of God’s great love, His judgment, and His righteousness!

The Power to Lay Down His Life and Take It Again

Who will rescue God’s sheep? Who will deliver them from their dispirited and lost estate? Only Yeshua: As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep (John 10:15).

10:16 And other sheep (Jews in the diaspora; John 11:51-52)) I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

10:17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.

10:18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

(John 10:16-18; underlining added)

Yeshua is the Father’s Son and Israel’s Messiah who alone has power to lay down His life and then take it up again. It is hard to imagine these Pharisees and rulers unfamiliar with the Messianic overtones of Yeshua’s words. Consider the Prophet Ezekiel:

34:12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.

34:13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.

(Ezekiel 34:1-3; underlining added)

According to the Prophet Jeremiah, God’s flock—so badly scattered—will be regathered to their own land by none other than Messiah, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS (Jeremiah 23:1-8). And, what is the response, but division again among the Judeans (John 10:19).

10:20 And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?”

10:21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

(John 10:19-21)

The One who has the supernatural power to both lay down and take up His life offers freely the gift of eternal life and life more abundantly to hirelings without ears to hear Him, to those who would just as likely kill Him to preserve their place with Rome (John 11:47-53).

The Fruit of a Perfect Promise

A Continuing Apologia

The Apostle John provides a time marker (John 10:22) to remind his readers that the long day, which began with the accusations against the woman caught in adultery, has finally drawn to a close. From the Feast of Tabernacles to the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22) 62 days [7] transpire, but curiously Yeshua’s previous signs and apologia to the Pharisees continue to peak their curiosity.

10:24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly .”

10:25 Jesus answered them, “ I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.

(John 10:22-25; underlining added)

That Yeshua picks up upon the theme from His previous apologia I am the good shepherd , reveals that the dialogue between the Judean authorities and their Messiah has remained both active and, as you and I will soon learn, productive.

10:26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.

10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

10:28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

10:29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

10:30 I and My Father are one.”

(John 10:26-30; underlining added)

That Yeshua says you are not of My sheep… My sheep hear my voice (John 10:16-27) reflects a larger truth He has already revealed to the Pharisees: Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word (John 8:43)… He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God (John 8:47). Yeshua knows His sheep and they know Him and follow Him. [8] To the sheep Yeshua giveseternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of(His) hand (John 10:28).

The Response of a Loving God

The reaction of the Judean authorities to stone the Son of God should not surprise us (John 10:31), but His response must.

10:32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

10:33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “ For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” (John 10:32-33; underlining added)

Ironically, the Pharisees’ own theology recognizes that only Messiah can heal a man born blind. After quoting Scripture to dispense with their accusation of blasphemy (John 10:34-36), Yeshua appeals to them to believe:

10:37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;

10:38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him .”

(John 10:37-38; underlining added)

Once again, the response of a loving God remains utterly breathtaking: The Judean authorities accuse the Son of God of blasphemy and seek to stone Him; in turn, He graciously, but definitively, corrects their accusation from Scripture and then beseeches them to believe based, if not upon His Words, then upon His works that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him (John 10:38). Not a scintilla of hatred, scorn, or pride surface in Yeshua’s appeal to save the Judeans. He is the light of the world (John 8:12 and 9:5) who delights in lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:24)!

Many Believed in Him

The Judean authorities respond to God’s love and grace by attempting to seize Yeshua, but He departs beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed (John 10:40). Miraculously, Yeshua’s ministry was not in vain:

10:41 Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.”

10:42 And many believed in Him there.

(John 10:41-42; underlining added)

In the most unlikely of places and under the most improbable of circumstances, many followed after Yeshua beyond the Jordan and believed in Him. We might reasonably speculate that some were Pharisees and rulers. [9]

Conclusion

John 9:5-10:24: evening to 62 Days Later

Throughout a long and grueling day of ministry—beginning in the early morning, when confronted by the Judean authorities who purposefully jeopardize the life of a woman caught in adultery in order to publicly undermine His ministry, to the conclusion of the day when Yeshua blesses the man born blind with sight that the works of God may be manifest in him as an ambassador for Messiah—the Lamb of God (John 1:29), tested and true, has been found free of spot or blemish. Regarding His apologias, the light of the world shines brightly; the door remains open for all to enter and be saved; the good shepherd shepherds God’s flock, even the most troublesome of the flock, with perfect lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness , You and I may now conclude this three part series.

Jeremiah 9:24: Three Part Series

Yeshua’s interactions with the Judean authorities are often accounted as an extended series of arguments and discourses. Nothing could be farther from the truth. God does not argue or contend, but speaks His Word with perfect power and authority. He is the light of the world, the door , and the good shepherd… the Son who glorifies His Father by relentlessly pursuing even the most hardened unbelievers with both apologias and signs demonstrating His lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness .

Yeshua is the Son who with the finger of God speaks the Word of God; He is the Spirit Filled Messiah who fulfills the Word of God perfectly. The dark malevolent motives and actions of the Judean authorities contrast vividly with the Son of God who openly glorifies and delights His Father:

But let him who glories glory in this,

That he understands and knows Me,

That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.

For in these I delight,” says the LORD.

(Jeremiah 9:24)

The Son alone has perfect understanding and knowledge of His Father and tirelessly exercises a perfect balance of lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness both in word and deed under the most trying of circumstances.

If this were just one exceptionally long and grueling day of ministry, you and I would be awed, as well His disciples no doubt were, but consider that this one day is not the exception, but rather the norm in a ministry spanning three years. Remember, Nicodemus and his disciples visited at night following Yeshua’s long day of ministry in the temple (John 2:23 through 3:21); the Samaritan woman drew water for a tired and thirsty Messiah determined to share living water with her and the whiten fields of men from Sychar (John 4:3-42); likewise, Yeshua fed a crowd of 5000 men with their women and children after a long day of ministry, continued into the evening with prayer, and then walked through a storm on the sea of Galilee to deliver His disciples and their boat safely to Capernaum (John 6:1-21). According to Yeshua, Foxes haveholes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head (Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58). The disciples observed Yeshua intimately for over three years navigate a relentless ministry schedule without sin, without flaw, without excuse, but with perfect lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness . Yeshua declares, He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him (John 8:29; underlining added). Again, you and I witness our Lord’s miraculous ministry through the eyes and ears of His apostles, a three-year-long ministry utterly routine for Him as the Christ, the Son of God.

Yeshua and His Father are One; He is the Christ, the Son of God who gives life in His name to those who believe in Him and His promise of eternal life. And, to believers who possess His perfect assurance of eternal life, the Apostle John declares:

1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—

1:2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—

1:3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

1:4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

(1 John 1:1-5; underlining added)

The fellowship you and I are called to enjoy today as believers is a direct reflection of Yeshua’s person and ministry: I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life … eternal life (John 8:12).

Lastly, consider that on the day of Dedication, sixty-two days after this long day of ministry concluded (John 10:22-42), the Judean authorities again sought Him out regarding His previous apologias and signs… and as a result some of them pursued Him beyond the Jordan and believed in Him. Despite all the persecution He endured… He never turned those who hated Him away! Sparing neither jot nor tittle, Yeshua’s Word goes out with perfect power and authority; as God’s Spirit filled Messiah He always fulfills His Word. His apologias and signs remain as persuasive today as they were two thousand years ago; His great love or chesednever fails.

Application

Despite what His accusers might think, Yeshua never pontificates, but instead loves and evangelizes those His Father brings into His path. Far from signifying failure, being confronted with impossible circumstances, being belittled and ignored, being shun and cast out and, even being threatened with death—on our longest and most grueling day—our persecution glorifies our Lord when we glory, not in our flesh, but in the knowledge of His lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness. Indeed this is the great lesson the Apostle Peter learned so long ago.

3:13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?

3:14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”

3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

3:16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

(1 Peter 3:13-16)

To sanctify the Lord God in your hearts is to esteem Yeshua’s person and example above unjust persecution and suffering by sharing His good news. In God’s economy, ambassadors who delight in God’s lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in their witness of Yeshua—regardless of outcome—will have followed their Messiah and one day soon know heavenly commendation and reward in His presence. Our Lord and Savior is the light of the world. He who follows Him shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life… eternal life (John 8:12)!

Appendix A: A Long and Grueling Day of Ministry

Strategic repetition and similarity in language can signify unity and continuity in writing, particularly in narratives like the Gospel of John.

John 8:59 and John 9:1

The transition in question, John 8:59—John 9:1, occurs at a chapter break. Though extraordinarily useful, chapter and verse breaks were not a part of the original Greek text and can be misleading.

8:59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by (καὶ παρῆγεν οὕτως).

9:1 Now as Jesus passed by (Καὶ παράγων), He saw a man who was blind from birth. (John 8:59 and John 9:1; underlining added)

Of particular interest is the similarity of the Greek phrases translated and passed by: καὶ παρῆγεν (third person singular imperfect active indicative) and καὶ παράγων (present active participle masculine singular nominative). Do the similarities of these phrases point to a repetition of ideas and a strategic connection revealing the temporal continuation of the narrative on the same day Yeshua leaves the temple?

Craig Keener:

This narrative (conflict Over the Healing of a Blind Man: 9:1-10:21) demonstrates JESUS’ claims in the previous context and chronologically follows directly on Jesus’ departure from the temple on the last day of the festival (7:37-8:59). It probably begins not far from the temple. This section opens with the healing of a blind man (9:1-7) and closes with the recognition that this miracle was not what was expected from a demon (10:21). [10]

If John 9:1-10:21 follows “directly on Jesus’ departure from the temple” and “probably begins not far from the temple,” the temporal continuation on that day seems very likely.

Raymond Brown:

After the long and intricate discourses of vii-viii, ch. Ix provides a pleasant interlude. How closely is ch. Ix related to the Tabernacles setting of vii-viii? In itself the story is complete and could have a place anywhere in one of Jesus’ visits to Jerusalem; for instance, there are many similarities with chapter iii (see Notes on ix 24, 39,33, 39). However, the intensity of the hatred of the Pharisees for Jesus makes the general setting of the Tabernacles pilgrimage quite appropriate. The pool of Siloam (vs. 7) played a role in the water ceremonies we discussed in relation to vii 37-38; and ix 4- 5 develop the theme of light in darkness which is also a Tabernacle theme, as we saw in discussing viii 12.

Nevertheless, the immediate connection of ch. xi with the feast and with what was said in viii is not assured. John give no precise dating for the healing, and the next indication of time will be that of the feast of Dedication, three months after Tabernacles, in x 22. Thus, even if we would accept the present Gospel order and agree that the healing is related to the Tabernacles visit, there may be a considerable gap in time alluded to between viii and ix. [11]

Brown notes the strong thematic connection between the healing of the blind man and Yeshua’s immediate ministry in the temple, but concludes the correlation may or may not bode for a temporal connection.

D. A. Carson:

As he went along is sufficiently vague as a connector that very little precise information about time and place can be deduced. Because of the (thematic) connections ch. 9 has with chs. 8 and 10 (cf. notes, above), we must suppose Jesus is still in Jerusalem, presumably at some point between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of Dedication. [12]

Carson’s translation As he went along ignores the conjunctive Καὶ and indeed sounds rather vague. However, John uses the same Greek verb in both John 8:59 and 9:1: The New King James Version reads 8:59 … and so passed by (παρῆγεν). 9:1 Now as Jesus passed by… (παράγων). Adopting Carson’s translation in both verses 8:59 “…and so went along (παρῆγεν).” 9:1 “(And) As he went along (παράγων)…” Carson’s translation may seem vague, but the Apostle John’s repetition hardly seems vague.

Leon Morris:

There is no time note. John does not relate this incident to others in his story, and we are left to guess at its plain in the sequence. Hoskyns says that the incident took place on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, but this is pure assumption. It is most likely that some time has elapsed since the attempt on Jesus’ life (8:59), but more than this we cannot say. [13]

Ignoring the similarities between verse 8:59 and 9:1, does not disprove the potential temporal connection between the two pericopes in the overall narrative… especially in light of shared thematic content.

Andreas Köstenberger:

It is unclear exactly how much time has elapsed since Jesus’ clash with the Jewish authorities at the end of the Feast of the Tabernacles (chs. 7-8). But since the Feast was observed in September or October (in A.D. 32, Tabernacles fell on September 10-17); since both chapters 9 and 10 take place in Jerusalem (note the mention of the pool of Siloam in 9:7 and Solomon’s colonnade in 10:23); since there is no clear demarcation between chapters 9 and 10; and since 10:22 refers to the Feast of Dedication, which took place in Jerusalem in mid-December, it can be inferred that the healing of the man born blind must have taken place between October and mid- December (A.D. 32). [14]

Inferring a date between October and mid-December, may leave open the possible temporal connection between John 8:59 and John 9:1.

Herman Ridderbos:

Ch. 9 displays a clear, well-constructed, inner unity. The connection with what preceded is very loose (if one can even speak of it; see the comments on vs. 1). [15]

Very well, the comments read:

1,2 For context, see above; “pass by can also simply mean “move on” (cf. Mt. 9:9, where Jesus also “saw a man”). “Seeing” does not simply refer to observation but serves to introduce what follows (vs. 3b); it is a seeing that evoked a certain reaction in Jesus. [16]

J. Ramsey Michaels:

The opening words, “And as he was passing by,” are fully consistent with the notion that the temple discourse of the two previous chapter is over, and that a new sequence of events (at an undetermined time, but still in Jerusalem) is under way. [17]

Michaels does not correlate the repetition of words or phrases to draw a connection between John 8:59 and John 9:1.

Rodney A. Whitacre:

Perhaps some time has elapsed since his confrontation with the authorities in the temple, though as the story reads he could be coming straight from their debate . Certainly John intends us to connect this healing with the previous chapter, as the references to Jesus as the light of the world indicate (8:12; 9:5). [18]

Whitacre acknowledges a possible temporal connection; does “as the story reads” indicate the possibility that he recognizes a strategic repetition of words in both verses?

John 2:24-25 and John 3:1-2

Thankfully, the Apostle John uses repetition and similarity of key words to connect pericopes into larger narratives elsewhere in his gospel. Consider John 2:24-25 and John 3:1-2.

2:24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men,

2:25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man , (ἀνθρώπου) for He knew what was in man (ἀνθρώπῳ).

3:1 There was a man (ἄνθρωπος) of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

3:2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” (John 2:24-25 and John 3:1; underlining added)

Keener:

That John calls Nicodemus ἄνθρωπος, a “man” or “person” of the Pharisees (3:1), may be inconsequential (the term appears more than fifty times in the Gospel), but “a Pharisee” would have been simpler; this term appears nowhere else in the Gospel, linked with Pharisees in the genitive. John probably employs the term here to make explicit the connection with “people” ( ἀνθρώπου… ἀνθρώπῳ) whose hearts Jesus knew in 2:25. [19]

Indeed, “Pharisee” is simpler than man of the Pharisees, yet John would have missed the opportunity to draw a stylistic connection between the two pericopes.

Brown:

Now. This seems to tie the beginning of ch iii to ii 23-25. a Pharisee . Literally “a man of the Pharisees”; perhaps this use of “man” is designed to recall the end of the last verse (ii 25) where we heard that Jesus was aware of what was in man’s heart . Notice here how Jesus knows what is in Nicodemus’ heart. [20]

Brown’s translation of δὲ as “Now” helps him correlate John 2:24-25 with John 3:1-2; Nicodemus is an example of men whose hearts Yeshua knew.

John obviously intends Nicodemus to illustrate a partial faith in Jesus on the basis of signs and has prepared the way for this with ii 23-25. Such an illustration comes logically after examples of more satisfactory faith (the disciples at Cana) and of complete lack of faith (“the Jews” at the Temple). Thus, the sequence is at least logical. [21]

According to Brown, John does not follow a chronological sequence, but the use of the word translated man may signal a logical sequence from the author; Nicodemus is an illustration of the partial faith summarized in John 2:23-25..

Carson:

The word that connects this narrative with the preceding chapter is δὲ, commonly rendered ‘and’ (NIV’s Now is an idiomatic adaption) or ‘but’. If some variation of ‘and’ is accepted, the idea is that Nicodemus exemplified those who in some sense believed in Jesus, but with a faith so inadequate that Jesus did not entrust himself to them (2:23-25)… On the other hand, if δὲ has its more usual adversative force (‘but’), it means that, in contrast to those with inadequate faith at the end of ch. 2, Nicodemus’ approach was not so faulty and Jesus did entrust himself to him. [22]

Though Carson ignores the repetition of the Greek word translated man , he highlights that how the conjunction δὲ is interpreted changes the meaning of the passage significantly. Ironically, if in John 8:59 and 9:1 the conjunction καὶ is repeated, respectively (καὶ παρῆγεν οὕτως) and (Καὶ παράγων), does this highlight a potential connection between them? Carson’s translation renders John 9:1: “As he went along.” However, you and I might literally translate John 8:59, “and He passed by in this manner” and in the very next verse, John 9:1, “And passing by.”

Morris:

The expression “a man of the Pharisees” is as unusual an expression in Greek as in English. The use of ἄνθρωπος is probably meant to link the opening words of this chapter with the closing words of the preceding one, and so bring out Jesus’ knowledge of “man.” This will also be behind the use of a αὐτὸν rather than Ιησοῦς in the first reference to the Lord. [23]

The repeated use of the Greek word translated man is unusual and probably links “the opening words of John Chapter 3 with the conclusion to John chapter 2… “of course, we have no means of knowing how long after the events of ch. 2 Nicodemus came to Jesus.” [24]

Köstenberger:

John 2:23-25 summarizes the response to Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem by the general populace (in contrast to the hostility of the Jewish leadership [2:18, 20]; note in the Greek text the repeated use of the imperfect tense, indicating continuing action), sandwiched between Jesus’ clearing of the temple and his encounter with Nicodemus. Perhaps more than concluding 2:13-22, these verses commence the Nicodemus narrative. This may be suggested by the overlapping terminology ( ἄνθρωπος [Anthropos, man or human being] in 2:25 and 3:1; σημεῖα [semeia, signs] in 2:23 and 3:2; the use of ἦν δὲ [en de, now he/there was]in 2:23 and 3:1 .

If so, then the comments regarding Jesus’ realistic attitude toward humans and his knowledge of the sinful human heart are designed to introduce the account of Nicodemus’ coming to Jesus. [25]

Köstenberger sees the repetition of the Greek words, ἄνθρωπος (man), σημεῖα (signs), and ἦν δὲ (now he and there was) linking both passages such that John 2:23-25 introduces the Nicodemus narrative.

Ridderbos:

The conversation with Nicodemus offers a very specific elaboration of what was said in a more general sense in 2:23-25. In the figure of Nicodemus we are given an illustrative demonstration—perhaps we may say par excellence—of what is in the preceding is called “the faith” of the many in Jerusalem who were impressed by the signs that Jesus did.

Nicodemus is introduced as “a man of the Pharisees.” “A man” could simply mean “someone,” but in light of the repeated ἄνθρωπος in 2:25 (and with a view to 3:4, 27), the use of the word is probably intentional. [26]

Ridderbos finds the connection between John 8:59 and John 9:1 “very loose,” the connection between John 2:23-25 and John 3:1-2 very tight with the repeated use of the Greek word for man “probably intention.”

Michaels:

Someone once said, “If you want people to read what you’ve written, don’t write about the Man, write about a man.” The repetition of the noun “person” or “man” (anthropos)links the story of Nicodemus closely to what precedes. [27]

Michaels is convinced the repetition of the Greek word for man links John 2:23-25 and John 3:1-2.

Whitacre:

Nicodemus is one of these who have an untrustworthy faith. John signals this connection by his repetition of the word man (2:25; 3:1) and by the fact that Nicodemus’s assessment of Jesus is based on the signs he had seen (3:2; sf. 2:23). [28]

Summary

Whether, in either one or the other of these transition passages (John 2:23-25—John 3:1-2 or John 8:59—John 9:1) or both, all of these commentators (perhaps with the exception of D.A. Carson) recognize to some degree John’s use of repetition and similarity in language to signify unity and continuity in the transition between different accounts. Correlation is recognized more often (and with greater vigor) between John 2:23-25 and John 3:1-2 in support of a popular, yet mistaken, theological interpretation of faith based upon signs. The correlation between John 8:59 and John 9:1 is less frequent (and less vigorous). Instead, chapter 9, the healing of the man born blind, is viewed by some scholars as “a pleasant interlude” [29] coming on the heels of two intense discourses in the temple.

Conclusion

The word choices made by the Apostle John in John 8:59 and John 9:1 are wonderfully similar and purposefully chosen.

8:59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by (καὶ παρῆγεν οὕτως).

9:1 Now as Jesus passed by (Καὶ παράγων), He saw a man who was blind from birth. (John 8:59 and John 9:1; underlining added)

Should you and I translate literally, verse 8:59 might read, “and so passed by” while verse 9:1 might read “And passing by.” This contiguous similarity of phrases, καὶ παρῆγεν… καὶ παράγων, along with their simple straightforward meaning, when combined with the thematic similarities between the account John 8:59 concludes and the account 9:1 introduces, convinces this author that the Apostle John uses a literary devise to purposefully connect the two passages, both thematically and chronologically, into one long and grueling day of ministry.

[1] Many commentators fail to see the continuity between John 8:59 and John 9:1. Please see Appendix A for a discussion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1982).

[2] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, “The Three Messianic Miracles,” Christology: The Doctrine of Messiah Study 17 [http://www.messianicassociation.org/ezine48-af-three-messianic-miracles.htm, 18-19.].

[3] According to Dr. Fruchtenbaum, “the ancient rabbis separated miracles into two categories. First were those miracles anyone would be able to perform if they were empowered by the Spirit of God to do so. The second category of miracles were called ‘messianic miracles,’ which were miracles only the Messiah would be able to perform” [Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, “The Three Messianic Miracles,” 3].

[4] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, “The Three Messianic Miracles,” 23.

[5] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, “The Three Messianic Miracles,” 22.

[6] Ibid., “The Three Messianic Miracles,” 22.

[7] The Festival of Tabernacles ends on the 22^ndof Tishri while the Festival of Dedication begins on the 25 ^th of Chislev. There are 30 days in Tishri leaving 8 days from the end of Tabernacles to the end of Tishri. The 29 days of Marchesran precede Chislev leaving 8 days in Tishri+29 days in Marchesran+25 days in Chislev or 62 days between the end of Tabernacles to the beginning of Dedication . Holman Bible Dictionary ed. Trent C. Butler (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1991), 486-87.

[8] And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3; underlining added).

[9] Nicodemus wisely brought his disciples to Yeshua at night away from the pressure and intimidation of the Judean authorities in order for them to carefully weigh for themselves Yeshua’s words and ministry (John 3:1-21). Persuasion often requires quiet waters; some of the many in John 10:42 were likely Pharisees and rulers seeking Him away from the rancor and prejudice of power. If so, then as their words reflect, John the Baptist’s witness (John 1:29-34) remained instrumental in their coming to believe in Yeshua.

[10] Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of John: A Commentary Vol. One (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003), 775; underlining added.

[11] Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John (I—XII), Anchor Bible Series, Vol 29 (New York: Doubleday, 1966), 376; underlining added.

[12] D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1991), 361.

[13] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John Revised, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Gordon Fee (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995), 424.

[14] Andreas J. Kostenberger, John, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Robert Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004), 278

[15] Herman Ridderbos, The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary, translated John Vriend (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997), 331.

[16] Herman Ridderbos, The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary, 332.

[17] J. Ramsey Michaels, The Gospel of John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament ed. Joel B. Green (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 539.

[18] Rodney A. Whitacre, John, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, ed. Grant Osborne (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 235; underlining added.

[19] Keener, The Gospel of John , Vol. One, 535; underlining added.

[20] Brown, The Gospel According to John (I—XII), 129; underlining added.

[21] Ibid., 135.

[22] Carson,The Gospel According to John, 185.

[23] Morris, The Gospel According to John Revised , 186; underlining added.

[24] Ibid., 186.

[25] Kostenberger, John, 117; underlining added.

[26] Ridderbos, The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary, 123; underlining added.

[27] Michaels, The Gospel of John , 176; underlining added.

[28] Whitacre, John , 87; underlining added.

[29] Brown, The Gospel According to John (I—XII) , 376.

By Bob Wilkin

Introduction

The doctrine of salvation, also known as soteriology—from the Greek word for salvation, sōtēria—typically is divided into five to ten major categories, including the Person of Christ, the work of Christ, eternal security, the terms of salvation, election, sanctification, and perseverance.

All treatments of soteriology begin with a discussion of the role of Christ in salvation.

Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder and first president of DTS, has five sections in his volume on soteriology, and the first section is entitled, “The Savior.” [1] That section takes up 154 of the 396 pages, or nearly 40%.

Bible.org suggests three sections: the nature of the atonement, the extent of the atonement, and the process of salvation (election, regeneration, conversion, union with Christ, justification, adoption, sanctification, perseverance, glorification). [2] The first two of those sections concern the role of Christ in salvation.

In Thiessen’s systematic theology, his first two sections (of ten) on soteriology, after an introductory discussion, are on the Person of Christ and the work of Christ. [3]

The Bible certainly centers on Christ, the Messiah, especially in its discussion of soteriology. For example, in John’s Gospel, the only evangelistic book in the Bible (see John 20:30-31), the Lord Jesus repeatedly said that whoever believes in Himwill not perish but has everlasting life (e.g., John 3:16; 5:24; 6:35, 37; 11:26). Jesus Himself is the One who guarantees everlasting life to all who believe in Him for it.

In Galatians, in Paul’s defense of his gospel, he begins by talking about the grace of Christ and the gospel of Christ (Gal 1:6-9). Three times in Gal 2:16 Paul says that justification is by faith in Jesus Christ and not by the works of the law.

In Rom 3:21–4:25, Paul’s exposition on justification by faith alone, he repeatedly says that it is through faith in Jesus Christ that one is justified before God.

As we consider this vital topic, let us begin with a brief word about the words saveand salvation.

A Brief Word on Save and Salvation

The Biblical doctrine of salvation concerns every way in which the Bible says that God saves people. This includes salvation from eternal condemnation, healing from illness, saving from deadly storms, delivering someone from his enemies, and delivering people from the deadly consequences of walking in the darkness. The doctrine of salvation is not exclusively the doctrine whereby God gives people everlasting life.

In the OT, 100% of the references to salvation and deliverance refer to deliverance of individuals and nations in this life.[4]In the NT, 70% of the references to salvation and deliverance refer to deliverance in this life. [5] Only in the NT do we find the words saveand salvationused in reference to regeneration, and then only rarely. [6]

However, for the purpose of this article, we will discuss specifically one type of salvation, salvation from eternal condemnation. What is Christ’s role in people’s being saved from eternal condemnation?

The Person of Christ Is Essential to Salvation

Some like to speak of the three aspects of Christ that are central to our salvation: His Person, His provision, and His promise. [7]

We will begin by considering the importance of the Person of Christ in our salvation.

There could be no salvation for sinful humans unless God provided a perfect Savior. Nothing less than perfection would do.

The OT sacrificial system required unblemished sacrifices.The OT sacrifices pointed to the coming Messiah: “And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God…” (Heb 10:11-12).

The OT priests stood. They offered sacrifices repeatedly. Christ offered one sacrifice for sins. Never to be repeated. Then He sat down.

The reason why Jesus’ one sacrifice was sufficient was because of His Person. He was the sinless sacrifice that all the OT sacrifices pointed to (“a shadow of the good things to come,” Heb 10:1).

Paul said, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21).

There could be no perfect Savior unless God Himself became a man, which He did.

The Lord Jesus is God (John 1:1). He has all the attributes of God: He is eternal, holy, righteous, good, just, loving, omnipotent, omniscient, and impeccable.

Impeccability means that Jesus was incapable of sinning both in His deity and in His perfect humanity and in His united Person. He not only did not sin. He could not sin. Many insist that He had to be able to sin in order for Him to be tempted (Heb 4:15). Charles Hodge is representative of the view of many,

If He was a true man, He must have been capable of sinning. That He did not sin under the greatest provocations; that when He was reviled, He blessed; when He suffered He threatened not; that He was dumb as a sheep before its shearers, is held up to us as an example. Temptation implies the possibility of sin. If from the constitution of his person it was impossible for Christ to sin, then his temptation was unreal and without effect and He cannot sympathize with his people. [8]

Hodges takes the opposite position, that Jesus could not sin:

Though unlike them He was without sin (cf. 7:26; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 John 3:5), never responding wrongly to any of His temptations (nor could He, being God), yet as a man He could feel their reality (much as an immovable boulder can bear the brunt of a raging sea) and thus He is able to sympathize (sympathēsai, lit., “to feel or suffer with”) with their and our weaknesses. It may indeed be argued, and has been, that only One who fully resists temptation can know the extent of its force. Thus, the sinless One has a greater capacity for compassion than any sinner could have for a fellow sinner. [9]

Likewise, R. Carlton Wynne wrote at the Desiring God website: “Taking humanity to himself meant assuming a true human nature — with its creaturely mind, affections, body, and will — but one that, in perfect harmony with his deity, could seek nothing but wholehearted delight in the Father’s purposes (cf. John 6:38).” [10]

The following titles of Christ found in the NT show the importance of His Person in our salvation: the way, the truth, the life, the faithful High Priest, the Seed of the woman, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Holy One, the One who knew no sin, the Alpha and the Omega, and the Savior of the world.

People do not need to understand everything about the Person of Christ in order to have everlasting life. [11] What they need to understand is that He is fully capable of giving everlasting life to all who believe in Him for it.

The Work of Christ Is Essential to Salvation

Concerning that middle element, the provision of Christ, I prefer to refer to the work of Christ because His work was broader than His death on the cross for our sins.

His work includes His incarnation (John 3:16), His sinless life (2 Cor 5:21), the miracles He did (John 20:30), the teaching He gave (the Gospel of John), the suffering He underwent (Isaiah 53; 1 Pet 3:18), His death on the cross for our sins (John 3:14-15), His burial in a rich man’s tomb (Isa 53:9; Matt 27:57-60), His three days in Hades (Matt 12:40; Luke 23:43), His bodily resurrection on the third day (1 Cor 15:18-19), His post-resurrection appearances (1 Cor 15:5-8), and His ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). All of that was essential for our salvation.

Jesus’ last words on the cross before He committed His spirit to the Father were “It is finished” (John 19:30). All throughout His ministry, He had spoken about the importance of His finishing the work the Father gave Him to do (John 4:34; 5:36; 17:4; 19:30). His whole life and ministry were pointed toward Calvary. But all that led up to the cross were also essential works of Christ for our salvation.

Commenting on Heb 10:11-12, Bruce writes:

The Aaronic priests never sat down in the sanctuary; they remained standing throughout the whole performance of their sacred duties. In this our author sees a token of the fact that their sacred duties were never done, that their sacrifices had always to be repeated. In v. 1 the repetition of the ritual of the Day of Atonement “year by year” was mentioned; here, as in 7:27, the reference is to those sacrifices which were offered “day by day.” But whether the repetition was annual or daily, the main point is that repetition was necessary; not one of these sacrifices could remove sin or cleanse the conscience with permanent effect. The completion of one sacrifice meant only that a similar one would have to be offered in due course, and so on indefinitely; it was in keeping with this that the priests of the old order never sat down in the presence of God when a sacrifice had been presented to him.

But it was equally in keeping with the perfection of Christ’s sacrifice of himself that, when he had presented it to God, he sat down. No further sacrificial service can be required of the priest who appeared on earth in the fulness of time to put away sin and sanctify his people once for all. A seated priest is the guarantee of a finished work and an accepted sacrifice. The heavenly high priest has indeed a continual ministry to discharge on his people’s behalf at the Father’s right hand; but that is the ministry of intercession on the basis of the sacrifice presented and accepted once for all; it is not the constant or repeated offering of his sacrifice. [12]

Many point to Rom 5:10 to suggest that we are not saved by the death of Christ, but by His life. There Paul says, “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” But Paul is speaking about sanctification, about being saved from God’s wrath in this life (cf. Rom 1:18-32). [13]

In Eph 2:8-9, Paul uses a perfect tense to express the idea that regeneration is a past event with an abiding result: “by grace you have been saved through faith…” By contrast, in Rom 5:10, Paul uses a future tense: we shall be saved by His life. Hodges has shown that all the uses of sōzō and sōtēria in Romans refer to deliverance from the wrath of God in this life. Never in Romans do those words refer to regeneration.

While Rom 5:10 does not prove the point, it is true that no one could be saved by faith in Christ if Christ had sinned. His had to be an unblemished sacrifice (2 Cor 5:21: Heb 10:1-14). That is, He not only had to have died on the cross for our sins and risen from the dead, but He also had to have lived a sinless life.

It would be accurate to say that we are saved both by the life of Christ and by the death of Christ. His death on the cross was only effective because of His sinless life.

The Promise of Christ Is Essential to Salvation

Not only did Jesus need to be the right Person and do the right works, but He also had to make the right promise. Without the promise of everlasting life, no one could be saved.

He stated the promise in verses such as John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 11:26; Rev 22:17.

In the NT this promise is called “the promise of life” (2 Tim 1:1; see also Gal 3:21; Titus 1:2) or “the word of life” (Acts 5:20; Phil 2:16; see also 1 John 1:1).

The promise is found in the OT as well, starting in Gen 3:15 and continuing in Gen 15:6. The Lord Jesus said the OT proclaimed that those who believe in Him have everlasting life (John 5:39-40). Hebrews 11 gives many examples of OT people who believed in Jesus for their eternal destiny. For example, Abraham “waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb 11:10). He knew he would one day be raised and would see the New Jerusalem. The Lord Jesus said, “Abraham rejoiced to see My day” (John 8:56).

Moses “esteem[ed] the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasure in Egypt, for he looked to the reward” (Heb 11:26). Only one who knew he would be in the coming kingdom could look forward to eternal rewards.

Some have suggested that one need not believe the promise of Christ in order to be born again. They suggest that faith in Christ’s Person and work is sufficient.

Morrison, for example, writes, “John 9:35-41 provides strong evidence that to believe in Christ is not to merely accept the proposition that Jesus gives eternal life but rather has as its object the Man Himself.” [14] His statement may seem to imply that one must believe in the promise of everlasting life as well as the Person of Christ (“not to merely accept the proposition that Jesus gives eternal life…”). However, he goes on to say, “One may infer, of course, from the rest of John’s Gospel (e.g., John 6:47) that this man therefore had eternal life, but the fact remains that it is not clear that this man is at any point asked to believe a promise. Instead, he is asked to believe in a person.” [15]

Similarly, commenting on Paul’s sermon in Antioch, as recorded in Acts 13, Stegall says,

This passage does not tell us that “everlasting life”was necessarily even part of “the things spoken by Paul”(v. 45) that constituted “the Word of God”(v. 44) in his evangelistic message “on the next Sabbath”(v. 44). Though the Galatians clearly heard about “everlasting life,”it was only at the conclusionof Paul’s evangelism on the second Sabbath and only afterthey had already rejected the gospel (“the Word of God”) in verse 44. [16]

Others, however, recognize that belief in Christ’s promise is essential in order to be born again. In his book, The Future of Justification: A Response to N. T. Wright , John Piper has a section which asks the question, “We Are Not Justified by Belief in Justification?” [17] He quotes Wright as saying, “We are not justified by faith by believing in justification by faith. We are justified by faith by believing the gospel itself—in other words, that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead.” [18] Piper continues,

This sounds right. Of course, we are not saved by doctrine. We are saved by Christ. But it is misleading because it leaves the meaning of “believing in the gospel” undefined. Believing in the gospel for what? Prosperity? Healing? A new job?…we will have to announce why this death and resurrection are good news for them (italics his).

Similarly, Hodges writes,

I now realize that no one is saved by praying a prayer. They are saved when they understand God’s offer of eternal life through Jesus and believe it. That’s when people are saved. And that’s the only time when people are saved. All of the excess baggage that we bring into our encounter with unsaved sinners is just that, excess baggage! [19]

Five Major Views on the Atonement

There are many views concerning why Jesus died on the cross for our sins. I will briefly outline five major ones.

Moral influence theory.Jesus’ death on the cross and His entire life are an example for us on how to live so that we might gain everlasting life. This is a form of works salvation.

Franklin Johnson summarizes the view in this way,

While the Christian world as a whole believes in a substitutionary atonement, the doctrine is rejected by a minority of devout and able men, who present instead of it what has often been called the "moral-influence theory." According to this, the sole mission of Christ was to reveal the love of God in a way so moving as to melt the heart and induce men to forsake sin. [20]

Ransom to Satan.In this view, God had to pay Satan with the death of His Son in order to set people free from bondage to Satan and sin. This is another form of works salvation since the aim is moral reformation for salvation.

Ligonier ministries describes this view as follows: “One other view that has circulated in church history is that Christ’s death was a ransom paid to Satan. When Christ died, He paid a price to Satan in order to secure our release from bondage to Satan’s kingdom.” [21] They go on to critique the view in this way: “The Bible does view the Atonement as a ransom paid (see Mark 10:45). But it is a ransom paid to God the Father. There is no negotiation between the Devil and the Lord for the release of the captives. Rather, we are redeemed by having Christ crush the head of the serpent after He pays the ransom to God.” [22]

Christus Victor.This means Christ, the Victor.In this view, Satan was not paid anything. However, similar to the previous view, Christ’s death defeated evil and set people free to live righteously. This too is another form of works salvation.

I should mention that while the three views above are way off regarding justification, they are on the right track concerning sanctification. The death of Christ does make freedom from slavery to sin a positional reality for all who believe in Jesus. It makes freedom from sin’s bondage a reality in the experience of every believer who is walking in the light and in fellowship with God.

But we are not born again by living a righteous life.

Anselm’s Satisfaction Theory.According to this view, the sinfulness of man is an injustice that must be dealt with in order to satisfy God’s justice. The death of Christ serves to satisfy God’s justice.

There are aspects of works salvation here as well, since one is not born again by believing in Jesus and thereby having God’s justice satisfied. The death of Christ makes it possible for people to live in such a way as to satisfy God’s justice. In a sense, this view sees Christ’s death as making us savable. But the condition for salvation and the nature of it were wrong.

Anselm believed that salvation began with baptism, and it was maintained by regularly partaking of the eucharist, as well as confessing one’s sins and doing acts of penance.

Penal Substitutionary Atonement.The Reformers, Calvin and Luther, developed a new theory, one that was related to Anselm’s view and was a modification of it. In this view, Jesus died in our place. The result is that humans are savable. But unlike Anselm’s view on how people were saved, this view teaches that people are saved by faith alone (though how they define faith varies greatly). Some who hold to substitutionary atonement believe that salvation cannot be lost.

The idea of substitution is found in the words fororin place of,huperand periin Greek(“Christ died forour sins,” 1 Cor 15:3; 1 John 3:16;) and ransom (“He gave His life a ransom for many,” Mark 10:45).

This last view is the view of most Evangelicals.

Unlimited vs. Limited Atonement (“L” in TULIP)

An important issue in the death of Christ is whether He died for everyone (the doctrine known as unlimited atonement) or whether He died only for a select group of people (the doctrine which is called limited atonement).

Calvinists believe that Christ died only for “the elect.” Most of humanity was not chosen to have everlasting life; Christ did not die for most people.

There is a modified Calvinist view—that Christ died only for those who would one day believe that on the cross, He died in their place. In this view, one must believe not only that Christ died on the cross for our sins, but that He did so as our substitute. One who believes other views of the atonement would not be eligible for salvation. This too is limited atonement, though I have heard people swear that it is unlimited since Christ potentially died for all, even if His death actually counts only for those who believe in substitutionary atonement.

But that is exactly what limited atonement teaches: Christ potentially died for all, but He actually died only for the elect, and the elect are the only people who will be given what Calvinists call the gift of faith .

Many people wrongly think that if Christ died for all, then all would be given everlasting life. They wrongly think that the purpose of the shed blood of Christ was to save everyone for whom He died. God actually had many purposes for the shed blood of Christ. [23] But none of those purposes were to save those for whom Christ died. God purposed that [PE1] Christ’s blood makes everyone savable(John 1:29; 1 John 2:2). But whether anyone will be saved depends on whether he believes in Jesus for everlasting life.

The Scriptures clearly teach unlimited atonement. See John 3:16; 2 Pet 2:1; 1 John 2:2.

Jesus Is God’s Greatest Evangelist

Alex MacDonald says, “Our Lord Jesus gave us the greatest example of preaching, but he also gave us the greatest example of evangelism.” [24] Adrian Warnock agrees: “Jesus is the model evangelist, and we can learn from his example how to get caught up on his mission to seek and save the lost.” [25] Both of those men use Jesus’ interaction with the woman at the well in John 4 to prove their point. Zane Hodges’s first book, The Hungry Inherit,was devoted to that interaction as well.

Though not specifically using the expression God’s greatest evangelist, Hodges says that the message we should be proclaiming today is the message the Lord Jesus Christ gave to the woman at the well:

He wanted them [His disciples] to say “Come!” to everyone He sent them to and to broadcast far and wide the availability of His living water. That was the message of God’s Holy Spirit. That would be the message of the whole Christian church, Christ’s bride (Eph 5:25-32). [26]

Most evangelistic tracts and presentations are based upon a collage of verses drawn mainly from the NT epistles. Rarely do evangelistic presentations concentrate on the evangelistic ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. His evangelistic ministry has not received the attention that it deserves.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” He is the one who reveals God and God’s truth to us. Of special importance was His revealing God’s truth about everlasting life (John 6:68).

Zane Hodges wrote a booklet entitled, Jesus: God’s Prophet. [27] He showed that all NT doctrine found in the epistles flows directly from the teachings of the Lord Jesus. That was true of the doctrine of salvation as well.

John 3:16 is still in effect today. So are the scores of verses in John’s Gospel where the Lord Jesus said that whoever believes in Him has everlasting life, will never perish, will never hunger or thirst, will never die spiritually, will never be cast out, and so forth.

Whatever the epistles teach, they do not contradict the words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul tells us in Galatians that he received his gospel directly from the Lord Jesus. His was not some new message. His was the same message that Jesus preached.

Jesus is much more than the Savior. He is our Lord. He is our King. He is our soon-returning Judge. He is also our Teacher . He is the Light of the world. He is everlasting life.

Conclusion

The Lord Jesus Christ is central to anyone’s gaining everlasting life. There could be no salvation apart from His incarnation, sinless life, substitutionary death, and bodily resurrection. And there could be no regeneration apart from His promise of everlasting life to all who simply believe in Him for it. For any human being to be saved requires the Person of Christ, the work of Christ, and the promise of Christ.

He is the object of saving faith. We are not saved by our works or by our faith plus our works. We are saved by believing in Jesus, the Giver, for the gift of God, that is, everlasting life (John 4:10, 14).

[1] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3: Soteriology (Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press, 1948), pp. 11-164.

[2] Greg Herrick, “Soteriology: Salvation” at https://bible.org/seriespage/7-soteriology-salvation.

[3] Henry Clarence Thiessen, Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1949), pp. 283-340.

[4] Robert N. Wilkin, The Ten Most Misunderstood Words in the Bible(N.p.: Grace Evangelical Society, 2012), 36-40.

[5] Ibid., 40-47.

[6] See, for example, John 3:17; 5:34; 10:9; Acts 11:14; 13:26; 16:31; Eph 2:5, 8; 1 Tim 2:4; Titus 3:5.

[7] Charlie Bing, “The Content of the Gospel of Salvation,” GraceNotes no. 40, available at https://www.gracelife.org/resources/gracenotes/?id=40&lang=eng . Last accessed June 29, 2022.

[8] Cf. Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2 (New York, NY: Scribner, Armstrong, and Co., 1873), 457. The book can be read online at https://www.google.com/books/edition/Systematic_Theology/V7wim5btRzMC?hl=en&gbpv=1.

[9] Zane C. Hodges, “Hebrews” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary,Vol. 2,edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Grand Rapids, MI: Victor Books, 1985), p. 790, emphasis added.

[10] “Could Jesus Have Sinned?” available at https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/could-jesus-have-sinned . Last accessed August 24, 2022. Emphasis added. See also D. Blair Smith, “Was It Possible for Jesus to Sin?” at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/possible-jesus-sin// . Last accessed August 24, 2022.

[11] Some suggest that one must believe in the deity of Christ to be born again. See, for example, Thomas L. Stegall, The Gospel of the Christ(Milwaukee, WI: Grace Gospel Press, 2009), 353-61, 540; J. B. Hixson, Getting the Gospel Wrong(N.p.: Xulon Press, 2008), 85-90. Precisely what must be believed about the deity of Christ to have everlasting life is not explained. It is hard to sustain this view in light of the fact that the apostles were born again before they believed in the deity of Christ. Belief in His deity should lead a person to believe in Him for the promise of everlasting life. Sadly, however, there are untold millions today who believe in the deity of Christ and yet who do not believe that everlasting life is a free gift received by faith alone, apart from works.

[12] F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, rev. ed., (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990), 245.

[13] See “Salvation by the Life of Christ” at https://activechristianity.org/what-does-it-mean-to-be-saved-by-the-life-of-christ-romans-510 . Last accessed August 5, 2022. While not crystal clear, the author sees a second type of salvation in Rom 5:10: “In the first salvation we receive forgiveness for committed sins. The second salvation comes by walking in obedience to the faith, because it is written: Walk in the light while you have the light, that you may become sons of light. In the light is life, and in the light was life, and life is the light of man. Being a child of the light is the same as being a child of life.”

[14] Chris Morrison, “Hodges’ “Promise Only’ Gospel in Light of John 9:35-41),” 1. It is available at chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://cmmorrison.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/john-9-paper.pdf. Last accessed August 16, 2022.

[15] Ibid., 14. In my commentary on John, I point to this very fact to suggest that the man born blind was already an OT believer before he discovered that Jesus is the Messiah he had already believed in for his eternal destiny: “However, unlike John 4 or the other evangelistic encounters in John’s Gospel, here Jesus never mentions everlasting life. To say the least, that is odd and should cause us to wonder why. Since we have no other evangelistic encounters in John where everlasting life is not mentioned by Jesus, it seems probable that this man is an OT believer, that is, one who previously had believed in the coming Messiah for everlasting life but who did not yet know that Jesus is the Messiah in whom he had already believed. If this is correct, it would mean that the man was already born again before he met Jesus, and that here is a Johannine example, like John the Baptist earlier (1:33, “And I did not know Him”), of an OT saint coming to believe that Jesus is the Messiah in whom he had already believed (cf. Luke 2:25-38 re. Anna and Simeon). The way he handled himself before his inquisitors sounds like a man who was an OT saint who already knew that he had eternal life by faith alone in the Messiah alone” (in “John,” The Grace New Testament Commentary, revised edition [Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2010, 2019], 205).

[16] Stegall, The Gospel of the Christ , 369.

[17] John Piper, The Future of Justification: A Response to N. T. Wright(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2007), 20.

[18] Ibid.

[19] Zane C. Hodges, “How to Lead People to Christ, Part 2,” JOTGES (Spring 2001): 17. The “excess baggage” of which Hodges spoke was things like asking a person to “pray a prayer, or make a decision for Christ, or do any of the many other things people often asked the unsaved to do” (p. 17).

[20] Franklin Johnson, “The Atonement,” p. 1, available at chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://goitrc.org/pdf/pdf_sermons/Sermon,ATONEMENT.pdf. Last accessed August 5, 2022.

[21] “The Ransom Theory” (unnamed author) available at https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/ransom-theory . Last accessed August 5, 2022.

[22] Ibid.

[23] Bob Wilkin, “Benefits of Christ’s Blood: Restricted and Unrestricted” JOTGES (Autumn 2009): 3-10. Available online at https://faithalone.org/journal-articles/benefits-of-christs-blood-restricted-and-unrestricted/.

[24] “Jesus the Evangelist” at https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/article/jesus-evangelist . Last accessed August 5, 2022.

[25] “Jesus the Great Evangelist: a sermon on John 4” at https://www.patheos.com/blogs/adrianwarnock/2014/02/jesus-the-great-evangelist-a-sermon-on-john-4/ . Last accessed August 5, 2022.

[26] Zane C. Hodges, The Hungry Inherit: Winning the Wealth of the World to Come (Corinth, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2016), 151, italics added.

[27] It is available as a free e-book at https://faithalone.org/ebooks/jesus-gods-prophet/ and a paperback version is available at https://faithalone.org/store/page/2/?filter_book-author=hodges&query_type_book-author=or .

John H. Niemelä

John 5:28-29 in Light of 5:24[1]

I. INTRODUCTION

Amen, amen, I tell you, the one who listens to My word and believes the One who sent Me has everlasting life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life (John 5:24).

Do not be shocked at this, because an hour is coming in which all those in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth— those who have done good things, unto the resurrection of life; but those who have done substandard things, unto the resurrection of judgment (John 5:28-29). [2]

Those who interpret John 5:24 in light of 5:28-29 expect Jesus to summon all people (believers and unbelievers) to the Great White Throne (GWT). They regard verses 28-29 as universal. If that were actually so, John 5:24 would not promise believers an exemption from the summons to the GWT. It would only exempt them from eternity in the lake of fire.

By contrast, this article contends that John 5:24 promises that Jesus will not even summon believers to the GWT judgment. It goes without saying that they will never experience the lake of fire.

Most of Christendom understands John 5:24 as older editions of the King James Version [3] rendered it:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [i.e., the lake of fire]; but is passed from death unto life. ( emphasis added)

Unfortunately, such an understanding serves as a catalyst for most of Christendom imagining that a believer’s destiny is not settled until the final judgment. That is the polar opposite of John 5:24’s promise. This article categorically denies that believers will be at the GWT. Paraphrasing Shakespeare in Hamlet:

To be [at the GWT], or not to be [at the GWT]? That is the question .

Analysis will proceed under the following outline:

I. Hermeneutics and the order of operations.
II. John 5:24 as the great divide.
III. John 5:24 takes priority over 5:28-29.
IV. Three Grace views of 5:28-29.
a. Believing is the good that every believer has done.
b. The sinless regenerate-seed only does good.
c. Unbelievers doing good is hypothetical and impossible.
V. Proof that unbelievers doing good is hypothetical and impossible.
a. The New Testament uses similar hypothetical arguments.
b. Unbelievers will be the last group to be resurrected.
c. “Hypothetical and impossible” is the simplest Grace view.

II. HERMENEUTICS AND THE ORDER OF OPERATIONS

Conflicting views of John 5:24 derive from opposed hermeneutical starting points. The following math problem illustrates:

4 + 1 × 3 = x

Should one add first or begin by multiplying? The results differ:

One student adds first (as if parentheses were around 4 + 1); the other multiplies first:

Addition First
Problem: 4 + 1 × 3
Interpretation: (4 + 1) × 3
Step 1: 5 × 3
Step 2: 15

Multiplication First
Problem: 4 + 1 × 3
Interpretation: 4 + (1 × 3)
Step 1: 4 + 3
Step 2: 7

Mathematicians follow this order of operations: P = parentheses, E = exponents, M/D = multiply (or divide), A/S = add (or subtract). The acronym is PEMDAS. The student on the left erred by ignoring PEMDAS. The one on the right followed PEMDAS, multiplying before adding. That led to the correct answer: 7, not 15. Even if 100% of a teacher’s students answered 15, it is still wrong.

Virtually all interpreters start with 5:28-29. They assume that everyone (believers and unbelievers) will appear at the GWT. Taking 5:28-29 to affirm that believers will be at the GWT would preclude 5:24 from excluding believers from that judgment. [4]

Reversing the order of operations (starting with 5:24) yields an entirely different result. Jesus promised that no believer will appear at the GWT. This precludes including believers among “those in the graves” (5:28) who would appear at the Great White Throne.

Will Jesus judge believers at the GWT? Or will only unbelievers appear there?

III. JOHN 5:24 AS THE GREAT DIVIDE

Why is 5:24 the great divide? Why not 5:28-29? Grace interpreters stand unified against the majority view of 5:24. Despite agreeing that 5:28-29 does not mean that believers appear at the GWT, they differ on the particulars of those verses. Thus, 5:24 is the dividing point. Sections III–IV of this article will focus on why 5:24 (not 5:28-29) is the starting point; sections V–VI will show that one Grace position on 5:28-29 is the most consistent with 5:24.

A 2013 book in Zondervan’s Counterpoints Series (Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment) [5] conveniently shows John 5:24 as the great divide. Each contributor to the Views book represents a segment of Christendom. Three writers (Calvinist Thomas Schreiner, Anglican James Dunn, and Catholic Michael Barber) prioritize 5:28-29, while Robert Wilkin emphasizes 5:24. The general editor, Alan Stanley, wrote the following summaries of each author’s view. The great divide in regard to John 5:24 is crystal clear:

Thomas R. Schreiner: Works will provide evidence that one actually has been saved: At the final judgment works provide the necessary condition, though not the ground for final salvation...

James D. G. Dunn: Works will provide the criterion by which Christ will determine eternal destiny of his people...

Michael Barber: Works will merit eternal life: At the final judgment, good works will be rewarded with eternal salvation…

Robert N. Wilkin: Works will determine rewardsbut not salvation: At the Judgment Seat of Christ each believer will be judged by Christ to determine his eternal rewards, but they remain eternally secure even ifthe judgment reveals they have failed to persevere in good works or in faith. [6]

Schreiner, Dunn, and Barber all surmise that believers will appear at the final (GWT) judgment. Wilkin does not. John 5:24 is a great divide within Christendom.

Each author wrote a main article, to which the others responded. Wilkin emphasizes the verse, mentioning it fourteen times, at least once in each essay. Schreiner and Dunn both mention it twice (but each only does so in a single essay); Barber avoids the verse entirely. [7]

John 5:24 Citations in Main Essays and Rebuttals
	Stanley	Wilkin	Schreiner	Dunn	Barber
Main Essays
Introduction	1
Wilkin		6
Schreiner			2
Dunn				—
Barber					—
Conclusion	1
Responses:
to Wilkin			—	2	—
to Schreiner		3		—	—
to Dunn		1	—		—
to Barber		4	—	—
Totals:	2	14	2	2	0

Akin to Schreiner, Dunn, and Barber, some translations render John 5:24 as if it only promises that believers will not end up in the lake of fire. They express it with some variation of “will not be condemned,” “will not come into condemnation,” or “will not be found guilty.” [8] Instead, the promise is that believers will not even appear at the final (GWT) judgment. A great divide exists over the interpretation of John 5:24.

IV. PROOF THAT 5:24 TAKES PRIORITY OVER 5:28-29

John 5:22-30 has seven uses of the kri- family of words. Krinō (“to judge”) appears twice (5:22, 30), and krisis (“judgment”) has five uses (5:22, 24, 27, 29-30). Both John’s word choice and context are significant. [9] Each requires analysis.

A. John’s Word Choice

Both English and Greek add suffixes to nouns. For example, the English suffix -al refers to an action. Examples include “arrival,” “denial,” and “removal.” Likewise, the Greek suffix - sis generally focuses on actions, not results of those actions. The renowned grammarian James Hope Moulton concluded his analysis of noun suffixes by saying:

In the classical [pre-300 BC], and still more in the Hellenistic period [300 BC–AD 300], a differentiation of meanings was observed in the use of the several formations: -sis then expressed the verbal abstract [the verbal action]..., and -ma the result of the action... [10]

B. The Context of John 5:22-30

Six uses of the kri- family of words in John 5:22-30 set the pattern for 5:24. Analysis will begin with the verses in which a verbal form appears.

1. “Krinō” and “Krisis” in John 5:22

For the Father judges [krinō] no one, but He has granted all [execution of] judgment [krisis] to the Son.

The Father will not judge at the GWT but will delegate that to the Son.

Clearly, this speaks of people facing Jesus as Judge, i.e., the act of judging.

2. “Krinō” and “Krisis” in John 5:30

I can do nothing of Myself. As I hear, I judge[krinō], and My judgment [krisis] is righteous, because I do not seek My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me.

Again, this speaks of Jesus as Judge at the GWT.

3. “Krisis” in John 5:27

…and [the Father] has granted Him authority to execute judgment [krisin poieō], because He is the Son of Man.

Although krinō does not appear here, krisin poieō (“make judgment”) is equivalent. This follows the pattern.

4. “Krisis” in John 5:28-29

…an hour is coming in which all those in the tombs will hear His voice and [those raised from the tombs] will come forth— those who have done good things, unto the resurrection of life; but those who have done substandard things, unto the resurrection of judgment[krisis].

Consider the chronology for unbelievers here. They will rise, so Jesus can try them. Precisely, the phrase “resurrection of judgment” refers to being raised so they could appear at the GWT. Again, krisis refers to the act of judgment (the GWT), not to its result (the lake of fire).

5. “Krisis” in John 5:24

Amen, amen, I tell you, the one who listens to My word and believes the One who sent Me has everlasting life, and does not come into judgment[krisis], but has passed from death to life.

The other six uses of the kri- family of words in John 5:22-30 refer to the GWT. Everything in context points to krisis in 5:24 as a court appearance, not the lake of fire. Jesus promised that believers will not appear before Him as Judge.

6. Summary of Word Choice and John 5:22-30’s Context

Schreiner, Dunn, and Barber attempt the wrong order of operations in John 5:24 and 28-29. They ignore John’s choice of krisis (not krima), a word normally focused upon action, not result. Most of Christendom neglects the Biblical equivalent of PEMDAS (parentheses, exponents, multiply/divide, add/subtract). Bad hermeneutic leads to catastrophic results. A great divide ensues.

V. THREE GRACE VIEWS OF 5:28-29

Free Grace advocates agree that John 5:24 promises to exclude believers from the GWT. Despite unity there, three consistent Grace views of 5:28-29 exist, as Wilkin clarifies:

[B] This could be an example of Johannine use of absolute language. Positionally speaking, all believers are holy and sinless. [C] It is also possible that Jesus is pointing out the futility of salvation by works...

[A] Another view is that the reference to doing good alludes to believing in Jesus. [11]

This article will treat the views in the following order:

A. Believing is the good that every believer has done.

B. The sinless regenerate-seed only does good.

C. Doing good is hypothetical and impossible for unbelievers.

A. Believing Is the Good that Every Believer Has Done

The pertinent part of the passage reads:

…all those in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth— those who have done good things, [12] to the resurrection of life…

John Hart is one of many holding this view. [13] He states it in a totally transparent way, even surfacing the key difficulty with the view:

In this passage, all Christians are considered to be those who did the good [ta agatha] deeds (v. 29), namely, they exercised faith in Jesus (see the contrast between believing and disobeying [the command to believe] in 3:36), and they will go to a resurrection of life. [14]

One difficulty here is that good ( things) is plural. Another is that believing is not something that a believer does; it is something that happens. A person is persuaded that Jesus guarantees him or her eternal life. Believing is not something that one does, but that one experiences. [15]

B. The Sinless Regenerate Seed Only Does Good

Again, the following is the portion of the passage which this view seeks to explain:

…all those in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth— those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life…

Zane Hodges proposed the Sinless Regenerate Seed view in 1979. [16] He reiterated his argument in his commentary on John:

It is perfectly true that even after we are born of God, we continue to live in a sinful body that expresses itself all too often. But it is the unmistakable doctrine of the Apostle John that, in the final analysis, “whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him and he cannot sin because he has been born of God” [17] (1 John 3:9). This verse means exactly what it says, but of course it is the new person created by regeneration that “does not…and cannot sin.” [18]

Regarding 1 John 3:9, I concur that the sinless regenerate seed cannot sin. However, the difficulties with this understanding of John 5:29a seem insurmountable. John directs his gospel to unbelievers. Thus many [19] of his parenthetic asides assist unbelieving readers to understand difficult ideas. [20] In a book for unbelievers, would not John need to have added a parenthetic aside to clarify this result of regeneration? It seems far too advanced for unbelieving readers—without a parenthetic explanation. [21] Another solution is needed.

C. Doing Good is Hypothetical and Impossible for Unbelievers

Before I make a case for the view, a brief explanation of the passage under this model is appropriate. Again, the passage provides context for the analysis:

…all those in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth— those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life…

A rewording of this passage may make the “hypothetical and impossible view” clearer.

At the GWT, any unbeliever who has lived an absolutely perfect life, consistently doing only perfect and good things, would receive eternal life while standing before the judge.

No unbelievers at the GWT will be found to have lived perfect lives meriting eternal life. Jesus did not predict that He will find any who did good. He will find none.

Chuck Swindoll offers some clarity on John 5:28-29:

Theoretically, a person can go to trial before the judge and, if he or she is found to be morally perfect, gain eternal life. However, in a practical sense, no one is morally perfect. Therefore, to face judgment without grace is to face condemnation. Consequently, Jesus uses the two ideas interchangeably; judgment is condemnation [e.g., reaching a verdict to condemn]. His point, then, is to avoid judgment altogether by grace that is received through belief. [22]

The analysis of the “hypothetical and impossible” offer will focus on three issues:

1. The New Testament uses similar hypothetical offers.

2. Only unbelievers will be in graves at the time of the GWT.

3. “Hypothetical and impossible” avoids a bait-and-switch.

1. The New Testament Uses Similar Hypothetical Offers

Although Zane Hodges did not accept the “hypothetical and impossible view” of John 5:28-29, he did so elsewhere. In fact, in 2005 or 2006, I told him my view of this passage. His first words were, “I, of all people, should hold your view.” He said this, because he is well-known for taking this approach in Rom 2:6-7:

In line with the teaching of the Gospel of John as well as Jewish thought in general, this future destiny is identified in terms of eternal life. God will certainly give it to any who deserve it by persisting in good work.

Unfortunately, no one does this. As Paul later makes quite clear, “There is none righteous, not even one. There is no one doing good, there is not so much as one” (Rom 3:10, 12). Yet the principle remains true that, if there were someone who did do good persistently, and who was indeed righteous, God would give him eternal life because of that. [23]

On the same page, Hodges sets forth Jesus proposing a hypothetical and impossible option to a lawyer:

When a specialist in the Jewish law (NKJV = “lawyer”) asked Him, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asked the counter question, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” (Luke 10:25-26). The lawyer then proceeded to quote the two foremost commandments of the law, the commands to love God and neighbor. To this Jesus replied simply, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live” (Luke 10:27-28). The problem was, of course, that neither the lawyer himself, nor anyone else (other than the Lord Jesus) has ever, or will ever, fulfill these two supreme commandments. [24]

Once again Jesus set a hypothetical and impossible option before someone in the hope that the hearer would recognize: “That’s impossible.” People who realize the impossibility of earning eternal life often become open to a gift by grace. In John 5, Jesus was confronted by religious leaders who wanted to kill Him because He told a man to pick up his mat (John 5:16). They demanded perfect adherence to their rules. Jesus sought to put His sandal on their foot—for them to realize that He, the Judge at the GWT, would demand perfection. They would be infinitely better off to accept His offer of life (5:24) than to face Him as judge (5:28-29). This is not the NT’s only use of a hypothetical and impossible offer.

2. Only Unbelievers Will Be in Graves at the Time of the GWT

As 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 notes, the resurrection of believers will occur in stages:

A. Church age believers will rise in the pretribulation Rapture.

B. Tribulation saints will rise for the start of the Millennium (Rev 20).

C. OT saints will have a role in the kingdom; they rise before the Millennium begins. [25]

D. Millennial saints who die will be part of the first resurrection. Their resurrection will be prior to the GWT. [26]

Who will still be unresurrected at the time of the GWT? Only unbelievers will still be in tombs. Note that 5:28 speaks of “all those in the tombs,” not “all those ~~who are~~ in the tombs.” Jesus did not say, “everyone who ever was in a tomb” will participate in 5:28-29. [27] He spoke of those who would still be in tombs at the time of the GWT. Thus, it is vital to remember that the GWT is after the Millennium. Unbelievers will be the sole participants.

3. Hypothetical Avoids a Bait-and-Switch

Whether one holds that believing is the good that every believer does (Grace view 1) or the sinless regenerate-seed approach (Grace view 2), both assume that Jesus asserts that believers will do good. Of necessity, both views see Jesus introducing the Bēma, at which believers’ works will be judged. Therefore, both views logically envisage Jesus saying in John 5:24, “Only unbelievers will be judged.” So far, so good. But only a few verses later, they imagine Jesus saying, “Unbelievers will be judged at the GWT; believers will be judged at the Bēma.” That creates a bait-and-switch.

View 3 avoids this difficulty. Only a tiny part of John 5 speaks of the promise of everlasting life for believers (5:21, 24-26, 40). On the other hand, 5:22-23 and 27-39, 41-47, warn them that rejecting Him will result in facing Him as judge. In verse 27, Jesus turns from a focus upon Himself as the life-giver to His role as their future judge at the GWT.

The topic in 5:28-29 does not include believers. The focus shifts to unbelievers at the GWT. In John 5:24, Jesus promised categorically that believers will not appear at the GWT, but in 5:28-29 He asserted that unbelievers certainly will be there.

Grace people need not struggle over an imaginary bait-and-switch. John 5 does not say, “Believers will not be judged [GWT], but believers will be judged [Bēma].” Rather, Jesus promised in 5:24 that believers will not be judged at the GWT, but 5:28-29 certifies that unbelievers will be judged there.

What is the appropriate response to an objector who asks whether the Bēma compromises the truth of 5:24? “Absolutely not.” The topic in this portion of John 5 is whether one will be judged at the Great White Throne. Jesus promised that believers will not be judged there, but unbelievers will. He said nothing about the Bēma here.

An illustration may help. My wife Diane and I purchased lifetime senior passes to U.S. national parks. They are not passes to any state, county, or municipal parks. We did not buy passes to every park everywhere. Similarly, Jesus did not offer exemption from all assizes, but to the one specific judgment that is a major focal-point in John 5.

View 3 allows saying that the only judgment in view is the GWT. Jesus said nothing here about believers doing good. Why not? Eternal life is a gift to believers. He spoke of the requirement that unbelievers would need to be perfect to merit eternal life. Believers receive eternal life without merit, so why would Jesus stipulate something about their doing good? Why would He hint at their facing a judgment (albeit a different one) in a context exempting them from the GWT judgment?

VI. CONCLUSION

We have seen that John 5:24 is the great divide in Christendom. Three scholars (Thomas Schreiner, James Dunn, and Michael Barber) represent the vast majority of those who call themselves Christian. They all regard John 5:24 as nothing more than a promise that believers will not be in the lake of fire.

Why? They and their compatriots ignore John 5’s order of operations (a Biblical counterpart to PEMDAS[28]). John 5:24 takes priority over 5:28-29, because verse 24 categorically promises that believers will not appear at the GWT. Therefore, 5:28-29 describes the judgment of unbelievers.

Grace people are clear on 5:24 but diverge in their approaches to 5:28-29. Some say that believing is the good thing that every believer does, but the verse speaks of having done good things (plural). Also, believing is not a thing done, but something experienced.

Other Grace people opt for the sinless regenerate seed, but that is a deep theological truth for a book designed for unbelievers. John typically adds parentheses to help unbelieving readers understand anything difficult. Though 1 John 3:9, indeed, speaks of this truth, John 5 certainly does not.

The final Grace position is that Jesus spoke hypothetically: If any unbeliever were absolutely perfect, He would not deny that person eternal life. No such unbelievers ever have or ever will exist. No one will receive eternal life through merit.

The arguments in favor of the “hypothetical and impossible offer view” are that Scripture uses such arguments elsewhere with unbelievers; the only ones still in the graves at the time of the GWT will be unbelievers; and this is the only Grace view that escapes the bait-and-switch.

How might one sum up the two passages?

Jesus promised that believers will not appear at the Great White Throne (5:24), but 5:28-29 guarantees that unbelievers will appear there to see if any reached perfection: the hypothetical and impossible requirement that an unbeliever would need to attain.

[1] This article is reprinted from the Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society Autumn 2022 Volume 35/Number 69, 15-30. Dr. Niemelä has lightly edited it and then very graciously allowed TTVF Journal to reprint it.

[2] Unless otherwise noted, all NT citations are from the Faithful Majority Translation (FMT), copyrighted by John H. Niemelä. This is an in-process translation of the New Testament from the Majority Text.

[3] The New King James Version corrects the older versions here.

[4] Of course, no believer will go to the lake of fire. The crux is whether 5:24 promises more—that believers will not appear at the Great White Throne.

[5] Alan P. Stanley, general editor, Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment , Counterpoints Series: Bible and Theology, series ed., Stanley N. Gundry (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).

[6] Stanley, The Role of Works , back cover, wrote all four statements to summarize each author’s view. Emphasis added.

[7] See Thomas R. Schreiner, “Justification Apart from and by Works at the Final Judgment Will Confirm Justification” in The Role of Works, 92-93; James D. G. Dunn, “If Paul Could Believe Both in Justification by Faith and Judgment according to Works, Why Should That Be a Problem for Us?” inThe Role of Works, 57-59.

[8] The KJV, NAB, NETB, NIRV, NLT, and Webster Bible are some that misinterpret the verse in this manner.

[9] John’s Gospel uses krima only once (9:39), speaking of judgment’s result, not the act.

[10] James Hope Moulton, Accidence and Word-Formation in James Hope Moulton and Wilbert Francis Howard, A Grammar of New Testament Greek , vol. 2, (Edinburgh, SCT: Clark, 1920), 355. Neither Moulton nor I claim that every occurrence of every - sis Greek noun refers to action, nor that every occurrence of every - sis noun refers to action, nor that every occurrence of every - ma noun refers to result. It is a general pattern. (Section IV-B of this article contends that the general pattern holds true here.) Romans 5:16 is an important exception, in which krima is an action (the verdict), while katakrima is the result (the judicial sentence).

The 160 NT - sis words follows [KRISISis capitalized]: agalliasis,aganaktēsis,ainesis,aisthēsis,anablepsis,anachusis,anadeixisanagnōsis,anairesis,anakainōsis,anakrisis,analēmpsis,analusis,anamnēsis,anapausis,anapsuxisanastasis,anesis,anoixisantapodosis,antilēmpsis,antithesis,apantēsis,apekdusis,aphesis,aphixisapochrēsis,apodeixisapokalupsis,apokatastasis,apokrisis,apolausis,apolutrōsis,apothesis,athetēsis,athlēsis,auxēsis,basis,bebaiōsis,biōsis,brōsis,chrēsis,deēsis,diagnōsis,diairesis,diakrisis,diēgēsis,dikaiōsis,diorthōsis,dosis,egersis,ekbasis,ekdikēsis,ekplērōsis,ekstasis,elegxiseleusis,endeixisendōmēsis,endusis,enteuxisenthumēsis,epanorthōsis,epignōsis,epilusis,epipothēsis,episustasis,epithesis,erēmōsis,exanastasis,genesis,gennēsis,gnōsis,hairesis,halōsis,halusis,hexishomoiōsis,horasis,hupantēsis,huparxishupokrisis,hupomnēsis,hupostasis,hupotupōsis,husterēsis,iasis,kakōsis,katabasis,katakrisis,katanuxiskatapausis,katartisis,kataschesis,kataskēnōsis,kathairesis,katoikēsis,kauchēsis,kausis,kinēsis,klasis,klēsis,koimēsis,kolasis, KRISIS,ktisis,kubernēsis,lēmpsis,lusis,lutrōsis,metalēmpsis,metathesis,morphōsis,nekrōsis,opsis,orexisosphrēsis,parabasis,paradosis,paraklēsis,paratērēsis,paresis,pepoithēsis,peripoiēsis,perithesis,phanerōsis,phasis,phronēsis,phusiōsis,phusis,poiēsis,pōrōsis,posis,praxisprognōsis,prophasis,proschusis,proskarterēsis,prosklisis,proslēmpsis,prothesis,ptoēsis,ptōsis,purōsis,rhusis,stasis,sumphōnēsis,sunantēsis,sunchusis,suneidēsis,sunesis,sunkatathesis,suzētēsis,tapeinōsis,taxisteleiōsis,tērēsis,thelēsis,thlipsis,zētēsis.

[11] Robert N. Wilkin, “John,“ The Grace New Testament Commentary, rev. ed., ed. Robert N. Wilkin (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2019), 192.

[12] “Good (things)” is plural in Greek, as is “worthless (things)” (5:29).

[13] I once held this view. It may be attractive but does not quite fit the passage.

[14] John F. Hart, “John” in The Moody Bible Commentary, Michael Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham, gen. eds. (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014), 1622.

[15] Someone will object, “Believing is an active voice. Therefore, believing is an action done by people.” No, that is not the active voice’s only use. Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 411) defines simple active , “The subject performs or experiences the action. The verb may be transitive or intransitive. This [the subject performing or experiencing the action] is the normal or routine use, by far the most common [of the active]” (italics his; underlining mine).

Buist M. Fanning, Verbal Aspect in New Testament Greek, Oxford Theological Monographs (Oxford, ENG: University Press, 1990; reprint, Oxford, ENG: Clarendon, 2002), 135-36, names a category of verbs to which pisteuōbelongs, “Verbs of passive cognition , mental attitude or emotional state. No focus on exertion to maintain knowledge. Attitude or to act in keeping with it” [emphasis in original]. He then appended some verbs in that category. I started with his list, but (1) removed verbs lacking active forms, (2) added noeō, (3) added basic definitions, and (4) made pisteuōbold. His list appears on ibid ., 136; the resulting list follows:

agrupneō(to be alert); ginōskō(to know) [in present tense]; grēgoreō(to be alert); dokeō(to think); elpizō(to hope); exoutheneō(to disdain); epithumeō(to desire); euaresteō(to take delight); eudokeō(to take delight); thelō(to desire); katheudō (to sleep); kataphroneō(to despise); merimnaō(to be anxious); mimnēskō(to remember); mnēmoneuō(to remember); noeō(to perceive); nomizō(to think); oida(to know); pisteuō(to believe) ; prosdokaō(to expect); phroneō(to think).

Let me illustrate the upshot of the citations of Wallace and Fanning: “I know that I am writing this near Knoxville on a cool, breezy, and sunny summer morning with a few clouds.” My body detects the coolness. My knowledge of time (morning), place (near Knoxville), date (early summer), and weather (cool, sunny, with a few clouds) does not derive from action or decision, but from sensory perception and mental awareness. My knowledge (belief) concerning time, place, date, and weather is not an action.

Theodore Mueller, “Linguistic Nonsense about Faith,” Concordia Theological Quarterly 48 (January 1984): 61-66, has helpful analysis along the same lines.

[16] Zane C. Hodges, “Those Who Have Done Good—John 5:28-29; Part 6 of Problem Passages in the Gospel of John,” Bibliotheca Sacra 136 (April–June 1979): 163-64.

[17] See Zane C. Hodges, The Epistles of John: Walking in the Light of God's Love (Denton: Grace Evangelical Society, 1999), 140-44, for a presentation of the evidence for this view of 1 John 3:9.

[18] Zane C. Hodges, Faith in His Name: Listening to the Gospel of John (Corinth, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2015), 109.

[19] Clarifying difficulties is a common (but not the only) reason for parentheses. Often, they give emphasis.

[20] Merrill C. Tenney in “Footnotes of John’s Gospel” ( Bibliotheca Sacra 117 (October 1960): 364, lists 59 parenthetic asides in John. Gilbert Van Belle in Les parenthèses dans L’Évangile de Jean: Aperçu historique et classification texte grec de Jean , Studiorum Novi Testamenti Auxilia, ed. Frans Neirynck, vol. 11 (Louvain, BEL: University Press, 1985), 243-329, typed in the Greek text of John from Nestle²⁶, adding parentheses and en-dashes (–) to mark both parentheses and parentheses within parentheses. Excluding parentheses within parentheses, I count 174 parentheses in Van Belle. John’s Gospel has at least 100 parentheses.

[21] John 7:39 illustrates clarifying parentheses, (“Now He said this about the Spirit, whom those who believe in Him were about to receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.”)

[22] Charles R. Swindoll, John, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2014), 119. Unfortunately, Swindoll imagines (per his flowchart) that John 5:24 involves “all of humanity” facing “judgment before death κρίμα (krima).” This approach is from his mind, not from exegesis: (1) John 5:24 does not even use krima; (2) it speaks of believers avoiding krisis; (3) and 5:28-29 speaks of a judgment of those in graves, not a pre-death judgment. When Swindoll stays with the text, he is clear; when he strays, he gets lost.

[23] Zane C. Hodges, Romans: Deliverance from Wrath (Corinth, TX: Grace Evangelical Society), 63.

[24] Ibid., 63-64.

[25] Scripture does not say when they will rise, but it must be prior to the start of the Millennium.

[26] This is suppositional, since Scripture does not address this. However, I argue that no saints (of any dispensation) will be part of the GWT judgment, because John 5:24 is a trans-dispensational promise. It was true for the age of Israel believers (prior to Pentecost); it is true for church age believers; it will be true for believers under the return to the age of Israel during the Tribulation. How could this trans-dispensational truth be revoked for Millennial saints?

[27] Lest anyone go on autopilot—traditionally, people think of part of the passage speaking of the first resurrection and part about the second resurrection. If so, every human being would participate. Instead, the passage speaks only of unbelievers, so the participants would be the only ones unresurrected after the first resurrection is totally completed.

[28] Parentheses, exponents, multiplication/division, addition/subtraction (see the introduction to this article). When one violates the proper order of operations, wrong answers result.

Page 1 of 7

Articles

The Four Keys to Sharing Good News: Commentary on the Gospel of John

Praying for Our Lord’s Mercy

Hebrews 10:26-31: A Simple Verse by Verse Explanation

The Lovingkindness, Judgment, and Righteousness of Yeshua Part One

The Lovingkindness, Judgment, and Righteousness of Yeshua Part Two

The Lovingkindness, Judgment, and Righteousness of Yeshua Part Three

The Role of Christ in Our Salvation

To Be (or Not to Be) Summoned to the Final Judgment: John 5:28-29 in Light of 5:24